This was a question I answered today and felt it was such an interesting one that I reproduce it here. My answer was chosen as a Best Answer for this on Yahoo Answers but really the issue is such an interesting one that I hope you find the questions posed intriguing:
Resolved QuestionShow me another »
In creation, did God create 'from nothing' or from something?
Reading Genesis, it's difficult to see which interpretation to put upon it: that God started with nothing (no space-time, no energy, no laws) and created from that; or that God started with those things and framed a universe from them.
Which should I understand, from nothing or from something?
And as a follow-up question (if I may), is God immanent then in that creation in the sense of sustaining it, in the sense of directing it, in the sense of observing it, or in some combination of these (or other) senses?
If you could, please, give me Bible references for these (but please, not a simple cut and paste job; with the references I can find and read the text for myself!)
Many thanks
12 hours ago
Additional Details
@Melie - So, you did actually read the bit when I said please no cut and paste jobs? What was it? 'Please no' means something different in your language!?
11 hours ago
@CodyHas... LOL! There might just be a teensy-little flaw in your logic there! ;-)
11 hours ago
Report Abuse
by sol w Member since:
22 June 2007
Total points:
352 (Level 2) Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
I don't have the bible to hand but can answer from my understanding from having studied various aspects of your questions.
Firstly, let me state that Spiritism, in particular the works by Allan Kardec, even more specifically The Spirits' Book offers the most lucid answers (and ones I have yet to see bettered anywhere) to your questions and many many others.
According to The Spirits' Book (which follows the teachings of Christ yet states the Bible was a text for its time and that many parables of Christ were not ready to be understood then),God
created the world/universe and the spirits who incarnate in the bodies of humans.
The ancients believed that we came from a state of nothingness or a void too.
God created us in a similar way to that in which people decide to have children - for knowing Himself through them too.
Whilst he created us we are of course separate and the choices we make are our own. Where God's influence can be felt (and is felt by the millions or billions who notice it) is in the guides who routinely try and steer us away from danger and onto a good path Thse are frequently spirits who some call Guardian Angels and who were almost all just people who upon dying decided to be a guide and were permitted to be one. This is the still small voice we sometimes hear when a part of us wants to be cruel and spiteful - it is never insistent therefore and denying this is entirely fine - neither I nor anyone truly spiritual, and the same with the spirit-guides, is going to force people to believe anything, or even try.
Nevertheless, I attempt to answer the question from my understanding gleaned from my studies of your excellent and interesting questions. God gives us free will - this means we get the glory if we do good things - even if we've been slightly steered on that path (but if we listened, then we are owed the glory!) and conversely, if we make errors, then there are consequences. Some mention karma and that is one way of describing what happens when injustice is committed in the lifetime/incarnation of a spirit. The following incarnation, things will be balanced consequently, much of what God does is not noticed, but think about it and how else can the world be just unless God does systematically reward and punish? It is the obvious and intelligent answer to many inexplicable injustices, as it were. God is just and I believe does want His children to be happy, but He won't force them to do what He knows would make them happy - they have all the freedom to make their own lives as they see fit. What then happens if someone lives well their entire life? Well, that can lead to them going to a more spiritually developed planet where there is less misery or it might lead a spirit to choose to guide a family member still on earth. Some become angels or archangels and go close to God, apparently.
God loves each and every one of His children despite the vast number and has complete awareness of all things at the same time.
So God is immanent in the sense of observing it, but His direction/sustaining of life on earth is dependent upon each case individually, and in the case of the planet as a whole, in the sense of group karma. So, if someone suffers greatly, prayers to God may or may not relieve that suffering. That is God's decision. Ultimately, a parent wants the child to learn, to make moral progress. Sometimes, picking them up and making them feel better is best. At other times, leaving them to get up themselves and dust themselves off may be wiser, as they will learn something valuable about self-sufficiency or not being a cry-baby perhaps. Each case and each person will have different reactions from God. Many say, Why does God allow War, Suffering? Well, often the spirits involved are on a wheel, if you like, whereon they are one life the aggressor, the next life the victim. If we believe this, though we can still be kind and do our best to mitigate the pain of as many people we can. We are here to learn, to perfect ourselves morally/spiritually and to carry out our mission (our mission may be a very material simple one in many ways, though how we are as a person, how we behave, always has an impact and can be part of the mission).
Perhaps the sentence 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God..' bears testimony to how powerful words are and equally how powerful our thoughts are. May your words and questions lead you to a personal truth - what I appreciate most about Spiritism is that it recommends a questioning stance toward the big issues and the entire book, The Spirits' Book is in the form of questions and answers.
Source(s):
The Spirits' Book by Allan Kardec
Work as a researcher about Spiritism in Brazil
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
The Genotype Diet
I previously let you know a little about what The Genotype Diet was going to be before it was made public. I have now been following the advice of Dr D'Adamo (who also wrote about blood type, you might remember) in the book The Genotype Diet by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo and am very impressed. It is a diet and lifestyle plan that cannot fail to improve the lives of everyone, no matter how fit or healthy.
It was reviewed in The Telegraph in the UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3917177/Revealed-the-diet-secrets-to-help-you-fit-into-your-genes.html) and has other write-ups all viewable here (http://www.genotypediet.com)
My last blog post about Apple Computer I reproduced for those who have not seen it, as I found it still inspiration re-reading it in my email inbox from a fair while back. It was also emailed to me by a very good friend who subsequently died of pancreatic cancer so it seemed appropriate to share it.
I am pasting out The Genotype interview below.
An article also appeared in the US saying The Genotype Diet is taking the country by storm and that Oprah Winfrey is a fan. I urge you to get involved with your health and fitness by reading up on it!
N.B. The Blood Type Diet is still highly effective but The Genotype Diet is, if you like, a refinement of that plan based on further research undertaken by Dr D'Adamo. The man is deserving of the Nobel Prize, 100%. Just because science and parts of the media are slow to recognise him in the UK, doesn't take away from the fantastic, life-changing results he is providing everyone who seriously investigates and puts into practise his findings.
Dr Peter J. D'Adamo:
As a naturopath, I have a deep faith in our ability to take control of our bodies. Every day, I treat patients who discover a health, vitality, and joy in life they'd never thought possible, simply by altering what they eat, which supplements they take, and how they exercise.
Yet I had one blind spot. I always assumed that the genetic part of our story had already been written – that the genes we inherited from our parents were the cards we were dealt, the ones we had for life.
Imagine my delight, then, as I began to discover that we have an
enormous power to improve our lives when it comes to our genes. True, we can't add new genes to the mix or eradicate old ones, but the genes we get at conception are only the beginning of the story. From our time in the womb through our childhood, youth, and adulthood, we have the capacity to turn up the volume on some genes, and silence others, vastly improving our capacity for health and happiness. We can understand the trajectory of our life and health – what physical challenges we're likely to face, what disorders we're prone to – and we can respond. All we need is an understanding of our diet and an exercise plan that is right for our particular "genotype".
In traditional scientific practice, the word genotype is used only to describe a person's actual assortment of genes. However, my use of the word includes our relationship with the environment, the influence of family history, and the effects of prenatal history.
My Genotype Diet is based on a simple but radical notion: we have the power to alter the behaviour of our genes. Some of that power belongs to our mothers, during gestation, but a great deal of that power becomes ours from birth.
Whether you realise it or not, you've spent an entire lifetime altering your genetic activity. That first sip of wine triggered your body's genetic ability to detoxify alcohol. That summer tan, activated the genes that control pigment (melanin) production. An infection, a cold or the flu, boosted activity in the bone-marrow genes that produce protective white blood cells. You see, your genes are not a fixed set of preprogrammed instructions. They are a dynamic, active part of your life, influenced by your history but responding every single day to your environment and your diet.
So let me introduce you to my Genotype programme. I have developed individual diet plans, comprising the foods and supplements that I believe will work best to create optimal health, weight, and vitality for each of the six Genotypes I have identified. These genotypes developed over 100,000 years of human history;
they are the Hunter, the Gatherer, the Teacher, the Explorer, the Warrior, and the Nomad. Each Genotype has different issues concerning weight and metabolism, which is why they can benefit from a tailor-made diet. Following your Genotype diet and exercise plan will give your body all the support it needs to attain and maintain your optimal weight.
How to work out your Genotype
There are three Genotype Calculators (basic, intermediate or advanced). You can use the basic calculator below to get up and get going right away. It is the simplest, quickest and easiest to do. But no matter which level you begin the Genotype programme at, you can always return when you have more information and use a more sophisticated calculator. You can find the intermediate and advanced calculators in my book.
Measure the length of your torso and legs
Leg and torso ratios reflect the levels of the growth factor hormones that you encountered in the womb and early childhood. Being short and having short legs appears to increase your risk of being overweight and of developing Type 2 diabetes. Short leg length is correlated with your risk for coronary heart disease. Being tall seems to increase risk of some cancers. Legs that are equal to or shorter than your torso are indicators for Teacher and Explorer Genotypes.
Measure the length of your index and ring fingers
Which is longer, your ring finger or index finger? A longer ring finger means you faced more androgens in the womb (androgens are a precursor of testosterone); a longer index finger means you faced higher levels of oestrogen. In general, more male hormones contribute to an "Andric" (male) shape: longer, leaner, more
muscular.
Longer ring fingers on both hands are a keynote for the Hunter Genotype, although the Explorer and Nomad show this pattern, too. Having longer index fingers on both hands is a hallmark of the Gatherer, although it is also seen in female Nomads, and occasionally in Teachers. A different result on each hand (that is,
having a longer ring finger on one hand and a longer index finger on the other) is a hallmark of the Teacher, although it is also seen in the Gatherer too.
THE SIX GENOTYPES
The Gatherer
Gatherers are nature's survival strategists, adapted to conserve calories as fat. The challenge is to fit their survival programming to the realities of today's overabundant diet.
Typical features
Has a phenomenal capacity for concentrated brain work; a
problem-solver and early adopter of new ideas; tends towards emotional highs and lows.
Body type
Endomorphic body type, always looks "padded", even when at healthy weight. Tends toward a high BMI and waist-to-hip ratio. Lower leg is shorter than upper leg, and index fingers longer than ring fingers.
Blood type
O or B, and mostly Rh-positive. High oestrogen levels.
Strengths
Terrific mental endurance, highly motivated, fertile and potential to age well.
Weaknesses
Gatherers are unsuccessful crash dieters. Appetite regulation can be a problem. Elevated oestrogen sensitivity can stimulate hormonal cancers.
Vulnerable to accumulating damaging chemicals in tissue.
Health risks
Alzheimer's disease, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, low thyroid activity, obesity, reproductive cancers.
The Teacher
Sinewy and flexible, with great adaptability, the Teacher is a balance between opposing forces. Blessed with a tolerant immune system, the Teacher is burdened by excess altruism, leading to problems dealing with the bad guys.
Typical features
Views the world in a calm way and has close links with nature –
can "see the forest despite the trees".
Body type
Torso usually longer than legs and generally of moderate to short
stature. Andric body type. Index-to-ring-finger ratio often inverted from hand to hand.
Blood type
Often A, occasionally AB. Rhesus-positive. Tolerant immune system but prone to excess bacterial growth in the digestive tract.
Strengths
Successful adapter. Powerful spiritual energy. Ages gracefully. Great mechanical strength and flexibility.
Weaknesses
Sensitive digestive system, but immune system may not detect cancer mutations early on. Can be too detail-oriented.
Health risks
Ear infections, lung, stomach, and bowel problems. Bacterial
infections. Risk of breast cancer in later life.
The Explorer
Muscular and adventurous, the Explorer is a biological problem-solver who can adapt to environmental changes and has an above-average capacity for gene repair. A balanced diet and lifestyle can overcome a vulnerability to hormonal imbalances and brain strain.
Typical features
A lateral thinker concerned with changing concepts. Quirky. Great entrepreneur. Above-average intelligence.
Body type
Often left-handed. Index-to-ring-finger-length ratios are often reverse of what is expected for sex (ie, longer ring fingers in women, longer index fingers in men). Often muscular, broad-headed, with "chiselled" facial features. Torso usually longer than legs.
Blood type
Any ABO. Often Rh-negative. Vulnerable to borderline anaemia.
Sensitive to caffeine, fragrances, medications.
Strengths
Good gene repair and illness-recovery rate; stamina and memory
retention in old age; a problem-solver; ages gracefully.
Weaknesses
Environmental and chemical hypersensitivities. Accident-prone.
Health risks
Liver function compromised. Medically hard to diagnose; blood
irregularities.
The Nomad
A Genotype of extremes, with great sensitivity to environmental condition, especially changes in altitude and pressure, the Nomad is vulnerable to neuromuscular and immune problems.
Typical features
Phlegmatic, easy-going, roll-with-the-punches personality.
Optimistic, rational and fun-loving. Keeps emotions hidden.
Body type
Physically symmetrical, index and ring-finger lengths are usually
symmetrical to sex. Extremes of height – short or tall. Legs usually longer than torso. Waist-to-hip ratios high in men, low in women. Small teeth. Higher-than-average number of redheads, green eyes.
Blood type B and AB, mostly Rh-positive.
Strengths
Great mind-body connection, balanced immune system and good
stress-handling abilities.
Weaknesses
Sensitive digestive tract.
Health risks
Tendency toward "slow infections" such as lingering viral disorders, warts or parasites.
The Hunter
Tall, thin, intense and adrenalin-driven, the Hunter was originally the success story of the human species. Vulnerable to burnout when overstressed, today's Hunter needs to conserve energy for the long haul.
Typical features
Detail-oriented, mechanically-inclined, has a sense of fair play. Handles stress when well nourished.
Body type
Body seems symmetrical, athletic; tall, strong-boned and well-formed, is often "Andric" (tends toward masculine body type). Ring fingers tend to be longer than index ones.
Blood type
Always O.
Strengths
Energetic and metabolically efficient. Eats heartily, without gaining
weight, for optimal stamina and wellbeing.
Weaknesses
Hair-trigger reaction to infections, viruses, allergens. Beware of
midlife burnout, ageing poorly and digestive problems. Adrenal and pituitary glands are vulnerable.
Health risks
Allergies, auto-immune illnesses (asthma or rheumatoid arthritis),
depression, coeliac-like gut problems, reproductive cancers (more common in men).
The Warrior
Strong, lean, and healthy in youth, the Warrior is subject to a rebellion from their body in midlife. With a good diet and lifestyle, the Warrior can overcome the quick-ageing metabolic genes.
Typical features
Charismatic, if occasionally bad-tempered. Nimble-minded. Needs
to learn how to relax. Will pursue a mental challenge until it is mastered.
Body type
Legs usually longer than torso. Slender in youth; pear-shaped or
barrel-chested later in life. Flushes when under stress. Index-to-ring-finger ratios are usually symmetrical.
Blood type
Often A or AB and typically Rh-positive. Blood can clot too easily.
Strengths
Ox-like, recovers well from illness.
Weaknesses
Thrifty metabolism, stores calories as fat. Stress tends to depress immune system and cause blood to thicken.
Health risks
Insulin resistance and obesity in midlife, digestive problems, hormonal imbalance and infertility, heart disease, high blood pressure.
This is just a taster for the GenoType diet; full details about which foods to eat and which to avoid can be found in 'The GenoType Diet’ by Dr Peter J. D’Adamo (Bantam Press).
It was reviewed in The Telegraph in the UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3917177/Revealed-the-diet-secrets-to-help-you-fit-into-your-genes.html) and has other write-ups all viewable here (http://www.genotypediet.com)
My last blog post about Apple Computer I reproduced for those who have not seen it, as I found it still inspiration re-reading it in my email inbox from a fair while back. It was also emailed to me by a very good friend who subsequently died of pancreatic cancer so it seemed appropriate to share it.
I am pasting out The Genotype interview below.
An article also appeared in the US saying The Genotype Diet is taking the country by storm and that Oprah Winfrey is a fan. I urge you to get involved with your health and fitness by reading up on it!
N.B. The Blood Type Diet is still highly effective but The Genotype Diet is, if you like, a refinement of that plan based on further research undertaken by Dr D'Adamo. The man is deserving of the Nobel Prize, 100%. Just because science and parts of the media are slow to recognise him in the UK, doesn't take away from the fantastic, life-changing results he is providing everyone who seriously investigates and puts into practise his findings.
Dr Peter J. D'Adamo:
As a naturopath, I have a deep faith in our ability to take control of our bodies. Every day, I treat patients who discover a health, vitality, and joy in life they'd never thought possible, simply by altering what they eat, which supplements they take, and how they exercise.
Yet I had one blind spot. I always assumed that the genetic part of our story had already been written – that the genes we inherited from our parents were the cards we were dealt, the ones we had for life.
Imagine my delight, then, as I began to discover that we have an
enormous power to improve our lives when it comes to our genes. True, we can't add new genes to the mix or eradicate old ones, but the genes we get at conception are only the beginning of the story. From our time in the womb through our childhood, youth, and adulthood, we have the capacity to turn up the volume on some genes, and silence others, vastly improving our capacity for health and happiness. We can understand the trajectory of our life and health – what physical challenges we're likely to face, what disorders we're prone to – and we can respond. All we need is an understanding of our diet and an exercise plan that is right for our particular "genotype".
In traditional scientific practice, the word genotype is used only to describe a person's actual assortment of genes. However, my use of the word includes our relationship with the environment, the influence of family history, and the effects of prenatal history.
My Genotype Diet is based on a simple but radical notion: we have the power to alter the behaviour of our genes. Some of that power belongs to our mothers, during gestation, but a great deal of that power becomes ours from birth.
Whether you realise it or not, you've spent an entire lifetime altering your genetic activity. That first sip of wine triggered your body's genetic ability to detoxify alcohol. That summer tan, activated the genes that control pigment (melanin) production. An infection, a cold or the flu, boosted activity in the bone-marrow genes that produce protective white blood cells. You see, your genes are not a fixed set of preprogrammed instructions. They are a dynamic, active part of your life, influenced by your history but responding every single day to your environment and your diet.
So let me introduce you to my Genotype programme. I have developed individual diet plans, comprising the foods and supplements that I believe will work best to create optimal health, weight, and vitality for each of the six Genotypes I have identified. These genotypes developed over 100,000 years of human history;
they are the Hunter, the Gatherer, the Teacher, the Explorer, the Warrior, and the Nomad. Each Genotype has different issues concerning weight and metabolism, which is why they can benefit from a tailor-made diet. Following your Genotype diet and exercise plan will give your body all the support it needs to attain and maintain your optimal weight.
How to work out your Genotype
There are three Genotype Calculators (basic, intermediate or advanced). You can use the basic calculator below to get up and get going right away. It is the simplest, quickest and easiest to do. But no matter which level you begin the Genotype programme at, you can always return when you have more information and use a more sophisticated calculator. You can find the intermediate and advanced calculators in my book.
Measure the length of your torso and legs
Leg and torso ratios reflect the levels of the growth factor hormones that you encountered in the womb and early childhood. Being short and having short legs appears to increase your risk of being overweight and of developing Type 2 diabetes. Short leg length is correlated with your risk for coronary heart disease. Being tall seems to increase risk of some cancers. Legs that are equal to or shorter than your torso are indicators for Teacher and Explorer Genotypes.
Measure the length of your index and ring fingers
Which is longer, your ring finger or index finger? A longer ring finger means you faced more androgens in the womb (androgens are a precursor of testosterone); a longer index finger means you faced higher levels of oestrogen. In general, more male hormones contribute to an "Andric" (male) shape: longer, leaner, more
muscular.
Longer ring fingers on both hands are a keynote for the Hunter Genotype, although the Explorer and Nomad show this pattern, too. Having longer index fingers on both hands is a hallmark of the Gatherer, although it is also seen in female Nomads, and occasionally in Teachers. A different result on each hand (that is,
having a longer ring finger on one hand and a longer index finger on the other) is a hallmark of the Teacher, although it is also seen in the Gatherer too.
THE SIX GENOTYPES
The Gatherer
Gatherers are nature's survival strategists, adapted to conserve calories as fat. The challenge is to fit their survival programming to the realities of today's overabundant diet.
Typical features
Has a phenomenal capacity for concentrated brain work; a
problem-solver and early adopter of new ideas; tends towards emotional highs and lows.
Body type
Endomorphic body type, always looks "padded", even when at healthy weight. Tends toward a high BMI and waist-to-hip ratio. Lower leg is shorter than upper leg, and index fingers longer than ring fingers.
Blood type
O or B, and mostly Rh-positive. High oestrogen levels.
Strengths
Terrific mental endurance, highly motivated, fertile and potential to age well.
Weaknesses
Gatherers are unsuccessful crash dieters. Appetite regulation can be a problem. Elevated oestrogen sensitivity can stimulate hormonal cancers.
Vulnerable to accumulating damaging chemicals in tissue.
Health risks
Alzheimer's disease, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, low thyroid activity, obesity, reproductive cancers.
The Teacher
Sinewy and flexible, with great adaptability, the Teacher is a balance between opposing forces. Blessed with a tolerant immune system, the Teacher is burdened by excess altruism, leading to problems dealing with the bad guys.
Typical features
Views the world in a calm way and has close links with nature –
can "see the forest despite the trees".
Body type
Torso usually longer than legs and generally of moderate to short
stature. Andric body type. Index-to-ring-finger ratio often inverted from hand to hand.
Blood type
Often A, occasionally AB. Rhesus-positive. Tolerant immune system but prone to excess bacterial growth in the digestive tract.
Strengths
Successful adapter. Powerful spiritual energy. Ages gracefully. Great mechanical strength and flexibility.
Weaknesses
Sensitive digestive system, but immune system may not detect cancer mutations early on. Can be too detail-oriented.
Health risks
Ear infections, lung, stomach, and bowel problems. Bacterial
infections. Risk of breast cancer in later life.
The Explorer
Muscular and adventurous, the Explorer is a biological problem-solver who can adapt to environmental changes and has an above-average capacity for gene repair. A balanced diet and lifestyle can overcome a vulnerability to hormonal imbalances and brain strain.
Typical features
A lateral thinker concerned with changing concepts. Quirky. Great entrepreneur. Above-average intelligence.
Body type
Often left-handed. Index-to-ring-finger-length ratios are often reverse of what is expected for sex (ie, longer ring fingers in women, longer index fingers in men). Often muscular, broad-headed, with "chiselled" facial features. Torso usually longer than legs.
Blood type
Any ABO. Often Rh-negative. Vulnerable to borderline anaemia.
Sensitive to caffeine, fragrances, medications.
Strengths
Good gene repair and illness-recovery rate; stamina and memory
retention in old age; a problem-solver; ages gracefully.
Weaknesses
Environmental and chemical hypersensitivities. Accident-prone.
Health risks
Liver function compromised. Medically hard to diagnose; blood
irregularities.
The Nomad
A Genotype of extremes, with great sensitivity to environmental condition, especially changes in altitude and pressure, the Nomad is vulnerable to neuromuscular and immune problems.
Typical features
Phlegmatic, easy-going, roll-with-the-punches personality.
Optimistic, rational and fun-loving. Keeps emotions hidden.
Body type
Physically symmetrical, index and ring-finger lengths are usually
symmetrical to sex. Extremes of height – short or tall. Legs usually longer than torso. Waist-to-hip ratios high in men, low in women. Small teeth. Higher-than-average number of redheads, green eyes.
Blood type B and AB, mostly Rh-positive.
Strengths
Great mind-body connection, balanced immune system and good
stress-handling abilities.
Weaknesses
Sensitive digestive tract.
Health risks
Tendency toward "slow infections" such as lingering viral disorders, warts or parasites.
The Hunter
Tall, thin, intense and adrenalin-driven, the Hunter was originally the success story of the human species. Vulnerable to burnout when overstressed, today's Hunter needs to conserve energy for the long haul.
Typical features
Detail-oriented, mechanically-inclined, has a sense of fair play. Handles stress when well nourished.
Body type
Body seems symmetrical, athletic; tall, strong-boned and well-formed, is often "Andric" (tends toward masculine body type). Ring fingers tend to be longer than index ones.
Blood type
Always O.
Strengths
Energetic and metabolically efficient. Eats heartily, without gaining
weight, for optimal stamina and wellbeing.
Weaknesses
Hair-trigger reaction to infections, viruses, allergens. Beware of
midlife burnout, ageing poorly and digestive problems. Adrenal and pituitary glands are vulnerable.
Health risks
Allergies, auto-immune illnesses (asthma or rheumatoid arthritis),
depression, coeliac-like gut problems, reproductive cancers (more common in men).
The Warrior
Strong, lean, and healthy in youth, the Warrior is subject to a rebellion from their body in midlife. With a good diet and lifestyle, the Warrior can overcome the quick-ageing metabolic genes.
Typical features
Charismatic, if occasionally bad-tempered. Nimble-minded. Needs
to learn how to relax. Will pursue a mental challenge until it is mastered.
Body type
Legs usually longer than torso. Slender in youth; pear-shaped or
barrel-chested later in life. Flushes when under stress. Index-to-ring-finger ratios are usually symmetrical.
Blood type
Often A or AB and typically Rh-positive. Blood can clot too easily.
Strengths
Ox-like, recovers well from illness.
Weaknesses
Thrifty metabolism, stores calories as fat. Stress tends to depress immune system and cause blood to thicken.
Health risks
Insulin resistance and obesity in midlife, digestive problems, hormonal imbalance and infertility, heart disease, high blood pressure.
This is just a taster for the GenoType diet; full details about which foods to eat and which to avoid can be found in 'The GenoType Diet’ by Dr Peter J. D’Adamo (Bantam Press).
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Apple Computer
APPLE COMPUTER
Steve Jobs, the brilliant CEO of Apple, gave the commencement address a few weeks ago at Stanford, and I thought it was an outstandingly interesting, really remarkable address. And it hit me particularly hard, because I've always followed my love. I include Job's address below. You might even show it to your kids. This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005, at Stanford.
"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky - I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much."
Steve Jobs, the brilliant CEO of Apple, gave the commencement address a few weeks ago at Stanford, and I thought it was an outstandingly interesting, really remarkable address. And it hit me particularly hard, because I've always followed my love. I include Job's address below. You might even show it to your kids. This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005, at Stanford.
"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky - I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much."
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Reading and Writing, plus Editing
I have had some busy times with my brother's wedding in Greece, which went wonderfully and was a welcome break from the dull English weather. I continue to edit my book and have recently completed reading A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Dune by Frank Herbert and Watership Down by Richard Adams - all books from The BBC Big Read reading list. I highly recommend the list. Out of 60 books I have so far read from the list, I have yet to read one I didn't enjoy.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Back in Action
I have continued in my absence from the blog with my reading and writing. I have the material for book two and have just begun revisions of book one. I read Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo – both from my reading list and both excellent, moving books. I also recently completed Donna Tartt’s The Secret History - another great book on my BBC Big Read list.
Here is another excerpt I picked yesterday in The Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho:
The warrior of light studies the two columns on either side of the door he is trying to open.
One is called Fear and the other is called Desire. The warrior looks at the column of Fear and on it is written: ‘You are entering a dangerous, unfamiliar world where everything you have learned up until now will prove useless.’
The warrior looks at the column of Desire and on it is written: ‘You are about to leave a familiar world wherein are stored all the things you ever wanted and for which you struggled so hard.’
The warrior smiles because nothing frightens him and nothing holds him. With the confidence of one who knows what he wants, he opens the door.
Here is another excerpt I picked yesterday in The Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho:
The warrior of light studies the two columns on either side of the door he is trying to open.
One is called Fear and the other is called Desire. The warrior looks at the column of Fear and on it is written: ‘You are entering a dangerous, unfamiliar world where everything you have learned up until now will prove useless.’
The warrior looks at the column of Desire and on it is written: ‘You are about to leave a familiar world wherein are stored all the things you ever wanted and for which you struggled so hard.’
The warrior smiles because nothing frightens him and nothing holds him. With the confidence of one who knows what he wants, he opens the door.
Friday, 2 November 2007
Editing
I recently received feedback on the first 10,000 words of Off The Rails from The Literary Consultancy. Not happy feedback, yet I will think about it all and make some changes as a result of this and as a result of the feedback that I was already kindly given here on the blog about my first chapter.
Obviously, the first chapter was a work in progress and there is always so much to amend and do, so as a consequence, I have deleted the post of that first chapter whilst I re-write.
My reading continues. I have finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and am reading Jane Austen now, having completed Persuasion and got a third of the way into Emma.
I recently went to see the Monty Python-inspired musical Spamalot with my Brazilian friend Diogo and had a lot of fun. I was also involved in a come and sing The Messiah event as part of the Bloomsbury Festival. This was great fun, even if the guy next to me (not from our choir!) was singing all the voice parts and not watching the conductor (our choir's very own Ronald Corp). The soloists were excellent, as they were last year, and the soprano particularly won me over, same as last year.
I have a memorial concert for a member of Highgate Choral Society tomorrow and the following Saturday 10 November 2007, The Highgate Choral Society will perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony 'Choral', as well as Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem. This will take place at 7.30 pm at All Hallows' Church, Savernake Road, Gospel Oak, London, NW3 2LA. There is a free pre-performance talk by our conductor ROnald Corp at 6.50pm. Tickets are £23, £18, £13 concessions £10. HCS box office: email: box office@hcschoir.com Or call 07952 508234 Or order from Les Aldrich Music Shop 020 8883 5631
http://www.hcschoir.com
Obviously, the first chapter was a work in progress and there is always so much to amend and do, so as a consequence, I have deleted the post of that first chapter whilst I re-write.
My reading continues. I have finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and am reading Jane Austen now, having completed Persuasion and got a third of the way into Emma.
I recently went to see the Monty Python-inspired musical Spamalot with my Brazilian friend Diogo and had a lot of fun. I was also involved in a come and sing The Messiah event as part of the Bloomsbury Festival. This was great fun, even if the guy next to me (not from our choir!) was singing all the voice parts and not watching the conductor (our choir's very own Ronald Corp). The soloists were excellent, as they were last year, and the soprano particularly won me over, same as last year.
I have a memorial concert for a member of Highgate Choral Society tomorrow and the following Saturday 10 November 2007, The Highgate Choral Society will perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony 'Choral', as well as Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem. This will take place at 7.30 pm at All Hallows' Church, Savernake Road, Gospel Oak, London, NW3 2LA. There is a free pre-performance talk by our conductor ROnald Corp at 6.50pm. Tickets are £23, £18, £13 concessions £10. HCS box office: email: box office@hcschoir.com Or call 07952 508234 Or order from Les Aldrich Music Shop 020 8883 5631
http://www.hcschoir.com
Monday, 8 October 2007
Supplements that help you lose weight and stay happy
These following excerpts are taken from Dr Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution - Your Complete Guide To Health. I cannot take responsibility for whether the doses he recommended are wise or not but the level of information is detailed and very useful. As a friend recently asked me about Carnitine, I dedicate this to her.Sadly, Dr Atkins died last winter, I believe it was, when he slipped on ice going to work. Readers know I rate Dr D'Adamo's Eat Right For Your Type health plan above all others, and certainly an A blood type person would become ill if they ate the Atkins diet as they are not genetically suited to eating meat, however, he talked a lot of sense in this book and helped many.
DR ATKINS' VITA-NUTRIENT SOLUTION – YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH
TRYPTOPHAN: The best sleeping pill not on the market
Tryptophan was nutrition's superstar, the dietary David that single-handedly took on the lucrative Goliath-like market of sedatives, tranquillizers and antidepressants. More and more doctors felt it was a hands-down winner. It relieved depression, induced sleep and soothed anxieties with the best of them.
But to the pharmaceutical industry, this marvellously effective, remarkably safe and freely available nutrient threatened to be a billion-dollar pain in the balance sheet. Industry moguls must have privately wished for tryptophan to be discredited. So, after an improbable event, it was: scandalized, tried, convicted and banished by the very people entrusted to police - not to enrich - the pharmaceutical business.
DANGERS: REAL AND CONTRIVED
Investigators first traced the illnesses to the use of tryptophan supplements, then to a single contaminated batch of the supplement made by one Japanese company that had inexplicably changed their manufacturing procedure. In November of that year the American FDA recalled tryptophan from all over-thecounter shelves. Since then the agency has refused to lift the ban, even though several additional probes of EMS outbreaks in both the United States and Germany later reaffirmed that all of the illnesses and deaths stemmed from that one contaminated batch. Tryptophan itself poses no inherent danger, the research concluded,' and its prior and subsequent use by tens of millions of people for decades has harmed no one.
Prohibiting the use of tryptophan, in fact, presents a more dangerous scenario for people who take pure crystalline amino acid formulas. These forms upset the body's amino acid balance by forcing a drop in blood levels of tryptophan, which can exacerbate symptoms of premenstrual tension in women.' In men, according to another study, the imbalance created by taking tryptophan-free supplements increased anger, annoyance and other indicators of aggression and hostility by as much as 30 per cent.
SEROTONIN BUILDING BLOCK
The key to tryptophan's success is its ability to influence brain chemistry. In our bodies' own chemical factory, it is the biochemical that is converted directly into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relaxes the mind and instills a sense of emotional wellbeing. The same qualities account for its therapeutic effect on depression. People who are depressed have low blood levels of both serotonin and tryptophan. Prozac, Zoloft, and other members of this family of mood-elevating drugs work by extending the life of serotonin (whatever little of it there may be) in the brain. Tryptophan attacks depression more safely, allowing the body to increase its production of serotonin in the brain.
Tryptophan is also useful against other emotional disorders, such as premenstrual anxiety and depressions and seasonal affective disorder. It also could play a role in treating eating disorders,' alcohol addiction, Down's syndrome, aggressive behaviour, attention deficit/ hyperactivity syndrome, schizophrenia, sleep paralysis and pain syndrome. I find it useful in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it is perhaps the treatment of choice in Tourette's syndrome.
Tryptophan may have other uses. It and its 5-hydroxy variant have been helpful in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome." [Editor SBW’s note: 5HTP is also highly recommended to deal with sweet cravings - or carbohydrate cravings when on the O type diet; also, 5HTP is an excellent remedy to keep away depression and stay happy. I take it periodically, Higher Nature’s brand being the best, available in Fresh and Wild, Soho, London or try www.dadamo.com]
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
There are abundant sources of tryptophan in all meats, especially duck and wild game. However, supplements are far more effective than food. A 2 gram dose taken right before bed will safely and effectively overcome insomnia.
Heart Disease After a heart attack, several complications are likely, including chest pains (angina), heart rhythm disturbances and heart failure. Taking 2 grams of carnitine per day for four weeks, hospital-based studies show, can cut the number of those complications in half.' That's a better performance than standard drug therapy.
I remain ever optimistic that the over-the-counter prohibition will be lifted. Until it does, find an alternatively oriented doctor who prescribes it, or present your own doctor with the exonerating evidence (compounding pharmacies will fill a doctor's prescription). People with asthma should probably avoid it, because any serotonin precursor could make their breathing worse, and high doses may lead to a noticeable sense of fatigue following exercise." Otherwise it's entirely safe.
Two prescription types are available - L-tryptophan, the natural amino acid, and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, which is the immediate biochemical precursor of serotonin. I generally prescribe 2-4 grams of L-tryptophan daily, more in severe cases. For the 5-hydroxy version, only a 300-400 mg dose is needed. For either kind, take most of the daily dosage before going to bed, but if daytime anxiety or depression is the problem, it should be taken throughout the day. Always take it before meals, because to be effective the tryptophan or 5-hydroxy must be connected with an amino acid transport system that delivers it to the brain, and the protein in your food will compete with it. Accompany the amino acid with some niacinamide to extend its action. We need tryptophan to manufacture our own niacinamide, and supplements of the B-complex nutrient spare tryptophan for other important tasks, like keeping you happy and relaxed.
CARNITINE: The fat burner
Do you want to know which vita-nutrient I personally take in greatest quantity every day? It's carnitine. For a substance that is supposedly nonessential, carnitine is as necessary a nutrient as you'll ever find. While it's quite true that our bodies make this amino acid, rarely do we have enough to keep us at our healthiest.
The heart is completely dependent upon carnitine; two-thirds of its energy supply comes from the fats that carnitine allows the body to burn. The release of fat for use as fuel also makes this nutrient an important adjunct to any weight-loss or exercise efforts. That's why I never forget my carnitine.
Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, becomes a distinct possibility without carnitine. The amino acid protects the heart muscle from damage when a heart attack or a spasm cuts off the oxygen supply. It also helps correct that most devastating of blood lipid profiles, the combination of high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. An irregular heart rhythm will also quickly deplete carnitine stores in the body, creating a deficiency precisely when an optimal amount is most needed. Congestive heart failure flaws our ability to make carnitine, too.' However, taking 900 mg per day improved the health of one group of congestive heart failure patients, significantly increasing both their energy and their ability to exercise.4
Energy and Endurance Anyone who uses carnitine will get an energy boost from the amino acid, which also helps convert body fat into readily available fuel and elevates levels of certain enzymes needed to metabolize sugars, starches and other carbohydrates. Whether you're a casual exerciser or a more dedicated athlete, compensating for the greater amount of carnitine lost through physical activity extends your stamina and reduces the accumulation of lactic acid, the by-product of heavy-duty exertion that's responsible for the `burn' felt inside the muscles. This may enable exercisers to get the `gain' without the `pain', as one study confirmed.
Carnitine also clears the bloodstream of ammonia and aids in creating glycogen, the form in which the body stores glucose. Even marathon athletes can improve their stamina. A daily intake of 2 grams of taurine increased their treadmill performance by nearly 6 per cent,' enough to turn an `also ran' into a gold medalist.
Muscle Loss Anyone with a severe degenerative disease, such as cancer or AIDS, stands to gain from carnitine supplementation. It's a key nutrient for helping to prevent muscle atrophy.' The AIDS drug AZT depletes carnitine, as does Valproate, an antiepileptic drug. Such drug-induced carnitine deficiency can be life-threatening.
Infant Health Although considered `nonessential' for adults, carnitine is officially classified as indispensable for infants. So critical is this early need that researchers once proposed naming the amino acid `vitamin Bb'. Babies usually get carnitine through breast milk or fortified formulas - but not always. Most infant formulas contain carnitine, but it's best to check the label. Breast-feeding mothers who follow a vegetarian diet almost certainly need to take supplements. Carnitine may also be a very important nutrient for protecting children against Reyes
syndrome.
Other Conditions People with low thyroid function need carnitine to help them overcome diminished energy levels and the tendency to gain weight." Kidney dialysis rinses away stockpiles of the amino acid, another reason people who undergo the procedure are often weak, tired and threatened by high triglycerides. Other published studies suggest that carnitine may be of some value in treating diabetes, hypertension, liver disease and immune problems. It may also protect the liver from alcohol and other challenges.
One reason Atkins Center doctors prescribe carnitine so frequently is that it seems, in our experience, to be the nutrient most likely to overcome that bane of many dieters' existence - metabolic resistance to weight loss. For fat to be used up as fuel, carnitine is essential.
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Most of us consume about 30-50 mg of carnitine a day, hardly an optimum amount. While beef is the largest, best source (with chicken, fish, eggs and milk containing smaller amounts), we can't rely simply on eating more red meat. High-protein, highfat meals stimulate carnitine excretion. High-carbohydrate eating is even more futile, because grains and vegetables contain negligible amounts.
To make up for the carnitine gap, a supplement of between 500 mg and 1 gram is the minimum amount we need to take for preventive purposes. For a heart problem, I normally recommend 1-2 grams daily. If you are on heart drugs, you may need less medication, which calls for the supervision of a nutritionally aware cardiologist.
People who get stuck on truly effective diets, such as the Atkins diet, may need 1,500-2,500 mg to break the log jam. To support the body's own synthesis, make sure you take additional amounts of vitamin C, lysine, methionine, iron, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6. People who took 3 grams of ALC per day for a year, to cite one study, displayed far less mental deterioration than did a similar number of people who did not take the supplement.
ALC has performed well in controlled studies involving more than six hundred people afflicted with the disease, and at least one large study showed it to be effective in non-Alzheimer's mental decline in elderly people.
For many of my patients with senile dementia, ALC seems to slow the disease process significantly. Colleagues have also reported that some of their patients have regained some memory ability and kept themselves better grounded in reality. Though ALC is not a ‘cure’, it often does temporarily reverse the downhill course of the disease, especially when combined with high doses of vitamin C and vitamin E.
If ALC helps to fight Alzheimer's, what about Parkinson's disease? Primate studies from this field of research are showing promising results thus far.
Immune Disturbances Results are preliminary, but ALC could Contribute to strengthening the immune system or shielding it from viral attacks. People with chronic fatigue syndrome, whose Immune systems have clearly broken down, have lower than expected levels of ALC. Replenishing the supply alleviates symptoms, such as fatigue and brain fog.'
Establishing an optimal physiological amount of ALC stimulates the overall activity of immune cells in both younger and older adults. A dosage of 2 grams a day for thirty days, according h• one study, improved immune function in people with active pulmonary tuberculosis.'
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Vigorous exercise will aid the body's natural conversion of carnitine into ALC, but taking carnitine supplements is not an effective substitute. Only ALC increases the brain's energy and Protects nerve cells from the harm inflicted by stress and free radicals. For anyone older than forty, in fact, ALC is clearly the nutrient, that has both improved the symptoms of Alzheimer's and reversed the imbalances in brain chemistry that coexist with it.'
DR ATKINS' VITA-NUTRIENT SOLUTION – YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH
TRYPTOPHAN: The best sleeping pill not on the market
Tryptophan was nutrition's superstar, the dietary David that single-handedly took on the lucrative Goliath-like market of sedatives, tranquillizers and antidepressants. More and more doctors felt it was a hands-down winner. It relieved depression, induced sleep and soothed anxieties with the best of them.
But to the pharmaceutical industry, this marvellously effective, remarkably safe and freely available nutrient threatened to be a billion-dollar pain in the balance sheet. Industry moguls must have privately wished for tryptophan to be discredited. So, after an improbable event, it was: scandalized, tried, convicted and banished by the very people entrusted to police - not to enrich - the pharmaceutical business.
DANGERS: REAL AND CONTRIVED
Investigators first traced the illnesses to the use of tryptophan supplements, then to a single contaminated batch of the supplement made by one Japanese company that had inexplicably changed their manufacturing procedure. In November of that year the American FDA recalled tryptophan from all over-thecounter shelves. Since then the agency has refused to lift the ban, even though several additional probes of EMS outbreaks in both the United States and Germany later reaffirmed that all of the illnesses and deaths stemmed from that one contaminated batch. Tryptophan itself poses no inherent danger, the research concluded,' and its prior and subsequent use by tens of millions of people for decades has harmed no one.
Prohibiting the use of tryptophan, in fact, presents a more dangerous scenario for people who take pure crystalline amino acid formulas. These forms upset the body's amino acid balance by forcing a drop in blood levels of tryptophan, which can exacerbate symptoms of premenstrual tension in women.' In men, according to another study, the imbalance created by taking tryptophan-free supplements increased anger, annoyance and other indicators of aggression and hostility by as much as 30 per cent.
SEROTONIN BUILDING BLOCK
The key to tryptophan's success is its ability to influence brain chemistry. In our bodies' own chemical factory, it is the biochemical that is converted directly into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relaxes the mind and instills a sense of emotional wellbeing. The same qualities account for its therapeutic effect on depression. People who are depressed have low blood levels of both serotonin and tryptophan. Prozac, Zoloft, and other members of this family of mood-elevating drugs work by extending the life of serotonin (whatever little of it there may be) in the brain. Tryptophan attacks depression more safely, allowing the body to increase its production of serotonin in the brain.
Tryptophan is also useful against other emotional disorders, such as premenstrual anxiety and depressions and seasonal affective disorder. It also could play a role in treating eating disorders,' alcohol addiction, Down's syndrome, aggressive behaviour, attention deficit/ hyperactivity syndrome, schizophrenia, sleep paralysis and pain syndrome. I find it useful in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it is perhaps the treatment of choice in Tourette's syndrome.
Tryptophan may have other uses. It and its 5-hydroxy variant have been helpful in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome." [Editor SBW’s note: 5HTP is also highly recommended to deal with sweet cravings - or carbohydrate cravings when on the O type diet; also, 5HTP is an excellent remedy to keep away depression and stay happy. I take it periodically, Higher Nature’s brand being the best, available in Fresh and Wild, Soho, London or try www.dadamo.com]
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
There are abundant sources of tryptophan in all meats, especially duck and wild game. However, supplements are far more effective than food. A 2 gram dose taken right before bed will safely and effectively overcome insomnia.
Heart Disease After a heart attack, several complications are likely, including chest pains (angina), heart rhythm disturbances and heart failure. Taking 2 grams of carnitine per day for four weeks, hospital-based studies show, can cut the number of those complications in half.' That's a better performance than standard drug therapy.
I remain ever optimistic that the over-the-counter prohibition will be lifted. Until it does, find an alternatively oriented doctor who prescribes it, or present your own doctor with the exonerating evidence (compounding pharmacies will fill a doctor's prescription). People with asthma should probably avoid it, because any serotonin precursor could make their breathing worse, and high doses may lead to a noticeable sense of fatigue following exercise." Otherwise it's entirely safe.
Two prescription types are available - L-tryptophan, the natural amino acid, and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, which is the immediate biochemical precursor of serotonin. I generally prescribe 2-4 grams of L-tryptophan daily, more in severe cases. For the 5-hydroxy version, only a 300-400 mg dose is needed. For either kind, take most of the daily dosage before going to bed, but if daytime anxiety or depression is the problem, it should be taken throughout the day. Always take it before meals, because to be effective the tryptophan or 5-hydroxy must be connected with an amino acid transport system that delivers it to the brain, and the protein in your food will compete with it. Accompany the amino acid with some niacinamide to extend its action. We need tryptophan to manufacture our own niacinamide, and supplements of the B-complex nutrient spare tryptophan for other important tasks, like keeping you happy and relaxed.
CARNITINE: The fat burner
Do you want to know which vita-nutrient I personally take in greatest quantity every day? It's carnitine. For a substance that is supposedly nonessential, carnitine is as necessary a nutrient as you'll ever find. While it's quite true that our bodies make this amino acid, rarely do we have enough to keep us at our healthiest.
The heart is completely dependent upon carnitine; two-thirds of its energy supply comes from the fats that carnitine allows the body to burn. The release of fat for use as fuel also makes this nutrient an important adjunct to any weight-loss or exercise efforts. That's why I never forget my carnitine.
Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, becomes a distinct possibility without carnitine. The amino acid protects the heart muscle from damage when a heart attack or a spasm cuts off the oxygen supply. It also helps correct that most devastating of blood lipid profiles, the combination of high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. An irregular heart rhythm will also quickly deplete carnitine stores in the body, creating a deficiency precisely when an optimal amount is most needed. Congestive heart failure flaws our ability to make carnitine, too.' However, taking 900 mg per day improved the health of one group of congestive heart failure patients, significantly increasing both their energy and their ability to exercise.4
Energy and Endurance Anyone who uses carnitine will get an energy boost from the amino acid, which also helps convert body fat into readily available fuel and elevates levels of certain enzymes needed to metabolize sugars, starches and other carbohydrates. Whether you're a casual exerciser or a more dedicated athlete, compensating for the greater amount of carnitine lost through physical activity extends your stamina and reduces the accumulation of lactic acid, the by-product of heavy-duty exertion that's responsible for the `burn' felt inside the muscles. This may enable exercisers to get the `gain' without the `pain', as one study confirmed.
Carnitine also clears the bloodstream of ammonia and aids in creating glycogen, the form in which the body stores glucose. Even marathon athletes can improve their stamina. A daily intake of 2 grams of taurine increased their treadmill performance by nearly 6 per cent,' enough to turn an `also ran' into a gold medalist.
Muscle Loss Anyone with a severe degenerative disease, such as cancer or AIDS, stands to gain from carnitine supplementation. It's a key nutrient for helping to prevent muscle atrophy.' The AIDS drug AZT depletes carnitine, as does Valproate, an antiepileptic drug. Such drug-induced carnitine deficiency can be life-threatening.
Infant Health Although considered `nonessential' for adults, carnitine is officially classified as indispensable for infants. So critical is this early need that researchers once proposed naming the amino acid `vitamin Bb'. Babies usually get carnitine through breast milk or fortified formulas - but not always. Most infant formulas contain carnitine, but it's best to check the label. Breast-feeding mothers who follow a vegetarian diet almost certainly need to take supplements. Carnitine may also be a very important nutrient for protecting children against Reyes
syndrome.
Other Conditions People with low thyroid function need carnitine to help them overcome diminished energy levels and the tendency to gain weight." Kidney dialysis rinses away stockpiles of the amino acid, another reason people who undergo the procedure are often weak, tired and threatened by high triglycerides. Other published studies suggest that carnitine may be of some value in treating diabetes, hypertension, liver disease and immune problems. It may also protect the liver from alcohol and other challenges.
One reason Atkins Center doctors prescribe carnitine so frequently is that it seems, in our experience, to be the nutrient most likely to overcome that bane of many dieters' existence - metabolic resistance to weight loss. For fat to be used up as fuel, carnitine is essential.
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Most of us consume about 30-50 mg of carnitine a day, hardly an optimum amount. While beef is the largest, best source (with chicken, fish, eggs and milk containing smaller amounts), we can't rely simply on eating more red meat. High-protein, highfat meals stimulate carnitine excretion. High-carbohydrate eating is even more futile, because grains and vegetables contain negligible amounts.
To make up for the carnitine gap, a supplement of between 500 mg and 1 gram is the minimum amount we need to take for preventive purposes. For a heart problem, I normally recommend 1-2 grams daily. If you are on heart drugs, you may need less medication, which calls for the supervision of a nutritionally aware cardiologist.
People who get stuck on truly effective diets, such as the Atkins diet, may need 1,500-2,500 mg to break the log jam. To support the body's own synthesis, make sure you take additional amounts of vitamin C, lysine, methionine, iron, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6. People who took 3 grams of ALC per day for a year, to cite one study, displayed far less mental deterioration than did a similar number of people who did not take the supplement.
ALC has performed well in controlled studies involving more than six hundred people afflicted with the disease, and at least one large study showed it to be effective in non-Alzheimer's mental decline in elderly people.
For many of my patients with senile dementia, ALC seems to slow the disease process significantly. Colleagues have also reported that some of their patients have regained some memory ability and kept themselves better grounded in reality. Though ALC is not a ‘cure’, it often does temporarily reverse the downhill course of the disease, especially when combined with high doses of vitamin C and vitamin E.
If ALC helps to fight Alzheimer's, what about Parkinson's disease? Primate studies from this field of research are showing promising results thus far.
Immune Disturbances Results are preliminary, but ALC could Contribute to strengthening the immune system or shielding it from viral attacks. People with chronic fatigue syndrome, whose Immune systems have clearly broken down, have lower than expected levels of ALC. Replenishing the supply alleviates symptoms, such as fatigue and brain fog.'
Establishing an optimal physiological amount of ALC stimulates the overall activity of immune cells in both younger and older adults. A dosage of 2 grams a day for thirty days, according h• one study, improved immune function in people with active pulmonary tuberculosis.'
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Vigorous exercise will aid the body's natural conversion of carnitine into ALC, but taking carnitine supplements is not an effective substitute. Only ALC increases the brain's energy and Protects nerve cells from the harm inflicted by stress and free radicals. For anyone older than forty, in fact, ALC is clearly the nutrient, that has both improved the symptoms of Alzheimer's and reversed the imbalances in brain chemistry that coexist with it.'
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Nutritional Value of Different Foods
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
OF
INDIVIDUAL FOODS & FOOD GROUPS
Foods contain a wide array of nutrients and the following shows the predominant foods containing particular vitamins and minerals. The values are per 100 grams edible portion.
VITAMIN A Liver (lamb) 50,500 iu
Liver (calf) 22,500
Peppers (red chilli) 21,600
Carrrots 11,000
Apricots (dried) 10,900
Kale 8,900
Other good sources: egg yolk, whole milk, yellow, orange & dark green veg. & fruit
Vitamin A from animal source foods occurs mostly as active, preformed vitamin A (retinol), while that from vegetable source occurs as pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene and other carotenoids) which must be converted to active vitamin A by the body to be utilised. The efficiency of conversion varies among individuals, however, beta-carotene is converted more efficiently than other carotenoids. Green and deep yellow vegetables as well as deep yellow fruits are highest in beta-carotene.
CAROTENOIDS {carotenes, xanthophylls, lycopenes} (best source)
Yellow and dark green veg. (e.g. pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, kale)
Orange fruits (e.g. papaya, peaches, apricots)
Watermelon
Cherries
VITAMIN D Sardines (canned) 500iu
Salmon
Tuna 350
Sunflower seeds 90
Eggs 50
Mushrooms 40
Other good sources: sunlight, cod-liver oil, butter, herring
VITAMIN E (best source) Safflower oil
Whole grains
Wheat germ
Egg yolk
Vegetable oils
Dark green leafy veg.
Soya beans
Brussels sprouts
VITAMIN K Turnip greens 650 mcg
Broccoli 200
Lettuce 129
Cabbage 125
Beef liver 92
Spinach 89
Other good sources: egg yolks, parsley, kale, legumes, alfalfa, kelp
THIAMIN (B1) Yeast (brewer’s) 15.61 mg
Yeast (torula) 14.01
Wheat germ 2.01
Sunflower seeds 1.96
Pine nuts 1.28
Peanuts (with skins)1.14
Other good sources: beef, cooked dried beans and peas, oats, rice husks
RIBOFLAVIN (B2) Yeast (torula) 5.06 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 4.28
Liver (lamb) 3.28
Almonds 0.92
Wheat Germ 0.68
Wild rice 0.63
Other good sources: milk products, tuna, salmon, leafy green veg.
NIACIN (B3) Yeast (torula) 44.4 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 37.9
Rice Bran 29.8
Wheat Bran 21.0
Peanuts (with skin) 17.2
Liver (lamb) 16.9
Other good sources: poultry, legumes, eggs, organ meats, milk, kidney, avocados
PANTOTHENIC ACID (B5)Yeast (brewer’s) 12.0 mg
Yeast (torula) 11.0
Liver (calf) 8.0
Peanuts 2.8
Mushrooms 2.2
Soybean flour 2.0
Other good sources: fish, organ meats, eggs, avocados, dates, sweet potatoes
PYRIDOXINE (B6) Yeast (torula) 3.00 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 2.50
Sunflower seeds 1.25
Wheat Germ 1.15
Tuna 0.90
Soybeans 0.81
Other good sources: meats, poultry, peanuts, walnuts, egg yolk, soybeans, molasses
FOLIC ACID Yeast (brewer’s) 2022 mcg
Blackeye peas 440
Rice Germ 430
Soy Flour 425
Wheat Germ 305
Liver (beef) 295
Other good sources: dark green vegetables, millet, orange juice, sweet potatoes, rye
VITAMIN B12 Liver (lamb) 104 mcg
Clams 98
Liver (calf) 60
Liver (chicken) 25
Oysters 18
Sardines 17
Other good sources: crab, salmon, egg yolk, beef, kidney
BIOTIN Yeast (brewer’s) 200 mcg
Liver (lamb) 127
Soy flour 70
Soy beans 61
Rice Bran 60
Egg yolk 52
Other good sources: molasses, milk, kidney
CHOLINE Lecithin 2200 mg
Egg yolk 1490
Liver 550
Wheat Germ 406
Soy beans 340
Rice Germ 300
Other good sources: yeast, green leafy veg.
INOSITOL Lecithin 2200 mg
Wheat Germ 770
Navy beans 500
Rice Bran 460
Barley (cooked) 390
Rice Germ 370
Other good sources: brewer’s yeast, liver, dried lima beans, cantaloupes, peanuts
ASCORBIC ACID (VIT. C) Peppers (red chilli) 369 mg
Guavas 242
Peppers (red sweet)204
Kale leaves 186
Parsley 172
Broccoli 113
Other good sources: cantaloupe, cabbage, asparagus, strawberries, sweet potatoes
VITAMIN B17 (Above 500mg per 100 grams edible portion)
Wild blackberry Mung beans
Apple seeds Apricot seeds
Bamboo sprouts Macadamia nuts
Other good sources: in whole kernels of cherries, plums, nectarines and peaches
PARA-AMINOBENZOIC ACID (PABA) (best source)
Spinach Oats
Mushrooms Liver
Sunflower seeds Cabbage
Other good sources: molasses, brewer’s yeast, whole grains, wheat germ
PANGAMIC ACID (B15) (best source) Apricot kernels
Wheat Germ Liver
Pumpkin seeds Yeast
Sunflower seeds
Other good sources: brewer’s yeast, whole brown rice, sesame seeds
BIOFLAVONOIDS (best source)
Rose Hips Grapes
Orange Broccoli
Blackberry Tomato
CALCIUM Kelp 1093 mg
Swiss cheese 925
Cheddar cheese 750
Carob flour 352
Collard leaves 250
Turnip greens 246
Other good sources: broccoli, canned fish with bones, dried peas and beans, walnuts
MAGNESIUM Kelp 760
Wheat Bran 490
Wheat Germ 336
Almonds 270
Cashews 267
Blackstrap Molasses258
Other good sources: vegetables high in chlorophyll, soybeans, seafoods, figs, lemons
PHOSPHORUS Yeast (brewer’s) 1753 mg
Wheat Bran 1276
Pumpkin seeds 1144
Wheat Germ 1118
Sunflower seeds 837
Brazil nuts 693
Other good sources: meats, eggs, poultry, milk products
SODIUM Kelp 3007 mg
Green olives 2400
Dill Pickles 1428
Sauerkraut 747
Cheddar Cheese 700
Scallops 265
Other good sources: milk products, meats, eggs, poultry, fish, artichokes, celery
POTASSIUM Dulse 8060 mg
Kelp 5273
Sunflower seeds 920
Wheat Germ 827
Almonds 773
Raisins 763
Other good sources: bananas, orange juice, apricots, meats, milk, potatoes, celery
IRON Kelp 100.0 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 17.3
Blackstrap molasses16.1
Wheat Bran 14.9
Pumpkin seeds 11.2
Wheat Germ 9.4
Other good sources: liver, organ meats, lean beef, prune juice, oysters, leafy greens
COPPER Oysters 13.7 mg
Brazil nuts 2.3
Lecithin 2.1
Almonds 1.4
Hazelnuts 1.3
Walnuts 1.3
Other good sources: Wholegrain breads and cereals, shellfish, eggs, poultry, prunes
COBALT (best source) Figs Lettuce
Buckwheat Cabbage
Spinach Watercress
MANGANESE Pecans 3.5 mg
Brazil nuts 2.8
Almonds 2.5
Barley 1.8
Rye 1.3
Buckwheat 1.3
Other good sources: liver, kidneys, spinach, tea, dried peas and beans, wholegrain
ZINC Fresh oysters 148.7 mg
Ginger root 6.8
Round steak 5.6
Lamb chops 5.3
Pecans 4.5
Brazil nuts 4.2
Other good sources: herring, egg yolks, milk pumpkin seeds, ground mustard
CHROMIUM Yeast (brewer’s) 112 mcg
Beef (round) 57
Calf’s Liver 56
Whole Wheat Bread42
Wheat Bran 38
Rye bread 30
Other good sources: meats, clams, corn oil
SELENIUM Butter 146 mcg
Smoked Herring 141
Wheat Germ 111
Brazil nuts 103
Apple Cider Vinegar 89 Scallops 77
Other good sources: liver, kidney, meats, seafood, onions, tomatoes
IODINE Kelp 150,000 mcg
Clams 90
Shrimp 65
Haddock 62
Oysters 50
Pineapple 16
Other good sources: iodised salt, onions
NICKEL Soybeans 700 mcg
Beans (dry) 500
Soyflour 410
Lentils 310
Split peas 250
Green peas 175
SILICON (best source) Unrefined grains and cereals
Root vegetables
Horsetail herb (Equisetum arvense)
Lettuce
SULPHUR (best source) Meat Poultry
Fish Eggs
Milk Legumes
Cabbage Onions
Garlic (High protein foods)
MOLYBDENUM Lentils 155 mcg
Beef Liver 135
Split peas 130
Cauliflower 120
Green Peas 110
Yeast (brewer’s) 109
Other good sources: meats, wholegrain breads and cereals, leafy green veg, legumes
VANADIUM Buckwheat 100 mcg
Parsley 80
Soybeans 70
Safflower oil 64
Eggs 42
Sunflower seed oil 41
Other good sources: fish
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS [linoleic] (best source)
Vegetable oils-safflower, sunflower, linseed, wheat germ
Sunflower seeds Peanuts
Walnuts Pecans
Almonds Avocado
Evening Primrose oil Starflower oil (Borage)
LINOLENIC (best source) Linseeds (flaxseed) Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Salmon Mackerel
Herring Rainbow Trout
Whiting Cod
As can be noted from the above lists of vitamins and minerals, a number of foods appear again and again. These are often called “super foods”, as they are high in a wide range of important nutrients. As well as vitamins and minerals, there are thousands of chemicals in food. All plants contain a chemical army of natural pesticides (phytochemicals) to discourage predators. These can be quite toxic but Human beings appear to have become biologically adapted to most plant toxins so that we not only do not react against them, but also actually suffer if we are deprived of them. Moreover, many phytochemicals are being shown to have a protective role in our health. The cabbage family (Cruciferae) are rich in compounds called glucosinolates. This family includes cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, calabrese, kohlrabi, turnip, radish, swede, mustard greens and kale. One of these glucosinolates is called sinigrin and is found in high levels in Brussels sprouts. Sinigrin has been shown to suppress the development of pre-cancerous cells.
Another glucosinolate is called glucoraphanin and is found in high levels in broccoli. This breaks down into a chemical called sulforaphane. This chemical neutralises substances that cause cancer, or stops them from forming in the first place. It does this through activating the phase 11 enzymes in the detoxication process. Broccoli also contains phenethyl iso-thiocyanate. This chemical prevents certain enzymes from locking onto DNA and causing mutation in genes that cause cancer. Also in broccoli is another chemical called indole-3-carbinol. This helps oestrogen to break down into harmless by-products instead of remaining in a form (oestrone) that can cause breast and other reproductive cancers. It can also inhibit the development of liver cancer. Broccoli is probably the most important cancer preventing food.
Cabbage also contains indole-3-carbinol but in greater levels than broccoli. Cabbage also contains phethyl iso-thiocyanate. This inhibited chemically induced oesophagus cancer in rats. Cabbage also protected them against mammary tumours when exposed to a cocktail of chemical carcinogens. Brassinin, another phytochemical found in cabbage, protected against mammary and skin induced tumours in mice. Cabbage has also been found to be the single most important food in reducing stomach cancer risk.
Tomatoes are the richest source of the carotenoid lycopene which has shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It reduces the harmful effects of radiation exposure and acts as an antioxidant. Tomatoes also contain p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which block potent cancer causing nitrosamine compounds which are contained in processed meats such as bacon and ham, and tobacco smoke. These phytochemicals are also found in many other fruits and vegetables.
Carrots contain many other carotenoids apart from beta-carotene. Postmenopausal women who eat carrots have less incidence of breast cancer. Carrots also protect smokers from lung cancer, probably due to another carotenoid called xanthophylls. Carrots also contain p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acids.
Soybeans contain phyto-oestrogens called isoflavonoids and lignans. These are chemically very similar to oestrogen and will occupy the same receptor sites that would otherwise be occupied by the hormone, thus protecting the body from excess exposure. Another type of isoflavonoid in soybeans is called genistein. This directly inhibits the development of many types of cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels that tumours need to grow.
Parsley offers potent protection against carcinogens and is one of the best inducers of detoxication. Garlic, onions and leeks contain allylic sulphides which can detoxify carcinogens. Capsaican in chilli peppers provides the same effect. Green leafy vegetables contain lutein and zeaxanthin which help prevent macular degeneration. By eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables we can take advantage of their many phytochemicals, helping us to offset carcinogenic and mutating influences.
NB: Editor (SBW’s) note: I use this as an excellent general guide; the blood type guides Eat Right For Your Type, Live Right For Your Type, Cook Right For Your Type and The Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia, all by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo provide the most thorough approach to specific, individual health ever written. I urge you to view this information alongside his work for phenomenal good health and longevity. The author of the above, Stephen Langley, includes a comprehensive summary about Blood Types in the same source The Naturopathy Workbook. To obtain a copy of the latter, go to www.naturopathy-uk.com or email info@naturopathy-uk.com Please omit where you saw this article first and say a friend recommended the Workbook as I’m not sure how strict they are about me posting extracts! To read more about the blood type information, see www.dadamo.com
OF
INDIVIDUAL FOODS & FOOD GROUPS
Foods contain a wide array of nutrients and the following shows the predominant foods containing particular vitamins and minerals. The values are per 100 grams edible portion.
VITAMIN A Liver (lamb) 50,500 iu
Liver (calf) 22,500
Peppers (red chilli) 21,600
Carrrots 11,000
Apricots (dried) 10,900
Kale 8,900
Other good sources: egg yolk, whole milk, yellow, orange & dark green veg. & fruit
Vitamin A from animal source foods occurs mostly as active, preformed vitamin A (retinol), while that from vegetable source occurs as pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene and other carotenoids) which must be converted to active vitamin A by the body to be utilised. The efficiency of conversion varies among individuals, however, beta-carotene is converted more efficiently than other carotenoids. Green and deep yellow vegetables as well as deep yellow fruits are highest in beta-carotene.
CAROTENOIDS {carotenes, xanthophylls, lycopenes} (best source)
Yellow and dark green veg. (e.g. pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, kale)
Orange fruits (e.g. papaya, peaches, apricots)
Watermelon
Cherries
VITAMIN D Sardines (canned) 500iu
Salmon
Tuna 350
Sunflower seeds 90
Eggs 50
Mushrooms 40
Other good sources: sunlight, cod-liver oil, butter, herring
VITAMIN E (best source) Safflower oil
Whole grains
Wheat germ
Egg yolk
Vegetable oils
Dark green leafy veg.
Soya beans
Brussels sprouts
VITAMIN K Turnip greens 650 mcg
Broccoli 200
Lettuce 129
Cabbage 125
Beef liver 92
Spinach 89
Other good sources: egg yolks, parsley, kale, legumes, alfalfa, kelp
THIAMIN (B1) Yeast (brewer’s) 15.61 mg
Yeast (torula) 14.01
Wheat germ 2.01
Sunflower seeds 1.96
Pine nuts 1.28
Peanuts (with skins)1.14
Other good sources: beef, cooked dried beans and peas, oats, rice husks
RIBOFLAVIN (B2) Yeast (torula) 5.06 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 4.28
Liver (lamb) 3.28
Almonds 0.92
Wheat Germ 0.68
Wild rice 0.63
Other good sources: milk products, tuna, salmon, leafy green veg.
NIACIN (B3) Yeast (torula) 44.4 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 37.9
Rice Bran 29.8
Wheat Bran 21.0
Peanuts (with skin) 17.2
Liver (lamb) 16.9
Other good sources: poultry, legumes, eggs, organ meats, milk, kidney, avocados
PANTOTHENIC ACID (B5)Yeast (brewer’s) 12.0 mg
Yeast (torula) 11.0
Liver (calf) 8.0
Peanuts 2.8
Mushrooms 2.2
Soybean flour 2.0
Other good sources: fish, organ meats, eggs, avocados, dates, sweet potatoes
PYRIDOXINE (B6) Yeast (torula) 3.00 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 2.50
Sunflower seeds 1.25
Wheat Germ 1.15
Tuna 0.90
Soybeans 0.81
Other good sources: meats, poultry, peanuts, walnuts, egg yolk, soybeans, molasses
FOLIC ACID Yeast (brewer’s) 2022 mcg
Blackeye peas 440
Rice Germ 430
Soy Flour 425
Wheat Germ 305
Liver (beef) 295
Other good sources: dark green vegetables, millet, orange juice, sweet potatoes, rye
VITAMIN B12 Liver (lamb) 104 mcg
Clams 98
Liver (calf) 60
Liver (chicken) 25
Oysters 18
Sardines 17
Other good sources: crab, salmon, egg yolk, beef, kidney
BIOTIN Yeast (brewer’s) 200 mcg
Liver (lamb) 127
Soy flour 70
Soy beans 61
Rice Bran 60
Egg yolk 52
Other good sources: molasses, milk, kidney
CHOLINE Lecithin 2200 mg
Egg yolk 1490
Liver 550
Wheat Germ 406
Soy beans 340
Rice Germ 300
Other good sources: yeast, green leafy veg.
INOSITOL Lecithin 2200 mg
Wheat Germ 770
Navy beans 500
Rice Bran 460
Barley (cooked) 390
Rice Germ 370
Other good sources: brewer’s yeast, liver, dried lima beans, cantaloupes, peanuts
ASCORBIC ACID (VIT. C) Peppers (red chilli) 369 mg
Guavas 242
Peppers (red sweet)204
Kale leaves 186
Parsley 172
Broccoli 113
Other good sources: cantaloupe, cabbage, asparagus, strawberries, sweet potatoes
VITAMIN B17 (Above 500mg per 100 grams edible portion)
Wild blackberry Mung beans
Apple seeds Apricot seeds
Bamboo sprouts Macadamia nuts
Other good sources: in whole kernels of cherries, plums, nectarines and peaches
PARA-AMINOBENZOIC ACID (PABA) (best source)
Spinach Oats
Mushrooms Liver
Sunflower seeds Cabbage
Other good sources: molasses, brewer’s yeast, whole grains, wheat germ
PANGAMIC ACID (B15) (best source) Apricot kernels
Wheat Germ Liver
Pumpkin seeds Yeast
Sunflower seeds
Other good sources: brewer’s yeast, whole brown rice, sesame seeds
BIOFLAVONOIDS (best source)
Rose Hips Grapes
Orange Broccoli
Blackberry Tomato
CALCIUM Kelp 1093 mg
Swiss cheese 925
Cheddar cheese 750
Carob flour 352
Collard leaves 250
Turnip greens 246
Other good sources: broccoli, canned fish with bones, dried peas and beans, walnuts
MAGNESIUM Kelp 760
Wheat Bran 490
Wheat Germ 336
Almonds 270
Cashews 267
Blackstrap Molasses258
Other good sources: vegetables high in chlorophyll, soybeans, seafoods, figs, lemons
PHOSPHORUS Yeast (brewer’s) 1753 mg
Wheat Bran 1276
Pumpkin seeds 1144
Wheat Germ 1118
Sunflower seeds 837
Brazil nuts 693
Other good sources: meats, eggs, poultry, milk products
SODIUM Kelp 3007 mg
Green olives 2400
Dill Pickles 1428
Sauerkraut 747
Cheddar Cheese 700
Scallops 265
Other good sources: milk products, meats, eggs, poultry, fish, artichokes, celery
POTASSIUM Dulse 8060 mg
Kelp 5273
Sunflower seeds 920
Wheat Germ 827
Almonds 773
Raisins 763
Other good sources: bananas, orange juice, apricots, meats, milk, potatoes, celery
IRON Kelp 100.0 mg
Yeast (brewer’s) 17.3
Blackstrap molasses16.1
Wheat Bran 14.9
Pumpkin seeds 11.2
Wheat Germ 9.4
Other good sources: liver, organ meats, lean beef, prune juice, oysters, leafy greens
COPPER Oysters 13.7 mg
Brazil nuts 2.3
Lecithin 2.1
Almonds 1.4
Hazelnuts 1.3
Walnuts 1.3
Other good sources: Wholegrain breads and cereals, shellfish, eggs, poultry, prunes
COBALT (best source) Figs Lettuce
Buckwheat Cabbage
Spinach Watercress
MANGANESE Pecans 3.5 mg
Brazil nuts 2.8
Almonds 2.5
Barley 1.8
Rye 1.3
Buckwheat 1.3
Other good sources: liver, kidneys, spinach, tea, dried peas and beans, wholegrain
ZINC Fresh oysters 148.7 mg
Ginger root 6.8
Round steak 5.6
Lamb chops 5.3
Pecans 4.5
Brazil nuts 4.2
Other good sources: herring, egg yolks, milk pumpkin seeds, ground mustard
CHROMIUM Yeast (brewer’s) 112 mcg
Beef (round) 57
Calf’s Liver 56
Whole Wheat Bread42
Wheat Bran 38
Rye bread 30
Other good sources: meats, clams, corn oil
SELENIUM Butter 146 mcg
Smoked Herring 141
Wheat Germ 111
Brazil nuts 103
Apple Cider Vinegar 89 Scallops 77
Other good sources: liver, kidney, meats, seafood, onions, tomatoes
IODINE Kelp 150,000 mcg
Clams 90
Shrimp 65
Haddock 62
Oysters 50
Pineapple 16
Other good sources: iodised salt, onions
NICKEL Soybeans 700 mcg
Beans (dry) 500
Soyflour 410
Lentils 310
Split peas 250
Green peas 175
SILICON (best source) Unrefined grains and cereals
Root vegetables
Horsetail herb (Equisetum arvense)
Lettuce
SULPHUR (best source) Meat Poultry
Fish Eggs
Milk Legumes
Cabbage Onions
Garlic (High protein foods)
MOLYBDENUM Lentils 155 mcg
Beef Liver 135
Split peas 130
Cauliflower 120
Green Peas 110
Yeast (brewer’s) 109
Other good sources: meats, wholegrain breads and cereals, leafy green veg, legumes
VANADIUM Buckwheat 100 mcg
Parsley 80
Soybeans 70
Safflower oil 64
Eggs 42
Sunflower seed oil 41
Other good sources: fish
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS [linoleic] (best source)
Vegetable oils-safflower, sunflower, linseed, wheat germ
Sunflower seeds Peanuts
Walnuts Pecans
Almonds Avocado
Evening Primrose oil Starflower oil (Borage)
LINOLENIC (best source) Linseeds (flaxseed) Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Salmon Mackerel
Herring Rainbow Trout
Whiting Cod
As can be noted from the above lists of vitamins and minerals, a number of foods appear again and again. These are often called “super foods”, as they are high in a wide range of important nutrients. As well as vitamins and minerals, there are thousands of chemicals in food. All plants contain a chemical army of natural pesticides (phytochemicals) to discourage predators. These can be quite toxic but Human beings appear to have become biologically adapted to most plant toxins so that we not only do not react against them, but also actually suffer if we are deprived of them. Moreover, many phytochemicals are being shown to have a protective role in our health. The cabbage family (Cruciferae) are rich in compounds called glucosinolates. This family includes cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, calabrese, kohlrabi, turnip, radish, swede, mustard greens and kale. One of these glucosinolates is called sinigrin and is found in high levels in Brussels sprouts. Sinigrin has been shown to suppress the development of pre-cancerous cells.
Another glucosinolate is called glucoraphanin and is found in high levels in broccoli. This breaks down into a chemical called sulforaphane. This chemical neutralises substances that cause cancer, or stops them from forming in the first place. It does this through activating the phase 11 enzymes in the detoxication process. Broccoli also contains phenethyl iso-thiocyanate. This chemical prevents certain enzymes from locking onto DNA and causing mutation in genes that cause cancer. Also in broccoli is another chemical called indole-3-carbinol. This helps oestrogen to break down into harmless by-products instead of remaining in a form (oestrone) that can cause breast and other reproductive cancers. It can also inhibit the development of liver cancer. Broccoli is probably the most important cancer preventing food.
Cabbage also contains indole-3-carbinol but in greater levels than broccoli. Cabbage also contains phethyl iso-thiocyanate. This inhibited chemically induced oesophagus cancer in rats. Cabbage also protected them against mammary tumours when exposed to a cocktail of chemical carcinogens. Brassinin, another phytochemical found in cabbage, protected against mammary and skin induced tumours in mice. Cabbage has also been found to be the single most important food in reducing stomach cancer risk.
Tomatoes are the richest source of the carotenoid lycopene which has shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It reduces the harmful effects of radiation exposure and acts as an antioxidant. Tomatoes also contain p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which block potent cancer causing nitrosamine compounds which are contained in processed meats such as bacon and ham, and tobacco smoke. These phytochemicals are also found in many other fruits and vegetables.
Carrots contain many other carotenoids apart from beta-carotene. Postmenopausal women who eat carrots have less incidence of breast cancer. Carrots also protect smokers from lung cancer, probably due to another carotenoid called xanthophylls. Carrots also contain p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acids.
Soybeans contain phyto-oestrogens called isoflavonoids and lignans. These are chemically very similar to oestrogen and will occupy the same receptor sites that would otherwise be occupied by the hormone, thus protecting the body from excess exposure. Another type of isoflavonoid in soybeans is called genistein. This directly inhibits the development of many types of cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels that tumours need to grow.
Parsley offers potent protection against carcinogens and is one of the best inducers of detoxication. Garlic, onions and leeks contain allylic sulphides which can detoxify carcinogens. Capsaican in chilli peppers provides the same effect. Green leafy vegetables contain lutein and zeaxanthin which help prevent macular degeneration. By eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables we can take advantage of their many phytochemicals, helping us to offset carcinogenic and mutating influences.
NB: Editor (SBW’s) note: I use this as an excellent general guide; the blood type guides Eat Right For Your Type, Live Right For Your Type, Cook Right For Your Type and The Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia, all by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo provide the most thorough approach to specific, individual health ever written. I urge you to view this information alongside his work for phenomenal good health and longevity. The author of the above, Stephen Langley, includes a comprehensive summary about Blood Types in the same source The Naturopathy Workbook. To obtain a copy of the latter, go to www.naturopathy-uk.com or email info@naturopathy-uk.com Please omit where you saw this article first and say a friend recommended the Workbook as I’m not sure how strict they are about me posting extracts! To read more about the blood type information, see www.dadamo.com
Thursday, 20 September 2007
What your ears, tongue etc say about your health
Below I continue the article by Stephen Langley from The Naturopathy Workbook. I just finished reading The Magus by John Fowles.
NATUROPATHY
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS continued
EARS
*Crease across ear lobe: may be a relationship with a weakened heart.
*Itchy and excess wax: Candida albicans, lactose intolerance
TONGUE
· Normal / healthy tongue: pink with fine white coating (moss), slightly moist and is neither too big nor too small for the mouth.
· Inspection of the tongue: Each part of the tongue corresponds to the condition of an organ. To see the condition of the heart for example, one looks at the extreme tip of the tongue, whereas to gauge the state of the lung one looks near the tip.
The progress of illness is also shown on the tongue. As illness improves, the quality of the coating (fur or moss) and the colour become more normal. If the illness worsens, so will the tongue and coating. If the tongue is very red overall or in one area, this indicates the presence of fever or inflammation that is attacking the organ system. The heart, lungs and liver are most vulnerable to damage by heat, which shows up as red on the tip and edges of the tongue.
· Map of the tongue-parts of the tongue and their relationship to organs of the body: tip of tongue (heart and lung zone) relates to organs and functions above the diaphragm eg heart, oesophagus, lung etc (heart being right at tip of tongue).
Centre of tongue (spleen zone) relates to organs and functions between diaphragm and navel eg stomach, pancreas, spleen etc.
Back of tongue (kidney zone) relates to organs and functions below the navel eg. Bladder and kidneys, intestines, uterus, ovaries etc
Sides of tongue (liver zone) relates to organs and functions in lateral areas of the body, between navel and diaphragm eg. Liver and gallbladder, spleen
· Texture- Geographical tongue (mapped tongue): Deficiency of complex B vitamins.
· Colour
*Red: heat, excess condition
*Blue/purple: stagnation, congestion, and poor circulation
*Pale: coldness, deficiency or low vital force
*Bright red (scarlet): internal heat, infection, inflammation
· Shape
*Swollen (flabby): damp present
*Deviation: Paralysis of 12th cranial nerve (hypoglossal) can cause atrophy and deviation towards the paralysed side
*Thin (elongated): Deficient blood or fluids
*Reddened with prominent papillae: excess heat or congealed blood
*Hairy tongue (excess papillae): may follow antibiotic therapy
*Smooth, slick and sore: may be deficiency of riboflavin, niacin, B12, B6 or iron.
*Scalloped at sides (teeth marks): fatigue and loss of vital force digestion/assimilation problems (spleen qi deficiency).
· Coating (fur, moss)
The moss is related to digestion and thus can reflect the state of the digestion system. The ‘fur’ consists of bacteria, food particles and dead cells which accumulate when saliva flow is reduced.
*Slimy: phlegm present
*Yellow: heat, excess
*Thick: excess, spleen disharmony
*Sticky & moist: extreme dampness of stomach and spleen
*White: cold, deficiency
*Dark brown: some form of stagnation
· State
*Dry: heat, excess, not enough fluids
*Short, horizontal cracks: deficiency of vital force (qi)
*Shallow midline crack (not to tip): stomach deficiency
*Deep midline crack (to tip): heart condition
*Leaden: a sign of either extreme heat or extreme cold
*Enlargement of veins under tongue: may be vitamin C deficiency
*Dark veins under tongue: possible kidney problems
· Glossitis: occasionally this condition is a symptom of iron deficient Anaemia, or a lack of vitamin B12, B3, biotin or folate
GUMS
· Normal/healthy gums: the gums (gingivae) normally show a pale red stippled surface. Their margins about the teeth are sharp and the crevices between gums and teeth shallow (eg 1-2mm)
· Bleeding gums: vitamin C and/or zinc or coenzyme Q10 deficiency
· Gingivitis: usually result of irritation by calculus formation) diet too acidic
· Periodontal disease: (often from untreated Gingivitis) reflects high acidity and low bioflavonoid, zinc and coenzyme Q10 status
BODY ODOURS
· Sweet: Possible pre diabetic condition
· Fishy: cold and deficiency
· Rotten, putrefying: heat syndrome, damp
· Oily, fatty: congestion, stagnation
NATUROPATHY
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS continued
EARS
*Crease across ear lobe: may be a relationship with a weakened heart.
*Itchy and excess wax: Candida albicans, lactose intolerance
TONGUE
· Normal / healthy tongue: pink with fine white coating (moss), slightly moist and is neither too big nor too small for the mouth.
· Inspection of the tongue: Each part of the tongue corresponds to the condition of an organ. To see the condition of the heart for example, one looks at the extreme tip of the tongue, whereas to gauge the state of the lung one looks near the tip.
The progress of illness is also shown on the tongue. As illness improves, the quality of the coating (fur or moss) and the colour become more normal. If the illness worsens, so will the tongue and coating. If the tongue is very red overall or in one area, this indicates the presence of fever or inflammation that is attacking the organ system. The heart, lungs and liver are most vulnerable to damage by heat, which shows up as red on the tip and edges of the tongue.
· Map of the tongue-parts of the tongue and their relationship to organs of the body: tip of tongue (heart and lung zone) relates to organs and functions above the diaphragm eg heart, oesophagus, lung etc (heart being right at tip of tongue).
Centre of tongue (spleen zone) relates to organs and functions between diaphragm and navel eg stomach, pancreas, spleen etc.
Back of tongue (kidney zone) relates to organs and functions below the navel eg. Bladder and kidneys, intestines, uterus, ovaries etc
Sides of tongue (liver zone) relates to organs and functions in lateral areas of the body, between navel and diaphragm eg. Liver and gallbladder, spleen
· Texture- Geographical tongue (mapped tongue): Deficiency of complex B vitamins.
· Colour
*Red: heat, excess condition
*Blue/purple: stagnation, congestion, and poor circulation
*Pale: coldness, deficiency or low vital force
*Bright red (scarlet): internal heat, infection, inflammation
· Shape
*Swollen (flabby): damp present
*Deviation: Paralysis of 12th cranial nerve (hypoglossal) can cause atrophy and deviation towards the paralysed side
*Thin (elongated): Deficient blood or fluids
*Reddened with prominent papillae: excess heat or congealed blood
*Hairy tongue (excess papillae): may follow antibiotic therapy
*Smooth, slick and sore: may be deficiency of riboflavin, niacin, B12, B6 or iron.
*Scalloped at sides (teeth marks): fatigue and loss of vital force digestion/assimilation problems (spleen qi deficiency).
· Coating (fur, moss)
The moss is related to digestion and thus can reflect the state of the digestion system. The ‘fur’ consists of bacteria, food particles and dead cells which accumulate when saliva flow is reduced.
*Slimy: phlegm present
*Yellow: heat, excess
*Thick: excess, spleen disharmony
*Sticky & moist: extreme dampness of stomach and spleen
*White: cold, deficiency
*Dark brown: some form of stagnation
· State
*Dry: heat, excess, not enough fluids
*Short, horizontal cracks: deficiency of vital force (qi)
*Shallow midline crack (not to tip): stomach deficiency
*Deep midline crack (to tip): heart condition
*Leaden: a sign of either extreme heat or extreme cold
*Enlargement of veins under tongue: may be vitamin C deficiency
*Dark veins under tongue: possible kidney problems
· Glossitis: occasionally this condition is a symptom of iron deficient Anaemia, or a lack of vitamin B12, B3, biotin or folate
GUMS
· Normal/healthy gums: the gums (gingivae) normally show a pale red stippled surface. Their margins about the teeth are sharp and the crevices between gums and teeth shallow (eg 1-2mm)
· Bleeding gums: vitamin C and/or zinc or coenzyme Q10 deficiency
· Gingivitis: usually result of irritation by calculus formation) diet too acidic
· Periodontal disease: (often from untreated Gingivitis) reflects high acidity and low bioflavonoid, zinc and coenzyme Q10 status
BODY ODOURS
· Sweet: Possible pre diabetic condition
· Fishy: cold and deficiency
· Rotten, putrefying: heat syndrome, damp
· Oily, fatty: congestion, stagnation
Monday, 17 September 2007
What your skin, hair, nails etc say about your health
Below I am including more material from The Naturopathy Workbook by Stephen Langley. These are primarily diagnostic tools used by fully qualified Naturopaths. However, knowledge is power, so check yourself and use it as a guide with which to seek further medical tests if necessary. Right, off to choir soon.
NATUROPATHY
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS:
SKIN
· Normal/ healthy skin: colour normal (netheir too pale or too red) and influenced by ethnic background. Skin turgor (elasticity) in relationship to age and neither clammy or dry.
· Skin colour & pigmentation
*Pallor: cold, deficiency, and lack of vital force
*Abnormal redness: infection or inflammation
*Flushing: heat has entered the blood
*Cyanosis: extreme cold deficiency, stagnation of blood
*Jaundice: liver/gallbladder dysfunction
*Yellow palms & soles: possible hypothyroid, carotenosis
· Skin condition
*Oily: (caused by overactive sebaceous glands) Liver detox/diet and removal of oral contraceptive pill and steroids
*Excessively dry/flaky: deficiency of blood or body fluids, essential fatty acids, possible hypothyroid
*Sweaty/clammy palms: adrenal glands
*Cracked: lack of vitamins A and C, zinc and essential fatty acids
*Thin skin: can occur from long-term steroid use. Bioflavonoids are indicated, especially rutin.
*Hard skin: lack of essential fatty acids
*Elephant skin: ruled by lung qi, seen in long-term smokers
*Moist: Lung disharmony
*Swollen: skin that pits when pressed is a sign of oedema and excess fluids
*Withered: a sign that the fluids are injured
*Stretch marks: loss of elasticity in skin. Vitamin E cream, bioflavonoids and cell salt program during pregnancy (especially calc.fluor)
*Cellulitis: toxic buildup in cells. Clean out lymphatic system with skin brushing, exercise, herbs, lymphatic drainage etc.
HAIR
· Normal hair colour and texture: strong, thick and lustrous. The Kidney controls the stregth and thickness and lung controls sheen.
· Dry hair: excess, heat or stress, possible hypothyroid
· Oily hair: overacidity, reduce refined carbohydrates (sugar, soft drinks etc)
· Excessive hair loss and Alopecia: may be a lack of B vitamins, especially biotin, inositol, zinc, iron and especially lack of protein
· Dry/itchy scalp: lack of essential fatty acids
· Dandruff: controlled by spleen (pancreas) in TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine] too many refined carbohydrates in the diet
· Greying: lack of B5, PABA, zinc, copper, extreme stress
NAILS
· Normal/healthy nails: pink nail beds and strong, smooth nails
· Nails and systemic diseases
*Splinter haemorrhages (longitudinal dark specks that look like splinters): suggests possible Bacterial endocarditis
*Terry’s nails (proximal ½ of nail is white and distal ½ is normal colour): suggests chronic Liver disease
*Pale: Anaemia (When hands are stretched out, nails should go white when tensed and return to pink when relaxed. If they remain white suggests Anaemia)
*Brown nail beds: Chronic Liver disease
· Nail matrix abnormalities
No ½ moons: lung or colon problem
· Nail and nail-bed abnormalities
*White marks (spots): zinc or vitamin A deficiency
*Ridges and splitting: silica deficiency
*Thick nails: fungal infections
*White nails: liver problems
*Spoon-shaped nails (concave & brittle): severe Iron or zinc deficiency
*Curved nails: usually a variant from normal nails and are not significant (not to be confused with clubbed nails, where the angle between nail and nail base is greatly increased)
*Soft nails: calcium deficiency
*Soft, crumbly and white: fungal infections
*Split nails: mineral deficiencies, especially calcium, magnesium and boron
*Clubbed nails (growing around swollen ends of fingers): respiratory or heart problems among other conditions.
*Pitting: psoriasis (in absence of trauma)
*Ridging (vertical): old age, poor absorption of vitamins A, B & C, calcium, zinc, magnesium and essential fatty acids.
*Ridging (horizontal): injury or infection
*Brittle: deficiency of silica, zinc, Iron, calcium or B12 (Hypothyroid)
*Beau’s lines: transverse depressions in the nails associated with acute, severe illness, usually appearing some weeks later.
FACE
· Correlation between face and body organs
*Weak lungs: will show up as shadows of different colours on the cheeks
*Corrugated cardboard lines across the forehead: indicate toxicity in the Large intestine. The deeper they are, the longer the toxicity has been present. Also can be related to digestion and therefore spleen.
*Small intestine: one deep line on the forehead
*Kidney and adrenal exhaustion: will show up as blue/black shadows under the eyes and ‘bags’ indicating fluid retention.
*Bladder: represented by a dry, red forehead
*Stomach deficiency: will show up as a vertical line between the eyebrows.
*Liver problems (often seen in alcoholics): present as two vertical lines between the eyebrows (either side of stomach line), often a lot of suppressed anger.
*Gall bladder: indicated in receding hairline.
*‘Purse strings’ on upper lip: often seen in women after menopause, and point to a weakness in the reproductive organs-ovaries.
*Cheeks: yellow/grey = constipation, green = liver problem
*Cracks around mouth: possible iron deficiency
*Butterfly rash around mouth: possible iron deficiency
*Butterfly rash around nose: possible B3 deficiency, rosacea
EYES
*Normal/healthy: Clear and bright indicating healthy liver and heart
*Yellow/jaundiced: liver or gallbladder stagnation
*Bloodshot: inability to sleep properly, liver disharmony
*Swollen: liver problem
*Dry: common allergy problem, especially to gluten
*Red: liver problem (excess heat in liver)
*Proptosis of eyes: (bulging of eye ball): possible thyroid problem
*Cataracts (clouding of lens): lack of bioflavonoids and vitamin E
*Bags under the eyes: kidney or adrenal insufficiency
*Floaters/spots: blood deficiency-liver detox
*Dark circles under eyes: possible B3 deficiency
*Itchy or watery: Candida albicans
NATUROPATHY
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS:
SKIN
· Normal/ healthy skin: colour normal (netheir too pale or too red) and influenced by ethnic background. Skin turgor (elasticity) in relationship to age and neither clammy or dry.
· Skin colour & pigmentation
*Pallor: cold, deficiency, and lack of vital force
*Abnormal redness: infection or inflammation
*Flushing: heat has entered the blood
*Cyanosis: extreme cold deficiency, stagnation of blood
*Jaundice: liver/gallbladder dysfunction
*Yellow palms & soles: possible hypothyroid, carotenosis
· Skin condition
*Oily: (caused by overactive sebaceous glands) Liver detox/diet and removal of oral contraceptive pill and steroids
*Excessively dry/flaky: deficiency of blood or body fluids, essential fatty acids, possible hypothyroid
*Sweaty/clammy palms: adrenal glands
*Cracked: lack of vitamins A and C, zinc and essential fatty acids
*Thin skin: can occur from long-term steroid use. Bioflavonoids are indicated, especially rutin.
*Hard skin: lack of essential fatty acids
*Elephant skin: ruled by lung qi, seen in long-term smokers
*Moist: Lung disharmony
*Swollen: skin that pits when pressed is a sign of oedema and excess fluids
*Withered: a sign that the fluids are injured
*Stretch marks: loss of elasticity in skin. Vitamin E cream, bioflavonoids and cell salt program during pregnancy (especially calc.fluor)
*Cellulitis: toxic buildup in cells. Clean out lymphatic system with skin brushing, exercise, herbs, lymphatic drainage etc.
HAIR
· Normal hair colour and texture: strong, thick and lustrous. The Kidney controls the stregth and thickness and lung controls sheen.
· Dry hair: excess, heat or stress, possible hypothyroid
· Oily hair: overacidity, reduce refined carbohydrates (sugar, soft drinks etc)
· Excessive hair loss and Alopecia: may be a lack of B vitamins, especially biotin, inositol, zinc, iron and especially lack of protein
· Dry/itchy scalp: lack of essential fatty acids
· Dandruff: controlled by spleen (pancreas) in TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine] too many refined carbohydrates in the diet
· Greying: lack of B5, PABA, zinc, copper, extreme stress
NAILS
· Normal/healthy nails: pink nail beds and strong, smooth nails
· Nails and systemic diseases
*Splinter haemorrhages (longitudinal dark specks that look like splinters): suggests possible Bacterial endocarditis
*Terry’s nails (proximal ½ of nail is white and distal ½ is normal colour): suggests chronic Liver disease
*Pale: Anaemia (When hands are stretched out, nails should go white when tensed and return to pink when relaxed. If they remain white suggests Anaemia)
*Brown nail beds: Chronic Liver disease
· Nail matrix abnormalities
No ½ moons: lung or colon problem
· Nail and nail-bed abnormalities
*White marks (spots): zinc or vitamin A deficiency
*Ridges and splitting: silica deficiency
*Thick nails: fungal infections
*White nails: liver problems
*Spoon-shaped nails (concave & brittle): severe Iron or zinc deficiency
*Curved nails: usually a variant from normal nails and are not significant (not to be confused with clubbed nails, where the angle between nail and nail base is greatly increased)
*Soft nails: calcium deficiency
*Soft, crumbly and white: fungal infections
*Split nails: mineral deficiencies, especially calcium, magnesium and boron
*Clubbed nails (growing around swollen ends of fingers): respiratory or heart problems among other conditions.
*Pitting: psoriasis (in absence of trauma)
*Ridging (vertical): old age, poor absorption of vitamins A, B & C, calcium, zinc, magnesium and essential fatty acids.
*Ridging (horizontal): injury or infection
*Brittle: deficiency of silica, zinc, Iron, calcium or B12 (Hypothyroid)
*Beau’s lines: transverse depressions in the nails associated with acute, severe illness, usually appearing some weeks later.
FACE
· Correlation between face and body organs
*Weak lungs: will show up as shadows of different colours on the cheeks
*Corrugated cardboard lines across the forehead: indicate toxicity in the Large intestine. The deeper they are, the longer the toxicity has been present. Also can be related to digestion and therefore spleen.
*Small intestine: one deep line on the forehead
*Kidney and adrenal exhaustion: will show up as blue/black shadows under the eyes and ‘bags’ indicating fluid retention.
*Bladder: represented by a dry, red forehead
*Stomach deficiency: will show up as a vertical line between the eyebrows.
*Liver problems (often seen in alcoholics): present as two vertical lines between the eyebrows (either side of stomach line), often a lot of suppressed anger.
*Gall bladder: indicated in receding hairline.
*‘Purse strings’ on upper lip: often seen in women after menopause, and point to a weakness in the reproductive organs-ovaries.
*Cheeks: yellow/grey = constipation, green = liver problem
*Cracks around mouth: possible iron deficiency
*Butterfly rash around mouth: possible iron deficiency
*Butterfly rash around nose: possible B3 deficiency, rosacea
EYES
*Normal/healthy: Clear and bright indicating healthy liver and heart
*Yellow/jaundiced: liver or gallbladder stagnation
*Bloodshot: inability to sleep properly, liver disharmony
*Swollen: liver problem
*Dry: common allergy problem, especially to gluten
*Red: liver problem (excess heat in liver)
*Proptosis of eyes: (bulging of eye ball): possible thyroid problem
*Cataracts (clouding of lens): lack of bioflavonoids and vitamin E
*Bags under the eyes: kidney or adrenal insufficiency
*Floaters/spots: blood deficiency-liver detox
*Dark circles under eyes: possible B3 deficiency
*Itchy or watery: Candida albicans
Monday, 10 September 2007
Day: ??? Lost count!
Okay, back from a good and needed break. So busy with many things that this is really just a quick note to my dear friends and blog-watchers to say I'm back and will spend time on an occasional basis over the next weeks blooging here. I am still reading The Magus by John Fowles which is partly set in Greece and is a particularly apt read over the summer. Still a lot of work to do and a need to press on with it. Choir now, though my friend is away. Then I have a friend visiting from overseas.
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Day 116- Day 118: Holiday
Okay, today I'm on a break from blogging to sample some Turkish delight! I will be back to this post in two weeks. Recently, I saw my brother, his wife and their twin girls again, which was lovely. They are about six weeks old now: so cute! See you in two weeks.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Day 115: The BBC Big Read List of books
This is the book list I am reading. The Lord of the Rings was voted the UK's favourite book. I have read the Top 30 books and sometimes dip into the ones nearer the end. I only just discovered that beyond the Top 100 I knew about, there are another 100 listed. A never-ending task, reading this lot, but one that is deeply rewarding.
The BBC Big Read Top 200
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
The BBC Big Read Top 200
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
Friday, 17 August 2007
Day 111 - Day 114: Progress
I am making some progress with my plans and recently met someone from the BBC who has agreed to read my book as endorsements from well-known people are what I am trying to obtain lately. I also may be able to track down a very great and popular author and approach him for a possible endorsement of my book. Meanwhile, I think I will stay in London to deal with my mail and editing my book. I finished Roald Dahl's Matilda and have now begun The Magus by John Fowles (out of sequence from my reading list, The BBC Big Read). Follow this link to view the complete list of the UK's favourite books: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml
I met up with an old school friend I met on Facebook the other night and it was interesting to reminisce, the evening being enjoyable. It was here, in Soho, that I met the man from the BBC and his partner, both of whom were charming. By the time I got home, I was the worse for wear, but took it easy yesterday. Before I met up with my old friend, I had gone to the cinema to see Pan's Labyrinth and I found it touching and rewarding. Being so busy with my book, I have had no time to keep watching films, so it was great to take that time out to do that. I am planning to write a screenplay, so watching films is part of developing my abilities but my focus is fully on Off The Rails at the moment.
I met up with an old school friend I met on Facebook the other night and it was interesting to reminisce, the evening being enjoyable. It was here, in Soho, that I met the man from the BBC and his partner, both of whom were charming. By the time I got home, I was the worse for wear, but took it easy yesterday. Before I met up with my old friend, I had gone to the cinema to see Pan's Labyrinth and I found it touching and rewarding. Being so busy with my book, I have had no time to keep watching films, so it was great to take that time out to do that. I am planning to write a screenplay, so watching films is part of developing my abilities but my focus is fully on Off The Rails at the moment.
Monday, 13 August 2007
Day 109 & 110: Restless
I'm a bit restless but am still in London. I hate booking holidays because it is all so boring and time-consuming but I have been looking a bit even though really I think I may have to stay in the UK and push on with things. If I go I will probably return to Crete (even though English yobs are again disgracing themselves in Europe; this time in Crete: obviously, I won't be going where they are!). Due to my holiday restlessness, I will blog occasionally for the next few weeks.
Saturday, 11 August 2007
Day 101-108: Back from sunny Sussex!
Long time no blog! I’m back after a stay in Sussex where I did a little editing but mainly relaxed. Mum and I went to Wakehurst Place – a park with many trees, flowers and lakes, which was lovely. I also met old friends and one of my best friends from my childhood whose children have grown a lot since I last saw them.
I’m getting itchy feet about being back in London; perhaps I will go for a break somewhere. I finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years Of Solitude and have begun Matilda by Roald Dahl (out of sequence in my reading list but I have mislaid my library card). I have also been dipping into Eats, Shoots and Leaves – The Zero Tolerance Guide to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. The back cover of the latter says:
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“I’m a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.”
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.
This is the zero tolerance guide.
I’m getting itchy feet about being back in London; perhaps I will go for a break somewhere. I finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years Of Solitude and have begun Matilda by Roald Dahl (out of sequence in my reading list but I have mislaid my library card). I have also been dipping into Eats, Shoots and Leaves – The Zero Tolerance Guide to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. The back cover of the latter says:
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“I’m a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.”
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.
This is the zero tolerance guide.
Friday, 3 August 2007
Day 100: Jokes
Okay, after all the transcribing of the Kardec material, some jokes. After this, I'm off to spend the weekend with my mum.
Positive-Negative
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.
“In English,” he said, “a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”
A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”
‘Second Funniest Joke in the World’
“Doctor, I can’t pronounce my F’s, T’s and H’s.”
“Well, you can’t say fairer than that then.”
Telemarketing Tips
* Say “No”, over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.
*Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream “Oh my God!!!” and then hang up.
Cruising Altitude
The Rev. Ian Paisley was seated next to President Clinton on a recent flight to Ireland. Once the plane was airborne, the flight attendant came around for drink orders. The President asked for a whiskey and soda which was brought and placed before him.
The attendant then asked the minister if he would also like a drink. The Rev. Paisley replied in disgust, “Madam, I’d rather be savagely raped by a brazen whore than let liquor touch these lips.”
The President handed his drink back to the attendant and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was a choice…”
Positive-Negative
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.
“In English,” he said, “a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”
A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”
‘Second Funniest Joke in the World’
“Doctor, I can’t pronounce my F’s, T’s and H’s.”
“Well, you can’t say fairer than that then.”
Telemarketing Tips
* Say “No”, over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.
*Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream “Oh my God!!!” and then hang up.
Cruising Altitude
The Rev. Ian Paisley was seated next to President Clinton on a recent flight to Ireland. Once the plane was airborne, the flight attendant came around for drink orders. The President asked for a whiskey and soda which was brought and placed before him.
The attendant then asked the minister if he would also like a drink. The Rev. Paisley replied in disgust, “Madam, I’d rather be savagely raped by a brazen whore than let liquor touch these lips.”
The President handed his drink back to the attendant and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was a choice…”
Thursday, 2 August 2007
Day 99: The Genotype Diet; Paulo Coelho & Re-posted Allan Kardec extracts
Today's extract is from Paulo Coelho's The Manual of the Warrior of Light. After this, I am re-posting the extracts from The Spirits' Book and The Gospel According To Spiritism, both by Allan Kardec, so that they can be translated by those who don't have English as a first language (the translation tools can't translate scanned text images).
"The warrior of light is a believer.
Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change. Because he is certain that he will find love, that love appears.
Now and then, he is disappointed. Sometimes, he gets hurt.
Then he hears people say: ‘He’s so ingenuous!’
But the warrior knows that it is worth it. For every defeat, he has two victories in his favour.
All believers know this."
Also, here is advance news about Dr Peter J. D'Adamo's exciting new book due out in December, entitled The Genotype Diet taken from an expert blog on the blood type website http://dadamo.com
WEBlog: Dr. Tom Greenfield
Beyond blood type: The GenoType™ Diet Revealed
The IfHI Conference 2007 - The Buttes, Phoenix, AZ.
What a great conference: lots of speakers with new information on
genetics and individuality, all giving the background information
for the new concept revealed by Dr. D'Adamo.
The Book The GenoType™ Diet is to be on sale from December 26th,
2007. The concept takes us beyond blood types, to a new
categorisation of 6 distinct genotypes:
The Hunter
The Gatherer
The Teacher
The Explorer
The Warrior
The Nomad
Although these genotypes include blood group and secretor status
information, they do not all exclusively relate to one single blood
type: individuals fitting into certain genotypes may have one of
several possible blood types. The new additions to the genotypes
over and above the genetic information associated with blood types
includes many easily accessible measurements:
Dermatoglyphic (fingerprint) patterns
D2-D4 ratio (second and fourth finger length)
Tooth shape
Upper to lower leg ratio
Body shape
Head shape
These are associated with 'epigenetic' factors that do not change
the actual genes of the individual, but influence how they are
expressed, like a volume control that can be moved up or down to
vary the amount that a certain gene interacts with the environment.
Other influencing factors on a person's genotype include both
ancestral DNA haplogroups and ayurvedic doshas. It looks like the
result will be the fusion of ancient wisdom, anthropometric
techniques from the last century, and modern cutting edge genetic
science - with a strong influence from the blood type information
that is associated with diet and health.
Each genotype has different disease risks and health benefits, and
the book will outline the best preventitive (sic) strategies for each
type. It promises to be a new generation of naturopathic medicine."
THE SPIRITS' BOOK by ALLAN KARDEC
CHAPTER VIII
EMANCIPATION OF THE SOUL
1. SLEEP AND DREAMS - 2. VISITS BETWEEN THE SPIRITS OF LIVING PERSONS 3. TRANSMISSION OF THOUGHT - 4. LETHARGY, CATALEPSY: APPARENT DEATH - 5. SOMNAMBULISM - 6. TRANCE - 7. SECOND SIGHT - 8.THEORY OF SOMNAMBULISM, TRANCE, AND SECOND-SIGHT.
Sleep and Dreams
400. Does the incarnated spirit reside willingly in his corporeal envelope?
"You might as well ask whether a prisoner willingly remains locked up in prison. The incarnated spirit aspires incessantly after his deliverance; and the grosser his envelope, the more desirous is he to be rid of it."
401. Does the soul take rest, like the body, during sleep?
"No; a spirit is never inactive. The bonds which unite him to the body are relaxed during sleep; and as the body does not then need his presence, he travels through space, and enters into more direct relation with other spirits."
402. How can we ascertain the fact of a spirit's liberty during sleep?
"By dreams. Be very sure that, when his body is asleep, a spirit enjoys the use of faculties of which he is unconscious while his body is awake. He remembers the past, and sometimes foresees the future: he acquires more power, and is able to enter into communication with other spirits, either in this world or in some other.
"You often say, 'I have had a strange dream, a frightful dream, without any likeness to reality'. You are mistaken in thinking it to be so; for it is often a reminiscence of places and things which you have seen in the past, or a foresight of those which you will see in another existence, or in this one at some future time. The body being torpid, the spirit tries to break his chain, and seeks, in the past or in the future, for the means of doing so.
"Poor human beings! how little do you know of the commonest phenomena of your life! You fancy yourselves to be very learned, and you are puzzled by the most ordinary things. To questions that any child might ask, `What do we do when we are asleep?' 'What are dreams?' you are incapable of replying.
"Sleep effects a partial freeing of the soul from the body. When you sleep, your spirit is, for the time being, in the state in which you will be after your death. The spirits who at death are promptly freed from matter are those who, during their life, have had what may be called intelligent sleep. Such persons, when they sleep, regain the society of other spirits superior to themselves. They go about with them, conversing with them, and gaining instruction from them; they even work, in the spirit-world, at undertakings which, on dying, they find already begun or completed. From this you see how little death should be dreaded, since, according to the saying of St. Paul, you 'die daily.'
"What we have just stated refers to spirits of an elevated degree of advancement. As for those of the common mass of men, who, after their death, remain for long hours in the state of confusion and uncertainty of which you have been told by such, they go, during sleep, into worlds of lower rank than the earth, to which they are drawn back by old affections, or by the attraction of pleasures still baser than those to which they are addicted in your world; visits in which they gather ideas still viler, more ignoble, and more mischievous than those which they had professed during their waking hours. And that which engenders sympathy in the earthly life is nothing else than the fact that you feel yourselves, on waking, affectionately attracted towards those with whom you have passed eight or nine hours of happiness or pleasure. On the other hand, the explanation of the invincible antipathies you sometimes feel for certain persons is also to be found in the intuitive knowledge you have thus acquired of the fact that those persons have another conscience than yours, because you know them without having previously seen them with your bodily eyes. It is this same fact, moreover, that explains the indifference of some people for others; they do not care to make new friends, because they know that they have others by whom they are loved and cherished. In a word, sleep has more influence than you think upon your life.
"Through the effects of sleep, incarnated spirits are always in connection with the spirit-world; and it is in consideration of this fact that spirits of a higher order consent, without much repugnance, to incarnate themselves among you. God has willed that, during their contact with vice, they may go forth and fortify themselves afresh at the source of rectitude, in order that they, who have come into your world to instruct others, may not fall into evil themselves. Sleep is the gate opened for them by God, that they may pass through it to their friends in the spirit-world; it is their recreation after labour, while awaiting the great deliverance, the final liberation, that will restore them to their true place.
"Dreams are the remembrance of what your spirit has seen during sleep; but you must remark that you do not always dream, because you do not always remember what you have seen, or all that you have seen. Your dreams do not always reflect the action of your soul in its full development; for they are often only the reflex of the confusion that accompanies your departure or your return, mingled with the vague remembrance of what you have done, or of what has occupied your thoughts, in your waking state. In what other way can you explain the absurd dreams which are dreamed by the wisest as by the silliest of mankind? Bad spirits, also, make use of dreams to torment weak and timid souls.
"You will see, ere long, the development of another kind of dream, a kind which is as ancient as the one you know, but one of which you are ignorant. The dream we allude to is that of Jeanne Darc (Joan of Arc), of Jacob, of the Jewish prophets, and of certain Hindoo ascetics - a dream which is the remembrance of the soul's experiences while entirely freed from the body, the remembrance of the second life, of which I spoke just now.
"You should carefully endeavour, to distinguish these two kinds of dreams among those which you are able to recall: unless you do this, you will be in danger of falling into contradictions and errors that would be prejudicial to your belief."
Dreams are a product of the emancipation of the soul, rendered more active by the suspension of the active life of relation, and enjoying a sort of indefinite clairvoyance which extends to places at a great distance from us, or that we have never seen, or even to other worlds. To this state of emancipation is also due the remembrance which retraces to our memory the events that have occurred in our present existence or in preceding existences; the strangeness of the images of what has taken place in worlds unknown to us, mixed up with the things of the present world, producing the confused and whimsical medleys that seem to be equally devoid of connection and of meaning.
The incoherence of dreams is still farther explained by the gaps resulting from the incompleteness of our remembrance of what has appeared to us in our nightly visions - an incompleteness similar to that of a narrative from which whole sentences, or parts of sentences, have been omitted by chance, and whose remaining fragments, having been thrown together again at random, have lost all intelligent meaning.
403. Why do we not always remember our dreams?
"What you call sleep is only the repose of the body, for the spirit is always in motion. During sleep he recovers a portion of his liberty, and enters into communication with those who are dear to him, either in this world, or in other worlds; but as the matter of the body is heavy and gross, it is difficult for him to retain, on waking, the impressions he has received during sleep, because those impressions were not received by him through the bodily organs."
404. What is to be thought of the signification attributed to dreams?
"Dreams are not really indications in the sense attributed to them by fortune-tellers; for it is absurd to believe that a certain kind of dream announces the happening of a certain kind of event. But they are indications in this sense - viz., that they present images which are real for the spirit, though they may have nothing to do with what takes place in his present corporeal life. Dreams are also, in many cases, as we have said, a remembrance; they may also be sometimes a presentiment of the future, if permitted by God, or the sight of something which is taking place at the time in some other place to which the soul has transported Itself. Have you not many instances proving that persons may appear to their relatives and friends in dreams, and give them notice of what is happening to them? What are apparitions, if not the soul or spirit of persons who come to communicate with you? When you acquire the certainty that what you saw has really taken place, is it not a proof that it was no freak of your imagination, especially if what you saw were something which you had not thought of when you were awake?"
405. We often see in dreams things which appear to be presentiments, but which do not come to pass, - how is this?
"Those things may take place in the experience of the spirit, though not in that of the body; that is to say, that the spirit sees what he wishes to see because he goes to find it. You must not forget that, during sleep, the spirit is always more or less under the influence of matter; that, consequently, he is never completely free from terrestrial ideas, and that the objects of his waking thoughts may therefore give to his dreams the appearance of what he desires or of what he fears, thus producing what may be properly termed an effect of the imagination. When the mind is much busied with any idea, it is apt to connect everything it sees with that idea."
406. When, in a dream, we see persons who are well known to us doing things which they are not in any way thinking of, is it not a mere effect of the imagination?
"Of which they are not thinking? How do you know that it is so? Their spirit may come to visit ours, as yours may go to visit theirs; and you do not always know, in your waking state, what they may be thinking of. And besides, you often, in your dreams, apply to persons whom you know, and according to your own desires, reminiscences of what took place, or is taking place, in other existences."
407. Is it necessary to the emancipation of the soul that the sleep of the body should be complete?
"No; the spirit recovers his liberty as soon as the senses become torpid. He takes advantage, in order to emancipate himself, of every moment of respite left him by the body. As soon as there occurs any prostration of the vital forces, the spirit disengages himself from the body, and the feebler the body, the freer is the spirit."
It is for this reason that dozing, or a mere dulling of the senses, often presents the same images as dreaming.
408. We sometimes seem to hear within ourselves words distinctly pronounced, but having no connection with what we are thinking of,-what is the cause o f this?
"Yes, you often hear words, and even whole sentences, especially when your senses begin to grow torpid. It is sometimes the faint echo of the utterance of a spirit who wishes to communicate with you."
409. Often, when only half-asleep, and with our eyes closed, we see distinct images, figures of which we perceive the minutest details, - is this an effect of vision or of imagination?
"The body being torpid, the spirit tries to break his chain. He goes away and sees; if the sleep were deeper, the vision would be a dream."
410. We sometimes, when asleep, or half-asleep, have ideas which seem to us to be excellent, but which, despite all the efforts we make to recall them, are effaced from our memory on waking, - whence come these ideas?
"They are the result of the freedom of the spirit, who emancipates himself from the body, and enjoys the use of other faculties during this moment of liberty; and they are often counsels given you by other spirits."
- What is the use of such ideas and counsels, since we lose the remembrance of them, and cannot profit by them?
"Those ideas often belong rather to the world of spirits than to the corporeal world; but, in general, though the body may forget them, the spirit remembers them, and the idea recurs to him at the proper time, in his waking state, as though it were an inspiration of the moment."
411. Does the incarnated spirit, when he is freed from matter and acting as a spirit, know the epoch of his death?
"He often has the presentiment of it. He sometimes has a very clear foreknowledge of it; and it is this which gives him the intuition of it in his waking state. It is this, also, which enables some persons to foresee the time of their death with perfect exactness."
412. Can the activity of the spirit, during the repose or the sleep of the body, cause fatigue to the latter?
"Yes, for the spirit is attached to the body, as the captive-balloon is fastened to the post; and, just as the post is shaken by the movements of the balloon, so the activity of the spirit reacts upon the body, and may cause it to feel fatigued."
Visits Between the Spirits of Living Persons
413. The emancipation of the soul during sleep would seem to indicate that we live simultaneously two lives; the life of the body, which is that of exterior relation, and the life of the soul, which it that of occult relation, - is this so?
"During the emancipation of the soul, the life of the latter takes precedence of the life of the body; this, however, does not, strictly speaking, constitute two lives, but rather two phases of one and the same life, for a man: does not live a double life."
414. Can two persons, who are acquainted with each other, visit one another in sleep?
"Yes; and many others, who, in their waking state, do not know that they are acquainted, meet and converse together. You may, without suspecting it, have friends in another country. The fact of going, during sleep, to visit friends, relatives, acquaintances, persons who can be of use to you, is extremely frequent; and you yourselves accomplish these visits almost every night."
415. What can be the use of these nocturnal meetings, since we do not remember them?
"The intuition of them generally remains with you in your waking state, and is often the origin of ideas which afterwards occur to you, as it were, spontaneously, without your being able to account for them, but which are really those you had obtained in the spirit-intercourse carried on by you during your sleep."
416. Can a man ensure the making of spirit-visits by the exertion of his will? Can he do so, for example, by saying to himself, on going to sleep, "I will to-night meet such and such a person in spirit, and speak with him about such and such a thing"?
"This is what takes place. The man falls asleep, and his spirit wakens to the other life; but his spirit is often very far from following out the plan which had been resolved upon by the man, for the life of the man excites but little interest in a spirit when he is emancipated from matter. This statement, however, only applies to men who have already reached a. certain degree of elevation. The others pass their spirit-existence very differently. They give free rein to their passions, or remain inactive. It may happen, therefore, according to the aim of the proposed action, that a spirit may go to see the parties he had, as a man, proposed to visit; but it does not follow that, because he has willed to do so in his waking state, he will necessarily do so in his state of freedom."
417. Can a number of incarnate spirits, during sleep, meet together, and form assemblies?
"Undoubtedly they can. The ties of friendship, old or new, often bring together spirits who are happy to be in each other's company."
By the term old must be understood the ties of friendship contracted in anterior existences. We bring back with us, on waking, an intuition of the ideas which we have derived from these occult meetings, but of the source of which we are ignorant.
418. If a person believed one of his friends to be dead who is not dead, could he meet him as a spirit, and thus learn that he is living? Could he, in such a case, preserve the intuition of this fact on waking?
"He could, certainly, as a spirit, see his friend, and know what is his situation; and if the belief in the death of that friend had not been imposed on him as an expiation, he might retain an impression of his existence, as, in the contrary case, he might retain that of his death:"
Occult Transmission of Thought
419. Whence comes it that the same idea - that of a discovery, for instance - so often suggests itself at the same time to several persons, although they may be at a distance from one another?
"We have already said that, during sleep, spirits communicate with one another; well, when his body awakes, a spirit remembers what he has learned, and the man thinks he has invented it. Thus several persons may find out the same thing at the same time. When you say that an idea is 'in the air,' you employ a figure of speech that is much nearer the truth than you suppose. Every one helps unconsciously to propagate it."
In this way our spirit often reveals to other spirits, without our being aware of it, that which formed the object of our meditations before we went to sleep.
420. Can spirits communicate between themselves when the body is awake?
"A spirit is not enclosed in his body as in a box, but radiates around it in every direction. He can, therefore, hold communication with other spirits even in the waking state, although he does so with more difficulty."
421. How does it happen that two persons, perfectly awake, often have the same thought at the same moment?
"It is because two spirits, who are in sympathy, may communicate their thought to each other even when the body is not asleep."
There is, between spirits, a communication of thoughts which sometimes enables two persons to see and understand one another without having any need of human speech. They may be said to speak the language of spirits.
Lethargy, Catalepsy, Apparent Death
422. In lethargy and catalepsy, the patients generally see and hear what takes place around them, but are unable to manifest their impressions. Is it through the eyes and ears of the body that these impressions are received?
"No; they are received by the spirit. The spirit is conscious but cannot express himself."
- Why can he not express himself?
"The state of his body prevents his doing so; and this state of his bodily organs proves that man consists of something more than a body, since the body no longer works, and yet the spirit acts."
423. Can a spirit, in a state of lethargy, separate from his body, so as to give to the latter all the outward appearances of death, and afterwards come back and inhabit it?
"In lethargy, the body is not dead, for it still accomplishes some of its functions. Its vitality is latent, as in the chrysalis, but is not annihilated; and a spirit is united to his body as long as it remains alive. When once the links which keep them together are broken by the death and disaggregation of the bodily organs, the separation is complete, and the spirit never again comes back to his body. When one who is apparently dead comes to life again, it is because the process of death was not entirely consummated."
424. Is it possible, by means of timely help, to renew the ties which were ready to break, and to give back life to a person who, but for this help, would have definitively ceased to live?
"Yes, undoubtedly; and you have proofs of this every day. Mesmerism often exercises, in such cases, a powerful restorative action, because it gives to the body the vital fluid which it lacks, and which is necessary to keep up the play of the organs."
Lethargy and catalepsy proceed from the same cause, viz., the temporary loss of sensibility and power of motion, from some as yet unexplained physiological condition. They differ in this respect, viz., that, in lethargy, the suppression of the vital force is general, and gives to the body all the appearances of death, whereas, in catalepsy, that suppression is localised, and may affect a more or less extensive portion of the body, while leaving the intelligence free to manifest itself; a fact which does not allow it to be confounded with death. Lethargy is always natural; catalepsy is sometimes spontaneous, but it may be produced and dissipated artificially by mesmeric action.
Somnambulism
425. Is there any connection between natural somnambulism and dreaming?
"In somnambulism the independence of the soul is more complete, and its functions are more developed, than in dreaming, and it has perceptions that it has not in dreaming, which is an imperfect somnambulism.
"In somnambulism, the spirit is entirely freed from the action of matter; the material organs, being in a sort of catalepsy, are no longer receptive of external impressions.
"This state most frequently occurs during sleep, because the spirit is then able to absent itself from the body which is given up to the repose that is indispensable to matter. When somnambulism occurs, it is because the spirit of the sleeper, intent upon doing something or other that requires the aid of his body, makes use of it in a manner analogous to that in which spirits make use of a table, or other material object, in producing the phenomena of physical manifestations, or of a human hand, in giving written communications. In the dreams of which a man is conscious, his organs, including those of memory, are beginning to awaken; and, as they only receive and transmit to the spirit imperfectly the impressions made on them by exterior objects or action, the spirit, who is then in a state of repose, only perceives these impressions through confused and often disconnected sensations, which, in many cases, are still further confused by being mingled with vague remembrances of his present life and anterior existences. It is easy, therefore, to understand why somnambulists do not remember their visions, and why the greater number of the dreams you remember have no rational meaning. I say the greater number, for it sometimes happens that dreams are the consequence of a precise remembrance of events that have occurred in one of your former lives, or even a sort of intuition of the future."
426. Is there any connection between what is called mesmeric somnambulism and natural somnambulism?
"They are the same thing; the only difference between them being that one of them is artificially produced."
427. What is the nature of the agent called the magnetic or mesmeric fluid?
"It is the vital fluid, animalised electricity; a modification of the universal fluid."
428. What is the nature of somnambulic clairvoyance?
"We have told you that it is soul-sight."
429. How can the somnambulist see through opaque bodies?
"It is only to your gross organs that bodies are opaque. Have we not told you that matter is not an obstacle for a spirit, since he passes freely through it? A somnambulist often tells you that he sees through his forehead, his knee, etc., because you, being plunged in matter, do not understand that he can see without the help of organs. He himself, influenced by your ideas, believes that he needs those organs; but, if you left him to himself, he would understand that he sees through every part of his body, or rather, that he sees independently of his body."
430. Since the clairvoyance of the somnambulist is that of hit soul or of his spirit, why does he not see everything, and why does he so often make mistakes?
"In the first place, spirits of low degree do not see and comprehend everything, for, as you know, they still share your errors and your prejudices; and, in the next place, as long as they remain more or less attached to matter, they have not the use of all their spirit-faculties. God has given the faculty of clairvoyance to man for a serious and useful purpose, and not to inform him of what it is not permitted to him to know; and this is why somnambulists do not know everything."
431 What is the source of the somnambulist's innate ideas, and how can he speak correctly of things of which he is ignorant in his waking state, and which are even above his intellectual capacity?
"A somnambulist may possess more knowledge than you give him credit for; but this knowledge is latent in his waking state, because his envelope is too imperfect for him to be able to remember all he knows as a spirit. But, in point of fact, what is he? Like all of us, he is a spirit who has been incarnated in matter for the accomplishment of his mission, and his going into the somnambulic state rouses him from the lethargy of incarnation. We have repeatedly told you that we re-live many times. It is this changing of our existences that causes him to lose sight, in a new connection with matter, of what he may have know in a preceding one. On entering into the state which you call a crisis, he recalls what he has formerly known, but not always with completeness. He knows, but he cannot tell whence he derives his knowledge, nor in what way he possesses it. The crisis over, his reminiscences fade from his consciousness, and he re-enters the obscurity of corporeal life."
Experience shows us that somnambulists also receive communications from other spirits, who tell them what they are to say, and supply what is lacking on their part. This supplementing of their Insufficiency is often and especially witnessed in medical consultations; the spirit of the clairvoyant seeing the malady, and another spirit indicating the remedy required. This double action is often patent to bystanders, and is also frequently revealed by such expressions on the part of the somnambulist as, "I am told to say," or, "I am forbidden to say," etc. In the latter case, it is always dangerous to persist in the effort to obtain a revelation refused by the clairvoyant, because, by doing so, we open the door to frivolous and unscrupulous spirits, who prate about everything without any regard to veracity.
132. How do you explain the power of seeing at a distance possessed by some somnambulists?
"Does not the soul transport itself to a distance during sleep? It does the same thing in somnambulism."
433. Does the greater or less degree of somnambulic clairvoyance depend on the physical organisation of the body, or on the nature of the spirit incarnated in it?
"On both; but there are physical qualities that allow the spirit to liberate himself more or less easily from matter."
434. Are the faculties enjoyed by the somnambulist the same as those possessed by the spirit after death?
"They are the same, but only up to a certain point; for you have to take into account the influence of the matter to which he is still attached."
435. Can somnambulists see other spirits?
"That depends on the nature and degree of their faculties. The greater number of them see other spirits perfectly well, but they do not always recognise them at once as being such, and thus mistake them for corporeal beings; a mistake that is often made by somnambulists, and especially by those among them who know nothing of Spiritism. Not understanding anything of the essence of spirits, they are astonished at seeing them in human form, and suppose them to be living persons."
The same effect is produced at the moment of death in the consciousness of those who suppose themselves to be still living. Nothing about them appears to them to be changed. The spirits around them seem to have bodies like ours, and they take the appearance of their own body to be that of a real body of flesh.
436. When a somnambulist sees objects at a distance, does he see them with his body or with his soul?
"Why should you ask such a question, since it is the soul that sees, and not the body?"
437. Since it is the soul that transports itself to a distance, how is it that the somnambulist feels in his body the sensation of the heat or the cold of the place where his soul is, and which is sometimes very far from the place where his body is?
"His soul has not entirely quitted his body, to which it is still attached by the link which unites them together; it is this link that is the conductor of sensation. When two persons in two different cities correspond with each other by electricity, it is the electricity that constitutes the link between their thoughts, and enables them to communicate with one another as though they were close together."
438. Is the state of the somnambulist influenced after death by the use he has made of his faculty?
"Very considerably; as is done by the good or bad use of all the faculties that God has given to man."
Trance
439. What difference is there between trance and somnambulism?
"Trance is a more refined somnambulism. The soul, when in trance, is still more independent."
440. Does the soul of the ecstatic really enter into higher worlds?
"Yes; he sees them, and perceives the happiness of those who are in them; but there are worlds that are inaccessible to spirits who are not sufficiently purified."
441. When a person in trance expresses the desire to quit the earth, does he speak sincerely, and is he not retained by the instinct of self-preservation?
"That depends on the degree of the spirit's purification. If he sees that his future situation will be better than his present one, he makes an effort to break the links that bind him to the earth."
442. If the ecstatic were left to himself, might his soul definitively quit his body?
"Yes, he might die; and it is therefore necessary to call him back by everything that may attach him to the lower life, and especially by making him see that, if he breaks the chain which keeps him here, he will have taken the most effectual means of preventing his staying in the world in which he perceives that he would be happy."
443. The ecstatic sometimes professes to see things which are evidently the product of an imagination impressed with earthly beliefs and prejudices. What he sees, therefore, is not always real?
"What he sees is real for him; but, as his spirit is always under the influence of terrestrial ideas, he may see it in his own way, or, to speak more correctly, he may express it in a language accommodated, to his prejudices, or to the ideas in which he has been brought up, or to your own, in order the better to make himself understood. It is in this way that he is most apt to err."
444. What degree of confidence should be accorded to the revelations of persons in a state of trance?
"The ecstatic may very frequently be mistaken, especially when he seeks to penetrate what must remain a mystery for man; for he then abandons himself to his own ideas, or becomes the sport of deceiving spirits, who take advantage of his enthusiasm to dazzle him with false appearances."
445. What inductions are to be drawn from the phenomena of somnambulism and of trance? May they not be considered as a sort of initiation into the future life?
"It would be more correct to say that, in those states, the somnambulist may obtain glimpses of his past and future lives. Let man study those phenomena; he will find in them the solution of more than one mystery which his unassisted reason seeks in
vain to penetrate."
446. Could the phenomena of somnambulism and trance be made to accord with theoretic materialism?
"He who should study them honestly, and without preconceived ideas, could not be either a materialist or an atheist."
Second-Sight
447. Is there any connection between the phenomena of what is designated as second-sight and those of dreaming and somnambulism?
"They are all the same thing. What you call second-sight is also a state in which the spirit is partially free, although the body is not asleep. Second-sight is soul-sight."
448. Is the faculty of second-sight a permanent one?
"The faculty of second-sight is permanent, but its exercise is not. In worlds less material than yours, spirits free themselvesfrom matter more easily, and enter into communication with one another simply by thought, without, however, excluding the use of articulate speech. In those worlds, second-sight is, for the greater part of their inhabitants, a permanent faculty. Their normal state may lie compared to that of lucid somnambulism among you; and it is for this reason that they manifest themselves to you more easily than those who are incarnated in bodies of a grosser nature."
449. Does second-sight occur spontaneously, or through an exertion of the will of those who possess that faculty?
"It generally occurs spontaneously; but the will, nevertheless, often plays an important part in producing this phenomenon. Take, for example, the persons who are called fortune-tellers - and some of whom really have that power - and you will find that the action of their will helps them to this second-sight, and to what you call vision."
450. Is second-sight susceptible of being developed by exercise
"Yes; effort always leads to progress, and the veil which covers things becomes more transparent."
- Is this faculty a result of physical organisation?
"Organisation has undoubtedly a great deal to do with it; there are organisations with which it is incompatible."
451. How is it that second-sight appears to be hereditary in certain families?
"This proceeds from similarity of organisation, which is transmitted, like other physical qualities; and also from the development of the faculty through a sort of education, which, also, is transmitted from one generation to another."
452. Is it true that circumstances develop second-sight?
"Illness, the approach of danger, any great commotion, may develop it. The body is sometimes in a state which allows of the spirit's seeing what cannot be seen with the fleshly eye."
Times of crisis and of calamity, powerful emotions, all the causes, in short, which excite the moral nature, may develop second-sight. It would seem as though Providence gave us, when in the presence of danger, the means of escaping it. All sects and all parties subjected to persecution have offered numerous instances of this fact.
453. Are the persons who are gifted with second-sight always conscious of their faculty?
"Not always; it appears to them to be altogether natural, and many of them suppose that, if everybody observed their own impressions, they would find themselves to be possessed of the same power."
454. May we attribute to a sort of second-sight the perspicacity of those persons who, without being remarkably gifted in other ways, possess an unusually clear judgment in relation to the things of everyday life?
"Such clearness of judgment is always due to a freer radiation of the soul, enabling the man to see more correctly than those whose perceptions are more densely veiled by matter."
- Can this lucidity of judgment, in some cases, give the foreknowledge of future events?
"Yes, it may give presentiments; for there are many degrees in this faculty, and the same person may possess all those degrees, as he may possess only some of them."
Explanation of Somnambulism, Trance, and Second-Sight.
455. The phenomena of natural somnambulism occur spontaneously and independently of any known external cause; but, in persons endowed with a special organisation, they may be produced artificially through the action of the mesmeric agent. The only difference between the state designated as mesmeric somnambulism and natural somnambulism is, that the one is artificially produced, while the other is spontaneous.
Natural somnambulism is a notorious fact, the reality of which few now dispute, notwithstanding the marvellous character of the phenomena it presents. Why, then, should mesmeric somnambulism be regarded as more extraordinary or incredible, simply because it is produced artificially, like so many other things? It has been abused by charlatans, some persons will reply; but that fact only affords an additional reason for not leaving it in their hands. When science shall have taken possession of it; charlatanism will have much less credit with the masses; but, meanwhile, as somnambulism, both natural and artificial, is a fact, and as a fact cannot be argued down, it is making its way, despite the ill-will of its adversaries; and obtaining a footing even in the temple of science, which it is entering by a multitude of side-doors, instead of entering by the principal one. Its right to be there will, ere long, be fully recognised.
For the spiritist, somnambulism is more than a physical phenomenon; it is a light thrown on the subject of psychology; it is a state in which we can study the soul, because in it the soul shows itself, so to say, without covering. Now, one of the phenomena which characterise the soul is clear-seeing independently of the ordinary visual organs. Those who contest this fact do so on the ground that the somnambulist does not see at all times, and at the will of the experimentalist, as with the eyes. Need we be astonished if, the means employed being different, the results are not the same? Is it reasonable to demand identical effects in cases in which the instruments employed are not the same? The soul has its properties just as has the eye; and the former must be judged of by themselves, and not by analogy with the latter.
The cause of the clairvoyance of the mesmeric and of the natural somnambulist is identically the same: it is an attribute of the soul, a faculty inherent in every part of the incorporeal being which is in us, and has no other limits than those assigned to the soul itself. The somnambulist sees wherever his soul can transport itself, at no matter what distance.
In sight at distance, the somnambulist does not see from the point at which his body is, and as though through a telescope. The things he sees are present with him, as though he were at the place where they exist, because his soul is there in reality; and it is for this reason that his body is, as it were, annihilated, and seems to be deprived of sensation, until the moment when the soul comes back and retakes possession of it. This partial separation of the soul and the body is an abnormal state, which may last for a longer or shorter time, but not indefinitely; it is the cause of the fatigue felt by the body after a certain lapse of time, especially when the soul during that partial separation, busies itself with some active pursuit. The fact that soul-sight or espirit-sight is not circumscribed, and has no definite seat, explains why somnambulists are unable to assign to it any special organ or focus. They see, because they see, without knowing why or how; their sight, as spirit-sight, having no special focus. If they refer their perception to their body, this focus seems to them to be in the organic centres in which the vital activity is greatest, especially in the brain, in. the epigastric region, or in whatever organ appears to them to be the point at which the bond between the spirit and the body is most tenacious.
The scope of somnambulistic lucidity is not unlimited. A spirit, even when completely free, only possesses the faculties and the knowledge appertaining to the degree of advancement at which he has arrived, a limitation which becomes still further narrowed when he is united with matter, and thus subjected to its influence. This is the reason why somnambulistic clairvoyance is neither universal nor infallible; and its infallibility is all the less to be counted on when it is turned aside from the aim which has been assigned to it by nature, and made a mere matter of curiosity and experimentation.
In the state of comparative freedom in which the somnambulist finds himself, he enters more easily into communication with other spirits, incarnate or disincarnate; and this communication is established through the contact of the fluids which compose their perispirits, and serve, like the electric wire, for the transmission of thought. The somnambulist, therefore, has no need of articulate speech as a vehicle of thought, which he feels and divines; a mode of perception that renders him eminently accessible to, and impressionable by, the influences of the moral atmosphere in which he finds himself. For the same reason, a numerous concourse of spectators, and especially of those who are attracted by a more or less malevolent curiosity, is essentially unfavourable to the manifestation of his peculiar faculties, which close up, so to say, at the contact of hostile influences, and only unfold freely in intimacy, and under the influence of sympathetic surroundings. The presence of those who are malevolent or antipathetic produces upon him the effect of the contact of the hand upon a sensitive plant.
The somnambulist sees, at the same time, his own spirit and his body; they are, so to say, two beings which represent to him his double existence, spiritual and corporeal, and which, nevertheless. are blended into one by the ties which united them together. The somnambulist does not always comprehend this duality, which often leads him to speak of himself as though he were speaking of another person; in such cases, the corporeal being sometimes speaking to the spiritual being, and the spiritual being sometimes speaking to the corporeal being.
The spirit acquires an increase of knowledge and experience in each of his corporeal existences. He loses sight of part of these gains during his reincarnation in matter, which is too gross to allow of his remembering them in their entirety; but he remembers them as a spirit. It is thus that some somnambulists give evidence of possessing knowledge beyond their present degree of instruction, and even of their apparent intellectual capacity. The intellectual and scientific inferiority of a somnambulist in his waking state, therefore, proves nothing against his possession of the knowledge he may display in his lucid state. According to the circumstances of the moment and the aim proposed, he may draw this knowledge from the stores of his own experience, from his clairvoyant perception of things actually occurring, or from the counsels which he receives from other spirits; but, in proportion as his own spirit is more or less advanced, he will make his statements more or less correctly.
In the phenomena of somnambulism, whether natural or mesmeric, Providence furnishes us with undeniable proof of the existence and independence of the soul, by causing us to witness the sublime spectacle of its emancipation from the fetters of the body, and thus enabling us to read our future destiny as in an open book. When a somnambulist describes what is taking place at a distance, it is equally evident that he sees what he describes, and that he does not see it with his bodily eyes. He sees himself at that distant point, and he feels himself to be transported thither. Something of himself, therefore, is really present at that distant point; and that something, not being his body, can only be his soul or his spirit.
While man, in search of the causes of his moral being, loses himself in abstract and unintelligible metaphysical subtleties, God places daily before his eyes, and within reach of his hand, the simplest and most certain means for the study of experimental psychology.
Trance is the state in which the soul's independence of the body is made most clearly visible, and, so to say, palpable, to the senses of the observer.
In dreaming and somnambulism, the soul wanders among terrestrial worlds; in trance, it penetrates into a sphere of existence of another order, into that of the etherealised spirits with whom it enters into communication, without, however, being able to overstep certain limits which it could not pass without entirely breaking the links that attach it to the body. Surrounded by novel splendours, enraptured by harmonies unknown to earth, penetrated by bliss that defies description, the soul enjoys a foretaste of celestial beatitude, and may be said to have placed one foot on the threshold of eternity.
In the state of trance, the annihilation of corporeal ties is almost complete. The body no longer possesses anything more than organic life; and we feel that the soul is only held thereto by a single thread, which any further effort on its part would break for ever.
In this state, all earthly thoughts disappear, and give place to the purified perception that is the very essence of our immaterial being. Entirely absorbed in this sublime contemplation, the ecstatic regards the earthly life as being merely a momentary halt upon our eternal way; the successes and misfortunes of this lower world, its gross joys and sorrows, appear to him only as the futile incidents of a journey of which he is delighted to foresee the end.
It is with ecstatics as with somnambulists; their lucidity may be more or less perfect, and their spirit, according as it is more or less elevated, is also more or less apt to apprehend the truth of things. In their abnormal state, there is sometimes more of nervous excitement than of true lucidity; or, to speak more correctly, their nervous excitement impairs their lucidity, and, for this reason, their revelations are often a mixture of truths and errors, of sublime ideas and absurd or even ridiculous fancies. Inferior spirits often take advantage of this nervous excitement (which is always a source of weakness to those who are unable to control it), in order to subjugate the ecstatic; and to this end they assume to his eyes the appearances which confirm him in the ideas and prejudices of his waking state. This subjugation of clairvoyants by the presentation of false appearances is the "rock ahead" of this order of revealment. But all of them are not equally subject to this dangerous misleading; and it is for us to weigh their statements coolly and carefully, and to judge their revelations by the light of science and of reason.
The emancipation of the soul occurs sometimes in the waking state, and gives, to those who are endowed with the faculty designated by the name of second-sight, the power of seeing, hearing, and feeling, beyond the limits of the bodily senses. They
perceive things at a distance, at all points to which their soul extends its action; they see them, so to say, athwart their ordinary sight, and as though in a sort of mirage.
At the moment when the phenomenon of second-sight occurs, the physical state of the seer is visibly modified. His glance becomes vague; he looks before him without seeing; his physiognomy reflects an abnormal state of the nervous system. It is
evident that his organs of sight have nothing to do with his present perceptions; for his vision continues, even when his eyes are shut. The faculty of second-sight appears to those who are endowed with it to be as natural as ordinary sight. It seems to them to be an attribute of their being; and they are not aware of its exceptional character. They generally forget this fugitive lucidity, the remembrance of which, becoming more and more vague, disappears at length from their memory like a dream.
The power of second-sight varies from a confused sensation to a clear and distinct perception of things present or distant. In its rudimentary state, it gives to some persons tact, perspicacity, a sort of sureness, in their decisions and actions, that may be styled the rectitude of the moral glance. At a higher degree of development, it awakens presentiments; still further developed, it shows to the seer events that have already happened, or that are about to happen.
Natural and artificial somnambulism, trance, and second-sight are only varieties or modifications of the action of one and the same cause. Like dreams, they are a branch of natural phenomena, and have therefore existed in every age. History shows us that they have been known, and even abused, from the remotest antiquity; and they furnish the explanation of innumerable facts which superstitious prejudices have led men to regard as supernatural.
from The Gospel According To Spiritism by Allan Kardec:
CHAPTER 25
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND
If you help yourself then Heaven will come to your aid. - Behold the fowls of the air. - Provide not gold in your purse.
IF YOU HELP YOURSELF THEN HEAVEN WILL COME TO YOUR AID
1. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you: for every one who asks will receive; and he that seeks will find; and to him that knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there amongst you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, which is in Heaven, give good things to those that ask Him?" (MATTHEW, 7: 7-11.)
2. From an earthly point of view the maxim 'Seek and you will find'; is the same as that other one `Help yourself and the heavens will come to your aid.' This is the base of the Law of Work and consequently the Law of Progress, since progress is the child of work, seeing that this puts into action the force of intelligence.
During the infancy of Humanity, Man only used his intelligence in seeking food, as a means of protection against the climate, and defending himself from his enemies. However, God has given Man something more than He gave to animals, which is an incessant desire to better himself. It is this desire that impels him to seek out the best ways of improving his position in life, which duly leads him to make discoveries, to invent things, and to perfect the sciences because it is science that gives him what he lacks. Through Man's research his intelligence heightens and his morals gradually become purified. The needs of the body give way to those of the Spirit. After material nourishment Man needs spiritual nourishment. This is how he passes from savagery to civilisation.
But the amount of progress achieved by each person during a single lifetime is very small indeed, in most cases even imperceptible. How then could humanity progress without pre-existence and the re-existence of the soul? If the souls who daily leave the Earth were never to return, then humanity would be constantly renewing itself with primitive elements, having everything still to do and learn. There would then be no reason why Man should be more advanced today than he was during the first epochs of the world, because at each birth all intellectual work would have to recommence. On the other hand, by returning with the degree of progress realised and acquiring something more each time, the soul then gradually passes from the barbaric state to that of materialistic civilisation, and then on to one of moral civilisation. (See chapter 4, item 17.)
3. If God had exempted Man from bodily work his limbs would have withered. If He had exempted him from intellectual work then his Spirit would have remained in a state of infancy, or mere animal instinct. This is why He made work a necessity by saying: Seek and you will find; work and you will produce. In this way you are the product of your work; you receive the merit of it and recompense in accordance with what has been done.
4. It is by virtue of this principle that the Spirits do not help in sparing men the work of research by bringing them discoveries and inventions prepared and ready for use. Nor in such a way that they would have nothing to do but accept what was put into their hands, without any inconvenience whatsoever, nor even to bend down and pick it up, nor yet to think about it. If things were like that then the laziest could enrich themselves and the most ignorant could become wise at the cost of no effort, and both would have merits attributed to them for things they had not done. No, the Spirits do not come to exempt Man from the Law of Work, but only to show him the goal to be reached and the pathway that leads there, by saying: walk and you will get there. You will find your path strewn with stones; look upon them and then move them. We will give you the necessary strength if you care to utilise it. (See THE MEDIUMS' BOOK,' chapter 26, item 291 onwards.)
5. From the moral point of view, these words of Jesus signify that if we ask for the light, which will show us the way, it will be given. If we ask for strength to resist evil we shall receive it, and if we ask for the assistance of the good Spirits, then they will come to accompany us. Just as the angel of Tobias* [* See Book of Tobias, New Jerusalem Bible. (Translator's comment.)] came to help him, so they will guide us. If we ask for good counsel it will not be refused, and if we knock on His door it will be opened. But we must ask with sincerity, faith, confidence, and fervour. We must present ourselves with humility and not with arrogance, or else we will be abandoned to our own strength and the falls taken will be punishment for our pride.
This then is what is meant by the words: Seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened.
BEHOLD THE FOWLS OF THE AIR
6. "Do not accumulate treasures for yourselves on Earth, where worms and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust can destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This is why I tell you: Do not be anxious about where you will find something to eat so you can sustain your life, nor where you can get clothes to cover your body. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor store anything in barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not work, neither do they spin, and still l say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore, if God clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, Oh, you of little faith!
So stop worrying, and saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Pagans seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.
But first seek the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. Therefore give no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for the day is its evil. " (MATTHEW, 6: 19-21 & 25-34.)
7. In a literal translation these words would be a denial of all providence, of all work and consequently of all progress. With this kind of principle Man would be limited to waiting passively. His physical and intellectual strengths would remain inactive. If such were the normal conditions on Earth we would never have left the primitive state, and if this condition became the law today then it would only remain to live in total idleness. This could not have been the thought of Jesus, since this would be a contradiction of what He said on other occasions and also contradict the Laws of Nature. God created Man without clothes or shelter, but He gave him intelligence so as to be able to make them. (See chapter 14, item 6 & chapter 25, item 2.)
Consequently these words must not be seen as anything more than the poetical allegory of Providence, which never abandons those who put their confidence in it, but wishes that all work in their turn. If Providence does not always come in the form of material help, then it inspires those ideas from which is found the means of getting out of difficulty. (See chapter 27, item 8.)
God comprehends our necessities and provides for them when needed. Nevertheless, Man is insatiable in his desires and does not always know how to be content with what he has. Possessing what is necessary is not enough for him; he demands that which is superfluous. Then Providence leaves him to himself. Frequently he becomes unhappy through his own fault, and for having paid no attention to the voice that, through the intermediary of his conscience, has given him warning. In these cases the Lord lets him suffer the consequences so that it may serve as a lesson for the future. (See chapter 5, item 4.)
8. The Earth will produce sufficient to feed all its inhabitants when Man discovers how to administer the benefits that it offers according to the Laws of Justice, Charity and Love for one's neighbour. When fraternity reigns amongst all peoples, as it does amongst the provincials of any country, then the momentary superfluity of the one will overcome the insufficiency of another, and everyone will have what is necessary. Then the rich man will consider himself as one who possesses a great quantity of seeds. If he shares them with others they will produce a thousandfold for himself and for them. However, if he eats all the seeds himself, or wastes them and allows the surplus from what he ate to be lost, then nothing will be produced and he will take nothing out of this for others. If he hoards the seeds in his barn then the maggots will devour them. Hence Jesus had said: "Do not accumulate treasures on Earth because they are perishable, but accumulate them in Heaven where they are eternal." In other words, do not give material possessions more importance than the spiritual ones, and know how to sacrifice the first for the second. (See chapter 16, item 7 onwards.)
Charity and fraternity are not decreed under law. If one or the other is not in the heart then selfishness will rule. Consequently it is the task of Spiritism to see that they both penetrate the heart of Man.
PROVIDE NOT GOLD IN YOUR PURSE
9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses. Do not take a bag for your journey, nor two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves, for the workman is worthy of his keep.
10. And in whatever city or town you go to, enquire as to who is worthy to put you up. Then stay there till you leave. And when you enter into a house, give your greeting. And if the house is worthy, let your peace be upon it; but if it is not then let your peace return to you. And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgement, than for that city. (MATTHEW, 10: 9-15.)
11. These words, which Jesus directed to His apostles when He sent them to announce the Glad Tidings for the first time, were nothing unusual in those days. They were in accordance with the patriarchal customs of the Orient, when the traveller was always made welcome in the tent. But then in those days travellers were very rare indeed. Among modern peoples the development of travel has created new customs. Very distant lands, where the great movement has not yet penetrated, are the only places to conserve those of ancient times. If Jesus were to return today He could no longer tell His apostles to put themselves on the road without provisions.
Apart from their actual meaning, these words hold a very profound moral sense. In proffering them, Jesus was teaching His disciples to have confidence in Providence. What is more, by having nothing, they could not cause covetousness amongst those who received them. This was the way of distinguishing those who were selfish from those who were charitable. This is why He told them to "Find out who is worthy to put you up." or rather who is human enough to clothe a traveller who has nothing with which to pay. These are the people who will be worthy to receive your words, and who will be recognisable by their charity.
With regard to those who cared neither to receive them nor to listen to them, did He tell His disciples that they should curse them, that they should impose the teachings upon them, or that they should use violence and force so as to convert them? No, He simply told them to go away and seek others who were willing to listen.
Today Spiritism says the same thing to its followers. Do not violate any consciences. Do not force anyone to leave his or her faith in order to adopt yours. Do not excommunicate those who do not think as you do. Welcome all who come to join you, and leave in peace all those who are repelled by your ideas. Remind yourselves of the words of Christ. In other times the heavens were taken over by violence, but today they are taken over by mildness. (See chapter 4, items 10 & 11.)
[NB I include the start of the next chapter, too - SBW]
CHAPTER 26
GIVE FOR FREE WHAT HAS BEEN RECEIVED GRATUITOUSLY
The gift of healing. - Paid prayers. - The moneychangers expelled from the Temple. - Gratuitous mediumship.
THE GIFT OF HEALING
1. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely you have received, freely give." (MATTHEW, 10: 8.)
2. "Give for free what has been received gratuitously", is what Jesus told His disciples. With this recommendation it is prescribed that no one be charged for something for which nothing has been paid. Now what they had received gratuitously was the faculty of healing those who were sick, and that of expelling devils, that is to say bad Spirits. God gave them this faculty gratis for the alleviation of those who suffer and as a means of propagating faith. Jesus, then, recommended that they should not turn this into an object of commercialisation, neither speculation, nor a means of livelihood.
"The warrior of light is a believer.
Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change. Because he is certain that he will find love, that love appears.
Now and then, he is disappointed. Sometimes, he gets hurt.
Then he hears people say: ‘He’s so ingenuous!’
But the warrior knows that it is worth it. For every defeat, he has two victories in his favour.
All believers know this."
Also, here is advance news about Dr Peter J. D'Adamo's exciting new book due out in December, entitled The Genotype Diet taken from an expert blog on the blood type website http://dadamo.com
WEBlog: Dr. Tom Greenfield
Beyond blood type: The GenoType™ Diet Revealed
The IfHI Conference 2007 - The Buttes, Phoenix, AZ.
What a great conference: lots of speakers with new information on
genetics and individuality, all giving the background information
for the new concept revealed by Dr. D'Adamo.
The Book The GenoType™ Diet is to be on sale from December 26th,
2007. The concept takes us beyond blood types, to a new
categorisation of 6 distinct genotypes:
The Hunter
The Gatherer
The Teacher
The Explorer
The Warrior
The Nomad
Although these genotypes include blood group and secretor status
information, they do not all exclusively relate to one single blood
type: individuals fitting into certain genotypes may have one of
several possible blood types. The new additions to the genotypes
over and above the genetic information associated with blood types
includes many easily accessible measurements:
Dermatoglyphic (fingerprint) patterns
D2-D4 ratio (second and fourth finger length)
Tooth shape
Upper to lower leg ratio
Body shape
Head shape
These are associated with 'epigenetic' factors that do not change
the actual genes of the individual, but influence how they are
expressed, like a volume control that can be moved up or down to
vary the amount that a certain gene interacts with the environment.
Other influencing factors on a person's genotype include both
ancestral DNA haplogroups and ayurvedic doshas. It looks like the
result will be the fusion of ancient wisdom, anthropometric
techniques from the last century, and modern cutting edge genetic
science - with a strong influence from the blood type information
that is associated with diet and health.
Each genotype has different disease risks and health benefits, and
the book will outline the best preventitive (sic) strategies for each
type. It promises to be a new generation of naturopathic medicine."
THE SPIRITS' BOOK by ALLAN KARDEC
CHAPTER VIII
EMANCIPATION OF THE SOUL
1. SLEEP AND DREAMS - 2. VISITS BETWEEN THE SPIRITS OF LIVING PERSONS 3. TRANSMISSION OF THOUGHT - 4. LETHARGY, CATALEPSY: APPARENT DEATH - 5. SOMNAMBULISM - 6. TRANCE - 7. SECOND SIGHT - 8.THEORY OF SOMNAMBULISM, TRANCE, AND SECOND-SIGHT.
Sleep and Dreams
400. Does the incarnated spirit reside willingly in his corporeal envelope?
"You might as well ask whether a prisoner willingly remains locked up in prison. The incarnated spirit aspires incessantly after his deliverance; and the grosser his envelope, the more desirous is he to be rid of it."
401. Does the soul take rest, like the body, during sleep?
"No; a spirit is never inactive. The bonds which unite him to the body are relaxed during sleep; and as the body does not then need his presence, he travels through space, and enters into more direct relation with other spirits."
402. How can we ascertain the fact of a spirit's liberty during sleep?
"By dreams. Be very sure that, when his body is asleep, a spirit enjoys the use of faculties of which he is unconscious while his body is awake. He remembers the past, and sometimes foresees the future: he acquires more power, and is able to enter into communication with other spirits, either in this world or in some other.
"You often say, 'I have had a strange dream, a frightful dream, without any likeness to reality'. You are mistaken in thinking it to be so; for it is often a reminiscence of places and things which you have seen in the past, or a foresight of those which you will see in another existence, or in this one at some future time. The body being torpid, the spirit tries to break his chain, and seeks, in the past or in the future, for the means of doing so.
"Poor human beings! how little do you know of the commonest phenomena of your life! You fancy yourselves to be very learned, and you are puzzled by the most ordinary things. To questions that any child might ask, `What do we do when we are asleep?' 'What are dreams?' you are incapable of replying.
"Sleep effects a partial freeing of the soul from the body. When you sleep, your spirit is, for the time being, in the state in which you will be after your death. The spirits who at death are promptly freed from matter are those who, during their life, have had what may be called intelligent sleep. Such persons, when they sleep, regain the society of other spirits superior to themselves. They go about with them, conversing with them, and gaining instruction from them; they even work, in the spirit-world, at undertakings which, on dying, they find already begun or completed. From this you see how little death should be dreaded, since, according to the saying of St. Paul, you 'die daily.'
"What we have just stated refers to spirits of an elevated degree of advancement. As for those of the common mass of men, who, after their death, remain for long hours in the state of confusion and uncertainty of which you have been told by such, they go, during sleep, into worlds of lower rank than the earth, to which they are drawn back by old affections, or by the attraction of pleasures still baser than those to which they are addicted in your world; visits in which they gather ideas still viler, more ignoble, and more mischievous than those which they had professed during their waking hours. And that which engenders sympathy in the earthly life is nothing else than the fact that you feel yourselves, on waking, affectionately attracted towards those with whom you have passed eight or nine hours of happiness or pleasure. On the other hand, the explanation of the invincible antipathies you sometimes feel for certain persons is also to be found in the intuitive knowledge you have thus acquired of the fact that those persons have another conscience than yours, because you know them without having previously seen them with your bodily eyes. It is this same fact, moreover, that explains the indifference of some people for others; they do not care to make new friends, because they know that they have others by whom they are loved and cherished. In a word, sleep has more influence than you think upon your life.
"Through the effects of sleep, incarnated spirits are always in connection with the spirit-world; and it is in consideration of this fact that spirits of a higher order consent, without much repugnance, to incarnate themselves among you. God has willed that, during their contact with vice, they may go forth and fortify themselves afresh at the source of rectitude, in order that they, who have come into your world to instruct others, may not fall into evil themselves. Sleep is the gate opened for them by God, that they may pass through it to their friends in the spirit-world; it is their recreation after labour, while awaiting the great deliverance, the final liberation, that will restore them to their true place.
"Dreams are the remembrance of what your spirit has seen during sleep; but you must remark that you do not always dream, because you do not always remember what you have seen, or all that you have seen. Your dreams do not always reflect the action of your soul in its full development; for they are often only the reflex of the confusion that accompanies your departure or your return, mingled with the vague remembrance of what you have done, or of what has occupied your thoughts, in your waking state. In what other way can you explain the absurd dreams which are dreamed by the wisest as by the silliest of mankind? Bad spirits, also, make use of dreams to torment weak and timid souls.
"You will see, ere long, the development of another kind of dream, a kind which is as ancient as the one you know, but one of which you are ignorant. The dream we allude to is that of Jeanne Darc (Joan of Arc), of Jacob, of the Jewish prophets, and of certain Hindoo ascetics - a dream which is the remembrance of the soul's experiences while entirely freed from the body, the remembrance of the second life, of which I spoke just now.
"You should carefully endeavour, to distinguish these two kinds of dreams among those which you are able to recall: unless you do this, you will be in danger of falling into contradictions and errors that would be prejudicial to your belief."
Dreams are a product of the emancipation of the soul, rendered more active by the suspension of the active life of relation, and enjoying a sort of indefinite clairvoyance which extends to places at a great distance from us, or that we have never seen, or even to other worlds. To this state of emancipation is also due the remembrance which retraces to our memory the events that have occurred in our present existence or in preceding existences; the strangeness of the images of what has taken place in worlds unknown to us, mixed up with the things of the present world, producing the confused and whimsical medleys that seem to be equally devoid of connection and of meaning.
The incoherence of dreams is still farther explained by the gaps resulting from the incompleteness of our remembrance of what has appeared to us in our nightly visions - an incompleteness similar to that of a narrative from which whole sentences, or parts of sentences, have been omitted by chance, and whose remaining fragments, having been thrown together again at random, have lost all intelligent meaning.
403. Why do we not always remember our dreams?
"What you call sleep is only the repose of the body, for the spirit is always in motion. During sleep he recovers a portion of his liberty, and enters into communication with those who are dear to him, either in this world, or in other worlds; but as the matter of the body is heavy and gross, it is difficult for him to retain, on waking, the impressions he has received during sleep, because those impressions were not received by him through the bodily organs."
404. What is to be thought of the signification attributed to dreams?
"Dreams are not really indications in the sense attributed to them by fortune-tellers; for it is absurd to believe that a certain kind of dream announces the happening of a certain kind of event. But they are indications in this sense - viz., that they present images which are real for the spirit, though they may have nothing to do with what takes place in his present corporeal life. Dreams are also, in many cases, as we have said, a remembrance; they may also be sometimes a presentiment of the future, if permitted by God, or the sight of something which is taking place at the time in some other place to which the soul has transported Itself. Have you not many instances proving that persons may appear to their relatives and friends in dreams, and give them notice of what is happening to them? What are apparitions, if not the soul or spirit of persons who come to communicate with you? When you acquire the certainty that what you saw has really taken place, is it not a proof that it was no freak of your imagination, especially if what you saw were something which you had not thought of when you were awake?"
405. We often see in dreams things which appear to be presentiments, but which do not come to pass, - how is this?
"Those things may take place in the experience of the spirit, though not in that of the body; that is to say, that the spirit sees what he wishes to see because he goes to find it. You must not forget that, during sleep, the spirit is always more or less under the influence of matter; that, consequently, he is never completely free from terrestrial ideas, and that the objects of his waking thoughts may therefore give to his dreams the appearance of what he desires or of what he fears, thus producing what may be properly termed an effect of the imagination. When the mind is much busied with any idea, it is apt to connect everything it sees with that idea."
406. When, in a dream, we see persons who are well known to us doing things which they are not in any way thinking of, is it not a mere effect of the imagination?
"Of which they are not thinking? How do you know that it is so? Their spirit may come to visit ours, as yours may go to visit theirs; and you do not always know, in your waking state, what they may be thinking of. And besides, you often, in your dreams, apply to persons whom you know, and according to your own desires, reminiscences of what took place, or is taking place, in other existences."
407. Is it necessary to the emancipation of the soul that the sleep of the body should be complete?
"No; the spirit recovers his liberty as soon as the senses become torpid. He takes advantage, in order to emancipate himself, of every moment of respite left him by the body. As soon as there occurs any prostration of the vital forces, the spirit disengages himself from the body, and the feebler the body, the freer is the spirit."
It is for this reason that dozing, or a mere dulling of the senses, often presents the same images as dreaming.
408. We sometimes seem to hear within ourselves words distinctly pronounced, but having no connection with what we are thinking of,-what is the cause o f this?
"Yes, you often hear words, and even whole sentences, especially when your senses begin to grow torpid. It is sometimes the faint echo of the utterance of a spirit who wishes to communicate with you."
409. Often, when only half-asleep, and with our eyes closed, we see distinct images, figures of which we perceive the minutest details, - is this an effect of vision or of imagination?
"The body being torpid, the spirit tries to break his chain. He goes away and sees; if the sleep were deeper, the vision would be a dream."
410. We sometimes, when asleep, or half-asleep, have ideas which seem to us to be excellent, but which, despite all the efforts we make to recall them, are effaced from our memory on waking, - whence come these ideas?
"They are the result of the freedom of the spirit, who emancipates himself from the body, and enjoys the use of other faculties during this moment of liberty; and they are often counsels given you by other spirits."
- What is the use of such ideas and counsels, since we lose the remembrance of them, and cannot profit by them?
"Those ideas often belong rather to the world of spirits than to the corporeal world; but, in general, though the body may forget them, the spirit remembers them, and the idea recurs to him at the proper time, in his waking state, as though it were an inspiration of the moment."
411. Does the incarnated spirit, when he is freed from matter and acting as a spirit, know the epoch of his death?
"He often has the presentiment of it. He sometimes has a very clear foreknowledge of it; and it is this which gives him the intuition of it in his waking state. It is this, also, which enables some persons to foresee the time of their death with perfect exactness."
412. Can the activity of the spirit, during the repose or the sleep of the body, cause fatigue to the latter?
"Yes, for the spirit is attached to the body, as the captive-balloon is fastened to the post; and, just as the post is shaken by the movements of the balloon, so the activity of the spirit reacts upon the body, and may cause it to feel fatigued."
Visits Between the Spirits of Living Persons
413. The emancipation of the soul during sleep would seem to indicate that we live simultaneously two lives; the life of the body, which is that of exterior relation, and the life of the soul, which it that of occult relation, - is this so?
"During the emancipation of the soul, the life of the latter takes precedence of the life of the body; this, however, does not, strictly speaking, constitute two lives, but rather two phases of one and the same life, for a man: does not live a double life."
414. Can two persons, who are acquainted with each other, visit one another in sleep?
"Yes; and many others, who, in their waking state, do not know that they are acquainted, meet and converse together. You may, without suspecting it, have friends in another country. The fact of going, during sleep, to visit friends, relatives, acquaintances, persons who can be of use to you, is extremely frequent; and you yourselves accomplish these visits almost every night."
415. What can be the use of these nocturnal meetings, since we do not remember them?
"The intuition of them generally remains with you in your waking state, and is often the origin of ideas which afterwards occur to you, as it were, spontaneously, without your being able to account for them, but which are really those you had obtained in the spirit-intercourse carried on by you during your sleep."
416. Can a man ensure the making of spirit-visits by the exertion of his will? Can he do so, for example, by saying to himself, on going to sleep, "I will to-night meet such and such a person in spirit, and speak with him about such and such a thing"?
"This is what takes place. The man falls asleep, and his spirit wakens to the other life; but his spirit is often very far from following out the plan which had been resolved upon by the man, for the life of the man excites but little interest in a spirit when he is emancipated from matter. This statement, however, only applies to men who have already reached a. certain degree of elevation. The others pass their spirit-existence very differently. They give free rein to their passions, or remain inactive. It may happen, therefore, according to the aim of the proposed action, that a spirit may go to see the parties he had, as a man, proposed to visit; but it does not follow that, because he has willed to do so in his waking state, he will necessarily do so in his state of freedom."
417. Can a number of incarnate spirits, during sleep, meet together, and form assemblies?
"Undoubtedly they can. The ties of friendship, old or new, often bring together spirits who are happy to be in each other's company."
By the term old must be understood the ties of friendship contracted in anterior existences. We bring back with us, on waking, an intuition of the ideas which we have derived from these occult meetings, but of the source of which we are ignorant.
418. If a person believed one of his friends to be dead who is not dead, could he meet him as a spirit, and thus learn that he is living? Could he, in such a case, preserve the intuition of this fact on waking?
"He could, certainly, as a spirit, see his friend, and know what is his situation; and if the belief in the death of that friend had not been imposed on him as an expiation, he might retain an impression of his existence, as, in the contrary case, he might retain that of his death:"
Occult Transmission of Thought
419. Whence comes it that the same idea - that of a discovery, for instance - so often suggests itself at the same time to several persons, although they may be at a distance from one another?
"We have already said that, during sleep, spirits communicate with one another; well, when his body awakes, a spirit remembers what he has learned, and the man thinks he has invented it. Thus several persons may find out the same thing at the same time. When you say that an idea is 'in the air,' you employ a figure of speech that is much nearer the truth than you suppose. Every one helps unconsciously to propagate it."
In this way our spirit often reveals to other spirits, without our being aware of it, that which formed the object of our meditations before we went to sleep.
420. Can spirits communicate between themselves when the body is awake?
"A spirit is not enclosed in his body as in a box, but radiates around it in every direction. He can, therefore, hold communication with other spirits even in the waking state, although he does so with more difficulty."
421. How does it happen that two persons, perfectly awake, often have the same thought at the same moment?
"It is because two spirits, who are in sympathy, may communicate their thought to each other even when the body is not asleep."
There is, between spirits, a communication of thoughts which sometimes enables two persons to see and understand one another without having any need of human speech. They may be said to speak the language of spirits.
Lethargy, Catalepsy, Apparent Death
422. In lethargy and catalepsy, the patients generally see and hear what takes place around them, but are unable to manifest their impressions. Is it through the eyes and ears of the body that these impressions are received?
"No; they are received by the spirit. The spirit is conscious but cannot express himself."
- Why can he not express himself?
"The state of his body prevents his doing so; and this state of his bodily organs proves that man consists of something more than a body, since the body no longer works, and yet the spirit acts."
423. Can a spirit, in a state of lethargy, separate from his body, so as to give to the latter all the outward appearances of death, and afterwards come back and inhabit it?
"In lethargy, the body is not dead, for it still accomplishes some of its functions. Its vitality is latent, as in the chrysalis, but is not annihilated; and a spirit is united to his body as long as it remains alive. When once the links which keep them together are broken by the death and disaggregation of the bodily organs, the separation is complete, and the spirit never again comes back to his body. When one who is apparently dead comes to life again, it is because the process of death was not entirely consummated."
424. Is it possible, by means of timely help, to renew the ties which were ready to break, and to give back life to a person who, but for this help, would have definitively ceased to live?
"Yes, undoubtedly; and you have proofs of this every day. Mesmerism often exercises, in such cases, a powerful restorative action, because it gives to the body the vital fluid which it lacks, and which is necessary to keep up the play of the organs."
Lethargy and catalepsy proceed from the same cause, viz., the temporary loss of sensibility and power of motion, from some as yet unexplained physiological condition. They differ in this respect, viz., that, in lethargy, the suppression of the vital force is general, and gives to the body all the appearances of death, whereas, in catalepsy, that suppression is localised, and may affect a more or less extensive portion of the body, while leaving the intelligence free to manifest itself; a fact which does not allow it to be confounded with death. Lethargy is always natural; catalepsy is sometimes spontaneous, but it may be produced and dissipated artificially by mesmeric action.
Somnambulism
425. Is there any connection between natural somnambulism and dreaming?
"In somnambulism the independence of the soul is more complete, and its functions are more developed, than in dreaming, and it has perceptions that it has not in dreaming, which is an imperfect somnambulism.
"In somnambulism, the spirit is entirely freed from the action of matter; the material organs, being in a sort of catalepsy, are no longer receptive of external impressions.
"This state most frequently occurs during sleep, because the spirit is then able to absent itself from the body which is given up to the repose that is indispensable to matter. When somnambulism occurs, it is because the spirit of the sleeper, intent upon doing something or other that requires the aid of his body, makes use of it in a manner analogous to that in which spirits make use of a table, or other material object, in producing the phenomena of physical manifestations, or of a human hand, in giving written communications. In the dreams of which a man is conscious, his organs, including those of memory, are beginning to awaken; and, as they only receive and transmit to the spirit imperfectly the impressions made on them by exterior objects or action, the spirit, who is then in a state of repose, only perceives these impressions through confused and often disconnected sensations, which, in many cases, are still further confused by being mingled with vague remembrances of his present life and anterior existences. It is easy, therefore, to understand why somnambulists do not remember their visions, and why the greater number of the dreams you remember have no rational meaning. I say the greater number, for it sometimes happens that dreams are the consequence of a precise remembrance of events that have occurred in one of your former lives, or even a sort of intuition of the future."
426. Is there any connection between what is called mesmeric somnambulism and natural somnambulism?
"They are the same thing; the only difference between them being that one of them is artificially produced."
427. What is the nature of the agent called the magnetic or mesmeric fluid?
"It is the vital fluid, animalised electricity; a modification of the universal fluid."
428. What is the nature of somnambulic clairvoyance?
"We have told you that it is soul-sight."
429. How can the somnambulist see through opaque bodies?
"It is only to your gross organs that bodies are opaque. Have we not told you that matter is not an obstacle for a spirit, since he passes freely through it? A somnambulist often tells you that he sees through his forehead, his knee, etc., because you, being plunged in matter, do not understand that he can see without the help of organs. He himself, influenced by your ideas, believes that he needs those organs; but, if you left him to himself, he would understand that he sees through every part of his body, or rather, that he sees independently of his body."
430. Since the clairvoyance of the somnambulist is that of hit soul or of his spirit, why does he not see everything, and why does he so often make mistakes?
"In the first place, spirits of low degree do not see and comprehend everything, for, as you know, they still share your errors and your prejudices; and, in the next place, as long as they remain more or less attached to matter, they have not the use of all their spirit-faculties. God has given the faculty of clairvoyance to man for a serious and useful purpose, and not to inform him of what it is not permitted to him to know; and this is why somnambulists do not know everything."
431 What is the source of the somnambulist's innate ideas, and how can he speak correctly of things of which he is ignorant in his waking state, and which are even above his intellectual capacity?
"A somnambulist may possess more knowledge than you give him credit for; but this knowledge is latent in his waking state, because his envelope is too imperfect for him to be able to remember all he knows as a spirit. But, in point of fact, what is he? Like all of us, he is a spirit who has been incarnated in matter for the accomplishment of his mission, and his going into the somnambulic state rouses him from the lethargy of incarnation. We have repeatedly told you that we re-live many times. It is this changing of our existences that causes him to lose sight, in a new connection with matter, of what he may have know in a preceding one. On entering into the state which you call a crisis, he recalls what he has formerly known, but not always with completeness. He knows, but he cannot tell whence he derives his knowledge, nor in what way he possesses it. The crisis over, his reminiscences fade from his consciousness, and he re-enters the obscurity of corporeal life."
Experience shows us that somnambulists also receive communications from other spirits, who tell them what they are to say, and supply what is lacking on their part. This supplementing of their Insufficiency is often and especially witnessed in medical consultations; the spirit of the clairvoyant seeing the malady, and another spirit indicating the remedy required. This double action is often patent to bystanders, and is also frequently revealed by such expressions on the part of the somnambulist as, "I am told to say," or, "I am forbidden to say," etc. In the latter case, it is always dangerous to persist in the effort to obtain a revelation refused by the clairvoyant, because, by doing so, we open the door to frivolous and unscrupulous spirits, who prate about everything without any regard to veracity.
132. How do you explain the power of seeing at a distance possessed by some somnambulists?
"Does not the soul transport itself to a distance during sleep? It does the same thing in somnambulism."
433. Does the greater or less degree of somnambulic clairvoyance depend on the physical organisation of the body, or on the nature of the spirit incarnated in it?
"On both; but there are physical qualities that allow the spirit to liberate himself more or less easily from matter."
434. Are the faculties enjoyed by the somnambulist the same as those possessed by the spirit after death?
"They are the same, but only up to a certain point; for you have to take into account the influence of the matter to which he is still attached."
435. Can somnambulists see other spirits?
"That depends on the nature and degree of their faculties. The greater number of them see other spirits perfectly well, but they do not always recognise them at once as being such, and thus mistake them for corporeal beings; a mistake that is often made by somnambulists, and especially by those among them who know nothing of Spiritism. Not understanding anything of the essence of spirits, they are astonished at seeing them in human form, and suppose them to be living persons."
The same effect is produced at the moment of death in the consciousness of those who suppose themselves to be still living. Nothing about them appears to them to be changed. The spirits around them seem to have bodies like ours, and they take the appearance of their own body to be that of a real body of flesh.
436. When a somnambulist sees objects at a distance, does he see them with his body or with his soul?
"Why should you ask such a question, since it is the soul that sees, and not the body?"
437. Since it is the soul that transports itself to a distance, how is it that the somnambulist feels in his body the sensation of the heat or the cold of the place where his soul is, and which is sometimes very far from the place where his body is?
"His soul has not entirely quitted his body, to which it is still attached by the link which unites them together; it is this link that is the conductor of sensation. When two persons in two different cities correspond with each other by electricity, it is the electricity that constitutes the link between their thoughts, and enables them to communicate with one another as though they were close together."
438. Is the state of the somnambulist influenced after death by the use he has made of his faculty?
"Very considerably; as is done by the good or bad use of all the faculties that God has given to man."
Trance
439. What difference is there between trance and somnambulism?
"Trance is a more refined somnambulism. The soul, when in trance, is still more independent."
440. Does the soul of the ecstatic really enter into higher worlds?
"Yes; he sees them, and perceives the happiness of those who are in them; but there are worlds that are inaccessible to spirits who are not sufficiently purified."
441. When a person in trance expresses the desire to quit the earth, does he speak sincerely, and is he not retained by the instinct of self-preservation?
"That depends on the degree of the spirit's purification. If he sees that his future situation will be better than his present one, he makes an effort to break the links that bind him to the earth."
442. If the ecstatic were left to himself, might his soul definitively quit his body?
"Yes, he might die; and it is therefore necessary to call him back by everything that may attach him to the lower life, and especially by making him see that, if he breaks the chain which keeps him here, he will have taken the most effectual means of preventing his staying in the world in which he perceives that he would be happy."
443. The ecstatic sometimes professes to see things which are evidently the product of an imagination impressed with earthly beliefs and prejudices. What he sees, therefore, is not always real?
"What he sees is real for him; but, as his spirit is always under the influence of terrestrial ideas, he may see it in his own way, or, to speak more correctly, he may express it in a language accommodated, to his prejudices, or to the ideas in which he has been brought up, or to your own, in order the better to make himself understood. It is in this way that he is most apt to err."
444. What degree of confidence should be accorded to the revelations of persons in a state of trance?
"The ecstatic may very frequently be mistaken, especially when he seeks to penetrate what must remain a mystery for man; for he then abandons himself to his own ideas, or becomes the sport of deceiving spirits, who take advantage of his enthusiasm to dazzle him with false appearances."
445. What inductions are to be drawn from the phenomena of somnambulism and of trance? May they not be considered as a sort of initiation into the future life?
"It would be more correct to say that, in those states, the somnambulist may obtain glimpses of his past and future lives. Let man study those phenomena; he will find in them the solution of more than one mystery which his unassisted reason seeks in
vain to penetrate."
446. Could the phenomena of somnambulism and trance be made to accord with theoretic materialism?
"He who should study them honestly, and without preconceived ideas, could not be either a materialist or an atheist."
Second-Sight
447. Is there any connection between the phenomena of what is designated as second-sight and those of dreaming and somnambulism?
"They are all the same thing. What you call second-sight is also a state in which the spirit is partially free, although the body is not asleep. Second-sight is soul-sight."
448. Is the faculty of second-sight a permanent one?
"The faculty of second-sight is permanent, but its exercise is not. In worlds less material than yours, spirits free themselvesfrom matter more easily, and enter into communication with one another simply by thought, without, however, excluding the use of articulate speech. In those worlds, second-sight is, for the greater part of their inhabitants, a permanent faculty. Their normal state may lie compared to that of lucid somnambulism among you; and it is for this reason that they manifest themselves to you more easily than those who are incarnated in bodies of a grosser nature."
449. Does second-sight occur spontaneously, or through an exertion of the will of those who possess that faculty?
"It generally occurs spontaneously; but the will, nevertheless, often plays an important part in producing this phenomenon. Take, for example, the persons who are called fortune-tellers - and some of whom really have that power - and you will find that the action of their will helps them to this second-sight, and to what you call vision."
450. Is second-sight susceptible of being developed by exercise
"Yes; effort always leads to progress, and the veil which covers things becomes more transparent."
- Is this faculty a result of physical organisation?
"Organisation has undoubtedly a great deal to do with it; there are organisations with which it is incompatible."
451. How is it that second-sight appears to be hereditary in certain families?
"This proceeds from similarity of organisation, which is transmitted, like other physical qualities; and also from the development of the faculty through a sort of education, which, also, is transmitted from one generation to another."
452. Is it true that circumstances develop second-sight?
"Illness, the approach of danger, any great commotion, may develop it. The body is sometimes in a state which allows of the spirit's seeing what cannot be seen with the fleshly eye."
Times of crisis and of calamity, powerful emotions, all the causes, in short, which excite the moral nature, may develop second-sight. It would seem as though Providence gave us, when in the presence of danger, the means of escaping it. All sects and all parties subjected to persecution have offered numerous instances of this fact.
453. Are the persons who are gifted with second-sight always conscious of their faculty?
"Not always; it appears to them to be altogether natural, and many of them suppose that, if everybody observed their own impressions, they would find themselves to be possessed of the same power."
454. May we attribute to a sort of second-sight the perspicacity of those persons who, without being remarkably gifted in other ways, possess an unusually clear judgment in relation to the things of everyday life?
"Such clearness of judgment is always due to a freer radiation of the soul, enabling the man to see more correctly than those whose perceptions are more densely veiled by matter."
- Can this lucidity of judgment, in some cases, give the foreknowledge of future events?
"Yes, it may give presentiments; for there are many degrees in this faculty, and the same person may possess all those degrees, as he may possess only some of them."
Explanation of Somnambulism, Trance, and Second-Sight.
455. The phenomena of natural somnambulism occur spontaneously and independently of any known external cause; but, in persons endowed with a special organisation, they may be produced artificially through the action of the mesmeric agent. The only difference between the state designated as mesmeric somnambulism and natural somnambulism is, that the one is artificially produced, while the other is spontaneous.
Natural somnambulism is a notorious fact, the reality of which few now dispute, notwithstanding the marvellous character of the phenomena it presents. Why, then, should mesmeric somnambulism be regarded as more extraordinary or incredible, simply because it is produced artificially, like so many other things? It has been abused by charlatans, some persons will reply; but that fact only affords an additional reason for not leaving it in their hands. When science shall have taken possession of it; charlatanism will have much less credit with the masses; but, meanwhile, as somnambulism, both natural and artificial, is a fact, and as a fact cannot be argued down, it is making its way, despite the ill-will of its adversaries; and obtaining a footing even in the temple of science, which it is entering by a multitude of side-doors, instead of entering by the principal one. Its right to be there will, ere long, be fully recognised.
For the spiritist, somnambulism is more than a physical phenomenon; it is a light thrown on the subject of psychology; it is a state in which we can study the soul, because in it the soul shows itself, so to say, without covering. Now, one of the phenomena which characterise the soul is clear-seeing independently of the ordinary visual organs. Those who contest this fact do so on the ground that the somnambulist does not see at all times, and at the will of the experimentalist, as with the eyes. Need we be astonished if, the means employed being different, the results are not the same? Is it reasonable to demand identical effects in cases in which the instruments employed are not the same? The soul has its properties just as has the eye; and the former must be judged of by themselves, and not by analogy with the latter.
The cause of the clairvoyance of the mesmeric and of the natural somnambulist is identically the same: it is an attribute of the soul, a faculty inherent in every part of the incorporeal being which is in us, and has no other limits than those assigned to the soul itself. The somnambulist sees wherever his soul can transport itself, at no matter what distance.
In sight at distance, the somnambulist does not see from the point at which his body is, and as though through a telescope. The things he sees are present with him, as though he were at the place where they exist, because his soul is there in reality; and it is for this reason that his body is, as it were, annihilated, and seems to be deprived of sensation, until the moment when the soul comes back and retakes possession of it. This partial separation of the soul and the body is an abnormal state, which may last for a longer or shorter time, but not indefinitely; it is the cause of the fatigue felt by the body after a certain lapse of time, especially when the soul during that partial separation, busies itself with some active pursuit. The fact that soul-sight or espirit-sight is not circumscribed, and has no definite seat, explains why somnambulists are unable to assign to it any special organ or focus. They see, because they see, without knowing why or how; their sight, as spirit-sight, having no special focus. If they refer their perception to their body, this focus seems to them to be in the organic centres in which the vital activity is greatest, especially in the brain, in. the epigastric region, or in whatever organ appears to them to be the point at which the bond between the spirit and the body is most tenacious.
The scope of somnambulistic lucidity is not unlimited. A spirit, even when completely free, only possesses the faculties and the knowledge appertaining to the degree of advancement at which he has arrived, a limitation which becomes still further narrowed when he is united with matter, and thus subjected to its influence. This is the reason why somnambulistic clairvoyance is neither universal nor infallible; and its infallibility is all the less to be counted on when it is turned aside from the aim which has been assigned to it by nature, and made a mere matter of curiosity and experimentation.
In the state of comparative freedom in which the somnambulist finds himself, he enters more easily into communication with other spirits, incarnate or disincarnate; and this communication is established through the contact of the fluids which compose their perispirits, and serve, like the electric wire, for the transmission of thought. The somnambulist, therefore, has no need of articulate speech as a vehicle of thought, which he feels and divines; a mode of perception that renders him eminently accessible to, and impressionable by, the influences of the moral atmosphere in which he finds himself. For the same reason, a numerous concourse of spectators, and especially of those who are attracted by a more or less malevolent curiosity, is essentially unfavourable to the manifestation of his peculiar faculties, which close up, so to say, at the contact of hostile influences, and only unfold freely in intimacy, and under the influence of sympathetic surroundings. The presence of those who are malevolent or antipathetic produces upon him the effect of the contact of the hand upon a sensitive plant.
The somnambulist sees, at the same time, his own spirit and his body; they are, so to say, two beings which represent to him his double existence, spiritual and corporeal, and which, nevertheless. are blended into one by the ties which united them together. The somnambulist does not always comprehend this duality, which often leads him to speak of himself as though he were speaking of another person; in such cases, the corporeal being sometimes speaking to the spiritual being, and the spiritual being sometimes speaking to the corporeal being.
The spirit acquires an increase of knowledge and experience in each of his corporeal existences. He loses sight of part of these gains during his reincarnation in matter, which is too gross to allow of his remembering them in their entirety; but he remembers them as a spirit. It is thus that some somnambulists give evidence of possessing knowledge beyond their present degree of instruction, and even of their apparent intellectual capacity. The intellectual and scientific inferiority of a somnambulist in his waking state, therefore, proves nothing against his possession of the knowledge he may display in his lucid state. According to the circumstances of the moment and the aim proposed, he may draw this knowledge from the stores of his own experience, from his clairvoyant perception of things actually occurring, or from the counsels which he receives from other spirits; but, in proportion as his own spirit is more or less advanced, he will make his statements more or less correctly.
In the phenomena of somnambulism, whether natural or mesmeric, Providence furnishes us with undeniable proof of the existence and independence of the soul, by causing us to witness the sublime spectacle of its emancipation from the fetters of the body, and thus enabling us to read our future destiny as in an open book. When a somnambulist describes what is taking place at a distance, it is equally evident that he sees what he describes, and that he does not see it with his bodily eyes. He sees himself at that distant point, and he feels himself to be transported thither. Something of himself, therefore, is really present at that distant point; and that something, not being his body, can only be his soul or his spirit.
While man, in search of the causes of his moral being, loses himself in abstract and unintelligible metaphysical subtleties, God places daily before his eyes, and within reach of his hand, the simplest and most certain means for the study of experimental psychology.
Trance is the state in which the soul's independence of the body is made most clearly visible, and, so to say, palpable, to the senses of the observer.
In dreaming and somnambulism, the soul wanders among terrestrial worlds; in trance, it penetrates into a sphere of existence of another order, into that of the etherealised spirits with whom it enters into communication, without, however, being able to overstep certain limits which it could not pass without entirely breaking the links that attach it to the body. Surrounded by novel splendours, enraptured by harmonies unknown to earth, penetrated by bliss that defies description, the soul enjoys a foretaste of celestial beatitude, and may be said to have placed one foot on the threshold of eternity.
In the state of trance, the annihilation of corporeal ties is almost complete. The body no longer possesses anything more than organic life; and we feel that the soul is only held thereto by a single thread, which any further effort on its part would break for ever.
In this state, all earthly thoughts disappear, and give place to the purified perception that is the very essence of our immaterial being. Entirely absorbed in this sublime contemplation, the ecstatic regards the earthly life as being merely a momentary halt upon our eternal way; the successes and misfortunes of this lower world, its gross joys and sorrows, appear to him only as the futile incidents of a journey of which he is delighted to foresee the end.
It is with ecstatics as with somnambulists; their lucidity may be more or less perfect, and their spirit, according as it is more or less elevated, is also more or less apt to apprehend the truth of things. In their abnormal state, there is sometimes more of nervous excitement than of true lucidity; or, to speak more correctly, their nervous excitement impairs their lucidity, and, for this reason, their revelations are often a mixture of truths and errors, of sublime ideas and absurd or even ridiculous fancies. Inferior spirits often take advantage of this nervous excitement (which is always a source of weakness to those who are unable to control it), in order to subjugate the ecstatic; and to this end they assume to his eyes the appearances which confirm him in the ideas and prejudices of his waking state. This subjugation of clairvoyants by the presentation of false appearances is the "rock ahead" of this order of revealment. But all of them are not equally subject to this dangerous misleading; and it is for us to weigh their statements coolly and carefully, and to judge their revelations by the light of science and of reason.
The emancipation of the soul occurs sometimes in the waking state, and gives, to those who are endowed with the faculty designated by the name of second-sight, the power of seeing, hearing, and feeling, beyond the limits of the bodily senses. They
perceive things at a distance, at all points to which their soul extends its action; they see them, so to say, athwart their ordinary sight, and as though in a sort of mirage.
At the moment when the phenomenon of second-sight occurs, the physical state of the seer is visibly modified. His glance becomes vague; he looks before him without seeing; his physiognomy reflects an abnormal state of the nervous system. It is
evident that his organs of sight have nothing to do with his present perceptions; for his vision continues, even when his eyes are shut. The faculty of second-sight appears to those who are endowed with it to be as natural as ordinary sight. It seems to them to be an attribute of their being; and they are not aware of its exceptional character. They generally forget this fugitive lucidity, the remembrance of which, becoming more and more vague, disappears at length from their memory like a dream.
The power of second-sight varies from a confused sensation to a clear and distinct perception of things present or distant. In its rudimentary state, it gives to some persons tact, perspicacity, a sort of sureness, in their decisions and actions, that may be styled the rectitude of the moral glance. At a higher degree of development, it awakens presentiments; still further developed, it shows to the seer events that have already happened, or that are about to happen.
Natural and artificial somnambulism, trance, and second-sight are only varieties or modifications of the action of one and the same cause. Like dreams, they are a branch of natural phenomena, and have therefore existed in every age. History shows us that they have been known, and even abused, from the remotest antiquity; and they furnish the explanation of innumerable facts which superstitious prejudices have led men to regard as supernatural.
from The Gospel According To Spiritism by Allan Kardec:
CHAPTER 25
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND
If you help yourself then Heaven will come to your aid. - Behold the fowls of the air. - Provide not gold in your purse.
IF YOU HELP YOURSELF THEN HEAVEN WILL COME TO YOUR AID
1. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you: for every one who asks will receive; and he that seeks will find; and to him that knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there amongst you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, which is in Heaven, give good things to those that ask Him?" (MATTHEW, 7: 7-11.)
2. From an earthly point of view the maxim 'Seek and you will find'; is the same as that other one `Help yourself and the heavens will come to your aid.' This is the base of the Law of Work and consequently the Law of Progress, since progress is the child of work, seeing that this puts into action the force of intelligence.
During the infancy of Humanity, Man only used his intelligence in seeking food, as a means of protection against the climate, and defending himself from his enemies. However, God has given Man something more than He gave to animals, which is an incessant desire to better himself. It is this desire that impels him to seek out the best ways of improving his position in life, which duly leads him to make discoveries, to invent things, and to perfect the sciences because it is science that gives him what he lacks. Through Man's research his intelligence heightens and his morals gradually become purified. The needs of the body give way to those of the Spirit. After material nourishment Man needs spiritual nourishment. This is how he passes from savagery to civilisation.
But the amount of progress achieved by each person during a single lifetime is very small indeed, in most cases even imperceptible. How then could humanity progress without pre-existence and the re-existence of the soul? If the souls who daily leave the Earth were never to return, then humanity would be constantly renewing itself with primitive elements, having everything still to do and learn. There would then be no reason why Man should be more advanced today than he was during the first epochs of the world, because at each birth all intellectual work would have to recommence. On the other hand, by returning with the degree of progress realised and acquiring something more each time, the soul then gradually passes from the barbaric state to that of materialistic civilisation, and then on to one of moral civilisation. (See chapter 4, item 17.)
3. If God had exempted Man from bodily work his limbs would have withered. If He had exempted him from intellectual work then his Spirit would have remained in a state of infancy, or mere animal instinct. This is why He made work a necessity by saying: Seek and you will find; work and you will produce. In this way you are the product of your work; you receive the merit of it and recompense in accordance with what has been done.
4. It is by virtue of this principle that the Spirits do not help in sparing men the work of research by bringing them discoveries and inventions prepared and ready for use. Nor in such a way that they would have nothing to do but accept what was put into their hands, without any inconvenience whatsoever, nor even to bend down and pick it up, nor yet to think about it. If things were like that then the laziest could enrich themselves and the most ignorant could become wise at the cost of no effort, and both would have merits attributed to them for things they had not done. No, the Spirits do not come to exempt Man from the Law of Work, but only to show him the goal to be reached and the pathway that leads there, by saying: walk and you will get there. You will find your path strewn with stones; look upon them and then move them. We will give you the necessary strength if you care to utilise it. (See THE MEDIUMS' BOOK,' chapter 26, item 291 onwards.)
5. From the moral point of view, these words of Jesus signify that if we ask for the light, which will show us the way, it will be given. If we ask for strength to resist evil we shall receive it, and if we ask for the assistance of the good Spirits, then they will come to accompany us. Just as the angel of Tobias* [* See Book of Tobias, New Jerusalem Bible. (Translator's comment.)] came to help him, so they will guide us. If we ask for good counsel it will not be refused, and if we knock on His door it will be opened. But we must ask with sincerity, faith, confidence, and fervour. We must present ourselves with humility and not with arrogance, or else we will be abandoned to our own strength and the falls taken will be punishment for our pride.
This then is what is meant by the words: Seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened.
BEHOLD THE FOWLS OF THE AIR
6. "Do not accumulate treasures for yourselves on Earth, where worms and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust can destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This is why I tell you: Do not be anxious about where you will find something to eat so you can sustain your life, nor where you can get clothes to cover your body. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor store anything in barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not work, neither do they spin, and still l say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore, if God clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, Oh, you of little faith!
So stop worrying, and saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Pagans seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.
But first seek the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. Therefore give no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for the day is its evil. " (MATTHEW, 6: 19-21 & 25-34.)
7. In a literal translation these words would be a denial of all providence, of all work and consequently of all progress. With this kind of principle Man would be limited to waiting passively. His physical and intellectual strengths would remain inactive. If such were the normal conditions on Earth we would never have left the primitive state, and if this condition became the law today then it would only remain to live in total idleness. This could not have been the thought of Jesus, since this would be a contradiction of what He said on other occasions and also contradict the Laws of Nature. God created Man without clothes or shelter, but He gave him intelligence so as to be able to make them. (See chapter 14, item 6 & chapter 25, item 2.)
Consequently these words must not be seen as anything more than the poetical allegory of Providence, which never abandons those who put their confidence in it, but wishes that all work in their turn. If Providence does not always come in the form of material help, then it inspires those ideas from which is found the means of getting out of difficulty. (See chapter 27, item 8.)
God comprehends our necessities and provides for them when needed. Nevertheless, Man is insatiable in his desires and does not always know how to be content with what he has. Possessing what is necessary is not enough for him; he demands that which is superfluous. Then Providence leaves him to himself. Frequently he becomes unhappy through his own fault, and for having paid no attention to the voice that, through the intermediary of his conscience, has given him warning. In these cases the Lord lets him suffer the consequences so that it may serve as a lesson for the future. (See chapter 5, item 4.)
8. The Earth will produce sufficient to feed all its inhabitants when Man discovers how to administer the benefits that it offers according to the Laws of Justice, Charity and Love for one's neighbour. When fraternity reigns amongst all peoples, as it does amongst the provincials of any country, then the momentary superfluity of the one will overcome the insufficiency of another, and everyone will have what is necessary. Then the rich man will consider himself as one who possesses a great quantity of seeds. If he shares them with others they will produce a thousandfold for himself and for them. However, if he eats all the seeds himself, or wastes them and allows the surplus from what he ate to be lost, then nothing will be produced and he will take nothing out of this for others. If he hoards the seeds in his barn then the maggots will devour them. Hence Jesus had said: "Do not accumulate treasures on Earth because they are perishable, but accumulate them in Heaven where they are eternal." In other words, do not give material possessions more importance than the spiritual ones, and know how to sacrifice the first for the second. (See chapter 16, item 7 onwards.)
Charity and fraternity are not decreed under law. If one or the other is not in the heart then selfishness will rule. Consequently it is the task of Spiritism to see that they both penetrate the heart of Man.
PROVIDE NOT GOLD IN YOUR PURSE
9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses. Do not take a bag for your journey, nor two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves, for the workman is worthy of his keep.
10. And in whatever city or town you go to, enquire as to who is worthy to put you up. Then stay there till you leave. And when you enter into a house, give your greeting. And if the house is worthy, let your peace be upon it; but if it is not then let your peace return to you. And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgement, than for that city. (MATTHEW, 10: 9-15.)
11. These words, which Jesus directed to His apostles when He sent them to announce the Glad Tidings for the first time, were nothing unusual in those days. They were in accordance with the patriarchal customs of the Orient, when the traveller was always made welcome in the tent. But then in those days travellers were very rare indeed. Among modern peoples the development of travel has created new customs. Very distant lands, where the great movement has not yet penetrated, are the only places to conserve those of ancient times. If Jesus were to return today He could no longer tell His apostles to put themselves on the road without provisions.
Apart from their actual meaning, these words hold a very profound moral sense. In proffering them, Jesus was teaching His disciples to have confidence in Providence. What is more, by having nothing, they could not cause covetousness amongst those who received them. This was the way of distinguishing those who were selfish from those who were charitable. This is why He told them to "Find out who is worthy to put you up." or rather who is human enough to clothe a traveller who has nothing with which to pay. These are the people who will be worthy to receive your words, and who will be recognisable by their charity.
With regard to those who cared neither to receive them nor to listen to them, did He tell His disciples that they should curse them, that they should impose the teachings upon them, or that they should use violence and force so as to convert them? No, He simply told them to go away and seek others who were willing to listen.
Today Spiritism says the same thing to its followers. Do not violate any consciences. Do not force anyone to leave his or her faith in order to adopt yours. Do not excommunicate those who do not think as you do. Welcome all who come to join you, and leave in peace all those who are repelled by your ideas. Remind yourselves of the words of Christ. In other times the heavens were taken over by violence, but today they are taken over by mildness. (See chapter 4, items 10 & 11.)
[NB I include the start of the next chapter, too - SBW]
CHAPTER 26
GIVE FOR FREE WHAT HAS BEEN RECEIVED GRATUITOUSLY
The gift of healing. - Paid prayers. - The moneychangers expelled from the Temple. - Gratuitous mediumship.
THE GIFT OF HEALING
1. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely you have received, freely give." (MATTHEW, 10: 8.)
2. "Give for free what has been received gratuitously", is what Jesus told His disciples. With this recommendation it is prescribed that no one be charged for something for which nothing has been paid. Now what they had received gratuitously was the faculty of healing those who were sick, and that of expelling devils, that is to say bad Spirits. God gave them this faculty gratis for the alleviation of those who suffer and as a means of propagating faith. Jesus, then, recommended that they should not turn this into an object of commercialisation, neither speculation, nor a means of livelihood.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
