I think some of his claims are wild – he doesn't mention how nutrition affects the mind. However I am convinced that belief plays a crucial role – placebo shows this.
(below from Amazon)
Warnung: Dieses Buch wird Ihre Vorstellung von den Auswirkungen Ihres Denkens und Fühlens für immer verändern.
Vielleicht haben Sie es schon geahnt, dass das Denken und Fühlen unser physisches Leben bestimmt. Jetzt können Sie sich sicher sein. Erstaunliche wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse über die biochemischen Funktionen unseres Körpers zeigen, dass unser Denken und Fühlen bis in jede einzelne unserer Zellen hineinwirkt. Der Zellbiologe Bruce Lipton beschreibt genau, wie dies auf molekularer Ebene vor sich geht. In leicht verständlicher Sprache und anhand eingängiger Beispiele führt er vor, wie die neue Wissenschaft der Epigenetik die Idee auf den Kopf stellt, dass unser physisches Dasein durch unsere DNS bestimmt würde. Vielmehr wird sowohl unser persönliches Leben als auch unser kollektives Dasein durch die Verbindung zwischen innen und außen, zwischen Geist und Materie gesteuert. Eine Erkenntnis, die, logisch weiter gedacht, auch weiterreichende spirituelle Konsequenzen hat.
Über den Autor
Bruce Lipton ist international für seine Art bekannt, Wissenschaft und Geist miteinander zu verbinden. Als Zellbiologe lehrte er an der medizinischen Fakultät der Universität von Wisconsin und arbeitete als Forscher an der medizinischen Fakultät der Stanford Universität. Seine bahnbrechenden Erkenntnisse über die Zellmembran machten ihn zu einem Pionier der neuen Wissenschaft der Epigenetik. Heute reist er durch die ganze Welt und hält Vorträge und Seminare über die Neue Biologie.
If we look at models of society which show that living in harmony with the environment is possible, then we will inevitably concern ourselves with matriarchal, indigenous peoples and their worldview. Pivotal to these societies are the role of Shamen in bringing mystic wisdom for the purposes of healing and development to their people. The spiritual reverence for mother Earth and the life she bestows is upheld and nurtured through shamanistic traditions. The concept of giving back to nature, something which is notably absent in Western culture, is fundamental here, as is the understanding of unity, finding one's place in the universe and connecting with all there is. If this is what we call primitive, then we need to find our way back to our primitive origins. Without a spiritual view of our natural world, we are only left with mechanical explanations, scientifically based statistics, which leave us feeling incomplete or cold to the truth of our inherent responsibility.
The Four Winds. The Shaman's Odyssey into the Amazonas by Alberto Villoldo is an insightful lesson in the discovery of what is lacking in the Western understanding of nature and life in its essence, and how the subconscious can be tapped into redress the imbalance in order to reconnect.
It is an account of an American psychologist, educated in a typical Western, academic mindset, and his search for greater knowledge of cognitive science through personally encountering shamanistic voyages into the subconscious, led and aided by a master Shaman in Peru. Starting from a “rational" standpoint, his motivation and meetings lead to a spiritual awakening with its many surprises and revelations. We are taken through the Medicine Wheel – a four-point process involving departure from old, incomplete or illusionary beliefs in the South; to overcoming the fear of death – the greatest fear of a belief system centred in the physical – in the West; to retrieving pure spiritual messages in the North of a new path to be taken, and finally to the East where the hardest task is presented of determinedly putting these messages into new actions and habits. There are plenty of parallel perceptions here to modern therapeutic approaches that focus on becoming a fulfilled human being, it is simply a different set of symbols and more usage of them.
There are many poignant passages in the book. What particularly stood out for me, were the references of the shaman – also a philosophy lecturer at Cuzco University – to the western doctrines of a patriarchal church that so ingrained the notion into our psyche of humans being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Could it be that this image led to nature being perceived as an enemy, and therefore that would explain why the Earth is treated so abysmally? Is it a fear of nature which has subconsciously been carried through generations from a distorted religion, into a "new" scientific, reductionist, mechanistic view of nature which perceives so much competition, aggression and survival of the fittest?
Another enlightening point made was that delusionary mental illness is not regarded as such in Peruvian, Amazonian indigenous societies. It is seen simply as what it is: a trip into the subconscious, which is actually encouraged to take place, with the guidance of a more grounded person of experience, rather than to be blocked off, numbed or bottled up with medicine. In this way, crazy dream imagery becomes a source of learning and new wisdom, rather than something to be fearful of.
This frank, moving and honest account by the American author reveals a gem of universal understanding to be learned from by an ailing, separatist world model. It reads like it good novel and the colourful imagery and symbolism makes for a worthwhile accompaniment to the most important core message of the book.
Many men spend a lot of time and effort on improving the state of their cars and computers. It is of extreme importance to them that their machines look good or run smoothly and fast. A lot of women focus huge amounts of energy and time on making their flat or house clean and beautiful. Having a “fit" body is also a high-priority on today's list. Many drive to the gym and work themselves into exhaustion with some intense training programme. A lesser number of people are inclined to make sure that they eat healthily, although the numbers are growing. The external things to tune seem far more important than the inner factors, which explains why it is only a very small percentage of humans who seriously attempt to keep their minds in good health!
More and more have heard about meditation, and it is generally becoming more popular. However, to really put it into practice in a disciplined manner, enough to keep our minds as finely tuned as our cars, is another matter. It is much easier to find an excuse for not having time to take care of the mind. The logic goes, everything else is far more pressing. But the fact that everything is so stressful or that we have reason to complain so much simply shows the lack of discipline to fit in regular meditation which would certainly ease our minds, free up energy, create more quality time, healthier bodies and satisfaction in life in general.
Discipline is essential for breaking bad habits and illusions. It is not about overworking just for the sake of some unreachable, utopian vision. It is about replacing all that is destructive and restricting, with something that makes us feel alive – this requires vigour. Meditation or something which is very meditative and puts us in a positive trance, is fundamental to our well-being. How can we create deeper perspectives on our lives otherwise? How can we develop our understanding of others and a sense of goodwill for fellow humans through more acceptance, or see where we have been lacking in courage to stand up against injustices?
Without discipline and meditation activities we will surely become like trees on underdeveloped trunks. We will sway extremely with any buffet of the wind. The choice is ours: whinging, whining, bendy tree in a state of illusion ans suffering or tree of straight, healthy trunk able to stand and support us through the storms?
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