A HOLISTIC LOOK AT OUR FOOD

 HEAll my life, I have encountered people who proudly proclaim that they don’t eat “poor little lambs” or “bambies,” and that “this is where I draw the line.”   They hold these animals in such high esteem that they would not sacrifice them for food.  I have often wondered:  Just what are the sentiments we hold for the animals we do eat, or for anything we eat?  Does it make sense that we should only eat that which we despise?  But then, there are also those who feel so bewildered by frogs or snails that they would never-ever consider them as food on their plates…. .  So, should I conclude that people only eat what they find moderately disgusting?  Oh, life is full of puzzles!
It seems to me that we should always hold what we eat in the highest esteem.  Without respect for the fact that we are eating another living entity—regardless whether it is vegetable or animal—we will not be grateful for its sacrifice.  Yet gratitude is what dignifies eating.  It is the spiritual component of an otherwise quite mundane and base activity, and it is this which turn eating into a feast and a celebration of life.  When eating with a mindset of gratitude and respect, our food does not just fill our stomachs, but it also nourishes our soul with joy—naturally!  Without, however, it will only make us tired and probably give us heartburn, indigestion or gout.  This is so because our soul continues to go hungry.  If we eat because we think we must, then eating becomes just another chore.  “Fast food” was born from this attitude, because the faster we get done with a necessary evil, the better.  Or we eat because we have nothing better to do, as a substitute for that better thing we (our hearts and souls) are truly longing for.  Then our bodies will try and show us that we have been looking in the wrong place and that our “solution”—food—or the way we went about it, did not address the real problem.
It is nonsense—even grotesque—to seek to derive pleasure from anything we actually find disgusting, if we really thought about it.  Demeaning the source of our pleasure is to degrade the entire activity and, with it, its effect—for everyone involved.  Eating “with an attitude” squeezes the joy right out of it.  Just think how you feel when your loved ones silently wrote into your job description to prepare and serve food and pick up after then all the time, and then turn around and disrespect you if you actually do!  It is natural to receive gratitude for the joy we want to bring; it should be completely self-understood!  To hope for gratitude and respect for services is just as natural as hoping for joy in life.  When those who have the heart to serve are being demeaned as “only a server,” the sacrifice was in vain:  The giver becomes sad, depressed and sick.  S/he will have less and less joy, love and health to put into the helping activity, while the recipients grow ever more arrogant, greedy and thus devoid of love as well.  Nature is such a giver tour human family, as a whole, just like the mother is in the nuclear family.  Lack of gratitude and respect have been depressing many a loving caregiver, to include our plant and animal kingdoms who so happily give and sacrifice themselves, for each other’s and for our survival and joy.
Meanwhile, in our great land of plenty, we have created an art of turning food into “culinary experiences.”  Some cooks are now “Chefs,” with corresponding clout and pay, while “regular” cooks may still make as little as minimum pay.  Still, there is the vastly unappreciated cook at home.  This new culinary art uses exotic spices and herbs, creates color, texture and temperature diversity on the plate, and much visual appeal to create excitement beyond “the ordinary,” mere physical effect on stimulating glands and the digestive process.  I call many such creations “plate paintings,” for all the effort spent on appearance.  The excitement we seek, beyond all physical aspects of eating, is really joy.  Let us not lose sight of this.  Appreciation for the chef is one thing; yet, without gratitude for the once live ingredients, we are but disguising—mostly from ourselves—our unwillingness to honor sacrifice.  Consumers need be careful to not bring mundane attitudes to the table, as their own mental and emotional input to the meal, while expecting joy in return, else the derived pleasure is not from a healthy, natural source.  The well from which all joy bubbles is an open, loving heart, which is naturally respectful and grateful for all it receives.  Pleasure derived by any other means will have negative side effects, no matter how skillfully the food was crafted and painted on the plate!
Even though we could and should, it is much less likely that we are grateful for a sacrifice from a creature we do not respect.  Some we just disrespect out of arrogance, some because of ignorance.  Others we disrespect for one or more of their characteristics, i.e., looks, smell or lifestyle.  We are what WE EAT, AT LEAST IN PART.  The consumer’s attitude plays one part in the food’s effect; the animal or plant’s plays another.  Yet do animals and plants have “attitudes”?  I’d say, of course they do!  An animal stalking another for prey, a pig anxiously awaiting its trot to be filled or sniffing and digging for truffles…has thoughts and emotions about that.  Those may not necessarily be what we humans would like to infer (e.g., even the most ferocious animal may not feel disrespect for its prey but, rather, engage in joyous, masculine play with a presumed equal), but they are nevertheless a mental/emotional construct we commonly call attitude, in a more or less rudimentary form.  Some creatures are, in fact, much more aggressive than others, whereby plants are obviously the least tense and aggressive.  Why is it that the consumption of unadulterated, fresh berries is perceived as so very satiating and pleasing by most people?  While meditating on this, I discovered that the plant puts its utmost joy and pride into producing its fruit—its purpose for living.  Once, I almost killed very happy lovage plant by clipping its flowering stalks; I had listened to too many gardening books recommending this procedure for plants whose flowers we humans do not desire, in order to redirect strength into the plant and roots.  Instead, however, this plant lost its joye de vivre!  Since then, I have never clipped all of a plant’s flowers again, and my garden remained happy.  There are, in fact, happy and unhappy animals, as well as happy and unhappy plants.  A watermelon specifically bred seedless for human convenience is, in effect,, a castrated creature which has lost some of its most life and joy-giving capacities.  The melon’s flesh is still sweet yet somewhat chalky, and it can certainly not bring us,, mentally and emotionally, that which it itself does not possess—JOY!  Nothing comes from nothing.
 
Religions of different cultures, through the ages, have promoted and inhibited the consumption of certain foods.  The fact that it is religion which advocates these restrictions, should give us a hint that the reasons are more than just physical, e.g., not just the fear of certain physical diseases (like trichinosis from pork).  Those of us who meditate know, from first-hand experience, that the consumption of pork or even beef has a retarding effect on mental, emotional and spiritual uplift, and that there is a difference between the effect of eating happy free-range chickens or even eggs, versus those chickens kept in tiny stalls, without movement and natural interaction with each other.  We eat, physically, for the energy contained in food for our body to keep functioning.  Further, we eat with our entire organism, including the houses of our thoughts and emotions (our mind or soul which are nothing but energy, containing information, since energy = information).  Our minds require different information/energy than our bodies.  From food, information enters our mind  from consuming another organism in its entirety, including its thoughts and emotions.  Knowing this will help investigate and understand the many ill-effects of today’s food and eating habits.  It should also help us select more deliberately, and to eat much more consciously and mind-fully (with our mind engaged) than before.
At this point, let me issue an urgent and most sincere warning regarding toxins, deliberately added medication and drugs in our food, so-called “designer foods” and, specifically, genetically modified food.  Much of what is found in grocery stores today is concocted in chemical laboratories and, in the case of GMO’s, pesticide factories.  They are laden with ingredients that are not—or no longer exactly—food at all.  Just compare the listed ingredients to what we have on our spice racks and in pantries at home!  In case of genetically modified organisms, the dangers are even less obvious, as the plant will show no outward signs of having genetically altered DNA.  The principle guiding the subtle energy realm is like to like, i.e., what we ingest seeks to bind with similar or like materials in our own body.  Therefore, it goes to reason, that we profoundly alter our DNA, over time, in untold ways, by ingesting GMO’s.  Knowing what I know about subtle energies, all of this constitutes an outrageous crime against humanity, which no motive can justify.  We should not spare any effort demanding and stressing the importance of not only clean food, but definitely for real food only.
Still, even more important than what we eat is our attitude--how we eat.  This is so because the more subtle energy permeates all denser energy.  Since attitudes, motivation and intent are energetically more subtle than our physical bodies, those take precedence.  While more subtle, motivation is the stronger energy.  It is said that the Archangel Raphael was walking the earth at one time where he reportedly ate rocks to satisfy his insatiable need for energy in our realm.   The rocks seemed to have vanished at his lips (transformed into pure energy)!  Recognizing our human/divine capacity to co-create by means of our conscious intent, we can uplift any energy/information by the mere act of a blessing!  I have found that, after blessing my food, I eat much less.  The meal is much more satisfying and satiating, in very respect, much sooner.  Another way of “blessing” food is to simply devote the meal to a higher goal, a purpose beyond that of physical sustenance, e.g., to celebrate something.  This purpose might be a wedding, a family gathering, Easter, Christmas, Sunday or, quite simply, the end of a day in dutiful service.  The corresponding mindset makes the meal festive, even if we cannot afford gourmet food.  It turns an otherwise mundane act of eating into a celebration.  Contrarily, even the most creative and expensive gourmet food can become mundane, if used to satisfy mundane reasons, while never quite satisfying us, making us sick and still craving more.  Let us remember that we eat because we want to live!   Therefore, it must be a conscious expression of loving life.  Coupling the act of eating with this full awareness, turns a meal into pure joy.  If we don’t, eating doesn’t make much sense at all, which is why severely depressed individuals lose their appetite completely.  To eat while despising vast aspects of one’s life or life in general, perverts the function of every meal.  Food becomes a substitute for real joy and hence becomes addictive.
 
In America today, few of us remember being actually hungry or starving, at least not for food.  We are much more pre-occupied with dieting than with trying to stay physically alive.  Admittedly, this can change, in a fluctuating economy.  Yet many of us would actually benefit skipping a meal here and there.  If we still sit down at the family table at night or at breakfast, it is, in fact, for a “bigger reason.”  This reason is to celebrate togetherness and being a family.  The function is…to commune!  Every cook knows that, having just finished preparing a meal, s/he cannot relax enough to really taste and enjoy the food.  What makes the meal “a good meal” for the cook, instead, is the knowledge that s/he facilitated communion and joy among those who came together over the meal.  So let me add a few more words for the cook and on food preparation:
 
The cook represents the final element in the eating process, adding energy/information to the meal, next to consumer and ingredient characteristics.  As already stated, a sad (also lowly regarded/paid) cook will cook this sadness as an energetic thumbprint into the food.  In the absence of any other blessing, this becomes the meal’s “blessing” or dedication.  Mindfulness is important in any activity, as it largely contributes to its outcome and effect.  Yet it is particularly important when preparing products which are ingested and intended for other people.  If I sincerely wish for people to relax and rejoice at my party, and if I hold this wish as I am making the preparations, I have been able to observe much more laughter, less “work talk,” and fewer negative sentiments among my party guests.  My dedication can free people up to show more interest in each other and to dare be compassionate…because these are human attributes I treasure and consciously want to promote.  Let me assure you that turning your culinary creations into a manifested wish for yourself andothers (“cooking a wish into the food”) is truly possible, and that this idea, just like the idea of a blessing, is by no means, new:  Perhaps you are familiar with the novel, Like Water for Chocolate, or, more recently, the motion picture, Simply Irresistible.
 
In the 21st century, “wishful thinking” is no longer “just” an idea, if it ever was.  Since the advent of studying subtle energies, there is mounting scientific research into the effects of conscious intentionality.  The Science of Consciousness is among us.  I encourage everyone to find and explore this most fascinating data of our times, just as I encourage you to eat…
 
Food for Thought,
            Food for Mood, and                                             
                        Food for Life

(This article was first published in 'ONE' Magazine in three parts, 2003-2004)

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Every decade creates its own buzzwords and new concepts:

Some of these stick around for more than a decade, while others disappear again or are replaced.  “Holistic” therapies entered the West during the 70’s when it became fashionable to travel to India, China or Tibet, in an effort to expand our worldview and a scientific paradigm that was mostly based on tangible matter and what can be witness with human eyes.  Ever since, the West has remained calling for an expansion of this old, existing paradigm that is unable to account for much our human experience:  Most of what we cherish and wish for in life, i.e., love, purpose, meaning, happiness, wellbeing, creativity, joy, forgiveness, communication with each other, with nature and with God…are highly intangible and non-scientific ideas.  In fact, an “idea” in and by itself is mystical in nature, as are moments of deep insight and understanding which change us forever.  Those come from and occur in realms which escape the parameters of physics, mathematics, economics, medicine or psychiatry.  Even much of psychology and mental health schools of thought contain concepts which seem to defy clear definitions and precise measurement.  No one knows exactly what and where “the Mind” is, let alone, “the Self,” “Ego,” confidence or willpower, attitude or thought, a feeling, consciousness, or life itself.  When not defining the universe in terms of energy , and thus not including the less visible but inevitable subtle-energy components of the human organism, the essence of life and conscious living forever evade us.
 
There are four basic premises of a truly holistic paradigm:

1. Everything is Energy, in varying density and energy frequency.  The temporary manifestation or “illusion” of matter comes about by sub-atomic particles being suspended in certain distances from each other, through electromagnetic attraction.  “We are all electromagnetic clouds,” said O. Becker, MD, Professor of Orthopedics and Author of The Body Electric.  “…[This] will be judged to be the primary discovery of the twentieth century:  that living organisms are sensitive to magnetic fields, that living organisms produce magnetic fields, that electric currents flow within the body, and that all of these things are part of the living process.”
2.Everything is ALIVE.  There is nothing “dead” or truly “solid.”  A dead “thing” cannot exist or be.  It would not be a “thing” we can talk about.  As soon as it is, it consists of particles,  atoms, molecules and/or cells, all vibrating with enormous energy.
3.All Energy is Information and goal-directed.  This implies that it is conscious of itself, in some fashion, further evidenced by the fact that our own consciousness can interact, influence and communicate with all things and with the energy on those levels of pure consciousness.  The original idea (there is that word again) for this universe is an energy frequency or impulse which can be perceived (alas, it communicates, as “the word” or as sound, at least), and it has creative powers.  Everything which vibrates is alive and produces an effect (waves or “ripple” effects), with the ability to “excite” or transform all in its path. Much of non-physical/sub-atomic bonding occurs according to the principle, “like to like.”  Like information or energy is attracted to each other, and energy/information can be changed when bombarded continuously with differently vibrating energy. You might recall Dr. Emoto’s water experiments, as a case in point.
4.Everything in this universe is replicated, infinitely large or small, and consists basically of the same energetic components.  Hence consider not the shape of physical form of bodies; instead, consider the electromagnetic bodies which house the physical manifestations!  From atom to planets and stars, and everything in between, all has the same form and bodies.  We are all electromagnetic bubbles, with smaller and smallest “bubbles” floating inside of us.  In turn, we and all there is is floats inside larger energy clouds or “bubbles.”  The expressions, “Microcosm equals Macrocosm,” and “As above, so below,” come to mind here.
 
 
The eternal mind or soul can thus be defined as the sum of our sub-atomic, non-physical, subtle energy fields...

…Which consist of—from finest to densest—of our abstract ideas and purpose, to thoughts and to emotions.  “Attitudes” are constructs of certain emotional connections we make with any particular thought.  All of these are our creations (or they were adopted into our “house” with our consent or without our conscious awareness), and those are with us at all times, surrounding and permeating us, in egg-shape-fashion. They are conscious, seeing and thinking and communicating, independent of a physical brain, ears or eyes, of DNA or any physical body at all.  All “ghost,” “angel,” and “spirit” phenomena thus can be understood as semi-tangible and reasonable subtle-energy manifestations, as does mind-to-mind communication, as well as communication among all that exists.  Not only is such communication possible, but it is happening constantly, throughout creation, because everything has a soul or mind.  And many subtle-energy formations exist only in (or better, as a mind), without any physical form whatsoever.  The mechanism—our non-physical sensory organs, in fact—to facilitate communication (both sending and receiving), connecting our subtle-energy bodies with each other and with realms of like energy/information, is our Chakra System.  Importing knowledge of Chakras from the East into our understanding was a monumental milestone in the direction of a paradigm shift toward Holism.  Still, our science continues to view the physical body as paramount, and it presumes the physical brain as the seat and driver or our consciousness and behaviors.  Both premises seem to be delaying any real progress toward a shift, even when “holistic therapies” are  plugged in, here and there, as augmentation to a medical intervention which remains true to the old paradigm and continues to be considered superior.
 
However, if something as crude as a wire coat hanger or a feather can show the existence of these subtle energy fields or bodies, you know that science can or could measure and explore them.
 
 
 
 
As humans, we also carry a spark of original spirit (source energy) inside of us… 
 
…Which may be referred to as “The God Within,” our inner compass or yardstick, without which “meaning,” “value” or “sense or nonsense” cannot be assessed.  To the extent we learn to allow this spirit to operate our house and weigh in on our decisions, we experience wellness and are thriving.  Dis-Ease, then, can be viewed as working from the outside inward, i.e., first as error messages in our subtle bodies of thought and emotions, until these finally manifest themselves as ailments in our physical body, if and for as long as we have one.  It also follows that, with this holistic paradigm, that physical life is the temporary “dream,” and that our actual, eternal life (before, during and beyond physical incarnations) occurs in other, subtle-energy dimensions, all of the time.  So-called “Dreams” can occasionally give us a glimpse into these other dimensions in which we are actually much more fully conscious than right here, right now, and in which we tirelessly act and create.
 
With these premises and definitions in mind, it becomes clear that a holistic modality, “borrowed” from the East and plugged into our Western scientific paradigm does not make a practitioner “holistic.”  When removed from its much broader context, these modalities and interventions lose much of their effectiveness and can have a (negatively) enabling effect.  This is so because the person is not viewed in his/her entirety, and the inherent spirit-will is not viewed as paramount.  As long as we view the removal or suppression of physical symptoms as the sole goal or purpose of therapy or an intervention, not even the addition of “prayer with the patient” makes the treatment a holistic one.  Prayer is now offered by some clinics for patients who are following all medical treatment recommendations, first and foremost.  Of course, prayer is never wasted, but—from the holistic view--this approach is “upside-down.”  A holistic practitioner, prior to recommending any intervention, always consults with spirit first, and attempts to “read” the language of the body, as an expression of the inherent spirit-will. 
 
 Body Therapy versus Spiritual Therapy

A Body Therapy (one that aims to alter physical symptoms, as its ultimate goal) can be holistic, as long as it considers the other subtle-energy bodies and does nothing to cause those harm.  It also would not serve to maintain or enable existing deficiencies in those bodies. Body therapies are very beneficial for those in the final stages of “learning” about the purpose of a particular ailment.  As such, it can serve as the final push in the right direction, after all lessons have been learned.  Chiropractic and nutrition coaching can be such examples.  Yet without deeper work on one’s issues, chiropractic efforts bring but temporary relief and we’ll find ourselves going back, time and again, for additional treatments.
 
Conversely, a spiritual therapy (i.e., non-physical or subtle energy therapy) aims only at positive change in a person’s energy bodies.  Based on the assumption that a healthy body follows healthy thinking and feeling, the physical ailment will disappear, by itself, once one’s errors in intent, thinking and feeling have been explored. However, if it does not disappear, a holistic practitioner considers healing possible, even in the presence of a persistent ailment!  Perfect wellness and peace can be achieved by a person without limbs, or with latent predisposition toward chemical dependency, for example.  Some ailments may be chosen by the Spirit, for a multitude of reasons.  A truly holistic practitioner considers those reasons and the spirit-will as paramount and will never remove an ailment, “just because I can”!  Prayer (consulting the spirit) comes before any intervention to preclude the willful interference of man in someone else’s chosen journey.  Any ailment which appears treatment resistant or which resurfaces elsewhere after surgery, for example, should give us a clue regarding some larger principle being at work, needing to be explored and understood.
 
Ideally, body therapies should always be combined with one or more spiritual therapies and, at times, with mental health interventions as well.  Ultimately, spirit will and the individual’s informed and conscious decisions reign supreme in all recovery, and health practitioners must enjoy legal freedom and protection to allow and cooperate with such individual freedom themselves—free from pushing “standard medicine” which are designed for the masses, without individualistic focus.
 
The following is an attempt to contrast the most obvious differences between allopathic and holistic approaches to wellness:

1.  Allopathic Medicine

• Looks for the common denominator in illnesses.


• Looks for an “enemy” and “fights it” (aggressively).


• Involves uncomfortable Hospital stays, ER and doctor waiting rooms, ice-cold treatment rooms and instruments, waiting for hours, often with little clothing or housed together with many other very sick people, for extended periods of time. These are also places of exposure to extreme EMF bombardment!


• Doctors and staff “hiding” behind laptops.  (“Would they even recognize me if they saw me at Starbucks?”)


• Administer pharmaceuticals which add subtle-energy information, but often do not address the root cause (which always involves one’s mis/understanding of something).  Therefore, harmful side-effects, life-long drug dependencies, and negative enabling of poor mental attitudes follow.


• Reliance on surgery and replacement of “unfixable” body parts, without regard to the energy bodies which actually will be harmed by the procedure.  Energy therapy should ALWAYS follow/accompany surgery to heal what was caused by slash, cut and burn techniques.


• As long as spirit is not considered a viable entity in medicine and as unscientific, an MD will not explore and adhere to a person’s spirit-intentions and spirit-will.

  2.  Holistic Intervention

• Each intervention is most individualistic!  No two people have even the same symptoms for the exact same reason, nor do they heal in exactly the same way, at the same sequence, in the same timeframe or in response to the same stimuli/questions/information.  Healing has to do with Learning.  No two people understand the same thing, even when attending the identical lecture.


• Looks for and strengthen a person’s resources and assets.


• Determines, omits (passive), undoes and avoids the original stressor, instead of fighting.
  E.g., turning the stove off and removing the hand from the burner, instead of only pouring salves on the hand and administering pain killers, while keeping all other things constant.


• Adds love and a warm, loving environment.  In ancient Greece, sick people were brought to a beautiful island, with flowers and music, fountains, healing foods and gentle people, so that the body-mind could find rest and find its own rhythm again.


• Emphasis is on building trust and creating an atmosphere conducive to exploring a person’s blind spots in the mind.  This involves lowering each person’s defenses which will only happen in a completely non-judgmental, personable and confidential environment.


• Add the missing (energy) information, “sound” or frequency, until the organism resonates.


• “Soul searching,” as a person’s memory is triggered or glimpses into blind spots become visible, leading to complete ownership and self-responsibility of all that will or will not happen, i.e., learning, personal growth and change, in utter respect for a person’s free will and choice.


• Considers that some ailments are “chosen” or “karmic” in origin.

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One must give credit to the phenomenal achievements of Western Medicine in life-threatening emergencies.  All in all, however, I believe that over-reliance on surgery and pharmaceuticals has made us lazier and sicker, as a species.  All the while, we have made healing dependent upon trillion-dollar gadgets and on the presence of electricity!  What if we ever were without those again?  What would happen to our capacity to heal ourselves and others?  What do these medical procedures do in regards to teaching us to utilize our own healing mechanisms to heal ourselves?
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The Role of the environment & “lifestyle choices”

Doubtlessly, our thriving is being influenced, today mostly negatively, by environmental toxins and constant bombardment with electro-magnetic radiation, the effects of which cannot be removed without a clear understanding of, “What is Poison,” followed by action and environmental changes.  In the holistic view, the environment is me, too!  We are not supposed to be immune to poison, as this would rob us of the learning about poisons and recognizing the same as such.  We are supposed to know how we are harming the environment and, with that, in the end, ourselves.  Therefore, social and environmental activism becomes a necessary part of our own healing and spiritual growth, as we do have impact on and responsibility for the “Whole” of all things and the world we create.
 
But I understand, also, that the order within my own house(s) is my first and foremost responsibility, without which my actions will be weak and ineffective. Still, adding a few lifestyle changes to the treatment plan, in itself, does not make an intervention a “holistic” one!  And also, we shouldn’t be told or say that we are close to finding a cure (e.g., for cancer or Alzheimer’s), as long as we collectively are not willing to address and remove causative agents from the environment, and as long as Corporations continue to be allowed to produce and unleash toxins into the world!
 
We would logically expect health practitioners to be in the forefront of detecting environmental dangers, raising the red flag and driving political and legal action, instead of fighting a never ending and unwinnable fight against disease.  Driving politics would be a novel alternative to always being the ones being sued, wouldn’t it?  But we don't want such "driving" when it comes to dictating medical procedures (protocols) to the entire profession and the public!

 
Conclusion

It all has been said before:  To “Know thy own house” may, indeed, be the key to understanding creation and life itself, because our organism is a replication of a much larger organism (in whose image we were created).  Rather than increasingly depending on electricity and machinery, our wellness and thriving as a species seem much more related to a re-definition of life and what we expect life to be.  If wellness doesn’t result (a mere “managing the ever-increasing symptoms and diagnoses” is not the same as wellness and thriving), something is missing from our basic premise and concept.  Yes, indeed, the holistic paradigm shift appears well-overdue!
 
I would like to close this discussion with an alleged quote from Nikola Tesla:

“The day science beings to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.”

And here is one of my favorites from Pythagoras:

“The most divine art is that of healing. And if the healing art is most divine, it must occupy itself with the soul as well as the body; for no creature can be sound so long as the higher part of it is suffering.”
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In studying and accepting our non-physical bodies into our total view of us humans, we discover that this is the Mind; indeed, this is also the Soul, complete or “whole” with a divine spirit, residing in one’s heart!   How each of us relates to our energy bodies, how those relate to spirit, and how each inter-relates with spirits and souls throughout the universe…all of these relationships, singly and together, define the essence of HOLISM.

Illustration by Sally Culp, Michigan, for my book:  "Healing:  The Emerging Holistic Paradigm

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The name “Oura” caught my attention.  Doesn’t it sound like and remind of quite another term, i.e., “Aura”?  As such, it raises the expectation that it has something to do with the human energy bodies/fields, and that it works in holistic ways to improve wellness, right?  Well, it does NOT.
Instead, it is a piece of BIOHACK technology, “smart” technology, mining data about our bodies and more, pretending it is intended to improve our sleep.  However, it measures our heart rate, blood oxygen levels, breathing rate, brain wave activity, body temperature, whether you drank too much, and even certain hormone levels!  From it, one may (or may not, because the error rate is also great) deduce your menstrual cycle and REM dream phases and hence quality of your sleep. I have been reading through many customer reviews and learned that the evaluation of one’s sleep “quality” differs widely from subjective assessments of having a good night’s sleep.  One also has the impression that the “locator function” can be turned on/off—but can it?  AND IS THE INFO FLOW, INDEED, ONLY ONLY IN ONE DIRECTION, or could, perhaps, information be “smartly” ADDED to the body and thus stimulate certain brain activity, for example?  Even if that’s not happening now, it certainly sounds as if this is a potential use of such technology.
As can be expected from all smart technology, some EMF (blue tooth) radiation does take place, especially with gadgets worn so closely to the body.  Although with this ring, such radiation appears low, and they say you can shut off blue tooth energy pulsing from your ring, sensitive people report side effects like “confusion,” “brain fog” and ill effects on cognitive functioning.  The internet calls this, “NOCEBO” effect, as there allegedly is no basis for such happenings in the materials or radiation levels, at the time those were measured.  “Nocebo” refers to negative effects a person might be expecting and, therefore, has an increased likelihood to actually experience from an “intervention.”  It works in the same way as the “placebo” effect which tends to produce positive effects, even in the absence of an intervention.  What caught my attention was the frequent reference to NOCEBO under product information side effects!  If some degree of “placebo” and “nocebo” ALWAYS happens, with ALL interventions, then why would it warrant special mention here?!  Does the incident of confusion and poor cognitive function actually exceed average occurrence of such effects?
Another reported side effect is that there are people who start obsessing over the data reported by their ring and become depressed about their “poor performance” while asleep, even when they felt they had actually been sleeping well.  Can this lead to OCD and depression, poor self-image, etc.?  Or is there actually something else going on which is not a NOCEBO at all?  Without a doubt, such a ring can be or already is linked to the smart 5G grid in our cities and in the country, it can locate us and provide information about what we are doing, any minute of the day or night.  Surveillance is an evil thing, under any circumstances.  Yet if the name is borrowed from the spiritual arena, this would make it twice as demonic, don’t you think?
 

Prior to the previous solar eclipse over North America in 2017, I really had no opinions about such events.  It was my first.  Following many recommendations at that time to take advantage of the "special energy" during the eclipse, I brought all my jewelry outdoors to "charge" it.  As I found out, however, this jewelry (specifically, the metals) then irritated me so much that I haven't been able to wear it ever since!  I began to research and think much about this.  The answer, to me, is very clear:  These energies are simply NOT positive!  In fact, the absence of light very seldom is.

My experience during the 2017 eclipse was that nature held its breath, even fearfully so.  Not a breeze, not a sound, save some crickets who thought it was nighttime.  No movement or wildlife, not even squirrels.  Gloomy atmosphere foretelling of doom!  I learned later that, historically, civilizations tended to regard solar eclipses as "bad omens."  The gloomy MOOD outside and the strange darkness reminded me of yet another event many years prior, when I witnessed the return of periodic cicadas (which some also call locusts).  I had gone outside to tend to my garden, totally unprepared and then stopped abruptly:  The silence was eerie!  It was ALIVE!  I felt nature being entirely still and, almost trembling....afraid!  It also was dark, although there was no rain in the forecast and all felt gloomy as during the solar eclipse.  And then I saw them, the first ones, hanging at the side of trees in order to dry off, with more and more crawling up everywhere.  Several hours later, I guess the process was complete and the sun emerged again.  And then these critters descended on all the trees, including fruit trees, causing significant damage.  Most interestingly--would you believe it?--2024 marks the return of BOTH, 13-year and 17-year cicadas, SIMULTANEOUSLY!  Be prepared for tremendous tree damage and reduced fruit crops!  The damage of trees can usually be absorbed by a healthy forest.  However, at this time, after decades of toxic spraying in our skies, our forests are already dying, unable to breathe, root systems clogged, and infested with fungi.  Will the cicadas this year finish them off?

When I searched my mind for other, similarly gloomy mood in nature, I remembered an old TV series:  "Tales from the Dark Side," about a world similar to ours, "just not so brightly lit"--remember?  How different the appearance and mood was in these episodes from a starry, moonlit night which would feel perfectly uplifting and inspiring!  I conclude that periods of solar eclipses (and the emergence of periodic cicadas) represent dangerous hours during which creatures from the underworld can enter our realm to then pester us, as cicadas pester trees.  BEWARE!  I would caution people to protect themselves (symbolically) with the "PASSOVER blood of the lamb," marking our doors!  This means we make an energy cross of light over every doorway, while calling upon Christ.  I shall clothe myself with the spirit of Christ and stay mostly indoors during these periods.  Even thereafter, going forward, we need protection more than before.  As I said, solar eclipses may be foretelling great political upheaval and other unfavorable changes.  God bless!

With so much talk about "being awake," to "wake up!" and "spiritual awakening of the masses to lead us into a new world"...I believe we should come up with some definitions or, at least, descriptions of what it means to have a spiritual awakening.  It isn't near as common or frequent as you might think, yet everyone would like to think of themselves as "awake," of course.

While most people (as evident on social media) consider themselves as "awake" when they begin to comprehend the larger, exploitative nature and behaviors of societies and worldly governments, the Bible refers to something entirely different.  To be born again, this time in 
God's Spirit, means the discovery of the divine spark each of us carries in our hearts.  We feel it MOVE and COMMUNICATE with us, usually during a profound spiritual experience!  It has a VOICE and a WILL which is quite different from that of our worldly persona--the so-called Ego.  Thereafter, the tedious work begins to tame this Ego to the point that it subordinates itself to this Spirit-Will.  Finally, this process culminates in a DECISION to become entirely a servant of God, due to the growing desire to be ONE with God. At this point, we seek to ascertain God's will in all matters and do our best to follow.  We stop "manifesting"  worldly realities, born from our ego-selves, ego-consciousness and ego-will.  Life is no longer about what WE want, but it has to serve God's will for all of humankind.

After such a spiritual experience and decision, we are immediately flooded and equipped with "spiritual gifts," i.e., tools and possessions of the Spirit.  This can take the form of seeing colors, becoming clairvoyant or precognitive, hearing the voice of the Spirit (Intuition) and following it as best we can.  We can experience spirit-guidance in all things and at all times, as long as we hold still and listen.  This guidance can take many forms and also take place through our dreams.

Now we can get many questions answered which had been burning in our souls/minds.  To get these answers, we must only ask specific questions.  If we haven't discovered more wisdom yet, this is only due to our limited questions.

I am describing the moment of my own awakening (without calling it that) in my first book, "Healing:  The Emerging Holistic Paradigm."  Eventually, I had a very vivid dream:  I saw a naked baby, lying on its stomach.  It was looking at ONE large, burning candle, with huge, sparkling eyes and joyous amazement... .  In spirit, I was one year old at that time and seeing the world with brand-new eyes!  However, this did not happen exactly one year after my experience of discovering Spirit within me and feeling it move.  In other words, one year of spiritual growth has no equivalency in Earth time.

There are Christians who believe that a simple baptism represents spiritual rebirth.  However, this is not necessarily so.  As adults, we need to make a conscious decision to actively search for "the grail."   The question I posed on the day of my spiritual rebirth was, from the bottom of my heart:  "If it weren't for my Ego, I would have no reason to get up in the morning.  WHAT ELSE IS THERE???"  The question was amplified by the emotional distress I felt at the time.  And it was at that moment that my heart welled up and felt so large that it reached my throat and choked me from the inside, while filling my eyes with tears.  Instantaneously, I lost total control over my facial features and body, as if experiencing a spasm or seizure.  It lasted long enough for me to realize the answer to my question:  There was something else, and it was responding to my thoughts and to my earnest searching. 

Alas, spiritual awakening and rebirth doesn't follow OUR definitions.  It happens when we seek it very specifically, sincerely and urgently, and when we are ready to receive it!

Please read my latest book, "VIVIT:  A Timely Message from God," which is the product of my own searching and cooperation with the world of Spirit and communion with God. It contains some super-urgent messages for ALL!

(Available from Amazon)

"S/He who rejects wisdom and love, is choosing suffering instead.

S/He who confuses love with evil intent, will have to experience evil, until it is recognized as such.

The art of distinction between the two is learned by experiencing the effects each has on one's life."

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"Wer sich der Liebe und der Weisheit verschliesst, der will noch leiden.

Wer Weisheit und Liebe mit Boshaftigkeit verwechselt, der muss Boeses erleben, bis dass er es als solches erkennen lernt.

Man lernt die wahre Natur der Dinge zu erkennen an deren Auswirkungen auf das eigene Leben."

 



Today, I am thinking of one very particular turkey who--through a remarkable visitation--taught me a valuable lesson over twenty years ago.  You know, in the Native American tradition, the turkey is a symbol of "Give-Away," i.e., giving and sharing.

As a busy housewife in a gorgeous house with magnificent gardens and nature, I was in my snow-white kitchen, working away, as always.  Lately, I had become a little tired of the abundant work with house and garden which kept me tied to the property almost non-stop.  That day, occasionally, I was looking out the window above the sink which provided me with a view of a meadow extending to an original farm fence beyond.  A very peculiar turkey sudenly caught my eye.  It wasn't the turkey that was so peculiar but, rather, his behavior.  He was running inside the fence, alongside, back and forth, as if trapped.  He seemed to be getting more and more frantic, although there was plenty of space for him to get out of my garden, either by going underneath or between the wires.  And, what about simply taking flight and go OVER the fence?  I kept watching for some time, but the turkey's behavior didn't change.  "How odd," I thought but had to get ready to leave the house for an appointment in town.

Soon, I was backing out of the garage in order to leave.  Behind me was a turn-around space we had created with a huge do-not-park-sign" painted on it.  I pulled on it to turn around to leave, when I noticed that the same turkey was now on THAT side of the house, again at the fence, running back and fro, as if trapped.  I was shaking my head in disbelief and amazement and started to drive away.  In my rear view mirror, I could then see that the turkey gave up his signalling, stepped right on the "do-not-park-sign" and...flew up high and away.  So he DID know how to fly!  He remembered, or was there something else going on?

On my way into town I kept reminiscing about these strange events and remembered that, when an animal visits you and tries to get your attention, IT IS BRINGING YOU A MESSAGE FROM SPIRIT.  All at once, the message was clear:  The one running back and forth, feeling trapped in my own, self-made glass-palace-prison... was I!  I had forgotten that I once could FLY.  I was reminded of my wings and invited TO FLY AGAIN.  And, like the turkey, I was to go and share myself with the world beyond the confines of this house and property which had become somewhat of a burden to me, tying me down unduely.  Voila.  This was the message and gift from this magnificent bird.

Eventually, I followed the call I received that day which had started a countdown of sorts.  Although I understood that day that I had to do this, leaving that life would still turn out to be the hardest thing I ever had to do.

My own photo:  A new tree growing inside the trunk of an old, fallen tree.

Mass shootings have been plaguing America. While much of the public discussion focuses on guns and gun control, NRA and 2nd Amendment rights, I was having a few different thoughts, in an attempt to address the larger problem, holistically:

The more our nation spends on armament, police force and on the military, the more militant our youth seems to become.  Our current administration has appropriated a huge new budget for our military, and school shootings increased, and bombs were delivered to political opponents.  The more the military focuses on overkill, on ever deadlier technologies and weaponry, the more individuals will associate weapons with power--perhaps other countries feel the same way and follow suit as well.  America owns an arsenal of death, perhaps second only to Russia.  Available numbers are not conclusive about this.  There are conflicting reports on which country has a larger arsenal of nuclear warheads.  In fact, it's impossible to find out the current status and if real efforts at mutual disarmament are taking place as warranted by the 2010 New START Treaty.  Statistics published by Wikipedia, The Ploughshares Fund, The Federation of American Scientists and The Huffington Post vary as widely as 3,800 to 9,800 warheads in the US currently, with 4,350 to 12,000 owned by Russia, and a total global arsenal from 14,575 to ca. 25,440.  Some say that America and Russia possess comparable numbers of nuclear warheads.  But together, they surely possess more than 90% of the world's nukes.  Since the US once, in 1967,  had as many as 32,040 nukes, it seems to be true that we have made "efforts to reduce nuclear weapons for the last 35 years," as CNN reported on 12/10/18.  

Be this as it may, with only 300 of them, "90 million...would die within the first half hour," and "9,600 nuclear warheads...could instantly massacre 2.88 BILLION people and leave most of the rest slowly dying in a nuclear wasteland.  Isn't this a bit excessive?...asks Lawrence Wittner in his HuffPost Blog on 5/25/2011.  Of course, I haven't even mentioned biological, chemical and weather warfare methods, or the over 1,000 nuclear testing detonations on US soil, with untold, long-lasting, toxic effects.

In summary, America is the most weaponized country on earth, spending more on its military than many other countries combined.  We are also the only country who has used nuclear weapons in warfare--TWICE! 

We the people are mostly unaware of our nation's arsenal and types of weapons, of their reach, power and effect, and WE THE PEOPLE have not been involved in approving any of it.  At the same time, few of us have any idea on how many active wars we are involved in at any given time, how much we contribute to people's dying, suffering and/or being displaced, also when we sell weapons to other countries. I encourage you to view some film footage on the effects of nuclear explosions (soldiers could see, through their closed eyes, the bones in their hands, as they were trying to shield their eyes from the flash, among other effects), or of Nepalm, Agent Orange, and many other gruesome weapons we have employed, aimed at maximum human damage.  All the while, we attempt to raise our children to be peaceful, cooperative and forgiving, disregarding the horrific contradiction between what we preach and what we collectively do or support, directly or indirectly, often due only to non-participation in government and politics.

It helps to remember that children will do as their leaders do, regardless of what those leaders say, and children also tend to affiliate and allign themselves with the most powerful figures they know.   If more of us knew what all is done with our tax dollars to actually guide the world into intimidation via deadly force and power, we would scream!  And by doing so, we'd truly be agents of peace and lead our youth back to the values we espouse, yet which can't be achieved with firepower and weapons built to annihilate life on earth.  

Building weapons in the hope they'd never be used is INSANITY.  The only weapon never used is the one which was never created. If a gun wasn't meant to be fired, we wouldn't have equipped it with a trigger.  There wouldn't be a red telephone or nuclear codes.  And if our youth weren't preoccupied with war, power and destruction, there wouldn't be all the computer games and movies featuring nothing but.

Let us rethink not only what values we wish to pass on to the next generation, but also how we want to teach them, with our behaviors matching our speech.  Last but not least, we must be clear on who is teaching the children.  Whom are they following and imitating, really?  No one with undue firepower can be a good role model for peace and respect for life.

It's a downright miracle that not more people are, in fact, aggressive and militant.  Still, domestic terrorism is on the rise, as are right and left extremists and those who would favor the bombing of North Korea.  What still holds us in check, I believe--by a hair, it seems--is our desire and need to think of ourselves and of our nation as "decent people."  And I do believe that people are, in fact, inherently decent, but also very afraid of "power" ourselves, feeling either insignificant or else willfully ignorant and non-participatory in democratic processes.  If we continue along this road, we will continue to reap what we got:  Ever more aggression and violence.  Our involvement and self-education (or re-education?) is inevitable for the development of a new decency and civility.

​

The sky above Greenville, SC, during fall of 2017 and nearly every day. My own photo.

If you have read Elana Freeland's books and followed her and Dane Wigington's audio and video reports, like I have, you will probably conclude:

​"IT'S ALL TOO LATE NOW."

Perhaps it is.  But we could still lessen some of our worst suffering--staggering new illnesses and general, mental & physical depletion and dumbing down--if we stood up against such things as 5G technology and smart meters; if we reduced WiFi and cell phone usage; if we got rid of GPS, microwave ovens, surveillance systems and electronic pest control in our houses.  We could be eating organically only, eliminating sugar, fluoridated water and most dairy, and we could eat grass-fed, organically raised meats only, if eating meat at all.  In addition, we can strengthen body, mind and spirit by meditating regularly.  We can choose to stay out of the sun or cover up when outside.  We can omit aerobic, outdoor sports to avoid inhaling more toxins falling from the sky than we absolutely have to.  We can detox regularly, using Chlorella, Zeolite, and Silica.  And we can and should refuse additional vaccines and any pharmaceutical medications, if at all possible.

At this point, no one is offering any real solutions which would stop this world from becoming ever more toxic.  So why do brave advocates continue to talk about the issues of climate engineering, solar radiation management, weather modification programs, morgellons and other biological agents raining on us?  Why do we go on to warn of electromagnetic pollution from technologies, DNA alteration, surveillance programs and efforts of steering all of our bodies and minds externally?  

​Based on my spirit connection and sight, I believe that wide-spread awareness of these happenings will produce understanding and even RELIEF....

WHEN GOD FINALLY INTERVENES.
​

When we are eventually facing a celestial object coming at us from the sky, those of us who have been aware and suffering, will be filled with gratitude instead of fright, because we know that God is stopping anti-life developments on earth which we ourselves were unable to stop.  While many who unwittingly or knowingly participate in the world's demise or are entirely oblivious, will experience panic, we will rejoice instead.  A planetary object with earth-bound course has been sighted since, at least, 1988 or 1989.  But since then, man-made cloud cover has consistently been covering up the huge ozone holes and our sight into vast space.  Or have you seen many stars lately, let alone the Milky Way?  Perhaps one or the other of you remembers how we were glued to the TV for 24 hours,  after the last broadcasted sighting (ca. 1998) , until 10 French scientists were found the next day who refuted the collision course but not the planetary object itself.  I heard nothing further thereafter and--as if mass-hypnosis had taken place--most people don't remember this event at all.  But the streets were swept clean, with people indoors and watching TV, for one night of great tension.

What will appear as an utter disaster to many, may actually be our salvation!  It is increasingly clear that man, by and large, is no longer willing or able to make enough changes to render such a confrontation and "intervention from above" unnecessary.  Too many people have been asleep for way too long and fallen into apathy or into the "economic survival" race.  We have long stopped co-governing our country and our living conditions, most of which are imposed and shrowded in great secrecy.  We cannot even discern with certainty who and what is responsible for it all or find  competent authorities to speak to, to even register ideas or complaints.  Government scientists have stopped talking to us, and hired meteorologists on TV have become mere script readers.  The topics of the day are completely unrelated to our ability to continue life on earth, haven't you noticed?  Stupid, stupid, short-sighted people still go for making a quick fortune on the backs of people, our children, the earth and of life itself!

So, you see, that advocacy and spreading awareness still has great spiritual meaning, in that it shapes our response to and comprehension of divine intervention, which is close at hand.  Our hearts and minds will not fight it or suffer shock.  And when we meet our maker, we shall know that we 
​ 

STOOD FOR SOMETHING.
WE HAVE PROFILE AND CHARACTER.
GOD CAN RECOGNIZE US.
​WE STOOD FOR LIFE!

​

And God spoke to me:  "So, when you see the celestial body before your face, just like the recent eclypse, know that I am near.  I am undoing harm for you, which you wouldn't do for and by yourselves.  Know that your everlasting spirit will not be affected by the happenings and try not to panic, for I am near, saving the earth and saving you from yourselves and the gruesome oppression by a few who will be no more.  Hold on to me in your hearts, throughout, my children!  I will greet you on the other side and recouperate you at my table, lavishly decked out, just for you!  There, you will gradually discover where and how things went wrong and learn from the experience.  AMEN."

July 31...What a beautiful summer day in South Carolina! Perfect, indeed.  Warm, breezy, trees rustling softly, many birds silent now in the midday heat.  Or, perhaps, that's due to the bird feeder's being empty?

My dog, Lucy, and I harmonize all morning, walking twice, with food in between.  Then, for the first time in a long while, I draft an article, Lucy sleeping quietly as I write, followed by another walk with Lucy, with her mostly just wanting to lie beneath the big oak tree next to my house.  She has a point:  I, too, notice how good the breeze and energy feel there!  I realize that, after so much time on my deck, she misses lying with her belly directly on Mama's cool soil.  And, frankly, I long for walking barefoot on Mama, too, if it weren't for all those wicked fire ants.

I feel strangely sleepy after all this and take a brief nap.  Lucy is avoiding the bedroom now after the episode two days ago, when she encountered her mirror image in a large mirror there.  She was quite spooked. 

Now, back on my deck, I can't shake the feeling and thought:  "We never know when we experience our last happy, perfect day.  At the time, we see it just as another okay day" (Movie:  The Fault in our Stars).  I remember also how happy I was at times during my childhood during a summer day, just like this one, with buzzing insects and exhausted, fully-grown plants holding their breath in the heat.  They long for the coolness of evening to resurrect themselves again.  Back then, it was the fields with fully grown wheat and turnips, radiating a special glow, sprinkled with blue cornflowers and red poppies throughout.  Yes, those were the summers of my youth.

Now, I smile as Lucy watches first falling leaves floating down from everywhere onto my deck.  Her eyes reveal she's never witnessed anything of this kind, and she "watches TV" through the spokes of the railing, as she observes every movement and scent in the garden below, like a fascinating movie.  Yes, I am happy.  No geo-engineering for a second day in a row, which brought a lovely breeze to my location, less humidity and..some natural clouds--Yippeee!  Such a great feel and wonderful, rare sight!  Just as I write this, chemical cloud formations and pieces of left-over chemtrails from elsewhere are drifting into the picture:

"Remember summer," I hear the voice of my spirit.
"Remember this summer," whisper the trees.  "Soon, the skies will be yellow, as on Venus.

I get up to water my garden.  The smell of the sprinklers are mixing with steam of the soil, rising to my deck, during the glow of late afternoon sun.  "Yes, I shall remember this," I promised, as chattering gold finches flutter by.  I pluck some crisp lettuce and kale from my veggie bed for supper, complete with radishes and cucumber, a pepper and some dill.  Lucy is fed and sleeping again.  The bird feeder is full again, too.  Everything watered and standing tall, except for the sunflowers hanging their heads, pregnant with seeds:

PEACE.