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The Weird Reasons You're so Tired
By Mehmet Oz

Has your energy level been low? Have you felt exhausted, despite regulating your sleep and stress? If so, you're not alone. Nearly one-third of US primary care patients report significant fatigue, accounting for 7 million office visits every year. Learn four surprising reasons that could account for your exhaustion, along with Dr. Oz's unusual-but effective-cures. Of course, if your energy level is unusually low, get your blood checked by your physician.

Bad Bacteria in Your Gut Prevent Deep Sleep

Two-thirds of the world's population--over 4.5 billion people--have bad bacteria known as H. Pylori living in their stomach. This harmful bacteria can be a major source of fatigue. Your stomach's inner lining produces acid to digest food, while simultaneously creating protective mucus to guard from this acid. H. pylori bacteria invade the stomach, destroying your protective mucus layer and leaving you vulnerable to ulcers, or tiny sores on the stomach's lining. While you sleep, acid can escape the stomach through these ulcers and flow up into your esophagus, causing a sore throat and ruining your ability to get deep, restorative sleep. Additionally, as blood escapes from the ulcers, it may cause anemia, further lowering your energy throughout the day.

Fortunately, H. Pylori infection is easy to detect and treat. A simple breath test from your doctor will detect the bacteria. Antibiotics can kill the bad bacteria and acid-reducing medications will treat the ulcers. You can also try taking antacids before bed; if they seem to lead to a better night's sleep, it may indicate the presence of H. Pylori.

Phlegm Build-Up May Clog Airways

Healthy breathing draws oxygen through your nose and down to your lungs, giving your body the energy it needs. But as you sleep, phlegm can build up in the back of your throat, blocking the passage of oxygen from the nose to the lungs. You may compensate by breathing through the mouth, but a recent study shows that doing so is correlated to a significantly lower blood-oxygen level, which can lead to fatigue. Gargling every morning, whether with mouthwash or salt water, can help clear the throat's phlegm, allowing more oxygen to reach the lungs which boosts your energy.

Your Morning Coffee Could Be Making You More Tired

Many of us turn to coffee or tea for a morning pick-me-up, but it could be the cause of your fatigue for two reasons. First, when consumed in excess, coffee causes a surge in your metabolism, followed by a crash. Second, caffeine has a dehydrating effect. When you wake up, you tend to already be dehydrated from not drinking water for hours. If you don't consume any other beverages, your coffee could cause further dehydration and drain your energy. The key is to drink caffeine in moderation and to drink a full 8-ounce glass of water around the same time as your morning cup of joe to stay hydrated.

Your Clothes May Be Too Comfy (and the Wrong Color)

Getting too comfortable may actually make you more tired. Baggy and stretchy clothing makes it much easier to slouch, which strains your joints and muscles as they work extra hard to distribute oxygen throughout your body. Dressing up not only prevents slouching, but also boosts confidence. Confidence, in turn, tends to improved posture, allowing for healthy breathing.

The color of your clothing may also be tiring you out. Dark colors like black, navy and brown stimulate the secretion of melatonin--the chemical that makes you sleepy. The good news is that studies show there are many colors to keep you energized. White clothes suppress sleep-inducing melatonin and boost serotonin--the feel-good chemical in your brain. Red is good for an aggressive kind of energy. It's also been shown to increase blood flow and stimulate adrenal glands. Yellow has been proven to stimulate the brain, build self-confidence, and encourage optimism.

Unexpected Cures for Your Fatigue

Eggs and Cantaloupe
Even though it may be an unusual combination, eggs and cantaloupe could be a winning duo to beat your fatigue. Eggs are an inexpensive and low-calorie source of protein on their own, but they're even better when paired with a complex carbohydrate like cantaloupe. The protein in the eggs helps slow the absorption of the fruit's sugar, preventing sugar spikes and sustaining energy throughout the day.

Cordyceps Mushrooms
Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that naturally grows on the head of a caterpillar. An animal study determined cordyceps helped improve metabolism, which can alleviate fatigue and increase physical endurance as you age. In 1993, two female Chinese athletes beat world records for the 1500-, 3000-, and 10,000-meter runs and attributed their success to cordyceps supplements. Try 3g per day. They're available for about $7 at health food stores.

Nopal Cactus
Normally, cacti are best admired from a distance, but the Nopal cactus, also known as "prickly pear," can be an effective cure for your fatigue. It's sold fresh, dried, and in jams for use in Mexican and South Western cuisines. Nopal is also available as a supplement. It's packed with antioxidants that can help the liver detoxify the body and reduce inflammation-related fatigue. Try 1000 mg with a full glass of water per day. You can buy Nopal cactus for about $12 at health food stores.

"The Walrus" Exercise
Although you may get a few looks at the gym, this unusual exercise is a great way to boost your energy. First, lie on your stomach with your arms outstretched on the floor in front of you. Plant your palms and use the strength of your arms and core to pull yourself forward and upright. Hold that position for a second, then lower your body, extend your arms. Repeat this while traveling across the floor like a walrus on the move. As with all exercise, "the walrus" speeds up your metabolism.

Additionally, by working often-neglected muscles, you'll be activating new areas of your brain involved in coordination and muscle memory. Most importantly, this back-arching exercise is a great way to stretch, improve circulation, and relieve the muscle tension that could be bringing your energy level down.

http://shine.yahoo.com/secrets-to-your-success/weird-reasons-youre-tired-004500025.html

To read other interesting posts on my Group here at Shamballa called "Herbs, Plants, Spices and Medical topics", click on this link: http://www.cityofshamballa.net/group/herbs-plants-spices-and-medical-topics

May I live this day compassionate of heart, clear in word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought, generous in love. --John O'Donohue

Rediscovering the Lost Art of Blessing--by Karen Horneffer Ginter, Jun 25, 2012

 
In his book, “To Bless the Space Between Us,” John O’Donohue describes an experience he had when he was a young priest visiting a group of nuns. He was asked by one of the older women to offer her a blessing. After he finished, he knelt down in front of her, and similarly asked her for a blessing. She was completely taken aback by this because, apparently, no one had ever asked her for such a thing.

It’s odd to live in a world where some people, but not all people, feel worthy of offering blessings. To change this inequity, O’Donohue encourages all of us to rediscover our power to bless one another.

I’ve become enchanted with this invitation, regardless of whether we define a blessing as being a wish or a prayer, whether we conceive it as coming from us or through us, or whether we offer blessings though what we say, write, or think. In any of these forms, the act of blessing another contains several irresistible qualities.

First, blessings are empowering because they connect us to our capacity to offer good to the world through simple thoughts and actions. They also provide us with a constructive way to redirect our thoughts and emotions, which might otherwise get channeled into worry, frustration, or self-absorption. Our concern for our child can be held in a blessing: “May this situation work out for you.”

Our frustration at work can fuel a thought: “May this situation find harmony.”

When we find ourselves consumed with our own predicament, we can expand our thinking by offering blessings to others who might be involved in similar situations: “May we all find resolution and clarity.”

Such shifts in our awareness can help us to broaden our patterns of thinking so that we don’t get caught up in a tight web of repetitive and consuming thoughts.

When we find ourselves responding to numerous requests for money and time, it’s also helpful to have ways of initiating acts of generosity. When we don’t have time to do this by engaging in “random acts of kindness,” offering blessings gives us something we can do in no time at all—just by thinking a positive thought about someone else. Allowing our attention to move outside of ourselves can be a refreshing change when we feel overwhelmed by all that’s on our to-do list.

Thinking such thoughts is useful in times when we wish we could be helpful, but there’s nothing we can do. It helps to remind us that we can always, at least, offer a wish to the person or situation in need. We can also develop a habit of offering blessings to people we pass by or interact with, as a way of regularly turning our thoughts toward compassion. Our wish, on their behalf, can be quite simple: “May you find fulfillment in your work,” “May your travels be safe.” We can also write out such blessings to loved ones just as we might tuck a note inside of our child’s lunch box: “May you find unexpected joy today,” “May you always know how much I love you.”

It’s fun to be creative with our blessings by finding small objects—maybe a heart or a fall leaf—which symbolize our wish, or writing our words on something interesting, like a stone. We should also consider including ourselves in our blessings, possibly starting the day with a kind thought: “May I feel peaceful and happy today.”

The more we offer such blessings to ourselves and to others, the more contagious it becomes to water these seeds of kindness and generosity in our own mind and heart, and in the world around us.

Be The Change
Make a conscious effort to share your blessings today -- with some who are known and others who are unknown

Happiness is like jam, you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself.
--Vern McLellan

The Business 9 Women Kept A Secret For Three Decades
--by Lori Weiss, Original Story, Jun 29, 2012

Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods.

“One of us starts sifting the flour and another washing the eggs,” explained Nana Mary Ellen, the appointed spokesperson for their secret society. “And someone else makes sure the pans are all ready. We switch off, depending on what we feel like doing that day.

“But you make sure to say Nana Pearl is in charge, because she’s the oldest!” she added with a wink and a smile.

Over the next three hours, The 9 Nanas (who all consider themselves sisters, despite what some of their birth certificates say) will whip up hundreds of pound cakes, as part of a grand scheme to help those in need. And then, before anyone gets as much as a glimpse of them, they’ll disappear back into their daily lives. The only hint that may remain is the heavenly scent of vanilla, lemon and lime, lingering in the air.

Even the UPS driver, who picks up hundreds of packages at a time, has no clue what these women, who range in age from 54 to 72, are doing. He’s just happy to get a hug and a bag filled with special treats. What he doesn’t know is that he’s part of their master plan. A plan that began 35 years ago -- when the “sisters” got together for their weekly card game -- something their husbands referred to as “Broads and Bridge.”

“Pearl says it was all her idea,” Mary Ellen teased, “but as I remember it, we were sitting around reminiscing about MaMaw and PaPaw and all the different ways they would lend a hand in the community.” MaMaw and PaPaw are the grandparents who raised four of the women, Mary Ellen included, when their mother passed away; and they took in Pearl as their own, when her parents needed some help.

“MaMaw Ruth would read in the paper that someone had died,” Mary Ellen remembered, “and she’d send off one of her special pound cakes. She didn’t have to know the family. She just wanted to put a little smile on their faces. And we started thinking about what we could do to make a difference like that. What if we had a million dollars? How would we spend it?

So the ladies began brainstorming.

“One of the sisters suggested that we should all start doing our own laundry and put the money we saved to good use. I admit, I protested at first. There’s just something about laundering that I don’t like. But I was outnumbered! So among the nine of us, we’d put aside about $400 a month and our husbands never noticed a thing. Their shirts looked just fine.”

And then the women started listening. They’d eavesdrop -- all with good intentions, of course -- at the local beauty shop or when they were picking up groceries. And when they heard about a widow or a single mom who needed a little help, they’d step in and anonymously pay a utility bill or buy some new clothes for the children.

“We wanted to help as much as we could,” Mary Ellen said, “without taking away from our own families, so we became coupon clippers. And we’d use green stamps. Remember those? We’d use green stamps and we’d make sure to go to Goldsmith’s department store on Wednesdays. Every week they’d have a big sale and you could spend $100 and walk away with $700 worth of merchandise.”

The Nanas would find out where the person lived and send a package with a note that simply said, “Somebody loves you” -- and they’d be sure to include one of MaMaw Ruth’s special pound cakes.

The more people they helped, the bolder they became.

“We gave new meaning to the term drive-by,” Mary Ellen said with delight. “We’d drive through low-income neighborhoods and look for homes that had fans in the window. That told us that the people who lived there didn’t have air-conditioning. Or we’d see that there were no lights on at night, which meant there was a good chance their utilities had been turned off. Then we’d return before the sun came up, like cat burglars, and drop off a little care package.”

For three decades, the ladies’ good deeds went undetected -- that is, until five years ago, when Mary Ellen’s husband, whom she lovingly calls “Southern Charmer,” started noticing extra mileage on the car and large amounts of cash being withdrawn from their savings account.

“He brought out bank statements and they were highlighted!” Mary Ellen said, recalling the horror she felt. “I tried to explain that I had bought some things, but he had this look on his face that I’d never seen before -- and I realized what he must have been thinking. I called the sisters and said, 'You all need to get over here right away.'”

So 30 years into their secret mission, the 9 Nanas and their husbands gathered in Mary Ellen’s living room and the sisters came clean. They told the husbands about the laundry and the eavesdropping -- even the drive-bys. And that’s where their story gets even better -- because the husbands offered to help.

“They were amazed that we were doing this and even more amazed that they never knew. We can keep a good secret! All but three of them are retired now, so sometimes they come with us on our drive-bys. In our area, all you need is an address to pay someone’s utility bill, so we keep the men busy jotting down numbers.”

It wasn’t long before the couples decided it was also time to tell their grown children. And that’s when happiness began to happen in an even bigger way. The children encouraged their mothers to start selling MaMaw Ruth’s pound cakes online, so they could raise money to help even more people. And it wasn’t long before they were receiving more than 100 orders in a day.

“The first time we saw those orders roll in, we were jumping up and down,” Mary Ellen said with a laugh. “We were so excited that we did a ring-around-the-rosie! Then we called all the children and said, 'What do we do next?'"

That’s when the 9 Nanas moved their covert baking operation out of their homes and into the commercial kitchen of a restaurant owned by one of their sons, where they can sneak in before sunrise and sneak out before the staff comes in. They even hired a “happiness coordinator” (whose code name is “Sunny,” of course). Her identity needs to be a secret, too, so she can help out with the eavesdropping.

“We swore her to secrecy -- her parents think she works in marketing. And, really, if you think about it, she is doing public relations and spends a lot of time looking for people to help at the supermarket!”
These days, The 9 Nanas are able to take on even bigger projects, given their online success.

Recently they donated more than $5,000 of pillows and linens and personal care products to a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. And this August, they’ll celebrate their second consecutive “Happiness Happens Month” by sending tokens of their appreciation to one person in every state who has made a difference in their own community.

And that million dollars they once wished for? They’re almost there. In the last 35 years, the 9 Nanas have contributed nearly $900,000 of happiness to their local community.

But that doesn’t mean they’re too busy to continue doing the little things that make life a bit happier. Sometimes they just pull out the phone book and send off pound cakes to complete strangers. And if the Nanas spot someone at the grocery store who appears to need a little help, it’s not unusual for them to start filling a stranger’s cart.

“Not everyone is as lucky as we were to have MaMaw and PaPaw to take care of them, to fix all those things that are wrong.

“So this is our way of giving back,” Mary Ellen said. “We want people to know that someone out there cares enough to do something. We want to make sure that happiness happens.”

To learn more about The 9 Nanas and Happiness Happens or to purchase one of MaMaw Ruth’s special pound cakes, you can visit their website:

Happiness-Happens.com.

You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people. --Cornel West

The Power of a Grandmother's Heart--by Huffington Post, Original Story, Aug 29, 2012

Amid rampant gang violence in a Chicago South Side neighborhood, a grandmother has an open door policy.

Roseland resident Diane Latiker, 54, started a nonprofit community with 10 kids in her living room in 2003. The program, Kids Off The Block, has grown to become a successful mentoring site and haven for Chicago's youth, serving 300 kids last year, CNN reports.

Latiker, who has eight kids and 13 grandkids of her own, has been recognized as a CNN Hero. She talks about her work with the young people who count on Kids Off The Block:

"It doesn't matter where they come from, what they've done," Latiker said. "We've had six gangs in my living room at one time...But that was the safe place. And you know what? They respected that."

On any given day, 30 to 50 young people show up at the center for tutoring sessions with teachers and retired educators, job interview training and field trips to museums or the movies.

Last year, Latiker was able to move the program into a building next-door to her house -- but not before making her share of personal sacrifices. She sold the family television for program funds and gave away her dining room set to make room for a computer station.

Maurice Gilchrist, 15, tells CNN how grateful he is to Latiker.

"I was 12 when I got in a gang -- robbing people, stealing. Miss Diane, she just changed my life. I love her for that."

http://youtu.be/iOSnsE55tTM

Delta Flight 15

This is not political, it is about 9-11 and believe me you want to read this.

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:

"On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "

All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

"No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland. He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately--no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.

"While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the
hijackings.

"We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, New Foundland to have it checked out.

"We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that's nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM! .... that's 11:00 AM EST.

"There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the U.S. After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason." Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the U.S. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.

"The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane. In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S. commercial jets.

"Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC. People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.

"Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.

"We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.

"Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy.

We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

"About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.

"After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander! We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the U.S. airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.

"We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.

"Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the "plane people." We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.

"Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days. What we found out was incredible.

"Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.

"ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the "guests." Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.

"Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.

"Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered "Excursion" trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals.

Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.

"Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully. It was absolutely incredible.

"When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked li ke a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.

"And then a very unusual thing happened. One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said "of course" and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.

"He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.

He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!

"The gentleman, a MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well. As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.

"I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a far away place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world."

"In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good and Godly people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward.

"God Bless America...and the Canadians."

Reprogram Your Brain to Improve Relationships and Heal Past Wounds
By ELISHA GOLDSTEIN, PH.D.

If you’ve followed my work, you’ve probably heard me talk about or read something I’ve written that has talked about the skillful application of doing things that prime our minds in the direction of mindfulness, health and well-being. In fact, Priming the Mind is the third step of the 5 Step Cheat Sheet in The Now Effect.

It’s a way of influencing your subconscious mind toward what I like to call healthy reactivity. Most of the time our brains are making hundreds of decisions for us from moment-to-moment and we’re never going to be conscious of those snap judgments they happen too rapidly. However, just like our brains have memorized the procedures of walking, talking and eating, so too can we have the brain memorize procedures toward mindfulness, health and well-being.

Here’s one thing you can do right now to prime your mind toward greater compassion, which is directly connected to healing ourselves and making the world a better place to live.

Writing, even for a short while, is a procedure that can be practiced and repeated and influence our subconscious minds. Writing about kindness and compassion will have our brains tilt toward being more automatically kind and compassionate toward ourselves and others, improving our relationships and healing wounds from the past. Charles Francis and Mary Sovran founded the Mindfulness Meditation Institute and have developed a writing meditation that you can do for any amount of time to positively influence the brain.

Here is something they have created that you can begin today in as little as 5 minutes a day or more. The idea is to look over the lovingkindness practice below and write it down. You don’t have to finish it, just do it for whatever time you allot. Whatever judgments arise in your mind right now, just set that aside and allow your experience to be your teacher.

The Short Practice:

Yourself

May I be healthy and strong. May I be safe and protected. May I be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May I be happy and joyful. May I be patient and understanding.

May I be loving, kind, and gentle in my ways. May I be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May I be diligent and committed to my spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May my True Nature shine through, and onto all beings I encounter.
Everyone in your house

May every person and living being in my house be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected. May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways. May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

Your neighborhood

May every person and living being in my neighborhood be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected. May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways. May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

Your city

May every person and living being in my city be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected. May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways.

May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

Your country

May every person and living being in my country be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected. May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways. May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

The whole planet

May every person and living being on earth be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected.

May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways.

May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

The entire universe on all planes of existence

May every person and living being in the entire universe on all planes of existence be healthy and strong. May they be safe and protected. May they be peaceful and free from mental, emotional, and physical suffering. May they be happy and joyful. May they be patient and understanding. May they be loving, kind, and gentle in their ways. May they be courageous in dealing with difficulties, and always meet with success. May they be diligent and committed to their spiritual practice, and to helping others along their path. May their True Nature shine through, and onto all beings they encounter.

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/mindfulness/2012/08/reprogram-your-brain-to-improve-relationships-and-heal-past-wounds/

http://youtu.be/gBmUCz47FQo

Here is a sample of Journey Into Frequency. This meditation music was composed to help you transcend your current state of consciousness and awaken to a heightened state of awareness. The download will be made available soon.

IMPORTANT -There are sounds and frequencies you can only benefit from by listening to this with STEREO headphones.

Pineal meditation, as referred to in reference to this song, is a collection of frequencies, tones, and hypnotic sounds to help reduce stress levels, increase your awareness, and bring you into harmony with your surroundings.

This particular arrangement is my experimentation in frequency adjustments of the audible and inaudible frequencies to generate harmonies that you can both hear and feel.

Even if you don't believe that the pineal gland is your third eye, you can still benefit from this type of meditation 20 minutes daily. Please subscribe as I am composing more meditative music available for download soon.

Hopefully you will benefit from these sounds and frequencies as I do.

http://youtu.be/JL7pLYCkanM

Visuals by TedChambers

https://www.youtube.com/user/TedChambers
Headphones/Earphones are welcome. 480p is needed,

Contemplate the area between your eyebrows. Don't strain yourself, be relaxed, and gently put your awareness on your third eye..

Full 30 minute original.

This tone uses several frequencies to stimulate the pineal gland as well as aid in the visual pickup of mental objects.

Get this with www.hddownloader.com

For more wonderful Music and sounds for healing and meditation etc, go to My Group “Meditation and Relaxation Group”

http://www.cityofshamballa.net/group/meditationmantrasandrelaxingmusicandsounds

Breathtaking Beauty in Creation

From the top of El Teide, a volcano in Spain’s Canary Islands, watch this stunning video of time-lapse photography that surely will make you pause in awe. Stars, sunsets, colors, cloud formations — what an astonishing Creator we have. Please share how watching this makes you feel.

http://godfruits.com/breathtaking-beauty-in-creation-4525.php

The Main Goal is for Earth to ascend and us with her! Crystalline Grid is the key! Crystalline Grid is a grid around planet Earth from atmosphere to the very soil that holds energy in forms of emotion, action, thought, memory or imprint. Example if you are sensitive to energies you can go to a land where huge battlefield had taken place 100 years ago and you would feel it. You would feel the vibration of that place and emotions of those in the battle. That is changing with the shift that is happening. The Cristalline Grid doesn’t respond to emotion anymore no matter how big it is, especially WARS. There is no more balance of Dark & Light, Good & Bad, Black & White. For the kids all over the world don’t belong to that paradigm for they have already ascended. They are the Bright Colors, the Rainbows of the Earth, which we are so desiring to become after ascension. That’s why whatever they do, it doesn’t make sense to their parents or grandparents that belong to the Old Paradigm and old balances of Dark & Light. Their consciousness lives by the rules of higher dimensions where there is only Light. The rules that don’t limit but expand! That’s how GFL measure our readiness for ascension. By measuring the Crystalline Grid, they measure our consciousness and vibrational frequency as a whole collective of humanity. Every action we take, every decision we make gets recorded in Crystalline Grid. Guess who changed the Crystalline Grid, it was us, the old souls, lightworkers through out 200,000 years lifetime after lifetime just by existing and living our light. Now we are almost there. And all it takes is just act impeccably and create more light and increase the vibrational frequency of the planet to a certain degree so that Crystalline Grid will be able to merge or plug in with the ascending energies. And then Earth will ascend and us with her. All it takes for us lightworkers to eliminate all the old ways of thinking and doing, lower dimensional habits, addictions, attachments, and of course negative emotions and thought patterns. Elimination all of that which we as lightworkers own as our exam papers to eventually pass the test, will lead to a rapid ascension of the planet. Solution of problems create light. All it takes is less than a half percent of Earth population to change the whole planet and Crystalline Grid to one which can ascend. And that half percent is all old souls! Let’s do it!

If you wish to get more details on this listen to this channeling:

http://kryon.com/cartprodimages/download_Portland-me_12.html

Also this is the vibrational scale 0 -1000 that you can always measure your vibrational state with:

http://www.badassgoddess.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/vibrationscale-medium.png

Here is the explanation on that scale:

http://www.loveorabove.com/