Advent

The approaching season of Christmas is preceded, in the Christian calendar, by a period of preparation called Advent. In practical terms it is less well known than the season of Lent, preceding Easter, which is associated with penance and sacrifice. Instead it is a marketer’s dream; a time of year when traders thrive and advertising budgets are unleashed on the world to stimulate sales of everything from toys, to cologne and alcohol. This is undoubtedly a perversion of the original intention. It has long been known that sugar plays a central role in the development of cancer but this aspect of the disease is little spoken of. There is constant discussion of the genetic research that will one day provide a cure for the disease and millions of people around the world contribute their time and energies raising funds to fight it. Many, or most, of its victims will be lost to the disease after fighting heroically for years. As in the mindless trench warfare of World War One, choosing not to fight is not an option. We are told that not to submit to surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy is to hasten our death. That we return home maimed is just the cost of doing business. When Geoffrey Howe resigned from Margaret Thatcher’s government he delivered a speech in Parliament in which he likened ministerial life under Thatcher to a team of cricketers whose captain had broken their bats before the game. It seems to me that any Prime Minister who commissions a study into the possible health benefits of introducing a sugar tax but then dismisses the medical report without even reading it is doing the same thing – but on a national scale. After 30 years of painstaking research into the genetic fingerprints of cancer, which was hoped would herald the arrival of new targeted chemotherapy drugs, little progress has been made. The research has revealed cancer to be the ultimate chameleon. It is an extremely complex disease with many types of cell permutation even within the same tumour. Targeted therapies like Herceptin have proven to be less of a ‘smart bomb’ and more like an ineffective single bullet against the rapidly growing threat of cancer around the world. Yet other researchers exploring the metabolic nature of cancer have struggled to gain the funding their research needs. Since the 1931 Nobel prizewinner, Otto Warburg, discovered the anaerobic nature of the cancer cell and its prodigious demands for glucose many others have continued his work. Their proposed therapies are comparatively simple yet staggeringly effective. So simple in fact that it puts cancer prevention firmly in the hands of the public. The calorie restricted Ketone Diet starves cancer cells by cutting off their supply of glucose while promoting the growth of healthy cells by converting their fuel source to Ketone bodies, from simple fats, which cancer cells cannot use. The cellular use of ketone bodies is stimulated by fasting which prompts the cells to hunt for fuel. In all major religions fasting has been known to be good for health and for centuries this has been enshrined in observances such as Ramadan, Lent and Advent. It is a scandal that the benefits of fasting are misunderstood and squandered in the sugar fuelled binges that follow these seasons. It’s even worse that the benefits are masked from future generations by the now ubiquitous Advent Calendar which counts down to Christmas with their daily chocolate sugar fixes. The seasonal observance of fasting can indeed usher in new life, not only spiritually but mentally and physically as well. Health is God’s gift. It’s freely given to those who want it.

Uisneach

It is said that in ancient Ireland the fifth province was centred at Uisneach in Westmeath. It is a site of great archaeological interest but, as Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, tells us – ‘The fifth province is not some place here or there, North, South, East or West. It is a place within each of us. That place which is open to the other, the swinging door that allows us to venture out and others to venture in.’ It might be considered our psychological interface in a similar way as to how Uisneach was earlier thought of as the sacred interface between the physical world and the hereafter. It has been known for many years that a human cell can function normally with its nucleus removed. It is unable to replicate of course, but it is through its interface with the cells around it that allows it to contribute to the health of the whole. That physical whole may be an organ within a larger animal or human being. The psychological whole may be our personal psyche, the cultural psyche of our community or a Greater Whole known to many as God, a Divine presence within each of us through which we are united with everything. Clearly the interfaces we maintain with others and with our environment are all important for our health both physically and emotionally. In my years working as an electronics designer, designing interface circuitry was a daily activity. I remember my astonishment at the elegance of the theorem of conjugate matching which showed that when any part of a passive circuit is conjugately matched then the whole network is conjugately matched. For me this theorem has always had an importance far beyond electronic communications. It suggests to me a parallel for human interaction in general such that when there is complete and true harmony between any two individuals then there is complete harmony between all peoples. Interestingly the theorem can only hold true at a single frequency, or one person at a time. This is a leap of the imagination for sure but a sound principle to apply to our attempts to bring about the world we want to live in. Consider also that matching radio circuits deals in the manipulation of ‘Real’ and ‘Imaginary’ impedances. In every walk of life then very real results flow from paying attention to what cannot be seen. Mapping the human genome has now been cracked but similarly mapping the genes of mutated cancer cells has revealed that this ‘Emperor of Maladies’ is extremely complex and defies the attempts of researchers to produce silver bullet chemotherapy agents. Perhaps our attention has been distracted away from the truth that the cure for cancer lies in our interface to the world – our internal and external environments. The science of Epigenetics reveals that how our genes are expressed depends on the environmental conditions prevailing around our cells. This again appears like an application of the theorem of conjugate matching – If a cell is optimally matched to its environment then the whole body is optimally matched. Cancer and other chronic disease cannot develop in a healthy environment. Mary Robinson was right to think of the Fifth Province as a place inside each of us open to the other. Whether physical or psychological, our health is determined by the quality of our environment and our interfaces with it.

Source Code

Some years ago, in the depths of despair, a friend howled at God – “If you’re so _______ clever, you sort it out”. In his core he immediately felt the response “Move over and let me take the wheel”. So he did and from that moment his life changed for the better. He still faces all the challenges that life presents but he is connected to source and everything is possible. Through his daily meditation practice he ‘downloads his code’ then goes about his day with calm and confidence knowing that he is being steered by the ultimate driver. His only prayer is that he follow the guidance of his divine presence without question. That way, whatever happens, only a divine outcome can occur. So often we behave like children learning to swim or ride a bike. We want a bar to hold onto or a floor below us. We want stabilisers. The joy that comes from ‘letting go, letting God’ is very real. Facing our fears can be terrifying but it is the path to growth. ‘False Expectations Appearing Real’ often paralyse and confine us. When this happens it’s probably a good indication that we need to download new software.

You Can

This last week I was privileged to be involved with a group of individuals who want to make a difference in our community. At first our gatherings were opportunities to vent frustration but as we grew in appreciation of our shared perspective we also grew in confidence that we are enormously powerful. The name ‘You Can’ was chosen to describe this simple truth. Our group represents a local manifestation of a worldwide shift in consciousness. There are groups everywhere living in different places, speaking different languages and with different issues of concern – just like a body composed of different yet interdependent parts. Our thirst is for community, a sense of equality and justice for all. We reject all barriers, false partitions and separations. When the veils fall we realise that paradise is here and now. We simply have to feel it enough to act with authenticity. We can live as Ghandi told us – “Be the change you want to see in the world” Why would we not want to live our highest truth? Who are we not to? We are in our infancy, but the first step has been taken; we are awake.