NUMEROUS RESOURCES for ENRICHMENT

SHAMANS

“Humans are a part of creation and shamanism is our way of connecting with the whole.” Will Adcock

“The shamanic Quechuan word for empath… comes from the verb… which means ‘to see’ the living energy. The Incas believe that people born with the ability to experience the energy of others have a great blessing, as they are able to connect to their Souls and the Spirit of existence much more easily than others.” Mateo Sol

“Historically, shamans have always been part of the society where they lived, taking care of its problems… For centuries shamanic cultures have been persecuted in the western world until they were almost entirely exterminated. Nowadays there seems to be more freedom and this ancient knowledge can re-emerge and be used in our own cultural context. The world needs shamans able to function on the roads, among the electronic equipment, in the squares and markets of our contemporary society.” Franco Santoro

‘Shaman’ is an Evenki word from Siberia meaning one who ‘sees’ or ‘penetrates to the source’, per The Society for Shamanic Practice.

Shamans were often the first doctors of a tribe or community, knew the healing properties of local plants, communed with the Spirit world, and led their groups in ritual ceremonies that brought wisdom and healing. This they did generally in a trance, often involving psychedelic plants that always seemed to present themselves as Divine messengers for higher truths.

They have gone by many other names, including medicine man/woman, healer, sorcerer and priest.

The renowned Anthropologist and Shaman, Alberto Villoldo, treats us to a vision that recognizes the unenlightened state of humankind today, but points to a rich future in which we return to our Spiritual roots and and achieve our lofty missions:

"We remember the sacred contract that we made. We will age differently, die and heal differently, live in peace sustainably with each other, stewards of all life on this planet. This is the mission that the Great Spirit has entrusted each of us with. Many have forgotten this agreement... The Shamans say that the time is now.... we have crossed the threshold of fear and death and are at the dawn of a new time. Now that the storm is passing, we must clean up our bodies, lives, diets, our relationships and the mess we have made. i invite you to join me in rejoicing and celebrating, even in this which seems to be the darkest hour of humanity. Know that there is a dawn breaking over the horizon, and that we can rejoice together in welcoming that new species of human that is you and me... homo luminus."

SHAMANS and PSYCHEDELICS

“Life lived in the absence of the psychedelic experience that primordial shamanism is based on is life trivialized, life denied, life enslaved to the ego… I see the psychedelic experience as a birthright, and we can’t have a free society until people are free to explore their own mind.” Terence McKenna

“All I am suggesting is that the mescaline experience is what Catholic theologians call ‘a gratuitous grace,’ not necessary to salvation but potentially helpful and to be accepted thankfully… To be shaken out of the ruts of ordinary perception, to be shown for a few timeless hours the outer and the inner world, not as they appear… to a human being obsessed with words and notions, but as they are apprehended, directly and unconditionally… this is an experience of inestimable value to everyone.” Aldous Huxley

“It’s obvious that psychedelics, properly used, have a behavior-change psychotherapeutic value. But from my point of view, that is all underusing the vehicle. The potential of the vehicle is sacramentally to take you out of the cultural constructs which you are part of a conspiracy in maintaining. And giving you a chance to experience once again your innocence.” Ram Dass

“Psychedelics are not a substitute for faith. They are a door to authentic faith, born of directly encountering the sacred dimension of everyday experience. This is not the only gate to that discovery, but it is the most ancient and universal, and potentially the most accessible to the majority of the human race.” Rick Dobli

“Many of us who have experienced psychedelics feel very much that they are sacred tools. They open spiritual awareness.” Stanislav Grof

“Entheogens (or psychedelics, to be more historically correct) have now been recognized as the mother of our Western ecology and conservation movements, as well as the entire field of transpersonal psychology and our apparent desire to return to some firsthand spiritual and/or mystical understanding of God — rather than blindly accepting traditional religious dogma without an experiential basis.” James Oroc

“Psychedelic drugs cause paranoia, confusion, and total loss of reality in politicians that have never taken them.” Timothy Leary

“Taking LSD can often be a wonderfully mind-expanding journey, especially when taken in a healthy environment with a positive mental outlook. Many great minds agree… Taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life.” Steve Jobs

“I think it is important that I emphasize to you… that an experience with one of these drugs can be among the most profound of your whole lives… They’re incredible powerful substances that should be treated with respect, as they have been by certain cultures for hundreds, if not thousands of years.” Robin Carhart-Harris

“There is a world beyond ours… That world talks. It has a language of its own. I report what it says. The sacred mushroom takes me by the hand and brings me to the world where everything is known… I ask them and they tell me.” Maria Sabina

Shamanic tribes still treat ayahuasca, psilocybin and mescaline sessions as ceremonial events for spiritual growth, ongoing for life, for the individual and the community. They have done so for thousands of years.

The relationship between Shamanism and psychedelics is examined by Christian Funder in his fine book, ‘Grandmother Ayahuasca’, the ancient knowledge of higher consciousness passed along to ensuing generations. The truths of that relationship are often interwoven with the needs of modern humans to return to an understanding of higher consciousness:

“What we call reality is nothing but the part of the universe that is absolutely necessary for the human being to stay alive on this planet.” To brain scientists, this is known widely as DMN, the ‘default mode network’, aka the ‘neurobiological ego’, as “it is responsible for holding the mind in check by exerting a limiting influence on consciousness, and constraining cognition.

Scientists propose that psychedelics inhibit this limiting mechanism of the brain.”

What is now known as DMN was described by William James as “like seeing through the veils of perception” and by Aldous Huxley as “a reducing valve of the brain.” And the breakthroughs into higher states of being are well described in Buddhist meditation, as well as the mystical states of Gnostics, whirling Dervishes, and the mystics of virtually all religions. And here, in the stories of psychedelic journeys of many of us, through the ages.

It is fundamental to Shamanism, in which ecstatic states are achieved by those who can see through the ‘veil’, often accompanied, through the ages, by psychedelics, or ‘entheogens’, defined as processes that bring us closer to the Divine.

Of course, early America’s Jesuits’ sought out and punished various forms of ‘witchcraft’, including the use of peyote in spiritual ceremonies. Peyote was deemed to be ‘a heretical perversity… opposed to the purity of our Holy Catholic faith.’ So typical. Says Michael Pollan, “thereby launching the first battle in the war against certain plants that continues to this day.”

Ayahuasca would have been treated the same way. It appears to be a most holistic medicine, operating on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It is described as being ‘harsher’ than other psychedelics, as it usually includes vomiting and other physical disruptions, largely to purge ensconced emotional experiences that have been repressed for ages. My belief is that’s true mostly for Americans, etc, using it for the first time; tribespeople not so much.

And, while I have never tried it, I sense that if one becomes ‘sick’ for a time, even for hours, even in a couple of consecutive sessions, when the pain ends, one may have overcome entrenched wounds that therapy might not cure for years: a healing miracle. And the ‘trip’ can then take off. Ayahuasca is then powerful psychedelic medicine, with visions and experiences that transcend our normal consciousness, and open us into a resplendent Universe of higher vibrations and the harmony of higher Selves.

Your basic non-meditating, non-psychedelic American has, IMO, little hope of achieving this consciousness, overrun by the dogma of most churches, the non-wholistic approach of Western medicine, the greed of big business, and the crush of ads that bombards us from every angle, trying to sell us everything we don’t need for spiritual growth.

The premise of psychedelic research is that these special natural substances that provide creative, spiritual trips can also give us other unique benefits, both therapeutic and healing.

“Many studies show that Psilocybin induces experiences judged as ‘mystical.’ Such experiences include ‘feelings of awe; of everything being interconnected; of transcending time and space; of deeply felt love, peace and joy; and often include the loss of clearly defined sense of self.”

Matthew Johnson, a psychiatrist and researcher at Johns Hopkins, says psychedelics like psilocybin “dope-slap people put of their story. It’s literally a reboot of the system… Psychedelics open a window of mental flexibility in which people can let go of the mental models we use to organize reality.”

Michael Pollan, ‘How to Change Your Mind”

“You go deep enough or far out enough in consciousness, and you will bump into the sacred. It’s not something we generate; it’s something out there waiting to be discovered… whether occasioned by drugs or other means, these experiences of mystical consciousness are in all likelihood the primal basis of religion.

“Rather than ‘material’, a better and certainly more useful antonym for ‘spiritual’ might be ‘egotistical’… When the ego dissolves, so does a bounded conception not only of our self but of our self-interest. What emerges in its place is invariably a broader, more openhearted and altruistic—that is, more spiritual—idea of what matters in life.”

“Psilocybin can occasion genuine mystical experiences… it offers the hope of nothing less than a… spiritual revival that is our best defense against not only soullessness, but against religious fanaticism.”

Peul Stamets is a renowned mycologist, working tirelessly to explore the diverse roles medicinal mushrooms may have in activating our immune systems and helping treat cancer, of fungi in biosecurity, helping to destroy insect infestations, as a flu inhibitor, and a great deal more. He has also explored higher consciousness on Psilocybin many times.

“Mushrooms have taught me the interconnectedness of all life-forms and the molecular matrix that we share… I no longer feel that I am in this envelope of a human life called Paul Stamets. I am part of the stream of molecules that are flowing through nature. I am given a voice, given consciousness for a time, but I feel that I am part of this continuum of stardust into which I am born and to which I will return at the end of this life.”

In studies at NYU and Johns Hopkins in 2016 treating patients with terminal cancer, 80% of participants given a single dose of psilocybin reported reduced ‘demoralization and hopelessness, improved spiritual well-being and increased quality of life. Over 70% of the participants rated the session among the top five most significant experiences of their lives.

Michael Pollan, in This is Your Mind on Plants tells us that people have been cultivating opium poppies for over 5000 years as an important medicine, and is still a blessing today, for severe pain; it appeared in tinctures like ‘laudanum’ into the 20thc. for so many illnesses that “preparations of opium were as common in Victorian medicine cabinets as aspirin is in ours.”

Around 1995, while the DEA was cracking down on growers and merchants of opium poppies, Purdue Pharma was first marketing a slow-release opiate called OxyContin. Now, some 25 years later, we see the tragic results of that misguided policy.

And psychedelics and even marijuana are still ‘level 1 drugs’, same as heroin. I’m still stupefied by comatose federal lawmakers and the horror show that is US drug policy.

“Peyote is illegal in the United States at present. It is classified as a Schedule One drug—right up there with heroin—and the mistake begins right there, for peyote is a harmless cactus to which addiction is virtually impossible and to which not a single misdemeanor (let alone felony) has ever been recorded. Compared to alcohol the picture becomes surrealistic. Because alcohol is the sacrament of the dominant religion of the land, it passes muster; but peyote is ‘their’ sacrament, so it does not.”

Huston Smith, Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief

In 1973, Stanislav Grof, the Czech émigré psychiatrist who guided thousands of LSD sessions, once predicted that psychedelics “would be for psychiatry what the microscope is for biology, or the telescope is for astronomy. These tools make it possible to study important processes that under normal circumstances are not available for direct observation.”

Here’s a tiny list of some of the well-known people who have taken LSD:

David Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Bill Gates, Dr. Andrew Weil, Jack Nicholson, Alan Watts, Sam Harris, Phil Jackson, Jean-Paul Sartre, Angelina Jolie, Dennis Hopper, Andre Previn, Mike Tyson, Carrie Fisher, Anais Nin, James Coburn, Polly Bergen, Esther Williams.

Cary Grant had more than sixty LSD sessions and, by the end, declared himself “born again… I’ve had my ego stripped away. A man is a better actor without ego because he has truth in him. Now I cannot behave untruthfully toward anyone, and certainly not to myself.” In 1960, he described to Good Housekeeping how much it had done to rid him of anxieties, fears and impulses toward self-destruction. The magazine gave LSD its ‘stamp of approval’: they proclaimed that it “may become an important tool in psychotherapy.” !!!

That it’s been illegal all this time obviously didn’t matter to any of us, since brutally stupid laws will always be broken until they’re no longer laws.

As Dominic Milton Trott says in ‘The Drug Users Bible’,

“To hold sovereign and exclusive ownership of one's own conscious mind, to explore freely and without boundary, is surely the most fundamental of human rights. Third party intrusion into this wholly personal territory is a grievous breach of this inalienable freedom.”

My own experiences with psychedelics began in 1964, about a year after I started smoking pot. Yes, I’m that old. I did an LSD trip most weeks for the next three years and maybe 100 more after that. I also did, in descending order of frequency, mescaline, hash brownies, THC, DMT and psilocybin.

Unlike marijuana, which is very socially oriented, enjoyable almost anywhere, from a streambed to a rock concert, psychedelics were, for me, and IMO always should be, taken with great care: ‘set’ and ‘setting’ are crucial, or scary trips can easily happen. ‘Set’ is your mood and temperament: Peaceful and unstressed, with a willingness to go as far as the trip wants to take you. ‘Setting’ is the where and when: comfortable, pleasant, quiet, and with at least one veteran user to monitor you. The perfect music available, if desired, plenty of time and no noisy disturbances on the horizon.

My first acid trip was awesome, and I was hooked. On a swinging chair in friends’ small living room, beautiful, swirling hallucinations began to fill the space till it became the Cosmos, bursting with blazing color and exploding into smaller and smaller energy patterns, until there was no me and no room; I was enveloped in light years of unending, multi-colored Universe.

They tell me that after about six hours of ‘real’ time, I began to have recollections of being a person experiencing all of this.

While I later learned to love trips done out in nature, since I lived in NYC back then, I did my first several dozen trips without ever leaving the apartment I was in.

An important part of ‘set’ prep for full psychedelic trips is the willingness to ‘lose’ your ego and any recognition of your physical being and literally disappear into a hallucination and be comfortable there for hours, enjoying an experience that’s that vivid.

So, this is my take on external forces that can have wondrous effects on our internal being, with a nod toward gurus, mentors, shamans and other wise beings whose wisdom can guide us with our inner travel. The goal being to step away from the relentless forces of ego, dogma, stress, and materialism that pummel us every day, in favor of episodes of higher consciousness.

Next are some other practices that enrich the Soul, the immortal ‘half’ of us that represents our Cosmic Self, most of which engage our private, inner lives, and several that use ancient techniques focused on maintaining balance of our ‘life force’ energies.

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PRAYER

“I think of prayer as a lifeline back to where I most want to be.” Marianne Williamson

“I prefer a kind of sweet, deep, rich prayer in which a person goes in and says: take me down deep into the reason you gave me life. Take me down deep. It silences the chaos in me.” Caroline Myss

The richness of Prayer is twofold, then. It opens you up to the universe that lives and breathes, the universe that can respond to the slightest thought. More important, prayer shows you that an intimate connection with God not only is possible but is the most natural way to move. All fulfillment is from within, because every event begins and ends at the level of the soul.” Deepak Chopra

“The secret of our lost mode of prayer is to shift our perspective of life by feeling that the miracle has already happened, and our prayers have been answered. Now we have the opportunity to bring this wisdom into our lives as prayers of gratitude for what already exists, rather than asking for our prayers to be answered.” Gregg Braden

Effective prayer involves speaking earnestly with Spirit about subjects of mutual interest. In other words, a discussion of the moral and spiritual aspects of our lives, and ways in which we can improve and grow.

It must therefore begin with gratitude for all our blessings, release of all negative attitudes, and forgiveness toward everyone in our lives, past or present.

Clearly, prayer is not, ‘Dear God, please bring me a new car,’ nor ‘Dear God, I can’t stand working with George. Please fix him.’

Paraphrasing an old maxim, ‘prayer is asking Spirit to align you with Her will, rather than asking Her to be aligned with yours.’

So, prayer can rightly include, ‘Dear Spirit:

Help me to be the best me that you can imagine.’

Help me to release my anger toward…’

Help me to be more intuitive.’

Help me to find peace in a troubled world.’

Help me to quiet my chattering mind, to enjoy silent contemplation.’

Help me to tap into my creative energy.’

Help me to meditate more effectively.’

Help me to honor nature and the earth.’

Help me to recognize the divinity in all my fellow beings.’

With the firm belief that as you ask, you will receive. Not always in the way or timeframe you might hope for, but… in Spirit’s way and time.

Looking at the Carolyn Myss quote above, we can even ask to be taken ‘down deep into the reason you gave me life.’ This is soul-level stuff. Basically, asking to be reminded of the ‘mission’ which our soul ‘signed on to’ for this incarnation. The soul knows which aspects (of its totality) would best present themselves for our current personality, regarding needs of this lifetime for spiritual improvement. More in the metaphysics chapters.

I revealed in an earlier chapter that a favorite prayer of mine begins with a declaration of gratitude, whispered often during the day: ‘I AM grateful, dear Spirit, for all the blessings in my life, and you are the source.’ Then the prayer part can spin off my current setting, asking for help in any of the ways listed above: to meditate more effectively, be more intuitive, recognize the Divinity in others, etc. Also, to thank my Guardian Angel often, and, e.g., to ask Archangels Gabriel and Uriel to help me tap into my creative energy when I speak or sit down to write in my book.

MEDITATION

“Be quiet in your mind, quiet in your senses, and quiet in your body. Then, when all these are quiet, don't do anything. In that state truth will reveal itself to you.” Kabir

“Meditation is listening to the Divine within.” Edgar Cayce

“The light exists inside everyone. When we go inside to find out who we are, we encounter the light and God at the same time…” Deepak Chopra

“If you have not begun to meditate, I implore you by the love of our Lord not to deprive yourself of so great a good.” Theresa of Avila

“Meditation is a way for nourishing and blossoming the divinity within you. Only those of tranquil minds, and none else, can attain abiding joy, by realizing within their souls the Being who manifests one essence in a multiplicity of forms.” Rabindranath Tagore

For anyone whose singular image of meditation is a yogi, pretzeled into a full lotus position, rigid, motionless, perhaps for hours, please note that there are many less austere formats that still bring significant rewards.

There are a great many meditation techniques, and the object is to find ones that work well for us. There are numerous books and videos available. Some people sit cross-legged, others against a wall, or on a chair, or lying down. Eyes open or closed. Some stare at a candle or other object, or even walk in nature. Many silently repeat mantras.

Mantras are usually short phrases that resonate for the user, like ‘God is good’, ‘I AM grateful’, ‘I AM that, I AM’, or as Jesus might have said it, ‘ehyeh asher ehyeh’, or an Eastern phrase like ‘Om mani padme hum’.

Whatever helps shut out the chattering mind is immediately a start in the right direction, and opens the door for Spirit to join in.

They say that in a dialog with Spirit, prayer is talking, and meditation is listening. Clearly, the ego mind is an unwelcome guest in such a dialog.

Not that one simply decides to meditate, chooses a technique, closes out the chatter and immediately basks in elevated consciousness. Uh… no.

I have meditated for some time, and frankly, I’m still not great at it, but I welcome it every day and I feel that it is a boon to both my psyche and my mood for the day. Often, my only thought or request of Spirit as I begin meditating is a variation of ‘what are my best actions for the day?’

Slow breathing, along with a mantra, ease the way for quiet and peace to enter. Scattered thoughts still find their way in, but one gently moves away from them with the next deep breath. What lingers is an appreciation of Spirit’s nourishing presence.

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There are several other ancient, largely Eastern, traditions that we can plug into, as we search for all valuable techniques that we can use to make our lives healthier and more enriched.

They include yoga, tai chi, qigong, acupuncture, tapping and chakras and kundalini. I believe in the positive energies of all of them, so I offer a brief description of them, a little teaser, so that people who haven’t explored some of them may be tempted to do so.

Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong have been self-enhancing techniques for thousands of years, in India and China and all over the Eastern world. From master teachers to millions of practitioners. They have become increasingly popular in the West because they are so dynamic and so effective.

Searching online for any and all of them will reveal a wealth of info and history of these practices, as well as pix and videos showing relevant techniques for beginners and more advanced students.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (division of NIH) offers this: “Yoga and two practices of Chinese origin - Tai Chi and Qigong - are sometimes called ‘meditative movement’ practices. All three practices include both meditative elements and physical ones.”

The familiar hatha yoga offers a great many ‘asanas’, physical poses and movements, including the popular ‘sun salutation’ and ‘cobra’. Breathing techniques, during and between asanas, keep the body functioning at a high level. One can choose from among numerous postures designed for advancing health, balance, stamina, mental sharpness and reduced stress.

Studies, as well as numberless personal reports, have shown benefits of yoga for overall wellbeing, including stress management, mental, emotional and spiritual health, pain management, pregnancy and menopause health, and for promoting healthy eating and activity habits, sleep, and balance.

Tai Chi is a series of moderate but effective motions, fluid and natural, that revitalize the ‘Chi’ or ‘Qi’ (life force) of the entire body and mind.

Qigong is literally gathering the ‘Qi’ to send it to areas of the body to reduce inflammation and stress and to achieve balance and health.

Per ‘Qigong Energy Healing’,“The primary principles behind Tai Chi include generating internal energy and control of movements. It also entails mindfulness, serenity, and loosening… With ongoing practice, people can feel internal energy while creating more of it.” I can attest that it’s wonderful to watch and perform.

“Qigong practices can include movement, breathing exercises, meditation, sound, self-massage and focused intent. Qigong enhances the flow of energy in the energetic pathways called meridians that are used in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.”

Chakras

From Zenlama.com: “The word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit, via Hindi, literally translated as ‘Wheel of spinning Energy’. Chakras are like whirling, vortex-like, powerhouses of energy… They connect your spiritual body to your physical one.”

Located as semi-external energy connections to seven major spots along the spine, they also connect to the energy sources of the Universe.

“They regulate the flow of energy throughout the electrical network (of meridians) that runs through the physical body.”

A tiny description of the chakras, with location, associated color and endocrine gland, and basic functions:

Root, base of spine, red, adrenal. Trust, grounding

Sacral, just below navel, orange, ovaries/testes. Creativity, sex, abundance

Solar plexus, yellow, pancreas. Wisdom, power

Heart, green, thymus. Love, healing, acceptance

Throat, light blue, thyroid. Communication

Third eye, indigo, pineal. Awareness, intuition

Crown, violet or white, pituitary. Spirituality, enlightenment

I invite everyone to browse ‘Chakras’ on your computer or YouTube, for hundreds of beautiful diagrams with further info on diverse aspects of each Chakra, including sacred sounds and mantras, as well as ways to determine if a Chakra is out of balance, with foods, crystals and activities that can help regain balance. There is also Chakra Yoga, in which various yoga asanas are employed for each Chakra one wants to work on.

Balancing the chakras creates a ‘sustainable, harmonious flow of energy.’

Kundalini

Per ‘Kundalini Guide’: “Kundalini (‘coiled energy’) is a Sanskrit term from ancient India that identifies an energy and consciousness which has been coiled at the base of the spine since birth; the source of the life force, Qi.”

It is pure consciousness, entering at birth, coiled around the root Chakra, latent, for most of us, until our passing, when it returns to Spirit. For serious spiritual seekers, however, the Kundalini energy can be awakened, generally one Chakra at a time, ‘rising’ from the root to the crown.

This is an involved and deliberate process, mostly for advanced meditators, adding special yoga, mantras, chanting and more, with a desired goal of enlightenment.

Meridians – Acupuncture – Acupressure – Tapping

Per Healing Qigong, “meridians are directional pathways of the energy flow of Qi through the body… Qi flows through each different meridian in a peak flow at specific times during the day – in essence a 24 hour human body clock of Qi flow. To the experienced practitioner or therapist this can be used for diagnosis.”

(paraphrasing) ‘The twelve ‘standard’ meridians are named according to their corresponding organs, limb positions and yin and yang properties. The eight ‘extraordinary’ meridians differ from the standard twelve organ meridians in that they are considered to be storage vessels or reservoirs of energy and are not associated with a particular organ.’

As the meridians move the life force, the Qi, they are of great importance in Chinese medicine; crucial to chakras, acupuncture, acupressure and tapping:

Acupuncture

According to The Mayo Clinic, “acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management. Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as Qi— believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body.”

Actually, I know how well it works, as we have an awesome Chinese acupuncturist in Rochester who has treated me and my wife and several friends many times, easing pain wondrously. She once brought me from a pain level of about seven to a pain level of about one in roughly two seconds. I’ve described this to American doctors, who are boggled by it. And doctors often send patients to her for ailments and pain that western medicine can do nothing for.

The NCCIH Web Site has more information on traditional Chinese medicine.

Acupressure

Acupressure Points are specific spots along the meridians that activate the Qi energy most effectively. When blockages occur, whether from stress, distress, trauma or injury, they happen at these points, so the strongest healing energy work focuses right there. And you can do it with your own two hands!

‘Through a variety of Acupressure methods — ranging from light touch or tapping to steadily holding the points — the body’s life energy is able to flow and rebalance.’

You can search ‘acupressure’ for charts and diagrams that show numerous ‘points’, along with techniques to use for pain, arthritis, stress reduction, general wellness, sexual energy, relaxation and meditation, many digestive disorders, hangovers, eye strain, insomnia, chronic fatigue, improving memory and concentration and much more. Whatcha waiting for? There’s no pressure. Just acupressure! It’s easy and quite effective.

Websites like Acupressure.com offer charts and diagrams, history and abundant techniques, as well as info on licensed practitioners, should you choose to have someone else to do the pressing, tapping or massage.

Tapping

According to The Tapping Solution, “tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), is a powerful stress relief technique. Tapping is based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. Studies have shown that Tapping decreases cortisol (often called the stress hormone) in your body. “This is because stress is linked to anxiety, weight gain, sleep problems, lack of motivation, chronic pain, stomach issues, and depression. Tapping is proven to reduce stress, lower cortisol, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve pain, increase productivity, and so much more!”

‘Tapping’ involves tapping gently with the middle finger, at least, on eight or more special meridian points that are close to our skin surface. Tapping them initiates good Qi movement to alleviate the above ‘symptoms’.

In addition, affirmations are brought into play to involve Spirit in bringing about overall balance and wellness. They include confirming the ‘problem’, rating its importance on a one-to-ten scale, evoking Spirit’s aid and professing that ‘I love and accept myself.’

Also easy and effective, it has become part of my daily routine. Just search ‘tapping’ for numerous videos that show how it’s done.

This is a chapter looking at enriching our psyches and Souls. It therefore doesn’t include things that are simply good for our body, mind and sanity at this very moment, which may arise as a reaction to the pressures and craziness of life: that yes, maybe I could use a vacation; that yes, I need to avoid this obnoxious person or that bigoted org. or overbearing dogma or just the evening news; or end a dead-end job or relationship; yet sometimes all that’s needed is a funny movie or call a friend or indulge in some ice cream. Each of us is judge and jury for arbitration at numberless intersections.

I will close by remembering for all of us a humungous resource, available for both instant sanity and infinite repose: the Universe around us! A walk, a jog, a hike, a climb, a swim, an ocean, a waterfall, a canoe trip, communing with clouds or trees or the moon and stars, soaking up rays or making snow angels. Too many blessings to even count!

And two important areas of special import: getting out in the sun regularly (prudently) and getting our bare feet on the ground! Many benefits: Firstly, vitamin D from the sun, deficient in most Americans; second, the ‘Earthing’ benefit: we need to balance out the unnatural frequencies of electrical appliances, computers, etc. The earth’s natural ‘frequency’ is the perfect healthy counterbalance, and bare feet, especially, on grass, soil or sand, optimize our electrical connection. And thirdly, honoring both halves of our being: our body touching the earth and our Soul touching the Universe!

NAMASTE