October B Issue
Vishen Lakhiani Unveiling the Spiritual Badass
Log On Our Website and Learn more in how to Live a Conscious Lifestyle: OMTimes.com
CONTENTS HEALTH & HEALING
86
50
5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY
42
"IT'S IN MY GENES" NO LONGER AN EXCUSE FOR POOR HEALTH
Turiya
OMLIVING 58
RADICAL SELF-RESTORATION FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES
66
STANDING ON AND STANDING FOR
74
CAN FENG SHUI CHANGE YOUR DESTINY?
+
Spotlight
THE BUDDHA AND THE BADASS INTERVIEWED BY LIANE BUCK
RELATIONSHIPS 82
Cover Photo of Mr.Vishen Lakhiani: Courtesy of ONKEN
FINDING YOUR WAY THROUGH PAIN AND LOSS
METAPHYSICS 92
LIVING A LIFE OF VIRTUE: THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
PERSONAL GROWTH 100
GRIEF AND TIMES OF CHANGE
106
ERASING THE FEAR FROM YOUR HEART
BOOKS 124
7 REASONS TO INVEST IN YOUR CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS
WORLD VISION 112
TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD THROUGH OUR GIFTS
WWW.OMTIMES.COM
"It's in My Genes" No Longer an Excuse for Poor Health
W
by Carrie Rutledge
e have all heard
never have children to achieve a
about someone
healthy pregnancy, naturally in her
miraculously cured
mid-forties.
of Stage IV cancer
after every other treatment has failed.
This phenomenon happens more
A lifelong smoker and bacon eater
than one would think. The cause and
who lived to the ripe old age ninety-
cure of many chronic diseases are
five. The woman being told she would
beyond our genes. They could be due
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
to several different environmental
destiny of our health. In truth, gene
modalities, even the thoughts in our
expression is mostly regulated
heads.
by the cell's interaction with the environment and not just by its
The Human Genome Project was
genetic code. Environmental triggers
a research project aimed to look at
that can alter gene expression are,
all the genes (genes are made up
of course, diet, energy fields (EMFs),
of DNA) that make us human. Our
stress, prenatal nutrition, toxins,
bodies are made up of hundreds
chemicals, thoughts, and emotional
of thousands of proteins. Scientists
health.
speculated that humans would require over a hundred thousand
Histones (proteins found inside the
genes. Scientists were shocked to
cell nucleus) have the job of packing
find that humans are composed of
and ordering the DNA. These
around 25,000 genes, which led to
proteins are reliant on the proper
Epigenetics.
methylation, which stop genes from being expressed, or acetylation, which
Epigenetics is the study of gene
help the genes to become defined.
expression through environmental influences. Epigenetic triggers from
Proper methylation and acetylation
the environment do not alter the
are heavily reliant on nutrients. For
original DNA sequence, but rather
example, histone methylation is
the way the gene is expressed or
reliant on B12, folate, and choline.
not expressed. More specifically,
Acetylation relies on biotin (liver and
epigenetic triggers cause genes to
eggs), niacin, butyric acid (produced
turn on and off.
by the gut bacteria), turmeric (curcumin), and resveratrol (grapes).
Of all the genes we have, only a
Dietary habits that can impede
certain amount is expressed at
proper methylation and acetylation
one time, and some may never
include a nutrient-deficient diet and
be expressed at all. Because
a lack of variety in the diet. Lifestyle
environmental triggers can signal
habits that cause inflammation or a
gene expression, we can no longer
diet high in processed foods will also
blame our genes for being the
affect these processes.
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
5 Ways to Boost Immunity By Ginger McBride OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
I
mmunity has always been
strengthens immunity and gives us
important, but due to recent
a fighting chance at getting better.
events of COVID-19, it is more
Two other fruits we want to add
essential than ever that we stay as
to our diets are papaya and kiwi.
healthy as possible. Our healthy body
Papaya is a powerful fruit that most
is our vehicle. It gets us from point A
of us probably do not eat regularly.
to point B and keep us enjoying what
However, it has anti-inflammatory
life has to offer!
properties partially due to an enzyme known as papain. Kiwi makes an
Our body allows us to provide for our
excellent addition to the kitchen
families, to spend time with our loved
by providing various nutrients
ones, to be active in our communities,
such as potassium, vitamin K, and
create art, and enjoy what life has to
vitamin C. As an added bonus, it is
offer! To do that, we need to keep our
highly recommended for aiding in
immune system healthy and strong!
respiratory issues.
One of the ways we can improve our
Specific vegetables that aren't always
immunity is by indulging in green tea.
our go-to can help as well. Some such
It is a plant that is full of wonderful
as Red bell peppers, spinach, and
antioxidants, which are believed to
broccoli make a list as good sources
have immune-boosting effects that
of vitamin C. Some of them are full of
we all can enjoy! As an added bonus,
antioxidants such as broccoli, having
green tea can be calming, which
specific enzymes that fight free
is helpful when stress lowers the
radicals that lead to illness. When free
immune system. Occasionally make
radicals occur in the body, they are
the switch from the daily coffee and
actively seeking out electrons to be
enjoy some green tea instead!
paired with. Unfortunately, this action can damage cells, proteins, and DNA.
Another way to give ourselves a boost is by taking citrus fruits in particular,
Good choices in our spice rack can
such as grapefruit, oranges, lemons,
help us out in our time of need. The
and limes. Many of us turn to vitamin
spices ginger and turmeric have both
C the minute we feel a cold heading
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
our way. This is because vitamin C
properties that strengthen our
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
Radical Self-Restoration on Uncertain Times By Jayita Bhattacharjee
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
W
hile grappling with
and collective level, as it is not just
uncertainty, the
an individual loss, but the loss of the
question often arises
nations, the countries, and the world
on how to get back
as a whole.
the restored sense of self. It's the awareness of self that we can develop
It is not startling for trauma
as time rolls by. Once we are hit with
responses to resurface for the loss
the realization that the ongoing
to creep in our minds and shake our
healthy feeling, the one that evokes
beliefs in everything we ever had.
authenticity, has long gone away. All
Global and community disasters
we are performing is the role of an
have put us in the crossroads of
existential living.
life. We are beginning to wonder how to continue living when
The simplest definition of loss would
they are getting strangled by the
be an encountered experience that
invading COVID. The feelings of fear,
depletes our capacity to process it,
frustration, and helplessness, and
overwhelms us beyond any word, so
at times they evoke prior traumatic
much so that our ability to cope is
experiences. With pour minds in
washed up. Given the havoc caused by
crisis, we can feel destabilizing.
the COVID to our daily living, our sense
Everyone is undergoing a staggering
of safety and trust, confidence, and
transformation but bringing back
control have been ruthlessly snatched
ourselves to what we were and who
away from the heart and mind. The
we used to be, raises an inevitable
spectrum of worldwide events, the
question. How do we do that?
impact of this COVID pandemic on them, has been undeniably
Below is a list of ways to restore
traumatizing on every living, breathing
the sense of self, once again, in our
being on this earth. In the process, we
broken hearts and shaking minds.
deplete the force of the spirit. But the
Predictability needs to be created
'giving out' has to be accompanied by
and, in the long haul, needs to be
a 'giving in' to maintain the balance
sustained for the sustenance of
of the self so we can have a renewed
our own selves. It constitutes an
restoration. The response to the COVID
essential part of rising through the
is experienced on both the individual
crevices of staggering confidence.
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
OMTIMES
October
STANDING ON AND STANDING FOR BY MARK NEPO
29 | Flair
Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth. —Archimedes There are two perennial questions we need to ask in order to find each other and our way in the world. They are: What am I standing on? and What am I standing for? Standing on refers us back to a timeless foundation, to some sense of Source, to all that is larger than us from which we’re renewed as integral beings. Standing for leads us into the heart of what we value and the ethics by which we live in the world. Standing on gives us a compass. Standing for gives us a direction to stay true to by following that compass. The two perennial questions need to be asked of ourselves and everyone we meet. They are a basis for an honest relationship. What we stand on is inextricably linked to what we stand for. Consider how a simple lever works. Using a pivot point known as a fulcrum, one weight can leverage the lift of another weight. With our commitment as the fulcrum, what we stand on gives us leverage to empower what we stand for. In this way, who we are leverages what we do in the world. But without knowing what we stand on, what we stand for can become hollow. Without knowing our foundation, we can become overbearing in our opinions. OMTimes | October
INTERVIEW
Finding your Way through Pain and Loss Interview with Claire B. Willis, co-author of Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace Claire B. Willis is a clinical social worker who has worked in the fields of oncology and bereavement for more than 20 years. A cofounder of the Boston nonprofit Facing Cancer Together, Willis has led bereavement, end-of-life, support, and therapeutic writing groups. She has co-taught Spiritual Resources for Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul at Andover Newton Theological School. She maintains a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. As a lay Buddhist chaplain ordained by Joan Halifax at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, she focuses on contemplative practices for end-oflife care. For the past five years, she has been a student of Koshin Paley Ellison, a founding teacher at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Besides Opening to Grief, Willis is the author of Lasting Words: A Guide to Finding Meaning Toward the Close of Life. OpeningtoGrief.com
OMTIMES | OCTOBER 2020
OMTimes: What do you mean when you use the word Grief? Claire Willis: We often think we know what Grief is, but it’s actually hard to describe. Perhaps the first thing to say is that Grief is a normal and natural response to a major loss that occurs when a meaningful relationship is ruptured. And it is, for most people, immensely painful. As humans, there are obvious losses that will come to most of us – parents, siblings, friends, and relatives.
OMTIMES
There are also more invisible losses that some of us may experience, losses that are less culturally recognized, such as infertility, the loss of a beloved pet, the loss of a home, innocence, health, or the loss of capacities as we age. Then there are the losses that I call macro losses, the degradation of the environment, economic chaos, or the losses caused by war. While we may not know the people involved in these catastrophes, there is still a rupture of the relationship among humans. Most recently, the glaring exposure of racism, police brutality, and systemic oppression of African Americans across the US has become a source of deep Grief and outrage to all people of conscience.
It takes courage to grieve, to honor the pain we carry. We can grieve in tears or in meditative silence, in prayer or in song. In touching the pain of recent and long-held griefs, we come face to face with our genuine human vulnerability, with helplessness and hopelessness. These are the storm clouds of the heart. Jack Kornfield
Living a Life of Virtue: The Pursuit of Happiness
H
by Jay K Ghosh
appiness in its many
changes in our personal world and in
different forms and shades
the world around us.
seems to be a lure for all activities of life forms.
A person's activities that produce
Human activities in the pursuit of
positive or beneficial actions also
happiness can produce unique status
produce "status changes," and they
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
seem to deliver happiness to the
positive changes can be produced by
person that is doing them. These acts
many different activities ranging from
may also produce positive "status
the extraordinary and dramatic to
changes" for the greater world around
regular humdrum activities.
them. Still, they may also be neutral or even negative for the world around
They can be physical and/or mental -
them. Thus, our impulses and acts
nothing spectacular is needed. The
in the pursuit of happiness can be
most important thing is the attitude to
divided into two types:
create a positive ending in whatever we are doing.
1. Efforts that try to create overall positive status changes for both
The next step is to support this attitude
the self and the world around.
with our efforts - whatever effort can be applied comfortably is adequate most
2. Efforts that try to create positive
of the time.
status changes for the self only, without any concern for their
The second type of "status change,"
effect on the world everywhere.
makes up the secondary sources of happiness, commonly known as
The first type of activity creates status
pleasures. These are basically the
changes that normally bring true
hedonistic sources of happiness, as
positive outcomes. These are the
classified by modern psychology.
primary sources of happiness that create a strong foundation through
The focus of this type of happiness is
activities that benefit both the self
self-gratification without much concern
and the world. They also constitute the
for the greater good or anything
eudaimonic* sources of happiness as
around us. They are generated from
defined by modern psychology.
activities that produce effects that are beneficial only for the self. Still, they
Generally, the activities in the pursuit
can be anything - positive, neutral, or
of this type of happiness try to uplift
negative for the world around.
not only the status of the person creating it but also the overall status
The activity of eating an ice-cream, for
of the greater world around. These
example, or watching an interesting
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
Grief and Times of Change
G
by Darity Wesley
rief is part of the human
situation that has or will change how
experience. We grieve
we live our lives. And many of us grieve
the loss of a loved one,
for all of humanity, the animals, the
a furry friend, a beloved
environment ... the collective in its
colleague, a career, a relationship, or
current state of existence.
the loss of something we have had in our lives for a long time. We grieve
Also, during this massive change on the
the onset of illness, trauma, or some
planet, we are all probably feeling some
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
level of grief. The pandemic has created
terminal illness or when we lose a
a dramatic shift in and around us all—
loved one.
the loss of how things used to be. However, it also applies to the types Any time there is a shift in realities, and
of loss we experience in a changing
this is not the first reality shift on this
world, a transformational, paradigm-
planet, grief tends to accompany the
changing experience, much like we
experience.
are going through right now.
So, what is grief? Grief is deep sorrow.
The old world, the old energy, is
Deep, deep sorrow … and its depth
dying. What we thought of as our
varies depending on the connection to
"reality" is changing right before
what is lost.
our very eyes. The new world, the new energy, the New Reality, is
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a Swiss-
still unknown. It is amorphous. We
American psychiatrist who was a
cannot see it clearly and do not know
pioneer in the hospice movement and
what it will look like until the speed
wrote many books on death and dying,
of change has slowed down. Indeed,
introduced the five stages of grief. She
it will look much different. Our lives
later added two more stages of grief,
will never be the same. As a result,
making it The Seven Stages of Grief.
most of us are experiencing some
The seven stages are:
level of grief.
1. Shock
The experience of grief is different
2. Denial
for each person, and the Seven
3. Anger
Stages of Grief are not necessarily
4. Bargaining
pointing on some linear timeline. Not
5. Depression
everyone goes through all of them or
6. Testing
even in any prescribed order, as the
7. Acceptance
experience of grief is as unique as we are. The final stage of grief eventually
Kübler-Ross postulates that this is a
brings us to acceptance and the
series of emotions we all go through
knowledge that All Is Well with All
when we are diagnosed with a
That Is!
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
Erasing Fear from Your Heart by Melvin D. Nix
What Are You Listening To?
A
to, attend closely, and wait attentively for." We have all been conditioned
re you mindful of what
to follow the latest trends and
you have been listening
happenings, so we shift our attention
to? The word "listen to"
rapidly from one thing to the next.
means" to give attention
It's easy to float through our lives with
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
no awareness of what we are giving our attention to. However, what we are lending our ears is the most significant source of the fears we
Keep your heart The Bible has a scripture that says:" Keep your heart with all diligence,
carry within ourselves.
For out of it springs the issues of
Listening and hearing involve more
that, out of your heart (mind) flows
life. (Proverbs 4:23)". Think about
than our ears. It's about receiving information through our eyes, experiences, and other senses as well. The information we receive gets planted into our minds and ultimately shapes how we believe and respond to the things that occur in our lives. In the grander scheme of things, we need to harness the power
the issues of life. The word issues allude to your source of life and the boundaries that surround your life. What this verse implies is that we should be cautious about what we give our attention to because those things spring up and shape our lives and destiny.
of our attention.
If you reflect on any limiting belief or
Be Careful HOW You Hear - The Ear and Heart Connection
fear for you, I'm sure you can trace
situation that has been a source of it back to something you heard and gave your attention to even if it only started out as a conversation.
Isn't it ironic that the word ear is
Think of the things you have never
embedded within the words f(ear)
pursued because someone made a
and h(ear)t?
fearful suggestion to you. You never gave yourself a chance to see for
When I mention the word heart,
yourself because you allowed their
I'm referring to the conscious and
suggestion to be planted into your
subconscious states of our minds
heart, and it birthed fear within
that govern our lives, whether
you. It shaped your imagination
we know it or not. Our heart is
so that when you even thought of
susceptible to suggestions and must
the situation, you saw images that
be carefully attended to if we desire a
corresponded to fear rather than
better quality of life.
courage. OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
Transforming Our World through Our Gifts by Veronica Lee
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
P
ressure is often
• What is 2020 trying to offer me?
the catalyst for
• What can I learn, develop, or
transformation. Wood, fiber, metal, clay and
other raw materials become transformed – oftentimes into something useful or beautiful – with conscientious pressure, intention and skill. To say, “2020
transform within me at this time? • What have I been avoiding that is beckoning my attention? • What gifts do I possess to meet the current challenges? • How can I care for myself more fully, gently?
has been a year of relentless pressures” would be a gross
These contemplations can be held
understatement. And the year is
lightly in meditation and allowed to
just two-thirds over!
rest, with revelations unfolding over several days. You can also address
We can easily identify several mass
them more directly: by writing each
challenges that have marked our
question at the top of a page, and
lives this year – at least somewhat
allowing the free-form “answers”
directly – but many of us are facing
to flow f rom your pen, without
more personal pressures as well.
hesitation or judgment. Another approach is to ask one specific
Death, divorce, depression,
question before bed, trusting that
division, and disaster come to
your dreams will offer insights.
mind… and that’s just a few of the
Recording the dream upon waking
Ds. No matter the personal effects
sharpens your recollection of it and
of 2020, one might wonder, “What
prompts your inner wisdom for
did I sign up for here?” And that’s
interpretations as details surface.
a good question, which deserves some openhearted contemplation.
Meeting the pressures of life with inquiry and contemplation
With a quiet mind and grounded
empowers us to find the wisdom
neutrality, contemplate this
and opportunities buried within.
unprecedented time as it relates
Using what we discover for positive
to you. Here are some good starter
transformation takes intention and
inquiries:
willingness. OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
7 Reasons to Invest in Your Creative Writing Skills By Omtimes Publishing OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
Y
ou can find several online workshops and a lot of free material to study creative writing, but what
1 – Creative environments will encourage you to write more.
does it mean to improve your creative
It is the main reason to join writing
writing?
courses, in my opinion. If you plan to
Grow Your Creative Writing Skills
go to classes and do the proposed exercises, you will write more than usual. That alone is worth the investment, isn’t it? But the many
Becoming a writer means being
advantages do not stop there.
creative enough to find the time and the place in your life for writing. ~Heather Sellers
2 – You will learn new planning techniques
If you intend to become a published
Yes, many writers work in the
author, developing your creatives skills
“gardener” mode. They start writing
is a must.
and change their projects throughout the writing but learning to plan
Of course, the best thing would be
important for everyone. After all,
to have a community of writers to
planning can help you better deal with
exchange information with. Therefore,
the infamous writing block. Besides,
most courses, even online, offer
different forms of planning give you
different platforms for you to interact
different points of view about their
with other writers, such as forums and
stories and have a lot to contribute to
Facebook groups.
your personal creative process.
So why, with so much content available, are so many writers still not taking Creative Writing courses?
If you are one of these, here is a list of reasons to start taking creative writing courses.
3 -You will learn new writing techniques Everyone lives, one way or the other, on a bubble, and in terms of writing and creativity, this is no different. You may not yet know writers you will
OM TIMES | October B Edition 2020
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