 behind the development, marketing,
and distribution of this very special book. There were many early readers, all of whom deserve thanks. I would
like to single out James O’Dea, Bob Merrill, and Stephanie Davis, who
contributed detailed suggestions during the early writing of the book. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge you, the reader, for being
interested in deepening your relationship with yourself and the world around
you. Your willingness to take a second look at what is really going on,
outside and in, has the power to change the world.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Of course, there are higher states of meditation than simply noticing
the mind, but you should not set expectations. Expectations are just another
mind-trip. Decid e that you are sitting down because you choos e to learn to
be present and work on yourself. This is a time when you don’t have so
many external distractions, so you can practice being present. That’ s all. You may not like what you see inside, but you are learning to be present
with it. Y ou’re learning to be at peace with what used to drive you crazy. To appre ciate the purpose of spiritual techniques, you have to realize
that you are addicted to your mind. You’re more addicted to your mind than
people are to drugs. In fact, the reason many people start doing drugs is to
get away  from their mind’ s incessant chatter. That’ s also why some people
start drinking—the mind can be impossible to live with. If you are like most
people, you are addicted to every single word your mind says. If your mind
suddenly says, “I don’t like it here, I want to leave,” you leave. If it says, “I
think something good will come from being here, I want to stay for awhile,” you stay. You are absorbed in your thoughts, and you follow
whatever the mind says. In essen ce, your mind is your guru, and you need to
back of f from that relationship. Changing your relationship with your mind is a major part of the
spiritual journey. You don’t do this by fighting with the mind and resisting
thoughts. You do this by learning not to listen to the mind. You are the
consciousness, and the mind is the object of consciousness. You must be
able to withdraw your attentio n from the mind, even when the mind is
talking. The easiest way to do this is to pay attention to something else. One
very common meditation technique is to pay attention to your breath. Just
watch your breath. Over time you will see that if you are watching your
breath go in and out, you are not focusing on the mind. If you try this very
simple technique of watching your breath, you’ll see how addicted you are
to the mind. One moment you’re sitting there watching your breath and not
being distracted by the mind. The next thing you know, you’re lost in your
thoughts. That is what’ s going to happen. You may not be able to sit there
for fifteen minutes and watch your breath. Good, that shows you how strong
your addiction is to the mind. The reason you lose focus on your breath is that consciousness gets
distracted by what your mind is saying. In other words, you stopped
watching your breath, and you started watching your mind. The moment
you catch on that you’ve done that, don’t get down on yourse lf. Just start
watching your breath again. The entire purpose is to practice gaining control
of your attention  so that it becomes yours again. What you pay attention to
determines your experiences in life. You should have the right to
consciously decide what to pay attention to. Until you learn to back away
from the mind, you have no choice; you pay attention to whatever your
mind says. There is one more element you can add to this simple meditation
technique we’ve been discussing. You’re not going to know right away that
you stopped watching your breath. You’re going to get lost in your mind,
and maybe fifteen minutes will go by. To help notice sooner, instead of just
watching your breath, count your breaths. Simply count a round of
inhale/exhale as one, then two, and so on. But don’t count to one hundred. Count to twenty-five and start over. That way you will see sooner that you
drifted off the breath. In/out…one, in/out…two, in/out…three. Watch your
breath go in and out of your abdomen. Just sit there and watch  your breathwhile you count to twenty-five, and then go back to one. If you find that
you’re at forty-three, just start over at one. Not a thought about it, just
immediately start counting at one. You now have a job to do that requires
you to be present. You must be conscious enough while watching your
breath to know to go back to one after you reach twenty-five. This doesn’ t
require thought—it just requires awareness. Some people turn mala beads during meditation, others do mantra. These are just ways to help keep your consciousness on something other
than your wandering thoughts. So, meditation is easy—if you understand
that it’s not about having spiritual experiences. Please don’t worry about
that. Just practice being presen t. If you do this on a regular basis, you’re
going to find that you are consciously aware during the day when your
samskaras get hit. Now it’s just a question of your level of commitment. Every single time you start to get disturbed, are you willing to relax and
release. Or do you still need to go through another round of expressing and
defending your blockages. Chapter 34. Handling the Bigger Stuff
Real spiritual practice  entails devoting  every moment of your life to your
liberation. Life is your real guru. It’s challenging you to either move further
away from Self or come back to Self. Life is your friend. Everything that
happens in life is an opportunity to get better at freeing yourself from
yourself—dying to be reborn. If you sincerely work on releasing the low-
hanging fruit, and if you remain centered in the seat of Self as your past
samskaras are released, you will become a more conscious being. You will
no longer have to come back to center after a dif ficult conversation, you will
remain centered during the entire experience. At first, this is difficult. Just
keep working on it. Make this the most important thing in your life—
because it is. It really is the only rational way to live your life. It’s not a
religious techniq ue; it’s simply deciding to wake up and make something
great of yourself. If you constantly let go, you will eventually achieve a state of perpetual
presence. You will be established in the seat of Self, and you will never
leave that seat again for the rest of your life. No matter what happens, no
matter who dies, no matter who leaves you, no matter what. All that stuff
can still come up, but you will have the power to decide what to do about it. There will be time you never had before, between the event and your
reaction to it. Things start to unfold as if in slow motion—even reactive
thoughts and emotions. This gives you time to relax and let go. We are now ready to address the bigger stuff. As you let go, and there
is less small stuff, the bigger things will come up all by them selves. You
may start having very intense dreams. You may be driving in the car and
begin feeling powerful emotion s for no apparent reason. Good, you don’t
need a reason. It is simply energy, the shakti, trying to push up because you
have given her the room to do so. She is your best friend. This energy flowinside is helping you, and it’ s always trying to push up. Y ou don’ t need to do
anything except  keep letting go. What if something happens that’s a really
bad situation. The house catches fire. Y ou lose your job. That’ s certainly not
low-hanging fruit. If you are sincere on this path, what do you do. First let
go. Always let go of your huma n reaction first. If you are upset and cannot
deal with the situation, what good are you. If you can’t handle the sight of
blood, you are of no use at the scene of an accident. First let go of your
personal reactio n so that you can serve the situation to the best of your
ability. Let’s take a real-life example. You get a phone call informing you that
your sixteen-yea r-old son had drugs in his school locker. Difficult things
like this happen in the world. You may not like it, but you are going to have
to deal with it. Perhaps your mind starts up, “How could he do this to me. Oh, my god, what did I do wrong. My husband’ s going to be so mad at me. We’re having enough trouble in our relationship. This could be the end of
my marriage. Why do I deserve  this. ” What on Earth has all that personal
melodrama got to do with your son’s problem. Those are your problems,
and you need to let them go. You’re not supposed to be interact ing with the
world outside based


, a few. A few think they have gotten it. They10Bringers of the Light
know the purpose of life, and it’s just all the rest of
the people who don’t understand. Well, that, of course, is the stance taken by many
of the Earth’s major religions. These religions teach
that they know the purpose of life. There is even a
religion or two which says it is the purpose of life,
and that all we have to do is follow the dictates of
that particular religion and we will have pleased God
mightily — and be saved. On the other hand, if we do not follow the dic-
tates of that particular religion, we will be sent to
the everlasting fires of hell. None of this would be such a problem if it weren’t
for the fact that there are hundreds of organized re-
ligions making essentially the same claim. Could God have really botched the job this badly. If God really established a purpose for Life, and re-
ally wanted us to know what that was, do you sup-pose this is the best God could do when it comes to
communicating that to us in a way we could all un-
derstand. Neale Donald Walsch 11
Or is it possible that the reason we can’t seem to
agree on the point of it all is that there simply is no
point. In fact, that is exactly the case. Yet this may be
difficult to accept for many people until it becomes
clear why there is no point. There is no point because God wants us to create  a
purpose for our life. And if God had already cre-
ated that purpose, He would have robbed us of the
greatest opportunity, and the greatest tool, that wehave as we seek to perform the function  of life. Because, you see, while Life does not have a pur-
pose, it does have a function. Purpose  and function  are not at all the same thing. A clock functions  by ticking, for the purpose  of telling
time. A car functions  by internal combustion, for the
purpose  of moving people from place to place. A
microwave oven functions by causing food molecules
to vibrate very fast, for the purpose of heating food. Life functions in a particular way, but for no prede-
termined purpose. That’s because God created as the12Bringers of the Light
function of Life the determining  of a purpose. Put
another way:
God, you see, is in the constant process of creat-
ing and recreating Itself anew. God is in each mo-ment deciding what God is going to be next. This is
God’s most exciting function. (In fact, it is God’s
only function. ) This is pure creation. (For a better, and complete, understanding of this
Truth, see Conversations with God - Book One (Putnam
Publishing Company, New York City, NY). Your function
is to create the
point of your life. In so doing, you create Your Self. You decide
who and what you really are —
and who you are going to be. Neale Donald Walsch 13
This principle is presented here so that you may
understand that God has not assigned  a purpose or a
point to your life. God is waiting for you to do that. It is you who must create a raison d’etre. And that is
what you have not yet done. You have not created a
reason for being. 14Bringers of the Light
So Step 1  here is to decide and to declare  what life
is all about — for you. What is the purpose of
your life. If you can’t answer that question,  go to a
larger one: What is the Purpose of Life in general.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the author's intention in writing "Bringers of the Light"?,
A: The author's intention is to help readers understand how to become a Bringer of the Light and find their purpose in life.
Q: What is the main theme of the book "Bringers of the Light"?,
A: The book is about a simple process that helps readers discover their purpose and become a Bringer of the Light.
Q: What is the author's message about the purpose of life?,
A: The author states that life has no point, and it's up to each individual to create their own purpose.
Q: What is the key to moving away from negative experiences?,
A: The key is to focus on what you are being, not on what you are doing. This allows you to move into a state of Beingness and eliminate unwanted experiences.
Q: What is the author's suggestion for those who are struggling to define their life purpose?,
A: The author suggests that readers should not try to force the process but rather allow it to unfold naturally, and that they should focus on what they are being, not what they are doing.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Praise for Ageless Body, Timeless Mind,  the #1 New Y ork T imes
bestseller with over 1 million copies in print, and Deepak
Chopra, heralded by Time magazine as one of the top 100 her oes
and icons of the twentieth century
“A groundbreaking book on the whole question of aging. Who might have
imagined that the secret to conquering this universal mystery lies not in our
physical bodies, but in our consciousness? Only the genius such as Deepak
Chopra. Fascinating.”
—Wayne Dyer, Ph.D.
“Unparalleled genius…Dr. Deepak Chopra shows us how to transform our
bodies—and our lives—by destroying the myths of aging and guiding us to
the source of our eternal youth.”
—Anthony Robbins
“A breathtakin g vision of human potential. If you incorporate the
knowledge…it will rejuvenate your body and mind.”
—Ken Blanchard, Ph.D.
“Deepak Chopra has written an important and inspiring book that opens the
mind and feeds the spirit.”
—Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D., author of Secrets About Men Every W oman
Should Know
“Dazzling.”
—Washington Post
“Effectively arguing that the body is not an object but a process whose
limits are not known, he combines an impressive store of mind/body
wisdom with current research showing that the effects of aging  are largely
preventable. Ageless Body, Timeless Mind  deserves a long life of its own.”
—San Francisco Chr onicle“Ambitiously and patiently, Dr. Chopra connects East/W est healing
practices into a fascinating, understandable ar gument.”
—Houston Chr onicle
“Deepak Chopra is being hailed as a modern-day Hippocrates for his novel
approach of combining ancient healing traditions with modern research.”
—Chicago Sun-T imes
“A guide to longevity that’s also a thoughtful and sometimes inspiring
reflection on our remarkable place in the cosmic scheme of things.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Brilliant and exhilarating.”
—London Daily T elegraph
“In the ’80s the biggest name in healthy words—aside from the cholesterol
guys—was Dr. Bernie Siegel, who asserted the power of positive thinking. The heir apparent for the ’90s is Dr. Deepak Chopra, who is busy
explaining why it works.”
—Sunday Sun  (Toronto)
“There is plenty to celebrate in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. In a field
already becoming crowded with popular literature, Chopra manages to
cover the major  subject areas, yet at the same time brings to light unusual
research and fresh opinions. He provides a great deal of worthy practical
advice, as well as much food for thought in more philosophical arenas. I
found the book enjoyable, stimulating, and beneficial, and recommend it
heartily, both for those new to the subject, and for those already familiar
with the field.”
—Herb Bowie, author of Forever Alive
“Dr. Chopra’ s writing has great beauty, great power, great delight, and much
common sense.”
—Courtney Johnson, author of Henry James and the Evolution of the
ConsciousnessOceanofPDF.comAlso by Deepak Chopra
Creating Health
Return of the Rishi
Quantum Healing
Perfect Health
Unconditional Life
Journey into Healing
Creating Af fluence
Perfect W eight
Restful Sleep
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
The Return of Merlin
Boundless Ener gy
Perfect Digestion
The W ay of the W izard
Overcoming Addictions
Raid on the Inarticulate
The Path to Love
The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents
The Love Poems of Rumi (edited by Deepak Chopra;
translated by Deepak Chopra and Fer eydoun Kia)
Healing the Heart
Everyday Immortality
The Lords of the Light
On the Shores of Eternity
How to Know God
The Soul in Love
The Chopra Center Herbal Handbook
(with coauthor David Simon)
Grow Y ounger, Live Longer
(with coauthor David Simon)
The Deeper W oundThe Chopra Center Cookbook
(coauthor ed by David Simon and Leanne Backer)
The Angel Is Near
The Daughters of Joy
Gold for Enlightenment
Soulmate
The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire
Peace Is the W ay
The Book of Secrets
Fire in the Heart
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Y oga
(with coauthor David Simon)
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives
(coauthored by David Simon and V icki Abrams)
Life After Death
Buddha
The Essential How to Know


391991 91-20722
615.5'32—dc20 CIP
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainbyMacmillanLondonLimited. FirstU.S.Edition:December1991
10987654321
FormysonDaniel
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
HowToUseThisBookxi
PARTI:History,PrinciplesandPrescribing
1TheHistoryofHomeopathy 3
2PrinciplesandConcepts 11
3MythsandMisapprehensions 17
4TakingtheCase20
5Prescribing24
PARTII:TheMateriaMedicasandRepertories
ExternalMateriaMedicaandRepertory31
InternalMateriaMedica38
InternalRepertory165
PARTIII:PrescribingGuidelinesandFollow-through
StressasaCauseofDisease201
DiseasesYouCanTreatUsingThisBook203
Case-takingQuestionnaireandSymptomChecklists227
RepertorisingChart230
SampleCases232
PARTIV:TheAppendices
Glossary247
First-AidKits249
Index250
LastWord254
A
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iwishtothankfirstmyauthorfriendswhohelpedmeorganisethechaos-Robin
ShohetandJaneHowardforenablingmeactuallytositdownandwrite,andMaggi
SikkingandSilvieTurnerfortheirconstantsupportandencouragement. Sincerethankstoallwhohelpedwiththisprojectoverthepastfouryears,
especiallyAndreeRyan,EricaDay,FrancisTreuherz,JaneHarter,JennyHaxworth,
JohnTomlinson,LyndaBallinger,MahavirBall,MikeStrange,RachelPacker,and
RozFishel.AlsothankstoLizPepperellforherdelightfuldrawings. SpecialthankstotheteamatMacmillanwhosupportedmeunstintinglyinmy
strugglesasafirst-timeauthor...especiallytoKatrinaWhonewhosepatienceand
senseofhumourkeptmegoingwhenallelsefailed. Iwouldlikealsotoexpressmuchlovefor,andappreciation of,myteachers;my
parentswhosowedtheseedsofwhoandwhatIamtoday;J.R.Worsleywhohelped
medigthoseseedsintotheearth;TerryCooperandJennerRothwhohelpedmefind
thoseseedsagainandrediscovertheirworth;allthegreathomeopathicteachers,
bothdeadandalive,who,bothinwordandspirit,wateredregularlythegrowing
plant;myfriendsandfamilywhohavesupportedmeinallweathers;andmy
patientswhotaughtmesomuchandwhofinallymadeitpossibleforthistreeofmine
tobearfruit.Thankyou. INTRODUCTION
Thepracticeofhomeopathy,whetherintheconsult-
ingroomorinthehome,isadelightandachallenge. Usedcarefullyandwisely,itishighlyeffectivein
curingawiderangeofillnesses,fromminorhealth
problemstoveryseriousconditions.Thisbook
focusesoneverydaycomplaintsthatyoucantreat
yourself. Iamconcernedthatpeoplewhoareusing
homeopathicmedicinesshouldknowtheirpotential
andusethemwithrespect,especiallysincetheyare
nowsoldoverthecounterinmostchemistsand
health-foodshops,withveryfewguidelines. Inthisclimateofgreaterlifeexpectancyandyet
increasingill-healthanddisillusionmentwithmodern
wonderdrugs,peoplearequestioningthequalityof
theirhealthcareandlookingforsafeandeffective
waystotreatillnessaswellastoimprovetheirhealth. Homeopathy offersasafealternativeasitseeksto
improvethegenerallevelofhealthofthewholeper-
son,emotionallyaswellasphysically,andassuchis
playinganimportantroleinthemovementbacktoa
moreholisticapproachtohealth. Ibelievethatconventionalmedicinesshouldbe
usedsparinglyandthattheirindiscriminateusefor
minorailmentsisinappropriate. Idonotintendto
makecomparisonsbetweenorthodoxandalternative
medicineinthisbook;nordoIwishtobelittlethework
andintentionsoforthodoxdoctors.Nonetheless,
manypeopleareundermining theirgeneralhealthby
abusing(over-using)antibioticsandotherstrong
medicationsfortrivialcomplaints.Thisextendeduse
canleadeventuallytoresistancetothedrugsthem-
selves;toallergies;and,ofcourse,toaneventual
breakdownoftheimmunesystem.Homeopathy car-
riesnoneoftheserisksandinfactbooststhebody's
vitality.Ianticipatethatmanyusersofthisbookwillalready
havehadsomeexperienceofhomeopathyandtheuse
ofhomeopathicmedicinesinthehome,andwillbe
familiarwiththeapproachofsomeofthefirst-aid
guidesalreadyobtainable.Manybookscurrently
availableonfirst-aidhomeopathyoversimplifythe
'art'ofhomeopathicprescribingandhavegiventhe
falseimpressionthatprescribingahomeopathicrem-
edyissimplyamatteroflookingup,say,'boils',and
givingtheoneremedythatislisted.Thiswillalways
beahit-or-missaffair,withtheremedyworkingfor
onlyapercentageofthosepeoplewhotakeit. Homeopathicprescribing isnotthatsimple.This
bookmimicsthewayaprofessionalhomeopath
works.Asahomeopath,mytoolsforprescribingare
theMateriaMedicaandtheRepertory.TheMateria
Medicaissimplyafullaccountofthehomeopathic
remediesandtheRepertory isacross-referenced
indexoftheinformationpresentedintheMateria
Medica.WhatIpresenthereisasimplifiedformof
thesebookswheretheyapplytofirst-aidprescribing,
translatedwherepossibleintolay-person'sterms. Withinthelimitationsimposedbythesizeofthis
book,theinformationherewillhelpyoutomake
remedyselectionmoreaccurate.Thisbookalsolooks
attheprinciplesunderlyingthetheoryofhomeo-
pathy,aswellasathowtoprescribe-howtospotthe
symptomsorsignsofdiseaseandhowtoclassifythem
sothattheycanbeusedtofindthebestremedy.My
aimistohelptheseriousfirst-aidertousethese
principlestoprescribesuccessfully,asIintroduceyou
toawholenewwayofdefiningandtreatingillness. MirandaCastro
London,1990
HOWTOUSETHISBOOK
Thegoalofthisbookistoenableyoutouse
homeopathicmedicinessafelyandeffectivelyathome
inavarietyoffirst-aidsituations,fromaccidentsand
injuriestobackache,coughs,colds,childhood ill-
nesses,earaches,flu,food-poisoning, sorethroats,
teethingandmanyothercommoncomplaints. Mostofthehomeopathic first-aidbookscurrently
availablehaveattemptedtosimplifytheprocessof
findingaremedy(ashomeopathicmedicinesare
called)inordertomakehomeopathymoreaccessible. Thishasresultedinsomedisappointment, asmany
peoplehavefoundtheirattemptstouse'natural'
medicinetobeahit-or-missaffair.Thisbookaimsto
rightthiserrorbymimickingthemethodthatapro-
fessionalhomeopathuses.Tothisendtherearethree
mainsections:
PartI:History,PrinciplesandPrescribing
Thissection(Chapters1-5)introducesthehistoryand
theoryofhomeopathy,includingitsguidingprin-
ciples;itdefinesthosecomplaintsyoucansafelytreat
yourselfandguidesyouthroughtakingacaseand
prescribing. PartII:TheMateriaMedicasand
Repertories
Thisisthemainpartofthebookandisdividedinto
twosections:externalremedies(drops,lotions,
creamsandointments)andinternalremedies(tabletstakeninternally).EachhasaMateriaMedica-an
alphabeticallyarrangedlistofdetaileddescriptionsof
theremedies;andaRepertory-anindexofsymptoms
orcomplaintstoguideyoutothecorrectremedyinthe
MateriaMedica. PartIII:PrescribingGuidelinesand
Follow-through
Thispartincludesclearguidelinesonwhichcom-
plaintsyoucantreatusingthisbook.Italsogives
practicalmeasuresthatmaybehelpfulorimportantin
eachcomplaint. Itisessentialtoreadthisinconjunction
withtheremedypicturesinPart11.Followingthisare
questionnairesandchartstoassistyouin'takingyour
case'andprescribing.Finally,therearetensample
casesillustratingtheapplicationoftheprinciplesof
homeopathy,whichyoucanuseasexamplesortotest
yourselftoseehowwellyouhaveunderstoodthe
homeopathicprocessesoutlinedinthisbook. PartIV:TheAppendices
Theseincludeaglossaryprovidingbriefdefinitionsof
anyunusualtermsusedinthebookandasectionofhow
tostockupaf


arephysicallyhealthywehavestrength,
flexibilityandareservoirofenergyonwhichtodraw. Whenweareemotionallyhealthywecanacknowl-
edgeandexpressourfeelingsandmaintainreward-
ingrelationships.Whenwearementallyhealthywe
canthinkclearly,formulateideas,solveproblemsand
makedecisions. Diseaselimitsourpersonalfreedom-abrokenleg,
forexample,limitsaperson'sphysicalfreedomby
making itdifficulttowalk.Depressionlimitsa
person'semotionalfreedombymakingitdifficultto
interactwithothers.Mentalexhaustionaffectsa
person'sabilitytoconcentrateandmakedecisions,
thereforelimitingaperson'smentalfreedom.Ifyou
fallill,askyourselfhowthatillnessislimitingyou. Theorthodoxmedicalview,orgermtheoryof
disease,isthatillnessisa'bad'thing.Analter-
nativemedicalviewisthatdiseaseisa'good'thing,
alertinganindividualtoallowtimeoffforrecuper-
ation. Diseaseisneithergoodnorbad.Thatwehave
fallenillsimplyprovidesuswithinformationabout
howwearelivingandcopingwithstress.Italertsusto
adeficiencyorweaknessthatneedsattention.An
individual'ssusceptibility todiseasedetermines
whetherornottheywillfallill(seepage13).A
weakenedimmunesystemismorelikelytosuccumb
thanastrongone. Weallvaryenormouslyinourabilitytoadaptto
andcopewithstress.Understandingourownstress
limitsistremendouslyimportant. Idividestressinto
twomaincategories-healthystressandunhealthy
stress.Healthystressmightbedefinedasthespurthat
pushesyoutoperformbetterandachievemorethan
usualincertaincircumstances: forexample,toworkall
hoursinyourjobduringacrisis.Athletesusetheir
naturallyacquiredadrenalin(stressresponse)togain
thatlittleextrafromtheirbodiesinarace. Unhealthystressiswhenthestressinyourlife
beginstolimityou,bringingyoutooneartothat'last
straw'statewhereyourown'copingmechanism' is
overstretched,whenyourperformance levelstartstc
dropandyoumakemistakes,whenyoufallill. Understressourbodieswillletusknowwhenthe
pressureistoogreatbyproducingthesymptom(s)of
illness.Andwhensymptomssurfaceononelevelthen
otherlevelswillalsobeaffected.Forexample,ahead
injury(physical)caninitiallycauseshock(emotional)
andamnesia(mental)aswellaspain(physical).A
difficultbossatworkwhoisaggressivetostaffcan
createanemotionallystressfulenvironment forem-
ployeeswhomayproduceconnectedphysicalail-
mentssuchasheadaches,indigestion,painsinthe
neck,etc. Atdifferenttimesinourliveswemayrespond
differentlytosimilarstresses.Divorceofparents
usuallybecomeslessdamaginglystressfulaswegrow
olderandlessdependent,althoughadependentolder
childwillbeasbadlyaffectedbydivorceasaninde-
pendentyoungerchild.Givingbirthatfortyisabigger
physicalstressthandoingsoattwentywhena
woman'sbodyismoresuppleandshehasgreater
energyresources.However,anolder,moremature
womanmayfindherselflessemotionallystressedby
motherhood. Thebodyoperateswiththephysical,emotional,
mentalandspiritualworkingtogethertomaintaina
balance.Eachaspectneedsnourishment,butmental
andemotionalnourishment isoftenlackinginour
society.Becauseofthewidespreadrejectionofre-
202•StressasaCauseofDisease
ligionmanypeopledonothaveatimeofpeaceor
quietintheirlivestoreflectorjustbe.Tostillthe
mindandletthecaresoflifedriftawayisadeeply
healingprocess.Youcandothisbymeditating,day-
dreaming,paintingandwriting,walkinganden-
joyingnatureorthroughprayer. Youalsonourishyourselfwithfood,sleep,mass-
age,spendingtimewithfriendsorfamilymembers
whoacceptyouasyouare,whowilllistenwhen
needed,andprovideyouwithlovingsupportand
advice.Laughterisoneofnature'sgreathealers.Let-
tinggooftheseriousbusinessoflivingandhavingfun
isessentialtomaintaininghealth. Learntorecognisethefirstsymptomsofbeing
over-stressed,whenthebodyshowsearlywarning
signsbutbeforeillnessdevelops.Beingillcanactually
beafruitfulwayofcopingwithstress,althoughof
course,diseaseinitselfcanbestressful.Onceyou
arestressedandweakenedtothepointwhereyou
become ill,theillnessfurtherstressesyourbody,
especially ifyoutakeantibioticsorhomeopathic
remediesandcarryonworkingasifnothinghad
happened.Youneedtostop,restandallowtime
forself-healing. Themoreweunderstandaboutstressthebetter
ablewearetodealwithitandhavesomechoiceinhow
werespondtoit.Observingandquestioninghow
someoneclosetoyouhasfallenillwilltellyoualot
aboutwhatstressesareoperatingintheirlife,andin
talkingaboutthemitissometimespossibleforthat
persontounderstandwhatchangesarenecessaryto
preventasimilarsituationrecurring. Gettoknowyourownstressresponse.Whatcanyoucopewith?Whatareyourlimits?Howdoyou
recognisethem?Howcanyoustretchyourlimits
whenyouhaveto?Whatnourishesyou?Howdoyou
balancethestressinyourlife?Settinglimitsisan
essentialpartofthestress-balancingmechanism. Beginbyrecognisingandacknowledging the
formsstresstakesinyourlifeandupdateyourstress
listfromtimetotime.Assessyourreservesand
strengthsfordealingwithstress;lookatwaysinwhich
youcanbalancethestress(es)inyourlife.Avoid
unnecessary stress.Learntooffload,todelegate,to
sayno. Rememberthatyouareanimportantpersonin
yourownlife.Youneedtolookafteryourselftobe
ahealthymother/father/friend/employee/homeopath,
etc! Asahomeprescriberunderstanding thatdiseaseis
aresponsetostressisimportantsothatyoucanhelp
yourpatienttalkthroughthevariousmeasuresthey
cantaketomaketheirlifeeasier.Evenchildrenbenefit
fromthisapproach.Astrictteachercanaffectasensi-
tivechildwhomaystarttohaveheadaches.Finding
outthatthisisthestressthatiscausingtheheadaches
isthefirststep.Talkingtoyourchildabouthowto
handlehisorherfeelingscomesnext.Atalkwiththe
teacherisessentialsothatheorsheunderstandsthe
effecttheyarehavingonyourchild.Youcanthen
prescribe iftheheadachescarryonoriftheyare
speciallysevere. Ihaveonlytouchedonstressinthischapteras
therearenowmanygoodbooksonthesubjectcover-
ingeveryangle.Themoreweunderstandaboutstress
thebetterablewearetodealwithitandhavesome
choiceinhowwerespondtoit. DISEASESYOUCANTREAT
USINGTHISBOOK
Itisimportanttounderstandfullythedifferencebe-
tweenacuteandchronicdiseasesothatyouknow
whichillnessesyoumaysafelyandappropriately treat
andwhichyouneedtotaketoaprofessional
homeopath.Foranexplanationofthedifferencebe-
tweenthetwo,seepage14. Thissectiontellsyouwhethertheparticularcom-
plaintyouwishtotreatiswithinyourscopeasahome
prescribesbeforeyouattempttotakethecaseand
workoutaremedy.Agoodgeneralfirst-aidbookor
familymedicalencyclopaedia willgiveyoumorede-
tailedinformationaboutthecomplaintsthemselves. If
yourcomplainthasanobviouscauseitisimportantto
removethestress(forexample,don'tdrinkforafew
daysifyourheadachewascausedbyanexcess
ofalcohol).Usecommonsensemeasuresandtake
sensiblecareofyourselfwhenyouareill. Havingestablishedthatyourcomplaint iswithin
thescopeofthisbook,turntoChapters4and5to
workouttheremedyyouneed. Yourcomplaintmaybetreatableeitherbyinternal
orexternalremedies,orboth.Youcanestablishthis
ineachcasebylookingupyoursymptomsinthe
Repertories(pages37and165-98). Ialsostronglyadviseyoutotakeafirst-aidcourse
withtheStJohnAmbulanceortheRedCrosstolearn
themechanicsoffirst-aid. Acriticismlevelledathomeopathy isthatiten-
couragespeopletot


 to be, that there are no acci-
dents and that all that appears to be missing is nothing more than an
illusion perpetrated by your ego. With this awareness, impatience leaves, and you stop looking for
results of your manifestation meditation. You turn your thoughts to
135
WAYNE W. DYER
the affairs of your life, knowing that you are not alone. Your patience
allows you to remain in silent appreciation for all that is manifested
in your life. This practice of patient detachment from outcome is a
foreign concept to those of us who have been taught that goals, suc-
cess symbols and the accumulation of merit badges are the ways to
feel important and fit into our culture. You have achieved peace with
your infinite patience, and peace is what enlightenment is all about. What follows is a guide for living with: the seeming paradox of
attempting to manifest something into your life, and at the same time
not being attached to when and how it shows up. A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN FOR PUTTING PATIENT DETACHMENT
INTO YOUR MANIFESTATION PRACTICE
Understand the essence of what you desire. What you desire is not
necessarily in the realm of things. If you want to manifest money, for
example, notice if your attention is centered on the dollars or on
the experience and feeling of financial security. Ask yourself what
you want this money. for. Put your attention on the joyous experi-
ences that you associate with what you are desiring rather than
focusing on a new automobile or a new boss or a different partner. The experience is the essence of your desire. The essence is always located where you experience your feel-
ings. By putting your attention on the inner feelings, you shift from
being gratified by externals to the experience of gratification. The
essence of your desire is a feeling of well-being and joy and an align-
ment with the universal spirit. Then you will see many things show-
ing up in your life that will lead you to the inner-directed path. They may have nothing to do with what you originally thought you
wanted or needed. You may feel that you truly want to manifest more income and a
136
Manifest Your Destiny
promotion, but if you find the essence of this desire, it may revolve
around more security and a sense of well-being. Detach yourself
from the in-the-world promotion and increase in pay: Instead, put
your manifesting energy around the very essence of your wanting to
feel more secure and less stressed. You will probably begin to see
things arriving in your life and reducing your anxiety. Again, they
may seem to have very little to do with what you originally thought
you wanted. Banish the doubt and enter into the realm of certainty. Remove all
doubts concerning your ability to manifest the essence of your
desires. Review what you have read up until this point and remind
yourself, whenever any doubt creeps in, that you and the universal
intelligence are one and the same, and that this universal intelli-
gence is in all things.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Destiny is not pre-
ordained. Destiny is ordained totally by you. Every single moment of
your NOW existence is the result of your previous thought. The idea
that everything is already laid out for you in advance is a hallucina-
tion. You can and do manifest your own destiny. Your free will is your gift of unconditional love. You create your
destiny with this free will, and when you venture off the path of
101
WAYNE W. DYER
unconditional love, you are simply living an illusion. The illusion is
that the thoughts that you have of your separateness from God’s will
put you into an obsequious position, that God is something you must
fight or fear. Obviously, if this were true, God could not at the same
time be all loving. Once this illusion takes hold, you become a victim of life rather
than a co-creator within it. You lose your ability to extend the uncon-
ditional love that is your beingness, and instead project your condi-
tioned ego. In other words, you give up your power to be at one with
the God force that created you, and you lose your power to manifest
or co-create the life that you desire. Life is in conflict with your
higher power. You begin to fear this higher power and act in servile ways toward
it. You become disenchanted with your own ability to attract anything
positive and you feel weak and powerless. You have lost the joy and
ecstasy that is the accompaniment to a life of unconditional love. KNOWING THE JOY OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. The most important thing that you will gain from cultivating
unconditional love will be freedom from hate and violence. When
these thoughts are removed, you discover the presence of joy and
peace. This is an automatic reaction to unconditional love, because
you are in harmony with the creative source. One of the lessons that you will be unlearning as you gain access to
unconditional love is the mistaken belief that joy is of the ego and
misery is of the spirit. The truth lies in reversing this supposition and
getting to the source of spiritual joy. Simplistically stated, experienc-
ing joy, from the point of view of the ego, is always getting what we
want, and being spiritual is associated with meditating, being gener-
ous, extending kindness to others. The path to true joy and bliss in
your life is affirming the spirit and subordinating the ego. 102
Manifest Your Destiny
Saying to yourself that the ego is an illusion provides you with a. powerful tool for manifesting. The ego identifies you as primarily a
physical body, separate from God, and in need of constant stroking to
massage your self-importance. When you simply say this is an illusion
and it doesn’t really exist, those ideas are replaced with uncondi-
tional love, and the joy that you experience is really the denial of the
false and an affirmation of the truth of your being. You are absolutely free when you are not consumed with your self-
importance. You are free when you no longer need to be stroked,
coddled and approved of by everyone you meet. You are free when
you are no longer offended by the actions of others. Freedom allows
you to extend your inner self to the outer world, and that is love. There is a great sense of joy in feeling free. Think of times when
you have felt the freest in your life. When the pressures to perform
are off. When you are walking in nature. When no one is badgering
you to meet deadlines. When you are in solitude and communing
with God. If you have made the connection to your inner life, these
are the most joyful times. When you are experiencing this kind of
joyful freedom, you feel inspired, and, of course, this means that you
are “in spirit. ”
The most creative times of my own life are when I allow myself to
be free. This freedom produces a great joy within me that manifests
as new ideas to expand my work and be more purposeful, to be a
better writer, teacher, father and husband, to share this love that I
feel with all who care to know about it. Joy, freedom and unconditional love are inseparable; they flow
from the experience of each other. To be joyful is to hold onto noth-
ing and to have no restrictions. This is also the feeling of freedom,
and it is a result of embracing the unconditional love of the divine
energy that is the center of your being. Authentic joy is not merely the pleasure of the moment. These ego
103
WAYNE W. DYER
pleasures are fleeting and transient. They demand more, just like a
drug, in an attempt to be fulfilled. But fulfillment is mostly an illu-
sion with fleeting pleasures. All of the pleasures of the body are not
evil, they are simply temporary. This is not to say that one ought not to enjoy a massage, a deli-
cious meal, lovemaking and all of the pleasures of the body. But, that
one should know that true joy is not in the bodily pleasure. It is in
the mind, which is processing and allowing you to experience the
pleasure; the body is simply neutral, as are all things. It is the mind
that makes it real, not the reverse. The body cannot make us real any more than it can heal the mind. Nor does the body, in and of itself, give us joy. It is in the mind that
the healing of the body originates, and it is in the mind where joy
also originates. Your purpose is to align your mind with the uncondi-
tional love that is the divine source of all material things, including
your body. That source is love. With that alignment comes joy and
power. When one drop of water separates from the ocean it becomes a
speck that is, essentially, powerless and weak and unable to sustain
itself. But, when it aligns with its source, the ocean itself, it is power-
ful beyond what is possible as an individual drop of ocean. So it is
with you. Alone, separated from your divine source, you are a skin-
encapsulated ego living the illusion that you are important and pow-
erful. But, realigned,


 heaven is now naturalized in some parts of Europe, Australia, and North America. It is cultivated as a garden tree. The bark and  root bark are harvested in spring. Parts Used Bark, root bark. Constituents The bark contains quassinoids
(such as ailanthone and quassin), alkaloids, flavonols, and tannins. Quassinoids are intensely bitter, antimalarial, and act against cancerous cells. Medicinal Actions & Uses In Chinese
herbal medicine, tree of heaven is used to
treat diarrhea and dysentery, especially if there
is blood in the stool. The bark of the tree has been used in Asian and Australian medicine to counter worms, excessive vaginal discharge, gonorrhea, and malaria, and it has also been
given for asthma. Tree of heaven has marked antispasmodic properties and acts on the body
as a cardiac depressant. Research Chinese researchers gave tree of
heaven to 82 patients with acute dysentery, and cured 81. Abdominal pain generally eased within
2 days. The anti-cancer properties of quassinoids
are being extensively investigated. Laboratory research indicates that the whole plant has a marked antimalarial activity. Agrimony is gentle and
suitable for children. Tree of heaven has an unpleasant, bitter taste. US_158-179_Abies_balsa_Boswe_serratta.indd   162 07/04/16   4:37 pm163 other medicinal Plantsalchemilla vulgaris
Related Species A. malabrica  is used in herbal
medicine in Southeast Asia for its tonic properties
and to reduce fever. QCaution Use tree of heaven only under
professional supervision. ajuga reptans (Lamiaceae)
Bugle
Description Low-growing, creeping perennial
up to 1 ft (30 cm) in height. Has rooting runners,
erect hairy stems, oblong to oval leaves, and
purplish-blue flowers. Habitat & Cultivation Native to Europe,
North Africa, and parts of Asia, bugle has become
naturalized in North America. It prefers damp
woods and grassy and mountainous areas, and is
usually gathered when in flower in early summer. Parts Used Aerial parts. Constituents Bugle contains iridoid glycosides,
diterpene bitters, phytoecdysone, and caffeic acids.History & Folklore In the European tradition,
bugle has long been valued as a wound-healing
herb. Nicholas Culpeper praised it in 1652: “The
decoction of the leaves and flowers made in wine
and taken, dissolveth the congealed blood in those
that are bruised inwardly by a fall or otherwise, and
is very effectual for any inward wounds, thrusts or
stabs into the body or bowels.” The herbalist Mrs.
Grieve, writing in 1931, reported that it lowers the
pulse rate and “equalizes the circulation.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses Bugle is bitter,
astringent, and aromatic, but opinion varies as to its
value as a medicine. It has mild analgesic properties,
and it is still used occasionally as a wound healer. It is also mildly laxative and traditionally has been
thought to help cleanse the liver. Related Species Ground pine ( A. chamaepitys )
is used to treat gout and rheumatism. It is believed
to have diuretic, menstruation-inducing, and
stimulant properties. A. decumbens  is used in
Chinese medicine as an analgesic.a topical application of albizzia. Extracts of the
plant also have antifungal and antibacterial activity. Saponins from the seed pods have spermicidal and
antiprotozoal activity. alchemilla vulgaris (Rosaceae)
Lady’s Mantle
Description Herbaceous perennial growing to
1 ft (30 cm). Has a basal rosette of lobed leaves
and insignificant green flowers 1⁄8–1⁄4 in (3–5 mm)
across in loose clusters. Habitat & Cultivation  Lady’s mantle is
native to Britain and continental Europe. It is
gathered in summer. Parts Used Aerial parts, root. Constituents Lady’s mantle contains tannins,
a glycoside, and salicylic acid. Bugle  was once
thought to be a
remedy for hangovers.Lady’s mantle is chiefly
used to reduce heavy
menstrual bleeding. History & Folklore Andres de Laguna’s
translation (1570) of Dioscorides’ Materia Medica
recommends two preparations of lady’s mantle—
the root, powdered and mixed with red wine,
for internal and external wounds, and an infusion
of the aerial parts, for “greenstick” fractures
and broken bones in babies and young
children. When taken regularly for 15 days,
lady’s mantle was said to reverse sterility due
to “slipperiness” of the womb. The plant’s
astringent effect is sufficiently marked that
the infusion was used to contract the female
genitalia, and it was “a thousand times sold”
to those wishing to appear to be virgins! Medicinal Actions & Uses Lady’s mantle
has always been prized as a wound healer. Its
astringency ensures that blood flow is staunched
and the first stage of healing soon gets under
way. As the name implies, it is a valuable herb
for women’s complaints and is thought to have a
progesterogenic action. It is commonly taken to
reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, to relieve
menstrual cramps, and to aid menstrual regularity. Lady’s mantle is also prescribed for fibroids and
endometriosis. It has been used to facilitate
childbirth, and is thought to act as a liver albizzia lebbeck (Fabaceae)
Albizzia,
Siris Tree, Pit Shirish
Description Deciduous tree growing to
65 ft (20 m). Has compound leaves, white
fragrant flowers, and long, shiny, pale yellow
seed pods. Habitat & Cultivation Native to the Indian
subcontinent, albizzia grows in moist teak-bearing
forests. It is also cultivated. Parts Used Stem bark; also flowers and seeds. Constituents Albizzia contains saponins, cardiac
glycosides, tannins, and flavonoids. History & Folklore Albizzia has been used for
several thousand years within Ayurvedic medicine
to treat allergies, skin eruptions, glandular
disorders, and poisoning. Medicinal Actions & Uses Albizzia bark
has anti-allergenic properties and is used orally
(and topically) to relieve problems such as
eczema, hives, hay fever, and asthma. The herb
helps to lower cholesterol and may be
useful as part of a broad approach to
treating abnormal fat levels in the
blood. It is usually taken as a decoction
or tincture. In Ayurveda, the bark is
given for pitta (fire) and kapha  (water)
conditions such as asthma; the flowers
for coughs and bronchitis; and the seeds
for skin diseases. Research Laboratory research has shown that
the plant helps to reduce allergic sensitivity, and
one clinical study has indicated potential value in
the treatment of asthma. In another clinical
study, weeping eczema improved significantly with
US_158-179_Abies_balsa_Boswe_serratta.indd   163 26/02/16   12:47 pm
164
other medicinal PlantsAletris f ArinosA
decongestant. Its astringent properties make it
a useful herb for the treatment of diarrhea  and gastroenteritis. Research Russian research indicates that lady’s
mantle reduces blood viscosity. Caution Do not use lady’s mantle when pregnant. Aletris farinosa (Liliaceae)
Star Grass,
True Unicorn Root,
Colic Root
Description  Perennial growing to 3 ft (1 m). Has a flowering stem, smooth lance-shaped leaves,
and white bell-shaped flowers that appear to be covered with frost. Habitat & Cultivation  Native to eastern
North America, star grass grows mainly in swamps and wet sandy woodland, especially near the seashore. It is harvested commercially in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Parts Used  Rhizome, leaves. Constituents  Star grass contains steroidal
saponins based on diosgenin, as well as a bitter principle, volatile oil, and a resin. History & Folklore The Native North
American Catawba used a cold-water infusion of star grass leaves for stomachache. Star grass was also advocated for snake bite. Medicinal Actions & Uses  It is
difficult to gain a clear picture of star
grass’s medicinal value. Due to its
estrogenic action, it is employed chiefly
for gynecological problems, particularly
at menopause. It is also given for period pain and irregular periods. Some authorities hold that it prevents
threatened miscarriage. Star grass is also a good digestive herb, proving beneficial in treating loss of appetite, indigestion, flatulence, and bloating. QCautions  Use only under professional
supervision. The dried, and especially the fresh, rhizome can be toxic when taken in overdose, causing colic, diarrhea, and vomiting.Part Used  Bulb. Constituents  Onion contains a volatile oil
with sulphur-containing compounds such as
allicin (


 of skin are a common
reaction to bites and stings. Although they can
be very uncomfortable, most only cause local
itching and inflammation, which usually subside
within a few hours. All the remedies listed will
help to ease irritation and soreness. For the
most effective relief, use both an external and
internal remedy. Lavender relieves irritation
as well as being an insect repellent, aloe vera
is soothing and healing, and both calendula
and St. John’s wort reduce inflammation. Echinacea stimulates the immune system
and nettle is antiallergenic. QGeneral cautions Seek immediate professional
attention if prone to, or if there are signs of, extreme
allergic reactions, or if there is a sting in the mouth
and the throat starts to swell. Some stings and animal
bites are poisonous and may need inoculations and
immediate medical attention. More annoying than debilitating, skin rashes and
minor burns, including sunburn, usually clear up
without assistance, although herbal treatment
can speed recovery. Hives (urticaria)  are usually caused by an
allergic reaction, but can also be triggered by
heat, cold, or sunlight. They only last for a few
hours but will often recur. For the most
effective relief, apply chickweed cream and
take one of the internal remedies. Skin rashes  have many causes, such as allergy,
infection, irritation, bites, stings, and temperature
changes. Use these remedies to alleviate
itchiness and swelling. Small-scale burns  usually respond well to
herbal medicine, but even small burns may be
deep and can quickly become infected. Before
using a remedy, bathe the burned area in clean,
cold water and keep the area cool for up to 3
hours with a clean cotton cloth that has been
soaked in cold water. QGeneral caution  If there is any sign of infection seek
professional advice.External Remedies
Herb Lavender ( Lavandula officinalis, p. 108)
Remedy Rub fresh leaves, neat tincture, or
essential oil on and around the bite or sting. Other uses  This will also repel insects. Herbs Sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum, p. 241),
holy basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum, p. 116), sage ( Salvia
officinalis, p. 131), thyme ( Thymus vulgaris, p. 143)
Remedy Apply freshly squeezed juice from the
leaves of one of the herbs. Herbs Aloe vera ( Aloe vera, p. 60), calendula
(Calendula officinalis, p. 73), St. John’s wort
(Hypericum perforatum, p. 106)
Remedy Apply either aloe vera gel, calendula
ointment, cream, lotion, or tincture, or St. John’s
wort oil. To make the calendula lotion, infuse
2 heaping tbsp of calendula in 3/4 cup (150 ml) of
water. Strain, cool, then apply. Option Add 5 drops each of lavender ( Lavandula
Hives (Urticaria)
Herbs Nettle ( Urtica dioica, p. 146), heartsease
(Viola tricolor, p. 282), calendula ( Calendula
officinalis, p. 73)
Remedy (Internal)  Drink an infusion of 5 g of
each herb and 3 cups (750 ml) of water regularly
during the day. Repeat for 1 week. If symptoms
persist, take for another week. Herbs Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale, p. 141),
yellow dock ( Rumex crispus, p. 264), burdock
(Arctium lappa, p. 65)
Remedy (Internal)  Make a decoction with
5 g of each root to 3 cups (750 ml) of water. Drink 11/4 cups (300 ml) a day and repeat for at
least 1 week. Caution  Do not take yellow dock in pregnancy. Herb Chickweed ( Stellaria media, p. 272)
Remedy (External)  Apply cream as required. Inflamed Skin Rashes
Herbs Calendula ( Calendula officinalis, p. 73),
comfrey ( Symphytum officinale, p. 138)officinalis, p. 108) and German chamomile
(Chamomilla recutita, p. 77) essential oils to 1 tsp
of one of the above preparations. Caution  Do not apply chamomile oil in pregnancy. Tip Apply neat lemon juice ( Citrus limon, p. 82) if
there is nothing else available. Internal Remedies
Herb Nettle ( Urtica dioica, p. 146)
Remedy Make an infusion and drink 12/3 cups
(450 ml) a day, or take 1 tsp of tincture with
water 3 times a day for up to 3 days. Herb Echinacea ( Echinacea  spp., p. 92)
Remedy T ake tablets or tincture. Remedy Apply calendula or comfrey ointment,
cream, or lotion to troubled areas 2–4 times
a day. For the lotion, make an infusion, strain,
cool, and then apply. Caution Do not apply comfrey to broken skin. Weeping Skin
Herbs Aloe vera ( Aloe vera, p. 60), witch hazel
(Hamamelis virginiana, p. 102)
Remedy Apply aloe vera gel or distilled witch
hazel or witch hazel ointment to the affected
area 2–4 times a day. Minor Burns & Sunburn
Herbs Aloe vera ( Aloe vera, p. 60), lavender
(Lavandula officinalis, p. 108)
Remedy Apply aloe vera gel or neat lavender
essential oil to the affected area as needed. Herb Calendula ( Calendula officinalis, p. 73)
Remedy Infuse 1 heaping tbsp of herb in 3/4 cup
(150 ml) of water. Strain, cool, and apply as a
lotion to the affected area as required. QSeek immediate professional
advice for:
■ Changes to freckles, moles, or warts
■ Sudden swelling or allergic reaction
■ Non-minor burns, including sunburn
■ Shingles or suspected shingles
■ Boils that do not disperse or burst
■ Serious wounds, scrapes, bruising, bites,
and stings
Before taking any herbal remedies, see pages 290 & 298–299
US_300-307_Allergies.indd   303 26/02/16   4:43 pm
304
herbal remedies for home useMinor Wounds & Bruises
Cold Sores, Chicken Pox, Shingles, & Warts
Fungal Skin Infections, Including Athlete’s FootMinor wounds, bruises, and grazes are part
of everyday life, and the remedies listed make effective home treatments. Witch hazel is a very good astringent for minor scrapes, bruises, and swellings, protecting and soothing the damaged area. Arnica can be used to relieve bruising, pain, and swelling, and it combines well with witch hazel. Wounds can be cleansed with aloe vera gel which, like comfrey, is an excellent wound healer. Comfrey ointment is helpful in clearing old scars. See also Sprains & Fractures, p. 312. QGeneral caution Seek immediate medical attention
for serious or deep wounds, bruising, or scrapes,
especially if the pain has not considerably lessened after 24 hours. Herbal medicine can help all these viral infections
that affect the skin.Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, and usually occur when the body has an infection or has been exposed to sunshine or wind. Tiny blisters form, mainly around the nostrils and lips.Shingles and chicken pox are the result of
a similar virus, causing sores to form all over the body. Shingles are a sign that the nervous system is run down and open to infection, so herbs that support the nerves and the immune system as a whole are as important as ones that work topically.Warts, caused by the papilloma virus, can be difficult to clear. With persistence, the remedies here are often effective. QGeneral cautions Always consult a professional
practitioner if you have, or suspect you have, shingles. T ake professional advice if you notice a sudden change to a wart. Fungal skin infections are easily picked up through
physical contact, and can be hard to clear. Athlete’s foot is a fungus (tinea) that grows in the skin between and under the toes, causing it to split and peel away. This itchy, sore condition can be difficult to treat at home. Self-help
Keep feet dry and clean and do not wear synthetic socks or tightly fitting shoes.Cleansing Wounds
Herb Y arrow (Achillea millefolium, p. 56)Remedy Make a yarrow lotion, allow to cool, and use as a wash.
Herb Calendula (Calendula officinalis, p. 73)
Remedy Make a calendula lotion with 2 heaping
tsp of herb to 3/4 cup (


. Physical hunger, on the other hand, doesn’ t need to be stuf fed. Y ou feel
satisfied when your stomach is full. 5. Emotional hunger isn’ t located in the stomach. Rather than a growling
belly or a pang in your stomach, you feel your hunger as a craving you
can’ t get out of your head. Y ou’re focused on specific textures,  tastes,
and smells. One of the insi dious things about any negative cycle is tha t it is self-
promoting. Emotional eating lea ds to more emotional eating. How can we
break this cycle? I am a firm believer in the idea that how we do one thing
is how we do everything. The  way we eat is inseparable from our core
beliefs a bout ou rselves, about the world, and about life in general. As we
bring more fulfillment and more balance into our lives, food does not take
center st age, it simply becomes a necessary and enjoyable way  to nourish
ourselves. The goal is to lessen the ef fect emotions have on our eating habits. But first
we must understand the extent of this ef fect. I’m going to share some tools
that have proven to work in my clinical practice. Some of them  are simpleand easy, while others require a longer process. Begin with what  you can do
today an d build upon that one t iny step at a time. Every plan th at you turn
into acti on strengthens you and magnifies your self-reliance. Do not come
from a place of despair or hope lessness; come from a position of strength. Build on  your strengths. What else in your life have you over come? Y ou
can overcome this issue as well, and here are some tips to assist you with
that:
1. B E C O M E  M O R E  A W A R E
This is always on the top of my list of resolving any challenge. If I can
impart one thing to a client, it is this. W ithout this tool, we wil l always be
hopping from one solution to the next, as they will all p rove to be
temporary. W e can’ t become aw are just because we want to. As discussed
in the next section, awareness is borne out of a level, or a field, of
Consciousness. Higher levels of Consciousness give rise to deeper
awareness and insights. If we exist at a lower level of Consciousness, we
may be aware of what is on that particular level, but not necessarily what’ s
really go ing on at the deep sub conscious levels of our being. Please note
that your level of Consciousness is not a measure of how wonderful a
person you are; it simply relate s to the level of insight that yo u may have
about your life and the world, thus af fecting the quality of your l ife in a way
that is not conv entionally consi dered. (A conventional quality of life may
mean yo u are focused on material things and your status; your level of
Consciousness is about the quality of your thinking and the depth of your
understanding.) Meditation is an ideal way to m ake conscious what is in the subconscious,
and we’ ll talk more about that la ter. Moreover, it is a much-need ed antidote
to stress  and anxiety, side ef fe cts of our modern lives. This is how we
connect with our true nature or true Self. A meditation practice strengthens
our connection with that part of ourselves that is beyond our body and
mind, raising our level of awar eness. Changes stick if they are internally
driven rather than externally imposed. That’ s why developing awareness
will have a much bigger impact on your life than your willpower.Another simple way to raise your awareness is to journal what you are
eating and how you are feeling. Let’ s call it a food and mood journal. Every
time you overeat or feel compelled to reach for that ice cream or cookie,
take a moment to figure out w hat triggered the ur ge to do that. If you
backtrack, you’ll usually find an unsettling event that kicked of f the
emotional eating  cycle. W rite th is all down in your food and m ood journal:
what hap pened t o upset you, how you felt before you ate, what  you ate (or
wanted to eat), what you felt  as you were eating, and how you felt
afterward. If there is a patte rn here, you’ll see it emer ge over time,. Maybe  you always
end up gor ging yourself after spending time with a friend who is very
critical. Or perhaps you stress ea t after a phone call from a certa in someone,
or at family gatherings. This type of work will reveal the connection of your
emotions to your eating habits. 2. T U N E  I N T O  Y O U R  C H I L D H O O D  B E L I E F S
W ere you always asked to finish all the food on your plate? W as food in
abundance or barely enough? W ere you rewarded for good behavior with
ice-cream or pizza? W ere you sent to bed hungry as a punishment? Or given
cookies when you were feeling sad? Perhaps some of your eating is driven
by nostalgia, i.e. eating certain foods makes you feel connected to your tribe
and to your past. T o what extent  are these beliefs shaping your beliefs about
food tod ay? Are these beliefs still in alignment with who you ar e now? Are
they serving you? If not, it is wise to cut the cord with them. (V isualize a
cord between you and the belief and, using imaginary scissors, cut that
cord). Rememb er, you are cutting the cord connecting you with those
beliefs, not the p eople who “gave” them to you. What new beliefs can you
put in place to build a new foundation for yourself? Our beliefs and habits need periodic r eview and r enewal. Just as we
change our wardr obe or the color of paint in our homes, so  should we
upgrade our beliefs every no w and then, too. Certain b eliefs need
changing to continuously align with our higher purpose and values.Another point that is worth making is that regardless of how we were
raised, ultimatel y our life is our own responsibility. Our car egivers and
parents do what they know to do. The point of visiting our chi ldhood is to
gain insight into the belief patterns that may be at play in our adult life, it is
not to blame all of our challenges on our upbringing, as the ultimate
responsibility rests with each one of us. Holding on to be liefs that no lon ger serve us can make us sick on all levels. The dise ase manifestation is a process that started a long time ago in our
subconscious mind and eventually expressed itself in our body as a full-
blown p hysical symptom. W e don’ t see the disease in the making and we
mistakenly believe it to be only physical; we thus limit treatment to just the
physical aspect of who we are. Modern medicine does that quite well,
hopping from symptom to sym ptom, bandaging them all up but rarely
getting to the root cause. I have yet to meet a client who se physical
symptoms did not have a big ps ychological component. The disease is the
unresolved story  or conflict that  resulted from holding on to old beliefs that
you know are no longer true but can’ t seem to release. Masking the
symptoms confu ses our physiology and mentally debilitates us in very
subtle, yet powerful, ways. W e can’ t af ford to not pay attention to that! 3. D E V E L O P  Y O U R  E M O T I O N A L
I N T E L L I G E N C E
That’ s a big phrase! However, it just means that we are willing to look at
our emo tions to gain more insig ht into who we are and what w e need. Our
feelings are a w indow into our inner world. They help us und erstand and
discover our deepest desires and  fears, our frustrations, and the things that
will make us ha ppy. Is food fill ing in for what’ s otherwise lacking in your
life? How else can you fulfill your emotions other than through food? Feeling painful emotions isn’ t fun. Y ou may fear being overwhelmed by
them and not know how to find your way back through them. But having
them control your life is far worse. And the truth is that whe n we don’ t
obsess o ver or suppress our em otions, even the most painful and dif ficult
ones sub side relatively quickly and lose their power to control our attention. Learning to surrender to our emotions is a skill that we can easily master bypractice. Here is a meditation on allowing. Read it to understand it and then
give it a try. Meditation on Allowing
Find a comforta ble place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes and get settled
in y our body. P ay attention to your breath and let it become slow and
relaxed. What’ s most painful in your life right now? Invite that in, recalling
the d etails of th e situation. Allow yourself to feel all the emotions that are
associated with it


 (and every day) you
will stop whatever you are doing for ten seconds and look closely and intently at one of its
component pieces. Let’s say you are washing the dishes. Stop what you are doing for ten seconds —just stop
in the middle of it —and peer de eply inside one aspect of what you are doing. Look,
perhaps, at the water. See it splashing on the dishes. See if you can count the drops of water on the dish in your hand. Just count the water drops. I know it is an impossible task, but
undertake to do it  anyway, just for ten seconds. Consider the wonder of the water. Look deeply into it. Peer inside. Go inside, in your
consciousness. See what you experience there, see what you find. Just stop for a tiny
moment and appreciate that moment in a singular way. Okay, now the ten seconds are up. Now pull yourself out of that highly focused reality
and back into the larger space of your experience. Don’t get “lost” in it. Blink your eyes
rapidly, or snap your finger, and literally snap out of it. Then, notice what  you experienced
for that brief moment. Now go on with what you were doing. Yet don’t be surprised if it takes on a whole new
quality. What you have done is truly appreciate something. To “appreciate” something is to make
it larger, to increase it —as prope rty, for instance, appreciates in value. When you use
Stopping Meditation, you increase the value of your life. And of life itself. It has been my
experience that this inevitably returns me to a place of peace. In order to remind yourself to do this six ti mes a day you may wish to have a little timer
with you, or set your watch to beep. Later, as you get used to doing this, your stopping will
come automatically to you. You will do this without having to be reminded. Walking down the street, you will simply stop for a moment and select a portion of what
you are seeing and see it again, in a deeper way. You will know what you already know
about that, but you will know it in a deeper way. This is called “knowing again,” or re -
cognizing. The purpose of all of yo ur life is simply this: to know again, to recognize, what is
true, and Who You Really Are. There are a thousand ways to do this. Maybe you catch a reflection of yourself in a store
window. Maybe you see a bus going by. Perhaps you spy a dog on the street, or a pebble at
your feet. It does not matter what you focus on for those ten seconds. Just stop for a tiny
moment and appreciate that moment in a singular way. Experience this while making love. Stop what you are doing for ten seconds, separate the
moment into its component parts, select one part of the moment and peer deeply into it. Maybe it is the look in your beloved’s eyes. Maybe it is a sensation you are feeling —or
creating. Just stop for a tiny moment and appreciate that moment in a singular way. I have regular times when I do this, and making love is one of them. Standing in the
shower is another. Eating food is another. Pick up a pea from the plate, or a kernel of corn. Consider it. Appreciate it. Taste it utterly and completely. Your meal times wil l never be the
same. Your showers will never be the same. Your lovemaking will never be the same. You
will never be the same. This is Stopping Meditation. It takes one minute a day. Sixty seconds, in six individual
ten-second installments. Six moments with in which you may produce The Holy Experience. Today, stop what you are doing. Just stop. Look deeply into the moment. If nothing else,
just close your eyes and focus on the sound of your own breath. Experience the pure energy
of life moving into and throug h your body. Just for that moment, listen to yourself breathe. Watch yourself take deeper breaths. Just listening to yourself makes you want to go deeper
into the experience —and so you begin to breathe more deeply. It is a wonderful thing, an extraordinary  thing. Just stopping  makes you go deeper. Deeper into your experience,
deeper into the mind of God. Now here is a meditation program that I have recommended to many people: (1)
Walking Meditation in the morning; (2) Stopping Meditation during the day, six  times; (3)
Sitting Meditation at night. The purpose of all of these meditations is to create focus. It is about focusing your
attention on your experience. The reason for focus: it allows you to be here now. Focusing
on Now pulls you out of yesterday and out of tomorrow. You do not exist in those illusions. Your only reality is This Moment, right here, right now. Peace is found in such awareness. As is love. For peace and love are one and the same,
and you become one and the same when you enter into The Ho ly Experience. Practice Stopping Meditation right now. It’s simple, and it takes ten seconds. Right now,
just... Stop
And, after ten seconds, continue at... WHO ARE YOU? I had another wonderful teacher who showed me the Who Meditation. It goes like t his. Whenever you are experiencing an emotion that you don’t want to experience, just say,
“Who?”
That’s right. Just say to yourself, “Who?” Ask yourself, “Who is this here right now? Who
is this that is having this experience?”
If you are alone, you can even turn this into a little chant. It can be very powerful. Just
take a deep breath and, on the exhale, softly but powerfully chant: “Whooooooooo?” Extend
the vowel sound until you are out of breath. Then inhale and do it again. Do it three times. You  will have slowed your vibration, and the invisible part of you will have a chance to
“show up.”
If you are not alone, but with another, or in some public place, you can do this little chant
inside your head. Or you can just ask yourself the question I sug gested above... “Who is this that is having this experience?”
You can, of course, identify with any one of the number of “yous” that populate your
inner world. There is the Little You and the Big You, the Injured You and the Healed You,
the Scared You a nd the Brave You, the Powerless You and the Powerful You, the Worried
You and the Confident You. But what I am hoping will happen, now that we’ve had this
conversation, is that when you do the Who Meditation, you will chant yourself right into an
awareness  of your larger self, of your true  self. You are not a human being. You are not the person named John Smith or Mary Jones. You
are not your body, you are not your mind, and you are not your soul. These are things that
You have. The You that has these thing s—indeed, that has given  your Self these things —is
far bigger than any of them, and even all of them put together. The You that you are is God, in Particular Form. You are Deity Individuated. You are an
Aspect of Divinity. And so is everyone and everything  else. The whole realm in which you live and breathe and have your being is Heaven. The
Kingdom of God is not something to which you are striving to return, but something within
which you are living now. It is the place where you will be always, and all wa ys. That kingdom has three realms: the Realm of Knowing, the Realm of Experiencing, and
the Realm of Being. Your present consciousness is now focused on the Realm of
Experiencing —otherwise known as the Realm of the Physical, or the Realm of the Relative. While you are here, you have all the tools you will ever need to use this realm to experience
what you came here to experience... which is Who You Really Are. You can not only experience it, you can recreate it anew as you go along, in the next
grandest version of the greatest vision ever you held about that. That is the wonder of life
and the glory of you. This is, I know, a change in the way you have thought of yourself. It is a change in the
way you have experienced your life. It is a change that will change everything. Make this change permanent, not simply a temporarily held idea. Make it permanent
now. For I tell you again...... it is a change that will change everything. “Go outside and play!”
said God. “I have given you Universes as fields to run free in! And here —take this and wrap yourself in it —
It’s called: LOVE
and It will always, always  keep you warm. And stars! The sun and the moon and the stars! Look upon these often, for they will remind you of your own
light! And eyes... oh, gaze into the eyes of every  Lover. Gaze into the eyes of every  other
for they have given you their  Universes
as fields to run free in. There. I have given you everything you need. Now go, go, go outside
and
play!”
—‘Go Outside and Play’  © 2007 Em Clair e AFTERWORD
Final Thoughts, but No Goodbye’s


 making this choice, we
stand at the pivot of creat ion. Only one thing is hap pening:
possibility is becoming reality. John Wheeler was also responsible
for saying that we live in a participatory universe. I’m only
expanding on the same idea. A participatory universe offers
infinite choices; the one thing you can’t choose is not  to
participate. Once you are i n the game, h ow you play it is entirely open to
you. Hu mans can look upon creation and explain it any  way we
choose. Why are there cold viruses, elephants, sequoias, and micein th e world. Some may say God created them on purpos e, while
others believe that they emerged from the quantum vacuum
through random processes th at took billions of years to come to
fruition. The most radical exp lanation is that Homo sapiens  added
everything we desired to our  virtual reality. Each explanation is
simply a different story. Beyond stories, cosmic consciousness is
creating from within itself. Stories are postcreation; cosmic
consciousness is precreation. T h e  C a u s e l e s s  C a u s e
Our role as cr eators of reality imposes a heavy burden if we
view it from th e limitations of human nature. For many centuries
the whole thing could be left to God. The medieval m ind, for
example, made  God the origin of everything in Heaven and on
Earth—Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of medieval theologians,
presented God  as the “first mover” ( primum mobile  i n Latin ). God
alone had the knowledge to create the universe. Because perfec tion is a divine attribute, God must have set
creation in perfect motion, while in the fallen world ev erything
that is in motion, even a beat ing heart and surging ocean w aves, is
an impe rfect representation of God’s work. When Adam and Eve
fell, so did Nature. The first humans were driven out of a  perfect
natural world into an imperfe ct one. The Garden of Eden gave way
to a hostile wilderness. In the Divine Comedy, wh ich stands as the most complete
reflection of medieval cosmol ogy in literature, Dante reached for a
visual image of divine perfection that his readers could grasp. As
the website Danteworlds describes it, “In the Primum Mobile
(‘first mover’)—the swiftest, outermost sphere that imparts motion
to the other sp heres—Dante s ees nine fiery rings whirling about a
central point of intense light. ”
These n ine fiery rings are angelic orders, because in Da nte’s
religious world view there had to be perfected beings ass igned to
keep creation going. Otherwis e, God would have to be engineeringeverything, an impossibility when he was the Unmoving M over by
definition. ( He  is archaic and not correct  in Hebrew, but I’m
resorting to the masculine for convenience, since he/she/it  is
cumbersome. ) When referring to God, the medieval Christian
mind couldn’t violate—or escape—divine perfection. That ob session survives today, but in a different guise. With no
perfect creatio n to dream about, we are left with o ur own
imperfections. We feel as bewildered and confused as the biblical
Adam and Eve. We feel guilty about despoiling the planet  and yet
cannot help ourselves, even as Nature crumbles before our eyes. This book has proposed that creation unfolds from pure
consciousness. There is no divine artist with a picture in mind. There is just c reation evolving without end. The process  has no
one story line; it embraces all story lines. It has no m orality. Tragedy is as fascinating to the human imagination as comedy,
which is why we keep creatin g both. (Shakespeare presented the
whole panoram a to his audience standing in the pit of the Globe
Theatre, and Hollywood keeps the show going. ) The evolution of consciousness is the only explanation for
creation that holds everything  together. It has the advanta ge of no
boundaries. Th e miraculous stands on the same level playing field
as the mundan e. At this poin t I am going to go out on a limb. If
you go  to YouTube and enter three search words, Lourdes
levitating Host, yo u can watch a filmed miracle that occurred in
Lourdes, France. As one informed online commentator explains it:
In 1999, during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Billé,
then archbisho p of Lyon, the Host began to levitate just
above the paten [the plate us ed for Eucharist] from the
moment of the epiclesis  u ntil the eleva tion. The prodigy
was filmed for broadcast an d a clip of it is making its
way around the internet. At the time, the French bishops
decided to keep it quiet. Recently, it was brought to the
attention of a cardinal in th e Curia, who took it upon
himself to verify the origin of the clip and ask the
current archbishop of Lyon for the position of the
French bishops on the matter. This cardinal in turnpassed it on to  the Holy Father. He is concerned that
certain bishops were too quick to put the lid on what
seems to be an authentic sign. The existing video is blurry, but it shows what the commentator
describes. During this Mass a large Host was used, about  the size
of a dinner pla te. The levitation, which lasts several minutes, ends
with th e elevat ion of the Hos t, when the archbishop lifts it up to
display to the congregation. The levitation, if that is wha t we are
seeing, raises the Host only an inch or two into the air. I d on’t know w ho is in a position to rule the footage rea l or a
clever d igital h oax, but for m e the issue isn’t about mirac les. It is
about what human beings ar e willing to allow into the acceptable
picture of reality. To date, millions of people have seen the video
of t he levitating Host, and their responses cover the spectrum. Most people I know are momentarily impressed; others question
the blur ry imag es. A few get a strange expression on their faces, as
if th ey were H oratio and Hamlet had just said, “There a re more
things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your
philosophy. ”
You co uld say that Hamlet is accusing his friend of not
dreaming deep ly enough. Miracles are similar reminde rs. The
levitating Host may be explained away one day—after all,
antigravity exists in theoretic al physics. It might be exposed as a
fraud or simply sink into the morass of forgotten experience. Even
so, something important happened. A bit of strangeness was
allowed to enter our collective dream. It takes only a spark to burn
down a  forest. You never kn ow which strange bit will dispel our
collective dream. The time for waking up never grows short. Waking up takes you
beyond the bounds of time. Yet it’s hard not to feel the pressure of
disaster the closer it approac hes. There is such a thing as a storm
so powe rful it occurs only on ce every five hundred years, but by
the reckoning of meteorologists, twenty-six such storms have
occurred in the past decade. If we are going to make cosmic
consciousness matter, we cannot wear rose-colored glasses. Those
storms, and the human misery they generated, were allowed intovirtual reality. Many things have entered virtual reality to make
life nightmarish. The average person isn’t prepared to accept responsibility for
the spell/dream/illusion we are entangled in. The accumulation of
greenhouse gas es can be explained as divine retribution, or as the
outcome of a series of very  unfortunate events, or as human
imperfection screwing up one more thing. Self-destruction is part
of our nature, but self-creation is infinitely more powerful. By
waking up, metahumans can make right what humans ha ve done
wrong. Waking  up happens o nly one person at a time. Reality isn’t
a numb ers game. It’s a one-player universe, and you an d I are
enough to move creation itself. One purpose of this book is to demystify the process of
waking up. The direct path i s meant to be effortless and natural. The only uncertainty is time—people who want to achieve higher
consciousness all begin at a different place, and this makes a
difference. I’ve found in my own experience that desire is a
powerful incentive no matter  where you start from. If you really
want to learn something—a new language, French cooking, rock
climbing—the process becomes enjoyable. The better you get at
learning, the more enjoyable it is. Unlike those things, however, waking up isn’t a skill. There’s no
set of rules or  guidelines. Even finding a teacher is fraug ht with
missteps. How does a teacher prove that he’s awake. But every
culture that believes in higher consciousness has, over time,
developed a setting for this special kind of learning, suc h as an
Indian ashram or a Zen Buddhist monastery. These settings fit


ioxide	has	been	associated	with	cellular	damage. 28
RETINYL	PALMITATE
In	a
National	Toxicology	Program	study	on	lab	animals,	it	was	found	that	when
skin	is	treated	with	a	mix	of	retinyl	palmitate	(RP),	a	vitamin	A	derivative,	and
skin	cream	and	exposed	to	ultraviolet	light,	the	cream	with	retinyl	palmitate
stimulated	lesion	and	tumor	growth. 29
	As	discussed	earlier,	while	vitamin	A
may	be	considered	a	wonderful	skin-care	ingredient	in	its	natural	state,	it
should	be	restricted	to	night	creams	for	those	that	choose	to	use	it—and	never
used	in	sunscreen. OCTYL	METHOXYCINNAMATE	(AKA
OCTINOXATE,
EUSOLEX	2292,
AND
UVINUL	MC80)
This	is	an	ingredient	that	is	believed	to	create	free	radicals	inside	the	skin,
which	can	create	cellular	and	DNA	damage. Similar	to
oxybenzone,	it	works
with	other	penetration	enhancers	to	enter	through	the	skin	and	accumulate	in
the	body. It	has	the	potential	to	possibly	create	phototoxic	effects,	meaning	that
toxic	reactions	are	provoked	by	light. 30
PADIMATE	O	(AKA	PARA-AMINOBENZOIC	ACID,	OR
PABA)
Because	this	can	be	very	irritating	to	the	skin,	it	has	largely	been	phased	out	of
most	sunscreens. But	it’s	worth	looking	out	for,	just	in	case	it’s	still	lurking
around	in	some	brands. According	to	the	EWG,	PABA	can	release	free	radicals,
create	allergic	reactions,	damage	DNA,	and	induce	estrogenic	activity;	and	they
implicated	padimate	O	as	a	nitrosamine,	a	class	of	compounds	that	may	be
carcinogenic. 31
SOLAR	BEAUTY	SMOOTHER	TREATMENTAlmond,	argan,	and	olive	oils	are	particularly	good	for	replenishing	the	moisture	in	dry	skin	and
contain	vitamin	E	and	nourishing	minerals. Sweet	orange	oil	is	believed	to	be	particularly	effective	in
helping	rejuvenate	and	revitalize	the	skin	against	sun	damage. 2	teaspoons	almond	oil
1	teaspoon	argan	or	avocado	oil
8	drops	sweet	orange	essential	oil
Combine	all	ingredients	until	mixed	well. Rub	onto	sun-exposed	areas,	reapplying	two	or	three	times
per	day. For	a	firmer,	more	cream-like	consistency,	store	in	a	glass	or	BPA-free	container	in	the
refrigerator. Beautiful	Underarms:	Toxic	Versus	Safe
Deodorants	and	Antiperspirants
One	beautiful	way	your	body	was	designed	for	detoxification	is	to	allow	wastes
to	evaporate	through	the	pores	of	your	skin. A	key	area	where	your	body
detoxes	itself	is	under	your	arms,	where	sweat	glands	and	lymph	nodes	are
located. The	modern	concept	of	using	antiperspirants	to	stop	your	underarms
from	sweating	can	hold	toxicity	in. This	is	not	natural	or	recommended. Clogging	your	body’s	normal	channels	for	waste	removal	is	not	a	good	idea. You	can	wipe	or	cleanse	your	underarms	during	the	day	if	you	are	concerned
about	excessive	moisture,	and	there	are	natural	solutions	to	prevent	underarm
odor. Keep	in	mind	that	as	you	clean	up	your	diet	and	improve	your	digestion
and	the	elimination	of	wastes	in	your	system,	your	level	of	offensive	bodily
odors	may	naturally	decrease. But	you	will	probably	still	want	to	use	something
to	ensure	that	you	always	smell	fresh	and	clean. When	you	do,	it’s	important	to
choose	your	deodorant	wisely. Commercial	deodorants	contain	some
potentially	toxic	materials	that	you	should	try	to	avoid. Some	of	these
ingredients	include	aluminum,	parabens,	propylene	glycol,	triclosan,	TEA,
DEA,	FD&C,	phthalates,	and	talc. Aluminum	has	been	linked	to	Alzheimer’s,
cancer,	and	allergic	reactions. Some	people	dispute	the	link	between	the	type	of	aluminum	used	in
deodorants	and	these	diseases,
32
	but	others	believe	it	is	worth	avoiding. Some
have	suggested	that	aluminum-based	compounds	in	antiperspirants	may	be
absorbed	through	the	skin	and	can	be	a	health	risk	factor,	though	much	more
research	is	needed	to	show	a	definite	link. With	all	the	alternatives	out	there
nowadays	in	various	deodorants,	you	can	certainly	avoid	aluminum	if	you
choose. Parabens	mimic	the	activity	of	estrogen	in	the	body. Since	estrogen	promotesthe	growth	of	breast	cancer	cells,	and	a	woman	is	eight	times	more	likely	to
develop	breast	cancer	in	the	part	of	the	breast	closest	to	the	underarm,	scientists
are	studying	the	connection,	though	further	studies	and	research	are	needed. RADICALLY	SAFE	DEODORANT
It	is	easy	to	make	your	own	deodorant	that	is	safe	and	effective	in	eliminating	unpleasant	underarm
odor. The	coconut	oil	and	baking	soda	in	this	DIY	version	both	have	antibacterial	properties	and	help
prevent	odor,	while	the	grapefruit	extract	smells	bright	and	fresh	and	has	antibacterial	and	antiseptic
qualities	as	well. The	arrowroot	starch	helps	thicken	your	deodorant	into	a	somewhat	solid	form	that
is	easy	to	apply. 3	tablespoons	coconut	oil
3	tablespoons	baking	soda
40	(or	so)	drops	grapefruit	extract
1½	tablespoons	arrowroot	starch
In	a	bowl,	mix	together	all	the	ingredients	until	well	combined	into	a	thick,	paste-like	consistency. Store	in	the	refrigerator	for	20	to	30	minutes	to	let	the	coconut	oil	resolidify	if	it	liquefied	during	the
mixing	process. Place	the	mixture	into	a	small	glass	or	BPA-free	container. Dip	your	fingers	into	the
mixture	and	apply	it	directly	to	your	underarms. To	keep	your	deodorant	solid,	be	sure	to	store	it	in	a
cool	place,	but	even	if	it	liquefies	a	bit,	it	will	still	work	just	as	well. SHIFT	7:
Practices	to	Nourish	Your	Skin	from
the	Outside	In
In
Pillar	1
,	you	learned	to	boost	your	beauty	from	the	inside	out	by	eating
foods	with	unique	properties	that	help	boost
circulation	and	support	your
body’s	natural	processes. Many	people	don’t	realize	that	in	addition	to	using
the	right	skin-care	products,	there	are	also	many	things	you	can	do	to	improve
the	body’s	functions	from	the	outside	in. Supporting	Your	Lymphatic	Circulation	for
Enhanced	Detoxification	and	Slowed	Aging
Most	people	don’t	think	about	it	that	much,	but	we	have	a	second	circulatory
system	devoted	to	healing	and	immunity	known	as	the
lymphatic	system. Composed	of	your	spleen,	thymus,	lymph,	lymph	nodes,	and	lymph	channels
as	well	as	your	tonsils	and	adenoids,	your	lymphatic	system	works	directly	with
your	cardiovascular	circulatory	system	to	keep	blood	and	lymphatic	fluid	levels
in	balance	and	flush	toxins	out	of	the	body. Fluid	squeezed	from	the	blood,
called	interstitial	fluid	or	“lymph,”	transports	waste	to	your	lymph	nodes
through	a	series	of	vessels	similar	to	veins. There,	the	fluid	is	neutralized,
filtered,	and	eventually	returned


 there is very little real work to do. Once you realize that you are
much more than a pile of bones, muscle, organs, and blood, you are on your
way. Once you begin to ask who this person is that you have come to call
yourself, you are on your way. Once you begin to realize that you yourself
are divine just by the fact that you have a mind and a universal intelligence
that backs up your form, you are already zooming ahead. The rest will
happen almost automatically. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL  TRANSFORMA TION

 Practice thinking about yoursel f and others in formless ways. Take a
few moments each day to evaluate yourself not in terms of your
performance in the physical world, but in terms of pure thought and
feeling. Imagine yourself actua lly standing in back of your physical
self. Watch yourself acting and interacting and feel what you are
feeling. Do not criticize or judge, simply note how your form is
behaving and what it is feeling. Be an observer as your form is going
through its chosen motions. Use the observe r exercise with other people. Begin to notice how they
destroy their potential for happi ness and success because they identify
exclusively with their forms. As you watch them going throug h their
frustrating motions, know that this is not really the total human being
at all, that behind each one of the people you meet every single  day is
a divine  invisible thinking being. In your close relationships, meet
your loved ones in a place where there can be no limits, in thought
behind the form, and you will see that most of your differences are
unimportant, that the real human  being behind that form is much more
than your physical eyes reveal. Vow to relate to that part. Make an effort to go beyond your own comfort zones on a regular
basis. Listen to the real you inside who is encouraging you to
transcend yours elf, rather than the old you who said you were
incapable of such a task. Ask yourself, “What patterns in my life do I
continuously repeat because that is where I am most comfortable. ”
When you have  an honest answ er, work to begin a new approach to
your thought processes. If you have not spent any time in the
wilderness because the idea violates one of your comfort zones, make
a comm itment to do precisely that. By extending yourself to new
levels, you will put transformation in your life. Make an effort to cease labelin g yourself as a means of identifying
who you are as a human being. Long ago I stopped identifying myself
by any professi onal title. When people ask me what I do, I usually
reply with some silly remark like “Pleasure is my business. ” Yet
behind that little wisecrack is a lot of truth. I do everything because I
am everything. Yes, of course I write, but that is only a small portionof what I am, and essentially my writing is a means of expressing my
thoughts. Yes, I do professional speaking, but again that label would
only serve to restrict me. My speaking is also an expression of my
humanity. Eliminating the titles and labels reduces our inclination to
compartmentalize and restrict our lives. Søren Kierkegaard said,
“Once you label me, you nega te me. ” Almost all of our labels refer
somehow to form and what we do with our physical bodies. When you
stop identifying yourself exclusively through form, then your
profession, age, race, sex, nationality, financial picture, list of
accumulations, awards, handicaps, level of fitness, and any other label
become meaningless. Discontinuing the labeling process will help you
to define who you are in more spiritual and profound terms. If you
must label, try this one on: “I am connected to the perfect intelligence
that supports all form, and there fore I am a part and parcel of it all. I
have no limitatio ns and no compartments. I am not going to get it all, I
am it all already. ”
Begin to view your mind, your nonform side, as new and miraculous. Know that your mind is capable of transcending your form, and that
your body is in large part controlled by your mind. Imagine yourself
with a lemon in your hand. Now imagine bringing the lemon close to
your mouth and biting right into it. This exercise will create a rush of
saliva into your mouth, as your body’ s reaction to the imaginary
invasion of citric acid. This is transformation in action. Your mind is
causing your physical self to respond. That is precisely what hypnosis
is about. It is a way of directly contacting the state of mind that allows
you to transcend your form, to transcend pain by refusing to register
painful signals. This amazing power is always with you. Work each day to clear yourself of the two factors that do the most to
inhibit your personal transformation: negativity and judgment. The more negative your thoughts, the more likely you are to look
exclusively at the physical side of you, and to behave in such a way as
to destroy your body as well. Every negative thought is an inhibitor to
personal transformation. It keeps you clogged up just as cholesterol
clogs up an artery. When you are filled with negativity, you are kept
from attaining higher and more bountiful levels of happiness. The inclinatio n to judge other s also serves as a gigantic inhibitor of
your personal transformation. When you judge another person, you do
not define him or her, you define yourself. Your judgment of another
says nothing at all about that person; it only says that you need to
judge the person in the way that you are doing. So you are saying more
about yourself than about the other. When you find yourself thinking and behaving in negative or
judgmental terms, remind yourself that this is an indication of both
where you are at the moment and where you are not; that here may be
a signal that you are identifying in some way with the judged person. What bothers us most about others quite often is something we refuse
to acknowledge in ourselves, or even something we need more of. Try
to be more interested in what is causing you to feel judgmental than in
what is “wrong ” with that other person. After a while you will find
yourself replacing negativity and judgment with a gentle and loving
inward look at why this is “hooking” you. Higher consciousn ess or
personal transformation involves putting the golden rule into practice,
and when you slip, applying that same rule to yourself. You will
discover that the world has not changed, but that you are now a totally
different human  being, a transfo rmed human being. It is truly a great
feeling to take over your own inner life. Examine how you treat the physical or visible you. As you begin the
clearing process above, you will find yourself becoming more and
more in balance, improving your exercise habits and nutritional intake. As negativity and judgment go, so will habits of self-abuse directed at
your form. You will begin to know that the food you eat is maintaining
the wondrous temple that houses your being. You will see the old self-
defeating habits of form-destruction disappear, and you will honor the
form as a manif estation of you. It all works perfectly together, when
you allow it. Allow yourself time to meditat e quietly by yourself. Meditation is a
powerful tool, and it is as simple  as breathing. You should choos e your
own style of meditation. Maybe it will help you if I tell you a little bit
about mine. I go to a quiet place, and with eyes closed, I visualize a pastel kind oflight. Any thought is pushed away by the power of the light. As I
become more and more peacefu l I see a white light in the center of the
field of pastel and feel I am moving closer and closer to the white. When I finally go through that light, it is very much like going through
the gate I described. I feel energized and totally in control of myself
and my surround ings. “Exquisit e peace” is the best term I can think of
for this place. I feel as rested as if I had slept soundly for eight hours. When I leave this level I feel totally connected to all of mankind. In
fact, I call this meditation my connection to all of eternity, because
someplace deep inside of me I am freed from my form completely. After meditating  I know that I can accomplish anything. Some  of my
most profound ideas, my very best speeches, and my most personally
satisfying writing emer ge after meditating. And my appreciation for
my loved ones can only be described as a peak experience. Try it. Use your own method. But give yourself the time and quiet
space to be alone with the invis ible you. Miracles are waiting for you
in that spectacular space. Go there. It is truly exquisite. Above all else, be kind and understanding of yourself. Be especially
kind to yourself if you behave in a way that you dislike. Talk kindly to
yourself. Be patient with yourself when you find it difficult to be a
“holy” person. It takes a lot of practice, just as it took a lot of practice
to develop neurotic and judgme ntal habits. Forgive yourself, and then
when you do not act