How do you know when it’s time to STOP fasting

If you’re in the middle of a fast and think you should stop, what should you do? When is the best time to stop a fast, and how do you know it’s the right time to stop? Don’t panic! It’s going to be ok. Take a deep breath, relax and let your mind get in tune with your body. I’m going to share what I’ve learned working with hundreds of fasters as well as having done my own personal juice cleanses, water fasts and detoxes over the years. You can do every fast right and you can do every fast wrong. Knowing when to stop and how to break your fast is one of the most important parts to get right.

How do you know when to stop fasting?

When NOT to Stop your Fast

The worst time to break your fast is in the evening or at night when you’re feeling emotional. As soon as you feel off track, it’s easy to crave junk food and to want to quit. But, you can easily see that this is not the best time or the best way to break a fast, and it’s not coming from a place of healing. If this happens – tell yourself that you CAN break your fast the next day, in the morning and with healthy foods. If you wake up the next day and still want to break the fast, then go ahead and do so. Chances are that you won’t want to quit though. Usually if you can pass that emotional wave, you’ll wake up feeling ready to continue with your cleanse.

Another big mistake is to let your ego run the show. This can happen if you tend to be more active on social media during your fast. Announcing the number of days you will fast or posting daily updates of your cleanse can quickly turn into a competition and can really be a slippery slope. If you feel that you need to continue fasting because you “can’t let others down” or you will feel like a failure for not “completing” your fast, then you’re no longer in a grounded energy of mind, body and spirit and you are no longer fasting for yourself. If this happens, get away from social media and reconnect to YOU. The only person that you came here with is you and the only person you leave here with is you. Don’t fast to please others or to win the “I’ve done the longest or the most fasts” game.  It’s not a game that can be won.

There’s nothing wrong with having a number in mind of how many days you want to fast when you start. In fact, it’s normal to do so and part of human nature. It can also be helpful to have a goal in mind so that you can mentally pace yourself and stay on track. But, you have to be willing and ready to change that number if need be. If you’re body tells you that it’s time to stop, then you have to be ready to listen. In some cases, you may want to continue longer and that’s ok too. What is key is that you are making the decision that is best for YOU.

When to Continue Fasting and When to Stop

If you’re in the middle of a healing crisis, ideally it’s best to continue with your cleanse as long as you’re feeling up for it. In most cases (according to the Hering’s Law of Cure) a healing crisis should not last for more than 3 days. You know that you’ve had a healing crisis when you feel better afterwards and when your symptoms of dis-ease have passed.

You’ll know that it is the right time to stop fasting when you are feeling spiritually connected, emotionally grounded and physically stable while also having a strong and centered feeling that it’s time to stop. Your body knows when it’s ready.  When you’re energetically grounded, it will be easy to break your fast gently and with healthy foods or drink.  Remember: your body chooses the pace of your healing. Even when you fast for spiritual prayer or healing, stay connected to your physical body. You need that body to work for you when you go back into the world of eating!

Breaking the Fast

To break your fast correctly, most detox experts agree that you should eat a 100% raw food diet for half as many days as your cleanse. This helps the body transition back to eating at a healthy pace. For a 21-day fast, plan to eat a 100% raw food diet for at least 10 days after your detox. How quickly you transition back to normal eating and how quickly you add fats back into the diet depends on what type of cleanse you did – water fast, juice fast, mono fast, colon cleanse with herbs or other. In general, it’s a good rule of thumb to stay with a no fat diet until you have your first bowel movement which will hopefully occur naturally after 1-3 days of eating. After that, you can slowly add more good fats such as organic nuts, seeds and cold-pressed oils. Ideally, fasting becomes a normal part of healthy living, like spring cleaning your house or servicing your car every year. When done correctly, fasting can be an amazing tool for healing.

Breaking your fast at the right time is an important part of healing


How to Eat Clean: Start with Green Smoothies!

Green Smoothie for DummiesCheck out my book Green Smoothies for Dummies – I’ve got loads of recipes using dark leafy greens and many delicious combos without any chemical additives, flavorings or refined sugar. It’s so easy!

Clean your body from the inside out and watch your skin improve, your hair and nails get stronger, your eyes look brighter and your waistline slim down….all naturally and effortlessly! It’s simply amazing and your only regret will be that you didn’t start drinking green smoothies sooner.

When you take care of your whole body, you get whole body health.

When you let your food be your medicine, you are always moving towards better health.

Find the book Green Smoothies for Dummies on iTunes or amazon.com!


For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a smart phone or digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval for Iridology Analysis.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!


More on anti-Aging:

When is the BEST time (and WORST time) to START a detox

Finding the time to slow down and disconnect these days is getting harder than ever. You want to do a detox, reboot and recharge so you can feel better, right? But when you look at your calendar, you’ve got work commitments, social evenings planned, and holidays, birthdays, anniversaries coming up all the time. There is always a reason why it’s not a good time to start a cleanse. How is it even possible to fit it in? I’ve been doing juice fasting, water fasting and various types of cleanses successfully for over 20 years. In this article, I share my top tips for knowing and planning the best time to start your detox…and even better, how you can stay committed to actually following through and doing it!

Plan your detox right at the right time and you will succeed!

When is the WORST time to start a detox

If you start your detox at the wrong time, chances are you will not succeed with it. Don’t make the mistake of convincing or forcing yourself to make a radical all-or-nothing approach in this. If you don’t have a plan going into your fast then you will not have a plan in breaking your fast and you will end up exactly where you started – feeling bloated, miserable, with bad food cravings and possibly bingeing – on food, alcohol, refined sugar, carbs or even recreational drugs. Trust me, I’ve seen and heard every version of these stories having worked with fasters for over 20 years. Learn from the mistakes of others and YOU can be a REAL success story!

Do NOT start a detox or juice fast if you are:

  • Working on your master’s dissertation and/or working on a huge school or work project. You may think that fasting will clear your mind and help your creativity, but you are just putting more pressure on an already high pressure situation. Focus on eating a healthy clean food diet, avoid refined sugar (that alone can help to clear brain fog) and boost your mineral reserve instead.
  • In the middle of selling your house, planning a wedding, getting ready to move to a new country or starting a new job. I get it – you’re human and want to look your very best for a new chapter in life. You want to lose weight and have clear skin for that new job. No one wants rashes or pimples on their face for their wedding! It’s totally normal. However, all of these situations are already high stress moments in life. Give yourself some room to breathe by not adding more stress. Limit your food intake, go on a gluten-free and sugar-free diet but do not start fasting.
  • Going through a break-up, divorce, death of a loved one or other emotional trauma. Positively this is not the time to add more to your emotional plate. Fasting can be intensely emotional as you stir up old molecules of emotion when toxins are being released. Have a good cry, seek support from friends and loved ones, and heck, allow yourself to do some emotional eating if you want….but do not start a detox now. Be your own best friend, not your worst enemy. Give yourself time and space to heal. After you are feeling better, you can think about doing a cleanse as part of a spiritual and emotional reboot.

When is the BEST time to start a detox

Starting a detox when you are energetically grounded ensures a much higher chance of success and allows you to focus on your long-term goals in making positive changes to your diet and lifestyle. Ultimately, good health is a journey… not a sprint to the finish line. Fasting is a wonderful element to add to an already healthful lifestyle. A detox can be an opportunity to raise your spiritual awareness, to center your energy on a particular creative goal, to allow the body extra energy for healing and to engage in preventative maintenance, ie give your body an “oil change.” When you see and feel the results – better digestion, higher energy levels, more emotionally centered and that amazing feeling of being “healthy” – you will know it was worth it to wait for the right time.

Long-term, you achieve good health in the day-to-day healthy habits that you commit to over the course of years. That can include meditation, yoga, exercise, making fresh food at home, eating more raw organic fruits and vegetables, having regular steams or far infrared saunas to promote detoxification through the skin, supporting your body nutritionally with variety and a rainbow of colors in your diet, having an Iridology analysis to determine the supplements your body needs (a-hem), getting alkaline, taking nutritional supplements to get all the minerals your body needs, doing other forms of detox such as parasite cleansing, heavy metal chelation or a liver/gallstone flush, getting regular and restful sleep and engaging in positive and loving relationships. It takes time to implement a lifestyle of healthy habits… you can’t do all of that in just one fast!

Be realistic about your goals for what your detox may bring and also be ready and prepared to step back in the “real world” with a good solid plan. Breaking a fast correctly is just as important (if not more important) than the fast itself. Having a health coach can definitely help you transition at the right pace and continue from strength to strength.

DO start a detox if you:

  • Are feeling emotionally, mentally and/or spiritually grounded, stable and ready to make a positive change in your life. Walking barefoot on the earth and wearing the color red helps to ground your base chakra more quickly. Good crystals for grounding energy include hematite, tiger eye, garnet, obsidian, and black tourmaline – so if you need help in getting grounded, these crystals can help.
  • Have time, space and energy to work on your healing. Especially in the first few days or week, you’ll most likely need more time to slow down (I know it seems strange but it’s true!) . It’s best to schedule less and have no commitments to any major projects, deadlines, decisions, travel, or other activities that require a lot of emotional or physical energy. I once had someone email me saying she planned to start a 40-day water fast while selling and moving her house and also planning her daughter’s wedding. Oh, and she was going to start a blog to document the whole experience too. Talk about pressure! Needless to say, she didn’t last more than 2 days before quitting her fast. Put an autoresponder on your email, create a comfortable space for yourself and prepare to go within. Amethyst is a wonderful crystal for slowing down the “monkey mind.” If you feel your mind spinning while trying to slow down, try putting an amethyst cluster near your bed or in the bedroom to promote more relaxation and a restful sleep.
  • Seeking positive emotional support and are able to avoid negativity. Some people are actually addicted to negativity and that in itself is a problem that should be addressed before starting a detox. External negativity can also be a real problem. You’d be surprised how quickly a little spat in the parking lot or someone making a snide remark on your social media can completely throw you off-track emotionally and actually be a trigger to breaking your fast. As much as possible, avoid stressful encounters or situations before you start your detox and have a support system in place for you to seek help if you need it during your cleanse. Here is another case where you can really benefit from having a health coach to be a non-biased emotional support guide. If you’re feeling the need for some unconditional love to help boost your heart chakra, try using kunzite or pink tourmaline crystals during meditation. Kunzite helps to release anger, resentment and hurt while boosting the heart with love, acceptance and pure joy. You can also lay a kunzite crystal on your heart chakra (center of chest) when lying down to go to sleep.

Remember: Any detox is better than no detox!

As you start to navigate the world of cleansing, you may make the mistake of starting a fast at the wrong time in life. And that is OK! Having the courage to start a fast is a big thing and not to be underestimated. Even ONE day of fasting is better than none. Don’t beat yourself up if you quit early or if you didn’t realize how hard the detox would be and picked the wrong time to start. You can always try again at another time, a better time. The most important thing is to NEVER GIVE UP.

Eventually you will get there, but not if you stop trying. In another post, I discuss how to know when to break your fast since that’s another essential element to success. Meanwhile mark your calendar for your next cleanse, start clearing your schedule and remember: ENJOY THE HEALING JOURNEY!

How to Eat Clean: Start with Green Smoothies!

Green Smoothie for DummiesCheck out my book Green Smoothies for Dummies – I’ve got loads of recipes using dark leafy greens and many delicious combos without any chemical additives, flavorings or refined sugar. It’s so easy!

Clean your body from the inside out and watch your skin improve, your hair and nails get stronger, your eyes look brighter and your waistline slim down….all naturally and effortlessly! It’s simply amazing and your only regret will be that you didn’t start drinking green smoothies sooner.

When you take care of your whole body, you get whole body health.

When you let your food be your medicine, you are always moving towards better health.

Find the book Green Smoothies for Dummies on iTunes or amazon.com!


For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!


More on Immune System:

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Gut-Brain Axis: Probiotics are the Missing Link to Depression

Science has finally caught up to what many of us have been trying to say for years: How you feel comes from your GUT. Restoring gut health must be part of your mental wellness program. If you or someone who know is suffering from depression, there is HOPE. And it could be a lot easier to overcome than you think.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

The information below is from the book This is your Brain on Parasites by Kathleen McAuliffe:

“In the gut, resident microbes take a share of every meal you eat, but in return they aid in digestion, synthesizing vitamins and disarming dangerous bacteria that you ingest. They also churn out virtually every major neurotransmitter that tunes our emotions – notably GAMA, dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline – as well as hormones with psychoactive properties.

“To varying degrees, scientists now suspect, intestinal microbes influence whether you’re happy or sad, anxious or calm, energetic or sluggish, and, by signaling the brain when you’ve had enough to eat, perhaps even whether you’re fat or thin.

The Gut-Brain Axis is real

“Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how gut bacteria get messages delivered to the distant output of the head, but they have a few ideas.

“Some psychoactive compounds made by gut bacteria, they believe, are detected by the enteric nervous system – a think skein of neurons that runs the entire length of the gut. This network has more neurons than the spinal cord – hence its nickname, “the second brain’ – and it connects to the big brain upstairs via the vagus nerve, a major route by which gut bacteria make their voices heard. Indeed, 90 percent of information transmitted by this cable goes from the viscera to the brain, not the other way around, as science for many years had assumed.

It’s not “in your head”…it’s in your GUT

“Intestinal bacteria may engage the immune system, which can lower our mood and energy level, yet another pathway by which our microbiota might change our behavior. Perhaps related to that observation, depressed people tend to have abnormally high amounts of certain gut bacteria, and they are more likely to have elevated biomarkers for inflammation – an immune-mediated response.

“Intriguingly, certain gastro-intestinal (GI) disturbances – notable ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease – are marked by disruptions of the gut microbiome, and these illnesses are associated with an unusually high incidence of mental disturbance in comparison to serious diseases that afflict other parts of the body. Indeed, 50 to 80 percent of those who suffer from these conditions are clinically depressed.

“More surprising, specific abnormalities in the composition of the human microbiota have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – a condition characterized by increased anxiety, depression, and impaired social ability.

Could probiotics help millions of people who are debilitated by serious mood disorders?

“Clinical trials are now underway to test probiotics on people whose primary problem is anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. The results are not in yet, but studies of groups whose mental woes may originate in GI troubles offer encouragement. In one study of thirty-seven patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (an umbrella term for irritable bowel syndrome and other common gastric complaints that can’t be tied to an underlying abnormality), for example, probiotic treatment not only improved their symptoms but also brought about a significant reduction in their depression and anxiety based on both self-reporting and measurements of stress markers in their saliva and urine. The outcome was impressive given that all of the subjects had previously been treated – without success – at multiple medical centers.

“A sprinkling of clinical investigations also suggest that probiotic remedies can soothe colicky babies, a condition that torments 20% of newborns along with their frazzled, sleep-deprived parents. In one trial, the approach reduced crying and fussing by 70 percent.

“Gathering evidence hints that supplements of healthy bacteria may help to buffer already high-functioning people against everyday stress and strains. For example, a randomized, double-blind trial in France on fifty-five people with no history of psychological disturbances found that regular consumption of a probiotic reduced blood levels of stress hormones and subjects’ ratings of their depression, anxiety, and ability to cope – improvements not seen in the control group.”

Probiotics can’t hurt and may help, so why NOT try?

With no harmful side effects, no damage to the hormonal system, metabolism or liver, no additive properties and no need for other supporting prescription medications, I cannot see any logical reason why NOT to take a daily probiotic. At the very least, you can add a probiotic to your daily regimen, even if you and your doctor decide to keep you on anti-depressants. With nothing to lose and so much to potentially gain, it’s a no-brainer (or an all-gutter!).

Even if you don’t suffer from clinical anxiety or depression, studies are showing that you can feel better too. Everyday stress can actually be reduced, just from taking good gut bacteria!

What type of probiotic to take

I recommend several types of probiotic. Taken together, they increase the chance of rebalancing the microbiome in the gut. Remember, it’s not just one type of good bacteria that you need. There are as many as a thousand different strains of good bacteria in a healthy gut.

Recommended probiotic daily schedule:

  • Morning – Take 1 Jarrow brand acidophilus capsule with or after breakfast
  • Lunch – Take 1 Garden of Life HSO probiotic tablet with or after lunch
  • At night before bed – Take 1 Udo bifidus capsule at night before bed

(Note: while traveling, it’s best to take only the Jarrow brand 3x daily because it’s easy to travel with, can be transported without refrigeration and it’s more convenient to have only one brand to carry. At home, increase your variety of bacterial strains in the gut by rotating between 3 different brands each day.)


For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a smart phone or digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval for Iridology Analysis.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!


More on Gut Health:

More on Motivation:

Feng Shui Your Home for Better Sleep and Good Relationships

The concept of clearing clutter, minimization or tidying up for success is nothing new. Feng Shui is an ancient practice of keeping order in one’s life and enjoying good energy flow as a result. Find out how you can adopt a few Feng Shui techniques, practice minimalism and see how your life can actually improve as a result. It’s pretty amazing stuff, especially because it works!

Feng Shui Your Bedroom for Better Sleep

The importance of Feng Shui in the bedroom is second to none in terms of getting a restful sleep.

To start, correct placement of mirrors is essential. Don’t place any mirrors behind, next to or even above the bed. This will drain your energy all night long, and leave you feeling depleted with lack of focus in the morning. Do place mirrors behind a door or in the closet/dressing area for good Feng Shui.

Next, check your sheets, pillows, blankets and comforters. For the best Feng Shui in the bedroom, all linens should be either white or skin tone in color; that is, any shade of tan or brown. Choose plain fabrics with minimalistic designs and avoid loud patterns. You don’t want bright colors or mismatching patterns, all of which create energetic “noise.”  I recommend to use only a high quality (300 count or more) 100% cotton sheets and avoid polyester blends. When you get into bed, it should feel like the most comfortable place on earth.

Take time every morning to make your bed consciously, with attention and intention to take care of your sleeping space. The worse thing you can do is throw pillows haphazardly, unconsciously or while filled with stressful thoughts. You will only keep that energy there waiting for you when you get back at night!

If you suffer from insomnia, turn on an essential oil diffuser with organic lavender oil in the bedroom for about an hour each night. Either use a timer function or turn it off manually before going to bed.

The bedroom decor should be simple and zen-like. Use warm woods and avoid too much metal or sharp-edged furniture. Don’t allow clutter in the bedroom, especially if your mind tends to race and wander before falling asleep. (You may need to detox your bedroom, which is not a bad thing!)

Minimize electronics in the bedroom, especially ones that are right next to the bed. Placing a large amethyst crystal cluster in the bedroom can help to relax the mind and promote a deeper, more restful sleep.

Top Feng Shui Tips for Your Bedroom:

  • No mirrors behind, above or on the side of the bed
  • Linens and sheets in white or skin tone colors
  • Simple decor with minimal clutter
  • No electronics next to the bed
  • Amethyst crystal cluster to relax the mind

A simple and clean bedroom has the perfect energy for a good night’s sleep

Feng Shui Your Home for a Good Relationship

Perhaps you never thought about what type of energy you have in your home for harboring good relationships, but in terms of Feng Shui, it’s very important! If you are single, there are things you can do to attract a partner in your life. And if you have a partner and you want to continue in a successful union, there are some Feng Shui decorating points that can actually help keep a loving relationship.

To find a partner, don’t worry about how to meet them. Instead, get your Feng Shui in order…and the universe will bring that person to you! Good Feng Shui for love starts with the images in your home. What you want is art, posters or paintings or 2 animals in nature, such as 2 elephants walking, 2 fish swimming or 2 birds flying. The worst Feng Shui is to have a single woman sitting alone on a beach, or a single animal alone in a painting. If you want to stay single, that’s ok! But otherwise, get rid of it.

To keep a partner, bring in the powerful symbol in Feng Shui for love and marriage, sometimes called the “double happiness” symbol. This is a symbol you can hang in your bedroom, and for the best Feng Shui, you want this symbol in the southwest (SW) corner of the room.

For good relationship Feng Shui, you want to have a bedside table and a lamp on both sides of the bed, with easy access to both sides of the bed. The worst Feng Shui that will keep you in forever singledom is when you have one side of the bed directly against wall with only one side of the bed accessible for entry and exit. The bedroom should be clear of clutter and simple in design to keep drama and discord out of the relationship.

Top Feng Shui Tips for a Good Relationship:

  • Artwork showing animals in pairs
  • Bedside tables on both sides of the bed
  • Double Happiness symbol in the SW corner

Feng Shui Your Office for Creativity & Concentration

The energy in your office should ideally help to strengthen your ability to focus, complete tasks and maximize productivity. In terms of Feng Shui, your office should always be neat and orderly. A chaotic or untidy space leads to monkey mind and scattered thoughts. Keep your desk free of clutter, and only have essential items on display. Simplicity is best.

Add a nice green plant, and keep wood or bamboo elements in your office space for good Feng Shui.

Finally, locate the southeast (SE) area of your office, otherwise known as the Wealth and Money corner. In that area, you can add a gold dragon, a three-legged frog, an image of a bat, a gold elephant, or a turtle, all considered to be powerful Feng Shui elements for abundance and success.

Top Feng Shui Tips for Your Office:

  • Neat and tidy work space, clear of clutter
  • Green plant or bamboo
  • Lucky talismans in the Wealth and Money Corner

Feng Shui Tips to Create a Peaceful Retreat at Home

The energy in your home starts from the moment you walk in the door, and that’s where a lot of important Feng Shui happens.

Don’t put a mirror directly in front of the entrance, and don’t have a bathroom directly in front of the entrance – both of these are definitely bad for Feng Shui. A mirror in front of the door sends all the good energy out of the home. You can have a mirror next to the door or in a hallway, but not facing the entrance door.

Do invite clean energy into your home by placing a clear quartz cluster in the entranceway. A quartz cluster is used to clean an energy space, with all the crystal points sending good energy in all different directions. This helps to leave worries and stress at the door, not allowing it to enter the home.

Do protect yourself and your home from bad energy by hanging or placing talismans in your entryway. A Buddha statue should be facing the door and set on a table against a flat wall. Never place a Buddha statue in a corner and never place a Buddha directly on the floor. For obvious reasons, you don’t want to ever put a Buddha statue in a bathroom either.  Other talismans for good energetic protection include a Hamsa, the blue Evil Eye or a Quan Yin statue.

Top Feng Shui Tips for a Peaceful Home:

  • No mirror facing the entrance door
  • Clear quartz cluster in the entry to invite clean energy
  • Buddha statue or Hamsa for protection

Buddha statues, Himalayan salt lamps, crystals and Quan Yin in the entryway for good Feng Shui

What is Feng Shui

Feng shui is a centuries-old practice that incorporates the arrangement of items around you with energy flow. When you practice the system of Feng Shui, it is believed to bring more “good chi,” including better health, good relationships and success. Feng shui can unlock you from a rut and jump start your motivation again, simply by improving the energy flow around you. It can improve your spiritual health and well-being. What awaits you is a life filled with harmony and comfort—and it’s literally at your doorstep.

More on Spiritual Health:

How to Handle Negative or Jealous People and Still Stay Positive!

Did you ever come home after doing a detox, cleanse or juice fast, feeling on top of the world and in your healthy glow, only to have one of your friends or co-workers kill your joy ride with a negative remark? Did you ever post a picture on Facebook after losing weight or healing yourself in some way, feeling so proud of the work you’ve done, just to have a friend leave a comment that was less than complimentary? Did you recently achieve something special, like writing a book (a-hem) or getting a promotion at work and you noticed a particular person in your life made a sideways comment that was actually somewhat derogatory?

Even if you receive 99 genuine and praising compliments for your efforts, you can hang on to that 1 nasty comment and just feel terrible for days. And feeling bad is NOT good for your health! Could that person actually be jealous of you? Or are they just perpetually caught in the negative, and never actually happy for you in the way you are happy for their success?

One of the sad parts about changing your diet and your lifestyle for the better is that some people around you may not be so supportive or happy to see you change. Jealousy is, without a doubt, an ugly beast, and once it rears its ugly head, it can be hard for it to go away. What can you do if you suspect that your friend, co-worker or family member is actually jealous of you? How do you deal with negativity when you feel so positive, happy and healthy? If you want the best for everyone around you, why don’t they also want the best for you?

Remember: What other people think of you is none of YOUR business!

How can you respond to a jealous or negative comment?

1. Do NOT take things personally! Usually when someone is actively negative, it has absolutely everything to do with them and nothing to do with you. You might actually notice that the person in question makes comments about everyone in a bad way, so no matter what you do or don’t do, you will be a topic of conversation for them.

2. Remember: What other people think about you is none of your business! You rocked this world with your successes and you should own that success. Be proud of yourself and stand tall! No one knows how hard you worked and no one has the right to judge you.

3. You cannot and never will please everyone. It’s just not possible, so let go of having to make everyone happy! Do your best to be compassionate, loving, genuine and honest but know that sometimes people will still not like you, even if you are a good person, and that’s okay! People even find reasons to not like the Dalai Lama, so come on!

4. Choose not to comment. Take the higher ground with negativity and simply do not acknowledge it. Look at it as a spiritual challenge and an opportunity to grow emotionally. Letting go of the need to reply is truly a remarkable release and you will find so much freedom there! Plus, it stops the energy of negativity dead in its tracks. Remember, you cannot have an argument with only one person. Think of yourself as bamboo, strong in your form but flexible to move in the wind. You can withstand any storm as long as you stay focused in your strength!

5. Be kind but practice safe distancing. If you see a pattern in one person who is continuously jabbing you with snide comments, then you should think about whether or not you want to have that person in your life. You are precious and your time is precious, so choose who you give your time to wisely. I often think the best thing to do is to be as compassionate and kind as you can but slowly distance yourself from the person, making it clear that you are not available. They will either change their tune and start getting more positive on their own, or they will set their sights to something or someone else.

When in doubt, send them love!

If you are absolutely unsure what to do with the negative Nelly in your life, then simply send them love! Especially if you catch yourself caught in the midst of “What?” “Why?” “How could they?” “Don’t they know that….” then it’s time to stop, close your eyes, and take a long deep breath. Visualize a huge white ray of love and light wrapping itself around Nelly filling him or her with Divine unconditional love. Watch and wait what happens. You will be amazed to see the change. Sometimes it’s even instant!

What if you feel envious of someone else?

Don’t beat yourself for being human if you have the occasional feeling of envy. It’s normal to feel a slight pang of envy when you see someone enjoying success. But, if you feel yourself being spiteful or speaking untruths about someone just to better your own position, then you need to get yourself in check. You will never reach your full healing potential if you stay stuck in the gutter of negativity, and the only person who continues to suffer is you! Jealousy is a monster of a negative emotion. It can literally make your liver run hot, stress your adrenal glands, deplete your body of minerals and make you more acidic just from the buildup of negative emotions. On the flip side, feeling mof compassion, love, acceptance, happiness and joy are all extremely alkalizing for the body and good for your health.

If you want success, then do not compare yourself to the person sitting next to you. You are not competing against anyone in this life but you. Focus on your own path and stay in tune with your goals. Remember: No one even achieved anything when they stopped trying, and no one is ever born an expert. Read success stories for motivation and know that if that one person achieved their goal, then you can too!

Take some added inspiration from these successful “failures”!

Often times, right behind a person’s biggest fear is their greatest success!

Now go out there and show the world a healthy, beautiful, positive and successful YOU!

What’s your favorite success quote that helps to keep you focused? Share it in the comments below!

Staying positive and steering clear of negativity is just one part of living a happy, healthy life. For more on how to start your Health Coaching for Success, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

More Motivation:

Earliest Raw Food and Fasting Book: The Ancient Essene Gospel of the Peace

Book 1 of The Essene Gospel of the Peace is quite possibly the earliest book we have on the teachings of fasting and raw food living, reportedly written in the words of Jesus himself. Jesus taught people how to water fast and eat raw food? How can that be? It was in 1928 that Edmond Bordeaux Szekely first published his translation of Book One of The Essene Gospel of Peace, an ancient manuscript that was found in the Secret Archives of the Vatican. If you’ve never seen or heard of this before, you should definitely have a read. I’ve included the text on fasting and raw food below.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

The Essene Gospel of the Peace, an ancient text on Fasting and Raw Food

Actually the whole idea of raw food and fasting is not so outlandish. We do know that Jesus fasted for 40 days, so it would make sense that he talked about it. As for the raw food bit, it’s highly likely that this information could have been withheld due to the confusion it creates for all of Christianity. This text is very controversial in the Christian world for many reasons, but mainly because it offers the idea of 2 Gods: a Heavenly Father and an Earthy Mother. That’s a major monkey wrench to contend with when you supposedly only have a “one man” (or a “father and son”) business. As you read through the text, you will see that the teachings offers raw milk “not heated higher than the sun” as an acceptable food for Man. That means technically, if you follow this Gospel, you would not have to be a vegan or vegetarian, and you would be permitted to drink raw milk. It’s an interesting observation.

I’ve seen certain raw food experts try to debunk this ancient text, and I recognized immediately that if someone were a Christian, they might try very hard to reject this as a Gospel and look for ways to negate the truths. It’s important to try to be as impartial as possible when looking at a historical text, and sometimes that may not be easy. I certainly respect and honor everyone’s religious beliefs and I have immense compassion for the sensitivity of this issue.

Whether or not this Gospel is real or valid or correct is something that I personally cannot answer. But, I think it is fascinating. And it offers amazing teachings and insights about fasting and raw food. I read this small book about 60 times during my own 40-Day Water Fast and I can honestly say that it was the best and most accurate guide I had to stay focused and hold my trust and faith during the process of long water fasting. I believed everything that was written, and I felt very strongly that this book is much more valuable for our physical and spiritual journey than we can ever imagine.

Essene Gospel of the Peace

The following excerpt is from Book One of The Essene Gospel of Peace, translated by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (copyright 1981):

Jesus said “I tell you in very truth, Man is the Son of the Earthly Mother, and from her did the Son of Man receive his whole body, even as the body of the newborn babe is born of the womb of his mother. I tell you truly, you are one with the Earthly Mother; she is in you, and you in her. Of her were you born, in her do you live, and to her shall you return again. Keep, therefore, her laws, for none can live long, neither be happy, but he who honors his Earthly Mother and does her laws. For your breath is her breath; your blood her blood; your bone her bone; your flesh her flesh; your bowels her bowels; your eyes and your ears are her eyes and her ears.

“I tell you truly, should you fail to keep but one only of all these laws, should you harm but one only of all your body’s members, you shall be utterly lost in your grievous sickness, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I tell you, unless you follow the laws of your Mother, you can in no wise escape death. And he who clings to the laws of his Mother, to him shall his Mother cling also. She shall heal all his plagues, and he shall never become sick. She gives him long life, and protects him from all afflictions; from fire, from water, from the bite of venomous serpents. For your Mother bore you, keeps life within you. She has given you her body, and none but she heals you. Happy is he who loves his Mother and lies quietly in her bosom. For your Mother loves you, even when you turn away from her. And how much more shall she love you, if you turn to her again? I tell you truly, very great is her love, greater than the greatest of mountains, deeper than the deepest seas. And those who love their Mother, she never deserts them. As the hen protects her chickens, as the lioness her cubs, as the mother her newborn babe, so does the Earthly Mother protect the Son of Man from all danger and from all evils.

“For I tell you truly, evils and dangers innumerable lie in wait for the Sons of Men. Beelzebub, the prince of all devils, the source of every evil, lies in wait in the body of all the Sons of Men. He is death, the lord of every plague, and taking upon him a pleasing raiment, he tempts and entices the Sons of Men. Riches does he promise, and power, and splendid palaces, and garments of gold and silver, and a multitude of servants, all these; he promises renown and glory, fornication and lustfulness, gluttony and wine-bibbing, riotous living, and slothfulness and idle days. And he entices every one by that to which their heart is most inclined. And in the day that the Sons of Men have already become the slaves of all these vanities and abominations, then in payment thereof he snatches from the Sons of Men all those things which the Earthly Mother gave them so abundantly. He takes from them their breath, their blood, their bone, their flesh, their bowels, their eyes and their ears. And the breath of the Son of Man becomes short and stifled, full of pain and evil-smelling, like the breath of unclean beasts. And his blood becomes thick and evil-smelling, like the water of the swamps; it clots and blackens, like the night of death. And his bone becomes hard and knotted; it melts away within and breaks asunder, as a stone falling down upon a rock. And his flesh waxes fat and watery; it rots and putrefies, with scabs and boils that are an abomination.

And his bowels become full with abominable filthiness, with oozing streams of decay; and multitudes of abominable worms have their habitation there. And his eyes grow dim, till dark night enshrouds them, and his ears become stopped, like the silence of the grave. And last of all shall the erring Son of Man lose life. For he kept not the laws of his Mother, and added sin to sin. Therefore, are taken from him all the gifts of the Earthly Mother: breath, blood, bone, flesh, bowels, eyes and ears, and after all else, life, with which the Earthly Mother crowned his body.

But if the erring Son of Man be sorry for his sins and undo them, and return again to his Earthly Mother; and if he do his Earthly Mother’s laws and free himself from Satan’s clutches, resisting his temptations, then does the Earthly Mother receive again her erring Son with love and sends him her angels that they may serve him. I tell you truly, when the Son of Man resists the Satan that dwells in him and does not his will, in the same hour are found the Mother’s angels there, that they may serve him with all their power and free utterly the Son of Man from the power of Satan.

“For no man can serve two masters. For either he serves Beelzebub and his devils or else he serves our Earthly Mother and her angels. Either he serves death or he serves life. I ten you truly, happy are those that do the laws of life and wander not upon the paths of death. For in them the forces of life wax strong and they escape the plagues of death.”

And all those round about him listened to his words with amazement, for his word was with power, and he taught quite otherwise than the priests and scribes.

And though the sun was now set, they departed not to their homes. They sat round about Jesus and asked him: “Master, which are these laws of life? Rest with us awhile longer and teach us. We would listen to your teaching that we may be healed and become righteous.”

And Jesus himself sat down in their midst and said: “I tell you truly, none can be happy, except he do the Law.”

Renew yourselves and fast. For I tell you truly, that Satan and his plagues may only be cast out by -fasting and by prayer. Go by yourself and fast alone, and show your fasting to no man. The living God shall see it and great shall be your reward. And fast till Beelzebub and all his evils depart from you, and all the angels of our Earthly Mother come and serve you. For I tell you truly, except you fast, you shall never be freed from the power of Satan and from all diseases that come from Satan. Fast and pray fervently, seeking the power of the living God for your healing. While you fast, eschew the Sons of Men and seek our Earthly Mother’s angels, for he that seeks shall find.

Seek the fresh air of the forest and of the fields, and there in the midst of them shall you find the angel of air. Put off your shoes and your clothing and suffer the angel of air to embrace all your body. Then breathe long and deeply, that the angel of air may be brought within you. I tell you truly, the angel of air shall cast out of your body all uncleannesses which defiled it without and within. And thus shall all evil-smelling and unclean things rise out of you, as the smoke of fire curls upwards and is lost in the sea of the air. For I tell you truly, holy is the angel of air, who cleanses all that is unclean and makes all evil-smelling things of a sweet odor. No man may come before the face of God, whom the angel of air lets not pass. Truly, all must be born again by air and by truth, for your body breathes the air of the Earthly Mother, and your spirit breathes the truth of the Heavenly Father.

“After the angel of air, seek the angel of water. Put off your shoes and your clothing and suffer the angel of water to embrace all your body. Cast yourselves wholly into his enfolding arms, and as often as you move the air with your breath, move with your body the water also. I tell you truly, the angel of water shall cast out of your body all uncleannesses which defiled it without and within. And all unclean and evil-smelling things shall flow out of you, even as the uncleannesses of garments washed in water flow away and are lost in the stream of the river. I tell you truly, holy is the angel of water who cleanses all that is unclean and makes all evil-smelling things of a sweet odor. No man may come before the face of God whom the angel of water lets not pass. in very truth, all must be born again of water and of truth, for your body bathes in the river of earthly life, and your spirit bathes in the river of life everlasting. For you receive your blood from our Earthly Mother and the truth from our Heavenly Father.

“Think not that it is sufficient that the angel of water embrace you outwards only. I tell you truly, the uncleanness within is greater by much than the uncleanness without. And he who cleanses himself without, but within remains unclean, is like to tombs that outwards are painted fair, but are within full of all manner of horrible uncleannesses and abominations. So I tell you truly, suffer the angel of water to baptize you also within, that you may become free from all your past sins, and that within likewise you may become as pure as the river’s foam sporting in the sunlight.

Seek, therefore, a large trailing gourd, having a stalk the length of a man; take out its inwards and fill it with water from the river which the sun has warmed. Hang it upon the branch of a tree, and kneel upon the ground before the angel of water, and suffer the end of the stalk of the trailing gourd to enter your hinder parts, that the water may flow through all your bowels. Afterwards rest kneeling on the ground before the angel of water and pray to the living God that he will forgive you all your past sins, and pray the angel of water that he will free your body from every uncleanness and disease. Then let the water run out from your body, that it may carry away from within it all the unclean and evil-smelling things of Satan. And you shall see with your eyes and smell with your nose all the abominations, and uncleannesses which defiled the temple of your body; even all the sins which abode in your body, tormenting you with all manner of pains. I tell you truly, baptism with water frees you from all of these. Renew your baptizing with water on every day of your fast, till the day when you see that the water which flows out of you is as pure as the river’s foam. Then betake your body to the coursing river, and there in the arms of the angel of water render thanks to the living God that he has freed you from your sins. And this holy baptizing by the angel of water is: Rebirth unto the new life. For your eyes shall henceforth see, and your ears shall hear. Sin no more, therefore, after your baptism, that the angels of air and of water may eternally abide in you and serve you evermore.

“And if afterward there remain within you aught of your past sins and uncleannesses, seek the angel of sunlight. Put off your shoes and your clothing and suffer the angel of sunlight to embrace all your body. Then breathe long and deeply, that the angel of sunlight may be brought within you. And the angel of sunlight shall cast out of your body all evil-smelling and unclean things which defiled it without and within. And all unclean and evil-smelling things shall rise from you, even as the darkness of night fades before the brightness of the rising sun. For I tell you truly, holy is the angel of sunlight who cleans out all uncleannesses and makes all evil-smelling things of a sweet odor. None may come before the face of God, whom the angel of sunlight lets not pass. Truly, all must be born again of sun and of truth, for your body basks in the sunlight of the Earthly Mother, and your spirit basks in the sunlight of the truth of the Heavenly Father.

“The angels of air and of water and of sunlight are brethren. They were given to the Son of Man that they might serve him, and that he might go always from one to the other.

“Holy, likewise, is their embrace. They are indivisible children of the Earthly Mother, so do not you put asunder those whom earth and heaven have made one. Let these three brother angels enfold you every day and let them abide with you through all your fasting.

“For I tell you truly, the power of devils, all sins and uncleannesses shall depart in haste from that body which is embraced by these three angels. As thieves flee from a deserted house at the coming of the lord of the house, one by the door, one by the window, and the third by the roof, each where he is found, and whither he is able, even so shall flee from your bodies all devils of evil, all past sins, and all uncleannesses and diseases which defiled the temple of your bodies. When the Earthly Mother’s angels enter into your bodies, in such wise that the lords of the temple repossess it again, then shall all evil smells depart in haste by your breath and by your skin, corrupt waters by your mouth and by your skin, by your hinder and your privy parts. And all these things you shall see with your eyes and smell with your nose and touch with your hands. And when all sins and uncleannesses are gone from your body, your blood shall become as pure as our Earthly Mother’s blood and as the river’s foam sporting in the sunlight. And your breath shall become as pure as the breath of odorous flowers; your flesh as pure as the flesh of fruits reddening upon the leaves of trees; the light of your eye as clear and bright as the brightness of the sun shining upon the blue sky. And now shall all the angels of the Earthly Mother serve you. And your breath, your blood, your flesh shall be one with the breath, the blood and the flesh of the Earthly Mother, that your spirit also may become one with the spirit of your Heavenly Father. For truly, no one can reach the Heavenly Father unless through the Earthly Mother.

“I say to you, Sons of Man: Honor your Earthly Mother and keep all her laws, that your days may be long on this earth, and honor your Heavenly Father that Eternal Life may be yours in the heavens. For the Heavenly Father is a hundred times greater than all fathers by seed and by blood, and greater is the Earthly Mother than all mothers by the body. And dearer is the Son of Man in the eyes of his Heavenly Father and of his Earthly Mother than are children in the eyes of their fathers by seed and by blood and of their mothers by the body. And more wise are the words and laws of your Heavenly Father and of your Earthly Mother than the words and the will of all fathers by seed and by blood, and of all mothers by the body. And of more worth also is the inheritance of your Heavenly Father and of your Earthly Mother, the everlasting kingdom of earthly and heavenly life, than all the inheritances of your fathers by seed and by blood, and of your mothers by the body.

“And your true brothers are all those who do the will of your Heavenly Father and of your Earthly Mother, and not your brothers by blood. I tell you truly, that your true brothers in the will of the Heavenly Father and of the Earthly Mother will love you a thousand times more than your brothers by blood. For since the days of Cain and Abel, when brothers by blood transgressed the will of God, there is no true brotherhood by blood. And brothers do unto brothers as do strangers. Therefore, I say to you, love your true brothers in the will of God a thousand times more than your brothers by blood.

For Your Heavenly Father is Love.
For Your Earthly Mother is Love.
For the Son of Man is Love.

And many unclean and sick followed Jesus’ words and sought the banks of the murmuring streams. They put off their shoes and their clothing, they fasted, and they gave up their bodies to the angels of air, of water, and of sunshine. And the Earthly Mother’s angels embraced them, possessing their bodies both inwards and outwards. And all of them saw all evils, sins and uncleannesses depart in haste from them.

And the breath of some became as stinking as that which is loosed from the bowels, and some had an issue of spittle, and evil-smelling and unclean vomit rose from their inward parts. All these uncleannesses flowed by their mouths. In some, by the nose, in others by the eyes and ears. And many did have a noisome and abominable sweat come from all their body, over all their skin. And on many limbs great hot boils broke forth, from which carne out uncleannesses with an evil smell, and urine flowed abundantly from their body; and in many their urine was all but dried up and became thick as the honey of bees; that of others was almost red or black, and as hard almost as the sand of rivers. And many belched stinking gases from their bowels, like the breath of devils. And their stench became so great that none could bear it.

And when they baptized themselves, the angel of water entered their bodies, and from them flowed out all the abominations and uncleannesses of their past sins, and like a falling mountain stream gushed from their bodies a multitude of hard and soft abominations. And the ground where their waters flowed was polluted, and so great became the stench that none could remain there. And the devils left their bowels in the shape of multitudinous worms which writhed in impotent rage after the angel of water had cast them out of the bowels of the Sons of Men. And then descended upon them the power of the angel of sunshine, and they perished there in their desperate writhings, trod underfoot by the angel of sunshine. And all were trembling with terror when they looked upon all these abominations of Satan, from which the angels had saved them. And they rendered thanks to God who had sent his angels for their deliverance.

And there were some whom great pains tormented, which would not depart from them; and knowing not what they should do, they resolved to send one of them to Jesus, for they greatly wished he should be with them.

And when two were gone to seek him, they saw Jesus himself approaching by the bank of the river. And their hearts were filled with hope and joy when they heard his greeting, “Peace be with you.” And many were the questions that they desired to ask him, but in their astonishment they could not begin, for nothing came into their minds. Then said Jesus to them: “I come because you need me.” And one cried out: “Master, we do indeed, come and free us from our pains.”

Then Jesus turned to the sick folk and said: “I tell you truly, great and many are your sins. Many years have you yielded to the enticings of Satan. You have been gluttonous, wine-bibbers and gone a-whoring, and your past debts have multiplied. And now you must repay them, and payment is difficult and hard. Be not, therefore, already impatient after the third day, like the prodigal son, but wait patiently for the seventh day which is sanctified by God, and then go with humble and obedient heart before the face of your Heavenly Father, that he may forgive you your sins and all your past debts. I tell you truly, your Heavenly Father loves you without end, for he also allows you to pay in seven days the debts of seven years. Those that owe the sins and diseases of seven years, but pay honestly and persevere till the seventh day, to them shall our Heavenly Father forgive the debts of all these seven years.

“If we sin for seven times seven years?” asked a sick man who suffered horribly. “Even in that case the Heavenly Father forgives you all your debts in seven times seven days.

“If you repent of your sins, and by fasting and prayer you seek the angels of God, then each day that you continue to fast and to pray, God’s angels blot out one year of your evil deeds from the book of your body and your spirit. And when the last page is also blotted out and cleansed from all your sins, you stand before the face of God, and God rejoices in his heart and forgets all your sins. He frees you from the clutches of Satan and from suffering; he takes you within his house and commands that all his servants, all his angels serve you. Long life does he give you, and you shall never see disease. And if, thenceforward, instead of sinning, you pass your days in doing good deeds, then the angels of God shall write all your good deeds in the book of your body and of your spirit. I tell you truly, no good deed remains unwritten before God, not from the beginning of the world. For from your kings and your governors you may wait in vain for your reward, but never do your good deeds want their reward from God.

“And when you come before the face of God, his angels bear witness for you with your good deeds. And God sees your good deeds written in your bodies and in your spirits, and rejoices in his heart. He blesses your body and your spirit and all your deeds, and gives you for a heritage his earthly and heavenly kingdom, that in it you may have life everlasting. Happy is he who can enter into the kingdom of God, for he shall never see death.”

And a great silence fell at his words. And those that were discouraged took new strength from his words and continued to fast and to pray. And he who had spoken the first, said to him: “I will persevere to the seventh day.” And the second, likewise, said to him: “I also will persevere to the seven times seventh day.”

Jesus answered them: “Happy are those that persevere to the end, for they shall inherit the earth.”

And there were many sick among them tormented with grievous pains, and they hardly crawled to Jesus’ feet. For they could no longer walk upon their feet. They said: “Master, we are grievously tormented with pain; tell us what we shall do.” And they showed Jesus their feet in which the bones were twisted and knotted and said: “Neither the angel of air, nor of water, nor of sunshine has assuaged our pains, notwithstanding that we baptized ourselves, and do fast and pray, and follow your words in all things.”

“I tell you truly, your bones will be healed. Be not discouraged, but seek for cure nigh the healer of bones, the angel of earth. For thence were your bones taken, and thither will they return.”

And he pointed with his hand to where the running of the water and the sun’s heat had softened to clayey mud the earth by the edge of the water. “Sink your feet in the mire, that the embrace of the angel of earth may draw out from your bones all uncleanness and all disease. And you will see Satan and your pains fly from the embrace of the angel of earth. And the knots of your bones will vanish away, and they will be straightened, and all your pains will disappear.”

And the sick followed his words, for they knew that they would be healed.

Then Jesus went to them and said: “By your fasting and your prayer, you have called back the lord of your body and his angels. And now Satan sees that the true lord of your body returns, and that it is the end of his power. Wherefore, in his wrath he gathers his strength once again, that he may destroy your bodies before the coming of the lord. It is for this that Satan torments you so grievously, for he feels that the end is come. But let not your hearts tremble, for soon will the angels of God appear, to occupy again their abodes and rededicate them as temples of God. And they will seize Satan and cast himn from your bodies with all his diseases and all his uncleannesses. And happy will you be, for you will receive the reward of your steadfastness, and you will never see disease.”

And Jesus departed, saying: “I will come again to all who persist in prayer and fasting until the seventh day. Peace be with you.”

And it was by the bed of a stream, many sick fasted and prayed with God’s angels for seven days and seven nights. And great was their reward, because they followed Jesus’ words. And with the passing of the seventh day, all their pains left them. And when the sun rose over the earth’s rim they saw Jesus coming towards them from the mountain, with the brightness of the rising sun about his head.

Peace be with you.

And they said no word at all, but only cast themselves down before him, and touched the hem of his garment in token of their healing.

Give thanks not to me, but to your Earthly Mother, who sent you her healing angels. Go, and sin no more, that you may never again see disease. And let the healing angels become your guardians.”

But they answered him: “Whither should we go, Master, for with you are the words of eternal life? Tell us, what are the sins which we must shun, that we may nevermore see disease?”

Jesus answered: “Be it so according to your faith,” and he sat down among them, saying:

“It was said to them of old time, ‘Honor thy Heavenly Father and thy Earthly Mother, and do their commandments, that thy days may be long upon the earth.’ And next afterward was given this commandment, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ for life is given to all by God, and that which God has given, let not man take away. For-I tell you truly, from one Mother proceeds all that lives upon the earth. Therefore, he who kills, kills his brother. And from him will the Earthly Mother turn away, and will pluck from him her quickening breasts. And he will be shunned by her angels, and Satan will have his dwelling in his body. And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of death. For in his blood every drop of their blood turns to poison; in his breath their breath to stink; in his flesh their flesh to boils; in his bones their bones to chalk; in his bowels their bowels t o decay; in his eyes their eyes to scales; in his ears their ears to waxy issue. And their death will become his death. For only in the service of your Heavenly Father are your debts of seven years forgiven in seven clays. But Satan forgives you nothing and you must pay him for all. ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; burning for burning, wound for wound; life for life, death for death.’ For the wages of sin is death. Kill not, neither eat the flesh of your innocent prey, lest you become the slaves of Satan. For that is the path of sufferings, and it leads unto death. But do the will of God, that his angels may serve you on the way of life. Obey, therefore, the words of God: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon th e earth, wherein there is breath of life, I give every green herb for meat. Also the milk of every thing that moveth and liveth upon earth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given unto them, so I give their milk unto you. But flesh, and the blood which quickens it, shall ye not eat. And, surely, your spurting blood will I require, your blood wherein is your soul; I will require all slain beasts, and the souls of all slain men. For I the Lord thy God am a God strong and jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands -of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength: this is the first and greatest commandment.’ And the second is like unto it: ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself’ There is none other commandment greater than these.”

And after these words they all remained silent, save one, who called out: “What am I to do, Master, if I see a wild beast rend my brother in the forest? Shall I let my brother perish, or kill the wild beast? Shall not I thus transgress the law?”

And Jesus answered: “It was said to them of old time: “All beasts that move upon the earth, all the fish of the sea, and all the fowl of the air are given into thy power.” I tell you truly, of all creatures living upon the earth, God created only man after his image. Wherefore beasts are for man, and not man for beasts. You do not, therefore, transgress the law if you kill the wild beast to save your brother’s life. For I tell you truly, man is more than the beast. But he who kills the beast without a cause, though the beast attack him not, through lust for slaughter, or for its flesh, or for its hide, or yet for its tusks, evil is the deed which he does, for he is turned into a wild beast himself. Wherefore is his end also as the end of the wild beasts.

Then another said: “Moses, the greatest in Israel, suffered our forefathers to eat the flesh of clean beasts, and forbade only the flesh of unclean beasts. Why, therefore, do you forbid us the flesh of all beasts? Which law comes from God? That of Moses, or your law?

And Jesus answered: “God gave, by Moses, ten commandments to your forefathers. ‘These commandments are hard,’ said your forefathers, and they could not keep them. When Moses saw this, he had compassion on his people, and would not that they perish. And then he gave them ten times ten commandments. For he whose feet are strong as the mountain of Zion, needs no crutches; but he whose limbs do shake, gets further having crutches, than without them. And Moses said to the Lord: ‘My heart is filled with sorrow, for my people will be lost. For they are without knowledge, and are not able to understand thy commandments. They are as little children who cannot yet understand their father’s words. Suffer, Lord, that I give them other laws, that they may not perish. if they may not be with thee, Lord, let them not be against thee; that they may sustain themselves, and when the time has come, and they are ripe for thy words, reveal to hem thy laws.‘ For that did Moses break the two tablets of stone whereon were written the ten commandments, and he gave them ten times ten in their stead. And of these ten times ten the Scribes and Pharisees have made a hundred times ten commandments. And they have laid unbearable burdens on your shoulders, that they themselves do not carry. For the more nigh are the commandments to God, the less do we need; and the farther they are from God, then the more do we need. Wherefore are the laws of the Pharisees and Scribes innumerable; the laws of the Son of Man seven; of the angels three; and of God one.

“Therefore, I teach you only those laws which you can understand, that you may become men, and follow the seven laws of the Son of Man. Then will the unknown angels of the Heavenly Father also reveal their laws to you, that God’s holy spirit may descend upon you, and lead you to his law.”

And all were astonished at his wisdom, and asked him: “Continue, Master, and teach us all the laws which we can receive.”

And Jesus continued: “God commanded your forefathers: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ But their heart was hardened and they killed. Then Moses desired that at least they should not kill men, and he suffered them to kill beasts. And then the heart of your forefathers was hardened yet more, and they killed men and beasts likewise. But I do say to you: Kill neither men, nor beasts, nor yet the food which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living food, the same will quicken you, but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also. For life comes only from life, and from death comes always death. For everything which kills your foods, kills your bodies also. And everything which kills your bodies kills your souls also. And your bodies become what your foods are, even as your spirits, likewise, become what your thoughts are. Therefore, eat not anything which fire, or frost, or water has destroyed. For burned, frozen and rotted foods will burn, freeze and rot your body also. Be not like the foolish husbandman who sowed in his ground cooked, and frozen, and rotten seeds. And the autumn came, and his fields bore nothing. And great was his distress. But be like that husbandman who sowed in his field living seed, and whose field bore living ears of wheat, paying a hundredfold for the seeds which he planted. For I tell you truly, live only by the fire of life, and prepare not your foods with the fire of death, which kills your foods, your bodies and your souls also.”

“Master, where is the fire of life?” asked some of them.

“In you, in your blood, and in your bodies.”

“And the fire of death?” asked others.

“It is the fire which blazes outside your body, which is hotter than your blood. With that fire of death you cook your foods in your homes and in your fields. I tell you truly, it is the same fire which destroys your foods and your bodies, even as the fire of malice, which ravages your thoughts, ravages your spirits. For your body is that which you eat, and your spirit is that which you think. Eat nothing, therefore, which a stronger fire than the fire of life has killed. Wherefore, prepare and eat all fruits of trees, and all grasses of the fields, and all milk of beasts good for eating. For all these are fed and ripened by the fire of life; all are the gift of the angels of our Earthly Mother. But eat nothing to which only the fire of death gives savor, for such is of Satan.”

“How should we cook our daily bread without fire, Master?” asked some with great astonishment.

“Let the angels of God prepare your bread. Moisten your of death gives savor, for such is of Satan.”

How should we cook our daily bread without fire, Master?” asked some with great astonishment.

Let the angels of God prepare your bread. Moisten your wheat, that the angel of water may enter it. Then set it in the air, that the angel of air also may embrace it. And leave it from morning to evening beneath the sun, that the angel of sunshine may descend upon it. And the blessing of the three angels will soon make the germ of life to sprout in your wheat. Then crush your grain, and make thin wafers, as did your forefathers when they departed out of Egypt, the house of bondage. Put them back again beneath the sun from its appearing, and when it is risen to its highest in the heavens, turn them over on the other side that they be embraced there also by the angel of sunshine, and leave them there until the sun be set. For the angels of water, of air, and of sunshine fed and ripened the wheat in the field, and they, likewise, must prepare also your bread. And the same sun which, with the fire of life, made the wheat to grow and ripen, must cook your bread with the same fire. For the fire of the sun gives life to the wheat, to the bread, and to the body. But the fire of death kills the wheat, the bread, and the body. And the living angels of the living God serve only living men. For God is the God of the living, and not the God of the dead.

“So eat always from the table of God: the fruits of the trees, the grain and grasses of the field, the milk of beasts, and the honey of bees. For everything beyond these is of Satan, and leads by the way of sins and of diseases unto death. But the foods which you eat from the abundant table of God give strength and youth to your body, and you will never see diseases For the table of God fed Methuselah of old, and I tell you truly, if you live even as he lived, then will the God of the living give you also long life upon the earth as was his.

“For I tell you truly, the God of the living is richer than all the rich of the earth, and his abundant table is richer than the richest table of feasting of all the rich upon the earth. Eat, therefore, all your life at the table of our Earthly Mother, and you will never see want. And when you eat at her table, eat all things even as they are found on the table of the Earthly Mother. Cook not, neither mix all things one with another, lest your bowels become as steaming bogs. For I tell you truly, this is abominable in the eyes of the Lord.

“And be not like the greedy servant, who always ate up, at the table of his lord, the portions of others. And he devoured everything himself, and mixed all together in his gluttony. And seeing that, his lord was wroth with him, and drove him from the table. And when all had ended their meal, he mixed together all that remained upon the table, and called the greedy servant to him, and said: ‘Take and eat all this with the swine, for your place is with them, and not at my table.’

“Take heed, therefore, and defile not with all kinds of abominations the temple of your bodies. Be content with two or three sorts of food, which you will find always upon the table of our Earthly Mother. And desire not to devour all things which you see around you. For I tell you truly, if you mix together all sorts of food in your body, then the peace of your body will cease, and endless war will rage in you. And it will be blotted out even as homes and kingdoms divided against themselves work their own destruction. For your God is the God of peace, and does never help division. Arouse not, therefore, against you the wrath of God, lest he drive you from his table, and lest you be compelled to go to the table of Satan, where the fire of sins, diseases, and death will corrupt your body.

“And when you eat, never eat unto fullness. Flee the temptations of Satan, and listen to the voice of God’s angels. For Satan and his power tempt you always to eat more and more. But live by the spirit, and resist the desires of the body. And your fasting is always pleasing in the eyes of the angels of God. So give heed to how much you have eaten when your body is sated, and always eat less by a third.

“Let the weight of your daily food be not less than a mina, but mark that it go not beyond two. Then will the angels of God serve you always, and you will never fall into the bondage of Satan and of his diseases. Trouble not the work of the angels in your body by eating often. For I tell you truly, he who eats more than twice in the clay does in him the work of Satan. And the angels of God leave his body, and soon Satan will take possession of it. Eat only when the sun is highest in the heavens, and again when it is set. And you will never see disease, for such finds favor in the eyes of the Lord. And if you will that the angels of God rejoice in your body, and that Satan shun you afar, then sit but once in the day at the table of God. And then your days will be long upon the earth, for this is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. Eat always when the table of God is served before you, and eat always of that which you find upon the table of God. For I tell you truly, God knows well what your body needs, and when it needs.

“From the coming of the month of Ijar, eat barley; from the month of Sivan, eat wheat, the most perfect among all seed-bearing herbs. And let your daily bread be made of wheat, that the Lord may take care of your bodies. From Tammuz, eat the sour grape, that your body may diminish and Satan may depart from it. in the month of Elul, gather the grape that the juice may serve you as drink. In the month of Marchesvan, gather the sweet grape, dried and sweetened by the angel of sun, that your bodies may increase, for the angels of the Lord dwell in them. You should eat figs rich in juice in the months of Ab and Shebat, and what remain, let the angel of sun keep them for you; eat them with the meat of almonds in all the months when the trees bear no fruits. And the herbs which come after rain, these eat in the month of Thebet, that your blood may be cleansed of all your sins. And in the same month begin to eat also the milk of your beasts, because for this did the Lord give the herbs of the fields to all the beasts which render milk, that they might with their milk feed man. For I tell you truly, happy are they that eat only at the table of God, and eschew all the abominations of Satan. Eat not unclean foods brought from far countries, but eat always that which your trees bear. For your God knows well what is needful for you, and where and when. And he gives to all peoples of all kingdoms for food that which is best for each. Eat not as the heathen do, who stuff themselves in haste, defiling their bodies with all manner of abominations.

“For the power of God’s angels enters into you with the living food which the Lord gives you from his royal table. And when you eat, have above you the angel of air, and below you the angel of water. Breathe long and deeply at all your meals, that the angel of air may bless your repasts. And chew well your food with your teeth, that it become water, and that the angel of water turn it into blood in your body. And eat slowly, as it were a prayer you make to the Lord. For I tell you truly, the power of God enters into you, if you eat after this manner at his table. But Satan turns into a steaming bog the body of him upon whom the angels of air and water do not descend at his repasts. And .the Lord suffers him no longer at his table. For the table of the Lord is an altar, and he who eats at the table of God is in a temple. For I tell you truly, the body of the Son of Man is turned into a temple, and his inwards into an altar, if he does the commandments of God. Wherefore, put naught u pon the altar of the Lord when your spirit is vexed, neither think upon any one with anger in the temple of God. And enter only into the Lord’s sanctuary when you feel in yourselves the call of his angels, for all that you eat in sorrow, or in anger, or without desire, becomes a poison in your body. For the breath of Satan defiles aR these. Place with joy your offerings upon the altar of your body, and let all evil thoughts depart from you when you receive into your body the power of God from his table. And never sit at the table of God before he call you by the angel of appetite.

“Rejoice, therefore, always with God’s angels at their royal table, for this is pleasing to the heart of the Lord. And your life will be long upon the earth, for the most precious of God’s servants will serve you all your days: the angel of joy.

“And forget not that every seventh day is holy and consecrated to God. On six days feed your body with the gifts of the Earthly Mother, but on the seventh day sanctify your body for your Heavenly Father. On the seventh day eat not any earthly food, but live only on the words of God, and be all the day with the angels of the Lord in the kingdom of the Heavenly Father. And on the seventh day let the angels of God build the kingdom of the heavens in your body, as you labor for six days in the kingdom of the Earthly Mother. And let not food trouble the work of the angels in your body throughout the seventh day. And God will give you long life upon earth, that you may have life everlasting in the kingdom of the heavens. For I tell you truly, if you see not diseases any more upon earth, you will live for ever in the kingdom of the heavens.

“And God will send you each morning the angel of sunshine to wake you from your sleep. Therefore, obey your Heavenly Father’s summons, and lie not idle in your beds, for the angels of air and water await you already without. And labor all day long with the angels of the Earthly Mother that you may come to know them and their works ever more and more well. But when the sun is set, and your Heavenly Father sends you his most precious angel, sleep, then take your rest, and be all the night with the angel of sleep. And then will your Heavenly Father send you his unknown angels, that they may be with you the livelong night. And the Heavenly Father’s unknown angels will teach you many things concerning the kingdom of God, even as the angels that you know of the Earthly Mother, instruct you in the things of her kingdom. For I tell you truly, you will be every night the guests of the kingdom of your Heavenly Father, if you do his commandments. And when you wake up upon the morrow, you will feel in you the power of the unknown angels. And your Heavenly Father will send them to you every night, that they may build your spirit, even as every day the Earthly Mother sends you her angels, that they may build your body. For I tell you truly, if in the daytime your Earthly Mother folds you in her arms, and in the night the Heavenly Father breathes his kiss upon you, then will the Sons of Men become the Sons of God.

“Resist day and night the temptations of Satan. Wake not by night, neither sleep by day, lest the angels of God depart from you.

“And take no delight in any drink, nor in any smoke from Satan, waking you by night and making you to sleep by day. For I tell you truly, all the drinks and smokes of Satan are abominations in the eyes of your God.

“Commit not whoredom, by night or by day, for the whoremonger is like a tree whose sap runs out from its trunk. And that tree will be dried up before its time, nor will it ever bear fruit. Therefore, go not a-whoring, lest Satan dry up your body, and the Lord make your seed unfruitful.

Shun all that is too hot and too cold. For it is the will of your Earthly Mother that neither heat nor cold should harm your body. And let not your bodies become either hotter or colder than as God’s angels warm or cool them. And if you do the commandments of the Earthly Mother, then as oft as your body becomes too hot, will she send the angel of coolness to cool you, and as oft as your body becomes too cold, will she send you the angel of heat to warm you again.

“Follow the example of all the angels of the Heavenly Father and of the Earthly Mother, who work day and night, without ceasing, upon the kingdoms of the heavens and of the earth. Therefore, receive also into yourselves the strongest of God’s angels, the angel of deeds, and work all together upon the kingdom of God. Follow the example of the running water, the wind as it blows, the rising and setting of the sun, the growing plants and trees, the beasts as they run and gambol, the wane and waxing of the moon, the stars as they come and go again; all these do move, and do perform their labors. For all which has life does move, and only that which is dead is still. And God is the God of the living, and Satan that of the dead. Serve, therefore, the living God, that the eternal movement of life may sustain you, and that you may escape the eternal stillness of death. Work, therefore, without ceasing, to build the kingdom of God, lest you be cast into the kingdom of Satan. For eternal joy abounds in the living kingdom of God, but still sorrow darkens the kingdom of death of Satan. Be, therefore, true Sons of your Earthly Mother and of your Heavenly Father, that you fall not as slaves of Satan. And your Earthly Mother and Heavenly Father will send you their angels to teach, to love, and to serve you. And their angels will write the commandments of God in your head, in your heart, and in your hands, that you may know, feel, and do God’s commandments.

“And pray every day to your Heavenly Father and Earthly mother, that your soul become as perfect as your Heavenly Father’s holy spirit is perfect, and that your body become as perfect as the body of your Earthly Mother is perfect. For if you understand, feel, and do the commandments, then all for which you pray to your Heavenly Father and your Earthly Mother will be given you. For the wisdom, the love, and the power of God are above all.

“After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

“And after this manner pray to your Earthly Mother: Our Mother which art upon earth, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done in us, as it is in thee. As thou sendest every day thy angels, send them to us also. Forgive us our sins, as we atone all our sins against thee. And lead us not into sickness, but deliver us from all evil, for thine is the earth, the body, and the health. Amen.

And they all prayed together with Jesus to the Heavenly Father and to the Earthly Mother.

And afterwards Jesus spoke thus to them: “Even as your bodies have been reborn through the Earthly Mother’s angels, may your spirit, likewise, be reborn through the angels of the Heavenly Father. Become, therefore, true Sons of your Father and of your Mother, and true Brothers of the Sons of Men. Till now you were at war with your Father, with your Mother, and with your Brothers. And you have served Satan. From today live at peace with your Heavenly Father, and with your Earthly Mother, and with your Brothers, the Sons of Men. And fight only against Satan, lest he rob you of your peace. I give the peace of your Earthly Mother to your body, and the peace of your Heavenly Father to your spirit. And let the peace of both reign among the Sons of Men.

“Come to me, all that are weary and that suffer in strife and affliction! For my peace will strengthen you and comfort you. For my peace is exceeding full of joy. Wherefore do I always greet you after this manner: ‘Peace be with you!’ Do you always, therefore, so greet one another, that upon your body may descend the peace of your Earthly Mother, and upon your spirit the peace of your Heavenly Father. And then you will find peace also among yourselves, for the kingdom of God is within you. And now return to your Brothers with whom hitherto you were at war, and give your peace to them also. For happy are they that strive for peace, for they will find the peace of God. Go, and sin no more. And give to every one your peace, even as I have given my peace unto you. For my peace is of God. Peace be with you.”

And he left them.

And his peace descended upon them; and in their heart the angel of love, in their head the wisdom of law, and in their hands the power of rebirth, they went forth among the Sons of Men, to bring the light of peace to those that warred in darkness.

And they parted, wishing one to another: Peace Be With You.

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Lesson in Happiness from a Sadhu- Ancient Wisdom & Spiritual Teachings

Happy is he whose wants are few. The fewer the wants, the happier the person. ‘Who doth not want many things is the king of kings.’ It is our wants that make us poor. One who has no wants is the richest person.

Happiness is free

Happiness is free

During his sojourn in India, Alexander the Great went to see a Sadhu living on the banks of the River Beas, about whose supernatural powers he had heard a great deal. He found him sitting on a palm leaf under an umbrella made of banyan tree leaves. This was all that the Sadhu possessed. On being informed that he had passed all his life there and had remained there even in torrential rain, burning heat and piercing cold, Alexander asked if he could build a house for him. This he refused, saying, ‘Why build a house? Are we to live here forever?’ Then Alexander asked if he could do anything else for him. ‘Yes, please see that none of your men comes to me,’ he said.

Alexander offered to give half of his kingdom at the time of his death, to anyone who could make him live for just as much time as would enable him to see his mother. Bu the physicians replied that, even if he gave the whole of his kingdom, they could not add one single breath to his life. Tears welled up in the king’s eyes, and with a deep sigh he said, ‘Alas! Had I known that a breath was so costly a thing, I would have never wasted them in useless pursuits.’

Then he directed that during his funeral procession, his hands should be kept out of his coffin with palms upwards so that the world might take a lesson from the Great Alexander, who had planned to conquer the world, but was going away from it empty-handed.’

-from The Science of the Soul by Maharaj Jagat Singh Ji

The three main teachings from the discourses in The Science of the Soul (teachings of the Sikh master) are as follows:

    • There is a God; the universe is not without a creator, Sustainer and Protector. He is the Ocean of Bliss.
    • Our soul is, in essence, a drop from the Ocean of the Lord, whence it separated so long ago as to have totally forgotten its Divine origin. All its woes and miseries will end only when it returns to its original Home and merges with the Ocean.
    • God is within us and cannot be realised anywhere outside.

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Quan Yin Chanting & Meditation at Guan Yin Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Quan Yin is the Chinese Goddess of Compassion; she is a Bodhissattva, using kindness, compassion, joy and giving to save all living beings. They say she has a ‘thousand hands and a thousand eyes’ because she will always be present for you and can always provide what you ask for. Her love and generosity is ever-flowing.

Close your eyes, absorb the magic! Say a prayer for compassion.

Quan Yin, Bodhisattva, Goddess of Compassion

Quan Yin, Bodhisattva, Goddess of Compassion

As living beings, we should learn Kuan Yin’s kindness and be kinds towards those with whom we have no affinities. Kindness means making living beings happy. It means sharing our own happiness with living beings, not being selfish. Compassion means rescuing human beings out of suffering. We should help those who are suffering or in difficulty. Joy means feeling happy and not being angry even when others get angry at us. Giving means taking our most sentimental prized possessions and sharing them with living beings. If we can practice these four acts of the Bodhisattva, then we are truly Buddhists.

The practice of chanting to Kwan Yin is important in Chinese Buddhism because they believe that in calling her name, you become focused, sincere, less greedy and calm. When you recite ‘Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva,’ she becomes mindful of you. The Chinese believe that she will then lovingly answer all of your prayers.

Guan Yin Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Guan Yin Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Join the beautiful chanting & recitation of the daily Ceremony Of Repentance Of the Great Compassion With A Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes at the Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery on Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Jalan Ampang is located just behind Petronas Towers and the temple is about a 5 minute walk or 300 meters from the KLCC mall.)

The chanting takes place daily from 12:30pm – 1:45pm. It is free and the public is welcome.

The monastery also has books on Quan Yin and Buddhism available in English for free to help spread the teachings of the Bodhisattva.

It is well worth it to experience the magical power of this ancient form of chanting and to feel the presence of Kuan Yin’s loving kindness within yourself.

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Story of the Bodhisattva – Transforming life’s adverse circumstances into a Path of Awakening

The story is told that when Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, was looking at the lives of human beings upon this planet, he saw how much pain and suffering we inflict upon each other, and for a moment his compassion faltered. He almost abandoned his vow to liberate us from suffering. At that instant, his body exploded into a thousand pieces, represented in the image of the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara. If this can happen to the figure who, in Buddhism, most exemplifies compassion, then perhaps we can be forgiven for not always finding it easy to sustain a compassionate heart in the face of so much suffering in the world.

Messages of Peace are all around us..

Messages of Peace are all around us..

We may live in times when material, economic, and scientific progress is moving at a rate never before seen, yet our capacity to live peacefully alongside each other seems to remain elusive. When confronted with the constant evidence of so much brutality and corruption present in the world, whether this is seen on the news or experienced closer to home, it is common to feel a sense of anger and outrage, and to feel powerless to do anything to change the ignorance, greed, and hatred that motivate most of the atrocities our fellow humans inflict upon each other. Are we, individually or collectively, able to go beyond the dominance of our instinctual selfishness that reaps so much harm?

…Whatever spiritual tradition we may be part of, if we wish to live our lives with greater openness to others, and with the courage and heart to cope with adverse conditions, we have much to learn from the path of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva, sometimes translated as “the awakening warrior,” dedicates his or her life to the welfare of others and is willing to face the challenges of life to do so. The bodhisattva’s way of life does not lead to a spiritual escape from the reality of the world. Rather, the bodhisattva cultivates the capacity to live within the raw reality of suffering on the ground and transform life’s adverse circumstances into a path of awakening.

Bodhisattvas are here to help us on the path to Awakening

Bodhisattvas are here to help us on the path to Awakening

A bodhisattva makes a clear decision to remain embodied and in relationship to life even while reaching states of awareness that go far beyond our normal reality. Such a person is said to renounce the peace of nirvana and overcome the fear of samsara. What gives this attitude to life a particular significance is that it recognizes that only through fully awakening our innate wholeness can we achieve the greatest benefit to others.

Central to this approach to life is a quality of intention called bodhichitta, often translated as “the awakening mind.” The awakening mind is most often described as the clear, compassionate intention to attain the state of buddhahood for the welfare of all sentient beings. While “the awakening mind” may seem like a relatively simple phrase, its actual psychological, emotional, and social implications are huge. It is a reorientation of the whole of an individual’s direction and meaning in life, rooted in a deep sense of compassion and responsibility towards the welfare of the world.

-from “The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others” by Rob Preece, published by Snow Lion Publications .

SNOW LION PUBLICATIONS is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan Buddhism and culture by publishing books about this great tradition. Tibetan culture is seriously endangered in its homeland and is striving to continue outside of Tibet. To support this effort, in addition to publishing and distributing books, Snow Lion offers a wide range of dharma items, purchased primarily from Tibetans in exile. These include visual art and ritual objects, statues and thangkas, videos, traditional music, and many gift items offered through our webstore and “Snow Lion: The Buddhist Magazine & Catalog”–over 2000 items–the largest selection anywhere. To browse the complete list go to www.snowlionpub.com and select any of the categories in left-hand margin.

When you choose to purchase from Snow Lion you are directly supporting the large effort to publish more Buddhist texts and help the Tibetan people.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

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Words to live by – The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz in his Toltec Wisdom Book: The Four Agreements states it so well:

Simplicity in Life...

Simplicity in Life…

(1) BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORDS.

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

(2) DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY.

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

(3) DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

(4) ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST.

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

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Simple Steps to Success: Get Re-Focused on your Health Goals

Enjoy the Green Smoothie Love

Enjoy the Green Smoothie Love

So, how’s the green smoothie revolution going for everyone back in the real world? Don’t forget how much value just one change like adding a green smoothie to your diet every day can make. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed by the stress of every day life again, think about doing a 3-day green smoothie fast.

A chance to re-calibrate your body and mind, get re-focused on your goals, and pull yourself back into balance.

You can start on Monday. Just do 3 days, from there you may want to continue to 5 or 7 and realize how much good you are doing for your body just by having these fabulous green smoothies!

Someone asked me where I get my green smoothie info from. Check out my Green Smoothies for Dummies book and Green Smoothie eBooks.

It’s important not to let excuses get the best of you. It is so easy to blame work, or stress, or a bad relationship, or cold weather, or bad living conditions on why you haven’t started to make change in your diet and lifestyle, but really the only thing that is stopping you is YOU. We can all think of excuses for our situations, that is not going to help bring about change, so instead look at all the good reasons to start now and realize that the sooner you start, the sooner you will start to FEEL better.

Health is waiting for you. Your body NEEDS it! So does your spirit!! Now is the time 🙂

A new journey awaits you!

A new journey awaits you!

Make a list of your goals. Re-read it often. Make sure you are doing at least one thing on your list every single day. Watch and observe as changes begin to happen. Enjoy the journey of it all. Share your experiences with others. Realize that you will have good days and bad days along the way. Continue to love yourself through the process. Feel gratitude for your opportunities to heal.

Forgive, love and let go!! What are you waiting for????

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