The Healthy Choices Wellblog

Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Greg Arnold

Numerous studies over the past 15 years have shown that older Americans continue to fall short of the recommended amounts of many nutrients from food alone(1, 2). Because vitamin deficiencies contribute significantly to the chronic diseases so prevalent in the elderly population(3), a growing proportion of older adults are using vitamin and mineral supplements to “substantially increase” nutrient intake(4).

But while supplement compliance in the elderly can be an issue with hip fractures(5), a new study(6) finds that supplements can help prevent vitamin deficiencies in the elderly and can improve the overall quality of food intake.

In the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 2,500 American aged 51 years or older from the US Department of Agriculture’s 1994-96 CSFII and Diet and Health Knowledge Survey, a nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized individuals in all 50 states(7). Dietary intake data were obtained during in-person interviews and 24-hour recall. Supplement intake information on both vitamin/mineral supplements ( multivitamin ) and specific types of single vitamins/minerals (vitamin A , vitamin C , calcium , and iron ) was also obtained during the in-person interviews.

The researchers found that 34% of men and 41% of women took supplements, with 74% of men and 71% of women taking a multivitamin supplement. Vitamin C (19%) and vitamin E (34%) were the most commonly mentioned single vitamin or mineral supplements while calcium supplements were popular among older women; 26% of users aged 51 to 70 years and 18% of users aged 71 years and older took them.

While non-supplement users were very “borderline” in meeting the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for minerals, nutrient intake from food in the supplement group was higher for nearly every mineral tested (Vitamin A, C, E, folic acid , magnesium , zinc , iron). This indicated that supplement users most often followed healthier diets due to a healthier mindset regarding their diet. When adding in their supplement use, total mineral intake rose to several times that of non-supplement users and satisfied the EARs with every mineral tested except for magnesium. Only 3% of the men exceeded the upper limits for vitamin B-6, C and calcium, while 10% of men exceeded the upper limits of zinc and iron.

While “supplement users were more likely to have adequate nutrient intakes from food alone than non-users for many of the nutrients studied”, the researchers concluded that “generally, supplement users consume more nutritious diets than non-users” and that “supplements had a positive influence on nutrient adequacy for men and women aged 51 years and older.”

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by visiting his web site at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com

1 J. Hallfrisch and D.C. Muller, Does diet provide adequate amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc in a well-educated population, Exp Gerontol 28 (1993), pp. 473–483

2 E.S. Ford and A.H. Mokdad, Dietary magnesium intake in a national sample of US adults, J Nutr 133 (2003), pp. 2879–2882

3 K. Chandra, Impact of nutritional status and nutrient supplements on immune responses and incidence of infection in older individuals, Ageing Res Rev 3 (2004), pp. 91–104

4 A.E. Millen, K.W. Dodd and A.F. Subar, Use of vitamin, mineral, nonvitamin, and nonmineral supplements in the United States: The 1987, 1992, and 2000 National Health Interview Survey Results, J Am Diet Assoc 104 (2004), pp. 942–950

5 Prince RL. Effects of Calcium Supplementation on Clinical Fracture and Bone Structure. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:869-875.

6 Sebastian RS. Older Adults Who Use Vitamin/Mineral Supplements Differ from Nonusers in Nutrient Intake Adequacy and Dietary Attitudes. Jou Amer Diet Assoc 2007; Aug;107(8):1322-32

7 K.S. Tippett and Y.S. Cypel, Editors, Design and Operation: The Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey, 1994-96, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Beltsville, MD (1988) Nationwide Food Surveys Report No. 96-1.

Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Dr. Andrew Greszczyszyn / Ayatnajanada, all rights reserved

Homeopathy: A system of healing which brings to light a concept where like treats and heals like. With this in mind let us regain this understand, the understanding of what Samuel Hahnemann said and described when he said that nature had a component and the like of its core treated the disease which it was resembling.

We understand that within nature there are components which have properties which give life. We also understand that within this there are dangerous components, and we understand that within this range there are a mixture of chemicals which give rise to both, good and bad, or health and disease.

When taking a homeopathy remedy think what transpires. Here is the basics. Scientifically speaking there are three major things which take place.

A remedy which is created within the confines of what we know about nature is something which has become succussed (tap repeatedly after each dilution) which binds the cosmic signature of this chemical to the polar aspect of the water. It is this signature which has been attached and becomes almost solidified to the molecules of water.

When the thing which is tapped repeatedly is given birth in the new form, (human with the disease or health problem) the likeness which gave rise to the disease and which is of the same signature as the homeopathy remedy, a reverseness of the signature occurs. Look for example at a cosine wave. The cosine wave is what would be typical of the signature of the plant or object in nature (used for the homeopathy remedy), and then think that this wave which is also the particles themselves, since this energy signature obeys the laws and practice of physics and laws of particle wave duality. It is this wave which can be described as a sin or cos depending on where the nature of the signature is made whole. And when the signature of the remedy is given to the same signature of the disease (although one is good or health-think of the cos wave- and one is bad or disease-think of the sin wave) realize that when taken correctly a disease is counterbalanced with what is the wave practice known as destructive interference.

Because man and women are energetic, all matter is energetic and thus even disease and healing tools like homeopathy are energetic. Therefore the likely explanation of homeopathy is such that like (cos wave which is of X amplitude, and Y frequency) treats the same disease or illness (which is sin wave of the same X amplitude, and Y frequency wave form). The difference of the wave is such that energetically they are the same, it is the lag or difference in the nature of where they start, one cos, one sin, that differs.

It is this difference which is not a signature difference, and therefore obeys the laws of similarity which Samuel Hahnemann described so many years ago. It is this difference which is the duality of nature. There are “good or healing things” which have a signature-call it cos-and there are “bad or illness creating things” which have a similar but out of phase-call is sin wave- signature, which when taken together create a destructive interference as explained through basic high school physics. With this understanding we can say that homeopathy makes sense scientifically according to the laws and practice of waves, and destructive interference through basic physics laws. It should be recognized that this is not sound in the sense that it is complete, yet this is the first building block as to why Homeopathy is scientifically a healing tool.

From Ayatnajanada, as taught through meditation through his foremost guru, Mahavatar Babaji. Ayatnajananda formerly known as Dr. Andrew Greszczyszyn, is a chiropractor, who spends time writing and channeling information. The writing takes on the form of spirituality and success/motivational related topics. Please examine his website at for more information, books, and spiritual tools to help your spiritual and lifestyle develop.

Working with Herbs in a Spiritual Way: How to Make an Herbal Healing Bundle

Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

Please note: This spiritual herbology
information stems from my own, very personal path of training
with the Plant Nation as an herbalist, healer, and prayerful
co-creator.

It is NOT presented as any type of Native-American
ritual or teaching. Although I am certain that this information
emerged from Plant Deva connections that any Shaman would
understand, I do not present myself as a keeper of the ways of
any tribe. That is the work of the Medicine Men and Women
within that tribe.

I walk a blended-tradition spiritual path. The Good
Red Road of Sweat Lodges, Sundance and other ceremony is
a glorious part of my path and I also embrace the truth of many
other paths. We are coming together, not dividing ourselves
anymore through religion. It is good that we do this now.

For years, I have depended exclusively on natural means for my
health and well-being, not calling on allopathic medicines at all
save the occasional aspirin or muscle relaxer.

Different nutrition supplements have been important for my health
at different times in my life, such as vitamins, minerals, and
enzymes.

It has consistently been the plant kingdom that has most
consistently provided me with whatever I have needed to
cleanse, relax, strengthen, or heal. I rely on them heavily.

Spirit has shown me that the Plant Kingdom carries very
strong, if subtle, energy medicine for us that can permeate
all the levels of our existence — physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual.

It was after I had studied herbology for several years that I
began to understand a new way of approaching the medicines
within the plants, flowers, shrubs and trees of the planet.

It was a sort of “spiritual herbology” that began to manifest
for me. It involved approaching the plants as living
manifestations of healing lifeforce energy, with respect and
with intent. I experienced a powerful shift from simply taking
an herb to praying with it, focusing my intent on what I wished
it to do, and working with it in a “medicine” or “energy” way.
What a difference!

I learned so much by this attitude. I learned that a minute amount
of the same herb I had once taken for weeks would still work, if I
took it in ceremony with prayers and intent. I learned that just praying
with the herbs would release their medicines to me, though it was
preferrable to also have the herbs within my physical body as well.

I began to pour a special kind of purification Sweat Lodge, as I was
shown how to do by God and by the plant devas. This is a
non-traditional Lodge and presented as such. I am not a keeper
of tradition for any particular tribe, as this is the work of the Elders
and Shamans within each tribe. Rather, I simply share what I have
been taught by the Plant Nation.

I once made my own herbal tinctures, salves and linaments. My
schedule no longer permits this but I still work with essential oils,
which I consider the life blood of the plant and with various
homeopathic herbals and tinctures.

I have become familiar with Flower Essences too. At first, my logical
mind had some trouble understanding how they could be powerful,
as they are so very diluted. Yet, when I tried them, they worked.
Then, I began to realize that the essence was like the Spirit of the
plant, or the etheric template. As such, it worked powerfully with
my own etheric template. Essences were more auric medicines that
filtered down into the physical field, rather than the other way
around like whole plant medicines. I have used Bach, Perelandra
and other essences, and enjoy them very much. I have additionally
worked, both alone and in partnership with a dear friend, to create
flower essences, as well as other types of homeopathics.

In every new experience with the herbal and plant kingdom, I was further
renewed in knowledge, vibrational stability and healing. I believe anyone can
receive the blessings of the Plant Nation by working with them in
this very simple but powerful way.

How to Make Herbal Heaing Bundles:

The process for making an Herbal Healing Bundle is very easy,
but requires focused intent to be successful. If making the bundle
for someone other than myself, I start by doing a little research.

If the person is struggling with specific physical problems, then I
search out those herbs that address the problem. However, after
finding those herbs, I don’t necessarily assume that all those plants
want to work with this particular person. I use inner guidance and
ask which ones to include of those that are appropriate.

One way to do this is through muscle-testing, on behalf of the person
for whom you are making the bundle or, if you have affinity with the
Plant Devas, ask directly which is what I do most of the time. I find
there is a willingness to be included when I hold each plant, or there
is not a willingness.

Asking involves holding the plant or thinking of it, and sending out
a request for some type of sign that the plant is to be included, or
left out of the bundle. Some feel energy in their body, like a
tingling, warmth or cold, if the answer is yes. Others may hear
a tone or just get an intuitive sensing. Visionaries may actually see
the Plant Deva and receive the answer directly.

If you, or the person for whom you are making the bundle, is
dealing with more than one challenge, then it might be appropriate
to choose herbs for each challenge that is mentioned.

The herbs must be either purchased or wildcrafted or donated by
the person who requests the bundle. I wouldn’t concern myself
too much if you can’t find wildcrafted. Yes, they are naturally
more potent but I find when prayer and intent are offered up
from a sincere heart, the original potency of the herb can be
restored by the Plant Deva that lives in it. During that process,
you will decide which ones to use, either by muscle testing or
communication with the Plant Spirits themselves, as described
in the above paragraph.

Only a minute amount of each herb is needed for the bundle
since it is only the vibration of the Plant that is required. Just
a pinch of each will make it’s way to the bundle. However, I
find it is often good to gift the remainder of the herbs to the
person for whom I have made the bundle, so they may drink
the tea of the same Plants that are in their healing bundle, as
a way of introducing the vibration more strongly into the field.

If I’m making the bundle for myself, the same still applies. I
find it helps to drink tea made from the remainder of the herbs.
Obviously, in saying this, I am not suggesting anyone drink tea
of herbs chosen that might have toxic properties, like mistletoe
or mandrake. Use common sense in all cases. The toxic herbs
can be placed under the bed or strewn around the living quarters
with prayer and intent, to honor them and put their energy to use
in the strongest way.

You will also need a small piece of cotton cloth (in whatever color
feels right to you — each color has a vibration and you will instinctively
pick the vibration you need for the particular bundle being made) —
and some cotton twine to tie the bundle.

If preferred, the bundle may be placed in a leather pouch when
completed.

Now, after the herbs have been chosen and prayed with (the
number seven has special significance and it is good to pray
with the plants for seven days, prior to making the bundle.
Your prayers should be for healing at all levels, if it is your
desire to truly heal at the level that would make it permanent.
I find that the Plants respond well to specific requests, since
most of them can work in more than one way so if it is blood
purification that is needed, for example, then I entreat the
Plant Spirit that could effect that cause to work in that
specific way.

After praying for seven days, you are ready to make the
bundles. Have something ready for smudging beforehand
(White Sage is my favorite but Cedar or Sweetgrass are
also good). Also, you will need your cloth square (this
should also have been prayed with, along with the herbs),
some cotton twine and scissors.

When you have smudged everything, and are ready to begin,
take a small pinch of each herb individually. Pray with each
one before placing it into the center of the bundle. When all
the herbs are in the bundle, grasp the four corners of the
cloth and pull together so that you can twist the top, and
secure the herbs in the middle. Then, tie the cloth with the
twine, so that you have formed a pocket in the center,
where the herbs are contained.

This is your bundle.

How to use Herbal Healing Bundles:
It may be burned in a healing ceremony, carried with
the person, prayed with, or left on the altar. Each person should
use intuitive knowing as to how the bundle will best facilitate
healing for them.

Another excellent way to use the bundles is as one would a
feather, crystal or in the way of smudging.

The herbal healing bundle can be placed over the area
of the body that needs healing, and vibrational frequency
of the plants will engage to draw out the toxins. However, plant
medicine is comprehensive and, along with whatever physical
toxins that are removed, will flush up emotional, mental and
spiritual factors that must be dealt with actively by the person,
for permanent healing to occur. It is best to give clear attention
to emotions and ways of thinking that surface while using the
bundles. These will give wonderful clues as to what needs to
be addressed for the healing to be total and permanent.

You can make bundles for all kinds
of different applications and I urge you to spend a lot of
time in quiet meditation and also out in nature with the
Plant Devas, asking to be shown how this particular
medicine will best work in your life and in your path
of service to others.

I am sometimes called to use herbal bundles
during healing sessions and if you are a body
worker you may benefit from creating a personal
healing bundle to be used only with your work.

In this particular bundle, you will want to select
herbs that are conducive to healing and helpful
for clearing your auric field before and after.

I used to have a personal healing bundle that I used
in my healing facilitation work. I no longer use tools
much at all as I feel I’ve integrated the Herbal Medicines
within by now. However, for a long time, it was a great,
great help to me and to the partners-in-healing who
came to me for help.

I included a great many herbs in my personal
bundle for healing work, over 150 in fact. I would call
on whatever medicines might be needed from within
the bundle to come forth at the time of the session.

I was sometimes guided to place the bundle at certain
areas of the body and leave it for a while, to soak up
toxic residue and clear the etheric template in that
area.

You may find that your bundle guides you
differently. It is a powerful tool for those who
resonate with the Plant Deva energies and do body
work or healing work and can help you align with the
frequencies of the Plant Nation within yourself as well.

Basic informaton on mangosteen, goji, noni, pomegranate and acai, along with possible medication interactions you should be aware of if you drink these juices - Article Series added to Wellness Library

Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

I personally use and favor antioxidant juice blends over single juice products but I suggest the opposite for anyone using prescription drugs. If you are on prescription drugs OF ANY KIND, and you want to try antioxidant juices, AFTER BEING CERTAIN TO CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND GETTING YOUR DOCTOR’S OK TO USE AN ANTIOXIDANT JUICE, start with a single juice rather than a blend so that it’s easier to monitor effect and any possible side effects or reactions.

I use a blend that contains mangosteen juice along with other juices including the ones mentioned above along with cranberry, red grape, tomato, bludberry, elderberry and others. The kind I use is called Red Lightning and it’s put out by a company called Nature’s Plus.

Recently, I had a disturbing realization that, healthy as these juices are for the average person, they can possibly pose a risk to those who take certain prescription drugs.

I spent a few days researching this concern after my mom had a negative reaction, due to some medication she was taking while also taking an antioxidant juice blend that contained goji berry, or as it is also known, wolfberry.

I wanted to post information on all that I could find on the subject of prescription drug interactions with antioxidant juices, and you will find the results of that research on the website. However, any such list is not to be consider all-inclusive. There may be other prescription drug interactions that I did not find documentation for online. Also, you should not consider any list as replacement for advice you need to be getting from your doctor if you are under a doctor’s care for health problems.

That being said, here’s the beginning of the series of articles on prescription drug interactions with antioxidant juices

Is there such a thing as adrenal fatigue and, if so, what can be done about this health challenge? What’s the difference between adrenal fatique and adrenal insufficiency?
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

I just added a three-part article on my main site about adrenal fatigue after someone posted a comment on my blog post What Causes Heart Palpitations, indicating that this condition could also cause heart palpitations, in addition to the causes I had listed in the blog post.

Because I’ve been dealing with heart palpitations and also because I wanted to refresh my memory on adrenal glands health, I did a little research which turned into a whole lot of research and still, just barely scratched the surface on this health question.

If you feel tired all the time and your doctor can’t find a reason, consider reading about
adrenal insufficiency, the medical condition that medical doctors recognize and can test for, as well as adrenal fatique, a condition not yet recognized by the medical community but which alternative medicine recognizes.

Spiritual Journey Woman and Me, Sitting around Talking…
well, emailing back and forth but you get the idea
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

I just posted a 5-part article on the process and challenges of
true spiritual initiation. Stepping on your path in a clear, focused
way involves the most fierce level of self-knowing and self-awareness
of any undertaking a human can attempt.

There are definite correlations to running a marathon, winning a
championship chess game, surviving snowstorms and fires, and recovering
from debilitating illness.

This 5-part series, which I am calling the Spiritual Journey Woman series
just because it was taken by women and not because men don’t go through
the same challenges in spiritual acceleration.

The series begins here:
speaking out the truth and asking the right questions

An Enjoyable, Spirited Conversation
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Casey Kochmer and Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

Guest Articles on Over-Medication and Treating Emerging Disorders
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Native Remedies, all rights reserved

Are you being over-medicated? What’s the truth about new disorders we hear about every week, it seems now?

People often refer to our society as severely over-medicated and perhaps that claim is not quite such an exaggeration anymore! According to the National Council on Patient Information and Education, 49% of all Americans use prescription drugs – and 32 million are taking three or more each day! These staggering statistics account for over $110 billion in sales.

If those numbers aren’t convincing enough that we may be succumbing to the pressures of the media to use prescription drugs to solve any and all ailments, perhaps the onslaught of new “disorders” cropping up may be further evidence to take a second look before popping another pill.

One of the most notable includes compulsive shopping disorder, where “victims” are now being prescribed medicine to “control symptoms”.

Learn how to treat the real symptoms behind these “disorders”

Access Entire Health Article Here

The Use of Plant Medicines in Spiritual Awakening
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

There is an aspect of Native-American (and other indigenious people’s) ceremony and spiritual structure that is seldom talked about or dwelled on: the use of ceremonial alteratives, plant medicines such as marijuana, peyote, mushrooms, mescal, datura, etc., as a way of opening the group mind to a higher consciousness and to enter different levels of spiritual consciousness. Such use is intended to be a bridge but never a destination.

Because of my own addictive and compulsive tendencies, I may not be the most unbiased person to speak of these things or perhaps my experience makes me the logical person to do so — either way, I will speak of this matter. Although it is possible for marijuana, peyote, or other mind-altering substances to be used in a sacred way — they have been so used for thousands of years — it is also possible for abuse and addiction to occur within that journey.

What follows is admittedly the opinion of a white woman who never lived at a reservation and doesn’t know what it was really like. I have gleaned my ideas from the stories I’ve been told, movies I’ve seen, and books I’ve read. I’ve also glimpsed the past through visioning but that was only my past lives, and may not be true of the Native American people as a whole.

I believe one of the reasons the ceremonial use of alteratives is different today than in times past, has to do with modern culture and lifestyle. In the Native way, before “Western Civilization”, from all that I’ve read and seen in documentaries about the way things used to be, the indigenous peoples of this land lived in intimate relationship with nature.

From the first waking moment into the dreamtime, each day was a continuous circle which revolved around toe good of the whole and the connection to Great Spirit. No one walked alone but lived within a strong, communal support system which made hunting, food preparation, child care, and care for the elderly a shared responsibility. Now, the focus of the average person in the work-a-day world is much more individualized. Our efforts revolve around making a living, and staying ahead of the bills. We are concerned with promotions, rent, traffic, smog, material acquisitions, etc. There is little communal interaction, with regard to daily tasks.

Even the preparation of food has drastically changed. Going into the grocery store and picking up a loaf of bread is not usually a spiritual experience. It contrasts broadly with the community experience of gathering the grain, stone-grinding it in the sun while singing or praying, and preparing it for the whole tribe. Of course things haven’t just changed for Native-Americans but for pioneer descendants like myself, as well. I sure don’t do it the way Grandma did. She road into Alabama on a wagon, helped to build her own house, raised a garden, canned fresh vegetables, killed her own meat for food, and lived a lot closer to the land on a daily basis. However, even grandma lived a lot of her older years in a house with a well and a bathroom.

Living directly on the land, in teepees, getting water from a nearby stream and going in the woods presents a very different potential for staying grounded and centered and certainly could have made the use of spiritual plant medicines a lot safer than I feel it is today.

.

Those same indigenous peoples who once worked in such a communal, natural way and who lived free of such concerns as monthly rent and utilities, taxes, car, house, and medical insurance, etc., are now living on reservations or working out in the business world. This is important to remember, with regard to the use of ceremonial alteratives. For a certain period of time, the ceremonial use of mood-altering substances was prohibited by our government, as was the practice of many Native Ceremonies. In the interim, the brutal hand of alcohol addiction touched the Native people and, as is true of those of every race, many Native-Americans still struggle in it’s deadly grasp. To utilize alteratives (herbal or other) as spiritual medicine, in a modern society where so many battle the demons of drug addiction, entails huge responsibility. In order to safely facilitate a medicine journey for someone, the teacher or healer must walk in a consistent state of personal balance. They must have a balance of heart and third eye energies. No human is immune to addiction. It is possible for a spiritual leader to become physically or emotionally addicted to the medicine they use. In this case, instead of opening doorways to higher consciousness, they open doors of addiction, confusion, and even madness for those who follow them. Another danger is that a teacher, healer or spiritual leader may have an active, open third eye but a heart that is closed. Therefore, they may have the knowledge necessary to initiate someone to higher levels of knowledge but, without a healthy heart chakra, are not able to ground the new awareness in compassion and love. The bible says when the blind lead the blind, everyone ends up in the ditch. If you are considering participation in the medicine way (with peyote, marijuana or other ceremonial alteratives), approach the decision as if your mental and emotional stability depended on making the right choice. Get to know the person who works with such medicine. Observe their daily personal life. Don’t be led by the blind. Speaking of addiction in general: One reason humanity is drawn to addictive substances is because there is a need, and a desire, to transcend the third-dimensional reality — to open the barrier between flesh and Spirit, so that we may connect more strongly with Godforce. Experimentation with alteratives is part of a spiritual search for higher purpose in our lives.

The problem is that we get addicted to the effect itself, and forget the spiritual need that drove us, or we take the alteratives before we have healed our imbalances and find that using them makes it easier to ignore the parts of us that need healing. Some of us choose substances which numb, to keep a fuzzy little cloud around emotions that we don’t want to feel, can’t handle or have no outlet for releasing, or to avoid making decisions and changes we need to make in our lives. Others of us choose stimulating substances that distract us through an overabundance of adrenal excitement. The problem is that the problem is still there. Our imbalance just gets buried, under the layers of suppression. Eventually, physical or emotional illness manifests, due to the cellular burden our suppression has created.

Although addiction in various forms affects many of us, addiction does not require a drug to exist in our lives. One can become addicted to another person, money, watching television, working, worrying, hatred, jealousy, fear, etc. I’ve been addicted to several of those things in my lifetime.

One of the most insidious forms of attachment is to become addicted to the cure itself. I learned this from my soul mate. He commented that a friend of ours, who threatened to walk 10 miles to his AA meeting if no one would take him, that he may have gotten addicted to AA. To me, that sounded like a callous remark at the time. I thought he was probably determined to stay sober and feared that missing a meeting might set him back. Looking back now, I see what my mate was saying. (As an aside, I’m not with my soulmate. I learned that even the deepest level of soul love is sometimes not enough and that, sometimes, being apart is a spiritual imperative for both souls. I know being apart was a spiritual imperative for my soul.)

We can become so dependent on getting card readings, for example, that we lose the capacity to simply intuit our own answers; we can so heavily rely on healers to keep us physically, mentally or emotionally stable that we no longer remember how to pray healing prayers on our own behalf or to channel healing energy from our own hands to our own bodies; we can lean on ceremony to the point that we don’t even feel spiritually connected unless we are in church, a Sacred Sweat Lodge, etc.; we can addict ourselves to therapy, AA meetings, support groups, etc., to the point that we continue long after the need for them is past; we can worship the messenger (the Shaman, guru, preacher, counselor, etc.) until we no longer have the capacity to evaluate the message in our own lives.

My personal substance addictions were alcohol and diet pills. I took the “speed” because it gave me a sense of confidence. I drank because it numbed the pain of an abusive childhood–a past I was not even willing to consciously remember at that time. I also passed through sexual addiction, compulsive over-eating, and an eight-year period of being a workaholic. All these journeys were, in an indirect way, a search for peace and for spiritual meaning. Each one was incredibly painful and stressed my physical body to the point of absolute exhaustion. Therein was the danger and the blessing. It took getting to the point where I knew death was not only possible but actually imminent, before I would listen to Spirit. I recall the words I heard, very clearly: “You can drink, or you can live.” They were not the words I had hoped to hear. It took the better part of an eternal night for me to decide that I wanted to live.

Following that night, there were many times when I longed for the numbness, and for the excitement that would temporarily distract me from hard life choices or personal work that had to be done. There were many occasions when the need to escape was almost overwhelming. Later, when I stepped on the Spirit Path in a conscious way, I was very tempted to use “medicine” to deal with the constant, intense energy shifts I was experiencing. I even tried to do so, but Spirit intervened and let me know it was not to be for me, ever again. I was shown that I must walk clear of addiction, and walk through all the spiritual doorways, clear of chemical alteration. It is a hard path. It is a very hard thing–much harder than were my addictions. I pray daily, for strength to walk in this way without judging any brothers and sisters who walk the addiction trail, and without suffering beyond my ability to endure.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have broken the addiction habit but keep attracting people who are addicted, realize that you have work to do. It is your job to be clear and strong, as a channel for Godforce. It is your test, and it is your task.

The journey to Oneness ultimately means that we will all feel each other and know each other’s experiences, hear each other’s thoughts. So, if you are feeling the altered state of others, it is because you are coming closer to Oneness. It is not an easy thing. You may have been beating yourself up because you didn’t end a relationship, or leave a situation where drugs were a factor. Maybe you stay because your work is to help the other to heal. You will never do that by lecturing or judging, though that can be “Heyokah medicine” for them–Spirit uses every weakness–but what you can do is transmit the frequency of your clear, strong, Spirit-connected mind.

Show them the doorway without the drugs, and you can lead them through it. Of course, you have to accomplish that for yourself before you can do it for someone else. That’s why you are placed in the most challenging position imaginable for doing so.

Guest Article on Suffering and Releasing Suffering
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The Cause of Suffering
The cause of suffering is desire. So taught the Buddha 2500 years ago. This was his second Noble Truth called samudaya, meaning arising. It is desire and associated feelings that arise within us as a response or reaction to our affliction, challenges or suffering. As long as we are alive we will always respond to what we experience. The initial responses are automatic reactions. These reactions need to be acknowledged, accepted and understood before any conscious decisions can be made regarding action.
Everyone has needs and feelings. An enlightened person too has needs and feelings. So don’t think that if you eliminate needs and feelings you will be enlightened. You, in fact, would be deluded.
Desire is necessary to help us grasp life in order to experience it more fully. The purpose of desire is to take us to the need, but usually our desire is a longing for things to be other than what they are. When desire is not used as an indicator to reveal and fulfill need, it will cause suffering, because we are using it for something other than what its purpose is.
Desires are of two types: cravings and aversions, both of which lead to suffering. It is through these opposite attachments that we lose ourselves and lose the reality we are experiencing. We thus end up with inauthentic and superficial living. The suffering that results is to get us to live more deeply and to become more authentic.
Living authentically means, in this application, to attend to what arises within us in a welcoming way, seeing that what arises is the need we have. To attend to the need is not the means to enlightenment. Attending to the need is enlightenment. Denial, shame, escapism, manipulation in relation to what arises is anti- enlightenment.
The path to enlightenment involves the complete acceptance that suffering (dukkha) in the form of being born, working, handling relationships, growing old, and so on is an essential part of what makes us human. Desiring to escape from this reality, rather than embracing it as part of our journey inhibits our learning and blocks our expansion of consciousness.
There is a solution to the suffering we experience, which is to let go of desire and to practice detachment so that compassion may flow and the Divine Presence be contacted. This is our topic for the next Soul Perspectives.

Exercises:
1. Make a list of your cravings and another list of your aversions. Reflect on the consequences of each with regard to the quality of your life.
2. When desires arise within you, identify the need behind the desire. Then attempt to respond to the need rather than to the desire.

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