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In a few short weeks Christmas will be here and with it 2009 draws to a close. The end of one year and dawn of the next presents us with a unique opportunity for both reflection and forward planning.

We can look back over the year and reflect on our achievements and also our regrets. We can smile inwardly as we graciously accept life just as it is in this moment. And we can set positive intentions for the new year – to feel better, live better and make our world the best it can possibly be.

The Christmas edition of Wellness News contains articles, news and information to inspire, uplift and support you through the holiday season. I hope you enjoy the balance of articles.

I will leave you with a quote by Agnes M. Pharo which reminds us of the deeper, spiritual significance of Christmas.
“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” Agnes M. Pharo

~Mandy

POEM: MAKE A WISH

As often as possible, I make a wish and I dedicate it to something or someone else. I spend a spare moment sending out wishes to bring about healing, solutions, joy and love ... whatever is needed, no matter where in the world.
Every time I make a wish, I feel as though I’m sending out a bubble of good intention ... something positive and filled with hope and love. It may not seem like much ... it may not seem very practical. Often, it seems that there’s not a lot we can do to help where help is needed – perhaps because the situation is too far away or our own circumstances prevent us from being able to do more.
Yet, sending out a wish ... a bubble of positive intention, love and joy ... sets an intent in your life that has more power than it originally seems. A heart-felt wish can make a difference. Try it!
But be careful what you wish for.
It might just come true!
Karl Moore

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Late Spring is a delightful time of year to be outdoors enjoying nature. It is a time of harvest and healing with abundant fruits and beautiful scented flowers blooming.

It is essential for our physical health and peace of mind to regularly spend time in a beautiful natural environment working, exercising, observing, or just sitting still and absorbing the serenity of the moment.

More and more we are becoming an indoor oriented culture and this has a profoundly negative impact on our wellbeing. Nature provides everything we need for healing – sunshine, plants, medicines, fresh water – but we are increasingly disconnected from these things in their natural form and dependent on artificial supplements.

In this edition of Wellness News we feature two articles by health writer Tony Isaacs. The first article looks at the increasing prevalence of cancer as symptomatic of the modern lifestyle and health practices. The second article is an incredibly in-depth analysis of how to heal cancer (or any other illness for that matter) using the many tools provided by nature. He suggests a natural cancer healing protocol, which if adopted, could literally save your life!

Also featured in this edition are articles on organic gardening and organic food as a cancer healing strategy. You will also be inspired by the stories of two amazing ladies who are both longterm cancer survivors and CSA members. With the warmer weather here we have included some cooling salad and soup recipes to inspire your summer cooking.

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When I was a small child I was badly scalded with boiling water and spent six weeks in hospital undergoing surgery and treatment.

I don't remember anything of the event, but what I do remember were the hands of the people that held me and cared for me during this time. I remember being alone and crying at times (my mother had just given birth to my sister), and being comforted by some invisible, formless presence and being cupped within the giant, invisible hands of this presence. The world became quiet and I felt peaceful.

This experience largely shaped my unshakable faith and belief in the protective and healing power of 'God'. Over the years it is this faith that has seen me through the difficult times and given me a broadly spiritual perspective on life.

This foundation of faith arose from extreme suffering at a very early age. Without this experience I may have floundered, doubted, searched, lost hope, or worse, spent my life despairing, wondering what it is all for!

I realised early on that yoga suited me as a spiritual path and I consciously chose to live according to yogic principles. Yoga provides a positive and inspiring framework to live within, and I am dedicated to practising, teaching and sharing the blessings I have received with others. And I know, from my own experience, that yoga has the power to heal.

Other people who do not have this degree of faith in yoga may find that yoga practices do not heal. That's fine, they will of course choose a different path. It makes little difference what path you choose, what really counts is your faith, your firm belief in whatever it is you choose to do, and your resolve to live life fully, to be happy, to heal, and to make the world a better place through your involvement in it.

It is faith which will ultimately empower you, and lead you to succeed at your goals. Particularly in the context of health and healing -- with complete faith in whatever course of action you take it is likely you will succeed. With faith miracles are possible!

~ Mandy

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In the August 2009 edition of Wellness News we look at different aspects of water in relation to health – such as how the acid/alkalinity of water affects your health; dehydration as a cause of illness; and on a more subtle level we review Lawrence Ellyard’s book and CD The Spirit of Water.

The cover image this month includes a macro photograph of an ice crystal taken by the revolutionary Japanese researcher Dr. Masuro Emoto. Dr. Emoto believes he has proven that water has a soul or spirit (which he has called ‘hado’ ) and that what we think and say directly and immediately affects the hado or spirit of water. When he showed water the words ‘wisdom and compassion’, for instance, the individual crystals which formed when the water was frozen were beautiful. When he tested the ‘hado’ of polluted water or water shown words such as hate, the ice crystals were irregular and unformed.

Water is essential for all life, without it we would perish within days. Humans are comprised of 70% water so it seems logical that the water we consume is pure and perfectly balanced to match the conditions within the body.

This month be aware of the water you share your world with, the water you consume and the water within your own body. Keep a positive state of mind, calm disposition and notice that your ‘hado’ or spirit remains as beautiful and well-formed as one of Dr Emoto’s perfect ice crystals.

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Cancer is a universally difficult journey and can feel like an assault on your body and your spirit. The key to healing, regardless of how bad you may be feeling, is to take consistent action. It’s not about taking huge steps and making sweeping changes, it’s about little steps done over and over again. It’s about never giving up and being an inspiration to ourselves and to others around us.

As motivational guru Tony Robbins says, “Ordinary efforts consistently applied yield extraordinary results.”

Regular exercise such as yoga, healthy eating, a positive outlook and a gentle meditation practice can help reverse many of the pathological processes that can culminate in cancer – when applied consistently over time.

The July issue of Wellness News has been uploaded to the publications pages and is all about staying on track, believing in yourself and your innate ability to heal, finding inspiration within and in the world around you...

The world unconditionally shares its beauty and its resources to inspire and nurture all those who live upon it. Let us apply this generosity and wisdom in our own lives and relationships with others.

I have selected an image of a peacock for this month’s Wellness News cover as the peacock is a bird renowned for its vibrant, colourful, effortless beauty and reminds us that the natural world is beautiful and amazing.

Best wishes for your healing journey,
Mandy

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"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference" ~ Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity Prayer



Just recently, my little daughter gave me a six armed Buddha for my birthday -- the four outer hands each holding objects of the world, the two middle hands together in prayer. My daughter obviously perceives her busy mother as needing six arms!


The Buddha sits on my desk as a reminder to remain inwardly serene in the midst of the busyness of life, the chaos, the responsibilities!

This is a challenge for all of us -- not to lose ourselves in the necessary outer identities we need to assume to coexist with others in this world, but to remember who we really are. At our core is a still, silent, serene Buddha-like being.

If we can maintain an inner connection with this aspect of ourselves then all things in life are bearable, and anything becomes possible -- particularly if our life challenge is illness.

Illness is often a symptom of a disconnection with this aspect of ourselves, and in order for true and deep healing to occur it may be necessary to reestablish this inner connection.


At the core of most systems of eastern or indigenous medicine is this belief in the importance and integration of our spiritual nature. Chinese medicine is more about restoring balance and inner harmony than it is about labelling and 'curing' any particular disease.

The March/April Wellness magazine explores Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture & Qi Gong in relation to healing -- in particular cancer -- and offers many valuable insights and practical information.

I'd like to invite you to explore the magazine which is posted online in pdf format.

Happy reading!
~ Mandy

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"THE STORMS OF LIFE WILL STRENGTHEN US AS THEY TEACH US ABOUT LIVING, GROWING AND HEALING IN A WORLD OF FLUX AND CHANGE AND SOMETIMES GREAT PAIN" Jon Kabat-Zinn


The picture of CFA firefighter David Tree sharing water with a koala injured in Victorian fires has come to represent the positive, caring qualities' of human nature in the aftermath of the devastating Black Saturday fires.

The firefighters, rescuers and survivors involved displayed the most amazing courage, resilience and compassion -- qualities which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd singled out as the values of true Australian heroes.

Each of us has the capacity to be a 'hero' because each of us will inevitably be confronted with hardship, suffering and pain at some point in our lives -- not necessarily on such a huge scale as the Victorian fires -- but we will be called on to draw on these qualities which are actually fundamental to all human beings when we face our own catastrophe.

Our catastrophe may be a buildup of lots of small things that go wrong or an ongoing illness, but the question for all of us is the same: How do we prepare for the 'Catastrophe' and how do we deal with it when it comes? How can we live our lives a little more courageously, resiliently and compasionately even without a disaster to propel us into action?

Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D. provides the answers to these questions and details practical strategies to cope with the dilemmas, sorrows, tragedies an ironies of life in his book 'Full Catrophe Living'. Kabat-Zinn is a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. The title of this very empowering book is intriguing, and a few pages into the introduction the author explains his choice of title.

"In groping to describe that aspect of the human condition that the patients in the stress clinic and, in fact, most of us, at one time or another, need to come to terms with and in some way transcend, I keep coming back to one line from the movie Zorba the Greek. Zorba's young companion turns to him at a certain point and inquires, "Zorba, have you ever been married?" to which Zorba replies, "Am I not a man? Of course I’ve been married. Wife, house, kids, everything...THE FULL CATASTROPHE".

It was not meant to be a lament, nor does it mean that being married or having children is a catastrophe. Zorba's response embodies a supreme appreciation for the richness of life, and the inevitability of all its dilemmas, sorrows, tragedies, and ironies. His way is to "dance" in the gale of the full catastrophe, to celebrate life, to laugh with it and at himself, even in the face of personal failure and defeat. In doing so, he is never weighed down for long, never ultimately defeated either by the world or by his own considerable folly.

Ever since I first heard it, I have felt that the phrase 'the full catastrophe' captures something positive about the human spirit's ability to come to grips with what is most difficult in life and to find within it room to grow in strength and wisdom. "Catastrophe" here does not mean disaster. Rather it means the poignant enormity of our life experience. It includes crises and disaster, but also all the little things that go wrong and that add up. The phrase reminds us that life is always in flux, that everything we think is permanent is actually only temporary and constantly changing. This includes or ideas, our opinions, or relationships, our jobs, our possessions, our creations, our bodies, everything."

The Victorian bushfire survivors, as well as many others of us have well and truly lived 'the full catastrophe'. Whether we are strengthened from the experiences and view them as an opportunity for living, growing and healing or whether we feel weighed down or defeated -- is a matter for each of us to decide!

Love, peace and healing...
Mandy BK & Christine Robbins

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Hippocrates, the 'Father of medicine' believed the human body had the ability to restore itself to health, with a little help from nature.

As it becomes more apparent that our modern health care systems are failing to reverse trends in chronic disease and the typical Western diet does more harm than good, more people are looking for healthy natural alternatives to the chemicals, preservatives, additives, heavy metals etc which have been added to our foods and constitute our medicines.

New research confirms the wisdom of Hippocrates "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" and we look at some recent finings in this edition. We also look at the problem with meat consumption, and how fruits and vegetables regulate the cell cycle to prevent chronic disease.

It is up to each of us to care for our health and preserve the health of our precious planet which provides us with all the tools we need for healing and wellness.

Here's a beautiful little poem by Prem Rawat
to remind us that each of us is a gardener tending the garden of our own lives...


THE SEED OF KINDNESS

"When we come in this world, we're given seeds.
There is the seed of anger, but there is also a seed of kindness.
There is a seed of love and a seed of understanding.
Whatever seed you have sown in your garden of life
is what you’re going to sit under to rest.
You have the intelligence to choose
what will benefit you the most."

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Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the great saint who's life and teachings have illuminated humanity for the past two millenia.

When we think of illumination we think of light which shines from external sources, and in the context of Christmas we think of the Evening Star which led the Three Wise Men to Jesus.

This story of the guiding light is a metaphor, for it is not an external light which guides us, but an inner light which shines brightly within each one of us. When our attention is turned inwards towards this source of illumination we discover our inner sanctum, our own secret, sacred place which is the source from which everything arises. In the deep silence of meditation on this inner light no words are necessary as the language of the heart is simply silence and love.

When the Three Wise Men left everything that was familiar to them and travelled in search of an unknown new beginning their countrymen thought they had lost their way, but the Three Wise Men knew, as do we, that when we have glimpsed the light there is no turning back from the path.
Those who have had near death experiences often speak of approaching a light and then drawing back. This inner illumination emerges when the individual personality with its baggage of ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ begins to fade and the recognition dawns that the same light shines in all human beings.
The wonderful secret is that this light never dims. Although the universe constantly changes, at its source is this shining illumination – the light of consciousness. Not far away, but very near. Turn your gaze inward, close your eyes and experience your own precious journey towards that light.

May your inner light shine brightly this new year and guide you towards lasting peace, healing and deep joy!

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