The Illusions of Life and Death / Lithium and Lower Risk of Dementia – Crazy Water / School Starts on Tuesday, Sept. 5

Your brain without hugs.

For
my Philosophy students.

Your brains
have been asleep
all Summer long.
Don’t ask me
how
I know this.
Now,
get that confused look
back on your face,
and get to class!
It’s a good indication
that once again,
you are
thinking,
and, according to
René Descartes,
you finally
exist.

“People like us …
know that the distinction between
past, present and future
is only a stubbornly persistent
illusion.”

– Albert Einstein

Our consciousness
does not exist in our brains
or in our bodies.

This illusion
of our individual selves,
and the misinformation of our true origins,
has manifested the idea
that we think independently
from one another.

But,
there is a Spiritual Bond
we hold in common
between all things in the Universe,
and we are all part of
One
Divine Intelligence.

“Know thyself
and thou shalt know
all the mysteries of the gods
and the Universe”.
– inscription on the Ancient
Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi

Matter,
within the illusory building blocks
of our perceivable existence,
is molded by thoughtful intent.

My Dear Friends,
consciousness shapes
reality.
And we consciously
reshaped our beautiful Forests
from Cathedrals of the Heart,
into structures
where we worship
our feeble minds.

Now,
our thought processes
have become so linear
that
our creativity has been
squelched and highly limited
by the preponderance of
straight lines and
ninety degree angles.
We call these structures
Home.

We kicked ourselves
out
of our beautiful
Garden.
Now the mind
of Mankind
no longer envisions
and dreams of
the breathtaking
Natural World
God
placed us
into.

Now,
we have lived
long enough to say,
and with our dying breath:
“With so very many
things to do,
I
got in my
way.
And along this
narrow path,
I failed
to give away,
all the Love
gifted to me
from Above.”

                      The breathtaking Natural World.

Yes,
we forgot
to give and take Love
easy,
as the leaves grow
on the Trees,
as grass grows
on the open fields
with such ease.

“Peace like a river ran through the city.
Long past the midnight curfew
We sat starry-eyed.
We were satisfied
and I remember,
misinformation followed us
like a plague.”
Paul Simon

But,
there is Hope.

From this moment on,
Life
ever begins again.
The answer
to all our Prayers,
begins
with the Prayer.

“A thrill of Hope;
the weary World rejoices,
For yonder breaks
a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees!
O hear the Angel voices!”
Placide Cappeau

To sing the Song of Freedom
and finally know
what keeps us strong
all day long,
is to have
a reason
to Believe in
Love,
to know
Love is the question
and Love is the Answer
to Prayer
from Up Above.

The Whispers
of the Morning,
through the leaves
of the trees
on high,
are all about
God’s Love.
Our first Home
was in the
Garden,
of His Heart.

          A reflection of the present.

Everything that happens,
tomorrow or in the past,
could be a reflection
of the present.
It is possible
that there is only
ONE moment in Time.

In The Unreality of Time
by John McTaggart,
time is just another dimension,
future events are
already there”.
read more

The mirrored walls of this moment
could replicate conscious awareness
and fill us with the illusion
of controlling reality
and everything
that exists.

Everything is possible.
What is ‘Real’
could be based upon repeating patterns
designed to function in
a real time
simulation.

What is a simulation?
What is Reality?
How do you determine what is Real?
 Are we floating on a sea of relativity?
Are we projected from some point
at the center of the
Galaxy?

Is each person
at the center of their own
Universal Consciousness?
Is the center
everywhere,
and
at the beginning and the end

of time,
in every when?

Everything
is dependent on the observer?
YOU!

  If you remove the observer,
YOU,
and are replaced
with a quantum computational system
that manipulates the constants
that YOU observe,
do we now have a way to manipulate
time and space?

The road to understanding
may be infinitely
long.
Matter may be nothing more
than a very compelling
illusion.

YOU
may be a very real
uncertainty.

But you do
exist.

René Descartes,
French philosopher and mathematician,
had radical doubts.
He wondered
if nothing that is perceived or sensed
is really true.
But there was one Truth:
there is a mind, a consciousness
doing the doubting.
And so he postulated,
‘I think,
therefore
I am’.

So,
when you come to class,
if you are thinking
I will count you
present.
If not,
you may not
exist.

Epistemological questions
may forever,
if time is even considered
to exist,
have no clear
resolutions.
Points of view,
may never be
resolved.
Which sounds
like the politics of the
day!

                      ‘I think, therefore, I am’.

My Dear Friends,
someday soon,

death will be conquered.
It is the last enemy
on God’s time schedule
to be defeated.

“The last enemy
that shall be destroyed
is death”
1 Cor. 15:26

Eternity,
the anticipated Singularity,
will require a Peace
no one has yet discovered.
It is a Peace
beyond our recognition,
beyond any words or understanding.
It is a Peace that can only come
from our Heavenly Father.

The knowledge of Eternal Peace
resides within
the Holy Word of God.
If we learn to trust
in Him,
we can Love one another
without restraint
and live
in Eternal Peace.

“When peace,
like a river,
attendeth my way,
When sorrows
like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well,
it is well with my Soul.”
Horatio G. Spafford

Pray
for Peace.

Goodnight.

Lithium in water may cut dementia
read more

On a personal note:
How well I remember meeting a Lady
in Mineral Wells, Texas in 1964.
She told me she was 100 years old.
But she looked to me to be in her 60’s! 
She showed me her driver’s license
and she really was 100 years old.

I could not believe it!

Later, I asked her what the secret was
to her longevity and youthful looks.
She whispered in my ear, “Crazy Water”.
No, I did not comprehend what she was saying.
But she got in her car
and headed for the Crazy Water Hotel
with her empty water bottles.
Wow!

People with higher levels of lithium in their drinking water appear to have a lower risk of developing dementia, say researchers in Denmark.

Lithium is naturally found in tap water, although the amount varies.

The findings, based on a study of 800,000 people, are not clear-cut. The highest levels cut risk, but moderate levels were worse than low ones.

Experts said it was an intriguing and encouraging study that hinted at a way of preventing the disease.

The study, at the University of Copenhagen, looked at the medical records of 73,731 Danish people with dementia and 733,653 without the disease.

Those drinking water with the highest lithium levels (above 15 micrograms per litre) had a 17% reduction in risk.

The researchers said: “This is the first study, to our knowledge, to investigate the association between lithium in drinking water and the incidence of dementia.

“Higher long-term lithium exposure from drinking water may be associated with a lower incidence of dementia.”

Brain-altering

Lithium is known to have an effect on the brain and is used as a treatment in bipolar disorder.

However, the lithium in tap water is at much lower levels than is used medicinally.

Experiments have shown the element alters a wide range of biological processes in the brain.

This broad impact could explain the mixed pattern thrown up by the different doses, as only certain dosing sweet-spots change brain activity in a beneficial way.

Prof Simon Lovestone, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said: “This is a really intriguing study.

“In neurons in a dish and in mouse and fruit-fly models of Alzheimer’s disease, lithium has been shown to be protective.

“Not only that, but lithium is used to treat people with bipolar disorder and some studies have suggested that people on lithium for this reason, often for life, might also be protected from Alzheimer’s.”

No therapy

At the moment, there is no drug that can stop, reverse or even slow the progression of the disease.

Dr David Reynolds, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It is potentially exciting that low doses of a drug already available in the clinic could help limit the number of people who develop dementia.

“[Our analysis] suggests that a treatment that could delay dementia by just five years would mean that 666,000 fewer people develop dementia by 2050 [in the UK].”

Prof. Tara Spires-Jones, from the Center for Discovery Brain Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This association does not necessarily mean that the lithium itself reduces dementia risk.

“There could be other environmental factors in the area that could be influencing dementia risk.

“Nonetheless, this is an interesting result that will prompt more research into whether lithium levels in the diet or drinking water may modify risk of dementia.”

Crazy Water ?
Yes,
it has a high level of Lithium.
I buy mine at Albertsons
read more

The waters of Mineral Wells, TX have been making folks feel good inside and out since 1881. The legend goes like this: In late 1881, a woman who suffered from dementia would sit by the well all day drinking the mineral water. People slowly began to notice that the crazy old lady was not so crazy anymore. Had the water from the well alleviated the lady’s “crazies”? The well became known as the “Crazy Well” and thousands of people from all over the country flocked to this magical well, including a man named Ed Dismuke. Mr. Dismuke was told by his doctor that there was no remedy for his ailing stomach. But Mr. Dismuke began drinking the magical water and before he knew it, he was restored to health. In 1904, Mr. Dismuke founded the Famous Mineral Water Company, selling and distributing the mineral water. Now, more than 100 years later, people are still drinking Crazy Water

No. 4 is the strongest, full-bodied mineral water that we recommend drinking 1-2 glasses a day.

 Mineral Type (mg/l)
Calcium 32
Magnesium 19
Potassium 5
Bicarbonate (HCO3) 758
T. Alkalinity (CaCO3) 621
Sulfate 1170
Fluoride .5
Sodium Chloride 72
Manganese .006
Zinc .53
Silica 15
Lithium .17
pH 8.2
Dissolved Solids 2763

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Cures That Are So Simple

Our dog, Kirby, is now on our staff and greets people, teaches and mooches.

Our much loved dog, Kirby,     is now on our staff and greets people and teachers.

Have you read some of the latest research on disorders such as MS?

Mayo Clinic neurologist, Dr. Jerry W. Swanson, reports on studies conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford and the New Jersey Medical School. These studies tell us that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D has a protective effect and lowers the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Another study conducted in the Netherlands at Maastricht University, and other studies, indicate that for people who already have MS, vitamin D may lessen the frequency and severity of their symptoms.

The link between vitamin D and MS is strengthened by the association between sunlight and the risk of MS. The farther away from the equator a person lives, the higher the risk of MS. Sunlight is the body’s most efficient source for vitamin D — suggesting that exposure to sunlight may offer protection from MS.

Today, scientists have concluded that exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation present in sunlight has both beneficial and deleterious effects on human health.The same UV radiation that causes skin diseases can also cure some.

Many diseases and mental disorders are actually caused by a lack of sunlight. In one study the University of Maine found teenage girls are not getting enough vitamin D and as a result, they are at risk for disorders and diseases caused by this nutritional deficiency, including osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Lack of sunlight during the winter months causes a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder or SAD.

Mary Alice can get a little emotional - in a wind tunnel

Mary Alice can get a little emotional – in a wind tunnel.

Lack of sunlight also leads to Rickets and Osteomalacia and an increased susceptibility to a whole spectrum of diseases, such as diabetes. It is known to be associated with various other diseases, ranging from the flu to heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

A lack of awareness about vitamin D deficiency, and the ‘plethora’ of disease it is linked to, is fueling a rise in preventable illnesses among children, according to experts at the Royal College of of Pediatrics and Child Health. The College warned that only one in ten people get enough vitamin D from food and sunlight so supplementation is necessary.

A lack of Vitamin D is associated with a host of autoimmune ailments such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroditis. Sunlight also provides resistance power to the skin, by avoiding skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne problems.

And some research finds that it causes 600,000 cancers each year. We now use satellite measurements of sun and cloud cover in various countries, which has led other researchers to point out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent diseases that claim nearly one million lives each year.

Uh, the uh, seeds were for the birds!

Uh, the uh, seeds were for the birds!

These studies lead me to believe that incarcerating our fellow human beings in prisons, where access to sunlight is denied, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and is, therefore, unconstitutional. Our sins seem to go on and on in silence. The love and compassion of our society is not seemingly shared with those most in need. And we, the members of this society, ultimately pay an unconscionable price for our simple lack of compassion.

By the way, the Institute of Medicine recommends 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day for adults ages 19 to 70. The recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day for those who are older.

Did you know that play shapes how the brain is wired. In his book, “Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul”, Dr. Stuart Brown describes both the social and biological benefits of play. More play is associated with the kind of brain development that helps us grasp and make sense of information.

Dr. John Ratey’s work goes further, describing how regular physical activity helps aging adults keep their wits. It’s smart business for parents to join their kids in play.

Dr Ratey suggests that we skip the resolutions this year and just play.

Play will improve a kid’s life. Jill Vialet guarantees it. Vialet, who is emerging as America’s Play Laureate with her new young-adult novel “Recess Rules” has given the world a free guide to games. Vialet founded Playworks.

I read this blog to Saffy. She didn't even pretend to stay awake.

I read this blog to Saffy.          She didn’t even pretend             to stay awake.

My friends, so many of the increasing problems and complications our families face are promulgated by our inability to see past our inability to see. We think we know when, in truth, we really need to stop thinking so much.

I can give you many examples of what I am saying. One which surfaces quickly relates to the thought that has gone into the design of new schools, factories and offices. Have you noticed they are now designed to reduce or eliminate sunlight (or as some educators refer to it (are you sitting down?), distractions. You keep sitting while I get more coffee! Now, reflect upon the absolute necessity for adequate exposure to sunlight and you can envision the damage we are doing, unwittingly, to our beloved children and ourselves.

So stop thinking so much. At least long enough to engage your heart and your God given intuition. Parents, you know what your children need. And their needs are really simplistic. They need love, sunlight, play and to be left alone long enough for them to engage their imaginations and allow all that unnecessary and deadly stress to evaporate from their fragile bodies and minds.

In L.A. this hair cut would cost Michael $200.00.

In L.A. this hair cut would cost Michael at least $200.00. The sugary drink will cost a lot more later in life.

Believe it or not, they need your permission to love life and they need to be told, ever day, that you love them. These are the words they will hear over and over again when they close their eyes to rest their weary minds. They need to be held in your arms so they can feel the warm embrace of God. They need to see you laugh. And they need to see you cry.

Osho reminds us that, “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” Yes, your children need to see you cry. They need to share in what has been your joy.

Play, sunshine, in moderation, and love, without moderation.

Now there are truly great new year’s resolutions.

Happy New Year!