Elson M. Haas MDI have written this last program to be able to indulge in my idealistic philosophy of human potential and perfection. I hope and believe that many of these idealized concepts can be practically applied to our daily lives. It seems appropriate and synchronistic that I am beginning to write this program on Sunday, September 20, 1987, with these words in front of me:
- I AM A SPIRITUAL BEING, AGELESS AND ETERNAL. The idea that the older one gets, the more one slows down may be a widely accepted belief, but I do not accept it. I am a spiritual being, expressing the ageless, eternal life of God. I do not look upon sickness as something that is synonymous with accrued age. I erase from my mind every thought and belief that would age or idle me either physically or mentally. (from the Daily Word, a spiritual publication of the Unity Church).
This section is not a discussion of death and dying per se, although that is an important topic, especially in this day of artificially prolonged life and unnatural, difficult death. The way in which I view death, which is also how it is described by those who have died and returned, is that our spirit and body separate, our body remaining on the earth and our spirit moving toward “Heaven” with complete awareness of the spiritual world from whence it came, full of timeless consciousness and life.
This discussion of immortality and optimum life obviously cannot be easily separated from religion and spirituality. This program is, in fact, about the spiritual awareness, or the “essence of things,” existing in human life. It addresses many aspects of optimum lifestyle and consciousness.
What is immortality? It is usually defined as eternal life or exemption from death. In our Western culture, it seems to have more to do with fame, with one’s actions in life being planted deeply in the memory of subsequent generations. Spiritual immortality arises from our ability to carry on life simply and to nourish ourselves, our family, and our world. Fame, however, may be more a matter of material immortality through monuments, books, and records. Movie and rock stars, writers, musicians, and political leaders seem to lead the lists of famous immortals. Although fame may catapult some people into mass immortality, we all are immortal insofar as our lives have touched others and are remembered through our family genealogies and our careers, as our work, children, and influences on others leave part of us with them. Our greatest sense of immortality may lie in our bonds with our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Many of these circumstances of notoriety, fame, or remembrance may last hundreds or even thousands of years; however, that does not make them truly eternal or immortal. “I dance for life, and death is something I am sure to live through,” says Bethany ArgIsle, founder of The Moment Museum Corporation.
For most of us, immortality is the sense that “something,” some essence of ourselves, lives on after our death. Many people believe that the spirit is eternal, that it never dies, while death of the body is inevitable; we accept death as natural, like birth. Native Americans believe in the awareness of the right time to die, which then opens the way for the new beings to populate Earth.
Many cultures also believe in the possibility of a future existence, when our spiritual being may again enter a physical form and carry on the evolution of consciousness. Some of us remember (experience “re-memories”) previous lives that may influence us in our current life. Although science cannot easily prove or disprove this concept, this philosophy of reincarnation is prevalent in many religions and spiritual paths.
Our personal beliefs regarding death or eternal life may deeply affect our daily existence, attitudes, ideology, and activities. In regard to an “immortalist” philosophy, the question of whether we live forever in our physical body is not the issue here, but feeling as if we do allows us to live every day with a new attitude. We may be more relaxed, be less limited, overcome challenges more easily, feel more motivation and responsibility to our world, be more courageous and enthusiastic about learning new skills or trades (even in later years), forgive and let go of past experiences, and generally take life less seriously with a sense of being part of a greater universe.
Our ego seems attached to our physical form. Our spiritual nature or consciousness is what will live on eternally. Immortalists believe that awareness and consciousness, knowledge and wisdom, and harmonizing with the natural and universal laws, are all part of our eternal path. When we believe that life is a continuum of growth and evolution of our being, we become more responsible for our thoughts, actions, and health. We also believe in karmic patterns—that all of our actions create waves in the cosmic energy that affect the entire universe and ourselves again at some time. The “Golden Rule” is the essence here: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In a sense, maybe even more appropriate for today is “do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.”
Karma can also be seen as a balancing force in the universe. Even supposedly evil acts may be programmed through some karmic patterns. With ignorance and unconsciousness still part of the earth’s energy vibration, we attract both light and dark experiences and cycles.
Being immortalist in concept and action enhances our responsibility for life—our planet, our children, our own bodies, and each other. We must serve life and do the best we can to care for our human body, supporting and allowing it to be a clean, clear temple of the living Spirit. We want to live at the peak of our potential and express our purpose. Most of us begin with health, vitality, full life potential, and a clean temple and then interfere with it by our lifestyle (and environment), which affects our thoughts and actions and subsequently our outcome and experience, or that of our children’s, who must deal with our actions. When we are not in touch with or believe in a spiritual, “immortal” philosophy, we may then generate and perpetuate an acceptance of a more “deathist” philosophy where we treat our body with self-abusive habits, as if it matters very little, appearing as if we would just as soon destroy it and get out of here as fast as possible; this seems to correlate with a consciousness that also supports war or destructive relationships of any type—getting the most out of a situation rather than giving the most, or better yet, seeking balance and harmony.
Believing in death as an ominous presence and an end, as many people do, allows other feelings, such as fear, helplessness, apathy, limitation, and self-deception, to enter, as described in Rebirthing: The Science of Enjoying All of Your Life, by Jim Leonard and Phil Laut. We then have no choice in life and live as if it will be over sooner or later, so why try to be our best or create optimum health. The “death” that is hidden in each of our cells then affects our health, life, and consciousness. Accepting death (or illness or aging) is like accepting the concept that three meals a day is right or that consuming animal meats is necessary for health. That has been most people’s experience and beliefs, yet if we do not allow other possibilities, we can never know for sure or may limit potential new experiences. Those with a deathist philosophy may actually develop an urge to die, become judgmental, and resist change. Many deathists struggle inwardly with life and its issues and challenges. Others live more through their children, whom they may see as life, than through their own capabilities, purpose, and potentials.
With this deathist philosophy, we can more easily accept destructive health- and life-destroying habits, eat dead foods, and take dangerous devitalizing drugs—because we are going to die anyway. In the Bible and other religious and spiritual writings, disease represents sin and the presence of Satan in the body. The Essene Gospel of Peace, as translated by Edmond Szekely, suggests that fasting can clear Satan (representing negative thinking, disease, and death) and sin from our body and shine new light on our life. After three days of fasting, Satan starves, and we start to feel more alive and positive (although we may meet our own shadow and darkness during those days). And then we can begin to live fully every day beyond fear of death or “the end.” We realize that there is no end—life is eternal, consciousness is a forever-moving force of which we are its key vehicle. We are of it, and it is of us. Feeling more immortal than mortal can actually help us be even more involved with and grateful for life and enjoy it with greater abundance, grace, and success because we can look beyond the shortcomings and problems, handle stress, and be positive and motivated toward our future.
Much that I have written in this book is supportive of optimum life, vitality, and longevity. How we feed ourselves influences all of these by-products and also may provide the basis for our attitudes and activities in life. Remember, good foods, good thoughts, good actions—and in that order. And feeling good about ourselves, loving ourselves, will generate the desire for good foods.
Breathing provides our primary nutrition, oxygen, and is at the center of life experience, attitude, and feeling immortal, eternal, and connected to Spirit. Some breathing techniques may help us better deal with life and move away from degenerative and death activities. Rebirthing (or conscious breathing) is one such technique. It is said to help us open up to memories, both of this life and possibly of other lifetimes, to experience total recall. Some body therapies or certain therapists or healers may also help us release memory patterns stored in our body tissues. There may even be, as some advanced therapists suggest, specific acupuncture points connected to these energies.
Many teachers believe that unpleasant memories are what create disease. Past negative or painful experiences that still live inside us and generate emotions of anger, frustration, fear, isolation, and hate must be handled. Forgiveness and integration of the past is essential to living totally and healthfully in the present.
Remembering and processing these past experiences in a loving, supportive way helps us to heal aspects of our life that may have been painful and generated some “deathist” attitudes. Until we can become aware of previous experiences, we cannot really deal with them. As we release these patterns, the emotions that have been blocked can be integrated more easily and clearly. The process of moving from disease to healing requires bridging the subconscious-conscious separations through reacquiring self-knowledge. Re-memory that comes from breathing, therapy, and meditation allows us to listen and learn and helps us to gain access to our subconscious while conscious. Very deeply, we already know everything we need to know to heal and guide us through our life.
Although immortalists may do all they can to carry on life, support health, and bring about healing in and around them, paradoxically they may have little or no attachment to the physical form. So they care and they do not care—that is, they care about spiritual values more than about the body—and these values actually motivate deeper concern for the physical condition; the body is a vehicle to carry out their purpose and expression. Their beliefs may allow them to lay their life on the line and be capable of going all the way to serve their “divine mission,” and this state of being usually follows a feeling of being tapped for a special purpose. Truly, we each have a special purpose, yet usually this becomes more significant when it goes beyond the self. The bigger Self is humanity and the spiritual realm, or God. St. Francis of Assisi attempted to bring unity to his followers and those around him. He wanted people to come together toward a greater vision, to stay connected, and build together—a church, a community, a spiritually bonded life. He found this difficult, as most were involved in their own “path” or reality. This message is likewise important today, in this “Aquarian Age”—where larger families might merge together for greater vision, grander feats, and greater service. Yet most of us are too busy to take the time to join with others to create new models for our future that might go beyond our “self” world.
Oftentimes, to reach this level of connection and commitment of immortalism, we must experience some ego death (even going through a near physical death experience), where our spiritual sense becomes dominant. The love emotion enters all aspects of our being and life. As our commandments begin “Love thy God with all thy heart” and “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” it is clear that our spiritual guidance and others’ well-being are top priorities in a devoted life. One practicing immortalist, Marilena Silbey, told me, “We create immortality every time we express love.”
Yet to understand immortality, we must look at the duality of our universe. Even love has its opposite expressions, such as hate or aggression. Immortality in one sense is the opposite of death, although when we speak of the essence or oneness—the Tao or God that exists beyond duality—that itself is immortal or eternal. Immortality in a deeper sense offers us greater spiritual power, vitality, and wisdom, and the subsequent longevity enters as we support love, attract light, and approach and affirm unity within us and outside us. Death itself is a duality; it may represent an end, yet it may be a doorway to our future and other dimensions.
In the truest sense, even peace and war are dualities. On a personal level, most of us prefer peace and light and love, the positive aspects of life. Yet, in a universal dimension, the dark or negative side may dominate at times, expressing itself as violence and war, and even natural disasters. Darkness and light need each other to exist; this is the nature of duality.
The simple symbol of the Tai Chi, or universal unity, represented by the yin-yang circle, reveals a spot of light in the darkness and a spot of darkness in the light. Nothing exists exclusively as light or dark on the earth plane. At the extremes, they become their opposite. This dual nature of the world also is relevant in our individual search or struggle for healing and optimum health. Oftentimes, in seeking more light, we struggle with our shadow or dark side, which wants to exist also. Even the healthiest people have symptoms, illnesses, or personal struggles they must handle. Balance here is the key; integrating both sides is essential.
Our spiritual essence, however, can take us beyond this duality to discover the power and rhythm of the universe. Many people find this solace in meditation, religion, or chanting of spiritual words or songs. Part of our human challenge is to ascend beyond or above this earthly duality and associate with the spiritual level, and being a “carrier of the light” allows us to illuminate our individual and collective paths. As we go beyond our awareness of light and dark and the dealings with our personal doubts, fears and life struggles (the specific interactions of light and dark), as well as our ego and desires, we may then reach that point of nothingness and eternity together (a touch or feeling of the immortal essence). Yet, even as we might experience this advanced state for a moment, we must still live in and care for our body and life, integrating our divinity with our humanity.
Historically, the science of alchemy understood this interplay of duality and our earthly challenge to rise above a mundane existence. This polarity was represented by the light and dark, masculine and feminine, yang and yin, and sun and moon. The path toward unity takes us from the struggles and stresses we experienced toward greater peace and harmony in our lives. This unity, termed the “mystical marriage” of the inner male and female aspects, brought in the spiritual nature of life, great wisdom, power, and health. The “gold” or most brilliant prize was attained through the continued balance or our duality and the unification of our levels of body, mind, heart, and spirit.
In this day and age, politics deals with the basic issues of duality. To go beyond politics, we must deal with the basic nature of ego orientation, competition, and preconceived values. At some level, religion and politics represent duality, as the church and government have historically. On another dimension, religious or spiritual disciplines are what may help us rise above, in concept at least, this basic struggle we encounter in life. Experiencing love for God, self, parents, neighbors, nation, and world is the beginning of a new dimension of spiritual responsibility and immortalism. Doing what we need to do physically, psychologically, and emotionally to attain this level of love in life is essential to reaching our spiritual truths.
At times, our inner journey may help awaken unconsciousness and align us with our true eternal relationships. In a sense, ignorance is the darkness, disease, and demise of life. Ignorance here means unconsciousness, not the lack of school learning.
In the beautiful book of wisdom by Manly P. Hall, entitled The Medicine of the Sun and Moon, one paragraph states,
- Thus, to the Chinese, health is the natural or normal state of all living things. To become sick, (wo)man must destroy his (her) own health, and this can be done either objectively or collectively. Sickness is a symptom, a symbol of ignorance, neglect, or the disturbance of natural processes by intemperance. To the Chinese mind, therefore, moderation of action is considered the best defense against sickness. The individual who is uncertain should adjust his own life to natural patterns and try not to disturb universal processes. His concept of health should not be a victory over sickness, but rather a victory over his own shortcomings. The person who follows nature in all things is a healthy person.
Knowledge is essentially wisdom and knowing of truth from the spiritual-universal realm. As I said, listening within is a way to gain access to this “knowledge.” Being attentive to nature’s ways and to interactions with people can provide us with many insights into “natural law.” There are also many things we can do to elevate our vibrations or consciousness and to live in an immortalist way. Let us now look at applying these aspects of lifestyle to enhance our daily existence.
Here’s what we can do to feel greater power, spirituality, connectedness to heaven and earth, and health and vitality. This is the Immortality program, so to speak. To begin with, a harmony between our mind and heart that allows us to know and do what we believe and feel within will support our physical and psychological health. We must maintain balance and not lose our composure or become angry or upset over stresses. This is not necessarily easy in this day and age, but if we know how to center ourselves, it is possible much of the time.
If we can view immortality as optimizing each moment of life and maximizing our life span, we must portray an idealistic lifestyle with an avoidance of stress and strain (but not avoiding hard work) and a pursuit of natural living, being in “harmony with the universe.” In a way, this involves a separation from much of modern technology, pollution, and city living, going back to more pioneering days yet with the health knowledge that we have acquired over the past century.
Although we probably cannot find any pollution-free environment, there are many relatively clean places still left on our planet where we can be nourished with good light, air, and water to vitalize our being. Our “utopian” environment will provide a home of natural elements, avoiding synthetic materials such as chemicals, plastics, and so on. Energy is generated by solar power, water power, or windmills, whichever would be most appropriate for our area. Electricity is available, yet our lifestyle is not focused around it, and there are no big power lines, which are now known to have negative effects on life. For example, minimum electricity and/or natural gas is needed for some refrigeration, lighting, cooking, or listening to music, while more affluent functions, such as television, microwaves, or other high-tech services, are avoided. This also reduces local radioactivity.
Our connection to the earth is essential. We work and nourish the earth and plant food, and the earth nourishes us with her bounty. Much of our food comes from our work or local farming. Besides working the earth and getting fresh air and exercise much of the day, we walk in nature often. We avoid driving in cars, especially on freeways and in traffic.
We are not totally isolated, though, and may live in supportive communities where commodities can be shared and where help is available in time of need. Human relationships and sharing feelings, love, and family seem necessary for most human beings. We are mainly a tribal species; living in isolation or having a feeling of isolation is correlated with more disease and more rapid demise.
We need to maintain a positive attitude toward life with a wonderful self-image. Avoiding worry and other supporting low-stress plans are helpful. The natural stresses arising from feeding ourselves, protecting our families, and dealing with nature’s changes and turmoils are sufficient survival stresses for inner motivation and bodily function.
Embracing life and living it fully, letting our troubles wash clean with laughter and tears, hard work, and an inner attitude of faith, purpose, and immortality, exist in our essential core. Handling changes, making progress, and accepting and making transitions through our life stages are important.
Through birth is all life attained
through the breath of love—
that which is eternal is sustained.
Many people may struggle with aging and act as they were and not as they are. Immortality does not necessarily mean that our physical body does not age, though with healthy living, we can minimize that. It is our essential nature and spirit that are immortal. This guides our body, and immortality is enhanced as we follow our inner core (Soul) path and do what we are here to do.
Acknowledging changes at different ages is one of our many challenges. It is essential to accept and enhance change in age, function, forces, and vitality with the grace, joy, and dance of life, and really as blessings and guides in our life rather than the discords of our destruction.
“Flexibility is the key to immortality in body and mind,” says the highly quoted, inspired Bethany ArgIsle. This flexibility in regard to changes of weather, relationships to others, and our own internal attitudes or beliefs is important to our continued positive evolution and to minimizing the stress incurred in daily life. Many of us may struggle with the common minor everyday experiences; this is not necessary or helpful, and it can be avoided with an open mind, faith in life, and a feeling of spiritual guidance surrounding our existence.
Often, we may be held back by the limits or viewpoints of our own mind or those of our family, friends, or chance opinions. This may be a great challenge or struggle to see clearly in these situations and progress beyond them. We often manifest these conflicts as a reflection of our own inner questioning. As in nature where there are stresses at the transition or shift points between seasons, so there are for us at our life changes. The evolutionary process of life is one of the threads that ties us all together.
Many people may measure themselves in comparison to the accomplishments or values of others or of the world at large. Essential to life is acknowledging our own unique true nature. Learning who we are and expressing this identity to others, feeling good about ourselves, is the process of growing. The challenges that are presented to us help us to fine tune our perceptions, beliefs, and identity. Yet those truths that are at our essential core will remain and shine forth as all the illusions about life are dissolved. From this core wisdom, a true knowledge may arise and be a strong guide in our life.
Acknowledging our true nature is helpful in creating our diet. From an immortalist viewpoint, “life and death is really not a moral issue,” and this is true in regard to food. Carrots and apples have measurable life force, although different from a cow or chicken. We are really dealing with a vibrational matter and the effects of and needs for certain foods. At different times, we may want and need to eat animal foods; at other instances, we may be vegetarians. (Clearly though, being vegetarian is more ecological in terms of precious resources and worldwide nutrition.) Some people are more inclined to one diet for various reasons and stay with that for many years. However, as I have discussed throughout this text, there are many diets, and we may change regularly in terms of the foods we eat, as our seasonal diet and availability of foods are a basic component of what we will eat in our natural lifestyle.
In terms of our diet, why not the Ideal Diet for optimum health and vitality? Let me reemphasize its basic nutritional components that will apply to our immortality and longevity. First, we must eat simply and not excessively, avoiding too many foods at one meal. For optimum vitality, we would eat a high amount of raw foods and, possibly, an almost exclusively raw diet at certain periods and at warmer times of the years. If we want to support life, we eat more live or close-to-living foods. If we eat more overcooked or dead, low-vibration foods, we will potentiate our death sooner. At colder times, however, more heated foods and richer foods, even some of the animal proteins, may be desired and useful, much like a log in the “fireplace” to warm our home, our body. So the immortalist diet is seasonally based. No refined foods are used. It is primarily a vegetarian diet, with lots of complex carbohydrates and vegetables. Grains are used whole or fresh ground for the baking of breads, biscuits, or other goods.
As we garden outside, the kitchen becomes our indoor garden to nourish us within. Sprouting seeds and legumes will provide optimum foods—high-vibrational, vital, and high-quality foods from a nutritional standpoint. Sprouts are also helpful to the gastrointestinal tract in that they provide fiber, chlorophyll, and many vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Foods that may be sprouted include hard wheat, alfalfa seeds, sunflower seeds, radish seeds, chia seeds, buckwheat, mung beans, lentils, garbanzos, and aduki beans.
In the areas of the world where people commonly live to an age of over 100 years, the environment is much cleaner. People work the land and have clean air, water, and food. They exercise as they work and live, have less stress and take care of the elders who need a positive self-image and purpose (to feel connected and needed, not isolated) to want to continue living. The diet of these “peoples of longevity” tends to be lower in calories, fats, and protein than that of the Western world. They eat unprocessed fresh foods or, in the colder seasons, well-stored foods. And their activity levels are more connected to the natural daily and seasonal cycles. When we live attuned to Nature, we perpetuate and manifest in ourselves Her strength, vitality, endurance, and reverence for life.
Our diet should also support our spiritual practice. The first level of the golden rule applies to Mother Earth. If we nurture her soil and create beauty with growing foods, she will nourish us and our family. Light eating is important for our times of spiritual seeking. Periodic fasting, especially in the midst of good nutrition, also supports the spiritual connection and reverence for all life.
In our Immortality program, we are not supported by extra vitamin pills unless they can be helpful for specific medical conditions. We have cleared out many of the stresses and abuses for which we needed these extra insurance pills and are now supported by nutritionally vital foods and healthy digestion. We need to eat a variety of foods that will supply us with our specific nutrients. Instead of supplements, we can use more concentrated, high-nutrient foods, such as vegetable juices, nutritional yeast, bee pollen, ground nuts and seeds, various herbs, and sprouts. These can support us to stay healthy, so that we will not require more concentrated supplements or medicines.
Our day-to-day life is our basic exercise level. This immortalist-longevity plan does not find us working the world of business with the hustle and bustle of meetings and constant time pressure stress, but in the world of smaller communities and nature. Our gardening, building, and caretaking will help us in our physical conditioning. Other exercises and even aerobic activities will keep us even more fit. Dancing, hill walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and swimming are all good. Some community sports, such as soccer and volleyball, may inspire others. Exercise, however, should not be extreme or overdone, and heavy competition and intense contact sports are not necessary. If we can do these activities purely in the spirit of developing our personal performance or coordinating team or group functions rather than for winning, they may fit in with our immortalist-spiritual values—less competition, more cooperation.
A key to immortal vitality is the subtle Eastern exercises that promote flexibility and mind-body integration. These include yoga and tai chi. They unite stretching, coordination, balance, strength, mental discipline, and harmonious breathing. They can also be more replenishing and stimulating to the energy than many other activities, yet they are helpful in general stress reduction and tend to relax and loosen our muscles rather than tighten them. Both yoga and tai chi also help open up the internal energy circulation in our body, which is essential to good health.
Other aspects of lifestyle philosophy focus on inner attunement and evolution of our being. Learning to listen to our body and nature is essential here. Adapting to the changes around us and within us, with awareness of our inner life needs and food needs, is important. Our personal cycles fit within nature’s, and although we eat a healthy, vital diet, we do have special fast times to uplift us and feast times to help us to slow down, nourish us, and rest more deeply. Our basic sleep cycle should be attuned to nature. We go early to bed so that we can arise with the light of day or just before to meditate and open to the light and spirit coming into our daily life. Writing and being creative, which are so important to life also, come out of this inner silence and depth.
Of course, the “antsy” personality may go through levels of resistance and readjustment in order to achieve this grace of quiet knowingness. In truth, the ego and will of the human being must submit to the powers of nature and the universe for the benefit of all. We learn from these larger forces. Our meditation or “receptive quietude” is the greatest power we have in attuning to the wisdom of the universe.
If we wish to understand our relationship to people or events around us or if we have questions about other areas of our life, “we need no books to teach us the answers, because if we are quiet, in our hearts we will know,” as Manly Hall states in The Medicine of the Sun and the Moon. He continues,
Some basic concepts for the natural laws of our life and body are described by Thurman Fleet in Rays of the Dawn; the following four laws are my adaptations.
The first law is proper nourishment, including eating a living-food diet, more alkaline than acid. Fleet categorizes our foods as cleansers, builders, and congestors. We want mostly the cleansing fruits and vegetables, some building proteins, and very few congestors—that is, refined or sweetened foods, excess starches, or too much of the building foods, such as cheese, meats, or even nuts, seeds, and beans. A vital, more raw-food diet is our suggestion.
The second law is proper movement. Exercise is the distribution process of our nourishment. It aids the assimilation, utilization, and elimination of foods. Moving every joint every day will maintain flexibility and function. We also want to be active enough to keep toned muscles and a toned heart.
The third law is proper rest and recuperation to balance out our activity. This includes sleep, rest, relaxation, and recreation, particularly important to help us de-stress. Having playful, enjoyable hobbies and laughing a lot are important to feeling good about ourselves and life; conversely, if we feel this way, it is easier to laugh and play.
The fourth law is proper cleanliness. This is both outer and inner. Cleaning our skin through regular bathing is important. Sweating helps cleanse our blood of impurities. And a wholesome, high-fiber diet will allow our bowels to keep our elimination current. Order and cleanliness in our surroundings both prevent disease and support creativity. Being clean and organized allows us to be current in our life and awareness.
We must view our actions in regard to both their immediate and their long-term effects. This is part of the immortalist philosophy. I believe that contrary or pollution of our beautiful planet. Economy has taken precedence over nature’s dance. We may think only of what we can get to fulfill our immediate needs without being concerned about the polluting effects on the environment. We accept that what we need now is most important and, since we are not going to be here, let those who come later deal with the consequences of our actions and how they affect future generations. With the number of toxic chemicals and radiation in use today, one little mistake can be the only one we are ever allowed.
Many companies are oriented to acquiring profits by producing products such as chemicals and plastics and releasing their wastes, many of them toxic, into the environment—the local air, rivers, or lakes—or storing them underground, where they can leak and pollute soil and groundwater. Many of the products that are being made these days that use toxic materials in their creation are not really needed or are toxic themselves. Even though all of these new plastics in particular have become the mainstay of the technological age, we wonder whether this is indeed evolution. Many new and old products could be manufactured more efficiently and with less pollution with greater forethought and concern for continued environmental balance.
In a thousand years, people will look back on this last century as one of the most disastrous, from an immortalist viewpoint, in its long-range effects on the planet. Although some technological progress has been made, more conscious people are beginning to realize that the cost to the Earth and its inhabitants is greater than the short-term profits generated by the productivity, or the extra convenience of the products themselves. Unless we now use our technological skills to clean up our planet, we may be in even bigger trouble in the near future.
Pollution has affected the ozone layer in our stratosphere and the level of radiation in the air. This might give a new image of immortality from the deathist viewpoint—such as surviving while wearing special suits and eyeglasses to protect us from the sun and wearing masks to filter the air. Or, worse yet, we may need to live in underground cities. In a civilization where economy and greed take precedence over the dance of peaceful, evolutionary existence, death takes over. But we will not accept this. I believe solutions to these pollution problems are yet to be revealed; however, healing must begin in our time! (See Chapters 1 and 11 for discussions on cleaning our waters and life.) We want to care for our planet. We want to live with the sunshine, breathing clean air, having good water to drink, and being able to walk in nature, to talk to the trees and animals. So let’s wake up now! Our health has to do with building the future and keeping the planet healthy. We want to keep alive and extend life by better health practices, medicine, and technology. We need to focus more on our appreciation of life, nature, and those other beings around us.
Releasing the past is essential to healthy living. Sickness lives in our memories, especially the painful or negatively charged ones we carry around. We need to live now in preparation for our future, creating with enthusiasm, vitality, and purpose. Utilizing and vitalizing our mind (especially our untapped areas) through meditation and all the aspects of a healthy lifestyle that I have mentioned here are ways to keep our hands on the pulse of life around us and to understand the universal laws. This helps us to become more conscious in our thoughts and words, allowing us to be more creative with our lives. Sensitivity and heartfelt experience give understanding and guide us to correct the aspects of civilization and humanity that may need renewal.
- “We suffer to learn until we learn that we do not have to suffer to learn. Then we can recognize that we are choosing the intensity of our experiences. Remaining conscious through inner listening is the tool to learning without suffering. Loving and forgiving ourselves and others is the key to inner peace.”
| —Marilena Silbey |
Macromedicine deals with the care of humanity; micromedicine deals with the care of the individual. We all need to incorporate both aspects of this knowledge into healing and our health care system. Caring for ourselves individually and as families can easily extend to populations and the earth itself. For long-term health, it is important to learn to care for our body in relationship to the world from a very early age. Much of the basic information in this book and much of my future life are dedicated to teaching young people. A collective work with my associate Bethany ArgIsle, to be entitled The Earth Children’s Universal Health Guide, is currently in progress.
It is also essential to correct problems early and not let long-term negligence lead to chronic disease or emergencies. Most emergencies are a result of neglecting little issues and details of health or trying to remain unconscious and resist inner guidance and awareness. In The Medicine of the Sun and Moon, Manly P. Hall states:
- Health rests upon the simple concept that there is a universal harmony which can be found everywhere and in everything. Man, by his indiscretions, deprives himself of the natural benefits which heaven bestows. The individual who breaks the rules does not destroy rhythms of infinite life but inhibits the supply of vitality moving through his own body, thereby depriving himself of his proper share of this universal energy.
Learning preventive measures early is important, and treating current mild diseases effectively probably affects the likelihood of chronic illness and longevity. Stress both arises from and influences our physical health. When our physical health is poor, greater psychological and emotional stresses may occur as well. It is important to handle these early to avoid the vicious cycle of poor health, stress, lack of vitality, stress, poor health.
In terms of basic health care, nutritional and botanical medicine are the core healers and preventive measures. Homeopathy practice is a fascinating science with many supporters, and it seems to be a very useful natural therapeutic approach. Herbs and diet can help rebalance us and heal specific problems, especially when handled early. Foods and herbs are also aligned with seasonal medicine. The changes in weather affect the availability of certain foods and plants, and naturally they correlate with our cyclical needs. The spring cleansers and tonics are the many greens and roots. The summer rejuvenators are the fruits, vegetables, and flowers. In the autumn and winter, more roots and building foods are available, which provide more heat to feed our furnace and protect us from the changing climate. It all fits together perfectly as we let it.
Healing has to do with integrating the body, mind, and spirit and releasing the energy flows in the body. Pain is held in place by resistance generated by anger, frustration, or fear of the worst, be it disease or death. Increasing tensions lead to increasing tissue disease, which is then harder to heal. Problems can even go beyond healing potential, especially when surgery is done and organs are removed.
Pain and limitation lead to much disease. We need to handle this early. Acupuncture, both by needle and electrical stimulation, can help move energy/pain and reestablish homeostasis. Many body therapies can be an important mode of treatment, close in importance to foods and botanicals. Laying on of hands with love and openness can allow these body resistances and pains to be released. Massage, acupressure, chiropractic therapy, and many other modalities can all provide “natural” healing. Allowing the energy channels to open again will allow our life force to flow freely and create health and vitality. We need to have people around us who understand and are supportive of this process—that of living life!
In our ideal life we want to associate ourselves with a philosopher-physician who can connect with the entire family and provide preventive and therapeutic care, knowledge of natural medicine, and guidance in harmonious living. If sickness requires stronger medicines or surgery, the doctor could provide these or recommend specialists in those fields. Knowing the limits of our own knowledge is essential to effective treatment, as is getting our ego out of the way and letting our intuition guide us in the best approach for healing. Doctors should know that they are servants of nature and God. We are here to support healing and create health, and ultimately we all must begin with ourselves.
We do this by turning to our spiritual essence and developing our communion with our inner guidance and God. An appreciation of the Heavenly Father, or Spirit, and the Heavenly Mother, or Earth, is inherent in this reverence for life. When we live within the natural laws of the universe, we approach immortality, and our spirit is enhanced. In an article called “Healing Ourselves and Healing Our Planet,” Robert Muller suggests that our spiritual development allows us to be in greater harmony with
the planet,
the heavens,
the time cycles,
others and our family,
and our self.
Spiritual development arises from listening within and allows us to gain wisdom and elevate our consciousness. As immortalists, we believe that anything is possible. With Jesus’ 40-day fast, he was allowed access to all planes of travel—horizontally through people, vertically between God and earth, inwardly through his depths, and interdimensionally through time and truth. Christ continues to be present as he lives on immortally in the hearts and minds of many of his followers, as do other saintly beings who have ascended from the bonds of Earth, such as Buddha, Lao-tse, Gandhi, and those who have become immortal in our hearts.
We, too, can live with this sense of immortality with our individual spiritual development. Understanding nature and the universe, we know that order and discipline are important to this spiritual path. Yet, with the pursuit and unfoldment of our individual path within the harmony of the universe, we can create both a healthy body and life and a healthy, vital, and eternal world. Healing our planet begins with each of us and our commitment to being the best and healthiest that we can be. Peace be in you.
Jim Strohecker
Tom Ferguson MD
