Love Is A Serious Mental Disease.

Posted on June 10, 2013 by

What is Disease?

Dis-ease (from old French and ultimately Latin) is literally the absence of ease or elbow room. The basic idea is of an impediment to free movement.

But nowadays the word is more commonly used without a hyphen to refer to a “disorder of structure or function in an animal or plant of such a degree as to produce or threaten to produce detectable illness or disorder”.

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That is at least how the New Shorter Oxford Dictionary defines it, adding as synonyms: “(an) illness”, “(a) sickness”

Our understanding of health and illness has become increasingly more complex in the modern world, as we are able to use medicine not only to fight disease but to control other aspects of our bodies, whether mood, blood pressure, or cholesterol.

Health and disease are critical concepts in bioethics with far-reaching social and political implications.

Doctors are called on to deal with many states of affairs, and not all of them, on any theory, are diseases. A doctor who prescribes contraceptives or performs an abortion is not treating a disease. Although some women cannot risk pregnancy or childbirth for health reasons, women typically use contraception or abortion in the service of autonomy and control over their lives.

But, if we try to define health as simply the absence of disease or infirmity it leads us into difficulties: poor health can’t be defined simply in terms of disease because people can have a disease (especially one with minor symptoms) without feeling ill, and they can have unwanted symptoms (nausea, faintness, headaches and so on) when no disease or disorder seems to be present.

Nor is the fact that a condition is unwanted enough to describe it as ill health: it may be the normal infirmity of old age for example; and again a condition’s abnormality is not enough either—a disability or deformity may be abnormal, but the person who has it may not be unhealthy; and much the same may apply to someone who has had an injury.

Everything that used to be a sin is now a disease.

So to say whether or not physical ill health is present is therefore, a complex combination of abnormal, unwanted or incapacitating states of a biological system.

And things get even more complicated when assessing mental ill health.

Abnormal states of mind may reflect minority, immoral or illegal desires which are not sick desires. On the other hand, a psychopath, for example, may neither regard his state as unwanted, nor experience it as incapacitating.

The problem, however, is not just that ill health can be difficult to pin down. It is also that we normally think of health as having a positive as well as a negative dimension.

But here again things are complicated. A positive feeling of wellbeing, for example, may not be enough. Nor is fitness sufficient: the kind of fitness sought in athletic training, indeed, is sometimes detrimental to physical health; and the desire to maximize physical fitness as an end in itself may become an unhealthy obsession.

Often, what is required is only a “minimalist” notion of fitness, age-related and geared to everyday activities.

“True” wellbeing, requires an “essential reference to some conception of the ‘good life’ for a human being” and “some conception of having a measure of control over one’s life, including its social and political dimensions”.

Those factors, as well as the complex negative side, have to be taken into account when we ask what “health” means.

But even when we have taken all these factors into account, we cannot quantify how healthy an individual is with any precision. That is not just because the sum is complex. It is also because the components include value judgments.

Valere, from which value derives, means to be in good health in Latin. Health is a way of tackling existence as one feels that one is not only possessor or bearer but also, if necessary, creator of value, establisher of vital norms.

Health and disease, like many other concepts, are neither purely scientific nor exclusively a part of common sense. They have a home in both scientific theories and everyday thought.

That raises a problem for any philosophical account.

Suppose we try to say what health and disease really amount to, from which it follows that the scientific concept should fit the facts about world. If the picture we end up with deviates too far from folk thought, should we worry?

Conceptions of health, like conceptions of disease, tend to go beyond the simple condition that one is biologically in some state. In the case of health, one view is that a healthy individual is just someone whose biology works as our theories say it should.

As with disease, however, most scholars who write about health add further conditions having to do with quality of life.

The tendency in recent philosophy has been to see disease concepts as involving empirical judgments about human physiology and normative judgments about human behavior or well-being.

But, the most important thing about health is one’s lived experience of one’s own body, and in particular, that one should not feel estranged or alienated from one’s body.

On this view then, to be healthy is not to correspond with some fixed norm, but to make the most of one’s life in whatever circumstances one finds oneself, including those which in terms of some fixed norms may seem severely impaired or unhealthy.

“To be in good health means being able to fall sick and recover”.

What truly characterizes health is the possibility of transcending the norm, which defines the momentary normal, the possibility of tolerating infractions of the habitual norm and instituting new norms in new situations.

Perhaps a more colloquial way of putting it is that health is not a matter of getting back from illness, but getting over and perhaps beyond it: a feeling of assurance in life to which no limit is fixed.

The determination of what health means for your body depends on your goal, your horizon, your energies, your drives, your errors, and above all on the ideals and phantasms of your soul.

Thus there are innumerable “healths” of the body; and … the more we put aside the dogma of ‘the equality of men’, the more must the concept of a normal health, along with a normal diet and the normal course of an illness be abandoned by our physicians.

Only then would the time have come to reflect on the health and sicknesses of the soul, and to find the peculiar virtue of each man in the health of his soul: in one person’s case this health could, of course, look like the opposite of health in another person.

The long-standing biomedical model of disease has dominated medical practice because it has been seen to work. It is based on a technically powerful science that has made a massive contribution to key areas of health (for example, vaccination). The anatomical and neurophysiological structures of the body have been mapped out, and the genetic mapping of the body is being undertaken through the Human Genome Project.

The search for the fundamental – that is, genetic – basis of human pathology is on, whether the target is cancer, AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. This ever closer and more sophisticated inspection of the body – or the medical gaze – has brought considerable power and prestige to the medical profession.

It has also established a large and profitable market for major pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Zeneca and Merck. The biomedical model also underlies the official definition of health and disease adopted by state and international authorities. National governments and international agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaim their long-term health goal to be the eradication of disease.

So, the rational application of medical science is therefore a hallmark of modernity.

In as much as it has depended on the development over the past two centuries of a powerful, experimentally based medical analysis of the structure and function of the body and the agents that attack or weaken it.

However, during the course of this, scientific medicine has effectively displaced folk or lay medicine.

Modernity is about expertise, not tradition; about critical inspection, not folk beliefs; about control through scientific and technical regulation of the body, not customs and mistaken notions of healing.

This application of ‘rational medicine’ has also reduced reliance on patients’ own account of their illness.

At the start of this century, 40 out of 100 patients died of acute illnesses. In 1980 these constituted only 1% of the causes of mortality. The proportion of those who die of chronic illnesses, on the other hand, rose in the same period from 46 to over 80%.

Health has received less philosophical attention than disease.

The desire to understand mental illness simply paralleled the success achieved by science in explaining physical illness. This in turn had followed a long period of stagnation in terms of developing a model that could both explain and prognosticate about illness with any degree of confidence.

Since then medical research has focused on extending disease nosography and understanding causal links between physiology, pathology, disease and illness.

Although this approach has been spectacularly successful in explaining and controlling a wide range of illnesses, particularly those involving pathogens and other external agents, it has been much less successful in dealing with chronic illnesses linked to the failure to adapt appropriately to physiological stresses due to ageing, immune reactions and environmental insults, including social, physical and psychological factors.

Clearly health care is failing to deal with the nation’s health problems, though whether this is due to inherent failings in the system or the fact of being overwhelmed by demand is not clear.

Whichever it is, and it may well be both, it is time to re-examine some of the fundamental assumptions on which Western health care is based, namely the concepts of health, illness and disease themselves.

The power and status of the medical profession and the health industry in general should not deflect us from asking about the social basis of health and illness.

People’s perception of health and illness is culturally variable, highly context-specific, dynamic and subject to change. Crucially, there is no clear-cut relationship between the existence of a physical or emotional feeling and the judgment that this indicates illness (that it is a ‘symptom’), requiring consultation with a doctor and becoming a patient.

“A medical man”, needs three things. He must be honest, he must be dogmatic and he must be kind”. A philosopher, by contrast, needs only the first of these.

When we’re ill, we’re ill.

The problem is that it is not clear that health, illness and disease are purely biological issues.

It’s not just the fact that biological approaches to chronic illness have not produced the anticipated benefits. It is now well accepted that psychosocial factors play a major part, not just in the experience of illness, but also in the development of disease. (Engel first proposed this idea in his classic paper of 1977)

To say that health and illness have a social basis may at first seem to be an example of sociological arrogance, claiming for ‘the social’ more than can be credibly accepted.

Perhaps because we tend to assume that a modern scientific or “objective” picture of the world, in which we ourselves figure as natural phenomena, is the “true” view of the “real” world?

In this scientific picture, it is difficult not to see something like the image of the athlete as the ideal of health—for which all that comes before is a preparation, and all that follows a process of disintegration and decay.

But there is a serious problem about taking this objective scientific picture as the “true” view of the “real” world. The physicist Schrödinger put it as follows.

The only way scientists can “master the infinitely intricate problem of nature”, is to simplify it by removing part of the problem from the picture. The part that scientists remove is themselves as conscious knowing subjects.

Everything else, including the scientists’ own bodies as well as those of other people, remains in the scientific picture, open to scientific investigation. This “objective” picture is then taken for granted as “the ‘real world’ around us”; and because it includes other people who are conscious knowing subjects just as the scientist is, it is difficult for the scientist to resist the conclusion that the “true” picture of the “real world” must be an “objective” picture, which includes the conscious knowing subject as another object.  Whew!

That conclusion, however, fails to fit all the facts. For, as Schrödinger says, this “moderately satisfying [scientific] picture of the world has only been reached at the high price of taking ourselves out of the picture, stepping back into the role of a non-concerned observer”.

The problem about conceiving health in terms of fixed norms such as those of biochemistry, or the ideal of the athlete, is that it assumes that the objective observer’s viewpoint is the true one, and discourages those who adopt it from seeing themselves as actors or agents, rather than patients who are acted upon.

If we want to gain a more adequate understanding of the meaning of “health”, we may have to be prepared to offload rather less, and take responsibility for rather more, of our minds.

Religion has always tried to “round off” or “close the disconcerting‘openness’” of human experience. In the past, it has done this, often very successfully, in terms of scientific or pre-scientific ideas which at the time seemed plausible to everyone.

But, when these ideas were overtaken by new scientific explanations which seemed to fit the facts better, religion, being more conservative than science, was slow to give them up; and this helped to create the impression among many people that it was only a matter of time before science would explain everything.

But, this idea of science demonstrating “a self-contained world to which God” (or the religious or transcendent dimension) is “a gratuitous embellishment”. If science were able to exclude the religious or transcendent dimension from reality (rather than just from the scientific picture of reality), it would be at the cost of excluding the first-person human dimension also.

And, the idea that science can do this, springs not “from people knowing too much—but from people believing that they know a great deal more than they do.

Our doctors may explain our symptoms in terms of the liver’s lost capacity, but if that lost capacity doesn’t impinge on our life, maybe we wouldn’t consider it necessary to have it corrected.

Modern medicine only offers a biological explanation based on bio-mechanisms. While these kinds of explanation are useful in dealing with specific ranges of conditions, they are proving less effective in dealing with many of the chronic illnesses currently afflicting human beings.

Without major progress in overcoming the body/mind problem, this remains a key hurdle for the biological medical model. Until now the problem has been sidestepped by ‘bolting on’ psychosocial elements as causal or risk factors to the more central biological explanations.

But, wholeness and healing—are intimately related.

Healing as understood by religion not only is the natural process of tissue regeneration sometimes assisted by medical means, but also as whatever process results in the experience of greater wholeness of the human spirit.

“A physically dependent patient who has come to terms with his past life and his approaching death, for example, may well feel, and thus (because no one else is better placed to judge) be nearer to ‘wholeness’ than ever before.”

Such a person may even, in this perspective, be described as “healthy”.

The disconcerting openness of experience raises a question mark against the conventional wisdom.

Perhaps a more critical stance would be to admit ignorance without denying admission to hope?

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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A Problem Shared Is A Problem Halved, Or So They Say.

Posted on June 3, 2013 by

Why do some have so much while others have nothing?

Before diving in, let’s consider why we even share at all?

Is it that Earth is over-populated and sharing is the only way to ensure everyone’s needs are met? Or is there an instinct that drives us to seek others happiness?

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Anytime there is a limited set of resources there must be a way to share. In the case of children not sharing, someone will be left unhappy. In the case of the body not sharing oxygen, death is likely.

At the heart, sharing is about relationships.  Look at nature, sharing happens autonomously.

No matter the reason, sharing is a fact of life.  In fact experimental evidence collected by Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher of the University of Zurich, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, indicates that human altruism is a powerful force and is unique in the animal world.

The act of sharing is deeply embedded in the human psyche as something we have practiced for millennia in our communities and families. Without the gift of sharing and giving, there would be no social foundations upon which to build our economies and civilizations.

Actually, the human tendency to share may have more ancient evolutionary routes than previously thought.  This is according to a study of the performance of chimpanzees in a test called the “ultimatum game”.

Traditionally, the game is employed as a test of economics; two people decide how to divide a sum of money.

This modified game, in which two chimps decided how to divide a portion of banana slices, seems to have revealed the primates’ generous side.

We can come to a better understanding of why it is good to share. Sharing not only helps the beneficiary of the behavior, it benefits the sharer or altruistic party. In fact, sharing food is one of the basic tenets to human society.

On a small group scale this is perhaps easier to perceive. Today we may be somewhat out of touch with many of the members of our society. The reasons for this are multitude and based in the advanced technologies we have developed as a result of our complex systems of division of labor. Still we must understand that sharing with those who we do not know personally, or encounter in our day-to-day experience, is still important.

Most parents would agree that raising a generous child is an admirable goal — but how, exactly, is that accomplished?

All kids love sharing…. as long as that means you have something to share with them. But when it comes time for these little ones to part with some valued treasure of their own, they quickly set aside their passion for equal divisions.

The University of Notre Dame’s Science of Generosity initiative, which funds generosity research around the world, sheds light on how generosity and related behaviors — such as kindness, caring and empathy — develop, or don’t develop, in children from 2 years old through adolescence.

Your son or daughter might know that sharing with others is good behavior, but a University of Michigan study, “I Should but I Won’t: Why Young Children Endorse Norms of Fair Sharing but Do Not Follow Them,” found this doesn’t mean they’re quick to follow their own advice.

The Michigan study revealed that even though children younger than seven years of age thought it was right for their peers to share and for them to share, when faced with an opportunity, their impulse was to take for themselves. According to Craig E. Smith, lead author of the study, “Although 3-year-olds know the norm of equal sharing, the weight that children attach to this norm increases with age when sharing involves a cost to the self.

Are good deeds only driven by an inherent human desire to “look good” in front of others? A German research team seems to confirm theories that behavior meant to enhance reputation — also called “impression management” — is solely a human concern…and the desire to act in accordance of whether or not it will affect reputation is prevalent at an early age.

The study explains, “5-year-old human children share more and steal less when they are being watched by a peer than when they are alone. In contrast, chimpanzees behave the same whether they are being watched by a group mate or not.”

Personally, I think that sometimes it’s okay to be a little selfish— not always, and certainly not as often as you would suppose— but there does exist a time and place when being a little selfish is a greater good than evil.

When it comes to the needs of others we must be selfless, actively seeking ways to help better the world around us. However we must be selfish in the pursuit of ourselves.

Perhaps the problem lies in the label itself, selfish. We are not so much selfish as we are self-absorbed, the age of the Internet teaching us to constantly share of ourselves without ever asking us to explore who we are?

Aha, perhaps we have reached the crux of the problem.

We share everything, stupid minute details about our lives which 20 years ago would have simply been called vanity. We share what we ate for lunch, what we think about. We share everything and nothing all at once, self-absorbed, but not inherently selfish.

Evolutionary theorists have traditionally focused on competition and the ruthlessness of natural selection, but often they have failed to consider a critical fact: that humans could not have survived in nature without the charity and social reciprocity of a group.

Human adults are unique in that they perform what appears to be an inordinate amount of generous behavior.

Giving something up because it makes someone else happy requires a very big mental leap.  This means that we have to gently teach over and over to recognize and value the feelings of others.

If sharing is presented to them as a loss of power (“You must give something up“) rather than as an opportunity to be powerful (“You can choose what or when to share”/”You can help someone be very happy“), they will naturally resist.

Children don’t naturally develop the ability to share just as they don’t wake up one day knowing how to write their own name.

We humans have many traits, which separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom, which we clearly sit at the head of. One of the greatest distinctions and the reason we were able to reign supreme over the rest of the earth’s species is our ability to cooperate in large groups.

Even more primitive groups such as hunter-gatherer have well developed networks of exchange and have evolved sophisticated forms of food-sharing, cooperative hunting, and collective warfare.

Sharing is an innate human quality. It is the way of the human species to share. There is no individual reading this now whose entire life is not thoroughly dependent upon the ideas, language, methods, designs and creations of those who came before us.

Our ability to copy, create and share, which predates the existence of copyright by at least 200,000 years was one of our most valuable tools for survival.

Today, the bottom half of the world’s population currently share only 1 percent of the world’s resources, while the richest 1 percent own 40 percent of the world’s total wealth. The inevitable result of this dire lack of sharing between and within countries is extreme poverty and life-threatening deprivation for millions of people. According to the World Health Organization, over 40,000 people die each day from entirely preventable causes such as malnutrition and diarrhea.

Long before the golden era of all networks social, luminaries including Sagan and Einstein recognized the value of public science communication in promoting democracy and elucidating issues relevant to the perpetuation of life and livelihood.

From urban Detroit to central Amsterdam, and from worker co-operatives to nomadic communities, an astonishing variety of recent graduates and twenty-something experimenters are finding (and sharing) their own answers to negotiating the new economic order.

All around the world we are already living increasingly public lives, sharing our thoughts, photos, videos, locations, purchases, and recommendations of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare and platforms offered by other companies in the sharing industry.

In the Facebook age, it’s increasingly clear that scientific research and innovation simply can’t be relegated to the informational vacuums or institutional silos of yore.

These people aren’t sharing because they’re reckless exhibitionists, mass narcissists, senseless drunks (well, not usually), or insane.  They are doing it for a reason: They realize the rewards for being open and making the connections technology now affords.

Technology may bring these opportunities but technology also breeds fear. Again and again in history technology has caused change and that change has sparked worries that privacy is being threatened or that publicness is being thrust upon us.

Technology is forcing us to question centuries – old assumptions about the roles of the individual and society, our rights, privileges, powers, responsibilities, concerns and prospects.

No matter how much joy and bliss we find in life and how aware we become, whether our awareness is the awareness of our own being or an awareness of Cosmic Consciousness that spans all of Creation, there will be a point at which we will want to share who and what we are and what we have found.

As consciousness explores itself and discovers who and what it is and what it is capable of doing, it desires to share itself with another or others. This desire to share is not an ego based desire such as “Look what I have done” or “Look what I can do.”

Rather is it like a child wanting someone with whom to play and more of a desire to have this other individual enter and experience the world in which the child find themselves. In the way consciousness awakens consciousness, this desire to share is consciousness desiring to have another to see reality and experience reality the way they see and experience it.

We only need to watch a very young child discover a new facet of Creation and how they enthusiastically desire to share what they experienced. The natural response of consciousness is to share what it discovers. Responses other than to share are responses of the ego. Only the ego keeps secrets or is otherwise unwilling to share what it has found.

When we discover new facets of our being and release our bottled up creative abilities, we will have the desire to share what we found. There will be playfulness within our being and in many ways we become very childlike. It will be very difficult for us not to share the gifts we have.  In fact, our desire to share and our enthusiasm will only increase.

This is particularly important to note at a time when government austerity measures are dismantling the social protections and public services that many generations have fought for.

It is a mistake for policymakers to erode the sharing economy in this way as it undermines fundamental human rights and pushes people into poverty and destitution. On the contrary, we must find ways of sharing more – not less – of what we have.

Only a sharing can reduce the massive levels of inequality that exist today.

Global sharing will require us to respect nature’s limits, which means we have to curb our excessive and wasteful patterns of production and consumption and learn to live more simply, especially in rich countries.

Not only can sharing what we have on a global scale prevent needless death and destitution in the developing world, it is also our only hope of averting ecological disaster.

Unless we share the world’s resources there is no hope of creating a sustainable world fit for the 21st Century.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

Thanks for reading. Please share J

Please don’t forget to leave a comment.

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Forget Love … I’d Rather Fall In Chocolate!

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

Chocolate! The name brings memories of a sugary and scrumptious sweet in your mouth. Each and every person in the world, whatever be his age or his sex, loves the delicious sin.  

Whether whipped into an ethereal mousse or baked in your favorite oatmeal cookie, chocolate desserts can be elegant or homey, dressed up or dressed down. Of course, there’s also nothing wrong with nibbling it by the bar, just the way it is!

There are few foods that evoke as much passion as this decadent treat. Folklore from many cultures claimed that consuming chocolate instilled faith, health, strength, and sexual passion. Once an indulgence of royalty, it is now a treasured and accessible – and yes, even a healthy treat. So where did our infatuation with chocolate begin?

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Chocolate has been described as being more than a food, less than a drug. This description points to the singular position this wildly popular confection plays in our lives. Popular to the tune of $74 billion annually, chocolate begins as a tiny blossom on a small tropical tree. Only three out of a thousand of these will produce the cacao pods that after a labor intensive and lengthy journey, with several chemically and technically complex steps along the way, will end up in your hand as a candy bar.

The oldest records related to chocolates date back to somewhere around 1500-2000 BC. The high rainfall, soaring temperatures and great humidity of Central American rain forests created the perfect climate for the cultivation of the Cacao Tree. During that time, the Mayan civilization used to flourish in that region. Mayan people worshipped Cacao Tree, believing it to be of divine origin. They also used to roasted and pounded seeds of the tree, with maize and Capsicum (Chili) peppers, to brew a spicy, bittersweet drink. The drink was consumed either in ceremonies or in the homes of the wealthy and religious elite.

Chocolate comes from the seeds of the Cacao tree.  The cacao tree is indigenous to tropical rainforest environments.  Although it is thought that cacao originated in South America, cacao was first produced and used in Mesoamerican regions of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, & Guatemala, as well as Oaxaca Valley and Valley of Mexico.

The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally “food of the gods”. Chocolate has also been called the food of the devil; but the theological basis of this claim is obscure.

Cacao’s scientific name is Theobroma cacao, which means “food of the gods.”  The word cacao has been reconstructed back to approximately 1000 BC.  Maya called it kakaw and appears as a loan word in their language between 400 BC – AD 100.  The Maya are believed to have borrowed the word from Izapan culture; an Olmec influenced culture located on the Pacific Slope of Chiapas, in the rich cacao-producing region of the Soconusco, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, during this time period.  Aztec called it cacahuatl.  The origin of the Aztec word “chocolate” is thought to be derived from the Classical Nahuatl word xocolātl meaning “bitter water.”

Everything about the tree is just as colorful as its history. An evergreen, the cacao tree has large glossy leaves that are red when young and green when mature. Overlays of clinging moss and colorful lichens are often found on the bark of the trunk, and in some areas beautiful small orchids grow on its branches. The tree sprouts thousands of tiny waxy pink or white five-petaled blossoms that cluster together on the trunk and older branches. But, only 3 to 10 percent will go on to mature into full fruit.

The cacao tree is very delicate and sensitive. It needs protection from the wind and requires a fair amount of shade under most conditions. This is true especially in its first two to four years of growth.

To truly study the history of chocolate is to embark upon an extraordinary journey through time and geographical space.  The chocolate story spans a vast period from remote antiquity through the 21st century.  Historical evidence for chocolate use appears on all continents and in all climes, from tropical rain forests to the icy reaches of the Arctic and Antarctic.

The story of chocolate is associated with millions of persons, most unknown, but some notables including economists, explorers, kings, politicians, and scientists.  Perhaps, no other food, with the exception of wine, has evoked such curiosity regarding its beginnings, development, and global distribution. But there is a striking difference: wine is a forbidden food to millions globally because of its alcohol content but chocolate can be enjoyed and savored by all.

A Frenchman reputedly opened the first chocolate house in Europe in London in 1657.  Then, in the early 19th century, after the introduction of cocoa powder in 1828, the English developed solid eating chocolate. Richard Cadbury introduced the first chocolate box in 1868, when he decorated a candy box with a painting of his young daughter holding a kitten in her arms.

Cadbury also introduced the first Valentine’s Day candy box.

In 1875, after experimenting for 8 years, Daniel Peter of Switzerland added milk to chocolate to create today’s familiar chocolate. He then sold his creation to his neighbor, Henri Nestle.

The 17th century French Cardinal Mazarin never traveled without his personal chocolate maker. King Louis XIV of France established in his court the position of “Royal Chocolate Maker to the King.” M&M sweets were launched in military ration packs in 1940.

But not all countries are able to enjoy the sweet taste of chocolate equally. There is a profound dichotomy between those nations that extract the raw materials and those who indulge in the finished product.

The reality exists that the processing and consumption of chocolate products is Western World dominated.

However, over the centuries chocolate has evolved into a universal taste sensation enjoyed by millions of people every day.

Chocolate contains over five hundred different flavors – over two and one half time more than any other food known to humankind.

It is said that the word ‘Cacao’ was corrupted by the early European explorers and turned into ‘Cocoa’.

Cacao beans were used by the Aztecs to prepare a hot, frothy beverage with stimulant and restorative properties. Chocolate itself was reserved for warriors, nobility and priests. The Aztecs esteemed its reputed ability to confer wisdom and vitality. Taken fermented as a drink, chocolate was also used in religious ceremonies. The sacred concoction was associated with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. Emperor Montezuma allegedly drank 50 goblets a day.

In fact, Cacao beans were considered to be so prized by Aztecs that they started using it as a type of currency. Aztec taxation was levied in cacao beans. 100 cacao beans could buy a slave. 12 cacao beans bought the services of courtesan.

They also made a drink, similar to the one made by Mayans, and called it ‘Xocolatl’, the name, which was later, corrupted to ‘Chocolat’, by Spanish conquistadors.

Chocolate’s reputation as an aphrodisiac started when Cortes and the Spanish Conquistadores in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan discovered the drink in Montezuma’s palace. The Spanish documented Montezuma’s habit of drinking frothy chocolate from golden goblets, about 40 at a feast, then visiting his harem.

Thoughtful theorists, such as Michael & Sophie Coe (leading academics and authors of THE TRUE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE) believe the connection between chocolate and sex related to nourishment and stamina rather than a chemical reaction specifically affecting arousal and performance.

The pleasant feeling of eating chocolate is caused by a chemical called anadamide, a neurotransmitter that also is produced naturally in the brain.

Both men and women crave chocolate, but far more women than men experience chocolate cravings. Why do women crave chocolate more than men? Chocolate cravings may be linked to low blood sugar, stress or changing hormonal levels prior to a woman’s menstrual cycle.

The stereotype that women are crazy about chocolate has become virtually axiomatic. Many women happily propagate the idea that chocolate is feminine fare: Bookstores teem with cocoa-themed titles written by and geared toward women, be they heartwarming (Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul), prescriptive (The Chocolate Lovers’ Diet), or sardonic (Give the Bitch Her Chocolate).

Profiles of female celebrities routinely feature confessions of chocoholism—or at least occasional indulgences in the dark stuff. Even women who are keenly aware of stereotypes and double standards have a soft spot for chocolate; feminist blogs Jezebel and the Hairpin regularly feature posts on chocolate, with varying degrees of tongue-in-cheekness. So, where did this stereotype come from?

From the very first time chocolate was “discovered: in the New World it has been associated with sex. And quite rightly so.

Sex and chocolate are the nearest we’ll get to heaven while still alive. Both of them lift our mood, calm our restless passions, lift our spirits and make us happy, and generally enhance our well being. Without them we are lesser beings. And just imagine combining the two of them!

Like other palatable sweet foods, consumption of chocolate triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s endogenous opiates. Enhanced endorphin-release reduces the chocolate-eater’s sensitivity to pain. Endorphins probably contribute to the warm inner glow induced in susceptible chocoholics. This sensation explains why chocolate gifts are a great way to bring joy to a loved one.

Arguably the food with the greatest impact on mood is chocolate.  Eating chocolate makes you feel good, because it increases levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of well being and enhanced mood. Many women experience lowered serotonin levels in the 7 to 10 days prior to their menstrual periods, which is one reason why premenstrual women often have powerful cravings for chocolate.

Those who crave chocolate tend to do so when they feel emotionally low.  High levels of stress can also make women and men crave chocolate, since increasing serotonin levels can also lead to significant reductions in anxiety. Chocolate is a popular comfort food. Emotional eaters choose it, since eating it can raise serotonin levels and help comfort eaters forget about emotional or other problems, low self-esteem or mildly depressed mood.

There have been a series of suggestions that chocolate’s mood elevating properties reflect ‘drug- like’ constituents including anadamide, caffeine, phenylethylamine and magnesium.

However, the levels of these substances are so low as to preclude such influences. As all palatable foods stimulate endorphin release in the brain this is the most likely mechanism to account for the elevation of mood. A deficiency of many vitamins is associated with psychological symptoms.

In addition, chocolate is composed of components that are smart for lowering cholesterol. It is also peppered with body nourishing minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.

In some elderly patients folate deficiency is associated with depression. In four double-blind studies an improvement in thiamine status was associated with improved mood. Iron deficiency anemia is common, particularly in women, and is associated with apathy, depression and rapid fatigue when exercising.

Indeed, chocolate’s ability to nourish the Mesoamericans predates the Aztec Empire and developed fully with the Maya culture, whose warriors and tradesmen were able to sustain long journeys because of their reliance on the nutrients of cacao.  Like an avocado or walnut, the cacao bean is densely loaded with complex chemicals.

To date, most of the health claims for chocolate have centered on cocoa’s antioxidant capacity. Although the studies are inconsistent, some evidence does link cocoa’s polyphenols, flavanols and other antioxidants to a positive effect on circulatory system diseases, mental health, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, inflammatory diseases and weight loss.

It’s well established that chocolate contains pleasure-inducing and mood-enhancing chemicals, and previous studies have touted cocoa’s rich antioxidant and brain-boosting properties.

A new study explains the molecular brain mechanisms by which cocoa compounds can protect the aging brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Recent studies have supported the ability of chocolate compounds called flavanols to protect neuron cells against degeneration and dementia.  Flavanols are abundantly present in cocoa beans. These cocao flavanols are natural and have powerful antioxidants that keep the body healthy.

Recent studies have shown a direct correlation between the consumption of chocolate leading to a lower blood pressure, reduced risk of stroke and heart attack. The flavanols increase the blood flow and reduce the clotting of platelets that cause blocked arteries.

The new research confirms the antioxidant properties of polyphenols, the larger class of compounds that includes flavanols, and establishes how they work to protect the brain on a cellular level.

Researchers led by Annamaria Cimini of the University of L’Aquila in Italy created cellular models of Alzheimer’s disease, treated with the Aß plaques and Aß peptides associated with neurodegeneration. Applying cocoa polyphenols to those cells triggered the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes neuron growth and counteracts cell death caused by oxidative stress.

“Our studies indicate for the first time the cocoa polyphenols do not act only as mere anti-oxidant but they, directly or indirectly, activate the BDNF survival pathway counteracting neuronal death” said Cimini in a statement.

The results, published in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, seem to confirm that flavanols in chocolate can indeed protect your brain from neurodegeneration, or at least slow it down.

Mainstream media has even teased with headlines such as, “Should cocoa flavanols be classed as a ‘vitamin’?  The chocolate industry, of course, has taken this hype straight to the bank.  And with few people aware that for bitter cocoa to taste good and become the chocolate we all love, sugar — sometimes a lot of sugar — goes into the mix.

So before you grab that chocolate bar, remember that there is an inverse relationship between chocolate and the milk and sugar present in chocolate that make it calorie rich.

The higher the percentage of chocolate in a bar the healthier it is for you. Flavanols are lavishly present in dark chocolate as compared to milk chocolate. Whereas, it is completely absent in white chocolate.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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Conversion Takes Only A Moment–Transformation Takes A Lifetime

Posted on May 27, 2013 by

At one time or another, the misery of lower back pain is felt by everyone, which is no surprise. Our upright spine is as unique to being human as having an opposable thumb. But where anyone can see that using our hands involves every aspect of life, we don’t say the same about our backs. But it’s just as true.

michelangelo-creazione-di-adamo-7600064The finger of God in the Michelangelo painting is touching Adam’s physical form. The finger is representing the spinal cord that is bringing the electricity, messengers, angelic, neurochemicals, and God-impulses to our physical body, the temple of God!

The spine is the axis of our being. The embryo in the womb first creates the central spinal axis and then the body grows around this axis, the axis of our individual world. The top and bottom of the body, the two sides and the back and front of the body develop soon after. We then spend the rest of our life with our spine “behind” us. We face the world and all of life moves from back to front, from the spine into the world.

A healthy spine is an often overlooked and essential part of a healthy lifestyle. People who suffer from back pain, particularly if it is long-term, are generally less healthy than those who do not. In fact, back pain costs are staggering not only financially, but also in terms of lost time from work and because of psychosocial problems that arise during the healing process associated with long-term back pain.

You can read a great deal standing behind someone, reading victory or defeat, success and failure, pride or shame and every degree of self-esteem. More hidden are the stresses that shape the back. On the day that you feel that first twinge of back pain, an entire personal history has already unfolded.

If we stop and think about it most (if not all) of our daily movements are limited to moving forward. Rarely do we spend time defying gravity by moving upside-down, backward or sideways. It just feels natural to bend forward. It’s also the obvious thing to do when picking something off the floor. However, backbends offer an exciting way to move the spine. This creates better balance between our normal activities and breaks-up the rigidity of the spine.

The spine, also know as the spinal column, the vertebral column and the backbone, is often used to describe the most important part of an entity, and for good reason: it’s this S-curved structure around which our ability to walk, run, and sleep is hinged. Our arms, legs, chest, and head all attach to the spine.

And the spine affects and is affected by every movement we make.

No back problem can be isolated from how the rest of our body functions. Because of this interdependence, only by understanding the whole body and how movements affect the spine can we approach back problems.

The spine is the major factor in all movements of the body. It provides balance to the skeletal frame, absorbs jolts and shocks, allows is to move, bend and twist, all the while protecting the spinal cord and spinal nerves.

The spinal column combines strong bones, unique joints, flexible ligaments and tendons, large muscles and highly sensitive nerves. While many of us take the benefits of a healthy spine for granted, spinal pain is a sharp reminder of how much we depend on our back in daily life.

Spinal anatomy is truly unique in its form and function. It is designed to be incredibly strong, protecting the highly sensitive nerve roots, yet highly flexible, providing for mobility on many different planes.

In animals, body weight is distributed evenly on all four legs; dinosaurs or dog, the spine lies in a horizontal position. Animals may be afflicted with their own sets of problems, but back pain usually isn’t among them.

In human beings, however, the spine is held in a vertical position. Walking upright may have freed our ancestors to engage in a myriad of civilized activities, from sipping tea to carrying a bag of groceries, but it literally created a pain in our backs.

Walking on two legs places an enormous strain on our spines.

The spine extends from the base of the skull to the tailbone. The back is not made up of a single bone but is an engineering masterpiece, composed of donut-shaped bones called vertebrae. These irregular, spool-shaped structures are stacked one on top of the other. Each vertebrae is separated by a ring of shock-absorbing cartilage. These disks are what make spinal movement possible.

Your spine is divided into five sections: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacrum, and the coccyx. There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 fused sacral, and 3 to 5 fused vertebrae (together called the coccyx).

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is composed of the brain, brain stem and spinal chord. It is responsible for processing every sensation and thought you experience. The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) consists of twelve pairs of cranial nerves which emerge from the brain and 31 pairs of spinal nerves which emerge form the spinal cord.

The human spinal cord lies within the spinal cavity within the vertebrae column and is about the diameter of a human finger. It is a long, thin, tubular bundle of millions of nerve fibers that is an extension of the CNS from the brain, originating from the medulla oblongata, and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column.

The spinal cord is surrounded by a clear fluid called cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), that acts as a cushion to protect the delicate nerve tissues against damage from hitting against the inside of the vertebrae.

The main function of the spinal cord is transmission of electrical information to and from the limbs, trunk and organs of the body, back to and from the brain. It is a superhighway for messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

The importance of the spine to our health has been recognized by great men for centuries. Hippocrites, the celebrated Greek physician after who the “Hippocratic Oath” is named, recognized the importance of the spine saying: “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”

Another famous Greek physician, Claudius Galen, who was considered the greatest anatomist and physiologist of classical times said, “Look to the nervous system as the key to maximum health.”

Most of us take this juxtaposition of strength, structure and flexibility for granted – until something goes wrong. But, once we have neck pain or back pain, we’re driven by a need to know exactly what is wrong and what it will take to relieve the pain and prevent a recurrence.

Low back pain is a leading cause of disability. It occurs in similar proportions in all cultures, interferes with quality of life and work performance, and is the most common reason for medical consultations. Few cases of back pain are due to specific causes; most cases are non-specific. Acute back pain is the most common presentation and is usually self-limiting, lasting less than three months regardless of treatment.

Chronic back pain is a more difficult problem, which often has strong psychological overlay: work dissatisfaction, boredom, and a generous compensation system contribute to it. Among the diagnoses offered for chronic pain is fibromyalgia, an urban condition (the diagnosis is not made in rural settings) that does not differ materially from other instances of widespread chronic pain.

Although disc protrusions detected on X-ray are often blamed, they rarely are responsible for the pain, and surgery is seldom successful at alleviating it. No single treatment is superior to others; patients prefer manipulative therapy, but studies have not demonstrated that it has any superiority over others. A WHO Advisory Panel has defined common outcome measures to be used to judge the efficacy of treatments for studies.

Spinal subluxations, which interfere with the normal flow of nerve energy between the brain and the body’s tissue cells, can hamper the normal function of the glandular, eliminative, nervous, digestive, muscular and circulatory systems of the body. The primary symptoms are pain and/or disease.

The spinal canal houses the electrical element within the body, which initiates in the heart through the sacred rhythm. It is along this spinal canal that the electrical current activates the nerve endings, traverses to the brain and connects our electrical nature so that we can see, smell, hear, feel and taste. This spinal canal is vital to our sensation-gathering and experience-gathering sojourn here on earth.

Even if every nerve in your chest were disconnected, your heart would continue to beat. This is because a small node of heart muscle rhythmically contracts and relaxes on its own, setting the pace for your heartbeat.

This natural pacemaker is called the “sinoatrial node.”

While this “natural pacemaker” keeps your heart consistently working, nerves that accelerate and decelerate the heart (your sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves) can affect your sinoatrial node and affect your heartbeat.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves are located in your thoracic and upper cervical spine, respectively.

When the spine loses its viscosity, the body loses energy, causing us to feel fatigued and lethargic.  With time, we begin to resign to such states resulting in laziness.  This is the manifestation of an unhealthy body and mind and is arguably the biggest disease inflicting humans.

Physical exercises supported with proper breathing techniques help the body remain active, and the mind at ease.

Remember your body is as young as it is flexible.

By maintaining the spine’s flexibility, circulation is increased and the nerves get the appropriate supply of nutrients and oxygen.

Complex patterns of nerves and chemicals in the brain and in the spine, create the physical basis for the chakras to express themselves into the world.

When they are not balanced we suffer.

From the spiritual perspective the spine is the biggest vertical carrier of the voltage of life within the human body system.  It is closely associated with our entire physical and mental bodies and marks the inner connection with our higher nature.

This ladder of bones played a most important part in the religious symbolism of the ancients, where it is often referred to as a winding road or stairway, sometimes as a serpent, and again as a wand or scepter.

The serpent wound around the tree that talks with Eve in Genesis references this process of spiritual illumination. The ancient caduceus symbol of Hermes/Mercury/Thoth, now used by the western pharmaceutical industry, also symbolizes this process. Two intertwining snakes (which look exactly like our 33 sequence double-helix DNA) climb a straight, vertical pole (which looks like our 33 vertebrae spine) and end at the “circle of light” crown chakra which has sprouted wings.

Many scholars have long seen the correlation with what the East calls, chi, kundalini or prana, and the Holy Spirit. Chi, kundalini, or prana are all words for the subtle energies in the body, and are all seen as manifestations of the Goddess (or Divine Mother).

The Holy Spirit is the subtle force that connects us to the universe and gives us life, which is the definition of Chi, kundalini or prana (along with other terms). When we say that the union of Shiva (Divine Father) and Shakti (Divine Mother) is the whole of creation, we are also saying that the union of the Father and Holy Spirit is the whole of God…

Thus, we have a working cosmology that both Eastern and Western religious traditions agree on.

Almost all religions or spiritual traditions speak of this Inner Power in some form or other. Although the names used to describe it may be different and, although the symbols used to invoke it vary somewhat from culture to culture, the experience of one’s “Intrinsic Life-Force” or Holy Spirit is a Universal phenomenon which has been experienced in all places and at all times from the most ancient Dream Time symbol of the Rainbow Serpent.

The djed (pron.: /dʒɛd/ in English) symbol is one of the more ancient and commonly found symbols in Egyptian mythology. It is a pillar-like symbol in hieroglyphics representing stability. It is associated with Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead. It is commonly understood to represent his spine.

Traditionally, the knowledge of this inner energy has been a closely guarded secret, revealed by the Master to only a few close and select initiates. It tends to be spoken of in veiled symbolic language, if it is spoken of at all.

The Hindus call it Kundalini. The Japanese call it “ki”, the Chinese “chi” and in Christianity, it is known as “The Holy Spirit”. In Mexico, what Christians term The Holy Spirit was worshiped as the serpent-god “Quetzalcoatl”; the Kung people of the Kalahari called this same power “n/um”.

The American Indians know all about the energy that is awakened at the base of the spine and rises to the top of the head, but it is regarded as so sacred that they are forbidden even to pronounce its name.

In the West, the knowledge of this Holy Spirit or Divine Energy of Liberation has been transmitted by the esotericor mystical branches of all of the great religious traditions. It is present in the mystery religions of ancient Egypt; in theteachings of both the Gnostic and Neoplatonic traditions; in the Cabalistic traditions of Judaism and in the personal testamentsof great Christian mystics like St. Teresa, John of the Cross and St. Augustine. In Islam, the true nature of the Divine Feminine is revealed in the mysteries of Sufism.

‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17:21).

The transformation from matter, or darkness, to light and “spirit” is universally acknowledged as the task of the Holy Spirit, Kundalini, the Divine Consciousness or Whole-E “Serpent Power” – the Essence of the Tree of Life that resides within us.

The strength of the Inner Holy Spirit Energy of Wholeness – the “Whole-E Spirit” is what allows us to expand infinitely so that we can see the whole Universe within our own Self. Then, we no longer remain a limited, bound creature as we achieve total union with Universal Consciousness, to stand self reliant unshakeable and inviolate in the innocence of our integrity.

The Holy Spirit, “Inner Whole-E Spirit” is there to nourish, to heal and look after and to give an individual a higher and deeper individuality. The manifested power is absolute purity, auspiciousness, chastity, self respect, pure love, detachment, concern for others and enlightened attention to give infinite joy and peace to an individual.

In acute fear or trauma and life patterns shaped by insecurity, sadness and low self esteem, this part of the body tends to collapse in, which makes a backbending practice essential to the healing process.

However, it is an over-simplification to think that heart opening is the only aspect at play in the backbend. Symbolically and practically back bending and heart opening require the participation of the entire physical and energetic body.

Backbends are often called heart openers, which is true, insofar as they open (with differing levels of intensity) the front surface of the body and chest.

Back bends encourage a deep opening in our hearts and the associated subtle energy or chakra center, called “Anahata Chakra”.  Anahata Chakra- which is a vortex of subtle energy channels -  is connected with the thoughts and emotions of love, hate, jealousy, devotion, intimate relationships, the ability to love, forgive, respect each other, and ultimately, the degree to which we love and accept ourselves.

When we try to protect ourselves and hide our emotions, we often hunch our shoulders forward, con caving our backs inward in a symbolic gesture of closing off or keeping hidden how we feel and what we think.  This curving of the back and hunching of the shoulders not only produce stress and tension in the body physically, but compromises our breathing, and subsequently our nervous and digestive systems.

With the breath compromised in both a prolonged exhale, as well as breath retention- as is the case with this particular holding pattern in the body- the feelings of sadness, depression or lethargy are more likely to develop.  You might like to take a moment now, to experiment and reenact what it feels like to be sad or depressed, in order to see just how your body and mind responds to these particular states.  We often find ourselves spending more time exhaling and pausing in between breaths (breath retention), with the exhale ultimately representing death and the pauses our true nature.

Thus, sadness or depression brings us into a place of feeling hopeless, without purpose or intention, and feeling less than or not good enough, which weakens our will to live fully.  The pauses or breath retention gives us an opportunity to reflect or pause at our current state, and to witness its impact on our lives.  During this process our digestion is weakened, giving rise to a plethora of potential physical problems, and our nervous system may be fraught with anxiety and irritation.  This viscous cycle continues to reinforce itself until changes are made within.

If we do not heed the warnings of our body, subtle symptoms that begin slowly and gradually get louder and more severe until we are diagnosed with a disease.

Fear is ruling our body rather than Love. Survival is taking all the energy that could be used by the higher mind to create novel solutions to the world’s problems, peace, joy, love and harmony on the earth.

Ironically, when most people experience back pain or discomfort their first reaction is to bend forward, not knowing it is the cause of their discomfort. In reality back-bending is what is needed to counter-act the impact of continuous forward bending. This impulse is not easy to unlearn.

It is important to recognize that back-bending is a natural range of motion for the spine. “Think of monkeys or children climbing in a tree who reach backward for a branch, the spine bends backward,” says Jeff Weisman a Toronto based Bikram Yoga teacher and Hellerworker.

As you bend backwards you compress the posterior part of your spinal column, pushing your disks away from the spinal nerves and decompress the front of the vertebrae. This effectively counteracts the damage of hours spent forward bending.

Backbending is a specialized practice that focuses on lengthening and opening the spine in backward and forward movements, as well as laterally (sideways). There are many physical benefits such as flexibility, strength and balance. However, the true practice goes beyond the body and opens the mind. The practice creates a deep heat and boosts one’s energy by releasing endorphins (natural pain-killers). It is suitable for anyone to practice and at any level (just not the faint of heart).

Bending backwards turns the body out to face the world, often from a different perspective.

Beyond the physical flexibility and strength that back bending develops, one of the deepest benefits is the way they challenge us to accept our limitations. Our ‘preconceived’ limitations are considered building blocks to deeper growth beyond the superficial benefits of good health and a strong body, but to an open heart and mind.

The brain and spinal cord run, coordinate, control, harmonize and govern every aspect of your health and your existence. God put the most amazing healing power in the brain and spinal cord. This power is what runs your body and heals your body.

Without a proper functioning nerve system, you CANNOT be well. In order for you to be well, the brain must be able to communicate with the body and its organs through the spinal cord, which is housed by your spine. If you want to be well, you need to keep your nerve system well.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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Give Your Stress Wings And Let It Fly Away.

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

Is suffering normal or not?”

The question is obviously rhetorical.

There are very few among us who have never experienced stress. Whether it’s a pending work deadline or an overwhelming physical threat, our body’s response to stress can be both helpful and harmful.

It seems we all know that Stress is a normal part of living. The term stress was borrowed from the field of physics, Hans Selye. In fact Hans Selye, the ‘father of stress theory’ went so far as to say “if you have no stress in your life you are dead”.

Stress manifests in three ways:

1) Stress causes changes in the normal physiological functions of the body that, if unrelieved, can lead to physical disease.

2) Stress causes feelings of distress (subjective).

3) Stress causes disturbed personal and interpersonal functioning and performance (behavioral).

Stress and soul trauma are at the root of all psychiatric disorders.

But only few of us really understand just how destructive the effects of prolonged stress can be on our overall health. Many of us just accept long-term stress as the cost of living in the 21st century. But as you will see prolonged stress comes with a steep price.

The question becomes how much are you prepared to pay?

True, stress is a squishy concept, but just because it’s amorphous doesn’t mean it’s a historical. Far from it.

Stress is a human signal to stay alert.  The body’s reaction is helpful for dangerous situations.  It becomes excessive when a person becomes as stressed watching a football game urging the team they favor as needed when running away from a predator.

Although the concept of stress was originally defined in terms of its physiological mechanism, human response to stress or any threat of that nature is complex.

A threat to your life or safety causes your body to undergo immediate physical changes. A chemical signal deep inside your brain speeds stress hormones through the bloodstream, preparing your body to be alert and prepared to escape danger.

This is known as the “Flight or Fight” response. You have faster reaction times, your concentration becomes more focused, and your agility and strength increase. When the stressful situation ends, hormonal signals switch off the stress response and the body returns to normal.

So stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it’s an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and Cortisol to surge through the body.

In physics, stress describes the force that produces strain on a physical body (i.e.: bending a piece of metal until it snaps occurs because of the force, or stress, exerted on it).

Hans Selye began using the term stress after completing his medical training at the University of Montreal in the 1920’s. He noticed that no matter what his hospitalized patients suffered from, they all had one thing in common. They all looked sick. In his view, they all were under physical stress.

He proposed that stress was a non-specific strain on the body caused by irregularities in normal body functions. This stress resulted in the release of stress hormones.

As humans we have two opposing hormone responses to stimuli.

The fight or flight hormones are adrenaline or Cortisol which speed up the heart rate and create the hyper alert energy state which empowers you to immediately act your way out of danger.

The primary area of the brain that deals with stress is the limbic system. Because of its enormous influence on emotions and memory, the limbic system is often referred to as the emotional brain. It is also called the mammalian brain, because it emerged with the evolution with our warm-blooded relatives, and marked the beginning of social cooperation in the animal kingdom.

When Cortisol levels remain high for extended periods of time it begins to breakdown non-essential organs and tissues in order to maintain high levels of glucose in the blood and continue to feed the vital organs. These high levels of stress hormones will cause high blood pressure, chronic anxiety, weight gain (especially around the waist), depression, weakened immunity, mental and physical fatigue, toxin buildup, heart disease, emotional overreaction.

Cortisol is the brain’s emergency chemical. It is released in humans, animals and even reptiles in the face of a survival threat. The point behind Cortisol is to make us feel uncomfortable. This is important because it motivates us to move towards comfort:

Cortisol is often experienced in the form of stress, anger and even pain. Cortisol always gets our attention because our brain is constantly striving to avoid stress.

The sense memories of physical and emotional discomforts are stored in a part of the brain called the amygdala. It is normal to want to rid ourselves of these bad feelings.  When we see or feel bad things associated with past physical and emotional pain, Cortisol is triggered to prepare us to do whatever it takes to avoid more of those feelings.

Big bursts of Cortisol is what we call “fear”. Smaller bursts, anxiety. These bad feelings tell us we are in immediate danger. Our cortex then tries to figure out what the danger is. It’s a matter of survival.

Our bodies then send electricity down various pathways to the unconscious memories bank in the amygdala to connect with past memories for understanding.

The problem is we often deal with stress mentally, and never respond to stress with physical activity that would burn the extra energy provided by the Cortisol surge. Whether your stress was emotional or physical, the stress response is identical, causing a spike in your appetite. This can cause a craving for comfort foods-foods high in fat and sugar.

It is our waist cells that are most responsive to the effects of Cortisol fat promoting activity.

Researchers have found that the causes of being obese or overweight are not simply the result of overeating or lack of physical activity. Excessive and prolonged stress can cause the body to produce too much Cortisol, which can play a role in craving “comfort” foods, overeating, and feeling fatigued, and storing excess body fat.

The good news is our body has a built in mechanism to counter all these negative conditions with the anti-stress effects of oxytocin. This hormone of love or sometimes called the cuddle hormone increases feelings of love.  It promotes eye contact, touching, stroking, cuddling, cooing or mother speak and promotes emotional bonding. It is also the hormone responsible for lactation and labor.

We dream of a life with no bad feelings, and a world in which everything that makes us feel bad is gone and this is oxytocin’s job. Just as Cortisol motivates us to do what it takes to eliminate the bad feeling. Oxytocin works to regulate it. It sends messages to the amygdala to calm the production of Cortisol down.

Cortisol is good at triggering oxytocin whose job is to dial it down. In that sense we need unhappy chemicals like Cortisol to steer us away from threats and away from over reacting to threats.

If you expect to eliminate unhappy chemicals from your life, you are likely to be disappointed. You are better off accepting the part that unhappy chemicals play in human life. Cortisol shows us the pain but oxytocin (along with endorphins) helps us to both mask and mitigate pain.

If accepting unhappy chemicals like Cortisol sounds unpleasant, consider the alternative. Rejecting your unhappy chemicals leaves you unhappy about being unhappy. It’s a vicious cycle of unhappy chemicals.

The alternative is to accept your brain’s urge to warn you about things similar to past threats. Some of those threats will be real and some won’t, and you can’t always predict correctly. It’s a survival need. Survival challenges are not evidence that something has gone wrong with the world.

Environment provides man with certain harsh incentives and demands, which, as long as their intensity and frequency are within the limits of human tolerance, can stimulate his motivation and enhance his productivity.

However, when these environmental demands become excessive or, conversely, when they become scarce, the balance of incentives for creativity will be upset and as a result neither the excess nor the absence of these stimuli will be compatible with and conducive to a healthy adaptation in life.

In evolutionary terms we are in are, in a sense, ‘behind’ our current reality i.e. most of us are no longer being chased by wild animals. Ironically many of us elicit that same fight or flight stress reaction to a PC virus or when we are cut off in traffic or we have an issue with a friend etc. Yet we do not need to run from or attack the virus in your PC…you get the point.

But, while the belief that “hard-work-equals-reward” has always been firmly lodged in the American psyche; we’ve now reached a point where being stressed has become synonymous with being successful. But, working stressed is not the same as working smart, yet we assume that the more hours we put in, the more accomplished we are.

True, a little bit of stress, known as “acute stress,” can be exciting—it keeps us active and alert. The irony of the stress response is that it evolved in physical environments very different from the social and psychological ones of today. Instead of being stalked by a saber-toothed tiger, today it’s a tailgating SUV, approaching final exam, or the terrorist alert level rising to orange.

Since the turn of the twentieth century, social consciousness of life stress has risen dramatically, particularly in the Western world, and stress and anxiety have become common terms.

With today’s fast paced lifestyle, stress often doesn’t let up. Many of us now constantly experience anxiety and worry about work, relationships, money, the economy, college expenses, and job security-among others.

As a result, the stress hormones produced by our body in anticipation of physical harm or threat continues to wash through the system in high levels, never leaving the blood and tissues.

So, the stress response that gave our ancestors the speed and endurance to escape life-threatening dangers runs constantly in many modern people and never shuts down.

Even non-physical related stress like relationship problems, job related problems, family problems increase Cortisol levels. The body has only one response to stress and that is to produce more Cortisol and adrenaline. So, if you are faced with a grizzly bear charging right at you or a husband who is constantly devaluing you, the body reacts with the exact same stress hormones.

Your heart pounds, chest heaves, muscles tighten. Senses sharpen; time slips into slow motion, and you become impervious to pain. Under certain conditions, this would be an appropriate healthy reaction, because now you are prepared to do battle. The trouble is, however, that you are probably still sitting in your car or at your desk – stewing in your own juices.

And the long-term, or “chronic stress,” can have detrimental effects on our health.

It is estimated that between 85% and 90% of all illness is stress induced. Quite clearly the process of disease and dysfunction originates in Stage Two of the General Adaptation Syndrome or, as we also refer to it, the Stress Response.

However, the determining factor of which type of disease will ensue is genetically determined and is a function of the memories within our own unique genome.

How does all of this relate to the most pressing problems of our time – violence amongst children and the apparent deadening of the human soul?

This creates an environment where being busy makes us feel important and a long to-do list is a valuable assurance that we are contributing to our families, offices, and communities.  As a result, we wear our busyness like a badge of honor and measure daily accomplishments by how much got checked off The List. To some extent, taking downtime is considered lazy.

It seems that stress has become America’s newest status symbol.

When we’re not busy being stressed, we’re busy talking about how stressed we are. As women, we often bond by swapping stories about how unbelievably hectic our lives are. TV, movies, and Facebook bragging further amplify discussions of stress, generally reinforcing the cultural norm that all the cool kids are doing it. Trading tales of crazy schedules has become so normal that it’s easy to engage without noticing, but these types of conversations can be more competitive than cathartic. No matter how much we did in a day, it can still feel like we’re not keeping up with other superwomen.

So we are continually adding to a pool of stress that we learn to live with.

Chronic stress can be caused by illness, anxiety over financial matters, social crises, or emotional instability. Almost anything that causes physical or emotional pain can produce a stress response. If the source of stress is not resolved, chronic stress can result. Chronic stress can cause weight gain, fatigue, muscle weakness and mental exhaustion.

As science gains greater insight into the consequences of stress on the brain, the picture that emerges is not a pretty one. A chronic overreaction to stress overloads the brain with powerful hormones that are intended only for short-term duty in emergency situations. Their cumulative effect damages and even kills brain cells.

For centuries, Western science and philosophy have placed a wedge between the mind and body. Today, as paradigms shift, leaders in various fields of science are learning that, indeed, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts that, in fact, there is no separation between the mind, the body and the spirit.

Once described merely as wear and tear on the body, stress is now best defined as “a disconnection from our divine source.” Times of stress may bring feelings of panic and mayhem, but stress also provides the opportunity for spiritual growth—when we call upon our inner resources (faith, patience, humbleness, intuition, courage, humor and compassion) to dismantle life’s major roadblocks so that we may walk in balance on the human path.

In day-to-day life the art of mastering stress and coping with life disturbances remains a challenge for everyone whether child or adult.   In our very busy lives and highly stressful jobs and family circumstances we may even experience a dysfunction of this complex fight and flight response.

When we look at our species collectively and recognize the immensity of the stress being experienced on that scale, we must understand that there are moments of relief from the stress as well. There are things which occur which are an unconscious means to relieving the stress, if only for a little while.

On the global front, these stress relievers tend to be events, which are catastrophic, destructive, and painful. Unaware that collectively we are going through what some might term a ‘dark night of the soul’, unaware of both the cause and the extent of our stress, our collective unconscious creates something to relieve the stress.

Add to this tension a lack of awareness of the state of affairs in which we are immersed and confusion about what is real and what is not, and we have a set-up for the horrific shootings which occurred in Newtown Connecticut: a young man who, it’s been discovered, could not easily discern what was real and what was not; a fantastical plot in a violent movie; explosions which are, themselves, release of pressure. These ingredients – and others – combined to result in an incident, which highlights symbolically this Dark (K) night of our human soul.

Most people want only to see justice done, and of course, justice must be achieved. Yet it’s important that we begin to understand the dynamics, which have led to this incident and others like it.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that speaks to the nature of human existence, and underscores the importance of finding balance in our lives. It reads, “Stand like mountain, move like water.”

To stand like a mountain means to feel strong and secure in the midst of change. To move like water means to go with the flow. In times such as these where change is ever present in the global culture, balance is necessary to stay grounded, centered, and connected.

It’s no secret that we are living in a time of great stress.

Times of change bring with it stress.

But, we need to remember that there is a delicate balance between health, or lack of it, of body, mind and soul. The three are intertwined and so closely interdependent that what affects one, affects all three.

Because of this what affects the soul will also affect mind and body.

Stress, caused by an imbalance between environmental demands and the coping resources of the individual, is a threat – and sometimes a killer – of body, mind and soul.

Extreme stress, facilitated by negative energies, causes breaks at the point of the weakest links in our genetic and experiential memories which respond by communicating messages of imbalance to all systems and functions of the body and mind.

The changes in chemistry and function that accompany psychiatric disorders are not the cause, but rather the consequence of the changes in the body and brain chemistry that result from stressors that cause injury to emotion and soul.

The type of psychiatric disorder that will manifest from soul trauma is determined genetically, for the reason that, at some point in the lives of our familial ancestors, they reacted to soul stress in a way that stressed the capacity of particular genes that control emotions and behavior.

If these weakened genes and their altered energy find no surcease from their fragility in succeeding generations or are assaulted from further trauma, they will continue to manifest as soul dysfunction and psychiatric disorder depending on a critical level of environmental stress that will increase their dysfunctional energy in those who carry them.

When we humans are stressed but, in our less-conscious state, not aware that we are so very stressed, we adopt behaviors, which relieve that stress. We medicate ourselves. We indulge in addictive patterns and behaviors. We fill every moment with activity. We find any way we can to feel relief.

But, these do not bring long-term benefit but, for a brief moment, they do make us feel better.

The pattern is: stress, then relief.

The average person may experience 30-50 stress events a day, some small and some big, which then activates the body’s fight and flight response. This prepares
the body to either fight or run away from the stressor.

Most people are so accustomed (i.e. adapt) to the feelings of stress they don’t recognize the harm it is inflicting until it’ s too late.

Usually, when faced with a stressful life event, particularly one, which will threaten the bond of an intimate relationship, an individual’s needs for affection and his affiliation with the social support system increase.

Similarly, the person’s sensitivity to rejection or any threat of that nature will rise.

The affected individual, depending on his childhood experiences, education and personal resources, may tend to become more suggestible and show a higher degree of compliance to the demands of others. As a result of these experiences, the individual under stress may move toward a stronger integration and involvement in the life of the family and community.

If the community is well integrated and sensitive to his needs for support, it will respond with a greater measure of caring and sharing. The result is the strengthening of the bond of unity within the family or community. However, if the person’s hope for a positive response is denied, they may alienate themselves from others.

There are some individuals that seem to be stress resistant and stress tough.  They appear to be balanced, happy, creative, resourceful and strong, even when faced with multiple psychosocial stressors and difficult situations.

The stress resistant and stress tough person is psychologically strong, has a positive attitude and purpose, keeps life in perspective, has a good sense of personal control and lives well.  In short, the stress resistance characteristics seem to serve as a buffer against stress and help to rebound quickly from difficulties.

Let’s be clear.  Stress is a stranger to no one.

Life is a vehicle to teach self-love.  When a situation is viewed from a different perspective life becomes a game of insight.  There is no longer stress rehashing a slight perception.  You view the comment from an awareness of looking for self-discovery.

To manage stress, the perception is derived from the spiritual realm.  Human glasses generally distort the reality of a situation.  With this viewpoint, one assumes they comprehend what another is thinking and feeling.  But, they are mirroring their own beliefs creating scenarios in the mind that are imagined.

Human love comes with conditions.  God’s love has no conditions.  The Human’s perception is one of stress.   The soul’s choice is the freedom with love as the fuel for life.

Only when one loves reality is there comprehension.

When you are able to view life through the awareness of this joint partnership Life becomes less stressful and more aware of the now time.  Instead of the belief you are — you — instead of the belief you go into combat against reality there is the awareness of unfolding into the acceptance of more self love.

This is not the human narcissistic form.  This is the freedom to expose the heart for more spiritual love.

The human vessel is but a coat to cover the soul while it learns lessons about the creator’s essence.  This vibration is of the purest form.

The soul’s goal is to merge with this frequency.  This takes eons.

You may not be able to control the stressors in your world.  Life is difficult, unknowable and often harrowing but you can alter your reaction to it.

Just as preventive medicine makes sense, so does preemptive action to relieve stress.

The number one action should always be to decrease stress in your life.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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Celebrating The Medical Abuse Of Women?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Angelina Jolie announced yesterday that she had both of her breasts surgically removed even though she had no breast cancer. She carries the BRCA1 gene, and she has been tricked into believing that genetic code is some sort of absolute blueprint to disease expression — which it most certainly is not. Countless millions of women carry the BRCA1 gene and never express breast cancer because they lead healthy, anti-cancer lifestyles based on smart nutrition, exercise, sensible sunlight exposure and avoidance of cancer-causing chemicals.

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Jolie, like many other women who have been deluded by cancer quackery, decided the best way to prevent the risk of breast cancer was not to lead a healthy, anti-cancer lifestyle, but rather to surgically remove her breasts in what she describes as “three months of medical procedures.”

…just in case, you know. Because you can never be too careful these days, with the cancer industry scaring women half to death at every opportunity. “My breasts might murder me!” seems to be the slogan of many women these days, all of whom are victims of outrageous cancer industry propaganda and fear mongering.

Let me set the record straight: Your breasts are not your enemy! The cancer industry is far more likely to kill you than your breasts. (But more on that later…)

Women’s Liberation Crusade. Off With Your Breasts!

Worse than merely maiming herself in an act of outright medical quackery, Angelina Jolie has positioned her decision as some sort of women’s liberation crusade, acting and talking as if her “choice” to remove her breasts somehow blazes a new path of female power for all women. (How sick is this, really?)

Oh, what a mess Jolie has made of herself. She has maimed her own body with no medical justification whatsoever, then celebrated this horrible disfiguration through some sort of twisted perception of what womanhood really is. Being an empowered woman doesn’t mean cutting off your breasts and aborting live babies — even though both of these things are often celebrated by delusional women’s groups. Being an empowered woman means protecting your health, your body and your womanhood by honoring and respecting your body, not maiming it.

A vivacious, confident, healthy woman who protects her fertility and nourishes her unborn child is far more heroic and empowering than someone who maims her own body as some sort of sick sacrifice to the cancer industry. Angelina Jolie, as much as she is often viewed as a symbol of female power, seems to have completely lost touch with the core truths of honoring the “temple” of your own female body.

Cancer Is Never Just Limited To The Breasts.

Cancer, by the way, is a systemic problem when it emerges, not a local problem limited to just the breasts or other organs. It may be diagnosed in breast tissues, but that’s not the only place it’s growing. The idea that someone can prevent cancer by just removing their breasts is absurd. If the conditions of cancer are present in the body — due to nutritional deficiencies, exposure to chemicals, radiation, etc. — cancer will develop in many different places, not just breast tissues. Removing an organ that might possibly someday be one of the many locations in which cancer is diagnosed is completely irrational and medically abhorrent. Logically, it’s a lot like arguing that you can avoid flat tires on your car by removing all the tires!

If you really want to learn the truth about cancer — and SAVE your breasts! – get our “New Cancer Solutions” CD set. The third CD is absolutely amazing, offering astounding information that can literally help save your life. You can also hear the entire collection for free during our New Cancer Solutions Healing Summit launching next Monday, May 20th.

If Angelina Jolie had heard the information on these CDs, she would have said, “NO!” to the cancer fear mongers and learned that there are far more effective and empowering ways to protect yourself from cancer. Women everywhere need to hear truly empowering, honoring, holistic information about cancer and stop listening to the insanity of the cancer industry and its delusional, victimized spokespeople like Angelina Jolie.

Celebrating The Medical Abuse Of  Women.

The mainstream media is heralding Jolie’s decision to cut off both her perfectly healthy breasts, announcing Jolie is “admired for bravery.” In a NYT op-ed, Jolie wrote, “I hope that other women can benefit from my experience.” (No, I’m not making this up. She literally wants other healthy women to cut off their breasts, too…)

The medical industry, never known to back down from an opportunity to physically abuse women for profit, is jumping on the double mastectomy bandwagon. In a Businessweek article, a genetic counselor named Rebecca Nagy declares, “Having this conversation empowers us all. It’s wonderful what she’s done.”

Wonderful? To cut off parts of your body that have NO disease? With this logic, abortions are cancer prevention, too, because those babies might one day grow up and develop tumors. Better to kill them early and “prevent cancer,” right?

The irrationality of Jolie’s decision is truly sickening. Even worse is that idea that she may inspire other women to have their healthy bodies maimed, too. If Jolie cut off both legs and called it a “choice” to prevent leg cancer, I have little doubt many women would follow her lead and cut off their legs, too. Jolie herself says she may have her ovaries cut out in the future because they, too, might someday get cancer.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see where this medical insanity ultimately leads. Got a risk of kidney cancer? Remove your kidneys. Risk of colon cancer? Take out your colon. Lung cancer, perhaps? Remove your lungs, just in case! That’s the logic of Angelina Jolie who has been completely deceived by the cancer industry into maiming her own body based on nothing for medical fear mongering and cancer quackery.

Never doubt the fact that fear can be an effective marketing tool when it comes to breast cancer, by the way. The cancer industry rakes in billions of dollars a year based on irrational fears spread by misinformed women.

Medical Maiming Going Viral Across The Population Of Sheeple.

There’s nothing quite as exciting and heroic as having your body parts chopped off by surgeons and then declaring yourself to be a “pre-vivor” of cancer. Yep, that’s the new term. You’re not really a “survivor” of cancer, since you never had it. You’re a “pre-vivor” because you preempted the cancer.

Or, just as likely, you got suckered into the most delusional decision of your life and had a bunch of quacks slice off pieces of your body that were perfectly healthy to begin with. This is medical insanity at its worst… especially given that a woman’s risk of breast cancer can be reduced by 78% using nothing but vitamin D. Yeah, take some vitamin D andkeep your breasts! What a deal, eh?

Why Aren’t Male Cancer Doctors Cutting Off Their Own Testicles?

You’ll note, by the way, that men never have their testicles removed to lower the risk of testicular cancer. Not even the male cancer doctors, oncologists and surgeons who are slicing off women’s breasts all day long. Sure, they think cutting off breasts is a great idea, but ask one of them to part with their own testicles to “prevent” cancer, and they’ll look at you like you’ve gone, well, nuts.

Because cutting off your testicles to prevent testicular cancer that you don’t even have would be stupid, of course. Pure quackery. Suggest it to a man you know and you’ll either be laughed at or punched in the mouth. No ethical doctor would ever remove a perfectly healthy set of testicles from a man who has no symptoms of testicular cancer. The very idea is absurd and possibly even risking a medical malpractice lawsuit.

So why is it somehow acceptable to cut off the breasts of “empowered women” who think they are making some sort of social statement by maiming their own perfectly healthy bodies?

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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Mother Is The Name For God In The Lips And Hearts Of Little Children.

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

Today is Mother’s Day.

It begins in innocence. Music is playing, the night smells of lilacs, she asks if he would like to come in for a minute, and he does, and little does she know what cataclysm awaits her inside: the loss of individuality as she joins the Holy Order of Maternity.

When you think of Mother’s Day in the U.S., you probably think of flowers, phone calls and crowded restaurants for brunch. But did you ever wonder how Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world?

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Since there is a negative stereotype of how Islam views women, many people may not know that mothers specifically and parents in general are held in very high esteem in the faith.

Islam commands kindness, respect and obedience to parents and specifically emphasizes and gives preference to the mother.  Actually, Islam raises parents to a status greater than that found in any other religion or ideology.

Although Mother’s Day has been officially proclaimed a holiday since 1914 in the U.S., many countries around the world have been celebrating a day honoring mothers for centuries, with celebrations occurring as far back as ancient Greece and Egypt.

The motherhood festivities have historically been in spring, the season of fertility. In ancient Egypt, there were celebrations to honor Isis, the loving mother-goddess, who is often shown in Egyptian art with the baby Horus at her breast, much like Mary and Jesus in later Christian iconography.

All of our ancestors had mothers. We have evolved in an environment that included a mother or mother-substitute. We would never have survived without our connection with a nurturing-one during our times as helpless infants. It stands to reason that we are “built” in a way that reflects that evolutionary environment: We come into this world ready to want mother, to seek her, to recognize her, to deal with her.

The archetype of the great mother is more than simply a residue of our relationship with our own mother. Motherhood on our planet is as old as life. So the archetype holds in it all that experience, all those patterns of behavior, whether of the mother wolf with her cubs, or the eagle rearing its young.

Archetypes are universally understood patterns of behavior that transcend geography, ethnicity, or era.

The pervasive influence of the goddess in the earthly world does not only involve giving birth and tending to crops through the cycles of the seasons.

Mother is a symbol as much as a flesh and blood reality of this world. Everything is born from the creation of mother energy. Most people forget that tiny fact. The act of creation within and the birthing of that creation into physical reality is the event that literally creates a “mother”. A Mother just doesn’t happen. A Mother is created in the act of creation.

Mother energy is not just within our actual mothers. It exists within the earth, the tree and plant, the animals and insects, amphibians, birds and reptiles. It’s a transformational gift within female energy that nurtures Life as we know it.

In modern times, while we may not inhabit a society that weaves respect of feminine principles into the daily cloth of life and work, we instinctively are drawn to mother, to nature, to the feminine, to form and beauty, to symmetry and asymmetry, to sound and song. We are instinctively drawn to the feminine because the images and lore of the mother goddess represent an archetypal energy – an energy that resides in our collective subconscious.

All of life, while developing, is about creating and also destroying to make way for the new. Nurturing is not only about holding hands to “form” love, but also taking away matches from the reach of a seven-year old. Fire produces light and energy for reading and warmth, while it can burn and destroy to clean and enrich.

The Prime Creator or Original Spark of Creation is a feminine aspect. Therefore the Divine Mother is Supreme. She is beyond everything. Beyond the Beyond.

In India they say that there is nothing higher than worship of the Divine Mother. The great Saint Sri Aurobindo said that surrender to the Divine Mother is the final stage of perfection.

I am the Divine Mother. I am also Mother Mary, mother of Jesus son of GOD. I am the Mother of the Universe, the Nurturing aspect of the DIVINE. I am also Mother Earth and the Nurturing aspect of the World. I am the Goddess within and the forms of creating without. I am the Diva, the wise Grandmother, the Sophia — the woman of the world.

Although there is no single universal symbol for mother, the meaning of mother is absolutely universal.

This is largely due to the fact that we all have a mother and each of us has our own distinct idea of what mother means to us; each impression is more different than the next. Because of vastly varying perception of the mother concept – the symbols for her are endless.

As all of life is both energy and matter, the whole of the DIVINE (that which to some is called GOD, or any other name for the Highest aspect of Self, the Total Creator) is the combination of energy, that which is being created, and matter, the substance of life once created.

In the true sense, the All of Divinity is the combination of both energy-creating- female-Nurturing , and matter-created-male-Protecting. We admire Nurturing traits in males and Protecting traits in females because the goal is to become both Nurturing and Protecting. The All of Humanity, the universe and beyond, is without physical presence and can be any aspect of itself. Therefore, you are worshipping, talking or praying to an image that is everything.

In each of us there is a masculine side and a feminine side. The model of the universe in which a male God rules the cosmos serves to legitimize male control in social institutions. But we cannot merely reject the system that is not working. It must be replaced. Nor would it work to replace the system with the Matriarchy.  Historically, peace was produced when men and women ruled together as equals, worshipping the Divine Mother together. No one dominated anyone.

When the pilgrims came to America, they stopped celebrating “Mothering Day”, just as they stopped celebrating most holidays that they thought had become too secular.

Mother’s Day was reintroduced to America in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe, who wanted to set aside a day of protest after the Civil War, in which mothers could come together and protest their sons killing other mothers’ sons.

But the woman who really created Mother’s Day as we know it was Anna Jarvis. Her mother had held Mother’s Friendship Days to reunite families and neighbors separated during the war, and when she died, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, worked to proclaim an official Mother’s Day to honor her mother and celebrate peace.

But Mother’s Day became commercialized very quickly, especially in the floral industry, and Anna Jarvis was furious. She said, “What will you do to route charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers, and other termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest, and truest movements and celebrations?” But flower sales and card sales continued to grow, and Anna Jarvis died in poverty and without any children of her own.

However, the re-emergence of the Mother Goddess is becoming the symbol and metaphor for this transformation of culture.’

When people surrender to the Divine Mother extraordinary changes take place. When you explore the Goddess energy, you truly value life!

The essence of the life force that cannot be controlled.

I testify that motherhood is a divinely designed role.  It is a great challenge, I know we will have to overcome many obstacles, but it is also a great blessing and service to our children.

I am grateful for my mother and her example to me, for teaching me how to make right choices.  I remember many years ago my mother teaching me about intuition, more importantly, mother’s intuition.  She taught me that as mothers we do have a special connection with our children-in knowing what they need and what is best for them.

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother.  Each situation is unique.  Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children.  The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family…What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.

Although we as mothers were born to fulfill this duty, it does not mean we are always going to know what to do in every situation, or always make the right decisions, or have all the answers.  Sometimes we will make mistakes, our children will make mistakes.   But when we fall we get back up again and tell ourselves I will do better.  I will keep trying.

I know that if we follow the good examples of our mothers and if we live our lives in a way that will help the spirit to dwell with us always, our children will be greatly blessed.

The Lord did not graft into the natural branches, branches from a father tree, or a babysitter tree, or a government tree, he grafted unto them the branches of their mother tree that they may bring forth good fruit unto Him.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Live and Learn. We All Do.

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