In practice this means that we develop by sharing a world of experience with others, but remain ourselves. If the integrity of the bodymind breaks down in any way, the organism can dissolve. We seem hardwired to try to avoid this dissolution for as long as possible. Hence we maintain ourselves by paying attention to our health and to our senses of 'I'. Uncoincidentally, when we feel healthy we feel most 'ourselves.' However, if you abuse your health, you risk death. If you do not maintain your ego boundaries, someone else's memes will invade you and make you a reflection of their own ego, and you will have given away the control that you should exercise yourself.
Some may argue that this has already happened to most of us.
As magicians we pay particular attention to the many sub-personalities which surface with the words 'I am.' I am a man, a woman, a teacher, an American, a Buddhist, a football fan, etc. For our magics to work and for us to live our lives sublimely, we must harness these 'I's to work in harmony. Some call this 'single-pointedness', or 'True Will', or 'congruence.'
With application of the Yellow Power we firm ourselves up, so to speak. Think 'wholeness', etymologically linked to 'wholesomeness' and 'holiness.' Think integrity, holism, vitality, well-being, quality of life, 'at choice', at one with yourself.
Okay, some practical basics on health. What follows may help you to avoid the doctors for years, but seek medical advice for anything you need to. We wish to encourage you to live as an Immortal, not to join them prematurely.
1: Breathing.
Do this. I kid you not. Many people hold their breath at inopportune times, such as while in the middle of physical effort. The changes in local blood pressure can cause all sorts of things to rupture. Blood vessels, heart, etc. Consider that accidental fart the least of your problems.
Several major historic Asian cultures, nowadays supported by scientific research, and many occult traditions, offer breathing exercises for health and all-purpose healing. Breathing deeply oxygenates the body and pumps the lymphatic system, which bathes each of your body cells and removes toxins from them. Using imagination seems to activate unsuspected healing mechanisms also.
Several times a day, do about 10 reps of this: breathe in through the nose for 1 count, hold (gently! Remember the fatal fart attack) for 4 counts, breathe out through the mouth for 2 counts. Use a count that you find comfortable. Dizziness means you're trying too much, too hard. Keep it easy on yourself and stick to the ratio 1:4:2.
Imagine as you breathe in or out, the breath rushing through your body as though through a hollow vessel, sweeping away toxins and pains and drawing in well-being and comfort. Qigong and pranayama offer whole systems of this sort of thing, but we're going for the entry-level requirements here.
2: Diet
Diets don't work. Change of diet does. By diet we mean here your default patterns of eating and drinking. By definition, the brain regards imposed regimes of dietary self-torture as only temporary phenomena, and will happily revert to the default if allowed to. We prefer to use any convenient magical or psychological methods (such as the one at the bottom of the page) to change our defaults to an habitual pattern of eating and drinking which serves our well-being.
Such patterns involve: avoiding too much of the stuff that harms you (alcohol, salt, overcooked or processed foods -- microwave? Aargh! -- and if you have allergies, cure them by whatever means available to you) although a little of what you fancy does you good; and taking in what really does you good, fresh fruit and veg, juices and sprouted seeds, you know, stuff that still has its natural water content and nutrients. Don't pull a face: this stuff rocks. And it'll give you more energy and flavours and yay-hay zest for life than the other stuff. Also it reverses the buildup of toxins in your system and keep you younger for longer and feeling in the mood to take full advantage of the fact. Mmmmm. Lovin' it.
Also, avoid having high-protein foods (meat, fish) and high-starch foods (rice, bread, pasta, grains) within 4-5 hours of each other. Otherwise your digestive system doesn't know which type of meal to gear up for, and makes a hash of it, literally. You lose a lot of those lovely nutrients. You'll find this approach to food separating wrongly called food combining. Doh!
So basics: 70% water-rich foods, the closer to their natural state the better and 30% of other stuff. Food separating. And um ... well that's it really. Oh, one more item. Your body takes about twenty minutes to realise that it's eaten something. So if you wolf down a Big Mac in five minutes you're into your second before you start to feel a bit full. Not long afterwards you can, if you've pigged it enough, feel really bloated. Eat less by eating slowly. Take time to enjoy what you're eating. Eat and drink like a connoisseur, no matter how humble the snack.
3: Exercise
Woo hoo! I've really done it now, haven't I? I know that feeling: my morning exercises - up down up down up down, then the other eyelid. But really, this goes with the breathing and its benefits. And even a mild dose of exercise flushes out the toxic residue of stress and gives you more energy and zest for life, to outlive the relatives and to live the life you really want. Here's how.
Stretch out. That stretch-and-yawn thing? Go for it. Don't hold back, get used to feeling your body move itself when you've stayed immobile for a while. It's getting more oxygen with the yawning and it's straightening the kinks in the system by stretching mildly, so encourage it here. Breathe deeply. Indulge in gentle chaoenergetics or something.
Aerobics. Your life really depends on this one, so stick with me a little while longer. Please. Aerobic exercise consists of regular rhythmic movements (hmmmm) which lasts about 20 mins or more and doesn't make individual muscles tired. (If they tire you move into 'anaerobic' exercise, which works differently. You don't need to go there) Aerobic exercise thoroughly oxygenates and pumps your whole body, burning fat as fuel and flushing toxins, thereby making your body work far better with less effort or wear-and-tear. Your body will last a lot longer.
The ideal exercise: the one you'll actually get up and do. Jogging (not my style), swimming, cycling, stepping and so forth. With music, TV, partners etc. Get some real dance music out. Use aerobics as excitatory gnosis even, as in Jan Fries' 'seething'.
The ideal duration: half an hour or so, pretty much every day. And yes, we all enjoy a day off. And add on five minutes each end to warm up and cool down. Do easy.
The ideal work rate: If you can declaim the American Constitution across a large room, you ain't working hard enough. If it's hurtin' and by God you have to push, you can't speak, and is it time to stop yet? then you're working way too hard.
You can measure your safe heart rate to tell you if you're working at the right rate. Use this formula and a watch:
1: Subtract your age from 220. This is your absolute maximum heart rate over a minute. Never let your heart rate hit 90% or more of this figure.
2: Divide your maximum heart rate by 2. This gives the minimum heart rate for your exercise to do you any good.
Right in the middle between your maximum and minimum will do fine for aerobic exercise. Remember: do not go for the burn. And remember to breathe.
Finally, enjoy it! Really. Feel your body becoming more alive and responsive (hmmmmm again) over time. And see you down the rock club in about 80 years.
Make a note of the current state of affairs, eg a belief you have that you wish you didn't, like 'Mistakes are a disaster.' Sigilise if you like.
Make a note of the desired state of affairs, eg. a much better belief than the first one you noted, like 'Mistakes are an opportunity to take a leap in learning.' Likewise, you may sigilise.
Banish.
Meditate on the current state of affairs, turning it over in your mind AS YOU EXPERIENCE IT CURRENTLY while kneading the plasticine. Keep the actual current state feeling going at all times, perhaps while looking at its sigil. When you've had enough meditating and kneading, mark the plasticine with the name or sigil of the current state of affairs.
Destroy it. Hammer the plasticine with your fists, jump all over it, throw it at the wall, mash it up good. Really get it out of your system.
Settle down. Meditate on the desired state of affairs, while kneading the plasticine again. Keep the actual desired state feeling going at all times, perhaps while looking at its sigil. When you've had enough meditating and kneading, mark the plasticine with the name or sigil of the desired state of affairs and put it somewhere prominent, where you'll see it every day.
Banish.
