Manufactured Rainbows

She's a Rainbow

E - F - T or Tapping

One Effective Energy Balancing Method That Addresses All Issues The end goal of this article is to equip you with an easy to use recipe for expanding your emotional freedom. I call it The Basic Recipe and it is the centerpiece of everything you do with EFT. You will use it in every session, whether you are a beginner or a pro. A recipe, of course, has certain ingredients which must be added in a certain order. If you are baking a cake, for example, you must use sugar instead of pepper and you must add the sugar before you put it in the oven. Otherwise....no cake. The Basic Recipe is no exception. Each ingredient must be introduced precisely as described and they must be added in the proper order. Although I am going to some length to describe it in detail, The Basic Recipe has only 5 brief steps (ingredients) and takes very little effort to learn. Once memorized, each round of it can be performed in about 30 seconds. It will take some practice, of course, but after a few tries the whole process becomes familiar and you can do it in your sleep (millions  have done this, including children). You will then have a permanent tool that you can use for a lifetime. We apply The Basic Recipe to every emotional, physical and performance issue. It doesn’t matter how big or small the problem, or how complicated or impossible it may seem. We still use the same Basic Recipe. We may aim the process in sophisticated ways (see later instruction in this Tutorial) but the tapping process remains the same. Remember our Discovery Statement?The Basic Recipe Addresses All Issues "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.” It follows, then, that we need one effective energy balancing method to address all issues that have emotional causes. Emotional issues such as grief, anger, guilt, depression, trauma, fear and the like clearly belong in this category. And since both physical and performance issues often have emotional roots, it follows that our one energy balancing technique (The Basic Recipe) can be useful for all of them. The Basic Recipe blends focused wording with a 9 point tapping sequence. The focused wording tunes us in to the issue and this, in turn, points us to the energy disruptions (zzzzzts) that we need to address. This wording is an essential part of the process because it tells our system what we are working on. Negative emotions come about because we are tuned into certain thoughts or circumstances which, in turn, cause our energy systems to disrupt. Otherwise, we function normally. One's fear of heights is not present, for example, while one is reading the comic section of the Sunday newspaper (and therefore not tuned in to the problem). Once tuned into the issue, the tapping stimulates the energy pathways thereby balancing the resulting energy disruptions (zzzzzts). Also, for clarification, the points we use are at or near the end points of the energy pathways (meridians and vessels) … OR … at points along these pathways that are close to the body’s surface. You may be aware that acupuncturists study and use over 300 meridian points on the body instead of the mere handful that are used by EFT. Further, unlike EFT, acupuncturists associate each of the energy pathways with body organs (kidney, stomach, spleen, etc.) and emotions (anger, fear, sadness, etc.). We are not denying the validity of this approach but we are ignoring it. EFT represents a different use of these pathways that allows someone with no formal training in Chinese medicine to get superb results with a simple process. You may learn the intricacies of the Chinese meridian system if you wish, but this knowledge is not necessary to generate first class results with EFT. In practice, the 14 energy pathways in the body are interconnected and thus sending balancing energy down one pathway influences other pathways. That is why we usually need to address only a few pathways to get the job done. Before I demonstrate The Basic Recipe on a video, let's (1) take a look at the Tapping Points, (2) set the stage with some useful Tapping Tips and (3) review the 5 Steps in The Basic Recipe. The Tapping Points These illustrations, together with the written aids below them, are self explanatory and are explored in detail later (including videos). For now, just locate each of these points on your own body and touch each of them with your fingertips. Written aids to locating the Basic recipe Tapping Points: KC: The Karate Chop point (abbreviated KC) is located at the center of the fleshy part of the outside of your hand (either hand) between the top of the wrist and the base of the baby finger or....stated differently....the part of your hand you would use to deliver a karate chop. TOH: On the top of the head. If you were to draw a line from one ear, over the head, to the other ear, and another line from your nose to the back of your neck, the TOH point is where those two lines would intersect.   EB: At the beginning of the eyebrow, just above and to one side of the nose. This point is abbreviated EB for beginning of the EyeBrow. SE: On the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye.  This point is abbreviated SE for Side of the Eye. UE: On the bone under an eye about 1 inch below your pupil.  This point is abbreviated UE for Under the Eye. UN: On the small area between the bottom of your nose and the top of your upper lip.  This point is abbreviated UN for Under the Nose. Ch: Midway between the point of your chin and the bottom of your lower lip.  Even though it is not directly on the point of the chin, we call it the chin point because it is descriptive enough for people to understand easily.  This point is abbreviated Ch for Chin. CB: The junction where the sternum (breastbone), collarbone and the first rib meet.  To locate it, first place your forefinger on the U-shaped notch at the top of the breastbone (about where a man would knot his tie).  From the bottom of the U, move your forefinger down toward the navel 1 inch and then go to the left (or right) 1 inch.  This point is abbreviated CB for CollarBone even though it is not on the collarbone (or clavicle) per se.  It is at the beginning of the collarbone and we call it the collarbone point because that is a lot easier to say than "the junction where the sternum (breastbone), collarbone and the first rib meet." UA: On the side of the body, at a point even with the nipple (for men) or in the middle of the bra strap (for women).  It is about 4 inches below the armpit.  This point is abbreviated UA for Under the Arm. Tapping Tips  These tips answer the most common questions. Some of the tapping points have twin points on each side of the body. For example, the "eyebrow" point on the right side of the body has a twin point on the left side of the body. Years of experience have taught us that you only need to tap one of these twin points. However, if you have both hands free you can certainly tap on both sides for good measure. You will see me do this often in our Art of Delivery videos. You can also switch sides when you tap these points. For example, during the same round of The Basic Recipe, you can tap the "karate chop" point on your left hand and the eyebrow point on the right side of your body. This makes the tapping process more convenient to perform. The tapping is done with two or more fingertips. This is so you can cover a larger area and thereby insure that your tapping covers the correct point. While you can tap with the fingertips of either hand, most people use their dominant hand. For example, right handed people tap with the fingertips of their right hand while left handed people tap with the fingertips of their left hand. You tap approximately 5 times on each point. No need to count the taps because anywhere between 3 and 7 taps on each point is adequate. The only exception is during the Setup step (explained later) where the Karate Chop Point is tapped continuously while you repeat some standard wording. The process is easily memorized. After you have tapped the Karate Chop Point, the rest of the points go down the body (see the Sequence Points in the diagram above). The Eyebrow point, for example, is below the Top of the Head point. The Side of the Eye point is below the Eyebrow point. And so on down the body. The 5 Steps of The Basic Recipe These simple steps are also given in the video below. For now, just familiarize yourself with the concepts. The video will walk you through the process so you can memorize it easily. 1.  Identify the Issue: All you do here is make a mental note of what ails you. This becomes the target at which you "aim" the Basic Recipe. Examples might be: Sore shoulder, my father embarrassing me at my age 8 birthday party, hitting that high singing note.  Be sure you are only targeting one issue at a time. As you will learn later, trying to combine issues in the process will compromise your results. 2.  Test the Initial Intensity: Here you establish a before level of the issue's intensity by assigning a number to it on a 0-10 scale where 10 is the worst the issue has ever been and 0 is no problem whatsoever. This serves as a benchmark so we can compare our progress after each round of The Basic Recipe. If, for example, we start at an 8 and eventually reach a 4, then we know we have achieved a 50% improvement. The number of possible issues we can address with The Basic Recipe is endless and they don't all fit into neat testing boxes. That is why we have an entire segment later on dedicated to testing. For this stage of your learning, however, here are some useful methods to help you access your issue(s) and arrive at your 0-10 numbers. They apply to most issues. For emotional issues, you can recreate the memories in your mind and assess their discomforts. For physical ailments you can simply assess the existing pain or discomfort. For performance issues you can attempt the desired performance level and measure how close you come to it. 3.  The Setup:  The Setup is a process we use to start each round of tapping. By designing a simple phrase and saying it while continuously tapping the KC point, you let your system know what you’re trying to address. When designing this phrase there are two goals to achieve: 1)  acknowledge the problem 2)  accept yourself in spite of it We do this by saying: “Even though I have this _______________, I deeply and completely accept myself”. This ______________ is the problem you want to address, so you can just insert things like: This sore shoulder: “Even though I have this sore shoulder, I deeply and completely accept myself.” This fear of spiders: “Even though I have this fear of spiders, I deeply and completely accept myself.” This humiliation at my eighth grade graduation: “Even though I have this humiliation at my eighth grade graduation, I deeply and completely accept myself.” This difficulty making free throws: “Even though I have this difficulty making free throws, I deeply and completely accept myself.” Not all of the issues will fit neatly into “Even though I have this ____________,” so you can use some flexibility when designing your Setup phrase. For example, instead of “this sore shoulder” you could say “Even though my shoulder hurts, I deeply and completely accept myself”. Or instead of “this humiliation at my eighth grade graduation” you could say “Even though my dad humiliated me at my eighth grade graduation.” By using “Even though I have this _______________,” you will automatically choose something that represents your experience, your reaction, or a problem that you recognize as something that belongs to you, and that is an important feature. We do not want to use EFT on someone else’s problem. For example, rather than, “Even though my son is addicted to drugs, I deeply and completely accept myself,” it’s better to focus on your own reaction which might be, “Even though I’m frustrated by my son's drug addiction.” Or instead of “Even though my husband works too much…,” better to try something like, “Even though I feel alone when my husband stays late at the office…” We want to aim EFT at our part of the problem rather than trying to fix someone else’s problem. By identifying the problem with this phrase, you “set up” the initial zzzzzt behind the scenes so the tapping has something to resolve. Important, Important, Important: The language that we use always aims at the negative. This is essential because it is the negative that creates the energy disruptions (zzzzzts) that The Basic Recipe clears (and thus brings peace to the system). By contrast, conventional methods and popular self-help books stress positive thinking and preach avoiding the negative. This sounds good but, for our purposes, it does little more than cover over the negative with pleasant sounding words. EFT, on the other hand, needs to aim at the negative so it can be neutralized.  This allows our natural positives to bubble up to the top. 4. The Sequence: This is the workhorse part of The Basic Recipe that stimulates/balances the body's energy pathways. To perform it, you tap each of the points shown in the Sequence Points diagram (see above) while saying a Reminder Phrase that keeps your system tuned into the issue. I list the points below followed by a description of the Reminder Phrase: Top of the Head (TOH) Beginning of the Eyebrow (EB) Side of the Eye (SE) Under the Eye (UE) Under the Nose (UN) Chin Point (CH) Beginning of the Collarbone (CB) Under the Arm (UA) The Reminder Phrase is quite simple as you need only identify the issue with some brief wording. Depending on your issue, you might say the following at each tapping point.... "This sore shoulder", "My father embarrassed me", "This difficulty in singing that high note." 5. Test the Intensity Again: Finally, you establish an after level of the issue's intensity by assigning a number to it on a 0-10 scale. You compare this with the before level to see how much progress you have made. If you are not down to zero then repeat the process until you either achieve zero or plateau at some level. You can also include some additional tapping points that will be introduced in the next section. Otherwise, you will likely need to "get to the roots of the issue" (see Part II of this Tutorial). Now follow along with this video as I demonstrate The Basic Recipe live. It assumes you have familiarized yourself with the Tapping Points, Tapping Tips and the 5 Steps to the Basic Recipe given above. Accordingly, you may want to review them again before proceeding with the video. Note to EFT’ers with training prior to this Tutorial: The Basic Recipe has been streamlined in the following ways: (1) What was formerly known as The EFT Shortcut is now The Basic Recipe. Other tapping points and methods as well as the 9 Gamut procedure have been recategorized and put “on the shelf” for use when one may be stuck on an issue (to be discussed later). (2) The term Psychological Reversal (PR) has been eliminated because, after years of experience, I think it was mis-named. In practice, PR is a form of secondary gain/loss or a new aspect of the original problem.  While the correction for PR remains in the Basic Recipe, I have found that PR can be handled effectively with the proper treatment of Aspects, Specific Events, and Detective Work (see later articles). (3) The Sore Spot, The Collarbone Breathing Technique and Floor to Ceiling Eyeroll have been eliminated because of their rare use. (4) The idea of “subsequent round adjustments” wherein we formerly addressed the “remaining” problem is no longer considered essential. You will see it, however, in the Art of Delivery videos, simply because it was considered useful when they were filmed.  It's use does not add or detract from the process. Also, to allay any scientific concerns, this streamlining has not changed the previous protocol from a research point of view.  The basic tapping points and language remain the same. The protocol, for convenience and ease of use, has merely been divided into smaller parts and thus one need only to reassemble the individual parts to arrive at the original used in previous research.  Thus all past research is still valid and remains unaffected by this Tutorial.  New research can use this streamlined update. Test Drive: Now let’s give The Basic Recipe a test drive. Just pick an issue of your own and tap along with me in the next video. With a few practice rounds you will embed the process into your memory and will then be able to apply it to a wide variety of issues. Please remember, though, that you are still a beginner at this so you may or may not experience relief this first time. That’s OK. Our goal at this point is to acquaint you with the process. Results follow as you expand your use of it. There is much more to learn if you wish to pursue this Tutorial further (recommended). Other Tapping Points and Routines The standard Basic Recipe points you learned above are the ones you will use over 90% of the time. In addition, there are some other points you may find useful under certain circumstances. If your initial rounds of the Basic Recipe have not brought the intensity to zero, you can include any of these into your next round to see if they help. They are worth learning, even at this early stage, so I describe them next as well as in a video a few paragraphs below. The Finger Points:  These are useful when you’d like to extend the Basic Recipe and try a more thorough round on stubborn aspects. They also come in handy when any of the regular tapping points are hard to reach or irritating for the client. They can be very effective on their own and I sometimes use them on our Art of Delivery videos instead of the standard points. Also note that you tap the facial and torso points with your fingertips and, in so doing, you also stimulate the finger points. The tapping point is in the same location for each finger and each thumb.  On the index finger (IF), tap on the side of the finger that is closest to the thumb, even with the base of the nail. Once you have located that one, you can find the similar MF (middle finger), BF (baby finger), and Th (thumb) points on each hand. Just for simplicity, the Ring Finger has not been included in this sequence.  For those who may be curious, the meridian involved runs on the opposite side of that finger. I may occasionally include a point on the ring finger while I’m tapping because it’s easier than explaining why I leave it out. However, the EFT process and all of its power were built without this point and our results have not been affected by either including it or leaving it out. The Below Nipple Point (often called the Liver Point):  You won't see this one on our Art of Delivery videos or elsewhere in our materials. This is because it is socially awkward for women to tap. For the male, it is located one inch below the nipple. For the female it is where the underskin of the breast attaches to the chest wall. For some women the breast must be lifted so that the point can be tapped. I include it for completeness as you may find it useful under some circumstances. I use it on rare occasion. The diagram to the right shows the BN Point on both sides of the body. As mentioned earlier, you only need to tap one of them. The Wrist Point: This is also rarely used but I acquaint you with it because you may see it in our Art of Delivery Videos. It is located on the underside of the wrist at the mid-point of where a watch band would normally reside. There is a twin point on each wrist and sometimes these points are "tapped" by banging the inside of the wrists together. The 9 Gamut Procedure: This is, perhaps, the most bizarre looking process within EFT and was originally designed by Dr. Roger Callahan. Its purpose is to "fine tune" the brain and it does so via some tapping along with eye movements and some humming and counting. Through connecting nerves, certain parts of the brain are stimulated when the eyes are moved. Likewise the right side of the brain (the creative side) is engaged when you hum a song and the left side (the digital side) is engaged when you count. I rarely use this procedure. I've found it helpful when there is a clear brain disorder (e.g. Cerebral Palsy) and, once in awhile, I will use it when I seem to be stuck with a client. It will occasionally make a difference. Also, it is very difficult to explain it in words and pictures, although I make an attempt below. However, it is easily understood when shown in the video a few paragraphs below. The 9 Gamut Procedure is a 10 second process wherein a gamut of 9 of these "brain stimulating" actions are performed while continuously tapping on one of the body's energy points (the Gamut Point). To do the 9 Gamut Procedure, you must first locate the Gamut point. It is on the back of either hand and is 1/2 inch behind the midpoint between the knuckles at the base of the ring finger and the little finger. If you draw an imaginary line between the knuckles at the base of the ring finger and little finger and consider that line to be the base of an equilateral triangle whose other sides converge to a point (apex) in the direction of the wrist, then the gamut point would be located at the apex of the triangle. Next, you must perform 9 different actions while tapping the Gamut point continuously. The 9 Gamut actions are: Eyes closed. Eyes open. Eyes hard down right while holding the head steady. Eyes hard down left while holding the head steady. Roll your eyes in a circle as though your nose was at the center of a clock and you were trying to see all the numbers in order. Same as #5 only reverse the direction in which you roll your eyes. Hum 2 seconds of a song (any song will do). Count rapidly from 1 to 5. Hum 2 seconds of a song again. Note that these 9 actions are presented in a certain order and I suggest that you memorize them in the order given. However, you can mix the order up if you wish so long as you do all 9 of them....and....you perform 7, 8 & 9 as a unit. That is, you hum 2 seconds of a song (I usually do Happy Birthday) ... then count ... then hum the song again, in that order. However, you could also change the order of 7, 8 & 9 from hum-count-hum to count-hum-count. Either option will suffice. Also, for some people humming Happy Birthday causes resistance because it brings up memories of unhappy birthdays. In this case, you can either use EFT on those unhappy memories and resolve them … or … you can side step this issue for now by having them hum some other song. Now, in the interest of being thorough, here is a video where I demonstrate the Finger Points, Below the Nipple or BN Point (often called the Liver Point), Wrist Point and the 9 Gamut Procedure. The video assumes you have thoroughly familiarized yourself with the above descriptions. USING YOUR ART OF DELIVERY VIDEOS   Gary and Tina discuss the Basic Recipe LanguageTo help you go a step further with the EFT concepts, Tina and I have included a collection of discussions in the Art of Delivery videos that will deepen your knowledge.  In this discussion, we explore the goal of the Setup language and how you can use variations in that language without compromising the goal.  We also discuss some of the common challenges with using the standard Setup language and provide tips on how to handle them. Borrowing Benefits with AndyThe Art of Delivery videos include a "tap-along" collection called Borrowing Benefits.  These sessions demonstrate more advanced tools than you have learned in this article, but allow you take a peek at masterful EFT while you try out the tapping points and get your own EFT results.  Try this session with Andy entitled, "Andy: "I could never do anything right.""  Full Borrowing Benefits instructions are included.

Winning at Aging

Paul Obrien on the topics of iching

Feb 10, 2012

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Getting older is unavoidable, but is it possible to avoid the symptoms of aging? Can our choices about what we think and feel — and how we live — propel us into a long and healthy life? It seems there’s more to the question of aging gracefully than just the new fad diet or designer supplement.
Recently, I had the good fortune to interview Dr. John Kalb, a holistic chiropractor and world-class nutritionist, on my Pathways radio show (podcast on Divination.com). Dr. Kalb reminds us that “Aging is required, but symptoms are optional,” and that aside from good nutrition and reasonable exercise, we need purpose and inspiration to live a fulfilling and truly healthy life.
Like myself, Dr. Kalb is a spiritual person who has been known to use the I Ching to help him stay spiritually synchronized, be more creative and make better decisions. You should hear what he has to say about the spiritual dimension of health, as well as the true place of supplements, the “Happiness Project” and the wisdom of the elders. Thank you, Dr. Kalb!

Consciousness of Feeling

Hans Decoz on the topics of numerology

Oct 03, 2011

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Evolution is a work in progress, and no one says you can't help it along a bit. In fact, many people do. When a person fights for what is right, sacrifices his or her time and effort to further a worthy cause, teaches children how to read and write and love each other, or devotes time in meditation or a quest for a deeper understanding, then that person pushes evolution forward, and I am pretty sure that has its own reward. What's interesting to me is the way evolution prioritizes.
First, there is the matter of matter. I have no idea about the actual process and I am glad I am not alone, but perhaps, once scientists have smashed enough particles, we will have some notion of how it all came to pass. As it is, matter is still being produced, which makes me wonder if the cosmos is getting heavier or if it is just manipulating particles that were already in existence. Okay, that's enough. I'll happily leave those questions to my brainier brothers and sisters.
Anyway, once the material part of the job was ready to support the next step, life came along, first as single-cell amoebas (if I remember my biology lessons), and then a bit more complex; mammals, fish, birds, insects, and fairly recently, human beings.
Now, I am not knocking those early prototypes, but I believe they were pretty darn stupid. Pretty much no brain to speak of, but the potential was there. So Mother Nature started fine-tuning, something she does quite well, and pretty soon, one of those Neanderthals made fire and the process continued. If my information is correct, human beings today are a mixture of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, and whatever else came around, (based on DNA research). No doubt that is why some of us are more advanced than others (tongue in cheek).
Today, looking around, I get the impression that evolution made a lot of progress. I mean, here I am, typing on a laptop that picks information out of the ether, my iPhone next to me in case someone, somewhere on this planet wants to talk to me, and so forth. So congratulations y'all, we are constantly improving, and those scary apocalyptic movies aside, I see no reason why we wouldn't continue to do so for a long time to come, depending on how optimistic or pessimistic you are. But the future essentially does what it has always done: move forward.
My issue is this: There is no denying that we have greatly improved our physical bodies and we have made, perhaps, even more progress in the brain/mind area ... but what about the ability to feel?
Most people think that feelings (emotions and such) are part of the mind, but I don't think that's the case, or at least, I think that there is a lot more to it. When you are overcome by feelings, good or bad, you don't feel them in your head. You feel them in your "heart." In a previous blog I explained that the "heart" has become a nickname for what could be called your "consciousness of feeling." It's nothing more than your awareness of 1) the fact that you are feeling something, 2) what it is that you are feeling, and 3) what it means or how you should deal with it. It's a process very similar to thinking; there's a subject or a question, followed by a logical train of thought (or so we hope), and then a conclusion. The same is the case when you feel; first there is a source, something that produces that feeling, then an understanding and/or evaluation, which is then followed by an action of some kind in response to that feeling.
And this is where I would like evolution to hurry it up a bit. After all, if we become more capable of feeling, evaluating, and responding, we would quickly reduce the amount of negative feelings (pain, hunger, anger, greed, hate, etc.), and work very hard at promoting positive feelings (love, empathy, generosity, gratitude, and so forth). After all, when we have "good" feelings, we are happy. When we have "bad" feelings, we are miserable, and last time I looked, most of us would prefer to be happy.
I know, I am simplifying things a bit. But consider how most of us have difficulty grappling with our feelings, and no one expects us not to. It's an accepted fact that feelings are confusing, vague and yet powerful, difficult to locate and yet hard to escape, and so forth. The truth is that we are at a total loss when it comes to feelings. My older brother, a psychologist with a sizeable practice in a country where people are supposed to be "sober and down-to-earth" (Holland), is himself at times an emotional wreck.
In my opinion, our consciousness of feeling is about as under-developed as our brains were 100,000 years ago. Compared to the progress of our body and our brains, when it comes to the heart, we are way behind. And as a result, we have no qualms going to war, we stuff ourselves while others starve, buy thousand-dollar shoes when others have to go barefoot, say insensitive things to people we love, and on and on, the list is endless. There is no shortage of food or anything else on this planet; it's just a matter of proper distribution -- a piece of cake if we set our minds to it. The technology to keep this globe clean and livable exists. Our ability to solve problems is excellent and improving every day. The only thing missing to make this planet into a utopian place of peace and harmony and happiness, is the will. And so, there you have it, if we were more advanced in the area of the heart, if we had a better developed consciousness of feeling, we wouldn't have all those problems. The heart would be properly touched by whatever problems befall whomever; we would gather our resources without delay and take care of it. Fixing things is easy; don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The only obstacle, always and without exception, is the will. And the will springs from feelings, and we just don't get it.

Yogamint. com and the Mind River...

Channeling the River

Mind and Meditation

Imagine a river flowing powerfully through the land. Your mind is like that river—carrying your thoughts, memories, ideas and self-awareness through the landscape of your Being. You can harness the power of your mind, in order to nurture your body, mind and spirit just as water nourishes the plants. Your mind acts as a powerful ally to help you achieve your goals and dreams. Unchecked, it can reap destruction, much like a flood. Meditation is a time-tested technique for controlling the flow of the mind. Over the ages, yogis and sages have developed ways to channel the mind’s power for healing and inner peace. Today, you can spend time and money on self-help courses, therapy and doctors, but meditation can be a daily practice to bring to bear all the gifts that the mind has to offer. You can grow your perceptions, feelings and visions in a way that will shower you with calmness, clarity and purpose. So pull up your meditation mat, engage your mind and flow gently down the stream. Recommended: How to Meditate – A Practical Guide by Kathleen McDonald and The 21 Stages of Meditation by Gurucharan Singh Khalsa PhD