The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The Path to the cessation of suffering.

1: We suffer because to live as a fragmented (non-perfected/ not Whole) person in a non-perfect world we are constantly disappointed and are dissatisfied...always striving to achieve the unachievable. We use selective memory to remember things in a certain way to keep our state of suffering alive and well-fed.

2: Because we are attached to certain ideas and certain ways of doing/being...we keep the cycle going. We are ignorant to how are mind has become so attached that we lack a higher understanding. Delusion, and our attachment to it, keeps us suffering and dissatisfied. What also keeps the cycle going is our attachment to fulfilling any and all desires/pleasures.

3: Nirvana is a concept used when one is able to elevate their Mind beyond the realms of this physical reality. It is used to describe a state of consciousness when one feels like they are in "heaven". The Mind has become free from worries.

4: The Eightfold Path is used in obtaining freedom from suffering. It describes the middle way. Balancing and being in harmony between living a life in the physical world and living a life based in (Spirituality) and transcendence.

Reverting to a selected memory from one's past (being in the there and then) or thinking that one day someday when __________ happens I'll be happy, is a delusion. All there really is ---is the Right Here Right Now. Remaining Open and Receptive to "what is" right before us is where Opportunity lies. This is the goal of Buddhism, the definition of "Health" in Homeopathy, and my opinion of what Christ's teachings were meant to instill upon us.

Having a foot in the past, or in the future...either way one or both feet are not standing on the Green Grass of this very Moment. Take a stand for your Health...and take a step towards living in the Present.

"Man struggles to find life outside himself, unaware that the life is he is seeking is within him." Kahil Gibran

Yoga Pose to Assist in Stillness of Mind

BALASANA CHILD'S POSE

Purpose: Stress Reduction, Transitional Pose

Benefits: Stretches hips, thighs and ankles; Relieves Back Tension; Calms the Mind

visit http://www.yogajournal.com/ for more information on this and other yoga poses

Regarding Yoga and Diet... Yoga's focus is to bring Universal Balance to one's Inner Life. Thus, mindful eating is most important. Because everyone is different, there is no "one diet fits all". The emphasis on diet needs to be grounding, balancing, and supportive. Grounding foods need not include meat. Root vegetables (vegetables dug up from the ground) can also be included to the list of helpful foods. Eating in moderation is key.

Yoga is mainly established on Ayurvedic principles... Depending upon if you are Vata, Pitta or Kapha body type will also influence what is best for you to eat. Vata's diet need more grounding foods (oils and root vegetables), Pitta's need more supporting and cooling foods (salads and sweet fruits), and Kapha's need foods to invigorate their energy (hot peppers).

Pluto: the Power to Transform

To begin with......Pluto, God of the Underworld; son of Saturn and brother to Jupiter and Neptune...is now, since 2006, considered a dwarf planet. Originally discovered in 1930 it was the furtherest most planet from the sun. Soon after establishing Pluto's existence...plutonium, the radioactive substance found deep in the earth, was added to the periodic table of elements. Explosive, deep, and hidden are a few traits that both Pluto, as an astrological component, and the element, have in common.

Pluto rules Scorpio (as does Mars) and commands the eighth house. So Pluto (the planet), Scorpio (the zodiac sign) and the eighth (house) all share similar traits.

In Evolutionary Astrology (EA), Pluto is the starting point for analysis and synthesis of a person's natal chart. Pluto represents the soul's will coming into this life's carnation. The soul has been there in the past, now it needs to venture into the Polarity Point (PP). This briefly means that this life needs to understand and live the "other side of the coin". (I began to talk about polarities in the North Node/South Node astrology post and the post labeled Source Point). So let's say Pluto is in someone's natal 1st house and let's say it is conjunct the Ascendant. This person exudes a very Powerful personality. The person is very much directed towards his/her own Purpose. Now, with the PP being conjunct the natal Descendant...the person's soul is called to understand the purpose of relating to another. You see, the 1st house is defining the Self...the polarity house is the 7th...relating to the other.

Pluto is an incredibly fascinating planet, not to be afraid of. Pluto contains the taboo, the hidden, deep dark secrets of the psyche. It represents obessions and fears. But most importantly...it represents one's soul purpose and the ability and Power to Transform .

If you are interested in learning more about Pluto...Jeffrey Wolf Green is the founder and utmost expert on Evolutionary Astrology. He has written several informative books. Or check out the Evolutionary Astrology school's message board. (see Resource link in right-hand column)

PS: As of today, transiting Pluto is at O degrees 42 minutes of Capricorn. Capricorn enforces the "rules" and imposes "Structure". Since Pluto is in the very beginning of this sign...NOW, is the time to abolish and destroy all the old rules and ineffective structures in your life. Wherever transiting Pluto aspects your very own natal chart is where you can bear the most "delicious" fruits of your efforts. For example, transiting Pluto is now in my 1st house opposing my sun in the 7th house. What this can imply is that my own physical identity/physical body is undergoing deep transformation and healing. With consistent effort and enforcing my newly deemed "structure(s)" I can develop a new and transformed, more powerful and healthy body. And, with it directly opposing my sun...I am being called to develop a more deep, powerful, and integrated Self---to express myself more intimately in my signicant relationship with "the other".

Flower Essences as Vibrational Medicine

Rescue Remedy, perhaps Dr. Bach's most widely known and used Flower Essence, is composed of 5 Flower Essences. This remedy (one of many different flower essences available) helps to bring the body, mind and soul back into harmony after a trauma or shock has occurred.

The Flower Essence Repertory (book featured above) or the Resource Link I have posted in the right column of this blog (Vibration Magazine) is an easy and comfortable way to begin becoming aquainted with the powerful YET subtle influences of Flower Essences.

As always, do not seek to treat yourself without the supervision of a trained professional.

PS...Rescue Remedy can also be used with animals. AND it can also assist you gardeners! Place a few drops of Rescue Remedy in water. Use this mixture to assist your transplanted flowers and plants in their transition of soil environments!

Transition time...into a New Season, a New Way of...

Autumn...the Metal Element

According to Five Element Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)...the Season of Autumn corresponds to the Metal Element. The color is gray/white. The flavor is sour. The energy is one of contraction.

Fall represents the time of Harvest. Fall signifies the time when the exuberance of summer, the external firery energy of summer is called to retreat inward and begin to concentrate it's focus (ie. on school). Thus, if we are to live in accordance to the seasons...we also are asked to begin to venture inward, to reflect, and gather all of our energies in order to pass through the colder, darker months ahead of us.

The element of Metal suggests "structure". It is this time frame where it is best to reflect upon and perhaps re-implement a New Structure, a new and improved way of how we operate our energies to get the maximum joy from Life...to have the most Delicious Life possible!~ (and on a sidenote...with Pluto in the early degrees of Capricorn...this is a most opportune time to Transform "Structure"!!!)

From a culinary/dietary perspective...our food intake needs to accomodate the change of seasons as well. Begin to use less water, lower temperatures and cooking for a longer time period to infuse more "heat" into your foods ("concentrating" the heat energy). It is time to eat root vegetables (ie. parsnips and turnips). The taste of sour/astringent (the pucker type foods) helps to concentrate and focus one's energy as well. Such foods are vinegar and lemon...but make note...a "little" sour goes a long way...don't overdo it.

Autumn and the Metal Element reflect the function of the Lung and Large Intestine...now is a good time to improve the health of those organ systems. Because the emotions of sadness/grief and the ability/inability of Letting Go (metaphysically) pertain to the Lung function and Large Intestine...check in and review what emotions need to be internally dealt with at a personal level.

This of course, is a very brief overview of Autumn from a TCM level. But I hope it gives you some insight into any internal shifts you may be experiencing during this Summer to Autumn Transition.

God Bless~

Go to scottblum.net to download the first 3 chapters of this book. If you enjoyed the Celestine Prophecy you will find this book equally fulfilling. You can also listen to September 9th's healthylife.net webcast (Guiding Stars show) which features the author.

LIVING with PURPOSE

"The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose." Michael de Montaigne

"Don't do something to prove something. Do it because you have Passion for it and you love to do it. Create and do for the soul Purpose of Creating!" RV journal writing pertaining on topic of Life is to Whistle

"Contentment is for cows; a challenging purpose is for people." Einstein

"...In addition to the lectures, I would often share some of my poetry. My poems were not great literature, as my critics often pointed out, but they served my purposes---which were to entertain, to challenge, and hopefully to inject a little humor into the particular situation I was in at the time..." p 98 Soul of the Butterfly by Muhammad Ali

Outcome Based Approach to Life VS Purpose Based Approach to Life...

With the first approach the focus is on "What is in it for me?" One asks his/herself how may I have "success" and have more material possessions? With the Purpose based approach the question asked is "What may I give?" One lives each moment with a sense of fulfilling one's Purpose which leads to experiencing joy. paraphrased from Wayne Dyer's book "Real Magic"

Nature is my Treasure Chest

"For where your Treasure is, there your Heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Whether it be Lake Michigan (which I consider my Spiritual Home here on Earth), time spent with my family, enjoying fresh tomatoes from the garden, capturing the first signs of a new season, realizing the Intrinsic Beauty of Charlie--the horse...or experiencing a work of art displayed by the uniqueness of each and every tree....there is so much in Nature to Value as a Special Treasure. Everything that beholds LIFE has a Gift & Blessing it desires to share with us... There is so much to be thankful for and to appreciate in all that surrounds us daily.

Books authored by a Spiritual Teacher

"Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided, spiritual poverty is to abhorred! It is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering." The Essence of Self-Realization by Paramhansa Yogananda
Paramhansa Yogananda is one of the most significant Spiritual teachers of the 20th century. His classic "Autobiography of a Yogi" was first published in 1946.