Tinnitus

Tinnitus

The term tinnitus is derived from Latin and means "to ring like a bell," although sufferers report hearing a variety of sounds, from buzzing and humming to clanging and roaring. There is generally no external source for these sounds; instead, the auditory nerve transmits impulses to the brain, which perceives them as persistent ringing or other noises. While the symptoms of this condition may vary, what is common among those who have it is the impact it has on their lives - often disrupting work and sleep. One of the most common causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises, such as rock music or gunshots. However, even an allergy or simple buildup of earwax can cause your ears to ring. Some medicines can also provoke tinnitus. Or, in rare cases, it could be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as Ménière's disease, hypertension, nerve damage or tumors. If a doctor rules out an underlying physical cause, therapies such as diet, herbs, chiropractic and homeopathics may improve or even heal the condition.

Ginkgo Promotes Circulation

Traditional Chinese medicine considers the ears to be part of the kidney meridian, which makes tinnitus a standard kidney symptom. Prescribed in China for thousands of years as a "kidney yin" tonic, the leaves from the ginkgo tree effectively treat tinnitus and other conditions often associated with aging. Its components, especially ginkgolide B, can improve circulation to the brain and deliver more oxygen top the ears. Ginkgo comes in tincture, tea and capsule forms and is available at most health-food stores.

What You Can Do: Tinnitus can be exacerbated by alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and certain types of medication, so reducing your intake of these substances can help to alleviate the condition, Stress, too, can affect ringing in the ears. Stress management and relaxation techniques may be helpful. If the ringing is persistent or if you experience pain or fever, consult a doctor.

Protect Your Ears: Always wear earplugs or some form of ear protection when using lawn mowers, power tools or other loud appliances. The United States Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration (OSHA) recommends using earplugs rated for at least twice as many decibels as you need to ensure protection. When listening to music, keep the volume at a level that allows you to easily hear the telephone and other sounds. When wearing a headset, you should be the only one to hear the music. If someone standing near you can hear it as well, you could very well be causing damage to the cells in your inner ear; these cells translate sound waves into nerve impulses sent to the brain.

Chiropractic Relief: Tinnitus accompanied by muscle pain or spinal problems may indicate that the ringing is a result of a misalignment. Chiropractic treatment of the upper spine, neck and head can provide relief. Manipulation often frees the blockages and reduces the strain in upper-back and neck muscles that could lead to tinnitus.

Extra Tip: Vascular disease, common in the elderly and in heavy smokers, impairs both circulation and oxygen flow, and can cause tinnitus. Certain herbs have been found effective in strengthening blood vessels. Try hawthorn, bilberry or St. John's Wort.

Therapeutic Teas

To Promote Calm

If tinnitus is related to stress or anxiety, a tea made from medicinal herbs can be a quick and calming remedy.

1 oz. passionflower leaves

1 oz. peppermint leaves

1 oz. chamomile leaves

1 oz. chamomile flowers

1 oz. hops

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 3 tbsp. of the tea blend. Steep for 10 minutes; then strain. Drink 1 cup of the tea 3 times daily.

To Reduce Ear Congestion

If the symptoms of tinnitus are related to allergies and congestion in the ears, the following tea may be helpful.

1 oz. nettles

1 oz. eyebright

1 oz. thyme leaves

1 oz. yarrow

4 oz. licorice

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tbsp. of this herb blend. Steep for 10 minutes; then strain. Drink 1 cup of the tea 4 times daily.

Home Remedy

For earwax buildup, do not use cotton swabs, as they can push earwax further into the ear canal. Instead, use either a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or a solution of 1 part vinegar to 1 part warm water. Using an eyedropper, put a few drops in your ears and allow them to settle for a minute; then drain.

Homeopathic Remedies

Take 5 capsules daily until your specific symptoms subside.

· Aconitum 6X for sudden or nighttime occurrences of tinnitus, or if the ringing is related to anxiety or stress.

· Apis 6X for a buzzing or humming noise that sounds like a swarm of bees.

· Petroleum 6X if the pulsing of blood circulation is audible in the ear.

· China 4X if noise becomes unpleasant due to nervous exhaustion.

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Old Home Remedies

Here are some remedies that could be useful to know and we all have some of this stuff in our homes...

 -Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost
immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional  pain relievers.

- Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns.

- Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with
mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong
Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

-Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in
1/2 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes,then apply it
as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles.

- Sore Throat?? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take
1 Tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

- Cure urinary tract infections with alka-seltzer. Just dissolve two
tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms.
Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost
instantly-even though the product was never been advertised for this
use.

-Eliminate puffiness under your eyes.....All you need is a dab of
preparation H, carefully rubbed into the skin, avoiding the eyes. The
hemorrhoid ointment acts as a vasoconstrictor, relieving the swelling
instantly. 

-Honey remedy for Skin Blemishes......Cover the blemish with a dab of
honey and place a band-aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the
skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

-Easy eyeglass protection....To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from
loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to
the threads of the screws before tightening them.

-Coca-Cola cure for rust...Forget those expensive rust removers. Just
saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain. The
phosphoric acid in the coke is what gets the job done.

-Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer....If menacing bees, wasps
hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the
insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground
instantly.

-Smart splinter remover.....just pour a drop of Elmers Glue-all over the
splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter
sticks to the dried glue.

-Hunt's tomato paste boil cure....Cover the boil with Hunt's tomato paste
as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the
boil to a head.

-Balm for broken blisters.....To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few
drops of Listerine....a powerful antiseptic.

-Heinz vinegar to heal bruises...Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and
apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and
speeds up the healing process. 

- Kill fleas instantly. Dawn dishwashing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well
to avoid skin irritations. Goodbye fleas

-Rainy day cure for dog odor....Next time your dog comes in from the
rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet,
instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

-Eliminate ear mites....All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in
your cat's ear. Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat
daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites,
and accelerates healing.

-Vaseline cure for hairballs.....To prevent troublesome hairballs, apply
a dollop of Vaseline petroleum jelly to your cat's nose. The cat will
lick off the jelly, lubricating any hair in its stomach so it can pass
easily through the digestive system.

-Quaker Oats for fast pain relief....It's not for breakfast anymore! Mix
2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the
microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your
hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain. 

-Magnesium has been found to lessen the frequency of the migraine headaches as well as reduce the severity of migraine pain. Taking a magnesium supplement daily is effective as a home remedy for migraine.
(However nuts, although good sources of magnesium are also migraine triggers and are best avoided).

-Home Remedy for Migraine with Chamomile Tea. Drink chamomile tea daily as a preventative measure.

-When you feel the primary signs of a migraine coming on take two alka seltzer tablets. (Alka Seltzer Gold are definitely preferred). It is difficult to say why this works- they will alkalize your whole body making it impossible for a fully fledged migraine to develop.

-Home Remedy for Migraine with Vitamin B -Take a Vitamin B complex tablet on a daily basis. Research has shown many migraine sufferers do not get enough of the B Group vitamins from their diet, a supplement can prevent attacks.

-Home Remedy for Migraine with Feverfew
Four to six leaves of fresh feverfew or 50 milligram in dried form has been known to relieve symptoms considerably.

Here are some remedies involving ingredients present at home to cure the nail fungus:

• Vinegar: Fill a basin with equal proportions of warm water and vinegar. It is a good choice to use apple cider vinegar for this treatment. For about twenty minutes soak your toenails in the solution and wipe them thoroughly with a dry towel followed by a super absorbent paper. This remedy is most effective if done twice daily until the signs are not seen.
• Oil: Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and fungicide. Rub the oil on the affected nail with the help of cotton balls dipped in the oil. Do this twice or thrice daily until the symptoms disappear completely.
• Listerine: With the hype about staying hygienic, almost all houses have Listerine mouthwash in their washrooms. Soak the affected nail in Listerine for around twenty minutes. Doing this twice daily will eradicate the fungus completely.
• Alcohol: Rubbing alcohol is very easily available at pharmacies. Soak the toenail with rubbing alcohol for twenty minutes, at least twice daily. Make sure you wipe off the alcohol completely using super absorbent paper towels
• Hydrogen peroxide: Use a 3 percent solution for this purpose. Hydrogen peroxide can be found in any pharmacy in your area. Soak your nail with hydrogen peroxide for twenty minutes twice in a day to get the maximum result. You can also mix equal amount of this solution with water if you feel it harsh on your skin. Dry with super absorbent material so that it is completely dry.
• Rub Thyme Essential Oil into nail beds with a cotton ball sevel times a day 
  I'm sure I will come across many more home remedies in time, they will have to wait for another post. How about you, do you have any old home remedies you would like to share with us? 

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Journaling Tools

A few weeks ago, I read a post by Dan Pearce, blogger extraordinaire that writes Single Dad Laughing. In it , he described a journaling exercise I had never heard of before. I think it's brilliant and wanted to share it with you. I think journalling is an excellent way to relieve stress and deal with negative feelings in a constructive way.  I have done many different journalling exercises over the years, I suppose thats how I came to blogging. My first blog, The Cyberangel Chronicles was basically my online diary. I prefer typing to my  chicken scratch handwriting but I find I censor myself more when I think someone else might be reading it. I do like Dans technique though and suppose I could just email myself when I want to work out my  issues. So next time you have a problem, try this method of getting to the root of things so that you can sort things out.

Journaling to find the root of the problem by Dan Pearce

A couple weeks ago, I wrote the post Sit Down and Write. In it, I promised that I was going to write about a process I personally use to get to the bottom of whatever issues I may be dealing with. It's called journaling, and it's a method that was taught to me by my counselor.

The idea is simple enough. The process takes blatant honesty, which isn't always simple, even when you're dedicated to the idea.






Journaling to find the root of the problem.






Step One: Write down the problem or the issue that you're dealing with.


Step Two: Write down the question, "why is that such a big deal to me?"


Step Three: Answer the question.


Step Four: Write down the question, "why is that a big deal to me?"


Step Five: Answer the question.


Step Six: Continue in this process until you get to the underlying root of the problem.


Step Seven: Write down your emotional need based on the root you've discovered.


Step Eight: Give yourself an action item to deal with the root (not the original problem) as well as to get your emotional need met.


It's much easier if you see it in action before trying it yourself. Here is a journal I did shortly after my second wife left to help me figure out why I was upset with a friend. The names have all been changed.

CURRENT ISSUE: I am frustrated that John doesn’t want me to hang out with our mutual female friends alone. Particularly Janie and Deb.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because they are my friends too, and all I want to do is hang out with them when I’m bored or lonely.







Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I feel that John has unspoken reasons of why he doesn’t want me to hang out with them if he’s not there.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I feel like John has insecurities when comparing himself to me and that it is causing him to not want girls that he has liked to hang out with me alone because they might like me instead of him.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I am not interested in them that way, and I feel that John has no reason to feel insecure against somebody who has been divorced twice and is broke.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I want John to be a true friend in that he doesn’t compare himself to me, rather he just enjoys what comes to our lives as a result of both of us being friends to many people.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because that’s what best friends and bros do.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I consider John my best friend and bro right now, and I need to know that he’s secure enough that it won’t cause problems with my ability to have personal friends.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I feel that personal friends is a huge need in my life right now.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I feel that, besides John, I don’t really have any really close really good personal friends right now, and with all of this pain and all of this heartache I’m going through, I need the closeness of others.







Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I need validation that I’m still a good, decent person worth people liking and wanting to be around.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because right now I’m feeling like a big loser and that everybody is judging me for what has happened to me.

Why is that a big deal to me?

Because I am scared that if they judge me for what has happened to me, that they will not want to be close to me or that they’ll no longer look up to or respect me or want to be friends.

ROOT EMOTION: Fear of Rejection

EMOTIONAL NEED: To know that people that I already know and love or am friends with still want to be friends with me even after what has happened.

ACTION STEPS: Read this journaling chain to John and ask him to let me meet my emotional needs by being okay with me hanging with mutual female friends sometimes in order to validate that I am still wanted. Also, discuss with John what his root emotion might be and what action steps I might take to help with any emotional need.







After doing this chain, I was able to see that I was upset because I had a fear of rejection (which is quite often the case when doing these chains). Once I figured that out, I was able to be real about it and get my emotional needs met. I completed my action steps, and the problem immediately went away.


The problem is, most of us try and treat the symptom instead of the disease when we're dealing with things. As we do rash things to try and correct the surface issues, our needs go unmet, and we often do more damage than good in the process. By doing a journaling session before we tackle pressing issues, it opens up the ability to make decisions that actually have the ability to fix things for us.


The key, and often the trickiest part, is to forget about the original problem while you do your journaling. Every time you ask the question "Why is that a big deal to me?" you need to focus only on whatever was written immediately before it, forgetting your original problem altogether. You can't let what originally bugged you affect anything else. If you do, you'll have a hard time getting to the true root.


So, there you have it. It's the process I use to make sure I'm overcoming my life's problems in the most healthy way possible, and it has really done some good things for me. Take it or leave it. I hope you'll at least try it. It can be used for heavy issues, and it can be used for simple and barely significant issues. It can be used to figure out the hard stuff such as heart-pounding jealousy or resentment towards loved ones as much as it can be used to figure out why you're annoyed by something seemingly minuscule.

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How to See and Read the Aura

Every living thing is made of energy and that energy produces an electrical field around the physical object. That field is visable through the peripheral vision. You can practice techniques to improve your ability to see auras and learn to interpret what you are seeing. Dr.Tom Chalko has written another wonderful article explaining how to see and read Auras How to see and READ the AURA:  Dr Tom Chalko
	There is nothing “paranormal” in the Universe, except our limited understanding of Nature. What we think we “know” on Earth now is just a tiny drop in the Ocean of Knowledge. In the distant past, people admired things they could not explain and called them “miracles”. Long ago, people were able to see Auras. Advanced spiritual people such as Buddha, Christ and their immediate students were painted with golden halos around their heads, because some artists could actually see Auras. In Australia remote West Kimberleys you can find prehistoric cave paintings (bottom left), many thousands of years old, depicting people with golden haloes. (photo courtesy G.L.Walsh) Nature gave us ALL we need to see Auras. All is required is the knowledge how to use your senses together with your conscious effort. If you decide not to try, you will NEVER see the Aura. On the other hand, when you SEE something for yourself, no longer will you need to rely on believing someone. You will KNOW. And you can use your knowledge to learn more. Many great people in the past complained that "we have eyes and we do not see". Further in this document you will discover what they meant. ANYONE can see auras to some degree. Rather than create an aura of mystery around my newly acquired skill, my approach is to show everyone what their eyes are capable of. When nearly everyone (including children) sees a similar thing, I consider this a part of our Nature and I say that it deserves our attention. This page summarizes the content of regular lecture-workshops on seeing and Reading Auras held by Dr. Tom J. Chalko. It was written to be BRIEF. For best results you need to refer to it from time to time. If you want to arrange workshop and have a group of people ready, please contact the author. You can also buy Dr Tom J. Chalko workshop notes (an expanded version of this document).
What is the Aura ?Everything in the Universe seems to be just a vibration. Every atom, every part of an atom, every electron, every elementary “particle”, even our thoughts and consciousness are just vibrations. Hence, we may define the Aura as a electro-photonic vibration response of an object to some external excitation (such as an ambient light for example). This definition is sufficient for the purpose of reading Auras, providing that we can train ourselves to see the Aura vibration. The most important property of the Aura seems to be the fact that it contains INFORMATION about the object. Aura around living (conscious) objects (people, plants ...) changes with time, sometimes very quickly. Aura around non-living object (stones, crystals, water...) is essentially fixed, but can be changed by our conscious intent. Above facts have been observed by scientists in Russia, who have been using Kirlian effect to study Auras for the last 50 years. The Aura around humans is partly composed from EM (electromagnetic) radiation, spanning from microwave, infrared (IR) to UV light. The low frequency microwave and infrared part of the spectrum (body heat) seems to be related to the low levels of the functioning of our body (DNA structure, metabolism, circulation etc.) whereas high frequency (UV part) is more related to our conscious activity such as thinking, creativity, intentions, sense of humor and emotions. Russian scientists, who seem to be about 3 decades ahead of everyone else in Aura research, make experiments suggesting that our DNA can be altered, by influencing its microwave Aura. The high frequency UV part is very important and most interesting but largely unexplored. And this part can be seen with naked eyes. Why do we need to see auras ? Colors and intensity of the aura, especially around and above the head have VERY special meanings. Watching someones aura you can actually see the other person's thoughts before you hear them expressed verbally. If they do not agree with what this person is saying, you effectively see a lie every time. No one can lie in front of you undetected. We cannot fake the Aura. It shows our True Nature and intentions for everyone to see. Also, aura is our spiritual signature. When you see a person with a bright, clean aura, you can be SURE that such person is good and spiritually advanced, even if he/she is modest and not aware of it. When you see a person with a gray or dark aura, you may be almost SURE, that such person has unclear intentions, regardless how impressive, eloquent, educated, "good looking" or "well dressed" he/she seems to appear. It is ESPECIALLY important to check the aura of any religious leader, "spiritual teacher", "master" or a "guru". Such a person should have a clearly defined yellow-golden halo around the head. If he/she does not have it, you are MUCH better on your own. Joining a sect or a religion that is led by incompetent people without good Auras is very dangerous for your consciousness. Where is the danger ? When the time comes to really use the information stored in your consciousness from this lifetime, there may be almost nothing useful there, if you focus your life on following rituals and the flock of other people. In such case it is necessary to re-learn everything from the beginning. Most sect, religion and political leaders have only two things in mind: money and power to control people. And you can SEE it in their Aura for yourself. Imagine changes on Earth if many people can see Auras of their leaders and start choosing them on the basis of their Auras. By reading Aura it seems possible to diagnose malfunctions in the body (diseases) long before physical symptoms become evident. By consciously controlling your Aura you can actually heal yourself. However, healing of the physical body is nothing in comparison to what seeing and reading auras can do for our consciousness, spiritual development and our awareness of Nature. Everyone has an Aura. But most people on Earth have VERY WEAK and dull Auras. This seems to be a direct consequence of their life long materialistic attitude negating and suppressing the development of consciousness, cultivating fear, envy, jealousy and other similar emotions. Such attitude suppresses their True Nature, and their Auras seem to become suppressed too. When you learn to see Auras, be prepared for a REALLY HARD question: “Can you tell me what my Aura is ?” and the situation when you don't see any Aura or you see something you don't want to talk about. One of the best answers I found is “why don't you learn to see it for yourself ? “. And this is one of the main reasons why I teach people to see auras. When people realize that their Aura is on display and many people are able to see it, they will watch what they think. And they will try to see and improve their own Aura. In the process they will become better and wiser, being able to recognize intentions of other people. Surely, the entire world will become much better if all people can see and read Auras. Children and the Aura: Very young children (up to 5 years of age) see auras naturally. Infants frequently look ABOVE a person in front of them. When they don't like the color of the aura above the head, or if this color is much different from their parent's aura, they cry, no matter how much smiling the person does. Children have much cleaner and stronger auras than most of adults, who are usually completely enslaved by the materialistic world and suppress their Nature by following superficial examples. When I taught my 12 year old son to see his own Aura, he told me that when he was little he was able to see Auras most of the time. But no one paid any attention, so he thought that it was not important and maybe there was something wrong with his eyesight. This is a typical scenario. In my opinion children should learn to see and read Auras in a primary school, so they never lose this natural ability. Our Eyes With our eyes we can sense (perceive) a very narrow range of vibration frequencies of Electromagnetic (EM) vibration corresponding to wavelengths from 0.3 to 0.7 micrometers - from purple to red. A mix of the vibration frequencies in the above range we perceive with our eyes as color. We can measure this mix precisely by recording a spectrum of light, but only using special instruments, called spectrophotometer's. Colors perceived by our eyes are only our partial perception of MUCH more complex reality : complex vibration of light (and other vibrations as well). To explain the above statement, we would need to define the spectrum and explain how we perceive color with our eyes. How to see Aura: developing auric sight In an effort to see the Aura we need to: Increase the sensitivity of our eyes AND Extend the range of perceived vibration beyond the visible light. It seems that we can accomplish the above by: Using and training our peripheral vision Increasing exposure Enhance visual sensation processing in the brain - enhance the communication between left and right hemispheres of the brain Peripheral vision Why should we use our peripheral vision? Our retina (the focal plane of the eye containing photosensitive cells) is less damaged there than in the central part. The central part of retina is constantly in use, and over the years suffers accumulated damage from excessive and/or artificial illumination (TV, computers, artificial light etc...). Also we have trained the central vision to be used in certain ways over the years. Young children see auras much easier, because their central vision is not yet damaged. Once they go to school they are told to use their vision in a certain way, and gradually they lose their natural auric sight. Increasing exposure When we want to do a photo of a dark scene, we need to increase the time of exposure of the film. We can accomplish this for our eyes by concentrating exactly on ONE spot for a while (30-60 seconds). When our eyes are moving, or a scene moves in front of our eyes, images are averaged by our eye. (25 TV frames per second seems a fluent motion). When we concentrate on one spot, we increase our sensitivity because we average the incoming light, cumulating its effect. Our photosensitive cells (Red Green and Blue) operate as vibration sensors, much like 3 radio receivers tuned to 3 "colors" RGB. When you need to achieve a large vibration of , say, a swing - you can accomplish it using a very weak excitation force, but persist with it. Concentrating with your eyes on one spot you achieve a very similar effect: with a very small stimulation you can gradually swing your photo sensitive cells into large vibration, and this results in a visual sensation perceived by the brain. Concentration exercise 1 Place the picture in Fig 1 about 1.5 m in front of you. Look exactly at the black spot for 30 seconds or so and observe colored dots with your peripheral vision. Resist temptation to look anywhere else but the black spot. Fig 1. Image for concentration exercise Note that colored areas seem to be surrounded by the “Aura” of a different color. When peripheral sensors are stimulated for some time, we have color sensations, much different than when we use the central vision. The longer you concentrate, the brighter is the “Aura” around colored areas, because your sensitivity increases. Yesterday you could look at this picture for hours and never see anything. Concentration at ONE spot for long enough is the key. Rather than the true Aura, this exercise demonstrates the principle of how to look to see human Auras by making you aware of certain specific capabilities of your eyesight and your perception. Concentration exercise 2 This exercise aims to stimulate the communication between both hemispheres of the brain, thereby increasing the "processing power" needed to see Auras. Place the picture in Fig 2 about 1 meter in front of you. Stretch your hand forward so that one of your fingers is between and underneath circles. Change focus on the tip of your finger and overlook the circles. You should see 4 circles. Then aim to overlap the middle two to see ONE CIRCLE WITH A WHITE CROSS on top of your finger, in the middle between the two. Seeing the cross is the evidence, that the left hemisphere of the brain (connected to the right eye) is communicating with the right hemisphere (connected to the left eye). This exercise turns out to be extremely beneficial: 5 minutes of it seems to double the size of the electro-photonic aura as recorded by bioelectrography. The cross will initially float and seem unstable. Experiment with the distance from your finger to your eyes to achieve a perfect cross. You gain a significant benefit after 3-5 minutes of maintaining a perfectly balanced cross, preferably without blinking, but a magic duration seems to be 45 minutes of concentration at the time, which is said to make a REAL difference to your mental and auric abilities. In my experience it is best to start with a minute or two and gradually increase the time every week. Short and intensive concentration seems to be better than a longer one, interrupted by the lack of skill. Gradually, with practice you should be able to achieve and maintain the cross without the finger. While maintaining the cross try to become aware of the other 2 circles as well as everything around using your peripheral vision. You should see Auric colors around the colored circles above with your peripheral vision. When you can analyze surroundings using your peripheral vision, without loosing the cross (and the concentration), you are ready to see and read auras. Advanced levels of concentration : One diameter in the cross seems usually "in front" of the other. This means, that one of your brain hemispheres seems to dominate the other. Males usually see the horizontal diameter above (left hemisphere dominates) females usually see the vertical diameter above (right hemisphere dominates). Try to get the "hidden" diameter in front as much as possible, by concentrating, on demand. The final level of concentration is to achieve and maintain a perfectly balanced cross with all four arms of similar intensity, thereby achieving a perfect balance both hemispheres. Many people experience amazing effects here. Firstly, concentration gets much deeper. Secondly, after 2-3 minutes you seem like loosing sight, with bright background becoming dark purple or pink. Your sensitivity and awareness greatly increase. Several people reported that wearing the Chakra Shirt significantly enhances such concentration, and my personal experience confirms this. Colors and Auric Pairs In concentration exercises 1 and 2 we noticed that real colors are surrounded with Auras of different colors. These auric colors are not random. Following is a list of Auric Pairs of colors for all clean colors of the rainbow (monochromatic colors). red gives turquoise aura, turquoise gives red aura orange gives blue aura, blue gives orange aura yellow gives violet aura, violet gives yellow aura green gives pink aura, pink gives green aura The above table applies also to intermediate colors, for example yellow-green color gives a pink-violet aura. Note, that above Auric pairs are DIFFERENT than complementary color pairs, "color wheels" and "color spaces" promoted by the science and art on Earth. Every child can confirm that auric pairs listed above are true. A good look around will prove that the Nature is very fond of Auric Pairs. Take any red colored bird and you can be sure, that this bird will have turquoise body parts too. The same applies to blue-orange, yellow-violet and pink-green combinations, not only in birds, but in fish, butterflies, flowers etc.. - anything which is vividly coloured by Nature. Occasionally you will see “the next best” color instead of a perfect auric match. Have you noticed that MOST of flowers on Earth that grow on trees and are surrounded by GREEN leaves are either violet, pink(purple) or red? Auric Pairs in Nature are very stimulating, and frequently induce an overwhelming feeling of beauty and happiness.You need to memorize and know well the above Auric Pairs. Why? Because if you see a pink Aura around someone in a bright green dress, there is a strong possibility that you see the "Aura" of a dress, not of a person. How to see and READ the AURA: Part 3 Seeing the Aura This exercise is designed to see Aura for the first time and/or practice seeing Auras. Choosing good conditions is important: not only you see the Aura better, but also to gain a confidence about what you see. Situate the person in front of a very softly illuminated PLAIN WHITE background. A color background will change Aura colors, so you need additional knowledge about combining colors. Some combinations of background and Aura colors may cause misinterpretation problems. Choose ONE SPOT to look at. The middle of the forehead is VERY GOOD. This is a location of so called Brow Chakra or the Third Eye. In some cultures (India) they put a mark on a forehead. Such a mark in ancient times could mean the invitation to look and see the Aura. Look at this spot for 30 to 60 seconds or longer After 30 seconds analyze surroundings with your peripheral vision, while still looking at the same spot. Continuing the concentration is most important. Resist temptation to look around. You should see that the background nearby the person is brighter and has a DIFFERENT color than the background further away. This is your own perception of the Aura. The longer you concentrate, the better you will see it. Remember, concentration on one spot increases your sensitivity by accumulating the effect of the Aura vibration reaching your eyes. Taking a SNAPSHOT of an Aura. After concentrating long enough to see the aura, close your eyes. For a second or two you will see the Aura ONLY. Be prepared. You have only one second or two until your photosensitive cells will stop vibrating and sending visual sensations to the brain. And if you miss is, you have to start concentrating again. Try to experiment how fast or slow you should close your eyes. Observing auras of other people The best is to look directly at someones brow chakra (third eye or wisdom eye, which is located @1.5 cm above the nose, between eyes) and aim to achieve the state of mind similar to the concentration technique described above for at least 30-60 seconds. I have tried also looking at throat and heart chakras with similar results. However, if you concentrate on someones chest it looks so unusual that the person concerned is usually very uneasy about it. When you look into someones brow chakra you can actually continue conversation. Again, VERY softly illuminated background, with no shadows is best. With practice, any uniformly illuminated background (such as a blue sky for example) will suffice. How to see your own Aura Stand about 1.5 m in front of a good size mirror. In the beginning it is best if the background behind you is plain white and there are no shadows. Illumination should be VERY soft and uniform not bright. Follow instructions above for seeing Auras. PRACTICE for at least 10-15 minutes each day to increase your sensitivity and develop Auric sight. Remember that practice is required to develop Auric sight. Auric sight and after-images One of the most frequently asked questions during my workshops is: "Tom, are my eyes playing tricks on me ?" The answer is no, you have just learnt to pay attention to what your eyes are capable of. Light sensors in our eyes (Red Green and Blue) are vibration sensors which are highly non-linear and they have memory. The consequence of memory is that they can oscillate for up to several seconds after the visual stimulation has been discontinued. This memory of visual stimulation is frequently perceived as afterimage. Afterimages have a precisely the same shape as original images. Afterimage of an object surrounded by its Aura is larger than the original image. The increase in such afterimage is due to the vibration of an Aura and actually represents a "snapshot" of an Aura. It is therefore essential to focus at one spot when watching the Aura and resist temptation to change the point of focus, otherwise an image of the Aura may become confused with the afterimage of an object. Meaning of Aura and its colors The Aura is a reflection of our True Nature at any given moment. At this point it is perhaps necessary to explain what do I mean by "True Nature" and why some effort is necessary to "discover" it. Our society seems to emphasize symbols, stereotypes, habits, manners, superficial behavior, pretending, following others and submitting free will to some "leaders". Our "education" seems to be based on views and expectations of people who try to control the flock. Our True Nature is what is left when we recognize and discard all our habits, stereotypes, manners, and pretending, superficial behavior and become fully conscious, truly natural and spontaneous. Note that some people are so attached to their manners and habits that it is very hard, if not impossible, to discover who they really are. The only way to get an instant insight into their personality seems to be by watching their Aura, because the Aura shows their True Nature, behind any facade of superficial behavior. In general, the more colorful, cleaner and brighter the Aura, the better and more spiritually advanced is the person. Also, the more uniform the energy distribution in the Aura, the healthier and more balanced the person is. Distribution of the energy in the Aura seems to have the potential of a powerful medical diagnostic tool, but usually requires using a complex equipment. The scope of this article is to concentrate on what we can easily see with our eyes. Our Aura surrounds the entire body, but the interpretation of colors below relates to the Aura around the head only. Meaning of colors around the head presented below suggested in the literature has been confirmed by the author. When you learn to see Aura well, you can verify it for yourself, by concentrating on certain thoughts while watching your Aura, or telling people what their thoughts are when you see their Auras. Usually, people have one or two dominating colors (strong points) in their Aura. These colors (or their Auric pairs) will be most likely their favorite colors. In addition to dominant colors, the Aura reflects thoughts, feelings and desires, which appear like "flashes", "clouds" or "flames", usually further away from the head. For example a flash of orange in the Aura indicates a thought or desire to exercise power and control. Orange as a dominant color is a sign of power and general ability to control people. Quickly changing "flashes" indicate quickly changing thoughts. Meaning of Clean Colors of the Aura (colors of the rainbow, bright, shiny, monochromatic colors): Purple: indicates spiritual thoughts. Purple is never a strong point in the Aura. It appears only as temporary "clouds" and "flames", indicating truly spiritual thoughts. Blue: Balanced existence, sustaining life, eased nerve system, transmitting forces and energy. People with blue strong point in their Aura are relaxed, balanced and feel ready to live in a cave and survive. They are born survivors. Blue thought is a thought about relaxing the nerve system to achieve the balance of the mind or a thought about surviving. Electric blue can override any other color in the Aura, when the person is receiving and/or transmitting information in a telepathic communication. For example Michel Desmarquet, author of "Thiaoouba Prophecy", frequently glows with the electric blue during his lectures, especially when he answers questions from the public. Turquoise: indicates dynamic quality of being, highly energized personality, capable of projection, influencing other people. People with turquoise strong point in their Aura can do many things simultaneously and are good organizers. They feel bored when forced to concentrate on one thing. People love bosses with turquoise Auras, because such bosses explain their goals and influence their team rather than demand executing their commands. Turquoise thought is a thought about organizing and influencing others. Green: restful, modifying energy, natural healing ability. All natural healers should have it. People with a green strong point in their Auras are natural healers. The stronger the green Aura, the better the healer. They also love gardening and usually have a "green hand" - anything grows for them. Being in a presence of a person with a strong and green Aura is a very peaceful and restful experience. Green thought indicates a restful state and healing. Yellow: joy, freedom, non-attachment, freeing or releasing vital forces. People who glow yellow are full of inner joy, very generous and not attached to anything. Yellow halo around the head: high spiritual development. A signature of a spiritual teacher. Do not accept spiritual teachings from anyone who does not have such a yellow halo. Buddha and Christ had yellow halos extending to their arms. Today it is rare on Earth to find a person with a halo larger than 1 inch. Yellow halo appears as a result of a highly active brow chakra (which can be seen glowing with violet by many people at my workshops). Highly spiritual people stimulate the brow chakra continuously for many years, because they always have intensive spiritual thoughts in their minds. When this chakra is observed when highly active, a yellow (Auric pair) halo appears around it, surrounding the entire head. Yellow thought indicates a moment of joy and contentment. Orange: uplifting and absorbing. Inspiring. A sign of power. Ability and/or desire to control people. When orange becomes a strong point, it usually contributes to a yellow halo, which then becomes gold, indicating not only a spiritual teacher, but a powerful spiritual teacher, someone capable of demonstrating his/her unique abilities. Orange thought is a thought about exercising power or a desire to control people. Red: materialistic thoughts, thoughts about the physical body. Predominantly red Aura indicates materialistically oriented person. Pink (=purple+red): love (in a spiritual sense). To obtain a clean pink, you need to mix the purple (the highest frequency we perceive) with red (the lowest frequency). Pink Aura indicates that the person achieved a perfect balance between spiritual awareness and the material existence. The most advanced people have not only a yellow halo around the head (a permanent strong point in the Aura) but also a large pink Aura extending further away. The pink color in the Aura is quite rare on Earth and appears only as a temporary thought, never as a strong point in the Aura. Meaning of Dirty colors: (colors appearing darker than background more like a smoke than a glow) Brown: unsettling, distracting, materialistic, negating spirituality. Gray: dark thoughts, depressing thoughts, unclear intentions, presence of a dark side of personality. Sulfur (color of a mustard): pain or lack of ease, anger White: serious disease, artificial stimulation (drugs). Why does the white color in the Aura indicate problems? White color is like a noise, rather than a set of harmonious tones (monochromatic colors). It is impossible to "tune" the noise to an orchestra playing harmonious music, hence the white Aura indicates a lack of harmony in the body and mind. Nature, which we are a part of, is harmonious. This harmony comes in discrete vibration "tones" or harmonics, partially described by the modern quantum physics. Several hours before the death, the Aura becomes white, and greatly increases in intensity. For this reason in most cultures "death" is depicted in WHITE (not black), because in the past, people could actually see a white Aura before death. It seems that our ancestors knew much more than we are prepared to admit. Amplifying your Aura vibration and bio-energy Things which can greatly amplify your aura are: Meditation (purifying your mind from any thoughts) Concentration exercise with the cross Matching your aura with the environment Matching your aura with environment When we match vibrational frequencies (spectra) of what we wear with these emitted naturally by our body and mind we seem to create conditions to experience a state of harmony which is quite unique. The effect can be compared to “tuning” of a musical instrument. Without tuning, all you can make with the instrument is noise, rather than a harmonious music. Essentially there are 3 techniques for matching you Aura with surroundings: Matching your strong point. When we learn what are "strong points" (dominant colors) in our own Aura we can attempt to match our surroundings or clothes with our Aura. Re-decorating our home to achieve a better match will result in a positive stimulation of our psyche and will help to promote our well being in many aspects. According to what Nature does to stimulate us, we should use Auric color pairs aiming for such a match. For example if your Aura is predominantly green, you should use green as well as a light pink in your decorations or apparels. Match our surroundings to the frequencies of thoughts. Frequencies of thoughts were described in the Section dealing with meaning of colors in the Aura. For example, if you think about relaxing your mind (a blue thought) blue surroundings will amplify your thought. Note, that when you come out of the house in the morning and the sky is perfectly blue - you feel relaxed before you have the time to think about anything else. This is because any thought in the direction of relaxing the mind is assisted by blue vibration of the sky. When the sky is gray, you have depressing thoughts before you notice it. Note that blue jeans fashion is very popular, because it assists us in achieving a relaxed mind. Trying to promote brown jeans may prove quite useless. Match the frequency distribution along the body. This seems to be the Ultimate Natural stimulation, but requires specially designed clothes such as the Chakra Shirt. Results seem to be quite similar to the action of the acupuncture, but instead of needles a set of 16 key colors is used. Some spectacular improvements in people's bio-energy field (Aura) have been observed within minutes of putting it on. In any case, use of clean, near monochromatic (rainbow) colors seems essential. They can be subtle and delicate, but they should contain a distinctly clean "rainbow" harmonics of vibration. Left: Improvement to human bioenergy field after a few minutes of bioresonant color stimulation. Composite reconstruction of human bioenergy field using the method of Korotkov. Suppressing the Aura Things which seem to reduce, muffle or distort your bio-energy (Aura) are: FEAR, stress, anxiety, hatred, envy, jealousy or any other negative thought or feeling Physical crisis in your body - disease, artificial stimulation (drugs) etc.. These can show a temporary increase in the aura size - this effect is similar to the effect of your body raising the temperature during sickness. You need to learn to READ the Aura to diagnose such a crisis. Most likely such increased Aura will be white. Clothes and the environment clashing with your Aura. Dull colored clothes absorb your bio-energy rather than harmoniously enhancing it. It is interesting to note that males on Earth die much earlier than females, regardless of their cultural and ethnic background, diet etc. In my opinion it is related to the fact that males dress in black or gray colors for the most of their lives and rarely use colors. Females use much more colors in their garments and change them frequently. Interestingly, many male birds in Nature are much brighter colored than females. And THEY live longer. Nature always gives us a hint. All we need to do is observe it and adopt ideas from it. An immediate effect of wearing gray, black or brown clothes seems that that they make you tired quicker. Have you noticed that young people today look MUCH OLDER than they should? Isn't it logical that we should avoid all of the above if possible? “Cultivating” any of the above for prolonged time can have a permanent effect on your psyche and your Aura. Experiment to see your own astral body : Make both your index fingers nearly touching each other, preferably in font of a dark, matt background. Black background is OK. Look between fingers and around them and note, that the background close to your fingers is brighter. A bluish transparent and slightly shining glow responsible for this is actually a part of your astral electronic body. By joining your hands you close an electronic circuit, making the astral body more visible. The shape of your electronic astral body follows closely your physical body. Some people have their astral body quite strong and shiny, extending 10 mm or more beyond their physical body. Typically, 2-4 mm is considered average for a healthy person on Earth. Was it good reading? Get the extended version of How to see and read the Aura in our bookshop. Technology, tricks and the truth - click here Astral Body Frequently, the astral body is mistaken for the aura. Astral body is THE most important, eternal part of us, because our consciousness is embedded in it. Vibration of the aura stop when our physical body dies. The astral body is eternal: its life span is about 10e22 years, which approaches the lifetime of the Universe (it is quite a while). The astral body is an electronic mass containing about 4e21 (4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) electrons. (see The Book). Our physicists are yet to discover, that electrons in our astral body have tremendous memory capacity, and they in fact contain information and intelligence that controls all functions of our mind and body, including all healing processes. This astral body is actually true "us". Using a computer jargon, our physical body is the hardware, equipped with sensors, transmitters, receivers and actuators, and the electronic astral body contains the software, memory, data storage as well as the consciousness and the free will of the operator, deciding what to do. It is possible that our physical bodies are imperfect, or get sick, simply because we have not yet developed our consciousness to build and control them any better. The ultimate goal is to be able to consciously control activity of every cell in our body and in particular to regenerate (rejuvenate) them at will. If we can accomplish this, we will be forever young and it will be up to us when and how we want to change our physical bodies. Also we will have a complete freedom to be either in the physical body (needed as a tool if you want to help others) or join the Source of consciousness, staying in your astral body. Imagine the joy and the fun we can have then. This is not a dream. This is reality. There are only 2 things that can damage the information stored in our astral body and hurt us for many lifetimes to come: drugs and a loud noise . Suggested reading The latest book by Dr Tom Chalko Doubling the energy of your own aura Chakra Shirt - amplify your aura and FEEL the difference AURA - what we can measure: Kirlian effect: fascinating new perspectives Bio-electrography - discovering the physics of LIFE Learn the Astral Travel The Book. This is one of the most important books in the last 2000 years of our "civilization".

Well I certainly found that informative and with only a few minutes of practising the eye exercises, I was already able to see my aura. I will definitely be working at making it a bigger, better, healthier aura.

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Understanding the Use of Mantras in Meditation

I found this great article by Dr Tom J. Chalko that gives some insight into the use of mantras during meditation. I really liked the way he explains how to use the mantra whenever you have a thought starting to form. I had always loved the sound of the mantras and found them quite healing within themselves but using them like this makes them a useful tool for those, who like me, get distracted easily. He gives some good pointers on how to use the mantras to benefit your meditation practice . This is what he has to say:

There are quite a few techniques for meditation. Most of them use so-called "mantra" composed from a few words or sounds. Mantra is repeated mentally to help us achieve and maintain a "blank" state of mind.


Contrary to popular belief, promoted by people who attract followers and/or charge money to teach meditation, mantra has no sacred "meaning" and no mantra is essentially better than any other. However, regardless of its content, mantra has two important functions, which may greatly assist us in achieving and maintaining a meditative state of a blank mind.


1. mantra is a very simple thought. It becomes very familiar to us when we repeat it in our mind. This thought is used to replace any thought that may come to our mind. Every time a thought comes during meditation, we use mantra to replace it.


2. When we practice meditation regularly using the same mantra (whatever it is), soon we train our mind to associate the mantra with a calm meditative state. This association is called an "anchor" by Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners. After such self-training, even if we are agitated, a thought of mantra usually brings an immediate calm of the mind. This makes our mantra a very powerful tool to deal with stressful situations in our life, a tool which we can develop ourselves as a result of a regular meditation practice.


When we understand the above two functions of the mantra, it becomes clear that changing mantras may be not a very good idea. Changing mantras may be considered useful only in special situations, for example when we want to eliminate an undesirable meditation habit, preventing us from achieving a deep meditative state, and the existing mantra is identified as related to that habit.


Also it becomes logical that whatever mantra we use, we should keep it private and not tell it to other people. Otherwise we give others a way to control our subconscious mind by telepathically transmitting to us our own mantra. The best teachers will take time to give people individual mantras rather than teach everyone the same mantra.


Mantras are usually composed from alternative vowel and nasal sounds and may contain several words. The most widely known mantra is "ooohmmm" or "aaaaummm", but any other similar word will do when we extend vowel and nasal sounds (home, room, zoom, moon, zen, boom etc..). It is best if mantra is an exotic word or a series of words (syllables) not encountered in everyday conversation.


The posture during meditation is also important. The easiest posture is a comfortable sitting position, with your spine straight and erect. If you lay down you will most likely fall asleep. Joining your hands and crossing your legs is desirable, because you make the bio-energy field around you more compact and therefore more intensive. Sitting cross legged is another good position, but requires some fitness and training. Yet another good position, although rarely used today is a squatting position with your arms crossed over you knees, resembling position of a foetus in a womb.


If you have never tried any meditation, try to find a quiet place and try the following technique:
1. take a comfortable meditation posture, one of the postures described above
2. close your eyes and relax all muscles in your body, including the face. A few alternate nostril yoga breaths is very helpful at the beginning of this stage - breathing in through one nostril and breathing out through another, closing nostrils with fingers and altering closed nostril with each breath.
3. disregard any thought as it comes - do not continue a kaleidoscope of thoughts - continue this for 20 minutes or so, maintaining your mind blank. You can use a mental sound "ooooohhmmm" (a mantra) every time you have a thought. Alternatively you may keep counting thoughts, discarding each one as it comes, without analysing it. When you go down to 2 or 3 thoughts in 5 minutes, you meditate successfully.


With practice you should be able to attain a blank mind anytime and anywhere, even in a crowd of people or a stressful situation with the help of your mantra. But do not use the mantra when stressed, until you are positive that you practice meditation long enough and the thought of mantra is firmly associated with your state of a calm mind.


One of many benefits of meditation is that it opens your mind to new ideas. When the bowl is full, trying to pour more water into it just causes an overflow. The same happens with our mind. When it is full of thoughts, there is no room for new ideas.


Meditation is a very effective technique for improving your creativity and problem solving capacity. "Talented" people do it naturally. Artists and poets call it "inspiration". Many famous people such as Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were known to have practised various forms of meditation.


Meditation is sometimes described as "listening to the silence between thoughts". Our effort in meditation is directed towards consciously increasing the periods of such silence.


The ability to meditate is also a necessary condition to receive telepathic transmissions, including those from Higher Self and other people who may try to assist us. Without a true silence in your own thoughts, you cannot listen to thoughts of others.


Before meditation you may wish to define clearly what do you want to learn, what do you want to ask your Higher Self. During the meditation, do not expect an answer (although it is likely that it will come when your mind will be pure) - this is also a thought!


People who practice meditation on the regular basis look and feel typically 10 or even 15 years younger than other people at their age. Giving the mind a regular "break" and allowing our Nature to perform self-repairs everyday makes all the difference. Self-healing and rejuvenation seems to be within reach of everyone who is prepared to learn meditation and meditate regularly everyday.


© Dr Tom J. Chalko 1997




As Dr Chalko mentioned in his article, the mantra Aum ( OOoooMmmmmm) is probably the most well known mantra but there are many others as well. Some are just a short word such as the ones used to balance each chakra

 

The interesting thing about these particular sounds is, as you chant them , you can feel them vibrating in the areas of their respective chakra.

Other mantras are longer and are more like a short prayer repeated over and over.Some of my favorites include:

The Gayatri Mantra sounds like this when chanted. It took me about a week of working on it every day to be able to chant it all the way through. I love singing it in the car on the way to work, it sets my mood for the whole day.




In some traditions, mantras are supposed to be chanted 108 times. I wondered about the number 108 and why this was significant. I found this article that talks about many different correspondences when it comes to the number 108 but the last paragraph summed it up nicely:

It may be very difficult to know, in a logical way, why 108 repetitions of a mantra enhances its efficacy. It may in fact be impossible to explain this number's significance in a scientific way. The ancient mystics certainly held it in high esteem. They would say that the number 108 is in sync with the rhythms of time and space. When we use 108 repetitions of a mantra we are saluting the order of the universe and aligning our intentions with the divine will. Said another way, we are harmonizing our personal vibrations with the natural vibrations of creation.

Another favorite is the Cherokee Morning Song, a great way to start the day! We used to sing this one to each of the four directions( N,E,S,W) and to the center(Creator) This song sounds wonderful if you are in a large group and some people start the song and after the first line a second group starts singing so as to overlap the lines.



I hope you found this post informative. What are some of your favorite Mantras or chants?

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