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​Ubiquitous Number 7: lucky?

8/4/2022

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Shout out to Willie Dixon as I’m the son of a seventh son, born in the seventh hour of the seventh day with seven letters in my first name. Thus, sevens have always been part of my life. So, this Aquarian septuagenarian set out to appease my curiosity, not belt out a melancholy blues song.
 
Wikipedia shares, “The number seven enjoys a long history of positive associations across many different cultures. In fact, if looking for reasons why seven is so popular throughout history across world cultures, you'll find the number is omnipresent.
 
Throughout ancient history, number seven has been related to numerous mystical and religious meanings There are seven days of the week, colors of the rainbow, holes in your head, layers of skin, seven seas, layers of earth, and a fragile atmosphere. There are seven basic chakras, deadly sins, layers of hell and heaven, days of creation, wonders of the world, and islands of Atlantis. Then, there are the seven arts and sciences, orders of architecture, Goth’s deities, sabbatical years, years of famine and years of plenty, visible planets and luminaries, “Seven ages of Man” (Shakespeare), seven brides for seven brothers, the seven dwarfs and of course, 007.
 
There’s powerful connection between number seven and world religions. Psychology Today says, “The number seven is featured in the Book of Revelation (seven churches, seven angels, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven stars).  Biblical scholars point out seven is notable. In the creation story, God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Scholars have found that the number seven often represents perfection or completeness in the Bible according to Wonderopolis.org. Used 735 times (54 times in the book of Revelation alone), seven is the foundation of the Bible. Seven pairs of every clean animal loaded onto the ark by Noah (Genesis 7:2), seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41), Seventh son of Jacob, Gad, whose name means good luck (Genesis 46:16) Seven times bullock's blood is sprinkled before God (Leviticus 4:6).
 
The Koran speaks of seven heavens and Muslim pilgrims walk around the Kaaba in Mecca (Islam's most sacred site) seven times”. In Judaism, number seven forms a widespread typological pattern within Hebrew scripture, including: seven days of creation, leading to the seventh day or Sabbath (Genesis 1)”
 
 
Wikipedia adds, “The Pythagoreans invested particular numbers with unique spiritual properties. The number seven was considered to be particularly interesting because it consisted of the union of the physical number 4 with the spiritual number 3.  In Pythagorean numerology the number 7 means spirituality.”
 
Psychology today explains, “It matches our memory capacity. In 1956, George Miller of Harvard University wrote what is today considered one of the classic papers in psychology in which he demonstrated that most people could retain roughly seven items of information in their short-term-memory. That’s why phone numbers in the U.S. and many other countries tend to have seven digits (area code not withstanding) — as it is the most digits most people are likely to recall (although cell phones have done away with the need to recall anyone's phone number, even our own).”
 
Not a gambler in youth, I hopped into a VW van wafting with purple haze and patchouli with six friends and road-tripped to a horse racetrack in Cincy to test fate and see if “Lucky 7” would pay off. We bellied up to window seven, placed our high-risk $7 dollar bets on the number seven horse in the 7th race. Navigating through the crowd I was able to score seat seven in seventh row along with enough seats for my six friends. Perfect, exhale. What could go wrong?  At approximately 7 PM, bells rang, gates flew open and snorting horses ridden by technicolor jockeys galloped away. What an intense spectacle for this naïve, repressed Christian fundamentalist who was told he’d be punished with a one-way ticket to perdition for gambling. Caught up in the frenetic energy, it was exhilarating. As sweating, grunting horses rounded the 4th turn down into the stretch, heading to the wire, I locked onto my horse and, clearly, I should’ve seen it coming: my horse crossed the finish line 7th.
 
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​Just the Flax, Mam or You might be full it!

1/12/2022

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“Dinner was freaking awesome last night, but this morning, I’m pretty sure things came out of me that I ate 20 years ago!” There it was. The thank you call from fiber-deficient, meat and tater friends who dined with us the previous night. You see, my food is always dusted with fibrous, raw, ground flax seeds that keep the river a flowin’. “Get out of the bathroom, I’m comin’ in hot!”
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Stifling a laugh, I gently informed him the flax seed I sprinkled on everything had “snaked” his slow-moving colon. Think about it. After the 3 days at 98.6 that bacon cheeseburger, chili fries, and a fruit pie naturally breaks down and starts fermenting in the dark, dank recesses of a sluggish, fibreless microbiome and can become somewhat toxic if left stagnant. No wonder our poop smells to high heaven. Someone got a match or incense out there?
Mayo Clinic says, “After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion, absorption of water and, finally, elimination of undigested food. It takes about 36 hours for food to move through the entire colon.”

Since man stood upright, tiny but mighty health-sustaining flaxseeds, their colon-cleansing fiber, and healthy fat have been a cultural go-to. Composer Claude Debussy even wrote a lovely melody comparing a woman's beautiful flaxen hair to the shiny amber, brown seed. Both plant and seed have been used for millennia to weave fibers for clothing and housing. Ancient Egyptians carried flaxseed in their medical bags. During the eighth century, King Charlemagne passed laws requiring the consumption of fibrous flaxseed. Linen made from flax seeds composed Christ's swaddling infant clothes and to make the holy Shroud of Turin.

However there’s considerably more going on within the ancient gift of the generous Universe. Fibrous flaxseed contains significant amounts of Omega 3 and naturally occurring plant estrogens called lignans which prevent bone loss, reduced risk of colon cancer and estrogen-related breast cancer and diminished symptoms of menopause. Omega 3 balances production of prostaglandins which help regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, nerve transmission, and allergic responses, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract functions, and the production of hormones. The miracle of nature helps prevent heart disease, improves mental function, and cools inflammation related to asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches and osteoporosis.  Inflammation, by the way, accelerates aging and causes about 70% of today’s diseases, whereas Omega 3 soothes inflammation and decreases disease risk. Smell what I’m cookin’?

Omega-3 deficiency is associated with chronic diarrhea, Crohn’s or IBS, ADD, irritability or nervousness, dry mouth, throat, skin that dries or cracks behind the ears, Emphysema, asthma, chronic lung disease, chronic joint pain or arthritis, kidney, bladder or prostate problems and infertility, impotence or a history of repeated miscarriages.
Omega-3 naturally also occurs in chia seed, walnuts, cold-water fish and green leafy vegetables. DHA, brain food, also comes from fish oil, salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines, chicken and eggs. Your best formula for success is to ingest 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 2000 IU’s fish oil daily, in addition to a handful of plain walnuts.  Try ground flaxseed over your morning fruit and cereal.  Refrigerate ground flaxseed in a tightly sealed container. If you don’t eat many of these foods and think you may be lacking in omega-3s, consider taking an omega-3 supplement. 

The flavorless, colon cleansing seeds need to be ground in a coffee grinder in small batches then sprinkled on most everything you eat. Two tablespoons daily is sufficient. Once ground, the seeds quickly lose their umph, so store un-ground seeds in the refrigerator and grind only a couple cups at a time for daily use. I keep a small ball jar of ground seeds on my countertop to sprinkle on everything, even the dog’s food, and believe me, on our walkies, they are prolific poopers.

Because Americans crave dead, difficult to digest processed foods, they eat way too much omega 6 and too little omega 3. A diet high in omega 6, mostly found in seed oils, can cause destructive internal inflammation, especially if the diet lacks magnesium and B vitamins. This overused fat is used in many bodily functions, but less is more.  The greatest overabundance of omega-6 fats in the American diet is America’s lust for fast, convenient, and processed foods. Commercial fried foods, even if they’re low in trans-fat, are still likely to contain lofty levels of omega 6. NIH.gov states, “Nearly the entire intake of omega-6 fatty acid in American diets comes from cooking oils like sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, walnut and soybean oil, a known hormone disruptor.”

Don’t hesitate-evacuate! Most folks concur there’s nothing like a thorough, colon-cleansing evacuation, especially after days of bloating. Introduce fibrous ground flax, chia, or hemp seeds to your daily diet. The mere gravity of getting out of a warm morning bed will trigger a truly thorough BM keeping the rivers unblocked and flowing. But wait until the chilly seat warms up. Oh yeah: warn your dinner guests.

 

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​For a peaceful life: learn to let it be!

11/11/2021

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Still struggling to get my act together, which is never-ending, I once angrily yelled and flipped folks the bird for cutting me off, not using their turn signal, got all worked up when someone crashed the grocery line, allowed someone to raise my BP arguing politics, or judged someone for drinking red wine with fish.
 
Mark Twain wrote: “Life consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one's head.”  Implying, we play a role in our own suffering. Our mind is the most powerful tool we have for the creation of good, but if used wrongly, can be a destructive force in our life.
 
My inner voice pointed out I was squandering my own peace by reminded me everyone’s dealing with something. It’s now clear that reacting emotionally is a waste of energy and forfeits my peace of mind. My destination is creating a more compassionately empathetic, loving, calmer, happier me. Life is short, and to create the peaceful life I seek, I decided to stop causing myself pain by seeing only the bad, complaining, creating emotional drama, and in its place, practice the pause, non-judgment, patience, take deep breaths, lower my expectations, smile more and let it be.
 
I detest the full body, joy-sucking, hormonal release of anger, so now when someone drives erratically, I shout, “I love you” and consider they may have lost their job, a loved one, their dog, or dumped by a significant other. Or, “Go ahead, I’m retired, cut in line, what’s my big hurry,” Life is quite challenging, so instead of judging, I’ve decided loving and grace wins, compassion is good medicine for my soul, and I will no longer set myself on fire.
 
Controlling our emotions and thoughts influences the way we live our life. Emotions are reactions to the thoughts we focus upon. Where thoughts go, energy flows. How we feel reflects what we’re thinking, therefore, we’re living in a world of thought: our thoughts create our experiences. English philosopher James Allen wrote: “As a man thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.” Stoic and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote: “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.” Poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Author Earl Nightingale said: “We become what we think about.”
We participate in creating our reality whether we know it or not. Internationally renowned author and speaker, Wayne Dyer preached, “Change your thinking, change your life…Whatever you can dream, you can achieve.” Happiness, grumpiness, anxiety, and futility can be triggered by our negative behaviors. Author and master trainer of Neurolinguistic Programming Michael Neill explains: “It’s not the thoughts that pass through your head that impact your life; it’s the one you take possession of and think about all day long. Once we agree to give our attention to a thought, it becomes more and more real to us over time and has more and more power over our life.”
 
Research shows most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation. Complaining is tempting because it feels good, but like many behaviors that are pleasurable, like eating a pound of bacon and “PoopTarts” for breakfast, complaining isn’t good for us. Researchers from Stanford University say, “Repeated complaining rewires the brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than positive, regardless of what's happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior. Complaining shrinks the hippocampus, critical to problem solving and intelligent thought.” Researchers at the University of California found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, experienced improved mood and energy and less anxiety due to lower cortisol levels. 
 
To remain centered and grounded in a world gone barking mad, I’ve learned to value and protect my peace by taking advantage of quiet solitude, seeing the good in all things, obeying my gut instincts, take deep calming breaths, exhale anger, put the ‘bird’ back onto its cage, and surround myself with uplifting, supportive friends who get me. If I must filter and defend what tumbles out of my mouth, then I will no longer waste my energy. Alas, many souls don’t move forward because they’re stuck in the same thinking loop they’ve had all their life.
 
What life has taught us is that, with our thinking and reactions, we can create either heaven or hell on earth: happiness, joy, grace, light, and peace, or misery, stress, anger, guilt and fear. Life is infinitely more enjoyable without creating more anger. Control your thoughts and let it be, because in the end, I believe love always wins.


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Use it before  you lose it: Don't give up before you die.

10/6/2021

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The Doors' Jim Morrison cautioned, “No one here gets out of life alive”. So, in late life, I’m devoted to seizing each precious moment as best as I can by exercising my mind, learning, maintaining my appearance, and keep active thus living as fully as my aging earth suit permits.

Life’s teaching me ageing is overrated, but with a positive attitude, self-love and genuine effort, it doesn’t need to be as bad as people think. For sure, convenience is important as our aging limitations become manifest, but we mustn’t stop walking the path to its inevitability in give-up mode, hence shading our short existence on this third rock from the sun.

It’s easy giving up, unless of course, it’s not mentally or physically possible. The discomfort that comes from learning is less welcome as we age, because for many reasons, learning can be both difficult and wonderful.
The first place we lose the battle is with our thinking. If we think it’s permanent, then it’s permanent. If we think we’ve reached our limits, then we have. If we think we’ll never be well, then we won’t. We must look inward to see what’s blocking us, filter our thinking, discard negative self-talk, and be aware that a lack of positive enthusiasm negatively affects our entire being.

Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old. Whether 20 or 80, anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young”. The great Michelangelo was credited for saying "still I am learning." In fact, at 87, Michelangelo wrote this inscription on a sketch he was working on at the time.  If we’re mentally present in the moment, learning, challenging our brain cells, and growing in wonder and awe, we can retain our joie de vivre.

I overheard an elder say, “I’m satisfied with what I know. Now I can spend my days eating, burping, napping, watching TV and movies, playing cards and board games.” In all respect, it's their journey, their choices, not my business, but I admit hanging out with the older crowd who seem to have given up, sucks the life out of me hearing them grumbling about their various illnesses, where they ache, or as if it’s a competition, how many prescriptions they take which empowers the beast of aging by focusing energy on the negative.

Experience taught me worrying and complaining changes nothing but cheats me out of what little sands of time I have left in the hourglass. Complaining evaporates any joy we might find. Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow’s not guaranteed, so focus on the present moment, as suggested in Eckhart Tolle’s book, “The Power of Now.”  

I’ve given family and friends permission to shoot me if they ever see me wearing the “I’ve given up” uniform of a fanny pack, white sneakers, baggy sweatpants, and untrimmed nose hairs. I still got some juice and self-pride, so I’m not giving up.

A Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey on aging among a sample of 2,969 adults finds we’re never too old to feel young. But it takes mindful effort. Sitting around waiting for the end is self-defeating. The study results show About eight-in-ten seniors read a book, newspaper, or magazine. I prefer curiosity-spawned research and podcasts to grow my knowledge, but I avoid rotting my brain with sensationalistic, polarizing political theater, fear-based journalism and scandalmongering rags regarding pop celebrities.

I’ve noticed, when I weaken and get too comfortable nearing the finish line, I lose enthusiasm. So, when I get up each day with the sun, stretch, yawn, make my daily intention and the bed, dress well, tidy my appearance, and check my beard for granola crumbs, my day and I take on a higher vibe.

Give up? Not me. I’m a long way from perfect and as humanly flawed as the next person, and I don’t always succeed, but I give it my best shot. I may be ancient to my grandkids, but I’m still alive, care how I look and age, and take advantage of this magnificent, albeit relatively short earthly experience.
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Seems the more I learn the more I learn I have more to learn… and unlearn. It never ends. Education is not something we ever finish. It’s not a waste to invest in ourselves, to grow and learn about earth, humanity and the vast, mysterious cosmos.

To live my best life now, I’ve chosen to stretch my brain enough before it seizes completely. Although, friends and family agree that the boat sailed. Once I began feeling good about myself and knew I could still learn whatever piqued my curiosity, I realized the only one stopping me, was me, and that my thoughts combined with feelings and positive self-talk have power. When I think negative thoughts they gain power and sure as heck, bad follows. When I think good thoughts, good follows, supported by Newton's Law of Attraction.

Yes Jim, no one gets out alive. Reality is, we all start dying the moment we’re born. So, if able, why not seize each precious remaining day and learn something new, but please, it would be such a wasted opportunity on our unique journey of life to give in prematurely and die before you die.
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Pumpkin: Autumn Gold

9/13/2021

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I’m a sucker for reminiscence. When I think of, eat, or see anything pumpkin, my thoughts drift back in time to memories of gray, rainy autumn days, hot cider, smoke from burning leaves hazing the air, outdoor football, snuggling under a blanket on hayrides beneath a harvest moon, giggling, sugar-charged trick-or-treaters and, of course, Jack-o’-lanterns.

Then there’s the aroma of a creamy pumpkin pie fresh from the over, topped with a dollop of genuine whipped cream. To me, artificial whipped cream is an abomination and for that, one should be clobbered with a pumpkin ala Ichabod Crane.

Pumpkin, a symbol of prosperity, growth, and abundance, was a revered part of the native American Indian diet, and pumpkin seeds were valued more for their oil and medicinal properties than the orange flesh. Before the Industrial Revolution, early Americans and Native Indians roasted pumpkin over campfires and used the highly nutritious fruit for medicine and food. Settlers hollowed out large pumpkins, filled them with milk, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and cinnamon, then baked in the hot ashes of their fireplaces. Perhaps the first version of a pumpkin pie?

Nutrient-dense pumpkins helped settlers survive long winters. The golden, orange globes quickly became a standby of early New England settlements. From Pilgrim verse, circa 1630: “For pottage and puddings and custards and pies, our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies, we have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon, If it were not for pumpkins, we should be undoon.”

According to MedicalNewsToday.com, pumpkin seeds provide overall prostate health (zinc), improved bladder function, prevent kidney stones, lower cholesterol levels and can treat depression with their L-tryptophan, a compound naturally effective against depression. Pumpkin seeds’ (pepitas) anti-inflammatory qualities can help prevent osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and age-related macular degeneration.

Pumpkins brim with lutein and zeaxanthin that feed and protect our eyes and help maintain skin integrity. The fibrous orange miracle brims with magnesium, antioxidant vitamin C and E and potassium and is a good source of B-complex group of vitamins like folate’s, niacin, vitamin B-6 thiamin and pantothenic acid. Clearly the golden superstar of fall foods is a healthy powerhouse of wholesome, vibrant vitamin nutrition.

However, to fully benefit from pumpkin’s potent power, it must be fresh for our cells to recognize and absorb powerful, nutrient-dense vitamins. Ditch the tin can puree, back away from the grocery shelf and no one will be harmed. Canned food is old, energetically dead  food with little or no wholesome nutrition.

In autumn, there’s a plethora of plump pumpkins at local farmer’s markets. The orange superstar, a miracle of plant nutrition, can be used as medicine or in an entrée, soup, or dessert, but please, nothing good comes from a sugary pumpkin spice latte with artificial flavoring. You deserve better. Get thee back into thy kitchen and cook pumpkins like the pilgrims and our ancestors.
 
Roasted Pumpkin

1 2-3 lb. sugar pumpkin (pie pumpkin)
1 Tbsp. coconut or avocado oil
1 pinch Himalayan salt (preferably)
            Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
            With a sharp knife, cut pumpkin in half lengthwise Use a sharp spoon or ice cream scoop to remove seeds and strings.
            Brush pumpkin flesh with oil, sprinkle with salt, and place flesh down on the baking sheet. Prick skin a few times with a fork or knife to allow steam escape.
            Bake 45-50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the skin. Then remove pan from oven, let the pumpkin cool for 10 minutes, then scoop out and use for whatever recipe you prefer.
            If turning into purée, scoop pumpkin into blender or food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Baked pumpkin and pumpkin purée will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month (or longer).


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Angel Wings, Miracles, and 'Vibing' High

8/12/2021

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Life gets real lying on a gurney staring at the cardiac ward ceiling while circled by murmuring masked strangers, bleeping heart monitors, IV needles snaking out of every orifice. My rug of life had been abruptly yanked out but, based on the outcome, I’m confident today I wasn’t alone, and I’ll explain.

During a doctor’s examination, I was rushed to the hospital…stat. In the lobby I was met by a masked “concierge” directing me to lie down on a gurney. Later, frightened, and alone on my hospital bed, the cardiologist straightforwardly told me to get my affairs in order.

Until then, I trashed my earth suit like a rock star a hotel room. Socially programmed, I obediently “sleepwalked” through life: empty, less than whole, disconnected from my source and what I now believe are my guardian angels. I hadn’t yet evolved to realize the connection between fresh, highly vibrating food from earth’s garden and healthy cellular health relating to clearer connectivity to a higher, bigger-than-me power or energy.

Several nights later alone in darkness, I repeatedly felt and brushed away micro-puffs of air on my cheek. A flying insect?  Surely not in a sterile hospital room? To get my attention and groom me for my life’s purpose, I’m now convinced my angels, or an energetic intelligence much bigger than I, healed me and ignited my deepest passion because I waltzed out of the hospital two weeks later totally healed, a true miracle, although baffled cardiologists offered no explanation. Phew, that was close. I’d nearly killed myself and destroyed my once-in-this-lifetime mulligan to live my life’s mission to help others.

Although, I’ve lived this 3-D reality long enough to know we don’t live it alone. It took a decade of reflection however, to realize the micro-puffs were from the wings of my Guardian Angels miraculously healing my heart.
 
It was acclaimed Brazilian author of “The Alchemist”, who said, “No, I never saw an angel, but it is irrelevant whether I saw one or not. I feel their presence around me.” Plato and Aristotle were convinced angels exist. In modern times, polls suggest nearly 70 percent of Americans think angels are real. Books and movies about angels and angelic contact are enormously popular: "Where Angels Tread", “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Ghostbusters”, popular television shows "Highway to Heaven", "Touched by an Angel", “Angel in the Outfield,” and current paranormal TV reality shows helped root the eminence of angels and spirit guides in American culture’s subconscious.
 
A Baylor Religion Survey found that 57 percent of Catholics, 81 percent of black Protestants, 66 percent of Evangelical Protestants, and 10 percent of Jews reported having a personal experience with a guardian angel. And 20 percent of those who identified themselves as having no religion also claimed to have encountered an angel. And then there are skeptics requiring scientific evidence.
 
According to the New World Encyclopedia, Hinduism uses the term devas to refer to divine beings comparable to angels. Buddhism and Jainism believe in the existence of devas. Angel-like beings called Tennin and Tenshi appear in Japanese mythology.  “Today, belief in angels, especially the popular idea of guardian angels, is deeply comforting to many” Each person has his or her unique perspective, meaning it’s purely subjective. Drugrehab.com expounds, “For many, God is a higher power. For others, a higher power isn’t associated with religion or a deity. It’s a connection we share with all living things.”
 
Some truly see and communicate with angels, like Lorna Byrne, who wrote the international best seller “Angels in My Hair”. “I see angels every day and always have … I cannot remember a time when I have not seen angels,” she said in her book. “I see them as physically as I see my daughter sitting across the dinner table from me and I talk with them as I talk with other people, although I can also communicate with them without words.” Byrne says every person has a guardian angel, regardless of his or her religion, nationality, or belief in God. “Your guardian angel is trying to help you. It is a gift from God, and it never leaves you for one moment, from before your birth to after your death,” she said.
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Learnreligions.com explains “Since angel communication happens through an exchange of electromagnetic energy at a high vibrational level, we can perceive more of what angels are trying to tell us if we raise our own vibration to a higher energy frequency.”
 
Apparently, it wasn’t my time, so over the next decade, as my mission slowly revealed itself, I lost 100 pounds and reclaimed my holistic wholeness while preparing my earth suit for my gradually unfolding mission as TV host, journalist, author and corporate presenter regarding the mind, body, emotional and spiritual benefits of earth’s nutrition to attain our highest, truest potential.

This grateful high-'vibing' survivor no longer believes in coincidence. Our loving guardian angels watch over and always protect me. All we must do is make self-compassionate food and lifestyle choices, believe, maintain a high vibe, humbly ask for assistance, and receive with gratitude.



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​Blindsided: Surviving loneliness

7/29/2021

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Alas, I never learned how to live alone. After my twin flame exhaled her final breath and the pandemic started, my challenge became coping with loneliness, all-consuming grief, acute hug-less isolation sans the human touch, ear ringing silence, and picking up the gauntlet of household fiscal responsibilities.

Utterly freaked, frozen in the headlights and flirting with futility, the reality stick whooped me upside the head. “Now what am I going to do? I’ve haven’t lived alone or balanced a checkbook in 30 years”. I cooked each meal and did laundry, but Sandi reconciled the checkbook, paid bills, prepared our taxes, cleaned house, and kept me grounded and balanced. A clueless, albeit grateful kept man, I chuckle recalling telling my angel Sandi that I didn’t know cleaning house and paying bills was so therapeutic.

My first reaction was deluding myself into believing I wouldn’t need anyone; I’ll get it together. Not! In uncharted waters, I swiftly realized this response could harm my mental and physical wellbeing. People need the support of empathetic family, community, hugs, and gentle nuzzles from four-footed furry friends to feel unconditionally loved and lifted from the heart of darkness.

So, a leg at a time, I put my big boy pants on, and with tutelage mastered domestic fiscal responsibilities, adapted to living alone, and grew in self-confidence. I needed to learn to walk alone to show myself I could be lonely yet still strong. Though, it required a lot of support, I faced my worst fears then conquered them one by one.

Although, I most definitely understand it’s a necessary part of the healing process to be alone, grieve, bang the walls, to let tears, the blood of the soul flow until we dehydrate, and progressively accept the unwritten chapters of a new life frontier. I confess it felt good to grieve, as the depts of grief validated the depths of love we share.
Because loneliness takes as long as it needs, having outlets truly helps. My twin flames death and the ensuing vacuum reinforced I cannot control what happens, but I can control how I deal with it. It helped doing things meaningful: tending garden, writing my column and love letters to Sandi, hanging out with like-minded folks, carving out times of silence, growing my inner self, hitting the gym, and spoiling my two Morkies. Interacting with my fur babies releases the feel-good drug dopamine in my brain. Whee!

It’s not mentally and physically healthy to journey alone. If you simply can’t cope, The Institute on Aging (IOA) offers the Friendship Line, a 24/7, toll-free crisis phone line for people aged 60 years and above. ‘The IOA Friendship Line is the only program in the US that reaches out to lonely, depressed, isolated, frail and/or suicidal older adults. Their trained volunteers specialize in offering a caring ear and having a friendly conversation with depressed, lonely older adults. According to a Pew Research Center study, living with an extended circle of relatives to prevent loneliness is the most common type of household arrangement for older people worldwide.
 
Somewhat in control of where my thoughts go, I no longer need to distract myself and fill in the silence. Perhaps not for everyone, preferring solitude and going inward has been good for me. There came a lot of healing and inner peace once I learned to vibe alone in solitude rather than wallow in widower’s loneliness.
At last, comfortable in my own company, I no longer dread aloneness as much. How could I be lonely if I like the person I’m alone with? It was Jean-Paul Sartre who said, “If you are lonely when you’re alone, then you are in bad company.” Thich Nhat Hanh, global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist adds, “Silence is essential, as we need silence just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there’s no space for us. “I’ve learned the difference between loneliness and solitude. Solitude is a choice, like a contemplative mountain top guru.

The healing process required gluing the shattered pieces of my heart back together. My twin flames death and the ensuing emptiness reinforced I cannot control what happens, but I can control how I deal with it. Gradually the emotional clouds parted, and the sun shone down again, just not as brightly. Surviving aloneness takes courage, time, self-reflection, and on-going work. But you know what? Grief will always be a part of who I am, but I’m going to be alright, and you will too… eventually. And so it is.

 
 
 
 
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Has your get-up-and-go Got up and Went?

6/15/2021

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Are you getting older? Got an energy shortage? Here's this months column.
Energy Crisis: Has Your Get-up-and-go Got Up and Went?

Betty Davis candidly asserted, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” And now, this septuagenarian writer empathizes – aging indeed requires courage, energy, stamina, mindful self-discipline, and a sense of humor to gracefully grow older on the proverbial vine of life.

We know all too well the further we travel from the boundless energy of youth, the quicker we run out of life force energy as our cells can no longer replicate the vigor of youth. Not sure about you, but if I don’t have my mental work and physical chores achieved by mid-afternoon, I’m out of gas and my energy light dims. Nap time to recharge my batteries!

At day’s end, I delude myself into believing I’ll have more energy tomorrow, however, ala Groundhog Day, it’s a repeating loop. So I explored and observed my world to see what I could do to speed-bump rather than accelerate aging. The conclusion: After we consume food and beverage (and TV), we become what we consume. How we feel at this moment is linked to our last meal. If we snarfed a big ole pile of hard-to-digest biscuits and greasy gravy, fried food, or steak and ‘taters sans vegetables or salad, we’re lethargic from energy-robbing digestion. Sound familiar?

When good folks eat lifeless, chemically processed, microwaved junk foods and shriek in
horror at the thought of eating energy-giving garden produce, they receive zero vitamins, minerals, and fiber experience – thus resulting in energy grid failure and ill health. When we eat food picked, plucked, cooked, wrapped, and bar-coded months ago in a soulless factory, its life force is DOA, and we become less than whole. Can’t maintain our earth suit without proper materials.

On the other hand, when we eat vitamin-packed, energy-dense, green leafy salads with plenty of fresh, colorful vegetables tingling with energy, herbs, nuts and seeds, beans, lean animal protein, or meat alternatives, with a classic vinaigrette olive oil dressing, we’re not so sleepy, more energized, and mentally lucid. Einstein, Hawkins, and Tesla proved literally everything is energy. When we eat, our earth suit assimilates food’s nutrients into our cells to create energy and stamina. However, the quality of fuel dictates the quality of energy. Garbage in, garbage out.
For 16 years, wife Sandi and I serviced NBA In-Flight charters, providing post-game snacks, beverages, and hot meals for millionaire thoroughbreds who just sprinted four quarters. While the game was being played, we were busy in our catering kitchen preparing the repast, then drove onto the tarmac, met stewardesses and stowed the food, as towering, hungry players lumbered into their idling, chartered 747.

We observed NBA teams perennially wallowing in the cellar, consistently ordering fried foods, fatty meats, gravy, sugary goodies, soft drinks, but none of that “green stuff.” Championship winning teams were mindful of what they consumed.

We also serviced private jets of finicky jet-setting celebrities after a successful performance, presidents, secret service, and highfalutin executives revealing their dietary choices. What became clear: pop rock stars, politicians and Hollywood celebrities knew the aliveness of their food affected their energy levels, stamina, and look.

Research suggests seniors who consume more protein are less likely to lose the ability
to dress themselves, get out of bed, climb stairs, and garden. According to the Gerontological Society of America, “Higher protein intake was beneficially associated with maintenance of physical function in middle-aged, high-functioning U.S. adults over the span of two decades. This association was particularly evident in women.”
The Journal of American Geriatrics Society adds, “people who consumed the least amount of protein were almost twice as likely to have difficulty walking or climbing steps as
those who ate the most, after adjusting for health behaviors, chronic conditions and other factors.” Of course, excessive meat consumption is damaging. Research confirms more is not better.
​
Sleep deprivation is a common cause of lethargy. Be sure to get a minimum of 7 hours. Vitamin D and B12 deficiency, mild dehydration, and thyroid dysfunction can also cause
an energy crisis.

Now, time for a colorful salad then a restorative nap. But I’m no sissy, Betty. Just accepting the truth that I’m unstoppably getting older, more self-compassionate, and perhaps wiser in my choices.

Crock Pot Oatmeal
6-portions
After a night’s rest, the brain needs glucose to avoid fatigue and “brain fog.” While
sleeping, slow-cook a crock pot of steel cut oats and stow it away for future breakfasts.
1.5 cup steel cut oats. (Not instant)
4 cups filtered water (in the fall try apple cider)
2 cups whole or nut milk
½ tsp. Himalayan salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon.
Place all ingredients into a 3–6-quart crock pot- cook 7-8 hours. Store in the refrigerator or pre-portion for the freezer.
In the morning, warm a portion; mix in pea or hemp seed protein powder, and sweeten
with raw honey, maple syrup, or stevia. Top with seasonal berries, ground flax, hemp, or chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts.
Or eat a cup of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt with granola, nuts, hemp, flax, or chia
seeds and seasonal berries.

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Revival of Magic Mushrooms

4/27/2021

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     Wincing, I flash back to early 1970 when I attended a Led Zeppelin concert at Boston Garden higher than a hippie in a hot air balloon on magic mushrooms and Boones Farm. As strobe lights bedecked the stage and Jimmy Paige began “Whole Lotta Love”, I leapt in exuberance nearly plunging off the balcony. Splat! If not for the quick grasp of my lucid companion, I would have taken the stairway to heaven express.
​
     A foolish use of psilocybin mushrooms, but my frontal lobes were infantile. But I confess, innocently dabbling in psychedelics opened doors to my mind that some might suggest should have remained shut, but I digress.

     Flash forward: John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Hopkins’s scientists have discovered psilocybin found in psychedelic mushrooms, has vast benefits for treating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction (smoking, alcohol, opiate drugs of abuse), OPD, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, clinical depression and can heighten brain function.

     Despite ongoing research into its therapeutic and medical benefits, psilocybin has been listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act since 1970, which includes heroin, crack cocaine, and meth, however, the times they are a changin’ as cannabis, psilocybin, ayahuasca and MDMA are currently recognized as beneficial when used in supervised setting under the watchful eye of experienced, legally approved medical authorities.

      Decades researching plant food as medicine taught me many psychoactive plant medicines and treatments, stigmatized as dangerous, evil tools of Satan, and illegal, are rising to new research laboratories, suggesting there just might be something to earth’s psychoactive plant medicines. “Psychiatrists, scientists, and mental health professionals considered psychedelics like psilocybin to be promising treatments as an aid to therapy for a broad range of psychiatric diagnoses, “according to drugpolisy.org

     New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reports “In an ongoing search for new ways to tackle depression, researchers have compared psilocybin, the active compound of magic mushrooms, against a well-established antidepressant in a small phase II trial” Promisingly, the results show psilocybin was at least as effective as the common antidepressant when used alongside psychological therapy. It's still early research, but previous studies suggested psilocybin doesn't produce nearly as many side effects as antidepressants and its effects are almost immediate.”

     John Hopkins Center, researchers focus on how psychedelics affect behavior, mood, cognition, brain function, and biological markers of health. “Upcoming studies will determine the effectiveness of psilocybin as a new therapy for opioid addiction, Alzheimer's disease, PTSD, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, anorexia nervosa and alcohol use in people with major depression.” Nonetheless it’s still considered an illegal class 1 drug and can result in significant jail time.

     From a New York Times op ed, titled, Can Magic Mushrooms Heal Us?  “A very promising mental health experiment is taking shape in Oregon which is about to become the first state in America to try to build a support infrastructure through which psychedelic mushrooms can be woven into everyday life. This framework is different from what we’ve seen before: not legalization, not medicalization, but therapeutic use, in licensed facilities, under the guidance of professionals trained to guide psychedelic experiences.” Newsweek magazine reports, “Denver, Colorado passed a ballot measure decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms, more commonly known as magic mushrooms: "the adult possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms" would become the city's lowest law enforcement priority, further prohibiting the city from spending resources on penalizing shroom use. The city council of Oakland, California passed a similar resolution.” Newsweek Magazine quotes The Washingtonian reports Magic Mushrooms and Ayahuasca were decriminalized in DC as of 2021. 

     The NIH quotes Johns Hopkins Study of psilocybin in cancer patients: “A study showed psilocybin produced substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer, and that mystical-type experiences on session days mediated the effect of psilocybin dose on therapeutic outcomes. Participants, staff, and community observers rated participant moods, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the study. High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician-and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety.”

     Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes reported, “More than half of patients with terminal cancer reported decreases in depressed mood and anxiety after taking psilocybin, and two-thirds said they believed taking the drug in the clinical setting was one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives. For some, it was on par with the birth of their children.” Newscientist.com reports, “About one-third of volunteers in the carefully controlled new study had a “complete” mystical experience after taking psilocybin, with half of them describing their encounter as the single most spiritually significant experience in their lifetimes.”

     If done legally under supervision in the proper setting, not the purple haze of a cacophonous concert, perhaps it’s time to explore becoming inward traveling psychonauts seeking healing, enhanced creativity, and even spiritual expansion through a naturally occurring edible plant. The philosopher and teacher Rudolf Steiner once said, "For every human illness, somewhere in the world there exists a plant which is the cure.”



https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9522-magic-mushrooms-really-cause-spiritual-experiences/#ixzz6t9UYLFxh 
https://shamanmushroomspores.com/johns-hopkins-psychedelic-research-center-notable-achievements/#:~:text=Hopkins%20scientists%20have%20discovered%20that%20psilocybin%2C%20the%20naturally,and%20benefits%20of%20psychedelics%20back%20in%20the%201950s.
https://drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/how-risky-are-psilocybin-mushrooms
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/single_dose_of_hallucinogen_may_create_lasting_personality_change
https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/10/14/60-minutes-anderson-cooper-psychedelics/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Eating Well for Pre- and Post-Op Best Outcomes

4/5/2021

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            Our “earth suit,” the human body, possesses a wondrous inborn capacity to rebuild and
heal itself when given appropriate tools. With our every breath, trillions of cells work
assiduously in maintaining natural balance. When we eat against nature, and abuse our earth suit through dead, manufactured processed food, we weaken, become ill, and cells can be damaged or destroyed.
            Our cells miraculously heal or replace themselves to keep our earth suit functioning at
optimal levels. But they require our mindful assistance. For eons, various cultures have relied on medicinal plants from Mother Earth as healing herbs –  dating back at least to 3000 B.C. Alas,
the industrial revolution diverted society from the detached from nature path of nutritional
righteousness.  
            Verywellhealth.com shares, “If you have had surgery, the food you eat can make a great
impact on your recovery and on how quickly your wound heals. Eating the right foods can
prevent complications such as constipation and high blood glucose, and provide the necessary
building blocks of protein skin needs to heal quickly.”
            A patient’s diet can affect our overall life force, wholeness, and ability to heal. If one
lacks in unrefined carbs, clean animal or plant proteins, zinc, and a cornucopia of earth’s plant-
based vitamins, healing may be hindered because collagen synthesis, the building blocks for
wound healing, won’t happen properly.
            After my 73-year-old wife’s bladder surgery, the surgeon entered the waiting room
declaring Sandi’s surgery would not have been nearly as successful if not for her plant-based
diet, regular exercise, and mindful self-maintenance. She had no age-related disease, took no
pharma drugs, and was not “obese. “She’s the healthiest 73 year old I’ve encountered!”
            “Understanding the influence of food on cells could offer a better way to design diets,”
says Randy J. Seeley, the director of the Cincinnati Diabetes Center at the University of
Cincinnati. Cells –  life’s building blocks –  need fuel to survive and thrive and understand the
language of plant food, but not so much dead, machine-cuisine. For all living organisms, food is
information: energetic cellular fuel.
            Cells operate at their utmost when fed a variety of clean plant nutrients. That’s why on
days we don’t eat a balanced plant-centered diet we feel less than whole, sluggish, short-
tempered, light-headed or struggle to concentrate.
            Constipation is a drag, so it’s vital to include fiber in the diet while preparing for or
recovering from surgery, especially when opioids are involved. Some surgeries require avoiding
fiber, so check with a medical authority. High-fiber foods play a major role in preventing
constipation, a common surgery complication. Constipation can increase pain and chances of
returning to the hospital during recovery. Avoid constipating foods like dairy (milk, cheese), red
meat, sweets. and dehydrated foods, except for prunes..
            Dehydration, which causes an electrolyte imbalance, can also decrease oxygenation to
the tissues needed to promote natural healing. Cells provide structure for bodies, creating tissues, bolstering the immune system, converting nutrients into energy, and our miraculous body intelligence sends signals and transports those nutrients where they need to go. Healthline.com reports, “Health experts often recommend drinking several glasses of water per day to meet your hydration needs. While drinking water is important, you can consume a significant amount of water by including a variety of water-rich fruits, vegetables and dairy products in your diet.”
            Plan healthy, balanced meals and snacks that include the right amount of clean protein,
dairy, seafood (not fried), fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber. Choose vegetables and
fruits rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, apples, avocados, citrus, raspberries, or spinach.
            Foods with beta-carotene or vitamin A promote healthy scar tissue. Vitamin C helps
make collagen essential to wound healing as it helps the body form new tissue.
            Vitamin E or aloe vera may be used on the skin once the wound has healed and new skin
has formed. Anecdotal reports claim that vitamin E speeds wound healing and improves the
cosmetic outcome of burns and other wounds. Note: oral vitamin E may increase the risk of
bleeding.
            Zinc stimulates wound healing. B-complex vitamins, including B1 (thiamine) and B5
(pantothenic acid), may aid wound healing and skin health. Bromelain, a blood thinner, has
reduced post-surgical swelling, bruising, healing time, and pain in some studies.
            Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may help heal wounds by encouraging the repair
of connective tissue in the body. If you have asthma or diabetes, ask your doctor before taking
glucosamine. Glucosamine and chondroitin can increase the risk of bleeding, especially with
blood thinners.
            Some third-party-inspected nutritional supplements may help wounds heal. Although, if
you’re having surgery, don’t take herbs or supplements without medical supervision as they may negatively interfere with many pharma drugs.
            Recall the 1974 film “Towering Inferno?” Without the appropriate materials, a building
will collapse. When we feed our cells food diminished by processing, we too weaken our
miraculous body mechanisms. We appear to take better care of our cars than we do the earth suit our soul inhabits during our short journey on this third rock from the sun.

                                                            -                              

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