“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Lao Tzu

Over-thinking is a problem that affects all of us. It is the constant bombardment of the mind, that takes us out of the present moment, and plummets us into thinking about the past or worrying about the future.

Over-thinking creates problems that may not have even presented themselves, had we not given them so much attention or “built them up in our minds”. It’s the art of making a big deal about something, that never was to begin with.

While we may be thinking that by cycling this information in our minds that we are protecting ourselves somehow, on the contrary, the mind is acting as a defense mechanism to protect the constructs of our own individual identification.

According to Freud, there are three psychological aspects that make up our personalities. The first being the I.D, alike to a child, it is selfish and self-serving fueling the pleasure-oriented portion of the personality. The second is the super ego, which acts as the moral basis determining between what is good and bad, right and wrong and the third is the ego which acts as the moderator between the I.D and the Super Ego, seeking compromise. Continue reading →

The practice of smudging dates back to prehistoric times, and is still very much in use today worldwide for cleansing everything from dwellings to human spirits. However recent research has shed light on the popularity of this activity, revealing that burning certain plant matter actually clears harmful bacteria.

All Western use of burning herbs and plants for spiritual purposes aside, the activity rests firmly in the sensibilities of ancient cultures in that, historically, smudging was believed to put forth the spirits of various ‘allies’ to provide ease and balance to an individual or group.

In this way, the practice was used to clear spiritual and emotional negativity that has built up in a body or a space.

Of course, there are skeptics who belittle the practice as unscientific and akin to magic.

The practice has a negative association to a form of cultural imperialism, where traditions of dwindling indigenous populations are co-opted by the descendants of those who more-or-less conquered them. Continue reading →

Though forests around the world vary in their flora and fauna, their tendency to inspire awe in us is one commonality. The forest is beautiful and serves to remind us of our connection to the earth.

Deep in the embrace of the trees, the forest seems to come alive, its spirit transcending time and space to bring us its wisdom and the secrets of the years. Human beings have long relied on forests for sustenance – of body and of spirit – and these ten forests are but some examples of their majesty.

Rila Mountains, Bulgaria.

Taipingshan, Taiwan.

Continue reading →

Himalayan salt has a variety of uses that ordinary salt does not have. In fact, Himalayan salt contains a menagerie of nutritional benefits such as having less sodium than regular salt, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.

This kind of salt can also help with lowering blood pressure and even aid your digestion! That’s a lot of added bonuses compared to regular salt.

Not only does this kind of salt come with a variety of cooking benefits, but can also be used for lamps via “King Salts”.

Crystalline chunks of the pink salt that are turned into miniature lamps can help people with headaches, migraines, allergies, insomnia, skin conditions, rheumatism, blood system disorders, respiratory problems, and essentially any other scenario that involves excessive positive ions within the atmosphere.

These chunks of salt are often referred to as “King Salts” for their traditional royal value.

Assistant Professor G. S. Rahi of Physical Science at Fayetteville State University states this in concern of the relation between ions and humans, Continue reading →

Meditation is well known for numerous health benefits. Meditation can reduce your stress levels, lower your high blood pressure, reduce the impact of anxiety, improve your immune system strength, balance your hormone levels, and increases fertility. But one Tibetan lama claims that meditation had an even more profound impact on his health.

Meditation cured his gangrene.

Lama Phakyab Rinpoche immigrated to the United States in 2003 as a 37-year-old refugee. He had diabetes and Pott’s Disease. It got so bad that his right foot and part of his leg developed gangrene. H was hospitalized and told by three doctors that they had to amputate.

Truly, it’s not health advice many would advice against, but Rinpoche wasn’t having any of it. He is a deeply spiritual man working toward the highest possible level of Tibetan Buddhist study, the Geshe degree.

He reached out to the Dalai Lama when decided whether or not the leg should be removed.

The Dalai Lama’s response: do not amputate the leg. Instead, he suggested he utilize his meditation skills and heal himself. He prescribed additional mantras said to clear obstacles.

It was a hell of a leap of faith.

“As a Buddhist, what is the worst thing that could happen if I die?” he told The Daily Beast through a translator. “I would be reborn again. But to lose a leg in one lifetime because I didn’t try to save it didn’t make sense.” Continue reading →