A New Year by I. Lee

Tomorrow we begin a new year.
But many of us are dragging
our old baggage into it.
We have thoughts
with which we define ourselves:
“I am so and so.
I have such and such a value.
I am such and such a being.”

But these ideas are not who we really are.
We are that which is beyond all manifestation.

When we only experience our preconceptions,
without a sense of our true self,
we are tossed around by change,
our lives seem futile,
and we experience more suffering.

Why not leave behind old thoughts
and start the new year
with an experience of the lightness
of your true self,
with which you can create your life unencumbered.

With your spine straight, breathe comfortably
until your breathing becomes slow and deep.
Focus on your breath.
With each thought or emotion that arises,
whether happy or sad,
release it with your breath.

With time you will discover what is underneath.
You will know Mu-ah (Nonbeing)—that there is no “me”
and no separation from the rest of universe.

Then you will step beyond suffering and transience,
and be able to perform unlimited creation.
You will be able to transcend
all preconceptions, ideologies, and belief systems.

Making A Difference

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to
do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he
began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked
down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled
to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he
began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it
was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was
reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently
throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and
replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have
asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up,
and the tide is going out, and if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of
beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a
difference!" The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked
up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking
waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have
all been gifted with the ability to make a difference, and if we can
become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our
visions the power to shape the future. We must each find our
starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will
be blessed.

-- Author Unknown

A Pure Heart By I. Lee

Most of us want to be loved. The greatest Love comes from Truth with a capital “T.” It is universal and unconditional. When we encounter it in the world around us, we naturally want to draw closer to it, but we can’t actually reach it that way.

This Love from the ultimate Truth exists inside our own hearts. However, we can only experience it when our hearts are pure and open to it. If we try to control our lives tightly, or get lost in our emotional dramas, we can only look for love, long for happiness, or yearn for freedom. True Love will remain hidden and separate from us.

This holiday season, let’s find the love, happiness, and freedom inside by purifying our hearts. We can clear away the thoughts and emotions covering them with breathing and meditation.

I wish you and your loved ones happy holidays and peace and love in the New Year.

Neuropathy For Smart People...

Gunn states that there are functional and/or structural alterations within the central or peripheral nervous systems, i.e., neuropathy.

Gunn CC: Mechanical manifestations of neuropathic pain. Annals of Sports Med. 5: 138-141, 1990.

Neuropathic pain is associated with abnormal nerve function and/or hyperactivity at some level in the pain sensory system.²

"the spinal origin of neuropathic pain is not always obvious because spondylotic degeneration follows a gradual, relapsing and remitting course that is silent. Pain can arise with no history of trauma, and laboratory, radiological and other tests are unhelpful."

Gunn CC, Sola AE: Chronic intractable benign pain (CIBP) in: Gunn CC: Reprints On Pain, Acupuncture & Related Subjects. From: Gunn: pain clinic, 828 W. Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 138, Canada.

Make The Most!

Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning
with $86,400. Carries over no balance from day to day, allows you
to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part
of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do?

Draw out every cent, of course!

Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning,
it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as
a lost, whatever of this amount you have failed to invest to good
purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.

Each day it opens a new account for you.

Each night it burns the records of the day.

If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the
"tomorrow".

You must live in the present on today's deposits.

Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness
and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today.

Seize the day!

-- Author Unknown

Golf and Chiropractic...

J Sports Sci. 2002 Aug;20(8):599-605.

Lindsay D, Horton J.

University of Calgary Sports Medicine Centre, Alberta, Canada. dlindsay@ucalgary.ca

Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting golfers, yet little is known of the specific mechanisms responsible for this injury. The aim of this study was to compare golf swing spinal motion in three movement planes between six male professional golfers with low back pain (age 29.2+/-6.4 years; height 1.79+/-0.04 m; body mass 78.2+/-12.2 kg; mean +/- s) and six without low back pain (age 32.7+/-4.8 years; height 1.75+/-0.03 m; body mass 85.8+/-10.9 kg) using a lightweight triaxial electrogoniometer. We found that golfers with low back pain tended to flex their spines more when addressing the ball and used significantly greater left side bending on the backswing. Golfers with low back pain also had less trunk rotation(obtained from a neutral posture), which resulted in a relative 'supramaximal' rotation of their spines when swinging. Pain-free golfers demonstrated over twice as much trunk flexion velocity on the downswing, which could relate to increased abdominal muscle activity in this group. This study is the first to show distinct differences in the swing mechanics between golfers with and without low back pain and provides valuable guidance for clinicians and teachers to improve technique to facilitate recovery from golf-related low back pain

Chiropractic Research

British Medical Journal 1990 (Jun 2); 300 (6737): 1431–1437
Meade TW, Dyer S, Browne W, Townsend J, Frank AO
MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex

OBJECTIVE: To compare chiropractic and hospital outpatient treatment for managing low back pain of mechanical origin.

DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. Allocation to chiropractic or hospital management by minimisation to establish groups for analysis of results according to initial referral clinic, length of current episode, history, and severity of back pain. Patients were followed up for up two years.

SETTING: Chiropractic and hospital outpatient clinics in 11 centers.

PATIENTS: 741 Patients aged 18-65 who had no contraindications to manipulation and who had not been treated within the past month.

INTERVENTIONS: Treatment at the discretion of the chiropractors, who used chiropractic manipulation in most patients, or of the hospital staff, who most commonly used Maitland mobilisation or manipulation, or both. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Changes in the score on the Oswestry pain disability questionnaire and in the results of tests of straight leg raising and lumbar flexion.

RESULTS: Chiropractic treatment was more effective than hospital outpatient management, mainly for patients with chronic or severe back pain. A benefit of about 7% points on the Oswestry scale was seen at two years. The benefit of chiropractic treatment became more evident throughout the follow up period. Secondary outcome measures also showed that chiropractic was more beneficial.

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with low back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management. The benefit is seen mainly in those with chronic or severe pain. Introducing chiropractic into NHS practice should be considered.

About Back Surgery..........................

"The world of spinal medicine, unfortunately, is producing patients with failed back surgery syndrome at an alarming rate…Despite a steady stream of technological innovations over the past 15 years—from pedical screws to fusion cages to artificial discs—there is little evidence that patient outcomes have improved.”

(The BackLetter, vol.12, no. 7, pp.79 July, 2004. The BackPage editorial, The BackLetter, pp. 84, vol. 20, No. 7, 2005.)

“On average about 53% of L5-S1 surgeries fail to produce relief of symptoms.”

Radin, E.L. "Reasons for failure of L5-S1 intervertebral disc excisions." International Orthop 1987; 11:255-259.

More From I. Lee

The Light of LifeParticles

Our actual True Self is no small being. It is big, bright, and beautiful. At the bottom of the myriads of information and emotions that pour upon us, there is pure life that cannot be polluted by any information.

In order to see that bright light, you must tune in to the channel that reflects yourself. The best way to tune in to that channel is to take the antenna that was directed outward, and turn it back toward yourself, by feeling the energy of LifeParticles.

The light of LifeParticles is always there, deep in your heart. The vibration of this divine energy can only be felt through your own voluntary choice. When you earnestly desire to experience your True Self, your focused attention will reveal it. Its brilliant presence will show itself through the trembling of your soul, through tears, and through bliss.

Do You Worry?

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in
the world cannot bring back Yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a
single word we said. Yesterday is gone forever.

The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with all its
possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and its poor
performance; Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of
clouds, but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in
Tomorrow, for it is yet to be born.

This leaves only one day, Today. Any person can fight the battle
of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of those
two awful eternities, Yesterday and Tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad, it is
the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday
and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.

Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time.

-- Author Unknown

This Is Great......................

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road.
Work, in this small mid-western community, was almost as slow as
his beat-up Pontiac was. But he never quit looking. Ever since
the factory closed, he'd been unemployed. And with winter raging
on, the chill had finally hit home.

It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on
it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already
left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he
stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and
father. He was born here and knew the country.

He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either
side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It
was starting to get dark, and light snow flurries were coming
down. He'd better get a moving on.

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the
road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed
help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His
Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had
stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt
her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see
that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew
how she felt. It was that chill that only fear can put in you. He
said, "I'm here to help you ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car
where it's warm?
By the way, my name is Joe."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was
bad enough. Joe crawled under the car looking for a place to put
the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able
to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down her window
and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St.
Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him
enough for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he closed her
trunk.

She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been
all right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things
that could have happened had he not stopped. Joe never thought
twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was
helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had
given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that
way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told
her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she
saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the
assistance that they needed, and Joe added "...and think of me".

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a
cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home,
disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road the
lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and
take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.
It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas
pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The cash register
was like the telephone of an out of work actor--it didn't ring
much.

Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet
hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for
the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress
was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain
and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone
who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she
remembered Joe.

After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get
her change from a hundred-dollar bill, the lady slipped right out
the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. She
wondered where the lady could be, and then she noticed something
written on a napkin. There were tears in her eyes, when she read
what the lady wrote. It said, "You don't owe me a thing, I've
been there too. Someone once helped me out, the way I'm helping
you. If you really want to pay me back, here's what you do. Don't
let the chain of love end with you."

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people
to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That
night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was
thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could
she have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the
baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how
worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she
gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's
gonna be alright; I love you, Joe."

-- Author Unknown

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Personal Growth Products

More From I. Lee

The Most Important Message

The main message I try to spread is that each of us has a great and holy soul inside—a part of us that is a taintless truth that never dies. When we listen to the voice of our soul and allow it to guide our life, we can design a fulfilling life of love and happiness.

A life based on our soul is a spiritual life. That means our decisions are based on a consideration of true welfare for all people and the earth. When many people endorse this lifestyle, it will form the foundation of a spiritual civilization.

I wrote The Call of Sedona to share this message. On the personal journey I describe in this book, I learned the importance of meditation for clearing our minds and emotions so we can focus on our souls. I found hope, inspiration, and the path to a new world in which each person's soul is truly free.

I have put my life into The Call of Sedona. It is everything I’ve done over the past 15 years and more. It has all of the messages I’ve received, and my dreams for the future. This book is my heart and soul and carries that energy.

Please join me in building a new spiritual civilization based on the sincere wishes of our souls.

Can You Relate?

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my
class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he
was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone
bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I
had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my
friend the following afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went
on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran
at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he
landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in
the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him, and as he
crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.

I handed him his glasses and said, "Those guys are jerks. They
really should get lives."

He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on
his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I
helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. It turned
out he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before coming to this school.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We
talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be
a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on
Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and
the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends
thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with
the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you
are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books
everyday!". He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the
next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided
on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always
be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to
be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a
speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up
there and speak.

Graduation day arrived - I saw Kyle and he looked great. He was one
of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled
out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me
and all the girls loved him!

Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could
see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the
back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one)
and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared
his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who
helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your
teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach... but mostly your friends. I
am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best
gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I stared at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first
day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He
talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have
to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me
and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved
me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy
told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking
at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did
I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small
gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God
puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble remembering how to fly."

-Author unknown

Fear Anyone?

Our Deepest Fear
=================================================================
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves -- Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous?

Actually, who are we not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the
world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people do not feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest
the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us,
it is in everyone.

And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own
fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

A New Life by I. Lee

We are newly born every day and we die every day.
No two days are the same.
No two moments are the same.

In each moment we journey through the universe on a ship called Earth.
We’re moving forward toward the future,
toward a new world.

To welcome a new time and space
we need a new mind and heart.
If we live our lives tied to thoughts of the past,
we will always be in the past.

With a fresh mentality,
without preconceptions,
become the master of a new time and space.

People who continually adopt a new mindset
are the hope of this era.

Today, you are born anew.
How will you design your life today?

Time To Think........

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now
and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to
another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.

I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew
it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me,
and finally I was thinking all the time.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment
don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and
Kafka.

I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What
is it exactly we are doing here?"

Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had
turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life.
She spent that night at her mother's.

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss
called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to
say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you
don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."
This gave me a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I
confessed, "I've been thinking..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much
as college professors, and college professors don't make any
money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any~money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to
cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I
stomped out the door.

I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche, with
NPR on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the
big glass doors... they didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me
that night.

As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass,
whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is
heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably
recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's
Anonymous poster.

Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never
miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational
video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences
about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life
just seemed... easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

-- Author Unknown