Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity.

Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice

Gandhi

Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.

Democracy and violence can ill go together.

Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side.

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

Hatred ever kills, love never dies; such is the vast difference between the two.

What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.

Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty.

Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind.
It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man

The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated?
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

It may be long before the law of love will be recognized in international affairs. The machinery’s of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another.

To forgive is not to forget. The merit lies in loving in spite of the vivid knowledge that the one that must be loved is not a friend.

You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil.

A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.

Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will.
Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.

Violent means will give violent freedom.

However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes.

Man and his deed are two distinct things. Whereas a good deed should call forth approbation, and a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed,
whether good or wicked always deserves respect or pity as the case may be.

Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which though easy enough to understand is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred
spreads in the world.

Nonviolence and cowardice are contradictory terms. Nonviolence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. Nonviolence springs from love, cowardice from hate. Nonviolence always suffers, cowardice would always inflict suffering. Perfect nonviolence is the highest bravery.

Nonviolent conduct is never demoralizing, cowardice always is.

Destruction is not the law of humans. Man lives freely only by his readiness to die, if need be, at the hands of his brother, never by killing him. Every murder or other injury, no matter for what cause, committed or inflicted on another is a crime against humanity.

Man’s nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been known to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature.

It is the law of love that rules mankind. Had violence, i.e. hate, ruled us
we should have become extinct long ago. And yet, the tragedy of it is that the so-called civilized men and nations conduct themselves as if the basis of society was violence.

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.

Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know.
But that need not disturb me. The law will work just as the law of gravitation works, whether we accept it or not. The person who discovered the law of love was a far greater scientist than any of our modern scientists. Only our explorations have not gone far enough and so it is not possible for everyone to see all its workings.

It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us. This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good heart whatever they might have to say.

Gandhi was once asked what he thought about western civilization. His
response was: “I think it would be a good idea.”

I recently went to see the movie, “Men Who Stare At Goats.” It was made to be a comedy, but Clooney in his genius, always gives a lot to to think about.

In this movie, there is a Daily Prayer I wanted to share with you. (I modified it a little.)

“Mother Earth, my life support system. As your loyal servant I must drink your blue water, live inside your red clay and eat your green skin.

I pray my feet will always kiss your face and my footsteps match your heartbeat.

Carry my body through space and time. You are my connection to the Universe and all that comes after. I am yours and you are mine. ”

Movie Trailer

More Information and Synopsis
Jeffrey Huston : Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Run Time: 93 min
Director: Grant Heslov
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Rebecca Mader, Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick

We all know that our government can, does, and will do some pretty crazy things. Nevertheless, even as we expect lunacy to be a bureaucratic constant, there are occasionally instances where we’re still left a bit gobsmacked by certain revelations. You know, like in the 1980s when the U.S. government believed they could actually train Jedis.

Giving the concept “Star Wars Defense System” a far different (and more literal) meaning than originally intended, a Cold War era top-secret special ops defense department division made the bold effort to develop psychic powers for purposes of war (as Bill Django—head of the division—puts it with a straight face: “We must become the first Superpower to develop super powers.”).

Adapted from author Jon Ronson’s nonfiction book of the same name, The Men Who Stare at Goats recounts the bizarre history of this enterprise. While certainly played for broad satire, the perfunctory “based on a true story” opening text is tweaked, strongly suggesting to us “more of this is true than you would believe.” It’s left up to us to draw the line between truth and incredulity, but at least the basic facts (though names have been changed) and arc of history are to be believed—which are these.

Called (yes) “Project Jedi”, the U.S. Army opened an experimental lab in the late 70s and 80s at Fort Bragg, N.C. in which men would hone “evolutionary tactics” of mind control. Though military-based, the purpose of the project—called The New Earth Army (changed from the real-life moniker First Earth Battalion) —was actually altruistic, its end goal intending to psychically control or stop aggressors before they could strike. Or, in simpler terms, to use the Force.

A select group of men believed to have special gifts and strong extrasensory tendencies were recruited. This is their story, and given its nature it should come as no surprise that the title doesn’t merely hold a cryptic, metaphoric meaning but serves rather as a quite literal descriptor.

These men—”warrior monks” as they were called—stared at goats to exercise their powers, intently and psychically practicing mind control on them, the ultimate achievement being to literally “think” them to death (the success rate was extremely low, in case you were wondering). Other uses are hinted at (instant cloud dispersal, to name one), and collectively it’s what you get when you combine a military mentality with flower power.

More transcendental than tactical, the regimen of Officer Django (Jeff Bridges, in full “Dude” mode, but much closer to enlightenment here) provides some of the film’s biggest laughs. The “Prayer to Mother Earth,” for example, is so absurdly perfect that one suspects it must be among the film’s historical accuracies; it seems too ridiculously sincere to be anything but true—as is the yoga free-form that substitutes for calisthenics, as well as Django’s earnest visionary declarations (”The world needs the Jedi now more than ever!”).

All of this is seen (and told) through the lens of an outsider, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, ironically the film’s non-Jedi). He accidentally stumbles into the story after a chance run-in at a Kuwaiti hotel with the program’s most promising recruit, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney, in a brilliantly-metered comic turn), though as events unfold we have to wonder if the meeting was mere chance or metaphysical destiny. Rounding out the cast is Kevin Spacey (about as good as he’s been in a decade) as another member of the New Earth Army and Cassady’s glory-driven nemesis.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is consistently funny and occasionally inspired (fueled mainly by the stellar cast), playing like a mainstream Coen Brothers film—but it’s not quite as good as it could’ve been, or should’ve. To the extent it falls short of its potential, the deficiencies are all directorial. Debut helmer Grant Heslov is George Clooney’s long-time producer (they’ve switched roles for the first time) and his worst offense is that he plays it safe.

The tone is broad but should disturb more than it does (the few efforts come too late), and so while the laughs are earned they never really bite. The final act especially stumbles as it strains for nobility, suddenly sentimentalizing characters and actions that had been previously mocked. It’s a bit of schmaltz unbecoming a satire, a genre of which “feel good” should never be a goal.

Political bias seeps in a bit, too, as these endeavors are seen as well-intended while the prevue of the government, but become “corrupt” once transferred to private contractors. Wilton’s constant voice-over is also too much, filling in blanks and providing context to elements that would be better left enigmas.

So it’s not perfect. So what? The Men Who Stare at Goats still makes for a good time at the movies, is a solid Hollywood entertainment that avoids formula more than it succumbs to it, and at this time of year when many films are unabashed self-important Oscar-baits it’s refreshing to have one entry (from former Oscar nominees and winners, no less) that’s main goal is to simply make us laugh.

Below is some information about Codex.    This is information that I have been hearing about now for 15 years.  Apparently this has been in the works for a lot longer.  This is the kind of thing that a normal sane person would say is impossible and crazy.  Well decide for yourself.  But do read on.  And MORE IMPORTANTLY, stay informed!

For more information, please visist their website at http://www.healthfreedomusa.org

Codex Alimentarius (World Food Code)
Summarized in 7 Points

HealthFreedomUSA.org, the website of the Natural Solutions Foundation, is beholden to no one: our only interest is health freedom. Rima E. Laibow, MD, successful natural medicine physician since the 1970s, has studied 16,000 pages of Codex documentation. Her conclusion is that people who say that Codex is “consumer protection”, “voluntary”, or “harmless” are, at best, seriously mistaken.

Codex in Depth: http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?page_id=161

1) Started in 1962 by UN, Imposed by WTO Sanctions

Codex Alimentarius was created in 1962 as a trade Commission by the UN to control the international trade of food. Its initial intentions may have been altruistic but it has been taken over by corporate interests, most notably the pharmaceutical, pesticide, biotechnology and chemical industries.

Codex Alimentarius is backed up by the crippling trade sanctions of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Any non Codex-compliant nation would face huge economic punishment since they would automatically lose in any food-trade dispute with a Codex compliant country.

2) “Nutrients are Toxins” Is Junk Science

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has two committees which impact nutrition.

One of them, the “Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses” (CCNFSDU), is chaired by Dr. Rolf Grossklaus, a physician who believes that nutrition has no role in health. This is the “top-guy” for Codex nutritional policy, and he has stated that “nutrition is not relevant to health”.

As unbelievable as it may sound, Dr. Grossklaus actually declared nutrients to be toxins in 1994 and instituted the use of toxicology (Risk Assessment) to prevent nutrients from having any impact on humans who take supplements! It is worth mentioning that Dr. Grossklaus happens to own the Risk Assessment company advising CCNFSDU and Codex on this issue. This company makes money when its toxicology services are used for the “assessment” of nutrients. Here in the U.S. we call that a “conflict of interest”.

Codex is made up of thousands of standards and guidelines. One of them, the Vitamin and Mineral Guideline (VMG), is designed to permit only ultra low doses of vitamins and minerals (and make clinically effective nutrients illegal). How can the VMG restrict dosages of vitamins and minerals? By using Risk Assessment (toxicology) to assess nutrients.

While Risk Assessment is a legitimate science (it is a branch of toxicology), it is the wrong science for assessing nutrients! In fact, in this context, it is actually junk science. Biochemistry, the science of life processes, is the correct science for assessing nutrients. Codex Alimentarius treats nutrients as toxins, which is literally insane.

Nutrients are not toxins – they are essential for life.

No matter what Codex Alimentarius officials say to convince you that Risk Assessment is a “science-based” approach to nutrients, it is not.

And it is worth repeating that Dr. Grossklaus, the head of Codex Alimentarius, owns the Risk Assessment company advising CCNFSDU and Codex on the “benefit” of using Risk Assessment to assess nutrients.

3) Not Consumer Protection – That’s Propaganda

Contrary to the propaganda, Codex Alimentarius has nothing to do with consumer protection. Nothing! Codex is about the economic ambitions of multi-national corporations, in particular, the pharmaceutical industry.

Using their multi billion-dollar marketing budgets, these industries have launched a massive media propaganda campaign to paint Codex Alimentarius as a benevolent tool of “consumer protection”, as well as to negatively taint the image of natural health options and mislead people to fear them as “dangerous”, so they will take drugs (which really are dangerous). Natural health products and options have an amazing safety record and are remarkably effective, especially when compared to pharmaceutical drugs.

Unfortunately, one-time defenders of health freedom such as National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) and Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) have joined the propaganda bandwagon and are spreading false information saying that Codex Alimentarius is either “harmless” or benevolent “consumer protection”. Neither is true.

The membership of these one-time defenders of health freedom has become permeated by people from the pharmaceutical industry (for example, CRN counts as its members corporations such as Monsanto® and Bayer®).

4) Codex: Serious Threat to Health and Health Freedom

If Codex Alimentarius is implemented in the United States of America, therapeutic dosages of vitamins and minerals (and all other nutrients soon to follow) will become unavailable because they will literally become illegal.

Here’s how it would work, in a nut-shell:

Due to the junk science use of Risk Assessment (toxicology) to assess supposedly toxic nutrients, a false belief is being engineered saying that “nutritional supplements are dangerous to people’s health”.

Using this false belief generates calls to “protect” people from these “toxic” nutrients. After the calls come the bills to set ultra low permissible dosages (remember, nutrients are deemed “dangerous toxins” under this false belief). If enough of us and our Congressional delegates buy this nonsense, we and Congress would blindly comply with Codex Alimentarius’ VMG. And blind compliance is what the industries behind Codex Alimentarius intend.

Blind compliance goes hand-in-hand with lack of activism. This lack of activism allows our protective laws, classifying nutrients as foods with no upper limits (such as DSHEA), to be easily repealed and replaced with draconian laws to classify nutrients as toxins. And “harmonization” with the pro-illness, pro-pharmaceutical industry Vitamin and Mineral Guideline is there to fill the void.

Only intentionally ineffective, ultra low dose supplements would be legal, with or without a prescription, on the VMG list. If enough people do not take action, we can expect to watch nutritional supplement manufacturers and, thus health food stores, to go out of business, in a domino effect. The only player left standing would be Big Pharma.

Therapeutic grade vitamins, minerals, and amino acids would be eliminated from the marketplace (although a few low-dose supplements would be allowed by Codex, as a symbolic measure to avoid suspicion about their ulterior motive).

Natural health professionals would lose the tools of their trade (nutritional supplements) and health conscious people would be unable to choose natural health options for health promotion and disease treatment.

And that is, in a nutshell, how Codex Alimentarius is poised to make Natural and Nutritional Medicine (NNM) disappear from the legal health world and go underground. Who benefits? Big Pharma.

It would take a few years for the above scenarios to be feasible (Codex Alimentarius is meant to go into full global effect by 2010). The slower the process takes, the less alarmed people will be. That’s probably the logic of the architects of Codex Alimentarius.

5) Serves Economic Interests of Sickness Industries Through WTO and Napoleonic Code

More and more people are turning to natural health products globally. The “wellness” trend is a major trend in today’s society. The more natural health products people use, the fewer drugs they buy. The pharmaceutical industry, which is part of the “Sickness Industry”, fears the inevitable shift toward natural health care.

Instead of accepting the will of the people and rethinking the future of the pharmaceutical industry, the industry has decided upon an unethical course of action: the use of deception and deceit to eliminate natural health products completely.

Codex Alimentarius is a shrewd vehicle for protecting the pharmaceutical industry from the loss of income it stands to suffer due to the inevitable growth of natural healthcare.

Codex Alimentarius is the resistance of the dinosaurs to inevitability: the burgeoning desire of humanity for a healthier, saner, and more sustainable way of life.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) intends to force Codex Alimentarius upon the nations of the world, including the U.S. This would be done under the threat of massive economic sanctions if WTO-countries do not comply with Codex Alimentarius.

Furthermore, Codex is based in the Napoleonic Code, not Common Law. That means that under Codex Alimentarius, anything not explicitly permitted is forbidden. Under Common Law, we hold that anything not explicitly forbidden is permitted. The difference is the difference between health freedom and health tyranny. Codex Alimentarius would be able to ban supplements by default.

For more information and to READ the rest of these points, please visist their website at http://www.healthfreedomusa.org

Getting Connected On A Yoga Retreat
by Aaron Star

Having just come back from leading a retreat and spending five wondrous days with 21 men, I am reminded yet again of the profound effect that taking the time from our daily lives to go on a retreat can have on us and the continuous ripple effects that take place.

As one student put it in a previous Memorial Weekend Retreat:

“I was so inspired by the courageousness, openness, and vulnerability of all the people at the retreat, and it gave me such graceful permission to get in touch with myself, to feel my feelings, and to express what I was experiencing.”

The busyness of our lives is so all encompassing that it becomes more and more challenging to navigate our true self to what is really important. Bryan Kest says, repeatedly in his yoga classes, “What a wonderful thing it is to unroll our yoga mats and to be able to block out the distractions of the outside world, and then be able to turn our minds inward and focus on our breath.”

A yoga retreat is that and more.

I am reminded continuously of the proverbial tiger who is always chasing its tail, but never seems to catch it. He is forever chasing something that he will never catch, is unaware of the time investment and is happy when he gets close, but miserable when he is far away. Basically, the cat is ignorant.

In the system of yoga we call this Avidya, which translates as “without knowledge” or “to not have knowledge of.”
The essence of the teaching lies in the idea that we do not have knowledge of our true essence and that yoga sadhana (spiritual practice) gives us that knowledge. The main problem mostly lies in the idea that we don’t know what we don’t know. In the words of my teacher, the best that we can hope for in our yoga practice is to lessen what we don’t know.

There is a beautiful parallel that Steven Covey draws in his teaching titled, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. He talks about the person who stumbles across a man sawing down a tree and asks, “How long have you been sawing down that tree?” The man sawing replies by saying, “For hours and it seems like I am not getting anywhere.” The man then simply asks, “Have you tried to sharpen your saw?” The man sawing replied, “Can’t you see that I am too busy dumb dumb?”

How do we know that we are too busy until we stop? Furthermore, how do we know what our minds are capable of accomplishing, until we begin to create a place for that to happen? The great teachers have always compelled us to test our mind’s limitations and to stretch ourselves to what is possible.

Being surrounded by people who are on a similar path is not only supportive, but can exponentiate not only the outer, but more importantly, the inner transformation process. As a collective support group (known also as a Sanga or Kula) we can move forward more quickly together.

As one student commented, “The group of men built an emotionally intimate community very quickly. It was a wonderful and blessed brotherhood. It was a special kindred spirit connection, “the dear love of comrades,” as Walt Whitman called.”

You know the sense of peace and clarity you have after a yoga practice? Imagine sustaining that effortlessly for a longer period of time. Then imagine how much of an impact that can have on your life. A yoga retreat can be like the little pebble thrown into a pond. The splash is not that big, but the ripple effect lasts a long time.

“3 months later, the effects of the retreat are still impacting my life on a daily basis.”

Give yourself space to get connected with yourself and to get connected with each other. And then stay connected in your practice.

Om shanti
Aaron