Got a new book!

The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak

I found this little gem in a bookstore where I grew up. Largely I just wanted to see if they had any books of this type and what they carried. Thankfully there was a bigger section of New Age/Pagan/Occult books than I expected. Sharing my first article that basically made my spirit dance:
<<
STONE AGE WITCHCRAFT
When I teach workshops on core shamanism, during the introductions I hear stories of students who, like me, are of European descent. They tell me how they sought out spirituality in Native American traditions, going to drumming circles and sweat lodges, and how they are saddened that their own culture only has rigid, dogmatic institutions and not personal spiritual traditions. They ask me, "why don't we have our own shamans? Why don't we carry on these traditions?" We did. Our shamans were called witches. >>

Ginger and Intention

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/node/83545

"Not only is ginger a culinary marvel, its health benefits are stunning. It has been shown to be more effective against staph infections than antibiotics—and without the adverse effects."


So who loves ginger? Who hates it? Who stomachs it with sushi? Regardless of how you feel about its flavor (most of the world loves it and includes it prominently in their cuisines ranging from savory to sweet), one thing you can't argue is that it's a useful little herb. It's actually a rhizome and looks much like another wonder-root I like to call The Golden Goddess (Turmeric).

The article referenced is very well-written, easily digestible and comprehensible to even a novice health enthusiast. As always with GreenMedInfo.com, full bibiliographical information referencing the scientific studies is available.

In case it hasn't been clear what I'm trying to do here with this blog, I post these articles in hopes that people will read them and understand that health is not a profession practiced by a few highly-educated individuals on behalf of others. Health, rather, is a natural homeostasis of all life. It has been studied for millennia, and our last 100 years of Western "medicine" (which is pharmaceutical-based) is not an authority on well-being.

Pharmaceuticals are largely based upon substances occurring in nature, generally derived from plants. Using these models, specific parts are isolated and/or synthesized artificially in the lab. Disregarding the simple logic that unnatural things can not result in natural health, we are forced to objectively look at the history of the use of these man-made drugs. They work less often and with more unintended negative effects (we have to end this idea of a "side effect" because these effects are not things to be dismissed) than the natural "alternatives" which have been used and documented for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. In the case of ginger, it has been safely and effectively used for over 2,000 years.

If you want to go with medical practice based upon evidence acquired by use, observation, and documentation the worst idea possible is to trust a drug which has been pushed through our government agencies for the use of maintaining sickness and disease. There is nobody to profit from natural therapies except farmers. When farmers benefit, the earth benefits, the ecosystem of which we are all a part benefits, and we ourselves benefit from real health care which accomplishes its goal.

It's economical, it's ecological, it's wise. Put down the pill and pick up the plant.

14 October 2012 DARK OF MOON MEDITATION

I have had the discussion come up recently with friends on such topics as practicing lunar witchcraft. To put a scientific yet simultaneously metaphysical (and in my opinion, pretty awesome) explanation with it, consider the following:
All in the universe is energy/vibration. Scientists have shown this on a quantum level. Even that which would appear to be solid is actually made up of tiny vibrating particles that basically vibrate fast enough they repel any intrusion into their space.
However, this means that on that same teeny-weeny level the entire universe is connected. There is no empty space.
One might now suspect that what we term electro-magnetic energy is on this subatomic level just pressure.
The human body can only either pull or not pull. Our muscles may give us the ability to direct force away from our bodies, but ask any doctor and they will tell you that no muscle pushes.

The cosmos works on this principle as well, but opposite. Forces can only push, they can't pull.
This push and pull phenomena argues, in my humble opinion, that by being in harmonic attunement to our environment (and all forms of intelligence with which we interact [knowingly or not]) we are in a synergistic relationship with the world and each other rather than a parasitic one. We have very well learned how to sustain living in a hell-consciousness; it is time we utilize whatever beneficial help available to us, pull our bootstraps up, grab our wands, crystals, yoga mats, or whatever else we may prefer and do so with gratitude. (More on the specifics of what I mean by gratitude as well as why it's important at a later time.)

Back to the moon magic. Astrological correspondences are energies; the effects of which have been studied by astrologers throughout history. They are subject to reinterpretation and differences of opinion because they are practiced scientifically. These astrological people (including Witches) are very fond of experimentation as they utilize these energies to assist them in accomplishing a goal.

One must understand, however, that no person needs this assistance to accomplish these things. The power is within you at all times. This is reflected particularly in the native Hawaiian Huna spirituality. (More on Huna later...I've got some really awesome stuff to share I found!)

"Using the moon facilitates the working,
But the working can be done just as well without it.
Now is the moment of power. "

When the need arises, trust your subconscious to make the right decision based upon the effect of being vibrationally attuned to the energies around you. This is at-one-ment, from which we created the word atonement. We must never forget that language itself is spellwork.

Namaste.
-Cairne Oleander

Truth

Truth does not need to be sold, nor bought. Truth simply is. If ever you encounter a statistic, consider who may benefit from your knowing it and how. Next, demand to know who provided the information and any benefit the publisher may gain from serving as the face of said-information. A prime example, but certainly not the only one, is the GMO fiasco revolving primarily around the poison company Monsanto. Monsanto has its hands in the governing bodies as well as institutions which are founded on the idea that they serve the people and their health. Reports attempting to sway voters and consumers away from the scientific facts concerning the horrors of GMO foods have been released throughout the last few years (and especially throughout 2012).

When you see something like this and your first thought is to point fingers and claim that the majority of the world's people are simply conspiracy theorists, consider what our "theories" are based upon. The same scientific method we all learned about in school regularly proves things in all manner of scientific realms which are contrary to the ideas perpetuated by major media, government, and other societal establishments. These institutions and organizations fight the dissemination of this information with more yellow journalism than the finest presidential election. Another wonderful tool for distracting their test subjects (all of us) from the truth of what they are knowledgeably (and undeniably intentionally) doing is the old "divide and conquer" routine:
1. Lie about the truth.
2. Establish two possibilities founded upon pseudo-science (but backed by excellent marketing) and pretend those are the only two options.
3. Deny any alternatives to your two established ideas with your now-established bias as basis for ridicule.
4. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your deception of others.

This is a much simpler method than simply killing everyone who disagrees with your totalitarian tyranny, although history has proven (examples: the Inquisition, Crusades, McCarthy-era communist conspiracies, Salem Witch Trials, etc) that community, government, and religion have no problem murdering to further their own gains.

Remember that anything true is never subject to whether it is believed or not. It is not true because it is believed. It is true because it simply is. Read the banned books. Listen to the "fringe thinkers." Don't just think outside the box; destroy the box. The only thing that can be kept in the box is yourself. Your perception is your own personal deception or your own personal enlightenment. The choice is yours, and you cannot make no choice for even doing nothing is a choice. If you go through time and your understanding does not change, does not alter, is not questioned, then you are not developing.

So here is my charge to you:
When you are told something by an organization, question it. Question everything, in fact. Question science, medicine, religion, history, society, culture, and yourself. Malevolent despots establish the foundation of deception then empower other benevolent but mis-informed people to carry out their work with the conviction they (the despots) so greatly lack. The fact that someone means well does not mean that they are an authority to be respected. You are your own authority. You own your life. You are responsible for your life. I will not tell you what to believe, but I will beg you -for your own sake- to take the middle path or strike out one on your own. If you have not questioned what you have been told, you have no logical justification for holding an opinion or "fact" to be true. Don't be upset by the mass deception perpetuated by establishment, instead use it as a guidepost of the wrong way to truth.

Avoid these unless organic

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/foods-contain-highest-amount-pesticides

After multiple conversations with family concerning this topic, I have been told time and again how people wish they could eat completely organic. As for my parents living in rural Alabama with no grocery providers aside from Wal-Mart and no markets to frequent, much less health food stores, eating well can be an extremely difficult task to accomplish. In many parts of the country, your choices are frankenfoods parading as nutritive (and, as expected, over-priced) or cheap foods which are just as horrible for you. The article here is shared today so that for those of you/us who have limited access to real food, we can at least see what the worst offenders to health are. We don't all have to be vegetarian locavores (indeed the world would be quite out of balance if we all were), but everyone has the responsiblity to do what they can for health (of self and family), economy, and environment.

The article referenced at the top has been pasted below:

Top 12 Foods You Should Eat Organically (From lowest to highest amount of pesticides)

1. Apples: They contain 42 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 42 pesticide residues, there are 7 known carcinogens, 19 suspected hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins, 6 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 17 honeybee toxins.
2. Cherries: They contain 42 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 42 pesticide residues, 7 known or probable carcinogens, 22 suspected hormone disruptors, 7 neurotoxins, 8 development or reproductive toxins, and 18 honeybee toxins.
3. Green Beans: They contain 44 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 44 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 22 suspected hormone disruptors, 11 neurotoxins, 8 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 18 honeybee toxins.
4. Collard Greens: They contain 46 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 46 pesticide residues, there are 9 known carcinogens, 25 suspected hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins, 8 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 25 honeybee toxins.
5. Spinach: It contains 48 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 48 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 25 suspected hormone disruptors, 8 neurotoxins, 6 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 23 honeybee toxins.
6. Sweet Bell Peppers: They contain 49 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 49 pesticide residues, there are 11 known carcinogens, 26 suspected hormone disruptors, 13 neurotoxins, 10 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 19 honeybee toxins.
7. Lettuce: It contains 51 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 51 pesticide residues, there are 12 known carcinogens, 29 suspected hormone disruptors, 9 neurotoxins, 10 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 21 honeybee toxins.
8. Blueberries: They contain 52 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 52 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 24 suspected hormone disruptors, 14 neurotoxins, 7 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 21 honeybee toxins.
9. Strawberries: They contain 54 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 54 pesticide residues, there are 9 known carcinogens, 24 suspected hormone disruptors,11 neurotoxins, 12 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 19 honeybee toxins.
10. Kale: It contains 55 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 55 pesticide residues, there are 9 known carcinogens, 27 suspected hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins, 10 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 23 honeybee toxins.
11. Peaches: They contain 62 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 62 pesticide residues, there are 10 known carcinogens, 29 suspected hormone disruptors, 12 neurotoxins, 11 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 25 honeybee toxins.
12. Celery: It contains the most at 64 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 64 pesticide residues, there are 13 known carcinogens, 31 suspected hormone disruptors, 12 neurotoxins, 14 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 20 honeybee toxins.
Honourable Mentions

- Broccoli: It contains 33 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.
- Cucumbers: They contain 35 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.
- Grapes: They contain 34 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.
- Potatoes: They contain 37 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.
- Tomatoes: They contain 35 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.
5 Foods that Contain the Lowest Pesticide Residues

Bananas: They contain 12 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 12 pesticide residues, there are 4 known carcinogens, 7 suspected hormone disruptors, 2 neurotoxins, 5 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 2 honeybee toxins.
Grapefruit: It contains 11 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 11 pesticide residues, there are 4 known carcinogens, 4 suspected hormone disruptors, 4 neurotoxins, 4 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 2 honeybee toxins.
Almonds: They contain 9 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 9 pesticide residues, there are 1 known carcinogens, 4 suspected hormone disruptors, 3 neurotoxins, 0 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 4 honeybee toxins.
Asparagus: It contains 9 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 9 pesticide residues, there are 1 known carcinogens, 7 suspected hormone disruptors, 4 neurotoxins, 3 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 5 honeybee toxins.
Onion: It contains 1 known pesticide residues found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. Out of the 9 pesticide residues, there are 0 known carcinogens, 0 suspected hormone disruptors, 0 neurotoxins, 0 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 0 honeybee toxins.
When buying produce always consider buying organic. Better yet, to ensure freshness, buy local as much as you can. When you can buy both local and organic, you can guarantee that the product is both free of pesticides, and full of nutrients. Further to this, you will also avoid any potential foods that may have been genetically modified. To check out pesticide residues on other sources of food, you may visit: http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/index.jsp. By substituting the top 12 pesticide laden foods with organic, you can eliminate up to 80% of pesticides from your diet.

Coconut 12 October 2012

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/fail-mercks-statin-drug-found-no-better-coconut-water

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/coconut-water-far-more-just-refreshing-beverage

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/13-evidence-based-medicinal-properties-coconut-oil

Coconut is good for a lot more than the tasty treats known as German Chocolate Cake and Hello Dollies (a family favorite). This plant has been utilized by peoples the planet over for millennia. Here's a little info extracted from the pages referenced:

Coconut Oil: (internal and external)
-Fat-burning (2 human studies show that just 2 Tbsp/day for men or women is capable of reducing belly fat within 1-3 months)
-brain-boosting (2006 journal Neurobiology of Aging)
-clearing head lice (when combined with anise spray, found to be superior to the insecticide permethrin)
-healing wounds ("3 of the identified mechanisms behind these healing effects are its ability to accelerate re-epithelialization, improve antioxidant enzyme activity, and stimulate higher collagen cross-linking within the tissue being repaired. Coconut oil has even been shown to work synergistically with traditional treatments, such as silver sulphadizine, to speed burn wound recovery")
-NSAID alternative (anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and fever-reducing)
-Anti-ulcer activity
-anti-fungal (Researchers remarked: "Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species")
-testosterone-booster
-reducing swollen prostate
-improving blood lipids (coconut oil consistently improves the LDL:HDL ratio in the blood of those who consume it. Given this effect, coconut oil can no longer be dismissed for being 'that saturated fat which clogs the arteries'.)
-fat-soluble nutrient absorption (recently found to be superior to safflower oil in enhancing tomato catotenoid absorption)
-bone health (shown to reduce oxidative stress within the bone, which may preven tstructural damage in osteoporotic bone)
-sunscreen (blocks out UV rays by 30%)

Take a look! May your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food! Thank Hippocrates! :)

Breast Cancer Un-Awareness Month

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/dark-side-breast-cancer-unawareness-monthThe Dark Side of Breast Cancer (Un)Awareness Month

Posted on:
Monday, October 1st 2012 at 6:15 pm
Written by:
Sayer Ji, Founder


Image Source: PreppyGirlGreen

[Part II: Benign Lesion or Tumor?]

The history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month's surprising origins is a matter of the public record:

"NBCAM was founded in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries (now part of AstraZeneca, maker of several anti-breast cancer drugs). The aim of the NBCAM from the start has been to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer." ~ Wikipedia

If you doubt Wikipedia as a reliable source, visit the NBCAM website and try to contact them. It will be AstraZeneca that you will required to connect with, as evidenced by the screenshot below:



AstraZeneca, manufacturer of the blockbuster breast cancer drugs Arimidex and Tamoxifen, founded the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in 1985, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, in order to promote the widespread adoption of x-ray mammography, whose horrors we have documented elsewhere.

Sadly, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time of increasing awareness not of the preventable causes of breast cancer, but of the breast cancer industry's insatiable need to both raise money for research into a pharmaceutical cure, and to promote its primary means of "prevention": early detection via x-ray mammography.

On first account, a pharmaceutical "cure" is as unlikely as it is oxymoronic. Drugs do not cure disease anymore than bullets cure war. Beneath modern medicine's showy display of diagnostic contraptions, heroic "life-saving" procedures, and an armory of exotic drugs of strange origin and power, it is always the body's ability to heal itself – beneath the pomp and circumstance – that is truly responsible for medicine's apparent successes. Too often, in spite of what medicine does to "treat" or "save" the body, it is the body which against invasive chemical and surgical medical interventions, silently treats and saves itself.

If it were not for the body's truly miraculous self-healing abilities, and the ceaseless self-correction process that occurs each and every moment within each and every cell, our bodies would perish within a matter of minutes. The mystery is not in how our body succumbs to cancer; rather the mystery is in how, after years and even decades of chemical exposure and nutrient deprivation our bodies prevail against cancer for so long.

The primary causes of breast cancer: nutritional deficiencies, exposure to environmental toxicity, inflammation, estrogen dominance and the resultant breakdown in genetic integrity and immune surveillance, are entirely overlooked by this fixation on drug therapy and its would-be "magic bullets."

Billions of dollars are raised and funneled towards drug research, when the lowly turmeric plant, the humble cabbage and the unassuming bowl of miso soup may offer far more promise in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer than all the toximolecular drugs on the market put together. (To view several dozen substances, visit our Breast Cancer page)

When it comes to the breast cancer industry's emphasis on equating "prevention" with "early detection" through x-ray mammography, nowhere is the inherently pathological ideology of allopathic medicine more clearly evident. Not only is the very ionizing radiation used to discern pathological lesions in breast tissue one of the very risk factors for the development of breast cancer, but the identification of the word "prevention" with "early detection," is a disingenuous way of saying that all we can do to prevent breast cancer is to detect its inevitable presence sooner than would be possible without this technology.

If women succumb to the idea of prevention as doing nothing but waiting for the detection of the disease, many will find a similarly deranged logic reemerge later when the self-fulfilling prophecy of prevention-through-doing-nothing is fulfilled and "treatment" is now required. "Treatment," when not strictly surgical, involves the use of very powerful chemicals and high doses of ionizing radiation which "poison" the cancer cells.

The obvious problem with this approach is that the application of either form of death energy is not suitably selective, and in the long run, many women die sooner from the side effects of toximolecular "therapy" than from the cancer itself. Why is the obvious question never asked: if exposure to the genotoxic and immune system disabling effects of chemicals and radiation is causative in breast cancer, then why is blasting the body with more poisonous chemicals and radiation considered sound treatment?

The answer to this question has much more to do with ignorance than it does an intentional desire to do harm. But the results are the same: unnecessary pain, suffering and death.

Faced with a situation where medieval notions of prevention and treatment of breast cancer are the norm, it is no wonder that when polled over 40% of women believe they will contract breast cancer sometime in their life – well over three times their actual risk. After all, have any of them been given a sense that there is something they can do to actually prevent their disease other than "watchful waiting"?

Obfuscating the real preventative measures available to women to combat breast cancer, and all cancers for that matter, trusted "authoritative" sources like the Susan G. Komen Foundation publish irresponsible statements like this:

"It is unclear what the exact relationship is between eating fruits and vegetables and breast cancer risk...little, if any link was found between the two in a pooled analysis that combined data from eight large studies."

Have we really come to the point where the commonsense consumption of fruits and vegetables in the prevention of disease can so matter-of-factly be called into question? Do we really need randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled clinical trials to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our bodies can benefit from the phytonutrients and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cancer?

Another atrocious example of this conspiracy against identifying the obvious causes and cures for diseases like breast cancer is the National Breast Cancer Foundation's website. Go to the bottom of their homepage and type in "carcinogen" in their site wide search box. This is what will appear on the results page:

Your search – carcinogen – did not match any documents. No pages were found containing "carcinogen".

On Susan G. Komen's website the term only emerges twice, and both in the context of denying the likliehood of there being a connection between smoking and breast cancer.

If you can remove the reality of carcinogenicity by erasing from the mind's of would-be cancer sufferers the word carcinogen, and thereby conceal the link between environmental and dietary exposures of a multitude of toxins, then the obvious "cure" these massive organizations are vacuuming in billions of dollars of donations every year to find, namely, the removal of carcinogens and detoxification of the system, will never be discovered.

Examples like these make it increasingly apparent that orthodox medicine, and the world view it represents, is approaching a theoretical end-time perhaps most accurately described as Pharmageddon. Within the horizon of this perspective vitamins are considered toxic, fruits and vegetables simply a source of caloric content (a poor one, at that), and cancer-causing drugs are understood as the only legitimate and for that matter, legal, way to combat cancer. Are we really at the tipping point, or is there still hope?

Fortunately there are thousands of scientific studies extant today on the therapeutic value of foods, herbs and spices in breast health, many of which can be found on the government's own biomedical database known as MEDLINE. Decades of research have confirmed the veracity of the Hippocratic phrase: "Let food be thy medicine," and until a prescription is required to obtain and consume organic food, we can still draw from a vast cornucopia of natural substances whose safety and efficacy that the conventional pharmacopeia to shame.

Intention, biophotons, Magic

According to many books on the subject, countless scientific studies (which are consistently ignored by mainstream scientific and health publications), and the article referenced below, biophotons are the active "mechanism through which an intention produces its effects." What exactly is intention? The science of intention is that of all magical practices: prayer, meditation, spell-casting. I.e. the focused mental energy in particular states of consciousness. I know everything about spirituality and religion can sound like hogwash to people, but science has been proving for over 50 years that this stuff actually exists. Energy=mass x speed of light squared. Since we know matter cannot be created nor destroyed, so to with energy, including the electrochemical energy of the human body. So for all of us skeptics (self included), scientific evidence can certainly provide confidence in your magical endeavors. Blessed be!

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/power-intention-may-have-empirical-physico-chemical-andor-electromagnetic-explanation-its

Abstract:
Intention is defined as a directed thought to perform a determined action. Thoughts targeted to an end can affect inanimate objects and practically all living things from unicelular organisms to human beings. The emission of light particles (biophotons) seems to be the mechanism through which an intention produces its effects. All living organisms emit a constant current of photons as a mean to direct instantaneous nonlocal signals from one part of the body to another and to the outside world. Biophotons are stored in the intracelular DNA. When the organism is sick changes in biophotons emissions are produced.Direct intention manifests itself as an electric and magnetic energy producing an ordered flux of photons. Our intentions seem to operate as highly coherent frequencies capable of changing the molecular structure of matter. For the intention to be effective it is necessary to choose the appropriate time. In fact, living beings are mutually synchronized and to the earth and its constant changes of magnetic energy. It has been shown that the energy of thought can also alter the environment. Hypnosis, stigmata phenomena and the placebo effect can also be considered as types of intention, as instructions to the brain during a particular state of consciousness. Cases of spontaneous cures or of remote healing of extremely ill patients represent instances of an exceedingly great intention to control diseases menacing our lives. The intention to heal as well as the beliefs of the sick person on the efficacy of the healing influences promote his healing. In conclusion, studies on thought and consciousness are emerging as fundamental aspects and not as mere epiphenomena that are rapidly leading to a profound change in the paradigms of Biology and Medicine.

"A Christian and a Buddhist Walk into a Cartoon"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqu6H7rhsHk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Leave Samsara, 21 September 2012

excerpt from Michael Talbot's The Holographic Universe
"OUR UNCONSCIOUS BELIEFS
...another way of accessing the healing force within us is to bypass the thick armor of doubt and skepticism that exists in our conscious minds. Being tricked with a placebo is one way of accomplishing this. Hypnosis is another...a skilled hypnotherapist can reach into our psyche and help us change the most important type of belief of all, our unconscious beliefs.
Numerous studies have demonstrated irrefutably that under hypnosis a person can influence processes usually considered unconscious. For instance, like a multiple, deeply hypnotized persons can control allergic reactions, blood flow patterns, and nearsightedness. In addition, they can control heart rate, pain, body temperature, and even will away some kinds of birthmarks. Hypnosis can also be used to accomplish something that, in tis own way, is every bit as remarkable as suffering to injury after a foil has been stuck through one's abdomen.
That something involves a horribly disfiguring hereditary condition known as Brocq's disease. Victims of Brocq's disease develop a thick, horny covering over their skin that resembles the scales of a reptile. The skin can become so hardened and rigid that even the slightest movement will cause it to crack and bleed. Many of the so-called alligator-skinned people in circus sideshows were actually individuals with Brocq's disease, and because of the risk fo infection, victims of Brocq's disease used to have relatively short lifespans.
Brocq's disease was incurable until 1951 when a sixteen-year-old boy with an advanced case of the affliction was referred as a last resort to a hypnotherapist name A. A. Mason at the Queen Victoria Hospital in London. Mason discovered that the boy was a good hypnotic subject and could easily be put into a deep state of trance. While the boy was in trance, Mason told him that his Brocq's disease was healing and would soon be gone. Fie days later the scaly layer covering the boy's left arm fell off, revealing soft, healthy flesh beneath. By the end of ten days the arm was completely normal. Mason and the boy continued to work on different body areas until all of the scaly skin was gone. The boy remained symptom-free for at least five years, at which point Mason lost touch with him.
This is extraordinary because Brocq's disease is a genetic condition, and getting rid of it involved more than just controlling autonomic processes such as blood flow patterns and various cells of the immune system. It means tapping into the masterplan, our DNA programming itself. So, it would appear that when we access the right strata of our beliefs, our minds can override even our genetic makeup."

Now isn't that cool? With scientific evidence, a new dark age is ending. We are and have been learning for a long while that there's a lot more to the power of belief than thought possible before. It is my prediction and sincerest hope that people will come to understand this scientific proof and KNOW, rather than simply BELIEVE, that there is more to this life than we have been taught, that there exists proof for things we do not understand, and that, despite how it has been corrupted time and again by those hungry for power, esoteric and spiritual practices have real merit in our lives. It doesn't matter how you explain the "WHY" of these things, only that you know they are true. Leave Samsara. Namaste.

Is it possible to consciously create alternate personalities?

p.99-100 The Holographic Universe
"multiples also tend to heal faster than normal individuals. For example, there are several cases on record of third-degree burns healing with extraordinary rapidity. Most eerie of all, t least one researcher -Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, the therapist whose pioneering treatment of Sybil Dorsett was portrayed in the book Sybil - is convinced that multiples don't age as fast as other people.
How could such things be? At a recent symposium on the multiple personality syndrome, a multiple named Cassandra provided a possible answer. Cassandra attributes her own rapid healing ability both to the visualization techniques she practices and to something she calls parallel processing. As she explained, even when her alternate personalities are not in control of her body, they are still aware. This enables her to "think" on a multitude of different channels at once, to do things like work on several different term papers simultaneously, and even "sleep" while other personalities prepare her dinner and clean her house.
Hence, whereas normal people only do healing imagery exercises two or three times a day, Cassandra does them around the clock. She even has a subpersonality named Celese who possesses a thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and whose sole function is to spend twenty-four hours a day meditating and imaging the body's well-being. According to Cassandra, it is this full-time attention to her health that gives her an edge over normal people. Other multiples have made similar claims."

When casting a circle, calling the quarters/elements and goddess/god, as well as working with a ritual or magical name, is it possible that we Witches are practicing the conscious crafting of multiple personalities? Could we create spells, meditations, and/or talismans/tools/symbols to be used by alternate personalities designed for specific purposes to "run in the background" as we go about our days?
I've noticed that when I actively meditate more often I not only experience an increased overall sense of well-being, but I also find I have more restful sleep - so much so that I can wake after resting half as long as I normally do and yet feel fully refreshed.

Multiple Personality Disorder and The Holographic Universe

Thanks to the television series The United States of Tara, more people than possibly ever before are aware of Multiple Personality Disorder, or MPD.

p. 75 of Michael Talbot's The Holographic Universe in the chapter The Holographic Model and Psychology states:
"...One of the most telling statistics regarding multiples is that 97 percent of them have had a history of severe childhood trauma, often in the form of monstrous psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. This has led many researchers to conclude that becoming a multiple is the psyche's way of coping with extraordinary and soul-crushing pain. By dividing up into one or more personalities the psyche is able to parcel out the pain, in a way, and have several personalities bear what would be too much for just one personality to withstand.
In this sense becoming a multiple may be the ultimate example of what Bohm means by fragmentation. It is interesting to note that when the psyche fragments itself, it does not become a collection of broken and jagged-edged shards, but a colleciton of smaller wholes, complete and self-sustaining with their own traits, motives, and desires. Although these wholes are not identical copies of the original personality, they are related to the dynamics of the original personality, and this in itself suggests that some kind of holographic process is involved.
Bohm's assertion that fragmentation always eventually proves destructive is also apparent in the syndrome. Although becoming a multiple allows a person to survive an otherwise unendurable childhood, it brings with it a host of unpleasant side effects. These may include depression, anxiety and panic attacks, phobias, heart and respiratory problems, unexplained nausea, migrainelike headaches, tendencies toward self-mutilation, and many other mental and physical disorders. Startlingly, but regular as clockwork, most multiples are diagnosed when they are between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty-five, a "coincidence" that suggests that some inner alarm system may be going off at that age, warning them that it is imperative they are diagnosed and thus obtain the help they need. This idea seems borne out by the fact that multiples who reach their forties before they are diagnosed frequently report having the sense that if they did not seek help soon, any chance of recovery would be lost..."

Now I'm sure you are wondering what MPD has to do with holograms. The holographic model referenced here is a model of the nature of reality, experience, and the universe itself. It's a very interesting book that has loads of scientific evidence to back up its claims. As always, take everything with a grain of salt, check the credentials, and remain open to the information changing your entire understanding of reality. After all, people once scoffed at the idea of a spherical earth.

p. 76
"Another unusual feature of MPD is that each of a multiple's personalities possessses a different brain-wave pattern. This is surprising, for as Frank Putnam, a National Institutes of Health psychiatrist who has studied this phenomenon, points out, normally a person's brain-wave pattern does not change even in states of extreme emotion. Brain-wave patterns are not the only thing that varies from personality to personality. Blood flow patterns, muscle tone, heart rate, posture, and even allergies can all change as a multiple shifts rom one self to the next.
Since brain-wave patterns are not confined to any single neuron or group of neurons, but are a global property of the brain, this too suggests taht some kind of holographic process may be at work. Just as a multiple-image hologram can store and project dozens of whole scenes, perhaps the brain hologram can store and call forth a similar multitude of whole personalities. In other words, perhaps what we call "self" is also a hologram, and when the brain of a multiple clicks from one holographic self to the next, these slide-projectorlike shuttlings are reflected in the global changes that take place in brain-wave activity as well as in the body in general. The physiological changes that occur as a multiple shifts from one personality to the next also have profound implications for the relationship between mind and health, and will be discussed at greater length in the next chapter."

Now if we look at teachings of "mystery schools" with this scientific information, some conclusions may be proposed. Not least of all, in my humble opinion, is that the idea of separation within the personal human experience is a mirror of the idea of separation between people, and the destructive and painful effects are also mirrored on a grander level when ideas such as fear are practiced.
To redo a classic quote:
"You laugh because you perceive me as different; I smile because we are one."
Namaste.

Lime: 19 September 2012

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/lime-has-potent-antibacterial-activity-against-multiple-drug-resistant-e-coli
Lime has potent antibacterial activity against multiple drug-resistance e-coli.

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Spices traditionally have been used as coloring agents, flavoring agents, preservatives, food additives and medicine in Bangladesh. The present work aimed to find out the antimicrobial activity of natural spices on multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli isolates.
METHODS: Anti-bacterial potentials of six crude plant extracts (Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Allium cepa, Coriandrum sativum, Piper nigrum and Citrus aurantifolia) were tested against five Escherichia coli isolated from potable water sources at kushtia, Bangladesh.
RESULTS: All the bacterial isolates were susceptible to undiluted lime-juice. None of them were found to be susceptible against the aqueous extracts of garlic, onion, coriander, pepper and ginger alone. However, all the isolates were susceptible when subjected to 1:1:1 aqueous extract of lime, garlic and ginger. The highest inhibition zone was observed with lime (11 mm).
CONCLUSION: Natural spices might have anti-bacterial activity against enteric pathogens and could be used for prevention of diarrheal diseases. Further evaluation is necessary.

19 9 2012

In my opinion, the ability of a monetary society to continue is dependent upon a balance in which all people respect and appreciate one another; we are fully capable of existing in a world where there is no need and no war, a world where love, respect, diversity, and integrity are the law of the land.

We have all had parts to play in this understanding; none are villains: all are one. To hate or fear another is to hate or fear your self. The issue does not matter; only the resolution.
Namaste.

Black Tea, 18 September 2012

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/black-and-green-tea-contain-compounds-which-inhibit-hiv-1-entry

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/black-tea-inhibits-influenza-virus

Remember when some elderly family member gave you black tea as a child and later people told you that it was simply a soothing sensation of drinking something warm while sick? Scientists have evidenced that components in black tea inhibit the influenza virus. Next time you're thinking of grabbing coffee, reach for the tea instead. Drink it black or with a natural, unbleached sweetener. Sorry Brits, but milk can inhibit the beneficial medicinal properties of the beverage, but there are literally thousands of types of tea with varying tastes. Don't snub your nose because you didn't care for the cheat shit like Lipton and Twinnings (not that those won't have the same beneficial effects, but what you're paying for with the better stuff is taste). Black teas range from roasted cocoa notes to smoky to floral to citrus blends, just to name a few suggestions. In fact, double up your health benefits if you like the classic Earl Grey (a black tea with bergamot*) because according to another article, citrus peel and black tea intake may reduce the risk of skin cancers as well:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/citrus-peel-use-and-black-tea-intake-reduce-risk-squamous-cell-carcinoma-skin