A Recent E-mail I Thought You'd Like to Read :)

Hi Friends,

This is a recent reply to my Mother and Aunt in response to a recurrent issue of mine: the need to feel proud of what I get up to. I was looking into interesting-looking Master's programs at OISE, specifically in Adult Education and Counselling Psychology, and when asked what I had learned from my latest search, I responded with this:

"I didn't discover much because I don't want to divert much energy away from my personal training at the moment. Ever since I got certified I've always been looking over the horizon for something "better" or "more than" without giving the training and what I could learn from it a proper shot. I've started giving it that shot, and I'm realizing it really isn't that bad. I actually quite like it, and as such, am going to keep rolling with it for now. I've often looked to more education in the past as nothing more than a source of feeling legitimate or worthy of respect from self and others, something that really was all in my own head, but I don't think those are the best reasons to look elsewhere when you've got something worthwhile and meaningful right in front of your nose. Of course, I will keep my options open and be aware of additional opportunities around me. As Aunt Debbie and I hashed out the other day, there are still legitimate reasons to feel and think the way I do about training, but to buy into those beliefs and give them energy really is just another choice. I will look more into the program, for it does genuinely interest me and seem worthwhile and useful. For now I'm just saying that I'm beginning to unravel a lot about my preconceived notions and beliefs which, I feel, are greatly limiting me. It's terrific and so liberating!!! I'm making so much more sense now of what happened with naturopathy and Jenny and other major events that have shaped me, and I'm seeing how I was at the center of all of them, not God or UniVerse or something other than "me", but little, old me. That was one key puzzle piece I was missing before in my endless quest to shirk responsibility for making some big choices I wasn't ready to make, and it is very empowering now to see that I, and we, really can and WILL have whatever we want, for that's how the UniVerse works. It seems to respond most strongly to the powerful emotions which are most intertwined to the things, people, and places we want, and the stronger the emotions, the faster and more of what we are connecting to we get, for better and worse. I'm seeing now more clearly than ever that whatever we focus on grows stronger and bigger, and that which we starve of energy and attention shrinks and can, should we choose, eventually disappear. IT'S AMAZING!!!! We really are responsible for all that happens to us. Wow. Pretty big, isn't it?

So from all of this I have seen that God does not want us to do this or that, but simply wants to support us in whateverr we think will lead to joy, self-esteem, happiness, growth, etc. If God can be said to be Pure Love, and I believe it is, then we only suffer when WE want to, not when it wants us to, for the sake of growth or learning something or attaining what we want to attain. Ha, ha, ha!!! I'm really quite ecstatic because these major things I have been wrestling with for so long are starting to come into clarity and my relentless quest for Truth is really paying off!!! :))) Amazing...simply amazing...HA!!!

(deep breath in, out, and...go)

Well, that is what has dawned on me today, thanks in part to my new friend Michael, in addition to the fact that some things must be for us in certain ways, for that's what they refer to about going with the flow, or going with the Tao. However, maybe God did not create those things for us, either. Maybe they are the result of living past lives and being shaped from previous existences, maybe even dimensions, which would re-route back to my original thesis statement that God simply wants to support whatever we choose. WHOA!! That's a biggie, too!!! I'm feeling that it's bang on accurate, as well.

Some doors we can knock on and they simply will not open, while others seem to open effortlessly. However, as I'm writing these words to you and listening to my intuition, perhaps that is simply another choice - to have things come easily, or to go the hard way. YES!!! It ABSOLUTELY is!!! Of course, it's a choice!!! For God can never interfere with our own Free Will. All He/She/It wants is to experience himself/herself/itself through us, and nothing more :)

Wow. This really is blowing my mind!!! I mean, JEEZ!!! My whole paradigm is changing and being flipped on it's head, and I'm LOVING it!! I thought for the longest time that what happened with school and with Jenny happened to punish me. I felt like I had done something wrong, and as such I needed those experiences to kick me in the ass, but I'm seeing now that that really wasn't the case. I needed to go through those things because I WANTED to, and nothing more. I chose to take them on, chose to have them verified by many external sources, and chose to hang onto them for as long as I did. But I see now that that was all my creation, and God/UniVerse really doesn't care how I chose to express myself. However, I think expressing oneself in ways that bring joy, happiness, compassion, and contentment must be in His agenda somewhere, lol... ;)

In retrospect, some of this doesn't actually seem so earth-shattering, but I guess it's just because it's coming to me at this time when I am really open to it that it seems so big, deep, and hard-hitting. Yes, that's what it is. I've read about these sorts of things for years, but only now, at this exact time in my journey/development, am I needing them, attracting them, and feel really hungry for them. Life, once again, is all about timing, lol...

Whew...well I'm good and tired after all of that sharing. Thanks for tuning in to the "Andrew Network - Canada's Premier Source for Wholistic Growth and Development". Hmmm, I like the sound of that..."


Love, Light, and Illumination,


Andrew ~*~

What are you waiting for?

Hello Friends,

Something powerful, deep, and inspirational happened to me this evening that I wanted to share with you. While getting lost in the carefully crafted collage of friends and family adorning my parent's fridge, I slowly began realizing that not every person in every picture is still alive. From there my mind turned to the fact that some of those who were once young and vital are young and vital no more, and as such are not able to do all that they once could. This is a classic human realization which can have far-reaching implications, as it is somewhat of a shock to the ego, that someday, unavoidably, we will all get old, get sick, and die. Some of us, it pains me to say, will not even make it that long, and our lives will end by accident or some other similar circumstance. When you really tune into that, when you confront it head on and dip into the truth of it, it's powerful!

Now, as with any powerful realization, I chose consciously how to respond instead of being led blindly by internal white noise or emotion or any of the other factors that can sometimes lead us astray. I, instead, decided to use this realization to propel me forward, and I hope you are going to do the same :)

How exactly did I do this? Easy :)

If it is true that the nature of life is change and that the only guarantee we have is that we are all going to die someday, then WHAT THE HELL ARE WE WAITING FOR?!?! With the magnitude of that reality, why let fear hold you back from bringing to life all of your heart's desires?!?! Why end up regretting something when in reality even if you were rejected it wouldn't have been that bad anyway?!?

This is a useful question I implore every so often in order to help get back on track or straighten out my priorities: If I were to die tomorrow, what would I have wanted to do more of at this point in my life? When you answer that question, your answers are exactly what you need to be doing more of, because time is running out. I don't mean to be negative or cynical in any way, just realistic about this ride we are on, this sacred journey, this crazy highway, whatever you wish to call it. Someday it will end, and you will be out of chances to do the things you loved so much.

So...if you feel stagnant at all, if you feel bored or like your life is on "repeat", remember my words and really feel the truth they carry so that you may wake up from your stupor, take some risks, and start living your life in a bigger, happier, and fresher way!!! Anything is possible, and there is no tragedy in trying something and failing. Only in never bothering to try at all :)

As of late I have started writing a Gratitude Journal, and each night I record 3 things I am grateful for and what I did to facilitate each one, and you know what? 90% of all that I am grateful for is the direct result of me taking risks!!! Either I stuck my neck out for something or someone or I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to try something new, and, in those cases, anyway, I was successful and ended up landing something that now I deeply appreciate at. How cool is that?!? In addition, the more risks we take, within reason, of course (I'm not talking about trying to improve our jumping-from-highrise-to-highrise abilities), the less we feel the sting of rejection! It's really quite amazing, for it is easy to think of taking risks in terms of winning or losing, but even when we "lose" we win because we, if we choose to be wise, anyway, learn something valuable in the process!! IT'S AWESOME!!!

So that's all for now. I hope this has inspired you in some way, and if not, well, you must be a few steps ahead of me, and that's "Tony the Tiger" terrific! :)

Good luck and have fun,

Andrew

The Truth Shall Set You Free

No, I am not about to attempt a 40 day fast in the desert or change my name to Jesus, but I will tell you that one of the keys to deep, lasting, and beautiful healing is to always, but ALWAYS, TELL THE TRUTH.

Why?

Because contained in it is how you actually want to express yourself in any given m(om)ent, and since we have all come into this life to be who we are and NOT someone or something else, it is absolutely imperative that we express ourselves honestly, that we be WHO WE CAME HERE TO BE, or else we are messing with the Master Plan, as it were. I am convinced that when you do not express whatever dwells within, and I mean doing so with a sense of right and wrong, morality and virtue, etc., which I believe we are all innately aware of, there are many health problems that can ensue, some of which, depending on the nature of the blockage, can threaten our very existences. For example, a number of people who will remain nameless have come into my life at one time or another all having experienced the EXACT SAME PHENOMENA for, what I believe, anyway, the EXACT SAME REASONS. These women were all sexually or otherwise assaulted at one or more times in their lives and chose never to talk about it or address what happened in direct ways until years later. All of these women, and there have been three so far to be exact, in addition to MANY, MANY more who I'm sure I will never encounter, ended up suffering from or having close calls with thyroid cancer, and if you think of the positioning of the thyroid gland in the body, in addition the symbolism it conveys (the throat - primary channel/throne of verbal communication), you can see that it lies right in the center of our major verbal communicative channel, which gives evidence to the fact that the symbolism of dis-ease needs to be given more attention!! From this empirical data, one could argue, as I am doing right now, that these poor women suffered in the ways they did because they chose to suppress what was DESPERATELY IMPORTANT for them to voice. Had they dealt with all of the hurt and rage and anger they bottled up in response to the atrocities they experienced, I believe their ensuing health challenges could have been avoided, or, at the very least, greatly minimized in severity.

Why did I attract these beautiful souls into my life?

Because like attracts like, and I am have my own issues with rage, anger, and communicative suppression. Believe me, folks, it can be DEADLY. Before I started dealing with my anger, at my lowest low, anyway, I became very attracted to cancer literature, specifically natural cleansing methods one could implore upon falling victim to the condition. I didn't understand why I was so attracted to the literature at the time, for I was just following my impulses and going with what was naturally interesting in the moment. However, the more anger I chose to express and let out, which was a very rocky process to say the least, the less interested I became in the cancer literature, and the better I felt until I got the point where I just wasn't angry anymore :)

Suppression, by it's very nature, cannot offer any sort of long-term solution to a given problem. It is only temporary and should be used with that reality in mind. Or else what? Or else you could effectively be clogging a dam that you do NOT want to clog. The thing with emotions is that unless you learn how to let them go another way, which is certainly possible and is something I have learned, they need to be either acted upon or expressed somehow in mature, safe, and responsible ways, or else, simply enough, they will build up inside of you and eventually cause you harm. Homeopaths talk at length about this, and if you suffer from these communicative issues or know someone who does, perhaps it is a good modality to experiment with in order to avoid any severe pitfalls.

Perhaps now it is clear to you why people say that there are no mental institutions in Italy...because they never hold anything in!! Lol. I'm not in favour of spending extensive amounts of time in extreme states, and perhaps this is an extreme state, but all I am saying is that we need to express our Truths, what we truly think and how we truly feel, no matter what it looks like, or else we very well may end up in trouble.

The concept of Radical Honesty (http://radicalhonesty.com/) can help you get started with this journey, although I think in practice it is overly harsh and not diplomatic enough, it is very useful to get the ball rolling and see just how much we, as a society, are accustomed to lying to one another and ourselves, which is another way of referring to suppression. Withholding truth is a form of lying, after all, and if we do not express in some way our truth, HOW CAN WE TRULY KNOW WHO WE ARE?

I leave that question in your capable hands, and happy truth-telling!

I never really liked you anyway,

Andrew*, lol

Get Juiced!!!

No, I am not talking about using steroids, I'm talking about getting a high-quality juicer and starting to make your own veggie juice! It really is one of the most powerful dietary rituals I have come across, as the results are energizing, highly alkalizing, noticeable, and wonderful :)

Personally, I've noticed the biggest positive impact come from green juice, or, juicing vegetables like kale, swiss chard, and spinach. There is just something about green juice that is incredibly POTENT, healing, and detoxifying, and although it doesn't taste that great, when mixed in with a supporting cast of cucumber, carrots, and celery, it will go down just fine!

Within reason, the more fresh veggie juice you have in a day, the better, and upon making it a regular habit you may start to notice some lovely changes such as your eyes brightening and/or lightening, your breath getting better, your skin clearing up and becoming smoother, and these are just the beginning!

In addition, if you were to consume nothing but fresh veggie juice for anywhere from 3 to 12 days, there would be an undeniable detoxification that would occur, and veggie juicing is often times a part of many different forms of detoxification. I have never tried a longer detox because I hate losing weight, but I will make it there at some point, lol...

Anyway, in closing, today's lesson is that juicing rocks, it is powerfully good for you, so go out now, get yourself a juicer, and get cracking!!!

Be Well,

Andrew

Feeling is not God, God is not Feeling

Greetings :)

So recently I have been wrestling with some major grief and heartache, and I wanted to share with you what I have learned so far from it. The conflict within me has been raging, and it has been very difficult to see clearly through the smoke and debris in order to reach some sort of Truth or Right Way. My intuition has been saying certain things, my conscious mind keeps offering opposing desires, and I feel caught in the middle.

Have you ever been here before?

Well, upon speaking the other day with a wonderful healer and good friend of mine, Hugh Smiley (http://www.hughsmiley.com/), I came to the realization, thanks to him, that nothing within us is perfect. Not our rational minds or our egos, not our intuitions or our emotions. They are all merely parts of what we are, all sacred and useful in their own ways, but not to be totally and wholly relied upon. For example, over the past few years I have been teaching myself how to better rely upon my feelings and intuition about places, people, and things, but in so doing I see that I have slowly begun to discredit the importance of my conscious mind as a fine tool for making good decisions. Most recently my intuition has been telling me very adamantly to give naturopathic medicine another try and also to resume my relationship, or at least try, with my ex, but upon being confronted by both options my conscious mind instantly starts rebelling.

So what's a guy to do?

Both aspects of our being, the conscious mind and the intuition, are valuable and important, but if you rely on one to the exclusion of the other, you will be in trouble. Sometimes in order to make something happen or learn something valuable, you simply have to jump in, and then you will know for certain what is there for you to be gained or lost. What I have remembered through this experience is that life is to be lived, not solely thought about or attempted, but REALLY LIVED!!! You won't gain or grow much if you do not respect the art of balancing your inner and outer worlds, which seems to me to be absolutely crucial in order to reach the highest states of well-being and consciousness. In the aforementioned cases, I think I did too much prioritizing of my intuition and not enough of simply going after what I consciously wanted or pushing aside what I know I didn't want. This is far easier said than done, but I see now that it doesn't matter all that much what you jump into or out of. Things, in the majority of cases anyway, can always be changed or altered, and we are never truly without choices.

Why is this really-super-awesome-great to know?

Because it means that we can all live our lives with LESS fear and MORE courage!! Things are rarely as bad as they seem, anyway, so what are you waiting for? GET OUT THERE AND TAKE SOME RISKS!!! They don't have to be huge, but they should scare you at least a little ;)

Thank you for listening, and I wish you all the best on your Sacred and Beloved Journey :)

Too Much or Too Little can = The Blues

It's common sense when you think about it, and yet so easy to overlook. In fact, I would wager that a vast majority of people all around the world are constantly overlooking it because it is just that darn easy.

So what's the "it" I'm talking about? THE EFFECT(S) OF OVER- OR UNDER-EXERCISING, CHRONIC DEHYDRATION, AND POOR NUTRITION!!!

What tends to happen if you experience one or a combination of these lovely phenomenons? DEPRESSION :(

More and more studies are currently being published to support my claim, especially regarding under-exercising and poor nutrition, for they absolutely have an effect on cognitive functioning and performance. I have been occasionally or frequently feeling it for years now when I have blown myself out with physical training, haven't been eating regularly or well, or haven't been drinking enough water. Down goes my mood, out the door goes good quality sleep, and out the window goes most other things I could otherwise be enjoying!!!

The same goes for under-exercising, as that can have a pronounced ill effect on how we think and feel. Dr. Mercola just recently included in one of his newsletters a study about the power of exercise as an anti-depressant and how in a recent study getting adequate amounts worked better for a majority of subjects than a pharmaceutical pill!! Who would have thought? But this becomes obvious when you start getting regular physical exercise in whatever form(s) you like and really keep at it. Things in general just start to seem better...

Same goes for drinking enough water and eating the right amounts of the right foods at the right times. You can practice a great habit in consuming a glass or two of water with freshly squeezed or organic lemon juice (NOT from concentrate) upon waking each morning. It will get your digestive processes moving, fire up your metabolism, and energize you for the day. Yahoo! Depending on how physically active you are it is wise to continue drinking water throughout the day, and consuming 1-2 liters is generally good. Some say go for 3, but I would only advise consuming that much if either you are doing a lot of sweating or are engaging in some sort of cleansing or detox protocol. Water is also great for raising metabolism, and who isn't interested in that?!?!

Lastly, eating right. This means different things to different people, but to me it means eating just enough based on your needs. We all have different needs, but keep in mind, and your body will reflect this or not, many of us eat WAY MORE than we actually need, and if we all focussed a bit more on drinking more water with lemon instead of eating as much, we would be healthier, happier, and leaner :)

Now GET TO IT!!

Onwards, Upwards, and Endlessly Inwards

Hello, hello,

So I have chosen today's blog to be about Archetypes and the value of gravitating towards certain ones at certain times ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype for a description of an Archetype).

As of late, I have resumed my practice of karate (so awesome!) and am well-into my study of chemistry as part of the prep science courses I'm taking for naturopathic medicine. As such, and as with any other stage in life, I am now finding myself attracted to certain personalities, namely Bruce Lee. Why?

To answer this question is simple, and all it takes is looking at the facts of who and what we are. For all things, movements, and undertakings, there exists an archetype, a person who embodies that goal or movement so wholly that they become the goal or movement. Bruce Lee as fitness fanatic, martial artist, teacher, movie star, and trail-blazer is a perfect example of this, as are Gandhi, Socrates, and Mother Teresa. To me, what an archetype represents is a person who has risen to the highest level of development in their given path(s) or goal(s), to the point where what they stand for and what their life is about is far greater and bigger than they as individuals ever could be. These are extraordinary people forged in the fires of commitment, self-determination, and passion who sacrificed greatly in order to achieve what they sought out to. We all have the capacity to do this, to reach levels of greatness we never thought possible, and that relates to one of the best things Archetypes are great for: inspiration.

When you are up to big things, try surrounding yourself with Archetypes that relate to your goal(s). This way, you will be able to reach new levels of energy and inspiration while you move towards what you want, and you will be amazed at how effective this can be. Really focus your energy and attention on your chosen archetype(s) and you will see what I mean. It's as if you're absorbing their energy and using it as your own. It's amazing!

This is something that may happen naturally, as it always has with me and many others, and so it may not require any conscious effort at all. However, just in case it does, get choosing and surround yourself with those who embody what you're after! They will help you soar higher, become strong when you feel weak, and achieve what you've always wanted to. Good luck and get to it!! :)