Category Archives: life vision

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with

The quote above by author Jim Rohn take a similar vein to a poem by the 16th century English poet and cleric John Donne “No Man is and Island”. We are nothing more than a summary of influences from the people around us.

We are born into this world as completely helpless beings, dependent on parental nourishment and protection. In essence nobody is self-sufficient. We all rely on each other in one way or another.

So who are you spending most of your time with? Are you surrounding yourself with people with a mainly negative and destructive outlook on life. Are you one of those people who predominantly look on the dark side of life and see the world as a bad place. Do you see only the negative aspects of people around you?

Or are you a shining light of optimism. You have an enormous ability of blocking off any negative energy that might come your way and have found a way of side-stepping people with a “vampire energy”. You find life beautiful, easy and full of joy.

We most likely have phases in life where we find ourselves in either of the two camps, depending on what challenges we face in life at a particular moment in time or whether we have just fallen in love or won in the lottery.

All great teachers of Mysticism will tell you that the art of happiness is the ability and wisdom to accept life’s preciousness in the here and now. Impermanence is one of life’s great lessons. Ask anyone who has suddenly lost a loved one or been confronted with an event that has changed everything that was thought a moment earlier to be true, safe or a permanent-given.

cloud twirl

The only truth is that life is a constant flow of yin and yang, birth and death, light and shadow, good and evil, expansion and withdrawal. Sorrow, grief and despair are as much part of life as happiness, joy and exultation or loss and abundance. Discipline of the inner mind and thought process by means of meditation, the body arts or other rituals will help us deal with this ebb and flow.

What we can control is the choice of the people we surround ourselves with and how much time we choose to spend with them. It is an interesting exercise to reflect on those five people in your life who have had the most impact,were or are your most important teachers and made you into that wonderful person who you are today.

No Man is an Island

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

MEDITATION XVII

Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

John Donne

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Filed under body arts, energy, life vision, meditation, powerbodymind, psychology, yin and yang

Are you into conspiracy theory?

A broad cross-section of people I have come across lately believe in conspiracy theories.  The argument mostly goes like this:  The world is being ruled by a small group of people who decide and control most of the things that happen in the world today from political decision-making to technological invention.

conspiracy-theories

Conspiracy theorists seem to have moved from the fringe to the mainstream.  Here is the top 10 list of conspiracy theories compiled by Time magazine:

Some conspiracy theories in history have in fact been proven true, like the Nixon cover-up in the Watergate affair, the Iran-Contra affair and the Libyan involvement in the terror attack on the Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988.  One of the most absurd allegations during  South Africa’s apartheid era also turned out to be true many years later.  Research was actually being conducted on a virus that would only kill the blacks.

But there is a need to be a bit more  sceptical when it comes to some of the conspiracy theories out there. The common thread seems to be to find a way to explain in simplistic terms many of the events happening in a world of growing complexity. A lot of people have the tendency to form an opinion and then verifying what they believe with some information on the Internet. On closer scrutiny the article or website turns out to be a badly written diatribe of a single opinion without any valid sourcing or solid evidence

Take the story on the so-called “fake moon landing”. I cannot possibly imagine thousands of people working on such a complex space project over many years and all of them keeping a “fake made in a Disney film studio” a secret for decades. The world is so intricate and complex that the truth in the end always comes out. A cover-up, especially if many people are involved, simply doesn’t work. It is a human tendency to tell their family and friends “a secret.” Someone will always spill the beans.

The issue that needs to be addressed is the gullibility with which every half-truth, speculation and downright wacky theory is being claimed as truth while sound investigative journalism, scientific study or a judicial finding is being ignored or slammed as being part of this conspiracy thing. Part of the problem is that established media is not doing its job and has lost credibility by placing emphasis on superficial entertainment instead of being a watchdog on society and itself blasting some of these theories into the world without verifying the facts.  A growing number of people feel alienated in a fast-changing society and are seeking simple answers.

Conspiracy theories first and foremost feed on fear. Here lies the bigger problem. Fear breeds irrationality and a victim mentality. It is just a short step away from blaming a religious or racial minority, the politicians, the media or anyone else for all that is going wrong in the world.  It’s a “cop out” mentality of refusing to stand up and taking responsibility.

We have the freedom of choice on most things that matter. Health and personal happiness is a choice. It is a  choice of what we eat, how we exercise, what we read, what people, family and friends we want to spend our time with and especially what information we are feeding our minds with.

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Filed under energy, life vision, Uncategorized

Should we care about cell-phone microwave radiation?

CellPhoneRadiation

Just like the issue of vaccination, low-level microwave radiation from cell phones has become a highly emotionally-charged debate.

On the one hand the cell phone manufacturers and numerous government health authorities tell us that the “low-level” of radiation from tower signals and the cell phones is perfectly safe.

On the other side we are hearing a growing number of health experts warning us that the wireless technology is having numerous adverse effects such as cancer, sleep disorders and cognitive dysfunctions.

“The greatest polluting element in the earth’s environment is the proliferation of electromagnetic fields. I consider that to be a far greater threat on a global scale than warming, or the increase of chemical elements in the environment,” says Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D., author of The Body Electric.

Researchers have now coined the term “electromagnetic sensitivity”. Some individuals show little or no effects when exposed to low-level radiation while others are obviously showing cardiovascular disorders and effects to the vegetative nervous system.

Here I see a correlation to the vaccination controversy. Individuals react differently. The human body is enormously complex. Individual emotional and physical responses will be different when exposed to toxins.

Proposing blanket immunisation ignores the obvious side-effects it has on certain individuals and that it should be a free choice to vaccinate or not. Likewise the claim that cell-phone radiation is harmless ignores the fact that there are harmful effects on individuals with a history of cardiovascular problems, pregnancies and sensitive child immune systems.

Dr. Lebrecht von Klitzing has researched the influence of electromagnetic radiation on cardiovascular disease (published in the German magazine „Umwelt – Medizin – Gesellschaft“ 27, pages . 17 – 21 (1 / 2014)

Von Klitzing’s research has found a method to measure heart variability in relation to electrosmog sensitivity. He has concluded that there is a reduction in heart variability in relation to certain electromagnetic signals. He also found a much higher reaction to WLAN signals compared to wireless phone systems.

The fact is that we are living in a modern world where we are exposed to numerous electromagnetic fields be it in the office or at home with a tower signal or power line in the vicinity.

Very few of us would like to return to a primitive lifestyle, doing without all the modern comforts.

We can do much more than most of us believe to strengthen our body’s natural defence systems. We are not merely helpless victims exposed to the dangers “caused by someone else”. It is truly empowering to know that a healthy body is largely the result of personal choice and lifestyle management.

If you belong to the group of people with an “electromagnetic sensitivity” there are choices such as:

  • Removing energy-saving light bulbs from the interior of your home
  • Do most of your phone use from a landline
  • Switch off the WLAN at night
  • If you’re not using your phone for a longer period, especially at night, put it on airplane mode
  • Get rid of your microwave oven
  • Use a radiation free headset

Physical exercise and good nutrition will work wonders in making your body more resilient to the stresses it is being exposed to daily from our environment and our intake of industrially-produced foods. See my blog: Boosting your stress resilience

So when it comes to my question. Should we care about cell-phone radiation? We should indeed, especially if we have children or frail dependents in the home who are most likely to have an “electromagnetic sensitivity” reaction. But I am interested to hear your views on this.

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Filed under cancer, immune system, life vision, liver, low-level radiation

Boosting your energy and life vision with a liver-detox

In my previous blog I mentioned that a healthy liver is perhaps the most  crucial organ in keeping our body and soul healthy and in sync. After sumptuous meals and drinks over the festivities the New Year is a good time to think about detoxing your liver.

There are several natural and wonderful ways of doing this. It takes about two years for the cells in the liver to completely renew themselves. A healthy liver gets rid of all those toxins in the body, boosting your energy and quality of life on many levels.

Lets look at the foods you are eating. Start by reducing your intake of processed foods, carbohydrates, sugar and alcohol. Some of the super foods that will naturally cleanse your liver are:

carrots, olive oil, avocados, garlic, green tea, leafy green vegetables like spinach, artichoke, asparagus, kale, and brussel sprouts.

Fresh carrot juice with a shot of good flaxseed or olive oil and a teaspoon of Chia seed will work wonders.

You could also try the juice of half a lemon in a hot cup of water first thing in the morning. The sourness of lemons triggers nerve and hormone activation to the liver and digestive system. In general you should drink good water throughout the day as this cleanses both the liver and body. It also reduces the risk of gallstones, which results when bile becomes too concentrated in the gall bladder.

Molasses is not everyone’s cup of tea as the taste is bitter and takes some getting used to. But try this recipe over ten days:

Two tablespoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon of molasses, one tablespoon of virgin olive oil, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a cup of warm water.

From a physical aspect all the martial arts such as Judo, Karate, the Tai Chi Quick Fist, Push-Hands or Sword Form are excellent in stimulating your liver energy and getting rid of suppressed anger.

On the mental level an imbalanced liver is very often related to cynicism, anger, irritability and excessive irony. Am I having difficulty in coping with losses, disappointments and shattered dreams? Is it not time to renew my visions, my dreams and what I really want from life?

Road on the sky

Here is an exercise that might help you. Take at least a 15-minute breaks once a day to do the following. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for at least a count of up to 21. Then visualise how you would like your ideal life to be like without any restrictions or boundaries. What job would I like to have? What house do I ideally want to live in? What is my ideal of a happy relationship, friendships and social life? Don’t get disturbed by curve balls like self-pity, negative thoughts and emotions.

Every thought can become reality but you need to give it thought and time to take root and flourish.

It gets more energy if you write it down in every detail and use as many pictures and images as possible.

A really good time for such a future vision is right now and in the months just before the first signs of spring.

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Filed under energy, life vision, liver