Abundant Michael

How sugars, refined carbs and omega-6 oils cause heart disease and diabetes

Interesting article on real causes of heart disease. Bottom line: heart: disease is cause by blood vessel inflammation:

Statistics from the  American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer  from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes.  These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers  every year.

What are the biggest  culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of  simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made  from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean,  corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

Michael

Paul wrote


Zen says: “It is better to eat bad food with a good heart,
than good food with a bad heart.”

Check this out: How often are you ‘there’ at all, when you eat?
Talking? Thinking of other things?

And... have to keep remembering the possibility of: The Placebo Effect.

Several ‘visitors’ that communicate through humans advise about how we create our reality through our thought process.
The wonderful being Bashar for one, and many others.

One day we are going to ‘look back’ and see how silly, and rather cumbersome we have been in our evolving.

Except, by that time, there will be no time – so no back.

Please do read the following.
We need you – healthy, to assist in the transformation that is happening.

--------------------------------------------------------

From: Alan Steinfeld
Subject: FW: Heart Surgeon Admits Huge Mistake

Extract:
There is no escaping the fact that the  more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the  inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process,  nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6  oils.”

“Forget the  “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that  saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent.”

“Mainstream medicine made a terrible  mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high  in omega-6 fats.”


Huge Mistake! – Without inflammation, cholesterol won't accumulate in blood vessel walls and cause heart disease
By Dwight Lundell, MD

   We physicians with all  our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that  tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely  admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having  performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong  with medical and scientific fact.

     
I trained for many years with other  prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific  literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers  insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood  cholesterol.

    The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to  lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter  of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations  from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
 
It Is Not Working!
 
These  recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The  discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real  cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart  disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
 
The  long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and  diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of  mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

Despite the  fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite  the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die  this year of heart disease than ever before.
 
Statistics from the  American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer  from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes.  These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers  every year.
 
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the  body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the  blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation,  cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is  inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
 
Inflammation  is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a  foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation  is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral  invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or  foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called  chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute  inflammation is beneficial.
 
What thoughtful person would wilfully  expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause  injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice  wilfully.
 
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended  mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and  carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood  vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart  disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
 
Let me repeat that. The injury  and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet  recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
 
What are the biggest  culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of  simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made  from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean,  corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
 
Take a  moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it  becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day,  every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you  would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each  repeated injury
. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that  could be going on in your body right now.
 
Regardless of where the  inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have  peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as  if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several  times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding  into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately  with inflammation.
 
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet  roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring  war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with  omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet  for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.

How  does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you  sick?
 
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of  what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as  sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin  whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for  energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid  extra sugar gumming up the works.
 
When your full cells reject the  extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose  converts to stored fat.
 
What does all this have to do with  inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar  molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel  wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation.  When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is  exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.  

While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw  it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common  denominator — inflammation in their arteries.
 
Let’s get back to the  sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked  in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in  soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer  shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential –they are part of every cell  membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the  correct balance with omega-3’s.
 
If the balance shifts by consuming  excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that  directly cause inflammation. Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an  extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1  to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of  cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would  be optimal and healthy.
 
To make matters worse, the excess weight you  are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the  injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet  roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high  blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory  process continues unabated.

There is no escaping the fact that the  more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the  inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process,  nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6  oils.
 
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is  returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more  protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits  and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats  like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them. One  tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940  mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.

Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie .  
 
Animal fats  contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation  than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the  “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that  saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that  saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know  that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about  saturated fat is even more absurd today.
 
The cholesterol theory led to  the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now  causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible  mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high  in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to  heart disease and other silent killers.
 
What you can do is choose  whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as  grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating  inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food,  you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body  from consuming the typical American diet.
 
Ed. Note: Dr. Dwight  Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart  Hospital, Mesa, AZ.  His private practice, Cardiac Care  Center was in Mesa, AZ.  Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery  to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease.  He  is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a  focus on helping large corporations promote wellness.  He is  the author of The
Cure for Heart Disease and the Great Cholesterol Lie.

      

 

 

Tantric Tourists 3/30/11 - Wed Gathering in Rockville

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we do some Tantric exercises with Laurie Handlers and watch her new movie "Tantric Tourists". (And Laurie is teaching a one day workshop Intro to Tantra called "Bliss" on Sunday 4/3/2011 in Washington DC.)

Tantric Tourists” is a “mocumentary” film which follows internationally acclaimed Tantra Teacher and author, Laurie Handlers around India as she leads an eclectic group of tantric seekers through a myriad of tourist oriented sights & experiences- all in search of reaching the blissful state (Tantric) of diving fearlessly into “The Unknown”.

So great to have the STAR of Tantric Tourists in the neighborhood here in Arizona. Laurie takes us along on this all too human archetypal journey offshore to find the thing that dwells within. It’s all about roll, roll, roll with the flow.Or should I say flap, flap, flap. Congratulations Laurie on a gem of movie!

  – Juliana Rose

“Funny, colourful & irreverent. Everything The Darjeeling Ltd should have been.” 

- Jason Solomons, The Guardian

 

“Fans of The Secret will love this movie”

- ReSource Magazine

 

“A Spiritual Spinal Tap” 

- LeCool

 

”Hilarious & deep” 

- Dazed & Confused

 

Laurie HandlersLaurie Handlers is a sex educator, author, and intimacy coach. She holds a Masters degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology. Her career includes over thirty years as a corporate change consultant, individual empowerment coach and international seminar leader. She is a dynamic speaker, facilitator and has taught Butterfly Tantra workshops for women, men, couples and singles since 1999 on ancient Indian, Tibetan and Egyptian Tantric techniques and secrets that are the basis of healing the body, releasing past emotional trauma, stopping the aging process, and reducing stressPod casts from her former internet radio show Tantra Café can be accessed through www.tantracafe.com. Podcasts from her new show Sex and Happiness can be accessed at www.WebTalkRadio.net/shows/sex-and-happinessLaurie stars in a hilarious indie documentary Tantric Tourists www.TantricTourists.com. Her book Sex & Happiness and her CD Shamanic Release & Latihan can be purchased at www.ButterflyWorkshops.com.

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Laurie is teaching a one day workshop Intro to Tantra called "Bliss" on Sunday 4/3/2011 in Washington DC.

 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Laurie's Sex & Happiness: The Tantric Laws of Intimacy book:

  • “If I could distill all my advice about Tantra and sex into one sentence, that sentence would be, Make love in the unknown. In answer to all your fears and doubts about sex, I’d simply say to you, bring back your beginner’s mind. Come to the bedroom with no expectation. Come with openness in your heart for whatever happens.”
  • “In Tantra you'll feel more peaceful, more tolerant, more aware of the world that has nothing to do with doing; everything to do with being.”
  • “Intimacy with another requires first and foremost coming to peace with your own emotional and physical needs.”
  • "Through Tantra, the power of sexual energy is able to render transformation."

 

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm.? I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

 

Some tips on Tantra at http://www.newfrontier.com/nepal/whatis.htm

Enneagram - Path to Light 3/23/11 - Wed Gathering in Rockville

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Leonard Rosenbaum and learn about the Enneagram. How can you understand yourself, family and partners better? What if you sometimes do or say things that seem to be stuck in a pattern? How can we grow and transform faster in these rapidly changing times?

 

The enneagram is thought of as a personality-typing system, though enneatypes are much deeper than "personality types." Our enneatype reflects our primary drives, passions, underlying motivations, “energy,” focus of attention, and perspective/orientation to the world. It also is related to the psychological (and physiological) armor we wear, the lenses through which we view the world, and our manner of relating to the world. Our enneatype is a prism/filter that overlays our true self. Each of the 9 enneatypes reflects a psychospiritual trauma and deficit for which we take measures to compensate. Each enneatype also brings psychological and spiritual gifts, as well as a path toward growth and transformation.

 

Leonard will give an overview and enactment (role-play) of each enneatype, provide opportunities for attendees to discover their enneatype, and facilitate a discussion in which we will explore ways in which our enneatypes affect our relationships and ways of being in the world, as well as paths toward transformation.

 

The main personality types include:
1.    The Perfectionist – Productive, organized, wise, ethical and reliable, this type of personality is concerned with doing things right, living right and improving themselves and things around them. They can be judgmental, critical, controlling and anxious as well.
2.    The Helper – Generous, insightful and caring, Helpers must be loved to feel their value and react positively to others. They can also be martyr like and possessive, and sometimes overly accommodating.
3.    The Achiever – A pretty self-explanatory personality, the achiever is driven by success and hates failure. At their worst, Achievers can be vindictive, narcissistic and pretentious.
4.    The Romantic – A key character in almost every plot line, the Romantic is addicted to emotion and must experience her feelings. She doesn’t wish to be ordinary and can sometimes be self-conscious, moody or self-absorbed.
5.    The Observer – At their best, they are analytical and consumed with knowing and understanding the world around them. At their worst, they can come off as critical of others, intellectually arrogant and negative.
6.    The Questioner – “Do I fit in?” is a common thought for the Questioner, a personality driven by the need for security. While they can be compassionate and warm, they can also be paranoid, defensive and rigid.
7.    The Adventurer – True adrenaline junkies, No. 7’s thrive on activities, want to contribute to the world and don’t enjoy suffering. Their confidence and spontaneity can sometimes be interpreted as narcissism and lack of discipline.
8.    The Asserter – The Asserter doesn’t want to take “no” for an answer and wants to be self-reliant. Authoritative, energetic and loyal, No. 8’s can also be rebellious, self-centered and aggressive to avoid feeling inferior or dependent.
9.    The Peacemaker – Nines hate conflict and want to smooth things over, but their emotional responses to various situations can vary from genteel and polite to obsessive and forceful. (from http://www.necessarywriters.com/?p=890 )

Bio:

Leonard Rosenbaum is a holistic health coach and energy healer who serves as a board member of the Intl. Primal Assn. (www.primals.org), Intl. Assn. of Cancer Victors & Friends (www.cancervictors.net), and
BestAnswerForCancer.org. He is the director of Alternative Cancer Information Resources, which is a clearinghouse of information on alternative treatments for cancer and other health conditions. Leonard's academic background includes clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. His interests include nonviolent communication, primal therapy, contact improv, massage, sacred intimacy, and tantra. Leonard can be reached at leonardleonard1 (at) earthlink.net or 202-393-2885.

 

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

Beyond the Eleventh Hour - Message from Hopi Elders

This seems timely to me. Time to follow intuition and stay in space of love rather than fear. And to look at how I am living.
Michael

A Message from the Hopi Elders

Sunday, March 13, 2011 9:46

"A Message from the Hopi Elders"



"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.

Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.

Here are the things that must be considered:

Where are you living?

What are you doing?

What are your relationships?

Are you in right relation?

Where is your water?

Know our garden.

It is time to speak your Truth.

Create your community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!



There is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid.

They will try to hold on to the shore.

They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle

of the river,

keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.



At this time in history, we are to take nothing personal. Least of

all, ourselves.

For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.



The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word "struggle" from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for!"



- Oraibi, Arizona, Hopi Nation

Aura Bath

This is a great way to clear your aura of stagnent energy and relax.

 

  • One cup of salt (preferably natural salt without additives)
  • One cup baking soda
  • Optional A few drops of lavender essential oil for extra relaxation


Bless the water and salts and ask angels to help with clearing your aura and releasing any negativity into the water.


Soak in tub for an hour - longer than you might feel comfortable. Sometimes I let my head soak in the water and submerge for a while (will have to shampoo your hair afterwards if you do this as salt water like sea water will make it matt). Rinse off in the shower.


If you feel like it then take a nap afterwards or do a meditation and feel how relaxed and clear your energy feels now compared to before the aura bath.

Eating diet and money diet with consciousness

Had an insight this morning - comparing eating diet to a money diet:
both involve bring consciousness to the activity -choosing what I eat or what I spend money on (or what I focus my energy for income on)

  • noticing what I am doing - tracking eating or spending or income
  •  being self-compassionate - no blame,shame or guilty over any "slip ups" - forgive myself and correct course in the present
  • grateful/bless my food, my bills, my clients
  • exercise to releasing toxins from my body, old money beliefs from my mind-body
  • interrupt emotional eating/ emotional spending - eg using EFT when I feel an urge coming on

(I am abundant in the food/health areas of my life and can transfer these skills to money and other areas)


I think the same pattern interrupt approaches can apply to negativity thinking habits, friends, relationships, sex and other areas of my life where habits can take over.

AA as a metaphor for Transition in Society and us Individually

Wow what a great metaphor for the changes we are going through - AA for societal change! And to recognize that the first step in transition is walking into the unknown and be ok with that while we create the next steps.
Michael

Addiction And Recovery As A Partner For Transition,
By Terri Dillion 


 During the weekend of February 25-27, hundreds of people gathered at the Millenium Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado to attend the “Our Local Economy: Lives in Transition” conference organized by Transition Colorado founders, Michael Brownlee and Lynette Marie Hanthorn. While the official topic of the conference concentrated on food security and the local economy, it appears participants were ready and willing to have a more fundamental discussion of how to shift the collective mindset to a more thoughtful, intentioned, and collaborative way of living—especially from within the community’s own means. 

Inherent in the discussion of how to best support local farms and food producers, as well as the local economy, was the question of how to find and communicate this way of living. This “different” way of living, known well by the majority of our ancestors, many current indigenous populations , and those still on the fringes of  modern globalized culture, is based on a set of straightforward values:  the need for community with one’s neighbors, strong relationships to the food and land on which one lives, the importance of contributing to the welfare of those people, beings, and ecosystems that in turn provide true security and “life insurance” in a constantly changing world, and thinking ahead to the long-term consequences of individual and collective decisions for how to eat, work, spend money, and play.

Perhaps provoked by the kick-off premiere of the 2011 documentary “The Economics of Happiness” on Friday night, discussions in the conference seemed to repeatedly take a turn toward mentioning the need for a new framework of living, based not on greed, selfishness, or scarcity, but instead on collaboration, creativity, and generosity.

When reflecting on the notion of transitioning to a new way of life, it’s worth considering the concept of “Transition” in general.  Perhaps best known in psychological circles, author and scholar William Bridges popularized this term in the 1980s after publishing the bestselling book “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes”. 

Bridges identifies three stages of transition, simplified loosely as: letting go (or Endings), “The Neutral Zone”, and new beginnings.  These stages, while deceptively simple and straightforward in their categorization, provide a helpful framework for understanding what happens to the human psyche when faced with life changes one chose, or was chosen by. Bridges concentrates on the personal transitions so common to human life: moving, finding or losing work, redefining one’s life purpose, gaining a family member, losing a loved one, undergoing a major illness, or the ultimate transition of death. 

Bridges eventually expanded his work to include organizational shifts, and what happens within work culture that creates psychological ripples for all involved. Of course, communities go through transitions as well: Think how New York City needed to adjust after 9/11, or New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Life, as known by the people living and working in those cities, was radically altered within a day. This sort of collective transition has also been happening throughout the span of human history; crops upon which a community depends may get wiped out in an afternoon hail storm, earthquakes shake down a village, new political or military regimes take control.

Surely, the current examples of community-wide, country-wide, world-wide transitions are abundant. For better or worse, the paradigms which groups of people constellate around get shaken, and crumble. Natural disaster, political change, a wave of unexpected violence, an industry shuts down; basically, some way of living—or indeed, some aspect of life once taken for granted– ends, and there is inevitably a period of groundlessness wherein no one knows exactly what may happen next. Perhaps some have a desire to hang on to the old way—through denial, or actions that try to take back what was lost, to restore some sense of normalcy.

While some may argue that they have the answers for exactly why something happens or what needs to happen next, in reality, no one does. In a true transition, this period of groundlessness is an in-between state that can produce feelings of insecurity, fear, confusion, and the sense of being lost.

All of this groundlessness, this “Neutral Zone”, as Bridges calls it, is a necessary phase in any true transition before new beginnings can take form. In other words, this lost, in-between zone after something has ended and before something new takes its place is a fertile time that could be used to make the internal shifts necessary for a new beginning to be, well, new-–more than simply a recapitulation of old ways of operating, dressed up in a new costume.

In a subsequent 2001 text titled The Way of Transition: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, Bridges makes the distinction between change and transition: “The relation between change and transition is further complicated by the fact that some people actually utilize external changes to distract them from the harder business of letting go of their subjective realities and identities. They make changes so they won’t have to make transitions… they are addicted to change, and like any addiction, it is an escape from the real issues raised by their lives.”

The theme of the Boulder conference constellated around changes many attendees expect to come within the next decade: financial insecurities including the possibility for hyperinflation or deflation, the possibility of industrial food shortages and disruption to the supply chain, increasing oil prices, political upheavals, problems with meeting energy needs,  increased climate change making for curious weather patterns and altered growing seasons, and more potentially volatile situations that effect “life as we know it”.

When considering the changes that we may face as a regional community, it helps to have some system of working with the questions and emotions that inevitably arise.  It appears that having an understanding of, and allowance for, trust in the process is useful—that is, a willingness to hang out in the Neutral Zone without needing to react defensively, act reflexively, or trying to control the outcome through manipulation based on “knowing what’s best.” 

On Sunday afternoon at the conference, attendees had an opportunity to participate in an “open space technology” lab which allowed those who felt called to initiate a conversation had a chance to do so. Conversation topics were supposed to revolve around creating positive change for the local food system. Those who wanted to initiate a conversation needed to write on a large sheet of paper what their topic was, and then be open to forming groups with the audience to discuss the issues and write the results of the collective brainstorm. The rules included: “whatever happens is what is meant to happen” and “whoever shows up is who is meant to show up”and “it’s over when it’s over.” Perhaps unsurprising to a creative process, the methods and outcome were unclear.  Nobody knew what exactly would come of the spontaneous aggregation of people and conversations. It was a bit messy; there was confusion about who would meet who where, and who was to take charge. This is classic neutral-zone:  Confusing at points, a lot of unknowns, and no guarantees of any specific  outcome. Nonetheless, the  underlying message inherent in the instructions–whether or not it was heard– was to trust the process.

One could argue that the principles common in addiction recovery hold much wisdom for a transition process. To truly “recover” from an addiction one must go through the transition of recognizing first that one’s way of life is not working—the compulsion with the behavior or substance is getting in the way of one’s relationships, health, future well-being, and growth. In other words, one recognizes their desire to consume is insatiable and destructive, and a change is needed. Once this realization happens, there comes the need to wander in the unknown, not having answers for what to “do” about it. The questions, “how exactly do I get from this destructive way of life to something healthy and useful—a way of living that doesn’t hurt me or others?” How must I change my thinking and acting in order to step into this wholly different way of life?”  The answers to these questions are not easily won; oftentimes, people find they need to find some personal sense of spirituality or meaning in order to find answers. 

In 2007, Chellis Glendenning updated her provocative 1994 eco-psych. text, My Name is Chellis and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization, in which she draws parallels between the symptoms of individual and collective trauma and addiction.  As arrogant as the premise sounds, it does seem as if Western culture, as currently operating, is addicted—not only to oil, but also to numbing through entertainment and materialism.  It appears that most of us are addicted to some activity that distracts from the scary realities of climate change, continued population growth, the growing divide between rich and poor, or the collective stresses that seem to be consuming the citizenry. This makes sense, given the scary realities of this time. It’s a bit mind-boggling to try and process this level of information without feeling overwhelmed.

 These distractions, whether due to collective issues or more personal manifestations of life stressors, come in many forms– including busyness, making money, compulsive eating or exercising, alcohol, drugs, the internet, TV, or texting and checking email. Even trying to control others can be a compulsive, distracting process.  This desire to step away from fear, anxiety, grief, despair, and anger is inborn—as humans, we are designed to protect ourselves from pain. However, whether or not we are consciously seeking personal growth and awareness, it’s clear that our lack of willingness to deal with the realities of our lives at this point in history is going to catch up to us sooner or later, likewise with every person suffering from an addiction. 

Similar to the destructive and harmful behaviors inherent  in an active addiction, the average American way of life, (what Dick Cheney referred to as “non-negotiable”) is unsustainable. It’s clear that we can no longer continue consuming as we have been. The question then becomes, how do we get ourselves out of this mess?

Twelve Step programs, brought to the world first through Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s and now operating in hundreds of fellowships internationally, offer some guidelines for how to recover from destructive behavior. The following suggestions, when adapted for the collective issues at hand, seem especially relevant to the changes needed at this time: admission of insanity with regard to how we are living; willingness to trust there is something greater than the human will that could restore a sane way of living; need for a moral inventory of our collective behavior; a willingness to make amends for the harms we’ve caused; a need for widespread contemplative practices in search of guidance on how to live;  and continued acts of service for the greater good.

The last event of the conference allowed attendees to share in one word their predominant feeling as a result of the weekend. “Hope”, “excitement”, “love”, “inspiration” were shared—perhaps seemingly incongruous terms for a group of individuals ready and willing to delve into the difficult issues facing the world today. However, due to the willingness to take an honest look at what problems we currently face, what actions can bring about a more resilient community, and a desire for a better quality of life in the future, it appears that, at least in this one community of individuals brought together by a common desire, a true transition is taking place.  If nothing else, it may be helpful to remember the message behind the often-cited Serenity Prayer shared at the end of 12-Step Meetings: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

 Teri Dillion, MA,  offers psychotherapy and coaching services in the Boulder/Denver area to individuals and groups seeking greater clarity and meaning in their lives. Her website can be found at www.WakingHeartTherapy.com.

Uranus in Aries: The Revolution of Consciousness

Interesting predictions for Mach 11th and summer of 2012. Including ETs and new technologies.
Michael

Astrologer Salvador Russo: Uranus in Aries: The Revolution of Consciousness...interesting reading..
To:
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011, 8:27 PM

 

The greatest revolution in human history begins March 11th, 2011 with the planet Uranus' entrance into the constellation of Aries. This is a pinnacle moment in human history that will come to be known as the Revolution of Consciousness. Unlike revolutions of old, this revolution will be centered in the hearts and minds of the men, women, and children that inhabit the planet Earth. What is about to unfold is nothing less than the most brilliant period of not only our lifetimes, but of all lifetimes - and it starts in just a few short weeks!

 

The first 'shot' of this revolution will be a metaphysical one, fired from a Divinely awakened quantum gateway in the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. This gateway will unleash powerful, higher-dimensional energy that has never before been felt on Earth. This radical new energy will totally immerse the planet, affecting an instant evolution of consciousness in the spiritually awakened; a quantum leap of the mind that has never before been experienced on Earth.

 

As we journey closer and closer to the 2012 event horizon, this spectacular cosmic event serves as a crucial step in mankind's ascension and acceptance of the realities of the higher dimensional nature of existence. This galactic gateway that will soon open is comparable to the concept of a 'wormhole' in that it will serve as a channel to higher octave energy sourced from the 8th dimension. The 8th dimension is that of unity consciousness, or simply put, God's consciousness. This energy is the essence behind the events that will soon come to pass. God's unity consciousness will soon begin to flourish in us all.

 

This new level of consciousness, sourced from God, is of course universal in nature. As such, it will provide the foundation for the acceptance of extraterrestrial life, which brings us to a major aspect of what the upcoming Uranus transit entails: mainstream acceptance of extraterrestrial life. Humanity will soon become intimately aware that not only does extraterrestrial life exist, but it has been influencing events on Earth for quite some time. This singular aspect of the coming Uranus transit alone is enough to exact an instant, global, paradigm shift, and that is exactly the nature of this transit's energy: instant paradigm shift.

 

Mainstream acceptance of extraterrestrial life will instantly shatter paradigms of the past and create a new way of thinking and feeling in us all. We will no longer accept the artificially-maintained status quo that we have for so long. Exotic new technologies will begin to go public as if a science fiction movie had become reality. Free energy technology will be a major part of this, as well as revolutionary advances in medicine, agriculture, communications, computer sciences, optics, magnetics, and terraforming. This technology will transform the way we live and interact with one another forever.

 

The coming explosion in technology and innovation will spur levels of humanitarianism the world has never seen. A tremendous global movement to eradicate poverty, uplift the nations, and heal the ecosystems of the world will begin to manifest. Hundreds of millions of passionate, altruistic, like-minded souls will begin to connect, collaborate, and push projects to success that in years past would have never come to fruition. Imagine dormant neurons in a brain, flashing into life and connecting billions of times over until the entire mind is illuminated, totally beaming with light - that is where we are going as a civilization.

 

I must warn that this astrological movement also signals the beginning of the greatest amount of political and economic turmoil the world has ever known. As a revolutionary spirit inflames the globe, we will experience wide-spread instability, manifesting in a variety of ways. The newly awakened society will begin to revolt in such massive ways that they will absolutely cripple 'the system.' First World nations will be swept with peaceful protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations while Third World nations will erupt with war-like violence. The world over, corrupt government agendas will come to a screeching halt by the will of the people.

 

Within the first year of this transit as people begin to awaken, it will become understood that negative extraterrestrial elements have been embedded deep in human society and have been playing a destructive role in our evolution as a civilization. This understanding will kindle a united, warrior-like attitude among global citizens that will serve as the most important driving factor in the coming revolution. Make no mistake that the power structure of Earth is currently 'operating from the shadows', but that the time of their authority has expired by Divine Decree and in perfect timing with Cosmic Order.

 

Intervention has and will continue to happen in strategic, surgical strikes that will ultimately lead to their defeat. This battle will be most intense during the summer months of 2012 as the planet Uranus squares the planet Pluto. By winter of 2012, it will become clear that humanity is free, finally, after thousands of years of manipulations. After December 21st, 2012, as many of the world's most infamous prophecies come to a crossroads, mankind's Golden Age will finally commence.

 

An aspect of astrology that I find absolutely beautiful is that as events happen on a global or macrocosmic level, they also happen on a personal, microcosmic level - in exact synchronicity. This upcoming Uranus transit is no different, and soon we will all be going through our own personal revolutions, albeit in unique ways, all in accordance with God's Divine Plan for each of us. This is where the Sacred Science of Astrology can enlighten so brilliantly; it can identify the source and the expression of the coming revolutions in our lives, with mind-boggling accuracy.

 

On a cultural level people will start to openly embrace and seek out the profound wisdom of the Occult Sciences, which are rooted in the higher dimensional nature of existence. People will realize that there is a hidden, perfect order to creation. In times of great change, they will increasingly want to understand, at the deepest levels, exactly what their role is in this perfect symphony that they may navigate through the coming changes and manifest the highest outcomes. The best way to create personal security and abundance during the coming times will be identifying, accepting, and properly expressing one's personal revolutionary energy.

 

This personal revolution, which will manifest for many as the development of extraordinary, even Biblical-level spiritual and metaphysical gifts, will be the answer to all our present and future problems. It is up to each of us to totally embrace the shocking changes in order to fulfill our destinies in the coming global revolution. Those who succumb to fear and resist these changes will do so at their own peril. Those who embrace the changes will skyrocket to prominence and success. This can be a very frightening thought to entertain, which brings me to the significance of Uranus being in the constellation of Aries, the archetype of the warrior.

 

In Astrology, attunement to archetypal energies is an extremely important concept to understand and integrate. In simplistic terms, one must 'vibe' with the virtues of the sign to manifest the greatest outcomes of the transit or placement. With Uranus being in Aries, we can manifest magnificence in our lives by cultivating and expressing bravery, confidence, fearlessness, independence, and novelty in the area of our life (and natal chart) where Aries energy lies. This is a time where a warrior will be born in all of us, though it's up to us to decide what to do with this new energy.

 

As this fiery, Uranian energy blasts through the collective consciousness, the values of people will be changed and elevated in an instant. The lust for the trivial will be transmuted into the yearning for spiritual and metaphysical talents. Materialism will be replaced by spiritualism. The so-called celebrities of today will fade into obscurity as a new breed of celebrities, deriving their power from spiritual development and humanitarian passion will be catapulted into the limelight. These will be the heroes and heroines of the New Age that is being birthed before our eyes.

 

After intense personal changes these past few years I have come to understand and accept my role in the coming revolution. As an Intuitive Astrologer that can interpret the language of the Heavens, I can relay the most important information to my fellow brothers and sisters that they might align with and benefit from synchronicity with Cosmic Order. My vision for our future is golden and brilliant, and it is my sincere wish to impart this same vision to you all through my writing and my astrologically-based spiritual counsel.

 

As we find ourselves rapidly approaching a quantum explosion in our lives I leave you with these words of wisdom: 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' John 16:33
~ Astrologer Salvador Russo

Overcoming sugar habit

I cut out sucrose and glucose a year ago (and not using substitute sweeteners either). I still eat fructose (ie fruit). I have noticed that my energy is more level (no sugar high or post sugar blues). When I accidentally eat something with sugar in it now tastes WAY too sweet and yucky.

For overcoming addictions to certain foods I have found EFT (tapping) helped me when I had that "urge".

Self-Love improve health

Interesting NY Times article that shows why it is important to love ourselves as we love others. And thanks to Annie for emailing it to me.

 

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?

That simple question is the basis for a burgeoning new area of psychological research called self-compassion — how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, berating themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.

The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight. Read more

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