Feed Your Spirit!
If you knew something could give you an extra advantage in your spiritual growth, would you use it?
Of course you would!
Well, I’m going to introduce you to an ancient secret that masters used for centuries to boost their inner development. But, let me preface things by saying, “nothing is more important than your meditative practice with regards to spiritual growth!” The ancient masters of the Far East knew this absolutely to be true. They referred to their meditative practice as Inner Alchemy.
Webster’s Dictionary defines alchemy, “as turning something common into something special, or to change from one form to another (typically into something better than its original form).” Many historians think the Ancient Alchemists were merely looking for a way to transform lead to gold. It’s true that many did so. However, true alchemists, spiritual alchemists, sought something far more valuable than gold, in fact something priceless—Spirit. Rather than melting down metals and combining them into some special mixture in the hopes of making gold, they turned their attention inward, hoping to transform their ordinary selves into something extraordinary—hence, Inner Alchemy.
Though their meditative practice or Inner Alchemy was the core of their spiritual practice, they discovered additional ways to optimize and expedite their growth. These practices were referred to as Outer Alchemy, and involved learning to live a natural lifestyle by incorporating such things as mindful movement, breathing exercises, proper nutrition, acupuncture, massage, and herbology. They found that out of these external practices, herbs bestowed them the greatest advantage in their spiritual growth. Not just any herbs, but specific botanical essences with super boosting properties. These are referred to as tonic herbs.
[Webster’s Dictionary defines a tonic as follows: something that lifts the spirits or makes somebody feel better generally; a medicine that purports to make patients feel stronger, more energetic, and generally healthier.]
Out of the hundreds, if not thousands, of herbal botanicals that are available, there are but a few that are truly considered to be tonic herbs! Of these, only a handful are known to have specific properties that can enhance one’s spiritual growth and be considered a spiritual tonic, a substance that helps to turn something common into something special.
Ancient physicians, with centuries of documented research, discovered the hidden secrets of these herbs. Modern science is just beginning to uncover the same secrets regarding these potent tonic herbs. They’ve given tonic herbs the name adaptogens.
The term adaptogen was first popularized by Russian doctors and scientists when they discovered the amazing healing effects these herbs had on their Olympic athletes. The recovery time from their intense athletic training was significantly reduced! In short, scientists discovered that these specific herbs help the body to adapt better to all forms of stress, be it mental, emotional, physical or environmental.
How does this relate to your spiritual development?
In spiritual thought, we originate from Spirit, Source, Consciousness, or Shen. When Shen takes the earthly form of our bodies, it does so into what Taoism calls, the Triplex Unity, which parallels the Christian idea of the Holy Trinity. The Triplex Unity or the body can further be defined as the Three Treasures—awareness, energy, and essence. Awareness is the subtlest and most refined level of the Three Treasures; it’s the governor of the life of the body. Energy is the bio-energetic force that animates every cell within the body, similar to the way electricity powers a home, but it’s less subtle than awareness. Without it, the body is inanimate and lifeless. Essence is the densest of the three and comprises the material aspects of the body: the blood and body fluids, tissues and organs, especially the hormones, neurochemicals, and enzymes. It is the substantial form of the body. When awareness, life force, and essence are fully integrated and unobstructed within the body, we remain in a perpetual state of optimal health and wellbeing. If any of them is out of balance, all suffer greatly.
All of us come into this world with these Three Treasures. They give rise to our sense of being, will to live and ability to express ourselves. These precious substances are referred to as treasures, because without them, we could not survive. To the extent we learn to protect, cultivate, and conserve them determines the length and quality of our lives.
Most importantly, the Three Treasures allow us to return to the source from where we originated—Shen.
In meditation, the Alchemy process is activated; attention turns inward toward the body and away from its usual anxious, forward-driven inclinations. The body acts as a cauldron where the Three Treasures begin to accumulate. Once they’ve restored to a suitable level, they ignite an internal purification process. This portion of Inner Alchemy is similar to that of building a campfire; first we must gather lots of wood, and then light a spark to ignite the fire. The inner alchemic fire burns away physical toxins, repressed emotions, unwanted belief patterns, and expands awareness, which leads us back to Shen. In East Indian spiritual thought this transformation is referred to as awakening the Kundalini Serpent. When a seeker has sufficiently turned their gaze inward long enough, and allowed the procreative force (essence) to build, the life force (energy) will ascend upward along the spine until it reaches the head. At this point, a reciprocating descending force meets it at the crown, and thus stimulating a myriad of brain chemicals, which alleviate disease, reduce aging, expand consciousness (awareness), and a host of other spiritual phenomena. Look at it this way:
“Essence is likened to the wick in a candle, energy is likened to the flame, and awareness of Shen is the resulting light. When the wick burns out, the flame goes out, and with it so does the light.”
Essence can be further classified into two categories, acquired and congenital. Acquired essence is derived from food, air, and water, whereas congenital essence is inherited from our parents. Though essence includes the entire physical body, the adrenals are home to the most potent of all essences—congenital essence. It is here in the adrenals that many of our sex hormones are stored. These keep us vital and youthful. But, in the Inner Alchemy process they have a much more important role! These sex hormones or congenital essence are the underlying biological fuel for our spiritual fires!
The single biggest reason why most seekers have a difficult time maintaining a deepened spiritual awareness is that somewhere in their lives they are depleting and exhausting the Three Treasures—namely essence. How?
Stress exhausts the adrenal glands, which depletes congenital essence. More specifically, the way we metabolize the effects of stress is the cause of essence depletion, and the number one cause for all health imbalances.
No matter how much we meditate, if the fuel in our adrenals is exhausted, we won’t get very far. That is exactly why tonic or adaptogenic herbs are incredibly helpful! From a medical perspective, the core benefit of adaptogens is their ability to help the body cope with stress, and to help heal the systemic damage caused by stress. Specifically, adaptogens recharge the adrenal glands, which are the body’s primary mechanism for responding to stress and emotional change!
To sum it up, stress exhausts the adrenals, which is problematic since the most potent of essences is stored in adrenals. However, adaptogens restore the adrenals. Therefore, adaptogens restore essence and help build your biological connection to Spirit!
Many products and supplements on the market today use adaptogens in their formulas randomly. Some of these herbs are: Licorice Root, Eluethero Root, American Ginseng, Atractolydes, Astragulas, Matiake, Schisandra, and Lychii Fruit. Though most of these formulations are fine for general health and wellbeing, I suggest using formulas that are more specific for recharging the adrenals and essence. The super powerful formulas are the ones that synergistically combine several adaptogens into a food delivery system to ensure optimum assimilation.
For more information regarding adaptogens or adaptogenic products, visit www.shentrition.com.
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