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1. ON LETTING PASSION TWEAK YOUR PERSONALITY
“When you feel an erotic charge, you can gaze upon the person who awakens it and mentally, with awe, repeat a mantra of gratitude and praise. The erotic spark arises as a reminder that everyone is divine. Then gaze at the very next person you encounter and repeat a mantra of praise. People feel it, they light up and give right back, energetically. When I do this, I feel more open to others, more confident and sexy and not constricted by mental boundaries of gender and physical appearance.” PATRICIA JOHNSON , Tantra teacher, Yorktown Heights, New York (September 30-October 6)
2. ON KEEPING THE TIPS
“Not a single national medical organization in the world approves of circumcision. The harm far outweighs any possible benefits in every case. The idea that sex with a circumcised partner prevents cervical cancer was shot down 20 years ago. In an Israeli study, the incidence of urinary tract infection in men is higher after circumcision. A study surveying women found that circumcised men put so much effort into getting their own pleasure that they aren’t actually making love to the women the men who had their entire complement were more loving. It takes courage for someone who’s been circumcised not to have his son circumcised.” GEORGE C. DENNISTON , MD, founder and president, Doctors Opposing Circumcision, Port Townsend, Washington (March 11-17)
3. GIVING UP MOULD IN A JAR
“There isn’t a single peanut in North America that isn’t contaminated with mould. Aside from people who have deathly allergies, many who are feeling chronically ill may be very sensitive to mould. Healthy people should also stay away. If you have too much of this in your system, it can affect your immunity. I don’t know what the safe level is. There’s something wrong with every food, but this is really an avoidable disease-causer. I think peanuts should probably be banned.” ZOLTAN RONA , MD, MSc, Toronto (October 21-27)
4. GETING A HIT OFF OUR SOLAR ALLY
“Dermatologists don’t have a clue about human nutrition. A little bit of sunlight should be considered a friend, because it provides you with your vitamin D requirement. In the absence of sun, you need at least 1,000 IU a day to satisfy your body’s requirements. You’d have to make a major effort to begin to approach that. Wearing a sunscreen of SPF 8 reduces your ability to make vitamin D by 95 per cent. I’m not suggesting you bake outside. Just get some sensible exposure.” MICHAEL F. HOLICK , professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics, Boston University Medical Center, author, The UV Advantage (June 3-9)
5. ON BEING BUGGED INTO AWARENESS
“Bedbugs are indicating outwardly, symbolically, the need for unification of masses of people. There are definitely many groups, creatures and beings we sweep under the bed. Bedbugs in hotels target the people who have the most status and wealth, who need to learn how to be grateful. Bedbugs wouldn’t be an irritant if there were more concern over making sure that everybody was being taken care of. Have you considered that bedbugs have more constructive things to do than to bite people? They’re doing that to get your attention, but they’d rather be doing other things.” ROCHELLE GAI RODNEY , animal communication specialist channeling the bedbug spirit, Toronto (March 4-10)
6. AVOIDING YOGIC HURTS
“The main reasons for injury are inattention and excessive ego attachment. The ego gets in the way and says, ‘I’m going to get my nose to my knee no matter what.’ When we give ourselves these messages we are not honouring our present condition. It’s important to practise with energy and effort, and essential to practise with patience. We encourage students to start their practice with an elevated intention , for example, to make others happy. Thus, the small self is put aside to make space for mindfulness and compassion.” JEANNINE WOODALL , co-founder, Jivamukti Yoga, Toronto (November 18-24)
7. CONJURING EVERYDAY BLISS
“To be happy we don’t need beauty, but we must accept and like ourselves. Instead of fame, we need optimism. Rather than wealth, we need a purpose. We don’t have to have a special talent but need a job or activities we enjoy. Instead of perfection, we need realism to help us accept our weaknesses and learn to manage them. We don’t need possessions but must have loving relationships. We need wisdom rather than intelligence, autonomy rather than conformity. Happy people resist social pressure and exert personal control. The things needed for happiness are all within our control, and we can work toward them.” ANDREW WILLIAMS , research psychologist, author, How Do You Compare?, Ames, Iowa (July 29-August 4)
8. ON HELPING LOVED ONES LEAVE
“Many people experience the feeling in a room where somebody is being born or somebody is dying as very similar. There is a powerful feeling of love, and people experience something that’s much bigger than themselves. I advocate home funerals so that families are empowered. We’ve given away being part of the death process, being beside those we love as they move into other realms, which allows people time to say their goodbyes in their own way. I think one of the reasons people often grieve so long is that they didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye in a way that was meaningful to them.” JERRI LYONS , death midwife, founding director of Final Passages, Sebastopol, California (October 28-November )
9. VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SELF
“The real nub of it all is wearing a red nose. That forces you to confront your self-image. The red nose has been called the world’s smallest mask. It’s not a mask that hides you it’s a mask that reveals you. The nose draws attention to your face and your eyes and really exaggerates who you are. People see you differently, and you see yourself differently. It breaks through that day-to-day mask we all wear. If readers want to be daring, they can forget the Kama Sutra and wear red noses while having sex. People have this fear of being ridiculous. Once you overcome that fear, it’s very freeing.” NEIL MUSCOTT , artistic director, Cirque du Poulet, Toronto (February 26-March 5)
10. TAMING A TOXIC DINNER
“Taking Ipecac 6CH every five to 10 minutes in the time that it takes to get to the hospital could actually save your life from food poisoning. Symptoms showing you need it include retching, a sensation that something is eating away at your organs, severe nausea and vomiting that do not provide relief, and black stools or bloody diarrhea. Metallum album 6CH is useful when digestion problems are caused by meat or poultry. For tainted shellfish the remedy is Lycopodium 6CH. If you eat a spoiled fruit or vegetable, take Natrum phos 6CH. I highly recommend travelling with Ipecac at all times. It will give relief in all food poisonings.” DANIEL LUPU , homeopath, Toronto (November 11-17)
