Maria Duval - The Awakening

The Awakening
In 1990 I received a calling to go to India with my good friend and partner Jim Smith. I closed down my business, packed away a few belongings and said goodbye to my family and friends to meet up with my first guru, Yogiraj Vethathiri Maharishi ("Swamiji"), a Kundalini Master from an ancient lineage in the Tamil Nadu state in South India. I had been apprenticing with Swamiji for five years and it had been at his suggestion we created The Self Awareness Institute back in 1985 to teach these methods of enlightenment to a western world in a western way.

During those first few months staying at Swamiji's ashram in a suburb of Madras I began to notice a profound shift in my awareness. While sitting in meditation 12 hours at a time each day, my awareness was liberated from my mind and the presence of God was no longer objectified by my mind or limited by it. His gift to me was the presence felt in his presence, a natural state of being that was not subjugated by the mind and senses…a perfect peace. A peace that had always been, and is, unchanging, but now the mind was aligned and at peace with it. Nothing actually happened, it just is, but my mind was at peace with it at last.

After receiving Swamiji's blessings, I left the ashram to pay my respects to the Arch Yogi Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj (also "Swamiji"). A yogi I originally heard about from Satya Sai Baba and Satchan Charan Lahiri, of the Kriya lineage, who both encouraged me to see him. This yogi had sat in samadhi for 23 hours a day for 8 years of his life, and then for 12 hours a day for another 4 years, and had tremendous powers to heal and enlighten through the transmission of this Shakti, or life force energy, called Shaktipat. It was this Yogi that supercharged my own sadhana, or meditative practice, and had me increase my Shakti through what is called Yoga Tapas.

While sitting in Bangalore, India, Sri Swamiji had me increase my sitting time up to 16 hours, 20 hours, and then up to 23 hours a day for 40 consecutive days and nights. Under his guidance my body and mind was being developed to be a vehicle of this Divine Love, or Darshan, and upon completing this training he installed me into his lineage and gave me his blessings to give Shaktipat. Shaktipat is what you feel on the free intro calls we hold each month. Upon completing this Yoga Tapas I was given a revelation of the impending awakening of consciousness that is presently occurring throughout the collective consciousness of humanity. It is this revelation that is shared in my new book The Awakening: An Evolutionary Leap in Human Consciousness that has just been re-released. You are part of this awakening as is evidenced by your reading of these words. I hope you enjoy the book and join us in uplifting the consciousness of the planet. May the whole world live in happiness and peace.

From the heart, Steven S. Sadleir

Steven S. Sadleir is the Director of the Self Awareness Institute and is recognized as a Shaktipat Master in two lineages. He has developed powerful distance learning programs for people of all cultures and faiths, trained thousands of people from all over the world, and welcomes all of you who are ready for full Self-Realization. Visit http://www.SelfAwareness.com for FREE guided meditation mp3s and ebook!

Your Enlightenment
Throughout your entire life you have been learning, growing and evolving. Everything you have experienced has been teaching you something about yourself. All the books you have read, courses you have taken and things you have done to develop yourself are the result of an innate intelligence, or spirit, that has been guiding you to further evolve yourself, to realize your full potential, to self-realize. The volition to read these words comes from your spirit. The answers lie within you, and from this inner knowing you gain the impetus to explore, to understand, to find greater meaning, purpose and peace. So as you are reading these words I invite you to check in with the part of you that is curious to learn more. This path of self-discovery is guiding you to enlightenment. You have been called. You are being guided, and that with draws your attention to these words is guiding you to take that next step in your development. The same volition that compels me to write these words draws your attention to read them. We are all being guided, by spirit, to realize our full potential through self-realization. As you enlighten you come to realize who you are and why you were born so that you may fulfill your destiny. The fact that you are reading these words is the proof that your spirit is guiding you to full enlightenment. The primary reason I am writing these words is to acknowledge that part of you that already knows this innately. We are all being called to enlighten. We live in an age where masses of people, such as yourself, are learning more about what consciousness is and are now consciously seeking ways to further evolve their consciousness. You are ahead of the learning curve of humanity, you have realized that there is something to be realized and are now consciously seeking ways to further evolve yourself. It is your destiny to enlighten. The Self Awareness Institute is a gathering place for those ready to live in the light, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven that lies within us. Welcome home. From the heart, Steven S. Sadleir

Steven S. Sadleir is the Director of the Self Awareness Institute and is recognized as a Shaktipat Master in two lineages. He has developed powerful distance learning programs for people of all cultures and faiths, trained thousands of people from all over the world, and welcomes all of you who are ready for full Self-Realization. Visit http://www.SelfAwareness.com for FREE guided meditation mp3s and ebook!

Natural Ways To Keep Food Fresh Longer
If you are interested in health and diet, you have probably read all the research which points to the benefits of fresh, unprocessed foods. Eating healthier nearly always means opting for fresh fruits, whole grains and unprocessed meats and fish. Unfortunately, choosing foods without preservatives does have a down side - food spoils faster. That is no reason to go back to eating over-processed foods full of chemical preservatives, though. Long before our dependence on chemical preservatives, our mothers knew the secrets to keeping food fresh longer naturally. Here are some tips to help you keep fresh fruits, grains, vegetables, meat and fish fresh longer - the natural way.

General Tips

1. Keep your refrigerator at the right temperature. It should be kept between 38 and 40 F. to keep your foods as fresh as possible without freezing them.

2. Keep your eye on expiration dates when you shop.

3. Do not store highly perishable foods in the refrigerator or freezer door. They are more prone to temperature fluctuation.

4. Moisture promotes rotting and mold. Wipe vegetables and fruits dry before storing and avoid storing in plastic bags.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables and fruits give off a gas called ethylene as they ripen. The ethylene sets off a chain reaction that causes the release of more ethylene, causing the food to ripen further. When fruits and vegetables are exposed to ethylene, they ripen faster. Some fruits and vegetables give off more ethylene than others - and some of them are more sensitive to ethylene than others.

1. Ethylene producers include apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, honeydew melons, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes.

2. Fruits and vegetables that are sensitive to the effects of ethylene include: apples, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, green beans, lettuces and other greens, potatoes, summer squash, and watermelons.

3. To keep fresh fruits and vegetables fresh longer, do not store any of the former group n the same drawers as those in the latter group.

4. Store fruits and vegetables in the warmest part of your fridge to preserve flavor.

5. Remove produce from plastic bags before storing. The bags trap the ethylene close to the fruit so that it ripens faster.

6.Wash produce and then dry well before storing. Moisture speeds rotting.

Meats and Eggs

1. Keep fresh meats refrigerated between 38-40 F.

2. Keep meat in original wrapping in refrigerator if you will be using it within two days.

3. Wrap meat in foil or freezer paper before freezing.

4. Make sure that there is plenty of air circulation around meat products in your refrigerator.

5. Store eggs pointed side down.

6. Wrap smoked meats like ham or bacon in a vinegar-soaked cloth.

7. Cool cooked meats quickly and completely before placing them in refrigerator.

Bread and Cereal Products

1. Store fresh bread in a cool, dark, dry place like a cupboard or breadbox.

2. Close the waxed paper inner bag of breakfast cereals tightly to preserve freshness. Better yet, transfer the cereal into a zipper lock plastic bag and put it back in the box.

3. Freeze bread that will not be used within a week. If you freeze artisan breads pre-sliced, you can just take a slice when you need it.

4. Keep soft cookies soft by storing them in a cookie jar or airtight container with a slice of bread.

5. Cut slices from loaf cakes like banana bread and pound cake from the middle instead of the end. After slicing, push the two ends together to reform the 'loaf'. You don't leave a cut end to get stale that way.

6. To keep cake moist, store it with half an apple in the container.


Dairy Products and Cheese

1. Store milk in its original container.

2. Do not store milk in the door where temperature is warmer.

3. Put milk back in refrigerator immediately after using.

4. Wrap cheese in waxed paper or plastic, then store in deli drawer.

5. Do not store ice cream in the freezer door. Keep it in the main part of the freezer.

6. Place a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface of the ice cream before storing. It will keep fresh longer.

Miscellaneous

1. Store coffee in an airtight, opaque container to preserver flavor and freshness.

2. Buy coffee in whole bean form and grind enough for one pot at a time.

3. If you buy more coffee than you can use in 3-4 days, store in an airtight container in the freezer/

4. Store avocadoes unbagged in the refrigerator.

5. Store bananas on the counter, unbagged.

6. Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) should be stored in their plastic container or a resealable plastic bag in the back of the refrigerator.

7. Wrap lettuce in damp paper towels and store in a plastic bag.

Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about topics and products concerning food storage such as Green Bags.