WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HERBAL AND HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES?

This is a great question that provokes a lot of thought about natural therapies and how they each work to create better health for the individual.

Health and healing is not a straight forward matter like fixing an engine by taking out one part and replacing it with a new one or even taking a pill that removes the symptom but still leaves the actual problem unaddressed. There are certainly benefits in these methods but as the cause of the problem still remains this is not a solution but merely a "bandaid".

Again, finding the cause is complicated and often impossible. Some might suggest diet, lifestyle, environment and exposure to toxins, or genetic weakness and so on results in bad health and that is obviously going to contribute enormously but still the actual cause may not be that obvious. Emotions repressed, lack of spiritual connectedness and damaging thought patterns play the greatest part in undermining good health. We can see that each of these things create layers of complexity that span a lifetime and beyond. With that in mind we can chip away until the layers come off and a sense of wellbeing and good health is found.

It is in this method of chipping away that the natural therapies work their magic to not only restore the body but also as a preventative measure.

Herbal remedies are made from herbs, fungi, minerals, and some animal products. The active substance is extracted using several means, commonly in both alcohol and water processing, or from powdered dried matter. Some herbs can be used medicinally on a periodic basis and some over the long term as tonic. There are herbs that act on individual organs or have an healing action that is quite specific and then there are those that are "adaptogenic" and can target any weakness or area that needs help. They are taken in a dosage great enough to affect a positive result much like allopathic medicine (pharmaceutical drugs) that cause metabolic chemical changes. It is worth mentioning that these drugs are made from isolated components of these medicinal plants and substances or a sytnthetic foreign and toxic copy and as such are missing many of the qualities that abound in natural form having a synergetic electrical healing action within the body.

The tonic method of herbs is becoming far more widely used as people recognise the benefits and simplicity of using them. Simply adding certain fresh herbs, medicinal mushrooms and "superfoods" to the standard diet can provide enormous support in improving energy and building immunity. The Chinese and many other cultures have successfully practiced herbal medicine for tlousands of years and have a very rounded approach that works at restoring youthfulness and creating longevity over and above maintaining and restoring health. By regularly adding these tonic herbs in relatively large doses the energy systems of the body are loaded up with the components that can fuel and rejuvenate and tonify to gain the greatest results for maintaining optimum health and promoting longevity.

Homeopathic principles state that disease and ill health are the result of a moving away from spiritual centredness. When the individual has lost their connection with the "divine aspect" they no longer have the full energy source and guidance that is provided naturally and abundantly.

Homeopathic philosophy views the whole person as an energetic multi layered being that is effected by unlimited external and internal events both past and present, exponentially. Our history is stored in layers within and upon the energetic and etheric bodies. It is a principle of Homeopathics that the stronger disease comes to the fore whilst the weaker lays dormant underneath and in curing the presenting problem the next layer becomes exposed and this in turn is treated and so on back through the history until a return to health and cessation of symptoms. Many patients continue on a healing journey where others deal with the acute situation only.

The next principle of Homeopathic philosophy is the "Law of similars" that states a substance which causes an effect in a healthy person can be utilised to heal those same symptoms in a sick person. A good example of this would be onion, which most people when exposed to it, get running, stinging eyes and nose. A potentised remedy made from onion could potentially be used to treat someone with a cold exhibiting those same symptoms.

Homeopathic remedies are given in minute "potentised" doses. They are generally administered until a positive result is achieved, sometimes requiring only one or two doses but may also be taken as a prophylactic measure much like the theory of vaccination.

The process of potentisation is quite extensive. The substance is continually diluted and succussed until often no original material remains but only an energetic signature of the original. The act of succussion energises and activates the particles. Although it is often said that Homeopathic results are placebo this is now refuted scientifically as the technology becomes more refined and able to distinguish these quantum particles and their effect. Again this is refuted when one considers the positive result often indicated in animals and unconscious patients.

Of enormous importance when selecting the appropriate remedy the homeopath considers the mental/emptional symptoms and then requires a complete picture of the person including their medical history and each and every symptom currently experienced, often the more unusual the more helpful in finding the appropriate remedy. The remedies themselves are as complex as the individual, although there are polycrest remedies that cover many situations there are also quite specific and peculiar ones as well.

For the greatest positive result ideally the causative factor must be addressed and removed for the remedies to create an actual cure whereby the symptom and disease never return. However often this is not possible and the best result is an overall improvement and return to a sense of wellbeing. The remedies are extremely effective in addressing emotional imbalance and as a consequence of this the physical state improves also.

By using a combination of Homeopathic and Herbal remedies we can address all aspects of our health and gain the greatest benefits from these tools, to find vibrant emotional and physical health and restore our spiritual connection, purpose and sense of wellbeing.

SPIRITUALITY

It seems to me that many people have to sink very low on the emotional scale to find the motivation to search within themselves, to examine their lives, the areas and issues that are causing them pain and misery, and the changes needed in order to begin the process of healing and alignment to a truthful existence. In fact getting to know the self is the core issue and ignoring this fundamental innate desire is what results in the unsatisfactory situations and experiences.

What then is a truthful existence? It is clarifying and determining the priorities, the principles, the actions and creations that represent who you are inside and what you truly believe and are not based upon others' expectations or demands of you. That is not to say that you dont believe or follow other ideas and or have responsibilities but that they are true and relevant as you know them to be in your heart and soul, willingly and positively chosen.

Spirituality is a constant and never ending stream of communication from the Universe and Divine Force that guides and directs our thoughts, actions and concepts from a Love consciousness and understanding. This is the true, undisputable and determining essence of the energy. A truthful life is steered by this communication that channels directly and benevolently to and through the individual for theirs' and the whole higher good.

That sounds very idealist and ambitious but in actuality and more simply put, one lives according to how an action or thought sits and feels within our self and our heart and how that action or thought may play out and what consequences may result. This is the definition of karma, the cause and effect principle, how what we do and say and think manifests out in the world. There really is no such thing as good or bad-human labels to categorise, there are only results and consequences of actions and reactions.

To really get to this degree of clarification one needs to go inside and examine the self and live according to what is found. The question often asked is, what should I do with my life? What is my purpose? However, the better question might be, how do I want to participate, and how can I serve in a way that makes me feel good, happy and positive?

It is more important to understand who you want to be rather than what you want to do. What motivation creates the action? This is not always straight forward as there can be good things done for negative reasons and bad things done for positive reasons. Again more simply put, an action is either for progressive life and growth or a step away from life and growth, motivated by either love or fear.

How do we apply these concepts to our everyday lives? By understanding and determining how we want to be and how we want to participate we have a guide for our actions and can use this as the reference point with which to steer. An example that clearly demonstrates how this might be put into practice, is in how we think about our finances and material aspect of life.

Most of us, even at our lowest point still have or have access to, some money, whether 5c or $50000, it makes no difference. Most of us, have a wardrobe of warm clothes, blankets, food in our stomach, and daily comforts, are not dying or truly suffering from lack but only suffering from wanting more and an idea of not enough. Motivation= fear and lack. Love would say we have everything we need to survive in a comfortable manner and the obstacles lie in our perceptions and self talk. It may be positive and useful to ask ourselves why we need or want more, how will more make us feel and what are the pros and cons of more.

The Law of Attraction demonstrates that what we focus on, whether consciously or unconsciously, is manifested into our daily lives. If focussed on lack that is what we will see and experience, if focussed on abundance that is what will be. There will always be something to complain about or feel badly over if you look hard enough but the same applies from a positive view that there is much to be thankful for. Having a sense of gratitude and appreciation for all things in life and nature attracts more experiences of the same or better.

It is easy to sit alone in a cave on a mountain and meditate and be in communication and connected to the Divine. It is in interacting with other people, health challenges, experiences and situations in our daily life, that we have the opportunity to put these spiritual principles and concepts to use. When we make a mistake we feel discomfort and this teaches us what not to do. Negative emotions, prickling conscience, recurring negative thoughts and life themes are the signs and indications that suggest a wrong turn or a less than favourable choice whereas a sense of relief or positive emotion may signify a wiser choice. Declining health and energy levels might also denote a detour away from what our true self desires.

We can see clearly that the global consciousness of fear, negativity and greed has only brought destructive results and that we cannot hope to restore balance by continuing in this vein. As Einstein said, " our problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them".

The "New Age" and all that is encompassed under that heading is only true spirituality when the motivation that drives it is love. Crystals, tarot cards, magnetic pendants, alternative therapies, mediumship and psychic abilities, these are all only tools to assist the self to know and heal. True spirituality is knowing compassion and love for other beings without judgement, healing yourself not only for your own benefit but also to be of use to others, being an example and following the guidance received through the heart from the Divine Source that has only love for us. Recognition, ego, superiority and separation are not spiritual concepts but equality, empathy, service and connectedness are.

We are all pure at heart and all guided by love and the Divine Spirit within. Listening to the right inner voice and making heartfelt decisions, that is what spirituality is. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

DON TOLMON

The other night I went to hear Don Tolmon talk about self care and self education. What an inspiring man with profound wisdom! I say that because he and I speak the same language and think the same way...hehe.

This is the second time I have listened to his presentation and I am excited to say I will be attending his 2 day Bootcamp for Brains in March.

His message is basically that fresh wholefoods such as fruit and vegetables are the key to good health, that symptoms are a sign not to be masked but to be heeded, that the allopathic mainstream medicine is about sickness and not health and that we have to be responsible for our own health and wellbeing.

We have been intensely indoctrinated to believe that sickness attacks us maliciously and randomly. We are programmed through fear and threats of death and suffering to think that we are not responsible and can do nothing but what the Drs tell us. What a load of .....propaganda!!

Why is it that even though money is constantly poured into research for cancer and this, that and the other "incurable" disease but still no cures are found?

Reality check...there is gazillions of dollars to be made in sickness and the pharmaceutical companies are raking it in!!!

Nature is designed so perfectly and magnificently with each and every minutest detail having a purpose and connection so it is just not logical for our bodies to be any other way. Our bodies heal themselves provided they are given the tools to do the job and are not overwhelmed with constant morbid factors and toxic substances so that the mechanism has no chance to do its job.

Do yourself a favour and think twice before you "pop the magic pill". Do yourself a favour and eat real food. Do yourself a favour and train your mind in positive thinking. Do the world a favour and take back responsibility for health and your actions.

Visit Don Tolmon's website www.dontolmoninternational.com

THE ROSY VIEW

Disasters, diseases, global warming, higher prices, on and on with the Bad News Nightly! I don't want to hear it any more. Through my front window there are no lurking terrorists or melting ice-caps. Cheerful,family members who chat and share the day's events round the dinner table, postcard perfect cottage gardens that hide flitting, tiny honey-eaters, blue skies and sunshine, that is my world.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am deeply sorry for the poverty and sickness, the injustices and the catastrophes near and far but I will not dwell therein. There is much too widespread depression, sadness and anger already to dump another pitiable lot on the heap.

My childhood memories contain heroes and protectors that "used their powers for good instead of evil". I believed that leaders gained their position through virtue and excellence. We respected our elders. Reality may not have been so glowing through their adult eyes but now it seems more genuine than the weird behaviour of society portrayed today by the media.

I choose to abide in a space of goodness, abundance, health and happiness and I am not alone. Many great and esteemed thinkers, such as Jesus Christ, Socrates and Albert Einstein, espoused the merit for being aware of our focus and to have gratitude for our blessings. Regardless that these ideas are not new, with help from the current and timely, large-scale promotion of the book and DVD, "The Secret", this mindset is rapidly spreading.

The fastest growing religion is Buddhism, I read recently in a news and current affairs magazine. It is obvious why when the philosophy is explored, understood and put into practice. It commands credibility on examination of the life of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the living embodiment and honoured example of the teachings. Although he describes himself as a simple monk, he is truly regarded as a preeminent Buddhist scholar. What appeals to many is his down to earth, warm, humorous approach and humble manner despite his prominent status.

In his book, "The Art of Happiness, A Handbook for Living", he declared; "....even when thinking about those Communist Chinese who inflicted great harm on some of the Tibetan people- as a result of my Buddhist training I feel a certain compassion towards even the torturer, because I understand that the torturer was in fact compelled by other negative forces....even if a person committed atrocities, I simply cannot feel or think that because of their atrocities they should experience negative things or not experience a moment of happiness." The Dalai Lama and many others have followed the Buddha's teachings to rise above the pain and suffering that exists in life.

The few paragon codes for reference that I have adopted I interpret this way; that we are all fundamentally pure and compassionate at heart, that we should give help and always avoid harm to others, that everything originates from a cause and creates an effect (karma), and the way things appear or are perceived is not necessarily the way they actually are.

Everyone wants to be happy - an achievable state when acquired through the discipline and transformation of attitude and outlook, and by gradually eliminating the elements that cause us to suffer and encouraging those that lead to happiness. A valuable quote from the medical missionary, Wilfred Grenfell, illustrated and expanded on this concept when he expressed;

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile."

Some may consider the goal of happiness as selfish and unworthy but not so when seen from the perspective that to help yourself to be more harmonious and peaceful, you are less of a bother to others and the world around you suffers less negative impact.

A compassionate stance may well be the most effective response to the violent actions and criminal activities that plague society. Retribution and revenge only perpetuates a cycle of ongoing retribution and revenge with no progression towards resolution. What ever happened to "the pen being mightier than the sword" and why in this supposedly advanced era of civilisation is war and military presence the only rebuttal?

To shift, even slightly, in attitude and to scrutinise the true priorities of value and importance may profoundly alter the course of one's life. To be thankful for the good in life knowing that there are many with much worse conditions. Developing a positive solution rather than negative reaction, inspiring health as opposed to treating disease, creating abundance instead of overcoming lack is the productive process aligned with the benevolent, natural laws and patterns of nature. The physical body's intrinsic mechanism and healing systems demonstrate perfectly the universal flow toward renewal and evolutionary growth.

Deliberately cultivating the essential core of compassion, love and sharing within individuals and throughout society and with our leaders representing and manifesting those qualities a new enlightened era will flourish. My rosy view and happiness will be commonplace and the stories will always end with " and they all lived happily ever after".

SYNCHRONICITY, SERENDIPITY AND COINCIDENCE...

Anthony Hopkins gained the leading role in the film, "The Girl From Petrovka." Hopkins then ventured to London to purchase the book to study his character but could not find a copy. At Leicester Square station whilst waiting to take the train home he spotted a book laying on a bench. To his surprise, it was "The Girl From Petrovka."

Two years later, during the making of the film, the author of the book, George Fiefer, visited Hopkins. He mentioned that his copy that he'd scribbled notes throughout, was loaned to a friend who had since lost it somewhere in London. Hopkins handed him the book he found at the station and asked, "Is this it?" It was the same copy containing Feifer's handwritten remarks in the page margins.

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, and Sigmund Freud were well acquainted and often compared notes of their theories and discoveries on psychoanalysis. Their differing opinions and conclusions would eventually end the friendship as Freud became insistent on his idea of the libido controlling the man whilst Jung studied the more spiritual and creative aspects of the mind.

In 1945 Jung wrote: "Physics has demonstrated that in the realm of atomic magnitudes objective reality presupposes an observer, and that only on this condition is a satisfactory scheme of explanation possible. This means, that a subjective element attaches to the physicist's world picture, and secondly that a connection necessarily exists between the psyche to be explained and the objective space-time continuum. These discoveries not only help loosen physics from the iron grip of its materialistic world, but confirmed what I recognized intuitively that matter and consciousness, far from operating independently of each other are, in fact, interconnected in an essential way, functioning as complementary aspects of a unified reality."

Through his many personal experiences and those of his patients Jung named and defined this interconnectedness, "synchronicity", as having three types. The first was when a psychological event and an external event occurred at the same or similar time. For example, a person thinks of someone they haven't seen in a while and then receives a visit from them soon after.

When an external event happens at the same or similar time to a psychological event but is outside of the individuals range of perception this is the second type of synchronistic incident. An example of this is the documented true vision that Swedish scientist, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) had of a large fire that was occurring 100 miles away.

The third synchronicity is when the psychological event is of the external event that happens in the future. For instance, many of the workers at Chernobyl stated that they had dreamed of the impending disaster some days or weeks before it happened.

Throughout history most cultures saw the universe as having seperate objects connected through patterns, resonances and sympathies which maintained a harmony between the heavens and the earth. Within this view the passing of time is seen as cycles, seasons and an interdependent relationship of individuals and society with the movements of nature and the cosmos, rather than a linear event.

Many of our modern scientists see coincidence of this nature as the result of the "law of probability". Bruce Martin, the Prof. Emeritus of Chemistry at Virginia University stated; "Most improbable coincidences likely result from play of random events. The very nature of randomness assures that combing random data will yield some pattern."

In 1958 K. Conrad created the term, apophenia, which is defined as the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena. The Psychological Institute at the University of Freiburg in Germany places enough importance on these occurrences to have funded and developed a research project to study and create a program for councelling and therapy to help people who have had unusual experiences and are having difficulty adjusting or coping after the event. They insist no judgement be made on the validity of the information stating that the individual believes it to be true therefore it is true.

What makes synchronicity distinguishable from mere coincidence? It is reasonable to state that most people have had a moment in their life where they had an "aha!" sensation or an epiphany. This experience of being connected, of profound recognition and meaning to the specific individual, is the essence of synchronicity. This insight is usually given through image, metaphor or allusion and reminds us of our internal and external connection to the whole. A synchronistic episode will dramatically transcend the limits of time and space and offer significance and a feeling of rightness of a particular situation.

James Redfields bestseller, "The Celestine Prophecy" inferred that the moments of recognition, synchronicity and deja vu were the universe's acknowledgement of being in the right place at the right time. SQuire Rushnell, the Network Television executive, spokesperson and author of a series of books titled, "When God Winks," says; "Godwinks are like the winks you received as a kid from Dad or Grandma across the dining room table. They probably meant, 'Hey, kid, I'm thinking about you, right now.' Similarly reassuring messages are the coincidences and answered prayers coming into your life, at just the right moment, confirming that you're on a universal GPS. God's Positioning System."

Deepak Chopra,M.D. and renowned keynote speaker said, " My own life has been touched often by synchronicity, so much so that now I get on an airplane expecting the passenger in the next seat to be surprisingly important to me, either just the voice I need to hear to solve a problem or a missing link in a transaction that needs to come together....I believe that all coincidences are messages from the unmanifest-they are like angels without wings, so to speak, sudden interruptions of life by a deeper level..."

Jung believed synchronicity related to survival instincts and could bring a sense of healing, illuminate a hard life or a path to follow and act as preparation for a painful event. It most commonly occurs during periods of transition for both individuals and society.

In March 2002 Reuters reported that twin brothers in Finland, aged 71, were involved in identical bicycle accidents, on the same road, two hours apart. They were both killed. It is also apparent from this example that synchronistic episodes do not necessarily have obvious positive outcomes and can be unfathomable in their purpose no matter how astounding.

Serendipity is defined as accidently discovering something worthwhile whilst searching for something else entirely. M.K. Stoskopf,DVM, PhD, Dipl, ACZM wrote; "...it should be recognized that serendipitous discoveries are of significant value in the advancement of science and often present the foundation for important intellectual leaps of understanding." A great example of this is when the apple fell from the tree on to Isaac Newton's head and the concept of gravitational laws was discovered. In order to detect the importance of the revealed information the scientist needs to be prepared and have an open mind. The scientist ponders a question and the universe provides an answer. Although serendipity does not fit the mould of synchronicity exactly it still represents a connection between psychological and external events.

In recognising that occurrences such as these are difficult to measure and test for scientific evidence and knowing that we may never have all the answers, synchronicity, serendipity and coincidence are phenomenon that suggest our lives, the universe, our minds and matter are inextricably connected

and each requires the other to form a harmonic pattern and balance that plays out in perfect procession, to fulfill a destiny that we may never fully comprehend. It is reassuring when searching for meaning that there is a purpose and plan, even if we are not privvy to the details. Albert Einstein said; "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."