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A Holy Trifecta: Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, And Magnesium

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When it comes to your health, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, and Magnesium are remarkably nutritive allies. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, supporting a variety of functions throughout your body. Vitamin D and Calcium seamlessly work together to protect your bones. Calcium builds and maintains your bones, while Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Calcium and Magnesium work together to provide a similar value. Magnesium keeps calcium out of the soft tissue and within the bones, where it’s needed most.

Let’s start with a deep-dive into Vitamin C. We’ve heard about the benefits of Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, for a long time. Discovered by biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi’s in the 1930s, this remarkable chemical enables the body to healthfully sustain itself and helps it efficiently use fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

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Centuries ago, when fresh vegetables were not always easy to find, sailors would experience fatigue, weakness, open sores, bleeding gums, loose teeth, and unusual hemorrhages beneath the skin. The condition was known as Scurvy, and in the 15th century, it ravaged sailors and low-income families, causing sickness, disability, and death. Szent-Györgyi’s won a Nobel Peace Prize for his discoveries, the lot of which provided excellent value for the British Navy.

What is Vitamin C?

Commonly known as Ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is an organic compound comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. While our bodies can not produce it, it’s a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits.

In its purest form, ascorbic acid is a synthetic, white solid derived from the sugar dextrose. It can be found naturally in a variety of fruits and vegetables and is known to be an immune-boosting and curative supplement. One of its primary functions is helping the body manufacture collagen, a protein found in every person’s connective tissues, cartilage, and tendons.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are chemical compounds that inhibit oxidation, which is the chemical reaction that produces cell-damaging, free radicals. When free radicals accumulate, they produce oxidative stress in our bodies, which has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases.

Antioxidants like Vitamin C terminate these types of reactions, which reduces free radicals, and keeps our systems in balance. When it comes to preventing disease and improving our immune systems, it’s all about antioxidants.

What Can Vitamin C Do for Me?

  • Reduce free radicals and oxidative stress
  • Reduce the emergence of chronic diseases
  • Reduce high blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Slow the progression of vision loss
  • Lower the chances of heart disease
  • Prevent gout
  • Improve iron absorption
  • Boost immunity
  • Protect memory and thinking
  • Reduce occurrences of dementia
  • Reduce incidents of pneumonia

Contrary to popular belief, Vitamin C has not proven itself when it comes to curing a common cold or treating cancer. Additionally, when dosed over 2000 milligrams, Vitamin C can cause severe diarrhea, kidney stones, and other issues. Smoking can significantly reduce the levels of Vitamin C in the body.

Foods rich in Vitamin C include: Kakuda plumbs, Blackcurrants, Acerola cherries, chili peppers, rose hips, guavas, sweet yellow peppers, red and green peppers, thyme, parsley, mustard spinach, broccoli, green beans, cantaloupe, lemons, lychees, American persimmons, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kiwis, orange juice, papaya, sweet potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes.

What Is Vitamin D3?

Vitamin D is more than just one vitamin. Studies suggest that Vitamin D3 is more effective than D2, yet they are both critical compounds found in the lower layers of our skin. Their primary benefit is that they improve the absorption of calcium and immune function.

D3 and D2 production come through a chemical reaction that’s dependent on exposure to the sun, otherwise known as UVB radiation. This fat-soluble, lower-class steroid can increase our chances of absorbing calcium, Magnesium, and phosphorus, which are essential to human life.

D3 comes mostly from animals and can be found in food like oily fish, butter, and liver. D2 is generally sourced from plants, for example, mushrooms that are grown in UV light, and several other fortified foods.

Because exposure to the sun can also increase our risks of skin cancer, the best way for us to benefit from this vitamin is by taking it as a supplement. Not technically vitamins, D3 and D2 are best described as hormones.

Here are the benefits of D3 and D2:

  • Improves muscle strength, mass, and function
  • Improves bone health
  • Eradicates rickets (a disease that softens and weakens the bones)
  • Improves the body’s absorption of calcium, essential for bones
  • Reduces the chances of osteoporosis and osteomalacia
  • Reduces the risk of early death in the elderly
  • Reduces the risk of death from cancer
  • Improves teeth health
  • Reduces fatigue
  • Reduces depression
  • Reduces the severity of viral infections
  • Decreases the risk of acute respiratory tract infections
  • Reduces the exacerbation of asthma
  • Reduces inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the forms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
  • With calcium, we can improve brain function
  • Might reduce the risk of flu
  • Might aid lung function
  • Might reduce the side effects of chemotherapy

A Harvard study has shown that taking too much Vitamin D, in any form, can reduce its benefits and create further health risks. When it comes to receiving the benefits of Vitamin D3 and D2, less is often better.

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Hispanic and African-American communities are less efficient at making Vitamin D because the melanin in their skin inhibits it. Some studies suggest 600 IU is sufficient for all adults, and that taking more than 4,000 IU (100 micrograms) can induce toxicity, and cause vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination.

The foods that are excellent sources of Vitamin D3 include fish oils, wild salmon, milk, butter, orange juice, eggs, cheddar cheese, and yogurt. When it comes to nutrients, always choose food over pills.

What Does Magnesium Do for You?

Mg in the periodic table, Magnesium is the lightest structural metal and the eighth-most abundant element in the Universe. It has proven itself as one of the key elements essential to all cellular life.

Magnesium is required for the processes that involve DNA, RNA, and ATP. DNA produces the code for all of the activities of our cells. RNA converts that code into proteins to carry out cellular functions. ATP provides energy to drive living cells.

Because it’s never found free in nature, Magnesium had to be isolated and extracted to be useful. This first occurred in 1808, at the hands of Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist.

Magnesium has been found in pyrotechnics, lightbulbs, airplanes, missiles, rockets, cameras, paint, Epsom salt, milk of magnesia, and horseshoes. It also fills 2.5% of the earth’s crust. The top producers of Magnesium in this century include China, Russia, Turkey, and Austria.

Why take Magnesium? When it comes to your health, Magnesium is one of seven essential macrominerals, along with calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur. It plays a vital role in supporting how your body’s enzymes function and support your health.

Here’s what Magnesium can do for you:

  • Help metabolize food (convert food to energy)
  • Prevent problems with bones
  • Help create and repair DNA and RNA
  • Regulate your nervous system
  • Fight depression
  • Act as an anti-inflammatory
  • Support your cardiovascular system
  • Help your body absorb calcium
  • Help activate Vitamin D in your kidneys
  • Decrease your chance of developing type 2 diabetes (reduces Insulin resistance)
  • Synthesize fatty acids and proteins
  • Improve the transmission of nerve impulses
  • Reduce premenstrual symptoms
  • Lower your risk of arthritis and high blood pressure
  • Reduce the risk of arrhythmia
  • Help prevent migraine headaches
  • Relieve anxiety
  • Support the body’s glutathione levels (Glutathione is a power-player when it comes to your health)

Be aware that some medications interact with Magnesium, which can cause serious problems. Consult with a doctor or certified nutritionist before adding magnesium supplements to your diet. As with all naturally occurring chemicals, it’s always best to source your Magnesium from whole food. The best time to take Magnesium is one or two hours before you go to bed.

The foods that contain high levels of Magnesium include: dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, cashews, avocados, fatty fish (like wild salmon, mackerel and halibut), shrimp, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, spinach, soy milk, tofu, edamame, oatmeal, broccoli, peanut butter, black-eyed peas, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, bananas, and brown rice.

Summary

While supplements are helpful and healing, do your best to get most of your nutrients from whole food. Given that there are now over 2000 legal, untested chemicals in our packaged foods, it’s never been more important to feed and nurture ourselves through the most wholesome foods and supplements.

Besides outlining how you can improve your health, the biggest takeaway in this article is that dark chocolate contains oodles of Magnesium and antioxidants. Be happy. Eat more dark chocolate.

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Are Digestive Enzymes Important? Can I Become Addicted To Them?

Digestive Enzymes

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Since the global market for digestive enzyme supplements is on track to hit $1 billion by 2025, it means enzymes are all the new rage! You might be wondering, “How do enzymes work?” Or “What can enzymes do for me?” Given your possible problems with gas, bloating, or diarrhea, you might be thinking about taking enzymes every day. You may have a friend who suggested that you only take them in spurts, so that your body can adapt and rebuild itself, without becoming dependent.

You may have heard about beets, cinnamon, fenugreek tea, celery, and other fresh ideas that could help you improve your digestive tract. You might not know that your digestive tract (also called your gastrointestinal tract) is the pathway through which food enters and solid waste expels.

What Is An Enzyme?

To answer this question, we’ll first want to ask, “what is a chemical reaction?” A chemical reaction is a process that converts substances (reagents, reactants, and substrates) to other types of substances (the products of chemical reactions) through processes of interaction and engagement.

Now, let’s get back to enzymes. In general, our bodies form enzymes by stringing together 100 to 1000 amino acids. These chains are proteins that are born from and live within living cells.

How Do Enzymes Work?

As complex living-beings, we need biochemical reactions to keep our systems functional, clean, infused with energy, and in movement. For each specific chemical reaction within our bodies, we require energy to activate it.

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Enzymes help initiate repeated, identical, chemical reactions by making it easier for chemical reactions to occur. They reduce the amount of energy required for each reaction, and thereby kickstart them.

Because all change requires work, enzymes are the power-plants for activated changes within our bodies. They increase the rate at which specific chemical reactions occur, without deteriorating, and without being consumed, or permanently altered.

Big Facts About Enzymes And Enzyme Activity

Enzymes help cells communicate with each other. They keep your cells healthy, happy, and whole. They can also assist in life-or-death situations. Without enzymes, our body might not process food very well. Also, the necessary biochemical reactions within your body might be occurring too slowly to keep you healthy and alive. enzymes help with all this.

What Is Amylase? Where is Amylase Produced?

The pancreas and salivary glands make Amylase, the enzymes that act as catalysts (accelerator of reactions), which break-down (hydrolyze) starch. Hydrolyzing refers to the process of adding water molecules to produce reactions. This fractures and fragments the starch into smaller carbohydrate molecules.

Other enzymes are activated to turn disaccharides and trisaccharides into glucose. Glucose gives our bodies energy. Plants and some bacteria also produce Amylase.

Where Is Lipase Produced?

Small amounts of Lipase are created in the stomach and digestive tract, mostly by the pancreas. Your “gastric Lipase” digests the butter-fat in your food.

Where Is Protease Produced?

Our bodies produce Proteases (proteolytic enzymes or proteinases) in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. The function of these enzymes is to hydrolyze (break-down) peptide bonds of proteins, or linear chains of proteins, part of the process of digestion.

Enzymes: The Power-Players Behind Digestion!

Digestive enzymes have specific tasks and targets. Lipase distills fatty acids from fats and oils. Proteases break-down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids. Amylases split carbohydrates (starch and sugars) into shorter chains and simple sugars, such as glucose.

This system allows our bodies to digest (process) food and convert the necessary elements into energy. Digestion is a core function that creates healthy environments that can support and sustain life.

Are Enzymes Good For Everybody?

The short answer is YES, although our digestive problems are not always a result of enzyme deficiency. Due to a variety of reasons, our bodies can lose their abilities to absorb the nutrients we need. We’ve all had this experience.

Here are some of the things we might experience during enzyme deficiency, and when our bodies are not functioning correctly:

  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Weight loss
  • Belching
  • Sluggish elimination
  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Leaky gut
  • Indigestion
  • Constipation
  • Acid reflux
  • Difficulty chewing food
  • Mucus in the stool
  • Undigested food in stool

 

These types of reactions are how our bodies respond to internal imbalances. While we might research methodologies that could bring our bodies back into balance, we might not know the implications of these methods.

Given all the thousands of new-age botanicals and supplements available to us today, it can be difficult to separate reality from marketing fiction. Be careful when taking supplements, including digestive enzymes. Consult a certified nutritionist, Ayurvedic health counselor, or a doctor, before flooding your system with new herbs and pills.

Ways To Naturally Assist Digestion

While taking enzymes can be helpful for periods, there are many ways to improve our digestive tracts and produce enzymes naturally. Before diving head-first into a heavy regiment of enzymes, try a few of these suggestions:

  • Beets (bio-movers)
  • Apples
  • Celery
  • Artichokes
  • Fenugreek tea
  • Cinnamon (a little sprinkle goes a long way as a decongestant)
  • Pineapple, Papaya, Mango, Kiwifruit
  • Miso, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kefir
  • Ginger
  • Honey
  • Leafy Greens (2/3 of every meal, chewed not juiced)
  • 1-2 tsp of Olive Oil and 1-2 tsp of Lemon Juice before bed or upon waking
  • Drink water 15 minutes before your meal
  • Relax when you eat
  • Relax after you eat
  • Soak and lubricate your gut in herbal oils
  • Detox your liver

How Do We Know When We Need Digestive Enzymes As Supplements?

As we age, some doctors will tell us to take digestive enzymes regularly. This routine isn’t always the best option. In many cases, we can stimulate our bodies to function like they did when we were 25 years old, and without getting into an endless, regular consumption of supplements and enzymes.

When we become dependent on enzymes, we might be telling our bodies that they’re broken, and they might believe us! If we’re too aggressive with our bodies and regiments, we could also add unnecessary pressure to the liver. This is not only unhealthy; it’s insane. In most cases, our bodies are not broken. They just need a little encouragement.

Encouragement becomes ineffective when we hammer somebody with our projections of truth. Assistance works best when we give someone a few suggestions and allow the person to take it from there.

Our bodies work the same way. A little encouragement can produce miraculous results. If you’re taking digestive enzymes to help you with some of the challenges listed in this article, consider only taking them for short periods.

You might also consider the idea that you may already have given your system what it needs to return itself to its former glory. Your body might already be on the mend.

While some extreme situations require a continuous regiment of enzymes, these cases are rare. As with all remedies and regiments, be careful not to flood your system to the point of conflict or collapse.

Always be gentle and careful with your body. It’s more sensitive, conscious, and intelligent than you might think. Your body is always in a state of restoration and readily available for reparative growth.

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Fenugreek, Maca, and Mucuna: What Can These Lovely Herbs Do For You?

Fenugreek, Maca

Fenugreek Lovely Herbs – A Shutterstock Licensed Image

Fenugreek is a luscious, healing cousin to soy, and its dried leaves, twigs, seeds, and roots are used to heal a variety of conditions, and add delicious spice to several unique dishes.

For thousands of years, this potent medicinal plant has been used by healers and shamans and has been a staple in Chinese medicine. The Fenugreek plant grows to two to three feet and has green leaves and white flowers. Along its thin stems and branches, you’ll find golden pods, each of which contains gold and brown seeds.

80% of Fenugreek is produced in India. With its distinct sweet and nutty flavor, it’s common to see Fenugreek leaves added to dishes throughout India, including bread and sandwiches like “Aloo Methi Naan” and Aloo Methi Ka Paratha” (potato fenugreek). You’ll also find Fenugreek in a variety of Aloo Methi entrees.

A typical household spice in Iraq, China, and India, this diverse plant has a variety of benefits.

Fenugreek Benefits

Whether it’s Fenugreek tea benefits, or the benefits of Fenugreek oil or Fenugreek seeks, this earthy supplement packs a lot of value. While not all studies point to success in every category, there is now enough evidence to support most of the following benefit claims successfully.

  • Benefits for hair include the promotion of hair growth and stronger hair follicles
  • Bacterial, fungal, and viral infections
  • Constipation
  • Inflammation
  • Decreased risk of cancer
  • Fenugreek benefits for women include new mothers who found an increase in breast milk production
  • Fenugreek benefits for men include increased libido and sexual strength, and improved sexual function
  • Increases carb tolerance
  • Improves insulin function
  • Appetite control and weight loss
  • Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • Heartburn, potentially equal to popular antacid medications

Fenugreek Side-effects

While it seems the verdict points to excellent, not everyone is a fan of Fenugreek for everyday usage. Confirmed solely in animal studies, high doses of Fenugreek have caused DNA damage, decreased fertility, neurological problems, and increased chances of miscarriage. Some scientists are alarmed by the trending use of Fenugreek as a dietary and nutritious supplement.

Here are some of the challenges experienced by human adults and children who participated in Fenugreek studies:

  • Allergic reaction
  • Asthma
  • Diarrhea
  • Indigestion
  • Gas (flatulence)
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
  • Wheezing
  • Unusual body odor (children only)
  • Loss of consciousness (children only)

Maca (Lepidium meyenii, Peruvian Ginseng)

To many, Maca has super-secret super-powers and is known to improve energy and stamina, enhance sex drive, and improve fertility in both men and women. It’s also been reported that Maca can save relationships and reinvigorate self-esteem.

Well, at least that’s what they say.

Originally cultivated in the harsh climate and high altitude of the Peruvian mountains, it’s often harvested for its powerful root. Maca is considered to be a cruciferous vegetable with famous cousins that include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale.

Given the problematic landscape and unique attributes of Maca, it’s always harvested manually. Farmers tend to extract the nutritious Maca root for production and then spread the leaves to fertilize their fields. They’ll also leave it for their livestock to consume.

Similar to radishes and turnips, Maca has other benefits, making it a unique and beneficial supplement. Maca can be added to salads, smoothies, breakfast cereals like oatmeal and corn flakes, and can be sprinkled into baked goods, home-made energy bars, and many meals.

Maca Benefits

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Maca is an adaptogen, which means it helps your body fight stress and improves homeostasis, your internal processes that maintain your stability in response to changes in external conditions. Whether it’s Maca powder benefits or its root powder benefits, many people are finding that Maca is helpful and wholesome.

Here’s what we know right now:

  • Maca is nutritious, chock full of helpful nutrients
  • Backed by some convincing studies, it seems that Maca boosts sexual performance and function
  • Might relieve menopause symptoms, and the mental and emotional highs and lows experienced during menopause
  • Improves self-esteem
  • Improves energy levels
  • Anemia or “tired blood”
  • Improves mental clarity, learning, and memory
  • Reduces depression and anxiety
  • Boosts sports performance and endurance, and enhances muscle mass
  • In lotions, it may help protect your skin from sun damage
  • May reduce the size of the prostate
  • While it was initially believed that Maca provided benefits for men, studies consistently show that Maca offers equal benefits for women

Maca Side-effects

Before adding Maca to your regular diet, it might be best to seek the advice of a nutritional expert. While Maca is a medicine that appears to improve circulation and provide a variety of other benefits, Maca research and mass production is in its infancy.

  • Like all cruciferous vegetables, people with Thyroid issues would limit their intake of Maca, as it could have adverse effects
  • Pregnant and breastfeeding women might want hold-off on consuming Maca until after the birth and breastfeeding of their children

Mucuna (Mucuna Pruriens, Mucuna pruriens inflorescence)

If you’re looking for a magic pill to help boost your mood, improve your libido, and help you feel better about life, you might explore Mucuna pruriens, the natural herbal supplement used in Ayurvedic medicine.

Mucuna pruriens is a popular, mass-produced legume (a member of the pea family), native to Africa and Asia. Other names for this happy bean include Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet, Cowage, Lacuna Bean, and the Lyon Bean.

It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to treat diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. It’s also been used in Unani or Yūnānī (Greek) medicine (Perso-Arabic system of medicine given to us by the Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen), to heal many diseases and dysfunctions.

Mucuna pruriens is considered an effective, alternative treatment for Parkinson’s because of its high content of L-dopa. This amino acid converts to dopamine, that feel-good chemical that helps us learn to regulate our body movements, process emotions, and create normalized emotional responses. Also interesting is that Mucuna pruriens is one of the only natural sources of L-dopa.

In short, dopamine contributes to being productive, adds to feelings related to pleasure, and can support experiences where the individual feels a sense of satisfaction.

Mucuna Pruriens Benefits

  • Effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease
  • Reduces feelings of depression
  • Increases sperm count and libido
  • Improves sexual function
  • Reduces menstrual discomfort
  • Helps to treat male infertility
  • Antimicrobial, Antifungal, Antibacterial
  • Anti-diabetic properties
  • Antioxidant
  • Mucuna pruriens benefits bodybuilding

Mucuna Pruriens Side Effects

While many herbs and plants can be beneficial to human beings, they can also be dangerous for us. In the case of Mucuna pruriens, there is enough evidence to support its value to a variety of conditions, but there are dangers. Be very careful when self-prescribing this powerful supplement, in any form. You’ll be safest when consulting a doctor or nutritional expert.

Here are the potential side effects you’ll want to consider before consuming any size portion of Mucuna pruriens.

  • Agitation
  • Increases in addictive behavior
  • Compulsive gambling
  • Over-spending
  • Hyper-sexuality (dysfunctional obsession with sexual fantasies)
  • Binge eating
  • Anger
  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Nausea
  • Nervousness
  • Feelings of abdominal bloating
  • Vomiting
  • Abnormal and spontaneous body movements
  • Insomnia
  • Excessive dreaming and thinking
  • Headache
  • Temporary fast heartbeat
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Tummy Herbs: How To Heal A Gurgling Stomach

Tummy herbs

Tummies are important Tummy herbs! A Shutterstock Licensed Image

There are many reasons why our stomachs make noise and feel unsettled. When you have a bad case of the stomach grumbling, you might also be suffering from excessive bloating, farting, irritable bowel, or a hyperactive bowel. You might even have a belly murmur that sounds exactly like “borborygmi!”

These symptoms might coincide with feelings of anxiousness, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, and cramps. While it might be temporary, your discomfort could stem from a variety of causes. If you’re asking, “Why is my stomach growling?” or “Why is my stomach always grumpy?” consider these ideas:

  • You may have eaten too fast or too much
  • Your stomach might not enjoy cold food or ice water (most don’t)
  • You may have eaten something that wasn’t cooked properly
  • You might be so nervous that your tummy is generating too much acid
  • You may have consumed food or water that had bacteria like Salmonella enteritidis or Listeria monocytogenes
  • You may have eaten food that had parasites like Giardia
  • You might have allergies that resulted in inflammation in your digestive tract
  • You may have swallowed overly chlorinated water
  • You may have drunk too much alcohol
  • The healthy bacteria in your system might be depleted
  • You might not be getting enough nutrients in your diet
  • Your recent meal may have been too spicy

“When I prayed for success, I forgot to ask for

sound sleep and good digestion.”

— Mason Cooley

 

When complaining about your gurgling stomach, and the aches and pains throughout your abdomen, it’s important to remain calm and refrain from jumping to conclusions. When searching online for answers, while interesting, the majority of the information you’ll source will not pertain to your specific situation. Even if you chance upon the perfect protocol, one that feels aligned with heart, brain, and each of your chakras, it’s possible you might not have given yourself the correct diagnosis.

Before popping self-prescribed pills and tea-steeping yourself into hysteria with hipster healing regiments, seek the counsel of a professional. In almost all cases, you’ll be safer when you consult with Medical Doctors (MDs), Nurses (RNs), Doctors of Osteopathy (DOs), Chiropractors (DCs), Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine (NDs), and nutritional experts.

While I am not prescribing anything specific in this article, here are some ideas you might consider when researching healing modalities, herbs, and supplements.

Herbs And Foods For Upset Stomachs

A few herbs, supplements, and foods can go a long way when we’re trying to heal our upset stomachs and digestive tracts. While you might feel safe when experimenting with some of these things, it’s best not to try everything at once.

While some of these foods are healing in small amounts, they might be dangerous in larger quantities, and when combined with other items. There’s also a chance you’ll have allergic reactions, so be careful and mindful.

Consider making warm and hot beverages with these herbs and foods:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Chamomile
  • Fennel
  • Turmeric
  • Calendula
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Mint
  • Basil
  • Cumin
  • Manuka Honey
  • Fenugreek
  • Marshmallow Root
  • Artichoke Leaf Extract
  • Warm saltwater

Chinese Antimicrobial And Anti-Inflammatory Herbs

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In Chinese medicine, qi (chi) is the life energy that runs through our bodies. This energy is continuously in flux. Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments help to promote, maintain, and heal the flow of the body’s energy. The two opposing sets of attributes within our qi are Yin and Yang. Yin refers to night, dark, cold, feminine, and negative. Yang’s characteristics are day, light, warm, positive, and masculine.

Long before western medicine hit its stride, the Chinese had sourced and tested thousands of healing herbs and remedies. With regard to our bellies and intestines, Chinese Medicine offers profound methodologies for healing inflammation in the gut and extinguishing harmful microbes in the body.

Here is a sampling of some of the more popular Chinese herbs in this category. As with all medicinals, be sure to properly educate yourself, and be judicious with quantities and repetitive usage.

  • Huáng Qín (黃芩 Scutellaria baicalensis)
  • Huáng Lián (黃連 Coptis chinensis)
  • Jīn Yín Hūa (金銀花 Flos Lonicerae)
  • Lián Qiào (連翹 Forsythia suspensa)
  • Dà Qīn Yè (大青葉 Isatidis Folium)
  • Bǎn Lán Gēn (板藍根 Radix Isatidis)
  • Zǐ Huā Dì Dīn (紫花地丁 Viola yedoensis)
  • Bái Tóu Wēn (白頭翁 Pulsatilla Radix)
  • Chuān Xīn Lián (穿心蓮 Andrographis paniculata)
  • Yú Xīng Cǎo (魚腥草 Houttuynia cordata)
  • Bài Jiàn Cǎo (敗醬草 Patrinia Herba)
  • Geng Mi (粳米 Oryzae Semen)
  • Shan Zha (山楂 Fructus Crataegi)
  • Ji Nei Jin (鸡内金 Endothelium Corneum Gigeriae Galli)
  • Mai Ya (麦芽 Fructus Hordei Germinatus)
  • Chen Pi (陈皮 Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae)

Ayurvedic Herbs That Can Heal Your Gut

Ayurvedic medicine is over 5000 years old. The word Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit term, Ayur (life), and Veda (knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine is based upon the Three Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each of these biological concepts refers to tendencies and attributes found throughout our bodies and minds. Your Dosha might be one of the three or a combination of them.

Each Dosha refers to a specific set of mental processes, health blueprints, and overall physical and emotional tendencies. By balancing and healing our Doshic constructs, we become healthier, happier, and more whole.

To be safe, visit with an Ayurvedic Doctor before consuming any of these herbs.

  • Triphala
  • Shatapushpa
  • Shatavari
  • Amalaki
  • Haritaki (Terminalia chebula)
  • Kapardika Bhasma
  • Asafoetida Gum (Hing, F. foetida and F. assa-foetida)
  • Yastimadhu (Licorice, Glycyzrrhiza glabra)
  • Lavanga (Clove, Syzygium aromaticum)
  • Alsarex, Ayucid, Avipatrikar Churna

Over-The-Counter Supplements For Stomach And Bowel Issues

While every stomach and bowel illness has a unique source and required therapy, the following tried-n-true offerings will help heal your belly and improve conditions in your intestines:

  • Pepsin
  • Alka Seltzer Gold (no aspirin!)
  • Probiotics (friendly bacteria)
  • Activated Charcoal
  • Digestive Enzymes

Parasites, Bacteria, And Food Poisoning

If you’ve ever had a parasite or nasty intestinal bacteria in your gut, you know how debilitating it can be. Western medicine has found it challenging to address these things without prescribing antibiotics. Oftentimes, antibiotics only kill a portion of the little creatures that are nesting in your system. Also, over time, antibiotics can harm our most beneficial bacterias, putting us in even greater jeopardy.

In a balanced regiment, the following supplements can help counter the invasions of harmful parasites and bacteria:

  • Monolaurin
  • Propolis
  • L-Glutamine
  • Anise
  • Barberry
  • Chaparral
  • 5-MTHF (Levomefolic acid)
  • Slippery Elm
  • Rice Bran
  • Papain
  • DGL (Licorice)
  • Berberine
  • Black Walnut Seed
  • Castor Oil
  • Clove Oil
  • Peppermint Oil
  • Flaxseed Oil
  • Goldenseal
  • Grapefruit Seed Extract
  • Oregano Oil
  • Wormwood

Additional Symptoms

Sometimes stomach pain coincides with constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, bloody urine and stool, arm pain, anemia, and discomfort when urinating. If any of these things are prevalent for you, it’s time to see a medical doctor. In situations like these, it’s always best to be cautious.

In all things related to health and life: maintain a positive attitude, be ready to continually release outdated conditions and ideas, and expect the Universe to shower you with blessings. Finally, remember that thousands of miracles happen every day. Your miracle could be next.

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The Electromagnetic Nature Of Emotions

Electromagnetic nature of emotions

Electromagnetic nature of emotions. A Shutterstock Licensed Image

When we allow ourselves to feel our emotions, it’s as though hidden forces, even tidal waves, move within us. As we process them, vast amounts of space within our minds and hearts emerge. We feel lighter and more resolved. Our emotions help us evolve and teach us how to expand, yet our understanding of them is limited.

Electromagnetism is the study of electromagnetic force, which is born from interactions that occur between electrically charged particles. Particles attract, matter is formed, and energy is emitted.

Electromagnetic fields transport these forces, giving birth to electromagnetic radiation, such as light. As atoms attract via electromagnetism, they create our physical realities. We cannot exist without electromagnetism.

Lightning is the result of electrostatic discharge. Emotions are similar. When we have experiences, we immediately absorb them, and then our personalities form responses. Meanwhile, without any apparent effort, our minds and hearts funnel our experiences through our unique webs of perceptions and beliefs. At the end of this speed tunnel, and without much effort, our emotions are born.

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As ideas and imagery move through our minds and bodies, they bounce around like pinballs, creating, and provoking emotional responses. It’s in this way that emotions appear to be ultra-compact, contained hurricanes of raw energy. Since they can be stored and extracted, it means that emotions most likely have mass.

Emotions Are Somewhat Infectious

You’ve been in movie theaters and experienced waves of emotions. During specific scenes, you can almost feel the weight in the room. It’s quite possible that when we express emotions through laughter, yelps, and gasps, we release chemicals and electromagnetic discharges born from emotions. This is why being in a funeral home might feel different than being in your living room.

Are my emotions more powerful than God?

When religions tell you to ignore your emotions, they’re telling you to deny your impulses and refute your ability to expand. Since your expansion can produce your divinity, you’re a threat to every religion.

The more conscious religions will encourage you to honor your emotions, and expand your understanding of self. While it might be challenging to become self- and God-realized, religions should encourage these pursuits. What can be more critical than your expanded consciousness? Maybe nothing.

If emotions weren’t the byproduct of interactions, we’d have a better chance at controlling them.

Emotions are tiny, energy-Beings that are created and fueled by our thoughts. When we have a charged thought, whether positive or negative, we will undoubtedly experience emotions. Because we often assign meaning to our thoughts, they tend to have a flavor of angry, sad, delight, fury, excitement, and more.

While it’s difficult to control how we express our emotions during traumatic and profoundly beautiful events, it’s possible.

Emotions like love, joy, comfort, relaxation, peace, and positive passion can improve our attitudes, relationships, and immune systems.

Meanwhile, emotions like fear, hate, anxiety, shame, blame, and despair tend to deplete our energy levels and health and even kills cells. Regardless of this distinction, dormant emotions, harmful or not, must be encouraged to move.

Here’s how you might awaken or move your emotions and the related electromagnetic discharges toward your favor:

  • When having an emotion, allow it to breathe. Don’t judge it. Try to love it.
  • As it moves within you, note how much energy it requires to sustain.
  • If an emotion commandeers your passion or clarity, note its value: positive or negative.
  • If it’s negative, permit yourself to express it safely. Letting out a little steam will reduce its internal effect on you. If the feelings of negativity remain dominant, choose a modality to help you express it. You might consider crying, exercising, writing in your journal, pounding the earth, or doing a healing ritual to help you expand beyond your temporary self-identity.
  • If your feelings are positive, let them fill you up, then share them with abandon.
  • In every situation, you can choose a higher-level perspective. In doing so, your emotions will follow suit. While honoring your emotions is essential, it’s best not to fuel negative emotions. Give them their say, even a vote, but don’t give them a seat at the table or cement them into your reality.

Can We Replace Emotional and Mental Mechanisms to Make Life Easier?

Human beings do not react similarly to the same conditions, largely because our perceptions and beliefs are not uniform. Each of us is a unique machine, with indeterminable mental pathways, emotional mirrors, and projection systems. Given the complexities of each person’s life, it would be quite challenging to successfully swap one person’s wirings and inner workings for another’s.

Current technological advances seem to allude to the possibility of replacing aspects of ourselves with prosthetic emotional and mental constructs. While this is compelling, it would most likely require brain transplants, and thorough expunges of our neural networks. In cases like these, individuals would no longer be themselves. In fact, they might be considered adult new-borns.

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Where Can Our Emotions Lead Us?

Just like a compass needle, our emotions seem to point us in specific directions. Anger tends to lead to destruction, although rage can protect us, and noble fights can produce miraculous outcomes. Joy tends to point to positivity, although it can also result in permeable boundaries and unwanted pregnancies. It’s all a matter of perspective, and it’s situation-specific. If we’re careful with our emotions, we can construct formidable personalities, through which, we can create empowered lives.

What’s The Takeaway Here?

Your emotions comprise one, massive, collective organ. Each emotion is akin to a mini hurricane, which can save, protect, or heal you. Emotions either fuel your reality or feed its deconstruction. Every emotion you have is a piece of you. It lives within your body and emits electromagnetic discharges. Your emotions have a substantial influence on your overall vibration.

Treat this vital, collective organ with respect. Seek modalities and rituals that ground and nurture you, and use your words and tears to express your position. Remember that you can often choose your emotions, or at the very least, choose to improve upon them.

Finally, in all things:

  • Accept what is happening in the present moment.
  • Release your resistance to the flow.
  • Be careful when assigning meaning to circumstances, events, and relationships.
  • Focus on love, joy, and health.
  • When confronting hypocrisy and insanity, be fierce, firm, and swift.
  • Remember, the past is a canceled check.
  • Choose positive responses whenever possible.
  • Set clear boundaries so you can protect your beautiful garden.
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How To Create Miracles

Miracles

Miracles are for everyone. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Miracles are born from absolute congruence and surrender, but only when we are in our humblest and purest states of spirit.

Miracles cannot be born from ego or goals, as these trivial things are based in physical and three-dimensional realities, which are only tangential to the creation of conditions. Miracles are born in the spirit world, then handed over to our physical positions in spacetime, with our consent. From there, we must bring them to life and keep them alive.

If you’re hankerin’ for a hunk of miracle, you need not be an altar boy, Rabbi, Priest, healer, saint, Pope, Goddess, Avatar, or perfect person.

In fact, miracles tend to fall into the laps of the people who have no powers, titles, or privileges. This is because the beaten, poor, and lonely are well-practiced in humility and transparent, heart-felt requests to the Divine.

When thinking of your miracle, you might first consider why you have not received it already. Here are the top ten reasons why your miracle evades you:

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  1. The miracles you seek might be the inverse reflections of the things that you refuse to acknowledge, heal, or address in your life.
  2. Even if for brief moments, you might not have learned how to love yourself.
  3. It’s your ego’s miracle, not your spirit’s.
  4. Your anger is in the way.
  5. The miracle you seek is in direct conflict with someone else’s pain or identity.
  6. You do not yet know how to acknowledge your feelings or process your emotions.
  7. Your miracle might be too complicated and intellectualized for it to emerge from spirit.
  8. Your pain is more valuable and nutritious to your soul than the miracle you requested.
  9. You may not have recognized a specific experience as the miracle you sought.
  10. Your karma ate your miracle.

When miracles evade us, we might be refusing to grow up.

When our love miracles don’t appear, it might be that we have yet to learn how to love ourselves. If we are seeking fame-n-fortune miracles, it might be that the natures of our souls require further pain to expand beyond their current, temporary self-identities. In this case, fame and fortune would not elevate or benefit our spirits in meaningful ways. These things would merely function as pieces of candy.

This alludes to the fact that sometimes we might have a miracle in mind, but as a result of our prayers, we’re given something completely different. We may have mastered articulating our miracle. We might even be embodying perfect humility, congruence, and surrender. But amid our devotion, the Divine hears something deeper and then administers what is necessary, and possibly more in line with our root needs and spirits.

It’s in these cases that we must trust our intentions and the precise, divine answers to our calls.

There have been millions of reported miracles throughout history. These include:

  • Apparitions
  • Physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual healings
  • Saviors
  • Bleeding icons and statues
  • Appearances and disappearances of people and objects
  • Magical shrouds and hats
  • Playful ghosts
  • Stigmata and physical abnormalities
  • Incorruptible saints and paupers
  • Astronomical and planetary manifestations
  • Births and deaths
  • Money
  • Love

While many of the more sensational miracles that emerged throughout time may have been driven by religious prophecy or wishful thinking, they are nonetheless miracles. Every time that your deepest desires and intentions appear in a physical form, it could be considered a miracle.

The most lovely miracles are born from broken hearts. These humble requests are not about promoting religion or gaining position; they are simple hopes that are stated clearly and without expectation. It’s not that expectation is not helpful; it’s just not a required ingredient when creating a miracle.

The broken heart is like a beacon to the Divine. She hears us. Immediately seeing our faces, She knows our pain and embraces us. It’s in this moment that the eternal and divine consciousness grants our wishes.

Do we have to be broken to gain access to the versatile fabric of the universe?

The reason that brokenness is helpful to us is that it puts us on our knees. In this position, we are vulnerable to love and attack. When we’re broken, we are driven by our attachments and assumptions. We’re pushed outside of our minds and into our hearts. Brokenness is how we see our true natures and experience our most enduring attributes. Without moments, weeks, years, or lifetimes of brokenness, we might never know the truth.

Are you feeling separate from the eternal fabric of reality? Are you living without knowledge of your sovereignty and might? Have you forgotten that you are made of stardust?

The reason that most of us become depressed and distracted from our truths is that we allow our egos and minds to drive the train. We’ve all heard this before, but let me take a bit further. The moment you feel low and then ponder that low position, you have already cemented it into reality. Because you allowed it, you now have to dig out of it. For most of us, there’s a way to stop the madness.

How can I move past the moment when a disconnected sadness covers my heart and eyes? How do I stop enabling this, and allowing it to take hold of my Being?

As you are falling into the dark cloud, realize that you created it and that you can un-create it. While it might not be easy, in the moment you feel a falling, reach above you and call for God’s help. Reach to the stars and beg for divine light. Realize that you are not the person falling; you are the stars and light you are beckoning.

We give our minds too much power, and like any entity in power, they take us on wild, sometimes horrible rides. It’s not that our minds are bad, it’s just that they don’t offer much value when it comes to improving our feelings and protecting our individualized divinity.

To find your miracle, soften your heart, release expectations, and feel gratitude. When you’re ready, look into the eyes of the Divine and speak to your soul.

The moment we feed the temporary self-identity that our mind’s depression creates, we have lost the battle. Once we get on the train of misery, it’s tough to truncate its trajectory. It’s like being locked in a ride at Disney, but not a good one.

Sometimes our miracle-request is simply this, “Universe, Goddess, Creation, Avatars of Light, please walk me out of the darkness so that I can feel the power, light, and love infused in my soul, blood and bones. Be with me so that I can put this old identity behind me, embody your love, and represent the eternal flame.”

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Are Malta’s Secret Skulls The Remnants Of Prehistoric Aliens?

Malta's secrets

Malta is kinda spooky but seriously cool. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

In modern society, our physical and social markers tend to broadcast our social status’ to the world. From our clothing and cars to our jobs and addresses, friends and strangers continually take note. When our outward appearances align with society’s definition of wealth, other people’s opinions imbue us with access, opportunities, and power.

The same can be said of the Maltese or Malta elongated skulls, which are currently under scientific review and DNA analysis. While anything is possible in Malta, there are similar skulls around the world that appear to have been shaped manually.

“They think those the most noble who have the longest heads… and while its (newly born) head is still tender, they fashion it with their hands, and constrain it to assume a lengthened shape by applying bandages and other contrivances.”
— Hippocrates

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a fascinating, underground temple, from the (prehistoric) Neolithic period, can be found in Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, betwixt Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It was built in the Saflieni phase, somewhere between 4,500 and 2,500 BC.

Archeologists believe this ancient site to have been an important sanctuary for the early Maltese. It’s a magnificent structure, thought to be a necropolis, containing a wide variety of elaborate cemeteries filled with crypts, tombs, and monuments. The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni is where over 7,000 dolichocephalic (adjective meaning “having long skulls”) skeletons were found. Because the majority of these bones fell to dust upon first-touch, only 20 remained intact. Out of these 20, the whereabouts of only 6 of the skulls are currently known.

Conspiracy theorists love these types of stories, but the idea that these Maltese Beings were aliens has lately come under tremendous scrutiny, and for good reason. It has been proven that many of the world’s elongated skulls were achieved through artificial means.

“Children born of common parents have their heads flattened by the pressure of wooden boards.”
— Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist

Elongated Skulls Throughout The World

When these types of skulls were discovered in Peru, they were thought to be from an alien species. Over time, DNA tests proved that these 3,000-year-old skulls were manually elongated over several years, starting when individuals were babies. Strangely, there is no reported increase in cranial capacity in the known elongated skulls. All related physical compressions and manipulations were performed by parents and grandparents, and the spiritual practitioners of the time.

Archeologists and locals have found lengthened, coned skulls in a variety of places on Earth. South America, Western Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa are among some of the more famous locations where the craniums of babies were molded with bandages, clamps, and planks. While all this sounds akin to a horror movie, in some cases, this deformation was a sign that the family held a high or privileged position in society.

Families and shamans may have performed these elongations to give the perception of a strengthened identity or advancement in might. Artificial elongation may also have been used to help broken cultures redefine themselves so they might reemerge as more solvent participants in trade and commerce. Skull lengthening and flattening of the forehead, may have been a ritual of belonging, one intended to deepen the bonds within a group.

In 2013, Alsace, France archeologists discovered the skull of a female aristocrat who died in the 3rd century. Her parents, priest, or spiritual leader may have manually flattened her forehead and shaped her skull into a cone. While some believe that she was of alien descent, it’s been proven that her abnormalities were created through deliberate modification, also known as “Toulouse deformity.”

In 1960, in a cave near the borders of Iran and Turkey, in what is known as Iraqi Kurdistan, 35 intentionally shaped skulls were discovered. The same has occurred in ancient Korea, the Roman Empire, and among the Mayans, Incas, Choctaw, and Chinookan. When societies reshape their babies heads, it was often within a spiritual rite, whereby they begged the Gods to bring them health, well-being, and favor.

Scientific Study of The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

There have been many false reports stating that the dolichocephalic skulls at the Malta Hypogeum were of alien origin. When scientists began to confront the reporters and conspiracy theorists about their supposed findings, it all came crumbling down. To date, there has not been an investigation or proof that points to these skulls being extraterrestrials.

This is all about to change. In the past year, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Malta and Australia began. The working title of the project is “The Sentinels of Ħal Saflieni, Malta: Science Facts versus Science Fiction.” While many scientists and archeologists are hoping to participate, access has been restricted to Heritage Malta and The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage at Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia

Initially excavated by a handful of archeologists, the most prominent one, and the man who documented the original skeletons, is Sir Themistocles “Temi” Zammit, a noted Maltese expert. Even though several teams explored the site, no one has reported anything that either supports or refutes the notion of the skulls being of alien origin.

Other scientific researchers had previously been given access to the site, include published authors, Dr. Anton Mifsud, and Dr. Charles Savona Ventura. The first published papers on the site were probably scribed by a man named Emmanuel Magri, who’s documentation has apparently disappeared. He stated that there were originally over 33,000 skeletons within the halls of The Hypogeum, not 7,000, which has since been chiseled down to 6.

“(The Malta Hypogeum) is indisputably a place of global significance for understanding the evolution of intellect, creativity, technology, and culture, at the key stage when human groups were making critical transitions to agricultural strategies.”
— Heritage Malta

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Malta’s Culture Is a Conundrum

Malta is the home to many haunting stories and conspiracy theories. Verified sightings refer to a colorful list of haunted theaters, farmhouses, hotels, hospitals, Cathedrals, and palaces. There are even reports of soul-stirring screams, strange visitors, giant humanoids and disappearing children.

The tiniest country in the EU, Malta is considered an advanced economy with high income. It’s been ruled by the Greeks, Romans, Moors, Turks, French and British. It achieved independence in 1964, joined the EU in 2004, and became a member of the Eurozone in 2008. The Eurozone includes 19 EU member states which have adopted the euro.

With an improved economy that’s dependent on foreign trade, electronics manufacturing, tourism, and financial/banking services, the island has been going through an extraordinary economic and cultural transformation. With growing populations and rising real estate costs, Malta appears to have the mystique of Monaco, and the sensibilities of an island village.

Malta’s Hidden Secrets

Malta is a haven for secrets, lies, and all things supernatural. Whether the islands of Malta and their Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum are also home to ancient, alien civilizations will hopefully be revealed soon.

As the scientists complete their research, consider these questions: Why has it taken so long to test the DNA of Malta’s famous skulls? Why were Emmanuel Magri’s ground-zero reports never published? Why have his original notebooks mysteriously disappeared? Why has the number of reported skeletons changed from 33,000 to 20,000 to 7,000 to 100 to 20, and more recently to 6? This story may be far more interesting than previously thought.

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Dragonflies Are The Forgers of Creation And Carriers Of Ancient & Alien Secrets

Dragonflies

Dragonflies are remarkable little Beings! A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

One might see dragonflies as insects of no substance, or little animals that are of little consequence to our lives here on Earth. We might even feel a hint of fear when seeing a dragonfly on a nearby tree.

With streaks of emerald greens, royal blues, and bright scarlets, sprinkled across multiple sets of wings and scales, Dragonflies have an other-worldly appearance. At rest, they are tall and erect, using two sets of hands as they build, connect, and tend to each other.

To the Native Americans, these beautiful creatures remind us that living in this world can cause us to attach to fantasies, illusions, and delusions. The Hopis believe that dragonflies have supernatural powers and a shamanistic presence. Because dragonflies are born in the water and ascend to the skies, Native elders see dragonflies as representatives of pure water, and liaisons to the Sky-Gods.

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In some cultures, The Great Winged Friend might act as our divine-intercessor, guiding us in our pursuits of clarity, creativity, and blessings. By creating whirlwinds of thought and movement, the dragonfly can help us distract and fool our enemies.

As mystical coaches, the dragonfly encourages us to ground and manifest our dreams, as we seek validation for our natures in this complex three-dimensional reality. To some, these vibrant angels are embodiments of love, light, and joy.

 

“Dragonflies are reminders that we are light, and we can reflect light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.”― Robyn Nola

 

Throughout Ireland and Scotland, the dragonfly has often been associated with magic and fairies. In Scandinavian folklore, the Æsir cult glorified the dragonfly as the symbol of the love goddess, Freya.

In Japan and China, these powerful winged-Beings are known to be special, holy animals, with the potential to protect and heal those in need. They might be our spiritual judges, here to evaluate whether the souls around us are good or bad.

In some mythologies, dragonflies were the harbingers of magnificence, the gatekeepers who protect the doors that lead to the other realms. In all its legends, the dragonfly represents a doer, an abundance of spiritual energy, and one of the most expeditious travelers between dimensions.

When we think of dragonflies, the adjectives that emerge include agility, powerful, lucky, peaceful, graceful, light-filled, transformational, pure, wise, and enlightened. With these things in mind, the dragonfly could potentially inspire our spiritual advancement and liberation.

The Science of Dragonflies

Believe it or not, there is a Worldwide Dragonfly Association that promotes the research and conservation of all the species of the world’s dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). Collectively known as the Odonata, they form a “clade” or “clatus” (latin), a group of living-Beings who have a common ancestor, and embody one branch on the eternal Tree of Life.

While their magnificence has few equals, dragonflies often take a majestic stance, with their mighty wings held outward from their sides. Damselflies are more slender, almost demure. In physical stances that appear to be protective, they raise their pinions over their bodies, whether they are threatened, at rest, or at play.

NASA has named its latest rover, “Dragonfly,” which is being considered for exploration on Saturn’s massive moon, Titan.

Dragonflies can travel at over 60 miles per hour and stop in the batting of an eyelash. They do the same things in reverse. They breed in wild fashion near streams and lakes and have been traversing planet Earth for over 300 million years. They’re zen warriors, and unless grabbed, cupped, and violently attacked, they will never seek human flesh for a casual bite.

Are Dragonflies Descendants of Aliens?

Many of our planet’s early prophets and seers were able to channel the truth about Earth’s humble beginnings. In deep trances, they saw the many varieties of alien lifeforms that visited, pollinated, and then inhabited our Earth.

According to these shamans, one of these living-Beings, who at that time was nearer to the size of a human being, was akin to today’s dragonfly. It might be that long ago; dragonflies governed several aspects of life here on Earth.

These shamans saw that the dragonfly-Beings came from a remote double-star known as Gamma Andromedae or Almach (also Almaak, Almak, and Alamak). Almach is the third brightest pinnacle of light in the constellation Andromeda, and 350 light-years from Earth.

When forming this planet and its many species, the original creators must have imagined the most coveted attributes to infuse into the creatures they were creating. Speed, power, flight, agility, magic, and grace would probably have been among them. By bringing the dragonfly and damselfly to Earth, the original creators blessed it.

These creatures were created with such magnificent artistry! It would be hard to deny that they weren’t meant to be at least companions for some of Earth’s original species and power-Beings.

Dragonflies: History, Physique, Eyes, and Sex

The dragonfly and damselfly have been around for over 325 million years, in some form or another. While today’s dragonfly wingspan is often two to five inches, their ancient relatives had wings that spanned several feet.

There are over 5000 species of these lovely creatures, in 348 genera, with 11 families.

With ferocious, serrated teeth, dragonflies are cold-blooded predators, eating a variety of insects, butterflies, mosquitos, moths, animal matter, damselflies, and smaller dragonflies.

They’ll catch over 95% of the prey they pursue. Akin to humans, they can be are found anywhere from sea level up to around 12,000 feet. They live on every continent, except Antarctica.

The eyes of dragonflies are comprised of nearly 24,000 ommatidia. An ommatidium is a hexagon-shaped photoreceptor, surrounded by supportive and pigment cells.

When you examine the colors of today’s dragonflies, you will find that they are covered in thousands of colors, many of which have not been recorded by science. The dragonfly and damselfly are remarkable in every way.

Mating for dragonflies is a bit of “Tarzan meets Jane.” Flying in tandem, the male will hold the back of the female’s head while the female rolls her stomach under her body. This is how the female catches sperm from the male’s secondary genitalia at the front of his abdomen. Besides the male having two sex organs, a fascinating aspect here is that when the two bellies are united, they form a heart. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is!

From Nymphs to Dragonflies

Far from being your average insect, dragonflies are born in the water and live as nymphs or larvae for up to 5 years. At this stage of their lives, they have huge eyes, six legs, and a rounded, sectioned stomach. Akin to fish, they breathe through gills.

Once nymphs grow to adulthood, they crawl out of the water, shed their nymph skin, and rebirth as strong, young adults. It takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days for their four wings to emerge, dry and harden.

The time before their wings emerge is considered the “teneral” stage, which means “delicate and tender.” During this brief period, they are weak and cannot fly, which makes them especially vulnerable to predators.

Within a week of leaving the water, dragonfly nymphs complete their adult maturation and are ready to fly. When hiking near water, you might see a nymph’s hollow exoskeleton, which might be mistaken for a transparent, lifeless cricket.

From their first flight to their last, dragonflies are flexible aviators who can hover like helicopters, or fly up, down, and sideways. They can fly for several weeks at a time, and up to 100 miles a day.

These airborne hunters will die within a year of emergence from their shells, most of them expiring within a few months. Our powerful friends will rarely die from old age. Most will be hunted, caught and eaten by falcons, swifts, flycatchers, nighthawks, and other birds, along with lizards, frogs, fish, and wasps.

Snakes and Dragonflies

In folklore and life, dragonflies and snakes appear to have a secret alliance. There have been many reports showing these two creatures connecting, with the dragonfly resting atop the snake’s nose. According to legend and eyewitnesses, when snakes are in trouble, dragonflies will fly to their rescue.

Because of their “needles,” tools that can stitch wounds and heal the sick, they have been called “snake doctors” or “snake pilots.” American naturalist, John K. Strecker said, “Unless you cut off a snake’s head, a “snake doctor” can bring it back to life, even though its body may have been badly mutilated.”

Dragonflies embody a complex set of attributes. They represent the water and wind, the power of warriors, and the grace that be found through enlightenment. Because of their short lifespans, dragonflies are always living in the present moment. Having to endure multiple births in their lives, they teach us about the temporal natures of our physical realities, bodies, and self-identities.

Their transformations from nymph to teneral to dragonfly, are representative of our personal transformations. As they push from stage to stage, and from Earth to flight, these beautiful little Beings show us how grateful they are to be alive. In life, love, transitions, relationships, and more – BECOME THE DRAGONFLY!

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Unlock The Hidden Secrets of Your Personalities

hidden secrets of personalities

Our Personalities Are Temporary Self-Identities! A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Some life lessons are hard to swallow, but the toughest ones are those which push us toward a greater self-understanding. With an expanded sense of Self, we make better decisions and our lives are more peaceful and productive, even healthier. What determines our growth is not warm-fuzzy, white-light vision-boards; rather, it’s the actions we take toward fulfilling our dreams of self-realization that determine our growth and success.

Each of us is an ever-changing chemical equation in pursuit of connection and equanimity. We know that our personal alchemy and happiness are dependent upon our thoughts and desires, but without investment through action, nothing in our physical realities will change.

Working in the background of our daily lives and relationships is a set of powerful personalities. This buoyant, loyal, feisty group of secret identities is what we use to interact with the world. By confronting, healing, and up-leveling each of these personalities, we in turn release emotions, people, events, beliefs, and paradigms that no longer serve our evolution. In the process, we transform this life, as well as prior and future lives.

The Purpose of Personalities

Every experience results in the accumulation of attitudes, intentions, and beliefs, which live in us like magnets. Left unchecked, our internal magnets can attract undesirable experiences to our lives. These magnets also form identity masks (personalities) within us, which also attract experiences and act as the engines behind our actions. We are at the mercy of these amorphous, embedded constructs until we recognize, heal, and release them. While some of our personalities are helpful or benign, the rest of the crew can be a force to reckon with.

Our core personalities act as the collective machine that drives our lives. Much like our spirits use our bodies to live in physical realities, we use our primary personalities to engage the world, make friends, get jobs, and get attention. By temporarily naming and then exploring our personalities, we make them more relatable in the moment, which helps us process unattended emotions, imagery, and experiences. Doing so, we increase our ability to forgive ourselves and others. As a result, our awareness expands and we grow.

Over time, we evolve and our core personality sets change. At the ends of our lives, we drop all personalities and return to Source.

This does not mean that our souls die: it means we go back to an existence without pretense or construct, a state we can achieve while living in our bodies in the here and now.

Return to Source

According to the most ancient spiritual traditions, the purpose of life is to release the features within us that are incongruent with the Source of all life. This is what the masters who have appeared throughout time have taught us. Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Quan Yin, Amma, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, Osho, Thich Nhat Hanh, Sai Baba and all the light beings who brighten our spirits, point to oneness with creation, a merging with eternity.
They desire for us to go through the process of Self-realization, seeking Nirvana, the state of the perfect non-existence of self-serving desires. Some people pursue this clear state by praying, chanting, or living monastic lives, but the majority of us utilize relational and emotional modalities to serve our spiritual advancement. These tools bring us closer to the Self, expanding our awareness, clarity, and sense of freedom.

By exploring and finding empathy for the broad spectrum of human attributes inherent in the human condition, we move closer to the Source.

By seeing ourselves in every living being we experience and interact with, we become free. With our intentions and actions focused on embracing all aspects of the human condition, we awaken.

The Challenge

How do we begin this type of deep exploration? There are powerful rituals that can bring us closer to ourselves. From Sweat Lodges and Pagan Rituals to advanced energy work and self-cleansing modalities, we have many options.

The challenge is that most of us do not have the simplicity of life to allow a one-time workshop or Vision Quest to take hold in our lives in a longer-term, meaningful way. And even though we might recite positive thoughts and mantras, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know these things are often not powerful enough to break our emotional and psychological bondage. In many ways, traditional new age modalities are temporary, egotistic, problematic, and narcissistic.

We cannot advance without a measure of deep exploration and momentary pain. We might achieve a state of clarity for a moment, but it doesn’t mean we can sustain it or necessarily benefit from it. Even if we sit in meditation for 10 days and eat vegetarian food while focused on our navel, the positive effects will easily wear off if we do not upkeep the efforts. Consistency in positive, transformative, and cleansing action is what returns us to ourselves and keeps us there.

You can breathe white light out your crown chakra all day long, but there’s no guarantee your mind will not consume you in the hours that follow.

Slowing down for long enough to achieve lasting transformation is a challenge we all face. There are few systems in place that can give us true transformation. Most of the spiritual teachings we regularly consume are bundles of candy. They feel so good, they’re pretty, they’re delivered by sexy yogis, they create positive vibrations and they inspire a sense of openness for a moment. But a week later, what has truly changed? Very little.

The path of the Shaman and spiritual aspirant consists of an equal balance of exploring the light and opening the doors to the shadows. This path takes into account the balance of light and dark inherent in the universe. We cannot sit in the light and expect lasting change.

The universe is everything, both light, and dark. If, while consuming the light, we are not dancing with the dark, we are missing the point. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. He wasn’t playing charades or writing positive thoughts on index cards. He was dealing with his shit and the shit in all of the universes. We all have the same opportunity but rarely pursue it.

The Work

6 years in development, Paul’s The Personality Cards, and Blended Soul app, are tools that can help you deepen your process of self-exploration. If you wish to do the work without a toolset, here’s what I recommend:

  1. Sit quietly with your journal and write down a list of your positive attributes.
  2. Write down a list of people who you believe are personifications of these attributes.
  3. Write down a list of your negative and bizarre attributes.
  4. Write down a list of the people who are reflections of these attributes.
  5. Pick the 3 most-exaggerated people from each list.
  6. One by one, look into each personality and be honest about how you resemble each person. Explore each attribute and look at how you have behaved in similar ways.
  7. Be honest with yourself about your ugliness. Express regret, find your anger, find the sadness beneath your anger and let it all go.
  8. Find forgiveness for yourself and others in every instance related to these 6 personalities.
  9. Contemplate the images that have haunted you or oppressed you. Focus on the emotions and let them out. Release your attached to the images and the emotions. Clear the slate so that you can become new.
  10. Celebrate your positive attributes and commit to realigning with them in all of your future endeavors.
  11. Write down your thinking and emotional processes as you go through this activity.
  12. Allow several hours or several days to complete a thorough exploration and full-body release. Do whatever it takes.
  13. Once complete, keep a list of the attributes you are hoping to embody throughout the rest of your life.
  14. Repeat this process when you feel cloudy or uncertain about who you are.

Enjoy Your Clarity

After going through this process, you will have a newfound clarity. Your mind will be more at ease and your heart will be open and full. Go deep and find clarity.

The purpose here is to embody a high level of acceptance for who you really are, who other people are and what reality is. There is no quick path to remove all of our false projections. There is only the expanding of your awareness, which most often comes through an intensely emotional experience. Without emotion, there is little chance wisdom will prevail.

Seek to know all parts of you. Do not run away from the shadows and challenges deep within your psyche. Cleanse them by opening the doors to the light. While the pain might feel unbearable, it is temporary.

This is an ongoing process. Continue to explore and release emotions around the imagery you obsess about. Grieve every image and every personality. Always seek the release of negative attributes and allow for the deepest awareness around every situation.

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The Potential Changes

The more you are able to cleanse the emotions from your physical body and the more you are able to shed light on your shadows, the more you will evolve. This evolution will create greater simplicity in your life. It will be a letting go on every level. The value is that by climbing all of these emotional mountains, you give yourself the ability to climb every mountain and face every obstacle in your physical reality.

The more you go through these processes, the more you will see changes in your jobs, security, love life, personal life, and relationships. Upon every letting go of emotion, you’ll release or change your magnets. With fewer magnets, there are fewer attachments.

By going through these types of processes, you will change at a core level. This means that some of the people in your life may leave, new people may emerge and life will feel different. The degree to which you commit to this process will be equal to the level of peace that will emerge in your life.

Throughout this process, you will learn whether or not your family is an age-old addiction or a valuable tribe of compatriots. You will learn about your inner monsters and their ill-effects in your life. Most importantly, you will learn how to be connected to the Source of all life. While this takes time, each step can be freeing, illuminating, and exciting.

Born From a Divine Spark

We are all born from divine sparks. These sparks, however pure, cannot prevent us from adopting debilitating characteristics and attitudes. However difficult, healing these aspects helps us evolve.

You are invited to explore, embrace, forgive, and celebrate all aspects within yourself and others. Imagine the personalities living in your core. See each of them as a reflection of you and the people in your life. See each one as a representation of an aspect of the universe calling you to love, heal, and master it. May this process help you move successfully past your stories and closer to emotional and spiritual freedom.

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