February 2008 Change Your Thoughts and Change Your World

If you have read either of Lynne McTaggert's books, The Field or The Power of Intention, you may be  familiar with the organization she founded based on her books. Living the Field.com is a fascinating website (www.livingthefield.com), that offers a variety of information on the latest discoveries in the field of mind/body energy, as well as opportunities to participate in experiments, learn about study results, take online classes, as well as information about Lynne's live lectures. A recent newsletter I received contained two articles that I thought you would find of interest:

"CHANGING YOUR SCRIPT"

Evidence shows that the mind-over-matter effect of thoughts works similarly, whatever the target. In other words, the scripts we write about others have the same power as those we write about ourselves.

When we think of our husband as uncaring or our children poor at math, are we unconsciously writing their script for them? Do our thoughts have the same effect on others that we do upon ourselves?

Psychologist William Braud is one of the few scientists to have examined this question. He gathered a group of volunteers and asked them to carry out biofeedback on themselves. After pairing off the group, he attached one member of each pair to the biofeedback equipment, but asked the other partner to respond to the readings and carry out the sending of mental instructions.

According to Braud’s evidence, the results were equivalent to those achieved when the patient on the equipment used biofeedback on himself. In other words, the mind-over-matter effect of thoughts had the same physical effect, whether used on the thinker’s own body or somebody else’s.

This suggests that another person’s intentions about you, and even their daily thoughts about you, your habits and capabilities, may become a self-fulfilling prophesy, and indeed be just as powerful as your own ‘script’ about yourself.

Even our casual thought about others, as well the ‘script’ we’ve written about them, may become an intention, and so should be approached with care.

In working out your life’s script for yourself and others, it’s important to slow down long enough to study your thoughts.

• Create a ‘life’s script’ journal for yourself and begin making entries about yourself and each member of your family.
• Write down the judgements you make about yourself or your family members about their work, performance at school, appearance, neatness, personal habits, manners and the like.
• Now in a separate column, note how many of those judgements have become reality. Also note how many you’d like to change.
• Now, begin writing a new script. See your husband and children performing well on the job and at school, and being more loving, demonstrative and helpful at home.
• Start sending daily intentions for them to embody that script. Visualize your children doing well at school and helping with the chores at home.
• Begin taking note of any changes that occur, both in your perceptions and in your loved ones.
• Now consider your present life’s script. How is it sabotaging your own happiness and that of your loved ones?
• What about the life script you have for others in your environment—your office workers, boss, friends and distant family? Study your views of them and, if need be, change the script.

"BLESS THE WORLD"

Try to transform your anger and hate into blessing.

Swiss entrepreneur Pierre Pradervand, discovered the power of blessing and wrote about it in his book The Gentle Art of Blessing (Llandeilo: Cygnus Books, 2005). After being ousted from his company, he was consumed by anger and hatred for the people who’d removed him from his highly satisfying job – even though he knew that preoccupying himself with these negative thoughts were only doing himself harm. It was when he stumbled onto the phrase from the Sermon on the Mount that he discovered the technique that would later transform his life: “Bless those that curse you”.

“Suddenly, everything became clear,” wrote Pradervand. “This is what I had to do. Bless my former ‘persecutors’. Right then and there, I started to bless them in every way imaginable: in their health and their joy, their finances and their work, their family relations and their peace, their abundance and their goodness.

“By blessing, I mean wishing from the bottom of the heart, in total sincerity, the very best for that person—his or her complete fulfillment and deepest happiness. It is the most important dimension of blessing: a sincerity that comes from the heart. This is the power that transforms and heals, elevates and restores.”

Before long, Pradervand began blessing anyone he encountered during every day: people on buses or in the supermarket.

Pradervand discovered immediate benefits; life became filled with joy and his hatred disappeared. However, he also discovered other, more subtle changes —long-standing obstacles seemed to dissolve, and people who resented him often demonstrated an immediate change of heart.

At a benefit concert he was helping to organize, the technician at the concert hall took an inexplicable dislike to him and refused to handle the sound system and lighting — and indeed removed all the microphones off the stage just two hours before the concert was due to begin. Pradervand quelled the anger that surged up and silently started blessing him – in every way he could imagine.

After just two sentences of blessing, Pradervand was stunned by a complete transformation in the man. “Where a few seconds earlier we had seen a hate-filled expression, suddenly a beautiful smile appeared. He went to his lab, came back with a pile of mikes, recommended the best ones to my friend, and wished us a wonderful evening.”

Note:The above articles were modified slightly to accommodate the date of publication (they were originally written as part of New Year Resolution articles).

A Healthy Immune System

By: Rebecca Gerard, Licensed and Registered Dietitian

It’s that time of year again and it seems like everyone around us is sniffling, sneezing, and coughing. As the outdoor temperatures and humidity drop, viruses begin to thrive and it is important to pay close attention to your immune system. A healthy immune system is vital for maintaining overall health. Here are a few tips to keep you on the “healthy” track.

1. Limit processed/refined sugars: Research suggests that just 1 tablespoon of sugar suppresses the immune system for up to 6 hours. The average soft drink has 8 tablespoons of sugar. So count your sugar grams on the food label and try to keep daily sugar consumption to less than20 grams/day and not all at once.

2. Eat an adequate amount of daily calories: To learn your estimated daily calories multiply your weight by 10 and that is the minimum number of calories you should eat daily.

3. Limit processed/cooked fats: It seems to depress the immune system and increase you risk for infection.

4. Probiotics enables us to properly digest and absorb the nutrition in our food. I recommend either eating 8 oz of organic yogurt daily or taking a probiotic supplement before meals. Probiotics can include acidophilus, bifidus to name a few.

5. A balanced diet of plenty of raw fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein both animal and plant, and essential fats. I recommend all of these foods on a small plate at meals and make sure that you include the rainbow of colors. This will ensure all the essential vitamins and minerals.

6. Research is mixed as to whether isolated supplements like multi vitamins seem to support the immune system. In fact some of them may cause more harm than good. It is best to get your nutrition from whole food. If you find that you do not or can’t eat certain food groups then a whole food concentrate may be recommended like dehydrated fruits and vegetables.

If you find yourself with the above symptoms of the flu or a cold then here are a few things you can do to decrease the symptoms or get over faster:

1. Drink plenty of fluids, especially warm fluids like hot decaffeinated tea. Generally half your body weight in ounces or more is suggested. A small amount of lemon and honey can be helpful as well and it can soothe a sore throat.

2. Get at least 8 hours or more of rest a night. Take a nap as well.

3. Avoid foods that lower the immune system, like sugar.

4. Don’t skip meals. Even if you are not hungry try and eat something small that includes protein. Protein supports that immune system.

5. Take extra of your whole food supplement.

6. Zinc lozenges* can be soothing as well and can act as an immunostimulant.

For further support, please email or call Rebecca at 407.426.2691 or eathealthy@bellsouth.net.

*Note: My favorite zinc lozenge supplement in by Kal, called LoZincges. See Recommended for more information. ~ Andrea



The Wit of George Carlin...

I recently received this email said to have been written by George Carlin after the death of his wife. I thought you might enjoy his perspective on why we need to value each and every moment:

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies tha n ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you c a n give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?

                        George Carlin