Gentle stretch

Read this gently without hurry and let it sink in

The current materialistic or modern view is

That life started from a "Random inevitable chemical reaction"

However any cursory view of nature shows it to be highly intelligent and complex

Very complex

Did life really start without intelligent input?

In a random way?

Life without self-reflective consciousness is not consciousness as we know it

So how did consciousness evolve?

Consciousness ever thought about what it is?

All those different states most of us have experienced from time to time

Many of us have had unusual mind or beyond mind experiences

Non ordinary states of consciousness are based on direct experience of certain realities

These produce changes in our thinking about life

No one who has had a major trans personal experience continues to hold a materialistic viewpoint

The experience shows them beyond any possible doubt that life is very different from what they thought it to be before their near death or other such trans personal experience

Science has tried to leave consciousness to one side as you cannot measure it if you cannot even define it

However many young and open minded scientists are challenging our current views of reality

It is clear that we cannot go much further with reductionism and that new understanding is required

An understanding that the observer is part of the equation

His consciousness affects whatever he is involved with

Which keeps bring up the question what is consciousness?

It involves going beyond mind because consciousness is also found beyond mind

What is beyond mind?

Start your own exploration.

What is beyond your mind? .

Direct experience

Of what?

How do I go beyond mind?

Beyond mind can be the gateway to truth

To unlocking those questions that exercise our scientists today

Meditation can help to approach this area

Beyond mind is where we must go if we want to progress

Mind alone cannot get us there

It is too limited

To find the truth we have to go beyond mind because mind can only be relative

And truth is absolute not relative

Time to go beyond mind.

Frequent switching of sex partners

For many self styled cool people frequent switching of sexual partners Is becoming the sex of choice

Forget the health risks

Forget any moral questions

No questions asked about right or wrong

Intent only on personal physical satisfaction

Just a thought though

Once sex moves to any random partner and the thrill is the only determinant

Then something else naturally happens

The chances of addiction increase

Becoming an obsession for many.

And so?

Life changes under any addiction

The only person who can stop or change addiction is the person addicted

No one can and no one may only the person themself

Be warned any move down this road is hard to reverse or stop

For a while it is all, it's cool

Then it becomes fraught for one's physical and mental health

Not to mention self respect.

Self respect is fundamental to our experience of life and once this goes then real trouble arrives

Think twice before going down this road.

Like all addictions the price is so much greater than the transitory pleasures

Sex switching might seem cool however the price you pay is high, very high

Compromise

Most women with children know compromise

Some fathers too

These are human compromises

Then there are the wrong kind made out of weakness or perceived weakness

The team type of compromise

Work compromises

Moral and ethical one's too

In fact if we look at life compromise is everywhere

Or is it?

There are those who resolutely use everyone else in their pursuit of glory or fame

Interesting how often the media hypes up unpleasant people whose only claim to fame is that they have trodden on more people than most

Used others

Abused others

Time to see it as it is

A refusal to compromise can be considered admirable in some contexts

However it is selfishness in most

We do not need to pretend that unpleasant selfish people are worthwhile because they have been more grubby than anyone else

Let them entertain each other

Let the media examine itself for lauding unpleasant people

For it's pursuit of circulation at all costs

Maybe they deserve each other creating a circle of mutual feeding

For the rest of us though

Continue to learn the art of compromise

Leads to higher levels of consciousness evolution

And consciousness evolution is what life is truly for

Compromise is part of our journey.

Selfishness is there for us to see it for what it is and to grow beyond

Gracious in defeat

So apart from those five lucky goals you would have won then?

The above is how some take defeat

Finding it impossible to be gracious

Needing to rationalize the unrationalizable

Those driven to win and hating to loose are of a particular nature

Usually not making for very nice people

Are you a good loser?

And we all lose at sometime whatever our walk of life or activity

Can you let go, smile and feel good for the other party winning?

Or do you harbour resentment?

Excuses

No matter where you are today determine to learn to do better

Feeling good for the other party or parties is part of our evolution

To feel good that they feel good

Let go your ego

Let go your pride

Just let go and enjoy having participated

Walk away feeling good

And if competing is important then approach it in a new way

More pleaseure in the activity less in the winning

Who knows you might find it more enjoyable

Life is about more than competing with others

Try competing with yourself.

Mmmmm - 54

We must make up our minds to a life of constant work

The lazy ones or they who ask for pleasure may as well give it up at the threshold

immense fields of investigation and experiment have to be traversed

dangers unthought of and unknown are to be met

and all must be overcome

for in this battle there is no quarter asked or given

Great stores of knowledge must be found and
seized

The kingdom of heaven is not to be had for the asking

It must be taken by violence

And the only way in which we can gain the will and the power to thus seize and hold is by acquiring the virtue on the one hand

And minutely understanding ourselves on the other

Some day we will begin to see why not one passing thought may be ignored, not one flitting impression missed

This we can perceive is no simple task

It is a gigantic work

WQJ

What others think

She is a brutal, selfish, mean woman

She is a kind observant, sensitive, woman

She is an ignorant bitch

No matter which box you put them in women notice each other

Men too

We are all observing each other all day long

And what do we see?

This depends on our level of consciousness

Our eyes see what our consciousness allows us

What we are open to

And does it worry you what others think?

Probably more than it should

Particularly if you do not like yourself

Decide today that you will change this in a positive way

Determine to like yourself, work on eliminating the reasons why you do not like yourself

In practical terms check out if what you wear presents what you feel about yourself

Even more immediate smile more

Understand that people think about us as we impact them, as we appear to them

Our energy of fear comes across as does our energy of light and love, our enthusiasms

Your choice as to how we find you

This in turn determines how we think about you

Smiling is so easy once it becomes your habit

Is it yours?

Simple way to make us all think better of you

Smile more, project enthusiasm, laughter

In fact why not actually feel and be this way it certainly beats being miserable?

Anger at the slaughter

Slaughter in the name of

Killing innocent women, men and children

The time of terrorism is with us

We can only read and watch with anger at the latest atrocity

Feeling impotent

Rage sometimes

We can only express our disgust at the evil mental midgets who take life in this way

We can though clearly state that no God anywhere condones slaughter and that is what it is slaughter

Be clear in your thoughts that life is precious

Life is a privilege not to be abused

Use your life to advance love not hate

Use your energies to promote respect and growth in understanding

All of us need to be clear in our own lives that we do not condone abuse of life in any form

That we are prepared to accept what goes with this moral position

Our own sacrifice maybe?

Do you have the courage to accept this possibility?

Think about it.

How much do your principles mean to you?

Really

Nature rules

Never seen that before

Some sight in nature of an outstandingly awesome or unusual variety

.

Then drip drip the thought comes is this dangerous, bad news perhaps?

Is this more of global warming, climate change?

Is this a portent of some more nasty stuff coming down the road?

More subtle fear, more stress, because we do not know

Then we listen to the experts giving their opinions about this

We listen uneasily knowing that they do not really understand

Sensing that they do not have the answers

Life goes on

Until the next time..

Communications being so fast today we hear bad news almost instantaneously

Floods, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis you name it all around the planet

One after another

Adding drip by drip to the stress we carry

Over time this stress must damage

Damage our immune systems, our feeling of well being

Then learn to let go

Learn to love nature not fear her

Why?

Because wherever we are nature is around us offering solace and comfort

Thoughtlessly though we look at TV images of nature in extremis

Without asking who or what provoked this?

When nature is violent it is teaching us not to abuse

Not to take her for granted

Respect with awe her power

Learn to relax in her beauty

Her seasons

Her complex interactions

Everything we have comes from her

Our lives are at her whim

Time we paid conscious respect

Appreciate what nature is around you no matter how modest it might appear

Nature is always honest

Man might be dishonest, nature never

Which is why we find something important in nature

Something we do not find in the same way with each other

Nature, nurture, nature.

Please say goodbye

It is the correct way to finish

Even when you know there will be fights or arguments

For your own peace of mind it is the correct way to finish

Many just run away

Do not turn up

Pretend they care while not telling the truth of how things really are

Of course it is hard when you know there will be problems

However it is the right way to finish

And while you might not think so usually we owe it to the other party

Say goodbye

Don't cut and run it catches up with you later.

In fact behaving correctly helps define who you are

So many things define us

How do you define yourself?

Proud of what you have done?

And let's hope you can look in the mirror with equanimity

If not then time to sort things

Please say goodbye.

Tripping

Tripping over something

Happens from time to time

More than this it seems to come along in clumps, packets

Periods where we seem more clumsy than usual

Knocking things over

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Dropping things

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And so it goes on

Do you just dismiss such times?

Do you wonder if they have meaning.

Well yes actually they do

It is a wake up call

Nature's way of saying have a look at what is going on in your life

Get a grip, sort yourself out

While for many it might seem a stretch too far

There are no repeat, no accidents in our lives

Well so few that they are statistically too few to worry about

So if you can take this on board then go the next step and use this situation

Use it to learn and sort out whatever it is that is going on in your life

Think back to the moment before you tripped or fell or whatever

What were you thinking about?

Chances are it was something bad or less than nice.

Jealousy, anger, greed, bad thought of some kind

.Learn to stop after such an accident and think honestly about it

It can be most useful as it will give you clues about what you should be working on in your life.

How do I?

Move forward in my life understanding?

How do I grow?

What does that mean anyway?

Many of us have faced these questions and wondered what to do about it

So we look around and see lots of flaky so called New Age and other help groups

We find innumerable improve yourself courses, books, gurus and teachers, religion even

Then there is Shiatsu, Iridology, Reiko, GDV, acupuncture, homeopathy and the others

What to do?

Most people will try one or more of the above

Some courses seem to help a bit but then things wear off and it is back to square one

By this time having met so many people who only want our money more than to help us, we retreat

Others seem on an ego trip, some on a sort of power game

All in all disappointing

Basically the disappointment is because we wanted answers as to why things are as they are

Something that explained in simple language how things work

Something that showed me how to grow

Not a lot of mumbo jumbo

Not a lot of tortuous mystical writings

Just simple answers please

Always been the same throughout history, although of course we would not know that

The first rule of this universe is that we as individuals have to find these things out for ourselves

We ourselves are responsible for finding out

So this why we find so many bullshit artists lying in wait for us

They have learnt over many years that this is a good way to fleece the unwary or naive

It is also a way for them to pretend that they know because there are so few who can point out why they are bullshitters

Those that can are not interested in fighting this battle for you

They know that those who have perseverance will find their way

If you are one such and you keep looking then at some point something funny happens you begin to feel that you intuitively know something

That something is that you have chosen to be honest

That there is somehow a truth

That you are not interested in nonsense games

You continue to look and then one day you come across some book that seems to resonate better.

It seems to make more sense, you find it helpful

However it still does not answer all that you need to know

Then you meet someone who gives you some pointers

They help you begin to understand what growing means

Then you meet someone else and finally here is someone who does know

They give you clear and reasoned answers

They do not do the work for you

Money is not their game

They simply tell you where to look and what you need to do in order to grow

If you have the courage, discipline and will power

Then you can truly grow

Nothing is given all must be taken

You must risk before you have any proof

You must struggle with yourself

For this is the law

The same for all, rich or poor, young or old black or white

It is the same for all

It must be earned

For the first time you get a glimpse of what it takes to move onto the path

The path known as the perennial or ageless wisdom

For this is where the truth lies and why it resonates with those who venture there.
.

This is what we were looking for

The truth about things

And a word to the unwary do not venture unless you are sincere

Leave well alone

There is no turning back once you truly embark on this journey

You succeed or fail

Malaise

Is a word that brings uneasy thoughts

And there is a malaise in our modern world

A malaise of greed and mindless consumption

We know it every time we throw out our garbage

Tons and tons of it every year

If you want to change this world

Change yourself

It's an old cliche but oh so true

And you will not know this until you try

Many many people come to us in dire straights, often life threatening ones

Our work over many years shows us that we can help anyone who wants change

If

And only if

They truly want to change

And are prepared to do the simple things we ask

No drugs, no wonder mantra, no promises

Just work and the desire to change

It is possible

Step beyond our public self perpetuating malaise

Step into health

Step into a world where you can make a difference

Make 2008 the year when you decide to change you world and then our world.

Become conscious of your life and it's choices

Choices that determine how you experience our world

Move beyond malaise

Does love work?

Is a question that comes our way, into our thoughts once in a while

.Imagine love being the original energy in our universe

The initial impulse was love before the so called big bang

Love is not just soft sweetness as some seem to believe

Love is many things

And yes it works in the sense of helping us to find peace of mind

No amount of money or material accumulations will bring peace of mind

Some of the most paranoid people on this planet are those who have grabbed, stolen or plundered their way to great wealth

Others who worked hard are seldom known for their peace of mind, being often of a workaholic disposition and unable to sit still for five minutes let alone relax

They do not know peace of mind nor will they ever

Nor can most believe or understand that something (to them) as soft as love can bring what money or power cannot

Yes love can lead one to peace of mind

And peace of mind is worth more than billions of any-one's currency

With peace of mind one can function with whatever life sends our way

Not true of mere money or power

It might appear differently but then our present obsession with money is obscuring several age old truths

They will out with time

As our world becomes more volatile so the allure of power and money will pale against other values

Nature works in cycles and currently man is in a difficult period where greed and power are valued over other values

Love works in other ways apart from bringing peace of mind

Love is the best defense against evil

Love can be contagious

Love heals wounds in ways that medicine or drugs cannot

Love heals emotional wounds in ways that modern science or psychology cannot

The reason this is not seen or understood particularly well in the so called developed world is because materialism drowns out any other rival life approaches

Love does indeed work

Mind you it takes work to arrive at the point where this is beyond any doubt true for you

Give it a try though!

Mind and more mind

When you rule your mind you rule your world

We all know our minds or so we like to think

The obvious bits like desire

Positive and negative thinking and imagination and belief most of us understand

But others like our where our thoughts come from often not so

Our negative thoughts for example set negative karma in motion

Karma that absolutely will cause us to experience the mirror of that negative thought

The same with positive thoughts, karma will absolutely reward us with the mirror of that thought or deed

What we think is what we become

What we become is our choice, we become our thoughts in fact

Your choice

No more blaming others

It is you who chooses how you think and perceive life and it's events

The mind is everything what you think you become - Buddha.

Money

For everything

Was a time not so long ago when water was free

Parking was free

Driving was free........er

Nothing today is free

CCTV everywhere

Chips of the electronic kind in more and more devices

Offering ever greater controls and new ways to make us pay

Everything costs money

Money is King

Or so it seems until you look at what it brings to those who have plenty of it

Lo and behold they are dealing with exactly the same life problems!

Observe the truth of this statement

Then observe the price they pay

Paranoia and fear of theft

A life of stress and a life of controlling

Cynicism that all their fellow humans can be bought

Money is our King today maybe always has been

However there are those for whom it is not

They do not shout, just moving quietly through their lives

Often unnoticed, unobserved, unobtrusive

For them love of life is King and many have found true freedom

They have found peace of mind

It is not in money although they too need some of that

It is in the love of life expressed through service, increasing altruism.

The acceptance and enjoyment of reality as it is

Following in the footsteps of those who have gone before

Not the majority that's for sure

Just those for whom truth and understanding is their goal

Consciousness evolution if you will

Contributing where they can in whatever comes their way each day

Becoming a conscious part of the all

And money?

The goal for fools

The great illusion

A mere tool to move beyond.

And where is your path leading you?

Scary monsters

Frighten little children

Or they used to when their parents read or told them stories

Some parents still do

Today most children are watching Japanese cartoons on tv or DVD

.
Their parents so busy doing daily chores
.
No time for stories

Going going gone our myths and history

Few women today remember the stories of the past because their mothers didn't either

What will this mean to us?

Not sure however it will have impact just as children seeing violence on tv every day must have an impact

As ever mankind has little or no idea what will come of his current behaviour
.
So busy looking after number one

Only when we mature enough to understand that you are also number one can we progress

This seems a long way off today

Never mind make sure that your own children learn something about their forebearers

But then do you know anything?

Well you never bothered up until now so why bother for them

Ah so now we see how things get lost and disappear

They cease to have relevance to our lives

We just let them go being so busy with our world of daily events and activities

Ah so this is how life moves on
.
Just never got around to it
.
Never thought much about it either
.
Scary monsters indeed
.
Ours are still with us however
.
Ever thought that scary monsters are needed?
.
Scary monsters have their role to play in our own growing
.
Pity the children who never knew them.

Rain and grey

Is not so easy to take over long periods of time

However in many places this is how it is

Rain and grey

In Limerick Ireland it rains more than many other places being on the Atlantic coast of Ireland

The people there call grey rainy days soft days

Nice idea

It changes the feeling of a grey rainy day

Soft days are somehow easier to handle

Think of your rainy grey climate as just a bunch of soft days

In fact why not go a step further?

Learn to like the climate for it's diversity

.

It's unique character that all who live there share

.

In any given place all of us experience the same weather

.

However some of us moan

.

While others enjoy every day .

.

Soft days

.

Diverse climate

.

Why would we want to live anywhere else?

.

Indeed

Mmmmm - 56

Cosmos is built on thought

Both happiness and destruction are based on thought

Thought brings life but it can also bring death

When will this be understood by people?

There is no stronger lever in the Cosmos than thought saturated by psychic energy

Thought is a magnet, and each dark thought creates a stratum of heavy fluids which is attracted and gathered by similar consciousnesses

Joy may, by a magnetic current, attract joy from space

Remember that thought acts as a boomerang: therefore thought upon being sent consciously to a person whose vibrations are not identical will return to the one who sent it, reinforced with identical vibrations which are oscillating in space and are seeking reunion.

It is easy to imagine what destructive results a thought may bring to one who sent it evil-mindedly

H.Roerich

Life is

The pieces in between the things we look forward to

It is the every day

The usual routine

The things we eat for breakfast

The man we say good morning to every day

The drive down that familiar road

It is the walk down that hallway or corridor

And yet we tend to get lost in dreams of more important things to come

Things that will transform our lives

Living in this future event to come that will make everything different, better

Missing the point

Ignoring the obvious

Your life is this moment now in this familiar room

Doing familiar things

Not some Walter Mitty fantasy shift to somewhere in the future

Can you stay in this moment here and now
.
Can you enjoy the things you do every day?

Not special life changing things

The little things you do every day

The in between things

Life is

No 1 wish

Good health

All other wishes pale besides good health

Ask anyone who does not have good health

Without doubt health is the most important attribute we can have

Without good health life is very different

It becomes a struggle

Non stop pain and effort

Constant need to take drugs, pills, time out for checks scans and other medical interventions

Why then do we ignore our health until it is a problem?

So often we behave as if good health is a given

That we need not exercise, eat or behave in otherwise intelligent ways

If there is one thing that can see us through life it is health

Look with attention to your own health and that of those around you who you care about

Because without good health life is very different

Openly appreciate good health

Really acknowledge and enjoy your health because for sure there are going to be times in your life when you do not have good health

Maybe it's natures way of reminding us why good health is so important

And for a really sharp reminder look at some old people and observe how few enjoy good health

Ask then what they think about health

Bubbling

Once in a while life sends us unanticipated bonuses

Like meeting someone special

Bumping into someone we have not seen in a long time

Finding good news about something

And in all these cases we bubble with pleasure

And how long does this feeling last

An hour, a day, longer

We might say it depends on other factors

Like being tired, overworked, busy and so on

Should it?

Does it?

Or do we allow it to disappear

Just letting other events overtake the good news

Allowing bad to swallow the good bubbling feeling

So bad trumps good?

Why cannot good trump bad?

Is this necessarily so

Or do we just surrender

Letting the bubbling disappear under the inevitable march of misery

Hold on we have choices

Maybe if we let the bad go the bubbling could last longer

In fact it can if we do not take all bad or misery inputs so seriously

Our basic orientation is involved here

Are you basically pessimistic or positive?

This is not pre-ordained

We have options and they affect how bubbling touches us

It can last a long time

Switch to positive for life it's a cooler way to experience things

Being positive is a choice, make it yours

Sale time

Shoppers anxiously eying each other

Worried that someone else might spot that amazing deal

That the last one of a particular line might be taken

Sometimes real aggression comes out

Pushing and shoving

Rude behaviour

And this in spite of the fact that we all know that many stores buy in sales items

Or mark them up then mark them down

Still the idea of finding real bargains is still in most of us.

.

The idea of finding real value

And why not, but one question lingers

Why do so many choose to go shopping at the same time as each other?

One of life's mysteries is that shoppers will all choose to go shopping at the same time

Surely it is not rocket science to figure out when the peak times are?

Apparently it is

Question are you one such?

Or do you prefer to go at times when others are still in bed or thinking about it?

Shopping is fine when there are no crowds not so much fun when jostling to move around

.

Shop smart

Fresh feeling

How many times a day

Or is it a week

do you shower?

Or maybe you only take baths

Someone said why would you want to sit in a bath amongst all the dirt you have washed off?

Good question to which the answer apparently is relaxation

For the rest who shower

Some twice or more a day depending on where they live

On the culture perhaps of the culture they grew up with

Often not thinking about how showers can change our experience of life

Not to mention getting rid of unwanted energy from others

Some of our habits are indeed funny to others

Take England with it's separate hot and cold water taps

By just running the water you can scold yourself or freeze, unless you take the time to fill the basin with water, which most do not want to do

Wanting only to wash their hands

However if they do fill the basin with water then of course it gets very dirty with the washing of hands

How to rinse our hands then ?

Why empty the basin and then fill it again

.

Or rinse under the cold water tap

.

Funny people the English

.

So how much does freshness feature in your life?

.

Or do you shower in a hurry without even noticing or experiencing the pleasure of the water over your body?

.

Your thoughts firmly on other things

.

Do you linger and appreciate the smell of the soap or shower gel

.

Do you enjoy

.

Like so many other habits washing is both physical and psychological

Physically it can make us feel good,, fresher in fact

Psychologically it can wash away the stress of the day

Help us to change gears into a different mode of being

Freshness is so many things

Use freshening up as a way to help improve your day

Feeling fresh is nicer than feeling yukky.

In ages to come

Our present fifth race will fade out into white-brown, the present white races becoming gradually darker

The sixth and seventh race men will be born adults

As the ages have been decreasing in excellence, both physically and morally on the descending cycles so the ascending cycles will be increasing in excellence

The life of man lasted 400 years in the first race, 300 in the second and then 200 in the third until we come to our 100 or less years in the present age of Kali yuga

Thus we find from the above that the characteristics of the race that follows ours are - a darker skin, shortened period of infancy and old age, larger physically

or in other worlds a growth and development that in the present age would appear quite miraculous
Or is it?

Some of today's children are very quick and intelligent

Prematurely advanced in relation to your average man or woman, yes

There are more relatively evolved souls incarnating today

Because these difficult times are perfect for learning and growing

Growth of the soul is not about easy times on the contrary it is about challenging times

In other words ours

Alcoholism

An eminent French cardiologist has triggered an impassioned debate in the medical world over his claim to have discovered a cure for alcoholism.

Dr Olivier Ameisen discovered baclofen had cut addiction in rats

Dr Olivier Ameisen, 55, one of France's top heart specialists, says he overcame his own addiction to alcohol by self-administering doses of a muscle-relaxant called baclofen.

He has now written a book about his experience - Le Dernier Verre (The Last Glass) - in which he calls for clinical trials to test his theory that baclofen suppresses the craving for drink.

Widespread media coverage of his book in France has led to a rush of demands from alcoholics for similar treatment, and some doctors have reported unexpected successes after prescribing it.

But many other specialists are sceptical, warning of the dangers of so-called miracle cures.
'Needed alcohol'

Dr Ameisen was associate professor of cardiology at New York's Cornell University, and in 1994 he opened a profitable private practice in Manhattan.

But, stricken by an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy - he says he felt like "an impostor waiting to be unmasked" - he found relief in large quantities of whisky and gin.

Encouraging people to think that there is a miracle molecule is to completely misunderstand the nature of alcoholism . Dr Michel Reynaud

"I detested the taste of alcohol. But I needed its effects to exist in society," he says in Le Dernier Verre, which comes out in English next month.

Dr Ameisen says he tried every known remedy to end his dependence. Between 1997 and 1999 he spent a total of nine months confined in clinics - but nothing worked.

Fearing for his own patients, he gave up his practice and returned to Paris.

Then, in 2000, he read an article about an American man who was treated with baclofen for muscle spasms and found that it eased his addiction to cocaine.

Further investigation uncovered research showing that the drug worked on rats to cut addiction to alcohol or cocaine.

Some experts say curing alcoholism takes more than just a drug

But, strangely, Dr Ameisen found that baclofen was unknown to specialists on dependence.

In March 2002 he began treating himself with daily doses of five milligrams.

"The first effects were a magical muscular relaxation and baby-like sleep," he says.

Almost immediately he also detected a lessening in his desire for drink.

Gradually, he increased the daily dosage to a maximum of 270mg, and found that he was "cured".

Today he continues to take 30 to 50mg a day.

"Mine is the first case in which a course of medicine has completely suppressed alcohol addiction," he says.

"Now I can have a glass and it has no effect.

Above all, I no longer have that irrepressible need to drink."

Some doctors have decided to ignore the fact that the drug is not authorised for treating alcoholism, and report exciting results.

"I prescribed it to two alcoholics who were really at the end of the road. To be honest, it was pretty miraculous," says Dr Renaud de Beaurepaire of the Paul-Guiraud hospital at Villejuif near Paris.

In Geneva, Dr Pascal Garche put 12 patients on baclofen, of whom seven came through reporting marked improvements.

"I have never had reactions like this before. We cannot ignore findings such as this .

However, many specialists fear that media excitement over Dr Ameisen's theory is obscuring the complex nature of alcoholism.

"Encouraging people to think that there is a miracle molecule is to completely misunderstand the nature of alcoholism, and is extremely irresponsible, " says Dr Michel Reynaud of Paul-Brousse hospital in Paris.

"We need comprehensive tests to determine how this drug acts, if it is effective and at what dosage, and if it is genuinely harmless in the longer term, " says Alain Rigaud, president of the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction.

"But even if it turns out to work, that does not mean a drug alone is the solution."

BBC

Quite so but it is encouraging to hear some positive stories about one of man's most troublesome addictions

Small world

Ever thought about how small your world really is

For most small is how it is

Your close family with whom you truly relate in a nice way

Close friends with whom you actually spend any time

Work colleagues, your children and their friends

Four of five people?

Five or six

Truly not so many more

And then there is where you spend your time

The place you live and the neighborhood

The shops you go to

The places you hang out in the gym, coffee shop, club

Not very big or expansive when you boil it right down

And is this because you are lazy?

Or have no curiosity

Or are uninterested

Or just a habit you got into

Maybe how your life dictates it to be

Whatever decide to do new things in this new year

Why?

Because you just might meet new and interesting people

You might find it fun doing new things

Be stimulated by visiting new places

Expand your small world

You only have this life once

So enlarge your experiences this year and make it one to remember

Just how it is

No adept or master is proof against accident

Unless he uses his acquired powers selfishly

Because unless he is constantly watching over his own personality, and cares little for the rest of mankind,

he is as liable to fall a victim to disease and death as any other man

An adept or Raja Yogi is simply the custodian of the secrets of the hidden possibilities of nature,

the master and guide of her undiscovered potentialities

One who awakens and arouses them into activity by abnormal yet natural powers

and by furnishing them with the requisite group of conditions which lie dormant and can, rarely, if ever be brought together if left alone

Large structures

Become corrupt over time

Throughout history men have found ways to abuse and misuse large structures

Large structures meaning government, organized religion, large corporations and other similar organisations

The UN, ILO, WHO, WMO and so on

Man has yet to find ways to prevent corruption

Current political process is a case in point

Few people in any Western country have much time for their political leaders

So after a few years they vote out the party in power and vote the other lot in

This has little to do with their policies although the media might try to have us believe otherwise

It has more to do with our understanding that any party in power for too long becomes too corrupt

In societies without this voting process it goes without sayinng the corruption is endemic

Simply stated where you have any three humans joining together for some purpose corruption will emerge over time

Sadly this must continue until man understands how human evolution really works

Until he understands that purpose and the reason for his life

Until he understands that he is himself responsible for his own evolution and what happens to him

No one else can save him but himself

While humans believe their children are "theirs" corruption will continue

While humans perceive money as life objective corruption will continue

While humans mistake money for security corruption will continue

So long as humans perceive other humans as different and distinct from themselves corruption must continue

Where me is more important than we it must continue

When can this change?

Only when humanity is less ignorant

Ignorance is what perpetuates this situation

However individually we all have choices and can once in a while make our voices heard

This is only likely to have any effect if we are clear that corruption hurts all of us

Corruption is not helpful to individuals or society

Be clear about this

Be clear about your own integrity

Live honestly yourself.

And again

We feel to say

All of us make the time for those things that are important to us

In our demanding lives we are all busy running through each day

So we seldom notice how much we put off, ignore and let go

If we did we would have a clear insight into our real priorities

Even in work we also put off things, avoid them

Bring this into focus

What do you put off?

This is most easily done by seeing this question in two different ways

Those physical things we put off doing, the laundry, tidying our room, sorting clothes, books, fixing whatever and doing those things we promised to do

And the other kind is that call we put off making, that promise we made and did not do

Those things we never followed up on

The modern way is often to just let them slip by

No doubt this seems easier just to let them go

In one way it might be and at the same time it makes sense to observe consciously what we do not want to do

What we have no intention of doing, if only so that we are clear with ourselves

Being clear with ourselves is useful

Not only useful but important that we do not carry a false and inaccurate self image

Too many people carry false images of themselves

Which is fine until they run into reality when these false perceptions suddenly create problems

Problems which can be life altering

Life changing

This might sound dramatic or exaggerated

It is not

Few people are living in a fully conscious objective reality

Many might shrug their shoulders and feel that it is too much effort to do anything about it

They are later going to have this brought forcibly to their attention

Nature and karma are not to be avoided

They are the arbiters of our lives

Live in reality

Drop your games see clearly who and what you are

In your own time do this without having to forcibly do this later

None of us can walk through life without paying our dues

Choose to live in reality

Year planner

Not for me thanks

I do not like planning my year like that

I've never done it like that

It's too much work

Really?

In our modern world things need booking

Prices can often be substantially lower when booked early

Plans made early can shape other events in the year

Planning has besides the obvious advantages some psychological pluses

Having things to look forward to is positive

Having clarity allows us to arrange other things more easily

Preparations flow more naturally

It also removes stress mapping some elements of the year out clearly

Take time to look at your 2008

Shame to come to the end having meant to do so much and having wound up doing nothing except muddling through yet another year

Planning can also help you acknowledge where you are in your relationships

It can help you see where actions might be appropriate

As the old expression goes

Time drive do not be time driven

Love is not

wishful projection

Is not a mythical lifetime scenario of bliss and harmony

A state of perpetual sunshine and blue skies

Love is tough in many ways

Why?

Because the only real love is unconditional

Where you let go if the other party says no or I have had enough

Or if the other party starts fooling around or engaging in other interests

Take the pain yes and pain it is to experience this awful empty feeling

Learn how much better it is to let that partner go rather than to find out more painfully later when children and other things might have arrived

Hurt yes, it does, the mind spinning around in useless thoughts of what might have been

Pain yes to wake up alone and be alone

Love can come again and maybe this time you will have learnt

Maybe not, if not then around you go again because nature and karma will not be denied

So when time passes look at how lucky you were not to have stayed in a false relationship

One where one or both of you were not honest

Difficult to be objective about these things

But of one thing you can be sure

Love is not something we trade

Not something we manipulate although you might have foolishly thought that you could

Love is not our fears manipulated for perceived personal advantage

If you had been in harmony with each other then the break would not have occurred

Learn what love is not it might save you a lot of pain

When the tsunami came

Few could remember one

So everyone had to learn all over again

Currently the world has a financial situation that could prove equally disruptive

No one can say how it will turn out

So life goes on as before

Some though are beginning to realize just how much we don't know

Not just about our climate and weather but our man made affairs as well

Maybe we are gong to experience our very own financial tsunami

Are we prepared

Do we know what to do

Where is your high ground?

Not a bad time to think about it

After it strikes it will be too late

Take five minutes now to see if you have done all that you can to be prepared

Don't let our very own man made tsunami take you out