By Arielle Ford

Rumor has it that the world-renowned director Mira Nair (MONSOON WEDDING, VANITY FAIR, THE NAMESAKE), was in Bombay, stuck in traffic on Marine Drive and in the midst of a movie-maker’s equivalent of writer’s block when she discovered the source of traffic was hundreds of women dressed in all white crossing the street. She was so intrigued, that she ditched her cab and followed these women with her DV camera — some time later, the LAUGHING CLUB OF INDIA was born.

In this compassionate and entertaining documentary, award-winning director Mira Nair has captured a unique slice of life in contemporary India…the Laughing Clubs. From shop workers laughing to relieve stress, to widows cackling to forget their grief and children gleefully giggling with their teachers; THE LAUGHING CLUB OF INDIA documents the thousands of people who come together foregoing their caste or class, to laugh for 40 minutes and to belong to a community dedicated to creating more joy in the world.

This delightful film explores the power of laughter through the popular phenomenon of laughing clubs founded by Madran Kataria, a jovial, energetic, laughter-loving Bombay cardiologist. Dr. Kataria’s passion for bringing the healing power of laughter to the world comes from a deep belief that laughing daily is the key to happiness and well being. In the early days Dr. Kataria would begin club meetings with jokes to get people laughing but he soon discovered that by just pretending to laugh or simulating laughter, real laughter would soon follow. He invented several different kinds of laughs; the greeter, milkshake, and lion. You have to see them to get the full comic effect.

More than 1300 Laughter Clubs now exist throughout the world. The Laughing Clubs meet in parks, offices, private homes, community centers and rooftops, just about anywhere. Throughout the film we get up close and personal with club participants including Dr. & Mrs. Kataria, a stockbroker, three bawdy women, a musician, a widow laughing to cope with grief, and two old men - friends since school days who meet daily to laugh.

The healing power of laughter has been well documented and has been shown to boost the immune system. THE LAUGHING CLUBS OF INDIA will not only make you laugh till you cry and double over in stitches, but will inspire you to make laughing a daily practice.

The Spiritual Cinema Circle, America’s fastest growing DVD club, will feature THE LAUGHING CLUBS OF INDIA in the January 2008 collection along with Knights of the South Bronx starring Ted Danson and two wonderful short films. For a limited time, new subscribers to the Circle can receive a free trial membership (for a nominal shipping fee) by visiting: www.spiritualcinemacircle.com or by calling: (800) 556-0129.

by Katie Davis

In a way, life is like beachcombing, as we search for seashells to find happiness. Seeking love, we carefully gather the treasures that we cherish most and when happiness wanes, we move on to collect others. We seem to forget that their abundant source is the inner Ocean; the only spring of true happiness.

Love surrounds us and it originates from within you. We do not need to seek love for living, in the same manner that the spinner dolphin does not cry for water while swimming. The mind has its idea of perfection and what it needs to be happy. All the while, we are the very joy that we are seeking. The separate self is the time-based mind’s attempt to divide and it will prove to be futile, since separation is unattainable. Its sense of lack is its own demise. Whereas Self-realization is an ease, since it is already complete. Fulfillment means completion, not a fractional part, and love’s completion is the discovery of who you really are. After all, a drop of water does not separate to be a part of the ocean, but rather dissolves its partiality.

Desire inherently contains its opposite, which is fear. So while we are creating our personal desires, we are also creating poverty, greed, sexual obsession, power over others in the herd, and every form of lack. In other words, when we desire, we are also saying that we lack. Consequently, both seem to be created. If we are acquiring in order to be happier at a future time, ever-present joy will elude us, since it is not a future endeavor. It is here now, uncaused, and free of every-thing. The dual mind will prove to be ravenous for its desires, as it runs from its fears. Its bottom line will always be “more!” When it finally discovers that its treasures only provide a fleeting happiness, it discovers the root of its longing, which is the realization of the Heart.

Before awakening, I discovered what I thought was the mind’s ability to create in the seventies. I taught my students and later my children this miracle of creation and they attained their goals as well. Yet, the things and attainments simply came and went. In the end, something always seemed to be missing, so there was always something more to create. I did not realize that the something missing was innate in my uninvestigated assumption of being a fraction of Totality; a separate self wandering through life for meaning. Eventually, only “I” remained and its assumption of separation was its lack and longing. In the miracle of mind-creating, I thought that I was the finger pointing to the moon. In fact, I was neither finger, nor moon. In retrospect, observing was the power. It revealed thought’s mechanisms and its images for a deeper self-understanding. Ultimately, only the overwhelming fulfillment of joy sustained. The Heart is ceaselessly outpouring love. Are you looking from the Heart or from the mind?

The space around “I” is joy’s way. You are welcome to continue collecting things to try to fill that space, as some sort of future compensation, but things and circumstances within time is not where joy resides. In the meantime, you needlessly suffer, while hoping for personal empowerment that at best can only be partial. Sooner or later, it will be recognized that the space around all of your accumulations is the direction and that it originates within. Essence is deeper than “you and your thoughts” and more profound than “your attention.” It is the pure attention of the loving Heart; the only omnipotent power of the universe: Love.

So now, or later, it does not really matter, as long as you do not mind suffering and world hostility. I understand that you may still choose to cruise in a yacht on the surface of the ocean and remain oblivious to the charm of an undersea world that is brilliantly colored with tropical fish. However, the silence of the ocean’s depth would be overlooked. You would not become acquainted with the beauty of the coral reefs and the underwater song of the humpback whales, whining in the distance. You also have the option of diving in to explore the unfathomable depth of the inner Ocean. Yachts are fun, but that fun fades and becomes no more than a past mental image. It pales in the joy of your ineffable beauty.

Wisdom’s invitation is to dissolve like a sugar cube in a hot cup of tea. You may fear that “sugar” will no longer exist. Nonetheless, take your first sip, and see that sweetness remains. If you have realized that now is the only possible time in the universe, then as Rumi so poetically wrote, “Don’t wait any longer. Dive in the Ocean. Leave and let the sea be you.” The Ocean is the calling and it is your passionate magnificence!

Katie Davis is author of “Awake Living Joy: A Guide to the Heart of Enlightenment” and will be offering “JOY Right NOW!”with the blessings of Eckhart Tolle, Power of NOW, at the Spiritual Fitness Center in the Dallas area during MLK Jr. Holiday Weekend January 17-21 with her husband, Sundance Burke, author of “Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being.” Katie spontaneously awakened 21 years ago and Sundance 25 years ago. For more information, go to www.katiedavis.org and www.sundanceburke.org. Register now at www.CompassionWorks.com. Contact jshafer@CompassionWorks.com.

by Zacciah Blackburn

Egyptian High Alchemy is a path of personal transformation and illumination, leading to ultimate enlightenment. It is a practice fueled primarily by awareness and energy gathering exercises, which allows one to become more fully awake, and eventually sustain illuminated states of consciousness. Exercises may range from simple to complex, using some of the most ancient and advanced wisdom and forms of consciousness raising exercises in existence. The Egyptian understandings of consciousness and awareness are with us today, stretching into modern culture from their influence of ancient peoples around the world.

Many scholars, for instance, are convinced the Indian system of Yoga and Kundalini are based upon the Egyptian principals of Sekhem (life force, chi, prana,) and the raising of energies, such as those known as the Alchemies of Horus. This involves advanced practices, cultivating life force within the Djed, or pranic tube and spine, and associated “serpentine” masculine and feminine energy channels, wrapped about it, to raise and join these energies for awakened states of being, high creativity, and wellness.

The Caduceus, the symbol of modern medicine is representational of these Egyptian Alchemical traditions. The two serpents of the Caduceus, wrapped around a central pillar, represents the Djed and male/female energy channels. Though attributed to Hippocrates and his medical practices in Greece, it is well known the ancient Greek disciplines of art, math, science, and health, derived the foundations of their knowledge in the even more ancient Schools of Egypt. Some of the oldest medical texts in history are attributed to ancient Egypt, giving not only understanding of the deep significance of the human energy form, and how to utilize it to heighten consciousness, but also explicit instructions for surgery in brain trauma, and other advanced medical procedures.

Alchemy, in general, is a form of transformation, of turning one form or matter into another. Western culture has focused on the Alchemists of Medieval times, in which it is said the pursuit was material based in nature, of turning iron or lead into gold. In Spiritual Alchemy, the pursuit is of spiritual attainment, to turn the dross, or lead, of one’s emotional and energetic existence into refined golden light. The lead is that which holds one back, weighs one down, or keeps one’s veil in place, from seeing into the pure forms of light and being, into the subtle realms of consciousness, and realizing, or attaining to, the Divine nature of oneself in living presence. The Medieval Alchemists understood this fundamental nature of consciousness, and pursued this aspect of existence in their work, called “The Great Work.”

In Spiritual Alchemy, one’s awareness is utilized to couple the dross, or encumbrances of one’s dampened states of consciousness, with higher forms of energy to create transformation. Unresolved emotional and psychological patterns, and inadequate or limiting beliefs, which reside in our consciousness, keep us from seeing the truth of who we are, and our relationship to a greater existence. By learning to focus one’s awareness, with simple meditative exercises, we can transform our limiting beliefs or unresolved emotions to more fully meet our authentic nature.

Awareness is a powerful tool. One of the first laws of magic is an understanding that energy follows awareness. This is the principal involved in intention, and the Law of Attraction, the principal of the popular movie, The Secret, but also stated by Thoth in his oracles eons ago. What we focus our awareness on, we draw that energy to us. Awareness is involved in everything we do, even when we are not focusing our awareness. The reality is, we are most often fully aware of what we are doing and what is around us. We simply choose to not focus our awareness, and thus, much of our energy escapes us or dissipates throughout the day, and through the choices of our lives, which are made without the fullness of awareness. When we focus our awareness, we tap immense creative potential. It then becomes our responsibility to learn how to utilize it.

Egyptian High Alchemy has little dogmatic indoctrination, but immense focus on understanding the basic principals of the energies of our human form, and upon awareness exercises. Shamanic like journeys are often incorporated, to give the initiate (or participant) direct perception of the other worlds, enhance their spiritual development, and broaden their relationships to the subtle (pure) realms of consciousness, and all that resides there. Intentional utilization of Sacred Sound is often used to enhance such consciousness exercises, even as it is shown in modern medical research to enhance wellness, relieve stress, and heal even debilitating illnesses such as cancer.

Egyptian Alchemy discerns two fundamental paths, the High and the Low path. The primary difference is one of service and intention. In the Low path of Alchemy, there is not a complete understanding of the principals of cause and effect. Practitioners may utilize their awareness and powers developed for self gain, without concern for its effect upon others. Practitioners may cause pain and suffering in others, and not understand or care about Karmic repercussions. The truth is, we reap what we sow. If we sow wheat, we shall, indeed, reap wheat when the fall harvest comes. In karmic patterns, ‘next fall’ may be this year or next lifetime. So, it is of benefit to understand the principals of spiritual development and passage, in order to set as one’s personal goals those aspects of evolution which benefit not just ourselves, but all of life, and creation. By living even simple ethical standards, we strive for the greatest good for ourselves and others, without fault of judgment for the errors we or others may make in our pursuit of enlightened consciousness. It is understood in Spiritual Alchemy, that the intention of continually striving for the greatest good, in itself, can not only add to our “good Karma” by our right actions, but create the effect of burning off past Karmic debt. The Tibetan Buddhists call it “achieving merit.”

Through developing understanding of our human nature, and working coherently with the creative forces of the Universe, we develop deeper insight into the nature of existence, create right relationships with all of Live, and draw in a greater sense of wellness and peace. We then can begin to bridge the gap into even greater experiences in our lives, and in the subtle realms of existence, eventually awakening into our fullest form.

Zacciah Blackburn is a gifted intuitive, international teacher, and sound healer, trained in classical healing and shamanic traditions, and sacred sound cultures, and is practicing in Ascutney, VT. He is offering a special practice in the Egyptian teachings: Sekhmet: The Sacred Chord, April 5-6, 2008, in the Dallas area. Contact Ann Williams for more information: (972) 612-8663; e-mail: Ann.Williams@hfit.com or see more on Zacciah’s work at his website: www.thecenteroflight.net

Food—What Difference Does It Make?

People can easily accept to what degree the things they consume (plants, animals, chemicals) affect their mind/body when the effects are very strong and immediate: plants such as Cannabis (marijuana), coffee beans, and mushrooms of a particularly lively variety, are a few examples.

However, people generally don’t understand how much foods can affect their systems when the effects are slower and more subtle in manifesting. This is for several reasons: simply unaware, unfamiliar with or having a dislike of nutrient-rich foods, or having a desire to continue eating foods that are counter to health. Nevertheless, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) food therapy principles, every single food item has an energetic property–warming, cooling, dispersing, etc.–that affects the body as a whole and can also enter and more strongly affect particular organ systems, creating great change over the medium- and long-term.

The Seasons—How Do They Affect Us?

Once again, human beings can easily accept how greatly the change of seasons affects the natural world. We all know that many trees lose their leaves in autumn and go dormant in winter, that many animals slow their activity or hibernate in winter, and that spring is a popular time for courtship in the animal kingdom. We humans, though, being so detached in our modern life from the lifecycles of nature, are quite unaware of the great impact the change of seasons has on our bodies.

The human body and its response to the seasons can be compared with great similarity to a tree. In springtime, the energy begins to move up the trunk and can be seen in its fullest extension in summer, with thick foliage and branches laden with fruit.

As the energy begins to retreat and descend in autumn, the fruit and leaves fall. In winter, the tree’s energy is in its greatest state of contraction deep in the roots. Thus, the energy of winter is storage. According to TCM, human beings also store energy in their roots in the winter, our roots being the kidneys.

Foods and activities that trash your energy (we know what they are and usually engage in lots of them during the holidays) are particularly damaging to energy reserves in wintertime. Winter is the time for retreat, reflection, and protecting energy reserves. So how do we accomplish that?

What To Eat In Winter

Again, if we tune into nature, it will guide us to what is best. The sun rises late and sets early. There is less natural light and it’s colder, so we stay indoors more, rest, and nourish our bodies. Fruits are not abundant in winter, so that’s the Earth’s way of telling us, “these aren’t the most appropriate foods to eat in great quantities now.” Continuing to eat foods with a “cold” energy (salads, raw foods, frozen or iced drinks) will tax the immune system as it works overtime to warm the body. A few results of too much cold in the body are dread of cold, joint aches and pains, cold and sore lower back, and frequent colds and flu. Foods that are too spicy (chilies and curries) that make us experience “warmth” induce sweating and actually release heat from the body and aren’t recommended in winter, either.

So what to eat? Warming foods that strengthen the kidneys, blood, and chi (energy) are on the menu now! Include plenty of protein—again, look to what our ancestors ate, living with the cycles of nature. Fresh fruits and vegetables wouldn’t have been available in great abundance, so dried grains, beans, and meat that could be stored through winter would be eaten.

What protein source and how much? The recommendation is to eat more now—not to eat exorbitant amounts of protein. It simply means that for the average amount you consume during the year, this is the season to eat proportionally more, and during other seasons reduce the amount of protein. Further on the subject, if we look to the traditional Chinese cuisine, enormous slabs of beef were never a part of the meal. Keeping those ideas in mind, your source of protein and the quantity are for you to determine. Of the animal sources, beef and lamb are high on the list, with chicken, turkey and salmon also recommended.

Root vegetables and leafy greens, aduki and black beans, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, winter squash, pumpkin, and walnuts are foods high on the list. Fruits that are eaten can be cooked with warming spices such as cinnamon or cardamom. Prepare foods with warming herbs and spices such as garlic, onions, ginger, cumin, parsley, and basil. Salty foods have an inward energy (which supports storage in the kidneys), so a little sea salt, kelp, and sea vegetables are recommended in winter. The salty flavor moistens and detoxifies the body, and in small quantities improves the quality of the blood. In excess, however, it can stress the heart and overwork the kidneys.

Vegetarians should use special caution in their diet at this time. Eat more protein, cooked foods, and add warming spices and herbs to the menu. Fruit juice, raw salads, soymilk, and tofu are best avoided at this time of year.

What To Eat In Spring…

Come March, our energy will begin moving up and the organ to which we turn our focus is the liver. Foods that have an “upward” energy and that support the liver are recommended. “What are those?” you ask. Look for your spring issue of The Holistic Networker and the next article in our “Eating with the Season” series to find out!

These are general guidelines for people in a state of balance and good health. Though season is considered, when there is any disharmony, a person’s individual constitution and current state take precedence over time of year when making food recommendations.

Allie is a certified Chinese Medicine Nutritionist and co-owner of Radiant Chinese Herbs and Tea in Addison, TX. radianttealounge@gmail.com, 626.497.9195

You did it. Now your children are doing it, too. Somehow, each new generation manages to surprise their elders with attitudes and behaviors that parents find shocking and offensive.

Today, young people publish their private thoughts, photos, and videos, in essence—their lives—online in blogs, media sites and social networking web sites like Facebook. Camera phones and handheld video make this process as easy as “point-and-click”. Older baby boomers caution young people on the dangers of being so open with their lives. They warn that certainly, future employers will “Google them” to discover their party photos and other, potentially embarrassing, postings.

The idea that a private life and a public life are distinct is a concept that baby boomers hold dear to them. And yet, Generation X and Y and the Millennials have always felt free to share their joys and miseries online for the world to see. While former Pres. Clinton might proclaim that he “didn’t inhale”, our future presidents will have already shared their youthful follies online and no one will be able to “out” them.

I believe that we are entering an age of “Authentic Living”. Our media already reflects this shift: movie DVDs are increasingly devoted to special features such as “behind the scenes” and “bloopers”, and popular TV shows are predominantly unscripted reality shows. We prefer the real over the scripted and the contrived. This shift, while so highly visible in the media, is also a reflection of a shift in our collective consciousness. Over time, the new reality of authentic living, a shift towards being real, will become part of our entire society, not just our youth.

What part of your life is fake? Which thoughts, feelings and actions do you prefer to keep secret? When we carefully script our lives and show people our fake smiles and practiced lines (”I’m doing great!”), we live shallow, hollow pretend lives that lack integrity. We pretend in order to make others like and accept us.

My experience has been that my friends, family, and even strangers, react more positively to my authentic self. When I share my true feelings, people react in kind—they can feel that I’ve taken off my armor—that I’ve become vulnerable and that it’s safe to share. It’s in this space that relationships deepen, friendships develop, and true love blossoms.

Warm regards,
Tony Cecala