| Dr. Jai Maharaj 2004-12-22, 7:11 pm |
| THE WINTER SOLSTICE AND HEALING
Forwarded message from fidyl@yahoo.com
[ Subject: The Winter Solstice and Healing
[ From: fidyl@yahoo.com
[ Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004
The Winter Solstice and Healing
Solstice means "standing still". No one's really sure how long ago
humans recognized the winter solstice and began heralding it as a
turning point -- the day that marks the return of the sun. One
delightful little book written in 1948, 4,000 Years of Christmas,
puts its theory right up in the title. The Mesopotamians were first,
it claims, with a 12-day festival of renewal, designed to help the
god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year.
Many, many cultures the world over perform solstice ceremonies. At
their root: an ancient fear that the failing light would never return
unless humans intervened with anxious vigil or antic celebration.
There's much new scholarship about Neolithic peoples and their
amazing culture. For example, it now looks as though writing is much
more ancient than we earlier thought -- as much as 10,000 years old.
Neolithic peoples were the first farmers. Their lives were intimately
tied to the seasons and the cycle of harvest. They were attuned to
the turning skies. Scholars haven't yet found proof that these
peoples had the skill to pinpoint a celestial event like solstice.
Earliest markers of time that have been found from these ancient
peoples are notches carved into bone that appear to count the cycles
of the moon. But perhaps they watched the movement of the sun as well
as the moon, and perhaps they celebrated it -- with fertility rites,
with fire festivals, with offerings and prayers to their gods and
goddesses.
In the northern hemisphere, the Winter solstice is day of the year
(this year it is December 21) when the Sun is farthest south.
However, in the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are
exchanged so that the winter solstice is the day on which the Sun is
farthest north. The winter solstice marks the first day of the season
of winter. The declination of the Sun on the (northern) winter
solstice is known as the tropic of capricorn (-23° 27').
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, respectively, in
the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset
on this day is a minimum for the year. Of course, daylight saving
time means that the first Sunday in April has 23 hours and the last
Sunday in October has 25 hours, but these human meddlings with the
calendar do not necessarily correspond to the actual number of
daylight hours.
Winter Solstice is the time to reflect on the power of our spiritual
beliefs and the belief in the power of ourselves!
As we look forward to the beginning of a New Year, we look at ways to
resolve issues and create resolutions that will manifest change for
the better, in ourselves.
Detoxification
Detoxing at the change of the seasons is a good rule to remember a
four times a year fast.
It is estimated that at least twenty-five percent of the U.S.
population suffers from heavy metal poisoning to some extent.
Exposure or toxicity to food additives, solvents, pesticides,
herbicides and other toxic chemicals can cause a number of
psychological and neurological symptoms. Toxins produced by bacteria
in the gut can be absorbed, causing significant disruption of body
functions. The body eliminates toxins either by directly neutralizing
them or excreting them in the urine or feces (and to a lesser degree
via the lungs and skin). Toxins that the body are unable to eliminate
build up in the tissues, typically in our fat stores. The liver,
intestines, and kidneys are the primary organs of detoxification.
Eating a diet that focuses on fresh vegetables and fruits, whole
grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are extremely important. Adopt a
healthy lifestyle including regular exercise and avoiding drugs and
alcohol. Taking a high potency multiple vitamin and mineral
supplement. Nutritional and herbal supplements to protect and enhance
liver function. Go on a three day fast, four times per year (fasting
at the change of the seasons is a good rule to remember).
MANAGING YOUR DETOX
The most easiest, inexpensive and effective methods of detoxification
are fasting and specific dietary regimens. Keep in mind that the goal
is to achieve a healthier way of eating, not weight loss, or to rid
the body of all bacteria. In fact, "the good bacteria," known as
Probiotics, is necessary in order to remain in good health.
Water and Juice Fast:
Most experts recommend beginners to do one or the other over every
weekend for a few months. A water only fast starting Friday evening
and ending Sunday morning (or just all day Saturday, as an
alternative) should be broken with a day of raw foods (fruit/salad
only, plus water), not with a heavy meal. Make sure that not less
than four, and not more than eight, pints of water are consumed
during the fast.
Juice Therapy
During juice therapy, the eliminative and cleansing capacity of the
organs of elimination, specifically lungs, liver, kidneys and the
skin, is greatly increased and accumulated metabolic waste and toxins
are quickly eliminated. It affords a physiological rest to the
digestive and assimilative organs. After the juice fasting or juice
therapy, the digestion of food and the utilization of nutrients is
improved.
As juices are extracted from plants and fruits, they process definite
medicinal properties. Specific juices are beneficial in specific
conditions. Besides specific medicinal virtues, raw fruit and
vegetable juices have an extraordinary revitalizing and rejuvenating
effect on all the organs, glands and functions of the body.
Raw juices of fruits and vegetables are extremely rich in vitamins,
minerals, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars. The juices
extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion and
almost all their vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the
bloodstream. Raw juices are extremely rich in alkaline elements. This
is highly beneficial in normalizing acid-alkaline balance in the
blood and tissues as there is over-acidity in most conditions of
ill-health. Organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium,
potassium and silicon help in restoring biochemical and mineral
balance in the tissues and cells, thereby preventing premature ageing
of cells and disease.
Weekend Monodiet:
This consists of a full weekend of relying on a single food such as
grapes, apples, pears (best choice if you have a history of allergy
problems), brown rice, millet, or even potatoes (boiled only).
Alkaline-Detoxification Diet:
Developed by Dr. Haas, this three to four-week plan helps to detoxify
the body tissues of protein and acid wastes and can also help to
reduce weight, increase vitality, and promote healing. This plan
involves the elimination of acid-forming foods from your diet and
eating only fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables), plus fresh
sprouts and millet. The diet also focuses on particular eating
principles, including exceptional chewing (thirty to fifty times each
mouthful), drinking quality water plus the steamed vegetable water,
and eating all food prior to nightfall.
Vitamin C Therapy:
Exposure to various toxins, like lead or benzene, will deplete your
vitamin C stores. Evidence also suggests that vitamin C deficiency
hampers the body's own detoxification process. Take 1,000 mg three
times a day.
Chelation Therapy:
A synthetic amino acid known as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid) is administered intravenously and binds to various toxic metals
in the blood. The toxins are then flushed from the body through the
kidneys. Used primarily to treat cases of lead poisoning, many
doctors have found that EDTA can remove the calcium and plaque
present in the walls of arteries in atheroscelerosis. This therapy
has yet to have FDA approval as a treatment for heart disease.
Learn more at:
http://www.peacefulmind.com/detox_frame.htm
Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM uses different perspectives to analyze health problems - the 8
Principal Patterns (Exterior/Interior, Excess/Deficiency, Hot/Cold,
Yang/Yin), Pernicious Evils (Wind, Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Cold, and
Fire), etc. The 5 Elements is another of those approaches. Central to
understanding the 5 Elements is to realize that Chinese medical
therminology often is at the same time very poetic and very literal.
For example Wind Cold imbalances are those in which wind and cold do
play a role. The Chinese worldview is far more integrated than the
typical Western viewpoint. The Western perspective tends to be
linear; the Chinese perspective tends to be holistic or weblike. The
title of a very famous book on TCM is The Web That Has No Weaver.
Pull on any strand in a web, and it will affect all parts of the web.
Whereas Western thought tends to look at just what is happening along
one strand (linear), holistic thought considers all parts of the web.
The 5 Elements can sound very esoteric to Westerners, and there are
some esoteric aspects to it. One way to look at the 5 Elements are
they are descriptions of different aspects of energy. But these
descriptions of aspects of energy go beyond the Western idea of
kinetic-potential energy. And these descriptions are at once both
symbolic and literal, and the symbolism grew out of a culture very
close to nature.
The fall is the time of waning Yang and increasing Yin. People start
to slow down, gather inward for the approaching winter. Winter is the
most Yin time of year, but after several weeks of being restricted
indoors, people begin to long for increased activity and letting
loose and getting out. Cabin fever as it's called in the West. Get me
out of this house!!!!! I want to go somewhere, do something.
- Excerpt from "The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine"
- by Victoria Dragon
Learn more at:
http://www.acupuncture.com
Ayurvedic Tradition
Triphal
is a traditional Ayurvedic Indian herbal compound used for
constipation and poor bowel tone and is designed to support the
body's natural cleansing process. It is one of Ayurved's most
important herbal formulas for thousands of years. Triphala is a
balanced blend of three Indian Herbal Fruits: Harada, Amla, Behada.
This combination of fruits is unique because the astringent qualities
of the fruits serve to tonify the colon therefore promoting internal
cleansing naturally. This is highly recommended for anyone doing a
detox program. Triphala is available in capsules now in health food
stores. There is No known interactions between herb and allopathic
drugs. When buying Triphala, buy only in capsules. Avoid any powder
form. No Safety Warnings. Adults can take two tablets 2-3 times a day
between meals. Children under 10 can take the same dosage. Best used
regularly to improve bowel health.
Autumn to winter : During the juncture of season from Autumn to
winter (december ) KAPHA, the bioforce of growth and mucus begins to
accumulate and vata , should naturally be pacified. None of the
bioforces are inherently aggravated. None of the bioforces are
inherently aggravated. often, however when an individual's Agni is
not balanced it will increase erratically during this time to meet
the demands of the cold and diminishing light of winter. This will
cause dryness (A vata derangement as well as some pitta disturbance
due to the erratically inflaming agni. When dryness become a
prominent symptom then Snehan (oiling) in the form of oil massages,
oil enemas, nasal medication and increasing essential fatty acids in
ones diet can be very helpful.
Learn more at:
http://www.Ayurvedindia.org
End of forwarded message from fidyl@yahoo.com
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The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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