Last week I wrote about dealing with the kind of obstacles that seem to come out of the blue—the kind that occasionally pop up when you feel like you have been totally "in the flow" for quite some time.

But what if the obstacles you run into are not occasional? What if you continue to encounter multiple obstacles, one after another after another?  What if you are continually inhibited in reaching a particular goal in life because you are constantly running into uncooperative and resistant people—people whose assistance you need?

What then? Does that mean that you are supposed to give up on your dream, because—obviously—it just isn't being divinely supported?

Like last week, there is no single, definitive answer to that question.  But here are a few things I do recommend that you "give up on."   Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Lane Taylor, author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat and one of my guest contributors, is the most insightful expert on the nature of the divine flow that I've encountered. His messages are gentle, loving, intelligent, witty, yet straight to the point. Every week I look forward to reading and posting his consistently illuminating perceptions on how the flow influences the different aspects of our existence.

My own awareness of how the divine flow runs through each of our lives has substantially evolved with the help of Steven's gentle guidance and my own personal observations and growing understanding of its dynamism. As I have occasionally, in retrospect, assessed the most significant experiences of my life, an important realization eventually occurred to me:  the paths that made my life simpler or brought me abundance, improved health, or meaningful friendships came to me out of the blue. I did not have to consciously pursue the specific opportunity, it just happened — unexpectedly presented to me by a friend, family member, or other acquaintance, or "accidentally" discovered online, in a store, at a meeting, special event, or even delivered to my door.   Read the rest of this entry »

Question: I recently heard that antidepressants only help people who are severely depressed. I figure that I'm one of the others – the "mildly" depressed – so I stopped taking the drug that didn’t work. What supplements or dietary approaches should I try instead?

Answer: You're probably referring to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on January 6, 2010. It concluded that prescription anti-depressants may provide little benefit for patients with mild or moderate depression but do help patients with very severe depression. (The authors noted that patients and practitioners "may not be aware that the efficacy of medications largely has been established on the basis of studies that have included only those individuals with more severe forms of depression.")

It's never a good idea to stop taking a prescription drug without checking first with your physician – sometimes, you have to be weaned off medication slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. If you haven't already, be sure to let your doctor know that you're no longer taking the drug and be sure to notify him or her if you develop any symptoms that could be related to stopping the medication. That said, I recommend the following alternatives to medication for mild to moderate depression:   Read the rest of this entry »

Has this ever happened to you?  You have a particular goal in mind. You begin to pursue that goal, and you feel divinely supported in reaching it, because doors are miraculously opening for you everywhere. You experience an unbelievable stream of coincidences and synchronicities that make your progress incredibly effortless.  As you take one divinely guided step after another, you feel like you are definitely "in the flow!"

And then, surprisingly, you run into a closed door. You are certain that the divine flow led you to that door, so you knock on it.  But there is no answer. You decide to knock on it again.  Still there is no answer. Frustrated, you knock one more time—this time a little harder—and the door finally opens.  But then the person who opened the door quickly shuts it in your face.

You are confused.  You are positive that the divine flow meant for you to go through that door. What happened?  And what are you supposed to do now?

In response to the first question, there is, of course, no single, definitive answer. Maybe you were mistaken about that particular door being part of your divinely prepared path.  Or, for some reason, perhaps your goal is no longer in your best interest.  Also possible in this instance, is the fact that the doorkeeper was simply not cooperating with his or her divine instructions to open the door for you, and keep it open.   Read the rest of this entry »

I recently brought home one of those free magazines you get at the health food store checkout because I usually find some tasty recipes. With January turning into the shed-the-holiday-pounds month, you can find weight-loss articles in just about any magazine lately, and the issue I picked up was no exception with a piece about how to lose weight — for good.

One of the sections of this piece talked about the importance of exercise with some suggested routines for weight loss:

If possible, get 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise every day to lose and keep weight off.

If you're the average non-athletically-inclined person reading that recommendation, you'll probably have the same thoughts I did. If I have to work out that much, I'd be killing myself and making myself miserable…so what's the use? And how could I fit 90 minutes into my schedule every day when I'm cramming so much into it already?

Not only is that much regular exercise for the average person a formidable and unrealistic goal, but more recently the benefit of exercise for weight loss has come into question.  Several controversial studies have been published, or are underway, that give us a fresh perspective of the role exercise plays in our quest to burn body fat:   Read the rest of this entry »

With the arrival of rescue crews and doctors in Haiti, we are beginning to hear many joyful stories about people being pulled out of the rubble, and lives being miraculously saved. For countless thousands of earthquake survivors, however, there is not a lot to be joyful about. These people have forever lost cherished friends, beloved family members, and respected co-workers. And right now they are grieving.

Although one of the keys to living life in the divine flow is maintaining a positive attitude, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for that positive attitude to be genuine.  That means that feelings like sadness and sorrow must be allowed to run their natural course, because only then can there be an authentic return to a more optimistic outlook on life.   Read the rest of this entry »

One of the world’s largest tiger populations could disappear by the end of this century as rising sea levels caused by climate change destroy their habitat along the coast of Bangladesh in an area known as the Sundarbans, according to a new WWF-led study published in the journal Climatic Change.

Tigers are among the world’s most threatened species, with only an estimated 3,200 remaining in the wild. WWF officials said the threats facing these Royal Bengal tigers and other iconic species around the world highlight the need for urgent international action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“If we don’t take steps to address the impacts of climate change on the Sundarbans, the only way its tigers will survive this century is with scuba gear,” said Colby Loucks, WWF-US deputy director of conservation science and the lead author of the study Sea Level Rise and Tigers: Predicted Impacts to Bangladesh’s Sundarbans Mangroves. “Tigers are a highly adaptable species, thriving from the snowy forests of Russia to the tropical forests of Indonesia.

“The projected sea level rise in the Sundarbans will likely outpace the tiger’s ability to adapt.”   Read the rest of this entry »

When a disaster occurs—like the devastating earthquake that just struck Haiti—we often turn our faces to the sky and cry, "Why, God? Why?"  In our attempt to make sense out of what has happened, we desperately seek some kind of "divine" reason for it all.  And that is completely understandable.

But in this physical world we live in—a world that is not only influenced by the choices of man, but also by the natural forces of wind and water and shifting ground—things happen . . . tragic things, sometimes. And the simple fact is, there may not be a "divine" explanation for it.

Perhaps a better question to ask in this instance is not why something has happened, but now that it has happened, what is our next right step? What is that divinely guided step that is not only in our own best interests, but in the best interests of all?   Read the rest of this entry »

Feeling rundown? Try laughing more. Some researchers think laughter just might be the best medicine, helping you feel better and putting that spring back in your step.

"I believe that if people can get more laughter in their lives, they are a lot better off," says Steve Wilson, MA, CSP, a psychologist and laugh therapist. "They might be healthier too."

Yet researchers aren't sure if it's actually the act of laughing that makes people feel better. A good sense of humor, a positive attitude, and the support of friends and family might play a role, too.

"The definitive research into the potential health benefits of laughter just hasn't been done yet," says Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.

But while we don't know for sure that laughter helps people feel better, it certainly isn't hurting.   Read the rest of this entry »

I usually turn down book reviews because they have proven to be a lot of unrewarding work. But when I learned that one of the subjects of a recent book offering is Dr. Andrew Weil,  a well-known integrative medicine practitioner who I greatly respect, I became curious about his earlier background and decided to accept the offer to review "The Harvard Psychedelic Club" by Don Lattin and participate in the TLC Book Tour.

Upon finishing the book I was pleased I accepted. Lattin, an award-winning author and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, expertly guides the reader along the '50s and '60s psychedelic time line full of fascinating historical characters — icons who were fundamentally instrumental  in establishing the American counterculture movement, which evolved into today's Mind, Body & Spirit era of holistic health, meditation, and yoga.

The storyline involves four legendary figures — Harvard research psychologist Timothy Leary, Harvard psychology professor Richard Alpert (later in life known as spiritual teacher Ram Dass), MIT philosophy professor Huston Smith, and Harvard Medical School graduate Andrew Weil — men who passionately dedicated their lives to the exploration of human consciousness, spirituality, and holistic living.   Read the rest of this entry »