Issue 19

It is Biophile’s 3rd birthday and we are celebrating and giving thanks. From the beginning, Biophile has had a life of it own and we just go with the flow, doing our best to avoid the rocks and stay in our boat, as we sail down the river. It has been such a magnificent vehicle for my personal growth, and I know Steve feels the same, and it has opened up so many wonderful and amazing avenues for us. So… thank you Biophile, and Happy Birthday!

The word self-empowerment (whether spelt with or without a hyphen) does not appear in my laptop’s SA, US or UK English thesauruses, nor in my own Essential English- or Oxford dictionaries at home. There are all kinds of other self-‘whatevers’, but not self- empowerment. So, I am left to my own devices in explaining what self-empowerment means to me.

The Earth is very sick and it makes me feel sad. Not just a bit tense or melancholy; but deeply and profoundly anguished, depressed, and angry. Humanity had so much potential that has been wasted. Our self consciousness, opposable thumbs, upright walking and ability for limited rationality has lead to great triumphs in philosophy, art, sport and leisure. But alas other aspects of our animalistic nature; libido, insatiable appetite, and desire to dominate, have won out.

Somehow it was easier that way. And, after all, I only knew her for a few hours. We met on a rowdy, dirty street in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. She was crouched in the corner of an apartment block of cages which stank of feces and fear. Her eyes were closed, and her body motionless.

Hippocrates, the great Greek physician and Father of Medicine, said: “From the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as sorrows, pains, griefs and tears.” It’s startling to learn that there are 15 trillion neurons (nerve cells) in the human brain. There are far more glial cells that fill the spaces between the neurons, Schwann cells and miles of blood vessels to nourish the three or so pounds of brain tissue in the average head.

The AumFarm Eco-Community is a rural gathering of like-minded, spiritually aware people, who create a supportive social environment with a low-impact, minimum footprint, sustainable lifestyle. To help us achieve this, we are striving to integrate ecologically aware design practices and by using permaculture and bio-culture methods.

As a physician I see the extraordinary efforts that I and my colleagues pursue to save the lives of our patients suffering from cancer and genetic diseases, let alone the amount of money allocated to find the cure to cancer. Yet here we have an industry that is actively promoting and incurring massive increases in these disastrous diseases, and society has not yet called their bluff. It is beyond time that we did.

My husband and I have been really fortunate enough to have realised two dreams lately. The first one is that we have found a farm which we have moved to with our three girls, where we can live growing all our food organically and just basically live surrounded by beauty and nature.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and in the trash.

Now I must be honest with you from the get go. I have never been too concerned with how my actions would effect the environment. Let me rephrase that, what I am trying to say is that, like most people, I have gone through life so far without making a conscious effort to protect the environment.

This month’s raw food focus is about the ABC’s of health. We’ve been getting a lot of queries about candida and the anti-candida diet so this forms a little summary and reminder.

This Festive Season, instead of a table strewn with the grilled, roasted and fried corpses of slaughtered animals, why not lay out a fantastic spread of fantastic raw food?

More and more people are realising the importance of growing their own food. It’s not only about feeding the body and reducing one’s vulnerability to the whims of the market place. It’s also about building a strong immune system by eating fresh, safe, nutritious and tasty food grown on healthy soil that is packed full of life-giving minerals and cosmic vibrations.

Along with other citrus fruits, the lemon (Citrus limon) is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world today. Apart from using the juice in all sorts of ways in the preparation of foods and cordials, lemon peels and the underlying white pith contain a number of health-giving substances.

We are part of a world that pulses with consciousness. A door is being opened to the greater reality and it behoves us to enter as beings freed of fear and filled with love. As we wake to each new day, our very first thought and feeling determine the quality of our experience. This is our opportunity to enter the miraculous and consciously create the reality we dream of.

One of the beauties of organic gardening is the following of natural seasons and patters of the earth and seasons to create healthy, living plants and foods. This intrinsic harmony between ourselves and our gardens enhances not only our mind/body relationship but also gives us deep insight into the emotional and spiritual wellbeing that comes with being connected to natural cycles.