What Makes Life Alive?

                              

"Every thing that lives is holy, life delights in life,” William Blake wrote in an era when science first began raising questions with spiritual undertones:

What is life?

Where does it begin and end?

What makes it alive?

But in the epochs since, having discovered muons and mitochondria, having discerned the elementary building blocks of matter and the synaptic infrastructure of the mind, we — “atoms with consciousness,” in physicist Richard Feynman’s poetic words — seem to be haunted all the more urgently by the question of what makes life sacred and worthy of living.

The Ukrainian Jewish writer Vasily Grossman (November 29, 1905–September 14, 1964), who had spent a thousand days as a correspondent on the frontlines of humanity’s unholiest war and composed some of the earliest eyewitness accounts of Nazi extermination camps, takes up these urgent and eternal questions in his 1959 novel Life and Fate — the story of a visionary physicist named Viktor and his search for meaning amid the radical mathematics of reality.

A generation after the mathematical prodigy William James Sidis bent Einstein’s equations into a provocative model of what distinguishes inanimate matter from life, Viktor’s colleague taunts him with a daring definition of life:

There is a boundary limiting the infinity of the universe — life itself. This boundary’s nothing to do with Einstein’s curvature of space; it lies in the opposition between life and inanimate matter… Life can be defined as freedom. Life is freedom. Freedom is the fundamental principle of life. That is the boundary — between freedom and slavery, between inanimate matter and life.

Viktor shudders at the notion. (So did James Baldwin, who wrestled with the illusion of choice and concluded “nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom.”) When the other physicist prophecies that in the coming century — the century in which we are living out our lives — “the abyss of time and space will be overcome” as science unravels the mystery of energy and matter to solve “the creation of life itself” and thus liberates humanity from its mortal destiny, Viktor pushes back against this escapist fantasy with the full force of the human struggle:

On this very day the Germans are slaughtering Jewish children and old women… And we ourselves have endured 1937 and the horrors of collectivization — famine, cannibalism, and the deportation of millions of unfortunate peasants… You say life is freedom. Is that what people in the camps think? What if the life expanding through the universe should use its power to create a slavery still more terrible than your slavery of inanimate matter? Do you think this man of the future will surpass Christ in his goodness? That’s the real question. How will the power of this omnipresent and omniscient being benefit the world if he is still endowed with our own fatuous self-assurance and animal egotism? Our class egotism, our race egotism, our State egotism and our personal egotism? What if he transforms the whole world into a galactic concentration camp? What I want to know is — do you believe in the evolution of kindness, morality, mercy?

In the end, Grossman intimates, these are the elementary particles of life — the building blocks of its significance and sanctity. Given the miracle of how a cold cosmos kindled consciousness, given the everlasting wonder of what happens when we die, given the luckiness of death, it seems that each life is a reliquary of itself — that we exist only to discover that what makes the interlude between inanimacy and death alive with meaning is love, no matter the names we give it: kindness, friendship, forgiveness.

Grossman writes:

When a person dies, they cross over from the realm of freedom to the realm of slavery. Life is freedom, and dying is a gradual denial of freedom. Consciousness first weakens and then disappears. The life-processes — respiration, the metabolism, the circulation — continue for some time, but an irrevocable move has been made towards slavery; consciousness, the flame of freedom, has died out.

The stars have disappeared from the night sky; the Milky Way has vanished; the sun has gone out; Venus, Mars and Jupiter have been extinguished; millions of leaves have died; the wind and the oceans have faded away; flowers have lost their color and fragrance; bread has vanished; water has vanished; even the air itself, the sometimes cool, sometimes sultry air, has vanished. The universe inside a person has ceased to exist. This universe is astonishingly similar to the universe that exists outside people. It is astonishingly similar to the universes still reflected within the skulls of millions of living people. But still more astonishing is the fact that this universe had something in it that distinguished the sound of its ocean, the smell of its flowers, the rustle of its leaves, the hues of its granite and the sadness of its autumn fields both from those of every other universe that exists and ever has existed within people, and from those of the universe that exists eternally outside people. What constitutes the freedom, the soul of an individual life, is its uniqueness. The reflection of the universe in someone’s consciousness is the foundation of his or her power, but life only becomes happiness, is only endowed with freedom and meaning when someone exists as a whole world that has never been repeated in all eternity. Only then can they experience the joy of freedom and kindness, finding in others what they have already found in themselves.

This, of course, is also the fundamental constitution of love — it is the singularity of a person, the dear particularity unexampled in all of space and time, that we love. That is why the loss of love feels like a death — when the universe between two people who have loved each other ceases to exist, a part of each soul also dies, a part of each consciousness ceases to reflect the universe and is extinguished.

But there, amid the desolate haunts of eternity, we discover that the only shelter is the naked now — the only place where we have any freedom at all, including freedom from fear. Hannah Arendt knew this when she observed in her timeless reckoning with love and how to live with the fundamental fear of loss that “fearlessness is what love seeks” and “such fearlessness exists only in the complete calm that can no longer be shaken by events expected of the future,” which makes “the only valid tense” of love the present — the only place where life is truly alive, and holy.

by Maria Popova at themarginalian.org

Message from Archangel Michael

                         

Beloved Ones, the energy potential you are all in, right now is simply magnificent! We see you and we see so much progress. So much evolutionary change is happening within you and within your world.

There is a much greater awareness of one’s innate divinity within so many more people. They may not use that exact wording, but many more people are starting to realize that they have value. That they are worthy. That even though family systems and worldly systems, may have conditioned them to feel less-than, or to feel badly about themselves, and/or the way they are naturally, more and more people are starting to realize anything which denies their value and worth isn’t true.

People are waking up to the realization that perspectives that diminish anyone's value and worth, are expressions of someone not in sync with who they truly are, someone who also got these messages and internalized them, and then is passing these views along to others.

Both are true — each of you have innate value, as you are. And each of you are worthy; meaning you deserve love, respect, well-being, resources, connection, opportunities for expression, freedom. And more and more people are realizing this. It may be a challenge to really believe it, internalize it, step into it and embody it. But the awareness is increasing that the way many of you have experienced these aspect of your lives has been all upside down, for a very long time … and there is tremendous energy being liberated in these many, many, many freeing shifts. And a great deal of relief.

For those who are awakening to their inner connection and to their own ability to love, this time of change is opening up wonderful new potentials.

There is the possibility now, for the first time, to totally clear the energy of feeling bad about yourself. It is possible now, for human beings to feel a kind a pure and beautiful self-love without in anyway diminishing the love that anyone else is worthy of. There is, in this, a growing awareness of the sacredness of ALL LIFE, and we find this tremendously beautiful.

Of course not everyone is there, or moving into that yet. But a lot of you are. A lot of you are really feeling the underlying connection and the underlying truth of your Oneness with Life Itself and your innate significance.

This is a cause for tremendous celebration and for spending time each day centered in this knowing. Feeling your way into the underlying connection that each of you have, with ALL LIFE. Feel that. Feel that and sink deeply into it.

It is wordless, in many people’s experience. As Ailia feels for it now, there are no words, but it is a specific state of orientation, and connection and being: feeling the Oneness that is All and knowing you are of it and resting there.

This can nourish you so deeply.

The more you do this, the more your life can flow.

The more you do this - orient to the underlying truth of your being, the more you can shine true. Be you.

And a huge and significant aspect of the Infinite falls into place, on Earth as any of you do this.

In this way of being…

Feel the flow of love and life and breath and being, expand and continue to propel you through the moments of your experience.

It is beautiful to behold, too, the trust and feelings of security and safety that you are in when you are aligned like this, and aware of this and then allowing yourself to be, continuously connected in this way -- FLOWING.

You may not be aware that you are feeling safe, or secure, but we notice this in a big way. We see and sense how you shift out of fear, when you root into ONENESS.

We see how your flow expands and your body is refreshed when you are aligned with this underlying truth and in this way of being present, you are aligned with your Divine Self, your True Self, All That You Are and so, good things can come to you. You’re in a state of allowing. Of receptivity and openness.

Divine Ones, you have come SO VERY VERY FAR.
Feel this and smile.

What we are sharing are huge indicators of change at deep levels.

Take to heart the reflections of your evolutionary expansion and elevation that we are sharing with you now. Let yourself enjoy the journey and the remembering that you are embodying!!

Nothing is more useful to you, then being aware of the truth of your being. Nothing.

And that is why we recently shared the energy of Source Truth with you. For that energy furthers this. Opens it up more.

It may seem like such a simple thing -- of course conceptually you may know that All Life is connected, even, or that All Life is Unified and One.

But it is different to actually know it. Live it. Flow as that awareness.

It is a different experience to actually rest into the knowing and the connection with the Oneness. To be in a state of felt-unity. Aware of it, and enjoying this connection.

And there are many levels of realizing this.

For there are many levels of ascending into the Infinite Oneness.

And you are starting to move through the frequencies into the ones where Unity and Significance are established and your entire energy system embodies this.

And which each level of realization about who you truly are and the UNITY OF LIFE that underlies everything, you anchor into a new level of presence.

Ailia feels like the idea of shining true, which we spoke of recently, isn’t new. That she’s thought about it for a long time. Felt the familiarity of it, for a long time. And she is wondering what is different now, about this.

We are glad for her asking. We are glad for all of you being in touch with your own inner discernment and asking for the insights and shifts, the expansion and perspectives that help you to grasp the significance of things you’re feeling and sensing.

Here’s the thing that makes all of this so big right now: You are becoming capable of LIVING UNITY. Of FLOWING UNITY. Of LIVING the TRUTH OF YOUR BEING. Of SHINING TRUE.

You cannot grasp it from the words, can you really.

But it’s an experience that now that we’ve pointed to it, you will notice it more readily and it will be significant to you as you do.

So that is why we’ve been pointing to it, saying what we can and continuing to talk about this.

The point is, Beloved Ones — you’re starting to live in a really different way.

You’re starting to live in an expanded state of multidimensionality. 

Aware of your localized humanity, but no longer being or feeling separate even in that identity, even when you’re focusing on what you might think of as very worldy things.

You are always, now, in conscious communion with All That Is and All That You Are. Unity Consciousness is much more actively present within you and more consistently being expressed through you and by you.

And even though those words sound very simple, the implications of actually now being able to live this are significant, and a huge milestone.

So if it helps, realize too, that the changes you have all been accomplishing, allowing, creating, summoning, integrating, embodying, using to transmute and transform who you were into who you are now...have happened so many times. In such natural and graceful ways, even though at times, so many times this has all felt really challenging.

Nonetheless, you’ve continued, you’ve moved through it and done it. And now you’re here where going inward and drawing down the light that lifts you and aligns you with who you truly are, and feeling the energy of your presence, and repeatedly remembering the Oneness that underlies everyone and everything...is natural and how you live.

All while going about your day to day life. Washing your hair and face. Making breakfast. Walking the dog. Weeding the garden and shopping for groceries. Loving your friends and family.

All the while, you’re doing each of these things with a state of presence that has come so very far from who you used to be and it’s happened so steadily and so incrementally, that you really don’t see the huge leap that has already been made.

But we do.

And we are beaming with joy, for you and shining the light of our loving knowing to you, in a passionate and enthusiastic focus, so that you might light up and feel your own beauty, and really, really, really know:

I AM DIVINE. AND I KNOW IT.

You are and you do.

And you belong.
And, you are abundantly, generously supported.
Life is taking care of you.
And ALL IS WELL.

ALL IS WELL.

ALL IS WELL.

Take this all, very deeply into your heart and feel the joy there, of All That You Are, in Unity with you, celebrating this!

We love you so very much.

We are complete.

I AM Archangel Michael with Ailia, Ashira, Archangel Metatron, Archangel Raphael, Serapis Bey, Mother Mary, Pan, the Galactic Dragons, the Andromedan High Council, the Arcturians and the Council of Radiant Light. We bid you, a most beautiful day.

channeled by Ailia Mira at expectwonderful.com on 29 July 2024

Sacred Activism

We do not need magic to transform our world.

We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.

J.K. Rowling

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

William James

These days we often hear that if we are to change our world to a loving, just and sustainable one, all we need is to change consciousness. At first glance, this seems to imply that action is not necessary, or important. But conscious action flows from an inspired consciousness. They are not separate but actually call forth each other.

As we start to recognize that spirit and matter are one, we also realize that the level of our own consciousness is reflected and embodied in our actions, our relationships and the material systems we live by. We are presently living in systems and structures that do not represent an enlightened consciousness – in fact, they often represent just the opposite: a consciousness of division, competition, violence, and fear. By default, we are forced to comply with them outwardly, even if inwardly they chafe against the yearnings of our soul. As our consciousness evolves we are compelled to heal these splits – the ways in which our spirit and our material life are incongruent.

As we come into an awareness of the interconnection and unity of all life, we are called into action to change the outer structures and systems by which we live.

Awakening to Change

As a student in the seventies and like many of my generation, I wanted to change the world. At a certain point, frustrated with the seemingly intractable obstacles to changing entrenched power structures, I came to the conclusion that nothing would change unless we changed our own consciousness at an inner level. I then embarked on a long journey that took me to India and for many years practiced yoga and meditation in spiritual communities. I even became a swami in an ashram myself.

After twenty-five years “on the cushion” I had a second awakening, as electrifying as the first. I suddenly woke up to the reality that not only had all those years of “consciousness transformation” not succeeded in transforming the planet but that in fact, we were on the verge of potentially cataclysmic climate change, ecological and economic collapse. I realized that inner work can’t substitute for outer work, but that the two have to go together.

My first awakening was to the truth of interconnection and Oneness; my second to the crucial importance of applying it in the world. The first was a blissful awakening; the second a rude one – but ultimately blissful too, because it embraced reality in its true fullness, which empowers the transformation from darkness into light.

As enlightened consciousness and enlightened systems mutually bring each other forth, a new, holistic, evolving society emerges; greater than the sum of its parts, and far beyond anything we could have predicted. This means that true inner revolution is inevitably the basis of true outer revolution. Overcoming the false distinction we make between them is essential to the quantum leap in our evolution needed to heal both ourselves and our planet today. Beth Green, counsellor and teacher, speaks of the importance of “changing ourselves AND our world.” As she cogently puts it: “Outer revolution focuses on confronting someone or something outside ourselves. Inner revolution focuses on confronting ourselves, healing ourselves and then helping co-create a world that is more humane, sustainable and mutually supportive. Our world needs nothing less than an inner revolution.”

We need to question everything: our personal assumptions, social and political institutions, ways of relating to one another and the earth, spiritual beliefs, healing modalities, the way we think and more. And we have to be willing to change it all.

“There’s no time for self-doubt and despair.” she urges us. “Let’s support one another to change ourselves, so that, together, we can change our world.”

Beth also speaks of the new culture of ‘mutual support,’ which is “very different from traditional notions of support. Mutual support is the process of relying upon higher consciousness to guide our actions for the highest good of all, including us. It is the key to our own personal well-being, as well as a living experience of Oneness and community.”

Mutual support is a culture of wholeness, whereby the individual supports the highest good of the whole and the whole supports the highest good of the individual. We acknowledge that through supporting the highest good of all, we create a healthy whole that supports us all. We acknowledge that we are one and cannot be well at one another’s expense. And we also acknowledge that we need not sacrifice, because the good of the whole always includes the good of ourselves.

Combining inner and outer revolution is the fastest, most powerful way to accelerate both our own transformation and that of our society and our planet. By advancing our evolution both personally and collectively, it advances both exponentially, far more powerfully than if we work at either the inner or outer level alone.

Andrew Harvey, author of “The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism” powerfully spells out the need to bring the inner and outer levels of transformation together, super-charging the potential for genuine, deep-rooted change:

A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political and social consciousness, does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut of history. On the other hand, an activism that is not purified by profound spiritual and psychological self-awareness and rooted in divine truth, wisdom, and compassion will only perpetuate the problem it is trying to solve, however righteous its intentions.

When, however, the deepest and most grounded spiritual vision is married to a practical and pragmatic drive to transform all existing political, economic and social institutions, a holy force – the power of wisdom and love in action – is born. This force I define as ‘Sacred Activism.’

As consciousness evolves, it is natural for it to seek new, systemic outer expressions. Going beyond the ‘either/or’ of consciousness change or outer change may be in itself the revolution of our times!

from uplift.love on October 7, 2021

Why Supplement with Mushrooms?

 

Humans share more DNA with mushrooms than with plants. Fungi may form the natural foundation of a superfood to nurture mind, body, and spirit. You need only look to the psychoactive effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms and the toxicity of poisonous varieties to understand that mushrooms can have potent biochemical effects says David Hibbett, PhD., a mycologist (mushroom expert) and professor of biology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. “Mushrooms produce a lot of interesting chemical compounds that could be defensive,” he says, and that might be useful for fending off bacteria and other bodily invaders that make us sick. “Fungi produce some of our most important drugs,” says Hibbett, pointing out that both penicillin and cholesterol-lowering statins were derived from fungi, the category of organisms that includes mushrooms. Here are three of the most researched mycological species on the planet that support immune function, promote natural energy, enhance physical performance, support cognitive function and mood, and promote longevity.

Cordyceps – the Performance Mushroom

Long used in traditional Chinese medicine, Cordyceps is said to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Cordyceps is often used as a natural energy booster. Proponents also claim that cordyceps can protect against health issues like fatigue, high blood pressure, upper respiratory infections, inflammation, and kidney disorders. Some herbalists also believe that cordyceps can boost libido (sex drive), slow aging, and protect against cancer.

When taken as a supplement, cordyceps benefits may include:

• Increased exercise performance

• Boosted immunity

• Reduced inflammation

• Improved heart health

• Lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes

Red Reishi – the Longevity Mushroom

There are six different types of reishi and top herbalists will say the “red” reishi is the most potent (medicinal) variety. Reishi contains over 90 percent indigestible fiber and has quite a bitter taste. So, since you wouldn’t eat it, the best way to access its nutritive value is to take it in capsule form!

Researchers have identified that water-soluble polysaccharides are the most active element found in Red Reishi, with anti-tumor, immune modulating and blood pressure lowering effects. Another major active ingredient are triterpenes, called ganoderic acids. Preliminary studies have indicated ganoderic acids help alleviate common allergies by inhibiting histamine release, improve oxygen utilization and improve liver functions.

Red Reishi contains several constituents, including sterols, coumarin, mannitol, polysaccharides, and triterpenoids called ganoderic acids. Ganoderic acids seem to help lower blood pressure as well as decrease low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels. These specific triterpenoids also help to reduce blood platelets from sticking together an important factor in lowering the risk for coronary artery disease.

9 Benefits of Red Reishi Mushrooms:

• Support the immune system

• Alleviate fatigue

• May lower blood pressure

• Are good for brain function

• Have allergy-fighting potential

• Contain cholesterol-lowering compounds

• May be helpful for diabetics

• Can improve liver function

• Rich in antioxidants

Lions Mane – the Cognitive Mushroom

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is unique in the mushroom family both in appearance and function. Lion’s Mane Mushroom is extremely effective at stimulating Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in the brain.

Known for its powerful effects as a “brain tonic”, Lion’s Mane is said to have been used as a tea for thousands of years by Buddhist monks. To enhance brain power, and heighten their ability to focus during meditation.

Lion’s Mane is a powerful catalyst for brain cell regeneration helping improve memory and cognition.

The primary active compounds in Lion’s Mane are hericenones and erinacines. Hericenones help your brain produce more Nerve Growth Factor. And erinacines easily crosses the blood-brain barrier to boost the production of neurons.

Lion’s Mane helps:

• Nerve Growth Factor. Lion’s Mane Mushroom is used as a therapy to protect the brain from possible nerve damage. Once past the blood-brain barrier, Lion’s Mane stimulates enzyme production which release sNerve Growth Factor (NGF). Nerve regeneration helps relieve neurodegenerative disease symptoms such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease.

• Neurogenesis. Lion’s Mane stimulates the repair and creation of neurons. Boosting neurotransmitters and signaling effects memory, learning, recall, and mood.

• Brain Optimization. Lion’s Mane helps eliminate brain fog. A therapy to restore memory and mental alertness. Improves symptoms of anxiety and depression.

• You may not experience the effects of supplementing with Lion’s Mane Mushroom immediately. But many users report continued use of Lion’s Mane boosts their mood and mental energy.

• Some Report increases in depth perception, and an improvement in sense of smell.

• Others testify to improved decision-making, the ability to solve problems and an increase in ability to learn. This is likely due to Lion’s Mane ability to improve neuroplasticity.

• The overall consensus is Lion’s Mane Mushrooms offer a way to lessen anxiety, reduce depression and improve concentration.

Shivambu Shastra

 

We are in a very magical era: all around us, on all levels, we are witnessing the connection between the East and the West, the ancient and the modern, spiritual heritage and science. We are so truly fortunate to be living in such an exciting time, and to be able to watch in awe the way life unfolds before our very eyes. Modern scientific research is discovering today that ancient spiritual ideas come very close to today’s most recent discoveries in the field of quantum physics and vibrational healing methods.

One such powerful practice for healing that is continuing to flourish today is Shivambu Shastra, respected for thousands of years as the "Mother of Ayurvedic Medicine" and commonly known as "Self-Urine Therapy". Shivambu means literally "Water of Shiva", referring to the auspiciousness of the practice.

Its "method of drinking urine for rejuvenation" is outlined in the Shivambu Kalpa Vidhi, part of a 5,000-year-old document called the Damar Tantra, linking this practice back to the Vedas, the sacred Hindu texts. Self-urine therapy has been seen as one of the divine manifestations of cosmic intelligence, and has been used as such by Indian yogis to unleash kundalini up to their third eye.

There is something esoteric about urine. It is considered to be a supernatural, living food because it is a by-product of the blood and contains "life force" or prana. Using urine as a therapeutic tool mirrors to us the "healer within" who works on a mechanistic level as well as on an energetic level.

This implies that urine, as a holographic substance, has the ability to affect all levels of being - from the physical, through the electromagnetic fields of the emotions and the mind, up to the subtler vibrations of the soul.

Urine is considered to be an invaluable source of nourishment and healing that perhaps has been too controversial or not financially rewarding enough for it to be talked about and encouraged as a potent medicine. One’s own urine, a living food, contains elements that are specific to one’s body alone.

The body is constantly producing a huge variety of antibodies, hormones, enzymes and other natural chemicals to regulate and control its functions and combat imbalances that one may not be aware of.

Clinical studies have proved that the thousands of critical body chemicals and nutrients that end up in urine reflect the individual body’s functions. When re-utilized, these chemicals and nutrients act as natural vaccines, antibacterial, antiviral and anticarcinogenic agents as well as hormone balancers and allergy relievers. The information that urine contains therefore cannot be duplicated or derived from any other source. Just as nature produces no two people who are exactly the same, there are no two urine samples in the world that contain exactly the same components.

Urine is not a dirty and toxic substance rejected by the body. Urine is a by-product of blood filtration, not waste filtration. Medically it is referred to as "plasma ultrafiltrate". It is a purified derivative of the blood itself, made by the kidneys - whose principal function is not excretion but regulation of all the elements and their concentrations in the blood. Urine can be compared to leftovers from a meal, and this metaphor may help us understand why our bodies excrete elements that are valuable to our health and well-being.

Nutrient-filled blood passes through the liver where toxins are removed to be excreted as solid waste. Eventually, this purified "clean" blood undergoes a filtering process in the kidneys, where excess water, salts, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antibodies, urea, uric acid and other elements not usable at that time by the body are collected in the form of a purified, sterile, watery solution that is urine. The function of the kidneys is to keep the various elements in the blood balanced.

The important elements in the blood are not filtered out because they are toxic and harmful to the body, but simply because the body does not need a particular concentration of an element at that specific point in time. It is this very regulating process of the kidneys that allows us to eat and drink more than our bodies need at any one time.

Urine is estimated to have thousands of biochemical compounds, but only 200 or so have been studied. It contains an incredible array of critically important nutrients, enzymes, hormones, natural antibodies and immune defense agents.
Some of these components are well worth further consideration, such as:

• allantoin (also found in comfrey, known as "bone-knit", and in aloe vera, which guards against sunburn)

• the amino acid creatinine (popular with body-builders)

• DHEA hormone (proven by research to have anti-ageing, anticancer and anti-obesity properties)

• melatonin (known for its calming effect while strengthening the physical body and immunity)

• sex hormones such as testosterone, androgen and estrogen

In view of such an array of ingredients, it is easier to understand urine’s effects:

• antibacterial

• antifungal

• antiviral

• antineoplastic

• anticonvulsive

• antispasmodic

Anything that was in the blood cannot be harmful to the person that it came from. Besides, when taken internally, the urine does not go straight into the bloodstream, but travels through the digestive system, where its constituents are sorted out. The useful ones are used up again, while others are rejected as solid waste. When the level of toxins in the blood increases, this stimulates the intestines and the lymphatic system into flushing themselves out to eliminate any stagnated excrements accumulated in the colon.

The amount of toxins found in the urine of each person is related to the amount of stagnated excrement in the colon. So the toxins, in such minute amounts in urine, stimulate a cleansing reaction in each individual and vaccinate and protect the body from illnesses.

Studies on urea, considered the poisonous organic solid in urine, have shown it is converted into an essential amino acid once it is recycled by ingestion, helping our bodies use protein more efficiently. Urea has also been proven to be an extraordinarily effective antibacterial and antiviral agent, one of the best natural diuretics and one of the most effective skin moisturizers ever discovered. Urea actually increases the water-binding capacity of the skin by opening skin layers for hydrogen bonding and thus attracting moisture to dry skin cells.

As a natural diuretic, it is unparalleled and is also widely prescribed in cases of oedema or swelling, glaucoma, epilepsy and meningitis and to reduce excess cerebral and spinal pressure. Urea is an FDA-approved medicinal agent, and its remarkable and comprehensive antineoplastic properties are well utilized in anticancer drugs and treatments. Even uric acid, normally thought of as a waste product that can cause gout, has tremendous medicinal implications, such as acting as a defense against cancer and aging by actively destroying free radicals.

Urokinase, an enzyme also found in urine, is used in drug form to dissolve blood clots and is widely used for unblocking coronary arteries in victims of heart attacks.

One of the world’s largest fertility drug-producing companies makes use of the ovulation-enhancing hormone in human urine to make Pergonal, reported to have had US$855 million in sales in 1992 (a figure that has continued to increase since then).

More examples of commercial medical applications of urine and urea in use today include:

• Murine Ear Drops and Murine Ear Wax Removal System

• Ureaphil, a diuretic made from urea

• Urofollotropin, a urine-extract fertility drug

• Ureacin, a urea cream for skin problems

• Amino-Cerv, a urea cream used for cervical treatments

• Premarin, a urine-extract estrogen for skin ulcers, burns, infected wounds, and other purposes

Most urine therapists have never sought a scientific explanation for why or how it works; their own experiences have proven to be more than sufficient. However, as modern medicine’s interest in the powerful healing aspects of Shivambu Shastra grows, more research is being undertaken and a lot is being revealed to substantiate scientifically the therapy’s very rich history in healing.

Ayurveda considers disease to be caused by a shift in the internal metabolic balance, manifested as the five elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth in that individual. To create health involves rebalancing that unique metabolism to attain elemental equilibrium.

In scientific terms, one can consider self-urine therapy as an extension of the methods of Jenner and Pasteur, as auto-inoculation or self-vaccination. Certain bodily substances which have been removed from the body, some of which may have been produced as a result of an imbalance, are re-introduced into the body in small amounts and re-absorbed into the blood through either the intestines or the skin. This gives the immune system all the information that it needs and the chance to react appropriately to achieve homeostasis.

Coen van der Kroon, in his book The Golden Fountain, proposes what he calls the "transmutation theory" for the underlying mechanics of Shivambu Shastra. His proposal is coherent in terms of the visible shift in recent times from reductionism to holism in scientific research. The theory implies that the body is capable, through energy exchange, to "short-circuit" the system by ingesting its own secreted body fluids to stimulate the transmutational forces within and challenge the body to transform unusable substances into usable ones. Van der Kroon proposes that self-urine therapy could possibly restructure disturbed DNA, especially if one is fasting on urine.

The medical doctor and urine therapist Dr Johann Abele puts it as such:

...the question rises as to whether urine could possibly be considered to be a sort of liquid hologram. Once the body is made conscious of urine in an unconventional way (such as it being reintroduced into the body by intramuscular injection or by ingesting it), the whole organism evaluates it and subsequently updates its own regulating mechanisms...

An important aspect of this theory is the concept of "structured water". Both the body and urine are mainly made up of water, in varying degrees of molecular organization. The more water molecules are organized, the more efficiently enzymes responsible for digestion, absorption and transmutation can do their job.

It has been proven that water molecules in biological systems become more organized through exposure to sunlight and through close contact with crystals. The body is a receptor of sunlight and contains a high amount of solid and liquid crystalline-like substances; indeed, body fluids themselves form fluid crystals.

Urine itself is a crystalline-like substance containing a high amount of structured water, and when retaken it promotes a better enzymatic functioning and higher solubility for minerals, thus improving health and increasing energy reserves. Seeing urine as a liquid crystal implies that it contains vibrations completely in tune with the vibrational condition of the body it comes from.

Re-ingestion might give the body valuable vibrational information needed for two things: first, for maintaining the existing healthy body resonance, and second, for counteracting disease or stress vibrations and any unhealthy resonance in the body. By way of example, disharmonious sounds can been counteracted by employing the same sounds.

The vibratory patterns of the body, both in the bones (solid crystals) and in the tissues and fluids (liquid crystals), play an important role in the process of transmutation. The resonance field of a crystal can make a protein, for example, change its form into one that is more useful for the body or more easily adaptable by it. This can be described as "modern alchemy", and it resonates with the principles of homoeopathy.

Homoeopathy refers to a therapeutic method which clinically applies the "law of similars" and uses medically active substances at infinitesimal doses and never at full strength, where the original substance has undergone a dilution process. When the body is given a homoeopathic remedy, it is stimulated into action not because of the physical or chemical nature of the substance but because of the energetic nature that is received through new vibratory information.

Isopathy is another valid hypothesis worth considering. Once microbes have evolved in the blood to a pathogenic level, then de-evolving them back to a stage where they are less harmful would facilitate recovery. The primary way to do this is through diet to rebalance the pH in the blood.

But in severe cases, the process can be accelerated biologically, as demonstrated by Professor Enderlein’s results from his research on the development life cycle of the internal parasite. A rather evolved pathogenic microbe causing disease in the body can be mated with the same type of microbe at an earlier developmental stage to breed a form that is less strong and non-pathogenic.

This process is probable since the colloids or somatids are in fact so small that they are unfilterable by the kidneys; therefore, once urine is consumed, one can receive a dose of these pure somatids which biologically proceed to support the immune function and possibly lead to taking the pathogenic microbes in the blood back down to apathogenic states. This is the basis of isopathic remedies; they promote gentle yet effective self-healing through biological means.

Allergy treatment illustrates this method quite well. By using the same substance that is causing the allergy and reintroducing it to the body, the immune system is allowed to develop antibodies to the antigen receptors found in the urine to stop the allergic response.

To begin with, Dr. Beatrice Bartnett (author of Urine Therapy - It May Save Your Life) suggests making a prayer, thanking our bodies for providing us with this divine elixir, and drinking the urine slowly, willingly and with cheerfulness! This is all very well, considering that most people who start drinking urine find the taste much too sour, bitter or pungent and the odor way too strong. Even if the urine is diluted, they may experience nausea, headaches and other strong reactions before they get used to it and start seeing results.

Martha Christy (author of Your Own Perfect Medicine) suggests not taking copious amounts of water to flush out the kidneys, as this dilutes the healing properties of the urine.

It is good to remember that urine is a mere sample of what is flowing through the body’s veins, and any repulsion should be used as a motivation to improve the internal conditions rather than as an excuse for not using this miraculous therapy for creating health.

Urine is actually less toxic and more alive than much of the food and drink that we take into our bodies, which somehow manage to digest the junk foods and devitalized liquids and still produce a valuable, medicinal drink. However, how much more valuable for medicinal and cleansing purposes if the urine is the product of a body fed healthy, natural, organic and raw foods?

Drinking urine makes us think seriously about what we eat. Since it is a by-product of the blood, it makes sense that the cleaner the blood is, the healthier the urine will be. But even urine from relatively unhealthy blood contains valuable immunological factors that can improve health if recycled.

Urine drinking’s cleansing effect on the blood can be observed by the change in taste and the color of the urine: as it is more and more recycled, it becomes purer and clearer. If one has difficulty urinating - and it has been said that a weak flow is a sign of a weak life-force - then this practice actually strengthens the flow of urine, consequently increasing the vital life-force.

Ingesting more toxic substances in the body, however, may neutralize the good effects of self-urine therapy. So it is recommended that anyone embarking on the therapy give up tobacco in all forms and restrict consumption of cold drinks, spices, fried foods, junk foods, refined foods and sugars as much as possible. Above all, it is best to avoid alcohol, meat and coffee as well as recreational drugs. It is also advisable to follow a low-salt, low-protein diet.

Like all other natural therapies, this is not a treatment that needs to be stopped after the relief of certain symptoms, but can be incorporated into one’s health regime. More subtle, yet very real effects of this therapy as a lifestyle choice include feeling stronger, more relaxed, more self-confident, invigorated and generally happier and lighter emotionally and physically.

The middle stream of fresh, warm, morning urine is the most potent, and drinking it mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice is probably the fastest way to accomplish this task, although it is best not to mix urine with other foods or drinks or to take it within an hour before or after eating.

Oral drops of fresh urine can be placed directly under the tongue. Urine therapists suggest their patients start with 1-5 drops of fresh morning urine on the first day, increase to 5-10 drops on the second day, and take 5-10 drops on the morning of the third day and the same amount that evening before going to bed.

Once patients feel comfortable with this therapy, they can gradually increase the amount as they see fit to obtain the results required for their body’s condition. Over time, they can learn to adjust the amount that is needed by observing their reactions to the therapy; their dosage may become as much as one full cup at a time!

Self-urine may be used as eye drops and ear drops, in foot baths and even as effective enemas. Nose drops can help loosen mucus and clear up blocked nasal passages. Gargling with it is helpful for a sore throat, and inhaling it relieves sinus and respiratory congestion. Taken internally, it has a laxative and diuretic effect, as it cleanses the digestive tract.

Dr. John Armstrong (author of The Water of Life) emphasizes the need to massage with urine. He insists that cures work faster and more effectively in those who are bathed, massaged, rubbed and soaked in their own urine.

He highly recommends it for more serious illnesses, since urine is absorbed through the skin and the hormonal and protein-based contents are slowly reabsorbed into the system, bypassing digestive juices that otherwise may have neutralized their potency. In this way, it also works as an excellent cosmetic for moisturizing and healing skin blemishes, burns and scar tissue. However, for this usage, it is preferable to use urine that is 4-8 days old. The smell of ammonia in the old urine is not toxic but actually beneficial if used topically only, and not taken internally.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can a woman drink her urine during her menses?
Yes, and although the urethra and the vagina are two separate organs, there is nothing in the menstrual fluid that can harm a person if it is accidentally mixed with urine.

Can a person drink their urine while on medications?
The short answer is no, because of the remote possibility of overdosing on any particular medication by recycling the portion of what is discharged in urine. However, hormone, vitamin and mineral supplements can be taken while drinking urine, as long as the intake is frequently monitored and the amounts reduced accordingly as the imbalance improves.

In what cases can Shivambu Shastra be used?
Regarded truly as a "panacea", Shivambu Shastra is said to be effective in over 175 health conditions. Diagnosis plays no practical part in the therapy, since the urine sample reflects so perfectly the individual’s most intimate details about the state of their health. In fact, it works brilliantly on the more subtle health imbalances that are very real, yet often too evasive to label medically.

Urine can be massaged topically for the most chronic and stubborn skin problems, such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, ringworm, sores, fungal infections, insect bites, wounds, burns and even gangrene.

Internally, the therapy is said to be effective in treating AIDS (since the AIDS antibodies are found in urine) as well as cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, anemia, all sorts of urinary diseases, weight loss, colds and flus, candida, diabetes, digestive problems, jaundice and more.

It has been medically proven to work against polio and tuberculosis, and doctors have injected it intramuscularly to treat immunological illnesses such as psoriasis, basal cell carcinoma and asthma, to name a few.

Why does urine therapy seem ineffective in some cases?
There are times when there is a chronic deficiency of one or several minerals, and in such cases there is none of that mineral in the urine; therefore, although the general health and other metabolic imbalances in that person improve, that particular problem may remain the same.

For instance, a diabetic person may need to take chromium for the cells to use blood sugar and vanadium to produce insulin. These supplements may be necessary to eradicate diabetes or any other blood sugar problem that is not correctable with self-urine therapy.

Although much attention has been focused on many elements in urine and their potential for medical use, comprehensive research has not yet been conducted on urine as a total entity that is therapeutically applied. Still to be proven are the theories regarding how and why urine therapy works--so let us welcome and support the scientific community that is interested in undertaking studies using urine as a total entity.

More than 600 scientists - many of whom believe that human urine can treat everything from baldness to cancer and AIDS - gathered in Goa, India, for the First World Conference on Auto-Urine Therapy in February 1996. The Second World Conference on Auto-Urine Therapy was held in Germany in 1998.

These are certainly signs that Shivambu Shastra is flourishing all over the world, and that people are ready to take responsibility for their own health and well-being and are ready to overcome their prejudices and open their minds to embrace such an ancient spiritual and magical practice.

It is certainly crucial in these times, when we ache for deeper healing, that Shivambu Shastra be acknowledged and adopted as a valid and profoundly effective method of creating health in body, mind and spirit.

By Natalia Perera in Nexus Magazine, Volume 9, Number 4, 2002

Resistance and the Unlived Life

 

Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates the strength of Resistance. Therefore, the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.

Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever quit a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever bailed out on a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your life to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace, or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write , a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.

Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction. To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be. If you believe in God you must declare Resistance evil, for it prevents us from achieving the life God intended when He endowed each of us with our own unique genius. Genius is a Latin word; the Romans used it to denote an inner spirit, holy and inviolable, which watches over us, guiding us to our calling. A writer writes with his genius; an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center. It is our soul’s seat, the vessel that holds our being-in-potential, our star’s beacon and Polaris.

Every sun casts a shadow, and genius’s shadow is Resistance. As powerful as is our soul’s call to realization, so potent are the forces of Resistance arrayed against it. Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, harder to kick than crack cocaine. We’re not alone if we’ve been mowed down by Resistance; millions of good men and women have bitten the dust before us. And here’s the biggest bitch: We don’t even know what hit us. I never did. From age twenty-four to thirty-two, Resistance kicked my ass from East Coast to West and back again thirteen times and I never even knew it existed. I looked everywhere for the enemy and failed to see it right in front of my face.

Have you heard this story: Woman learns she has cancer, six months to live. Within days she quits her job, resumes the dream of writing Tex-Mex songs she gave up to raise a family (or starts studying classical Greek, or moves to the inner city and devotes herself to tending babies with AIDS). Woman’s friends think she’s crazy; she herself has never been happier. There’s a postscript. Woman’s cancer goes into remission.

Is that what it takes? Do we have to stare death in the face to make us stand up and confront Resistance? Does Resistance have to cripple and disfigure our lives before we wake up to its existence? How many of us have become drunks and drug addicts, developed tumors and neuroses, succumbed to painkillers, gossip, and compulsive cell-phone use, simply because we don’t do that thing that our hearts , our inner genius, is calling us to? Resistance defeats us. If tomorrow morning by some stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, every shrink in the directory would be out of business. Prisons would stand empty. The alcohol and tobacco industries would collapse, along with the junk food , cosmetic surgery, and infotainment businesses, not to mention pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and the medical profession from top to bottom. Domestic abuse would become extinct, as would addiction, obesity, migraine headaches, road rage, and dandruff.

Look in your own heart. Unless I’m crazy, right now a still, small voice is piping up, telling you as it has ten thousand times before, the calling that is yours and yours alone. You know it. No one has to tell you. And unless I’m crazy, you’re no closer to taking action on it than you were yesterday or will be tomorrow. You think Resistance isn’t real? Resistance will bury you.

from Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art

Choosing the Best Timeline

We are The Arcturian Council. We are pleased to connect with all of you. We have looked down several timelines from where you are right now, and we know that those of you who are awake are feeling into those same timelines. You can feel the enormity of where it is you are standing right now because of the choosing that you must do in order to experience a bright future, one where you experience the least amount of chaos, the least amount of cataclysmic events. We know that it is easy to listen to those who are telling you that it is inevitable for things to get worse there on Earth when you have already been surrounded by pessimism and people who have been telling you to look out for this or that your entire lives.

People are always anticipating the next stock market crash or the crash of their currency. And so, why wouldn’t the average human be looking at your future ascension as one that will be preceded by much destruction? But those of you who look in the direction that we look see the rosy future ahead for those of you who choose it, and we can say that with certainty because we know there isn’t just one future, and hopefully you know that by now as well.

Now, how do you get on that best feeling timeline for yourself and others? Well, you start by paying attention to how you feel about the small things in your life. Are you anticipating something good happening in the day that you are about to embark upon, or are you thinking about all the bad things that could happen and trying to prepare for them? All you have to do is shift in that moment to a thought about what could go right in order to experience more going right as you move through your day. And your day is just a microcosm of all time, including your future.

Therefore, as you begin to see how things could go very right for you today, and tomorrow and the next day, before you know it, you have mapped out a future experience for yourself where everything continues to be on an upswing and get better and better for yourself and for your fellow humans. Now you might say, ‘Well, how can I do this when I look around at my world, and I see things that aren’t the way I want them to be, or the way that I would choose them to be?’ And we say to you that you chose unconsciously.

You didn’t know you were choosing whether there would still be wars at this point in humanity’s evolution. You didn’t know you had a choice in the matter as to whether there would still be people starving to death and slavery on your planet. But you know these things now, and you can do something about them by anticipating and even planning for the better future for humanity, the future where everyone is getting what they need not only to survive but to thrive.

And you are the ones with your awakened consciousnesses that can hold that space for yourselves and others, and you can see it coming to fruition in your lifetime. That we know to be true, and we can guarantee for those of you who are looking on the bright side, looking for the positive and anticipating the best outcome for yourself and those you are participating with in your day. It really is that simple, humanity, and we know you can do it because we have seen those timelines where you already have. We are The Arcturian Council, and we have enjoyed connecting with you.

as channeled by Daniel Scranton at danielscranton.com

Realizing Our Highest Destiny in This Lifetime

 

The resonant frequency of the Earth has been increasing for years. Historically it was 7.83 cycles per second. This is called the Schumann Resonance. Now we’re getting blasts of gamma ray photons and high-frequency, unknown energy that cause the Earth’s frequency to interact with a new form of enveloping energy. It now appears as if the Earth is vibrating in at least four octaves of resonant frequencies. Why am I mentioning this? Because the resonant frequency of humanity is having to interact with this energy as well, and those of us who are sensitive to higher-frequency energy are feeling more united in spirit, more loving and willing to forgive. Humanity is going through a great awakening, in which our minds calm down, and our heart energy strengthens.

As our vibrations rise and become more positive, we begin to access the life-enhancing energy that pervades the cosmos. Our astronomers have called this dark matter and dark energy, because we haven’t been able to determine what it is. It’s everywhere, but to know its essence, we must align with its vibrations. Because of the effects it has on the physical world, we’ve known of its existence, but that’s all. Now we’re beginning to know its essence, just as we’re being able to know our own essence beyond the physical. It comes to us through our inner realization, beyond mind, emotion and matter. It’s in our intuition, and it expresses itself in the heart of our Being through our life force. We can access it by aligning with its vibrations, which are a high-frequency, highly-refined kind of gratitude, love and joy. When we realize what this state of Being is, our lives transform, as long as we can hold this alignment.

We're beginning to awaken to the truth about the holographic matrix that we inhabit and how the quality of energy that we entertain in our awareness influences our experiential environment. Despite all the negativity in human consciousness, we are beginning to know that we all share the same conscious essence, along with all living beings, including the spirit of our planet. As we manage to feel more love and joy, we inhabit a higher octave of frequency in quantum reality. It is a kind of parallel reality that we can cross into in our consciousness, but not yet in our bodies. That happens after the planetary shift, when the Earth drops the holographic matrix, and humanity will no longer support negative energy with our life force. We will have withdrawn our attention from it, no longer feeding it with fear and despair. We will all know that our feelings in this higher spectrum of resonance are wonderful, and we will have more of our infinite creative ability, realizing ourselves as fractals of the divine One. Everything is changing for the better.

No one has to go along with this. Those who are not sensitive to the higher vibrations or do not accept them, can continue to live in the world they know until they are ready to open their hearts to forgiveness, love, joy and compassion. Then their resonance will rise, and their consciousness will expand. By transforming ourselves beyond our limiting beliefs about ourselves, our destiny is to ascend into a new realm. With the powerful transformative energies coming our way from the center of our universe, our destiny is being realized by humanity as soon as enough of us recognize who we really are and begin to understand the essence of life. The experience of this beautiful realm is ours to realize and live in now.

from the blog of Kenneth Schmitt on July 27, 2024, at consciousexpansion.org

Rainforest Medicine

By itself, ayahuasca as a transformational medicine offers us profound opportunities for spiritual awakening, physical renewal, and reconnection to the most important aspects of life and nature. Journeying with the vine of souls is unlike anything else in this world, and while many have shared their personal stories of harrowing nights in ceremony, another chief aspect of this medicine tradition is less often discussed: the valuable lessons to be learned from time spent with traditional plant medicine masters.

Sadly, true Amazonian medicine elders are a dying breed. To be in the presence of a genuine master is a treasured experience, and those of them still with us exemplify the virtues of living a life aligned with nature, devoted to spiritual development, and focused on the well-being of others.

I have been blessed with the good fortune of spending time with and and learning directly from Secoya elders who are the torch bearers of a unique lineage of spiritual masters in the upper Amazon. Their tradition, that of God's Multi-Colored People, as they know it, is the longest unbroken and non-syncretic tradition of working with the sacred brew Yage, or Ayahuasca.

The attitude, demeanor, habits, and character of these “abuelitos” symbolize the simple purity and deep peace that may be found with dedication to this spiritual path. Reflecting on my time spent with the Secoya, I've realized that many of the best lessons come not when they are teaching, but when they are just being themselves.

Yage Shamans of the Amazon Offer Nine Rules for Living

Secoya Elders: Don Delfin Payaguaje, Don Augustin Payaguaje, and Don Rogelio

1. Abundant laughter is the hallmark of spiritual achievement. Laugh first and laugh often.

2. All life is beautiful and priceless, and even the most pitiful or comical of creatures in infused with the sacred.

3. Always be productive in the service to others, and even if all you can offer is a smile, your positive contribution is important.

4. Love everyone equally, for we are all equal is spirit and life.

5. Silence is golden. Communicating without speaking is more penetrative than attempting to express the infinite with language.

6. It is in stillness you will find that which you seek. The ability to highly control one's impulses is the key to spiritual advancement.

7. Gentleness is often more powerful than force.

8. Sincere dedication to spiritual development is the highest calling in life.

9. Follow nature instead of following man, for the lessons in nature are universally true and infinitely pure.

by Jonathon Miller Weisberger in his work Rainforest Medicine

The Path Of The Warrior

 

A warrior is made for combat. When he is at war, he is comfortable. Unlike the petty wars which we as humans constantly involve ourselves in because of social, religious, or economic reasons, the war of sorcerers is not directed against other people, but against their own weaknesses. By the same token, their peace is not the submissive condition to which modern man has been reduced; rather, it is an imperturbable state of internal silence and discipline.

"Passivity is a violation of our nature, because, in essence, we are all formidable combatants. Every human being is, by right, a soldier who has achieved his place in the world in a battle of life and death."

"Look at it this way: At least once, as sperms, each one of us fought a battle for life - a unique struggle against millions of other competitors - and we won! And now the battle continues, since we are trapped by the forces of this world. One part of us is fighting to disintegrate and die, while another tries to maintain life and awareness at any cost. There is no peace! A warrior realizes this, and uses it to his advantage. His goal continues to be that which inspired the spark of life that created him: Access to a new level of awareness."

As we become socialized, human beings are tamed, just like an animal is domesticated, by the power of stimuli and punishments. "We have been trained to live and die meekly, following unnatural codes of behavior which soften us and make us lose that initial impulse, until our spirit is hardly noticeable. We are born as a result of a fight. By denying our basic tendencies, the society we live in eradicates the warring heritage that transforms us into magical beings."

He added that the only available way to change is to accept ourselves just as we are, and work from there. "The warrior knows that he lives in a predatorial universe. He can never let his guard down. Wherever he looks, he sees an incessant fight, and he knows that it deserves his respect, because it is a fight to the death."

Don Juan was always moving, coming or going, supporting this or rejecting that, provoking tensions or discharging them in a burst, shouting his intent or remaining silent; doing something. He was alive, and his life reflected the ebb and flow of the universe. "He told me that, from the moment when the explosion which gave us origin occurred, until the moment of our death, we live within a flow. Those two episodes are unique, because they prepare us for the encounter of what lies further ahead. And what aligns us with that flow? An incessant battle, which only a warrior will attempt. Because of that, he lives in profound harmony with everything."

"For a warrior, to be harmonious is to flow, not to stop in the middle of the current and try to make a space of artificial and impossible peace. He knows that he can only give the very best of himself under conditions of maximum tension. For that reason, he seeks out his opponent the way a fighting rooster does - with avidity, with delight, knowing that the next step is decisive. His opponent is not his fellow man, but his own attachments and weaknesses, and his grand challenge is to compress the layers of his energy until they won't expand when his life ceases, so that his awareness does not die. A warrior accepts his destiny, whatever it may be. However, he fights to change things, and he makes something exquisite of his passage on Earth. He tempers his will in such a way that nothing can deviate him from his purpose."

"A warrior knows that what gives sense to his life is the challenge of death, and death is a personal matter. It is a challenge for each one of us, and one which only sincere warriors accept. We can face the impact of our personal extinction with elegance. Death is the force that gives the warrior value and moderation. Only by looking through the eyes of death can we notice that we are not important. Then death comes to live by our side, and begins to tell us its secrets."

"The contact with death's unchangeable nature leaves an indelible mark on the character of the apprentice. He understands, once and for all, that all the energy of the universe is connected. There is no world of objects, related to each other."

The universe in its great entirety is feminine, and of a predatory nature, and there is a tenacious battle of consciousness going on, where, as always, the strongest absorbs the weakest. "On the cosmic scale, the strength of a being is not measured by its physical capability, but by its capacity to manipulate awareness. It follows that if we are to take the next evolutionary step, it must be done by means of discipline, determination, and strategy. Those are our weapons."

"Through their seeing, sorcerers witness that struggle, and they take their place in it, ready for the worst and without complaining about the result. For their ever-ready disposition for combat, they have won the title of 'warriors'."

"A warrior considers the world we live in to be a great mystery, and he knows that the mystery is there to be revealed to those who deliberately look for it. That attitude of audacity will occasionally move the tentacles of the unknown, making the spirit manifest itself." He explained to us that the warrior's audacity is born out of the contact with his imminent death.

"Don Juan used to say to me: 'If we're going to play, then let's play! But we play to the death'. "That is the sorcerer's feeling in front of his destiny: 'I bet my life on this intent, nothing less.' I know that my end could be waiting for me anywhere, and there isn't anything I can do to avoid it. I will walk down my path with utmost concentration, I accept the responsibility of living fully, I will risk everything on a single hand'."

"A warrior knows that no victory is guaranteed when faced with death. Even so, he freely enters into his battle, not because he believes he will win, but for the excitement of his war. For him, entering the war is already a victory. And while he fights, he is happy - because, for one who is already dead, every second of life is a gift."

He continued by saying that what makes it possible for the world to exist just as we see it, is our attention and that of all our fellow men, focused simultaneously and connected in a tight net of interpretations, reinforced by agreement. "See, the domain of attention is of supreme importance in the path of sorcerers, because it is the primary matter of creation. In all worlds, degrees of evolution are measured by the ability to realize, to be aware."

"In order to manipulate and understand the emanations which arrive to our senses, sorcerers develop the power of their attention, sharpening it through discipline to exquisite levels, which allow them to transcend human limitations and to fulfill all the possibilities of perception. Their concentration is so intense that they can penetrate the thick armor of appearances, and expose the essence of things. Seers call that degree of increased awareness 'seeing."

"Even though such a fixed attention may seem like stubbornness, obsession, or fanaticism, for the practitioner it's nothing but discipline." "Discipline, as understood by a warrior, is creative, open, and produces freedom. It is the ability to face the unknown, transforming the feeling of knowing into reverent astonishment; of considering things that exceed the scope of our habits, and daring to face the only war that is worthwhile: The battle for awareness. It is the courage to accept the consequences of our actions, whatever they may be, without self-pity or feelings of blame."

"Having discipline is the key to handling attention, because it takes us to the will. And this allows us to modify the world until it becomes what we want it to be, and not like the one which was imposed on us from the outside. For this reason, will is the threshold of intent for warriors. Its power is so great that when it is focused on something, it can produce the most astonishing effects."

Underlying each one of the prodigious actions of sorcerers, there is a whole life of discipline, sobriety, detachment, and analytical capability. Warriors place the highest value on these attributes, and together they constitute the state of being which they call impeccability. Impeccability doesn't have anything to do with an intellectual position, a belief, or anything like that. It is a consequence of saving energy.

"A warrior accepts with humility what he is, and he doesn't squander his power on lamenting because things are not otherwise. If a door is closed, we don't kick it and punch it! Instead, we attentively study the lock and figure out how to open it. In the same way, if his life is not satisfactory, the warrior is not offended, nor does he complain. On the contrary, he designs strategies to alter the course of his destiny."

"In order to flow in such a way, we must learn to trust our resources and to understand that we were born with everything we need for the extravagant adventure which is our life. As a warrior, each man or woman who has entered the path of sorcery knows that he or she is responsible for him/herself. He or she doesn't look aside, seeking approval, or trying to discharge their frustrations on others."

"Don Juan told me: "What you are looking for is within yourself. You have to struggle to make your actions final, and to achieve your own clarity. Commit yourself, before it's too late!'"

"Since he is never desperate to achieve contact with anyone, the warrior can choose his affections with sobriety and detachment, taking care at all times that the people he consents to be with are compatible with his energy. A sorcerer identifies himself with the abstract, and not with the world. And that allows him to be independent and take care of himself."

"Realize that, face to face with our destiny, each one of us is alone. So take control of your own life. A warrior polishes details, develops his imagination and puts his ingenuity to the test by resolving situations. It's inconceivable for him to feel destitute, because he has self-control and he doesn't need anything from anybody. By concentrating on details, he learns how to cultivate delicacy, subtlety, and elegance."

"The gift of independence and the control of details produce the capacity to persist where other people would desist. When arriving at this point, the warrior is barely a step away from impeccable conduct. "Impeccability is born of a delicate balance between our internal being and the forces of the external world. It is an achievement that requires effort, time, dedication, and being permanently attentive to the objective, so that the final purpose is never lost from sight. But, mainly, it requires persistence. Persistence defeats apathy, it is as simple as that."

"The threshold of magic is an intent sustained beyond what seems possible, desirable, or reasonable. It is a mental leap, to become tuned to the will of the Eagle's emanations, and to allow their command to loosen the rigidity of our limits. But few are willing to pay the price, to walk the extra mile."

"Once he has gained flexibility, humility, a sense of independence, control of details, and persistence, a warrior in search of impeccability knows that he has gained the power of his decisions. He is authorized to do or not do, according to what suits him, and nobody can force him to do anything. It is at this point that he needs, more than ever, to be the owner of his emotions and of his mind, because clarity joined with power make an explosive mixture. It can easily make a man reckless."

"The path of the warrior consists of saving energy; everything that goes against that threatens his intent to be impeccable. There will be times when the apprentice forgets that his objective is not to nourish his ego, and he enters into situations which are stronger than him. Not only can this be fatal, but it constitutes a serious breach of discipline that will plug him into the labyrinths of power. In these cases, power becomes his executioner."

"The warrior's final challenge is to balance all the attributes of his path. Once he does that, his purpose becomes inflexible. He is no longer moved by a desperate desire for gain. He is the owner of his will, and can put it to his personal service. When he arrives at that point, the warrior has learned how to be impeccable. And for him to continue being impeccable depends totally on the energy he has accumulated."

"Intent is the tuning of our attention to cosmic awareness, which transforms our volition into commands of the Eagle. We must be daring to attempt it deliberately, but, once there, everything becomes possible. Intent allows sorcerers to live in a non-ordinary world, and to intend a destiny of freedom. For them, freedom is a fact, not just a Utopia. Realize your potential and free yourselves from whatever! Don't impose limits on yourselves. If you can defy the force of gravity and fly, that's great! And if you still have the I impetus to challenge death and buy a ticket to eternity, that is tremendous! "Take a risk! Get out of the trap of self-reflection and dare to perceive all that is humanly possible! A warrior of knowledge makes an effort to be authentic, and he won't accept any compromises, because the object of his fight is total freedom."

by Armando Torres in Encounters with the Nagual: Conversations with Carlos Castaneda, pp. 42-52