About Dylan Charles

Dylan Charles is a student and teacher of Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Qi Gong, a practitioner of Yoga and Taoist arts, and an activist and idealist passionately engaged in the struggle for a more sustainable and just world for future generations. He is the editor of WakingTimes.com, the proprietor of OffgridOutpost.com, a grateful father and a man who seeks to enlighten others with the power of inspiring information and action. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Why Meditation Can Help You Overcome Depression for Good

Doctors and psychiatrists are well-versed in the science of antidepressants. They’ve established a body of research showing how levels of certain brain chemicals fluctuate to affect mood, and they can chemically stabilize someone’s mood with pills. But truly healing from depression involves many intangible factors such as diet, the support of family and friends, belief systems, self-identity, frustration with work, resolving or coming to terms with childhood trauma or past events, and so on. There really is no one-pill-chemical solution to heal people from depression. In an article entitled, The Real Cause of Depression Has Been Completely Overlooked, Christina Sarich looks at some of these intangibles. “Many of us with depression can think back to multiple instances of child abuse, negligence, and abandonment. We were likely raised by narcissistic parents who themselves, were abused. If our parents happened to be fairy-tale perfect, society did its own number on us, either bullying the innocent, exposing us to broken families and rampant poverty, or simply mind-controlling the heck out of us into thinking that because we don’t fit the images paraded before us, we are somehow lacking or inferior. Our brains are trying to help us live. They become depressed and anxious because they are calling those wounds to the surface so that they can be healed. If we keep medicating them, the wounds will only crash to shore with more vengeance, until we finally understand the Higher Purpose of pain. Just as food can be toxic to our bodies, so can stress. Adverse childhood experiences coupled with real depression-instilling societal norms upheld today have created an epidemic of depression.” ~Christina Sarich What we do know is that depression takes place in the brain. Some amalgam of thoughts, memories, and brain chemicals combine to cause it. And since it is somehow a function of the brain, then we can employ the tools at our disposal to manipulate how the brain works. Of course the drug companies have their stake in recommending pills, but the simple (and free) act of meditation can go along way in recovering from depression. For starters, meditation is an act that increases connection. It allows us to see clearly just how much control we have, or don’t have, over the thoughts and emotions running through the mind. It allows us to identify patterns and programs at work in the mind, by allowing us to isolate the inner happenings of the mind from the external influences inundating us each day. Furthermore, scientific studies have demonstrated that meditation can be highly effective. In a 2016 article entitled, How Running and Meditation Changes the Brains of the Depressed, Melissa Dahl reports on one such study: “To test this, Alderman and his colleagues recruited 52 young adults, 22 of whom had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and referred by a university counseling clinic. (The rest of the participants were “typically healthy” individuals.) Twice a week for eight weeks, all of the study volunteers reported to the lab for MAP training sessions, during [...]

2020-10-01T11:44:15-07:00By |

9 Rules for Living as Learned from Proper Ayahuasca Shaman

“All the authentic drinkers of yagé in the Amazon that I have met share a great love for nature and all humanity, and they are outspoken protectors of the rainforest and the good way of all that is right.” ~Jonathon Miller Weisberger, Rainforest Medicine By itself, ayahuasca as a transformational medicine offers us profound opportunities for spiritual awakening, physical renewal and reconnection to the most important aspects of life and nature. Journeying with the vine of souls is unlike anything else in this world, and while many have shared their personal stories of harrowing nights in ceremony, another chief aspect of this medicine tradition is less often discussed: the valuable lessons to be learned from time spent with traditional plant medicine masters. Sadly, true Amazonian medicine elders are a dying breed. To be in the presence of a genuine master is a treasured experience, and those of them still with us exemplify the virtues of living a life aligned with nature, devoted to spiritual development, and focused on the well-being of others. I have been blessed with the good fortune of spending time with and learning directly from Secoya elders, who are the torch-bearers of a unique lineage of spiritual masters in the upper Amazon. Their tradition, that of Gods Multi-Colored People, as they know it, is the longest un-broken and non-syncretic tradition of working with the sacred brew Yagé, or Ayahuasca. The attitude, demeanor, habits and character of these ‘abuelitos’ symbolize the simple purity and deep peace that may be found with dedication to this spiritual path. Reflecting on my time spent with the Secoya, I’ve realized that many of the best lessons come not when they are teaching, but when they are just being themselves. Here are 9 simple rules for living, as learned from proper Yagé shaman of the Amazon. Abundant laughter is the hallmark of spiritual achievement. Laugh first and laugh often. All life is beautiful and priceless, and even the most pitiful or comical of creatures is infused with the sacred. Always be productive in the service to others, and even if all you can offer is a smile, your positive contribution is important. Love everyone equally, for we are all equal in spirit and life. Silence is golden. Communicating without speaking is more penetrative than attempting to express the infinite with language. It is in stillness you will find that which you seek. The ability to highly control one’s impulses is the key to spiritual advancement. Gentleness is often more powerful than force. Sincere dedication to spiritual development is the highest calling in life. Follow nature instead of following man, for the lessons in nature are universally true and infinitely pure. Final Thoughts “In the collision between the remoteness and purity of the rainforest realms and the crassness of consumer culture, the difference is so extreme that for the most part there has been no authentic or practical method for this medicine system as traditionally practiced to integrate and adapt to the changing [...]

2018-01-02T05:11:07-08:00By |

The 5 Most Dangerous Demands of Fear

It seems the fear is taking over. After all, it’s been such an integral part of our lives for such a long a time now that, sadly, life just wouldn’t feel normal without it. They used to say that if it bleeds it leads, implying that fear-pimping was somehow an acceptable part of economic growth. But, we know there’s more to the story. We know that fear is a tool used for social control. It’s a weapon of mass destruction and mass deterioration of mental health. It’s a technique used to entrap us into lower consciousness, to keep us humming along in a dense vibration. It keeps the reptilian brain in the driver’s seat, and used to create conflict and chaos. Most importantly, though, fear, whether real or perceived, keeps us focused on survival and security, forgetting that abundance and cooperation are both possible and far more enjoyable. “Fear begins and ends with the desire to be secure; inward and outward security, with the desire to be certain, to have permanency. The continuity of permanence is sought in every direction, in virtue, in relationship, in action, in experience, in knowledge, in outward and inward things. To find security and be secure is the everlasting cry. It is this insistent demand that breeds fear.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti Those in positions of power in government and in the media know this all too well. They use fear to influence the behavior of the masses. They front it as an offer we can’t refuse, telling us it’s okay to be afraid, because, we have them to protect us. They use it as justification for the ever-expanding military industrial complex and the Orwellian Permanent War. They use it to manufacture political consent, and to manufacture tolerance of the ever-incessant attacks on privacy and liberty. And here’s the catch-22: The more we give in to the tyranny of fear, the less secure we are. Fear is a trap, and here are five tricks it uses to enslave you. 1.) The Fear Tells You to Indulge in Anger and Hate This one is widely understood, but worth repeating. If you’re unable to overcome fear, then you’re open to anger and hate, of which we see so much of in our world today. What is rarely discussed, however, is that fear is what fuels the anger and hate, and that fear that drives the unrest and chaos we see in our world. Yoda, of course, said it best: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” ~Yoda 2.) The Fear Expects You to Abandon Rationality There’s a stark difference between fear and caution. Caution is a functional process that occurs in the present moment to keep us out of immediate danger. The fear in question here, on the other hand, is more like an art form, a type of refined capacity of human imagination. And imagination doesn’t need rationality. Fear tells us to ignore facts, statistics and direct experience, and focus [...]

2018-01-02T02:34:50-08:00By |

Psychedelics and Plant Medicines Dispel the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression

Depression is now the number one worldwide cause of disease and disability, according to the World Health Organization. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the psychiatric industry’s bible, defines depression as the near daily existence of at least 5 of the following 9 conditions: Depressed mood or irritable most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). 2. Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities, most of each day 3. Significant weight change (5%) or change in appetite 4. Change in sleep: Insomnia or hypersomnia 5. Change in activity: Psychomotor agitation or retardation 6. Fatigue or loss of energy 7. Guilt/worthlessness: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt 8. Concentration: diminished ability to think or concentrate, or more indecisiveness 9. Suicidality: Thoughts of death or suicide, or has suicide plan (Proposed (not yet adopted) anxiety symptoms that may indicate depression: irrational worry, preoccupation with unpleasant worries, trouble relaxing, feeling tense, fear that something awful might happen.) [Source] Diagnosis using this array of possibilities is highly subjective and hardly scientific, and the DSM-5 recommends treatment with pharmaceutical antidepressants, supportive psychotherapy, best guesses, trial and error, observation, hope and luck. Antidepressants aim to correct chemical imbalances in the brain by adding reactive chemicals to the body, an approach based on the theory that depression is the result of deficiencies in certain chemicals. This theory is tested by tinkering with brain chemistry while looking for signs of decrease in the aforementioned symptoms. This model is not at all unanimously agreed upon, but it dominates our treatment of depression, although it is just a guess, as admitted in the DSM-5 itself: The undoubtable success of various antidepressants has focused attention on the biogenic amines: given that all antidepressants have effects on either noradrenergic or serotoninergic functioning, it appears reasonable to assume that there is a complementary disturbance in these amines in patients with major depression. Despite enormous research effort, consistent findings implicating these amines have been difficult to obtain. One exception is the finding that, in patients with major depression currently in an SSRI-induced remission, a depletion of tryptophan, the dietary precursor of serotonin, is generally followed by a rapid relapse of depressive symptoms. [Source] The chemical imbalance theory is weak, but worse than that it’s one-dimensional, focusing on body chemistry alone without consideration of the emotional complexities of the human psyche and of life itself. Research into the use of the psychedelic drugs ecstasy, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin, and the use of shamanic plant medicines ayahuasca and iboga, takes us even further in dispelling the myth of the chemical imbalance theory. Patients, as well as many ordinary people who have experienced these substances, commonly report dramatic breakthroughs in their mental health, with even low doses. The commonality in these substances is that they have a distinct psychoactive element, drastically altering ordinary consciousness. Ayahuasca, for example is gaining [...]

2018-01-02T02:33:40-08:00By |

Heart Medicine – Awakening and Reconnecting to Your Soul with the Sacred Plant Iboga

“Man is a stream whose source is hidden. Our being is descending into us from we know not whence.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson If you could give the person that you loved most in all the world any gift you could possibly imagine, what gift would you choose? Would it be the same gift if the person you love most turned out to be yourself? What would you say or ask of yourself if you had the full attention of every dimension of you? What is it that you’d like to know, and what is it that you’d like to share with your very own soul? In the cultural absence of experiences which heal and renew, we are in a crisis of ill-being. With little footing in the world of spirit, we constantly burrow ourselves deeper into the void within, while always trying to fill that void with whatever materials we can find. Past traumas and unresolved doubts and fears are buried here, going unacknowledged to fester as wounds which carry us ever further away from our soul’s purpose, clouding the path and leaving open the door to self-destruction. “The [Bwiti] Fang believe each person is made of a body and a soul. The soul gives life to the body. Therefore, when the body dies, the soul lives on. Ancestors are believed to possess even more power as spirits than they had as living people. This is particularly true if the dead had lived honorably and had died in a similar fashion.” [Source] Face-to face reconnection with the soul is possible, however, with a shamanic plant medicine from the rainforests of Western Africa, iboga. It is the sacrament of the Bwiti, a thriving spiritual tradition which uses this hallucinogenic plant as a means of communing with one’s soul and with the soul’s of our ancestors. It’s not a religion, rather, more of a study of life itself, and the purity of its message is universal. Life is a gift. We ourselves are nature. Happiness is an inside job. There is but one truth. “From the Bwiti tradition of Africa, we know that each of our lives is a gift from our creator. And we know that when we are born, we are also given everything we need to live and to create a good life for ourselves, one filled with happiness. When we value our life experience and are deeply thankful for the gift of Life, it leads us to a deeper connection with our soul, our personal guide through life. Through guidance from our soul, we take action to create what needs to be done to be happy.” -Gary Cook, Iboga Wellness The Bwiti believe the answers to our questions about life are found within, and with iboga as the guide, the journey in search of truth begins with a face-to-face encounter with the over soul, that infinite part of us which carries the entire contents of our many lives, our accumulated knowledge, and our storybook of personal experience. [...]

2018-01-02T01:16:29-08:00By |

What 5 Great Spiritual Leaders Have to Say About the Deadly Sickness of Loneliness

Loneliness, when accepted, becomes a gift that will lead us to find a purpose in life. ~Paulo Coelho Loneliness is the illness of our time. Even medical research is warning us that it may be a bigger health risk than smoking or obesity. A stark warning which oddly contradicts the perception of cultural advancement in a technology driven world. After all, we can communicate with far more people and in far more ways than ever before, and we’re connected twenty-four seven. Yet we can still feel desperately alone when together with others in a crowd of people. Technological communication and connection isn’t giving us what we need. Something is missing. We’re overlooking something critical to the human experience, and loneliness has become the dark plague that torments the human soul. It’s not a physical or a mental ailment, meaning it’s not the result of a deficiency in health. It’s not governed by serotonin or some other neurological chemical processes. We cannot rationalize it away, or medicate it away with pharmaceuticals. Painful loneliness can affect anyone with a healthy body and mind, of any age, background, or belief system. Loneliness is a spiritual illness. It is a dearth in a very important kind of connection, something other than technological connection or even connection with the group. It is a crippling disorientation with the world we live in. In our inert world, where spiritual disorientation and groundlessness prevail, we are crippled by the great crisis of modernity: disenchantment. We try in vain to force-feed enchantment to each other, through television, sports, and movies. Our disenchantment, however, is not regarding a lack of entertainment, but rather a lack of self-permeability, a lack of connection with the cosmos. ~Gary Z McGee Examining the thoughts of some of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders sheds profound insight on the causes and the cures of loneliness. Their wisdom here seems to point in the same direction, offering hope when all seems lost. Consider the following… Paulo Coelho    Author Paulo Coelho, who is most well-known for his book The Alchemist, is someone who has experienced deep loneliness in his life, often writing on this theme in his many books. He speaks about the dynamics of loneliness, that paradoxical fact that sometimes we feel alone and do not like it, while at other times we feel like we need to be alone. A passage from his book Adultery sheds light on his perspective. It’s loneliness. Even though I’m surrounded by loved ones who care about me and want only the best, it’s possible they try to help only because they feel the same thing— loneliness— and why, in a gesture of solidarity, you’ll find the phrase “I am useful, even if alone” carved in stone.   Though the brain says all is well, the soul is lost, confused, doesn’t know why life is being unfair to it. But we still wake up in the morning and take care of our children, our husband, our lover, our [...]

2018-01-01T20:22:14-08:00By |

The 48 Most Essential Healing Herbs

People are once again turning towards natural medicines, foods and plants for their healing properties, realizing that modern medicine may not always be the best answer to the body’s ailments. The brief descriptions below will provide you with the basic information about some well-known herbs and botanicals. Click on any of the links to explore a large variety of herbal products now available on Amazon. You can also find many of these herbs at your local health food store. Please share your experiences and knowledge of these healing herbs in the comments section.   1. Acai Common Names: acai, açaí, Amazonian palm berry Latin Name: Euterpe oleracea The acai palm tree, native to tropical Central and South America, produces a reddish-purple berry. The acai berry’s name, which comes from a language of the native people of the region, means “fruit that cries.” The acai berry has long been an important food source for indigenous peoples of the Amazon region, who also use acai for a variety of health-related purposes. Acai berry products have become popular in the United States, where they have been marketed as folk or traditional remedies for weight-loss and anti-aging purposes, but there is no definitive scientific evidence to support these claims. Acai fruit pulp has been used experimentally as an oral contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the gastrointestinal tract. Acai berry products are available as juices, powders, tablets, and capsules. 2. Aloe Vera Common Names: aloe vera, aloe, burn plant, lily of the desert, elephant’s gall Latin Name: Aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis Aloe vera’s use can be traced back 6,000 years to early Egypt, where the plant was depicted on stone carvings. Known as the “plant of immortality,” aloe was presented as a burial gift to deceased pharaohs. Historically, aloe was used topically to heal wounds and for various skin conditions, and orally as a laxative. Today, in addition to these uses, aloe is used as a folk or traditional remedy for a variety of conditions, including diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and osteoarthritis. It is also used topically for osteoarthritis, burns, sunburns, and psoriasis. Aloe vera gel can be found in hundreds of skin products, including lotions and sunblocks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved aloe vera as a natural food flavoring. Aloe leaves contain a clear gel that is often used as a topical ointment. The green part of the leaf that surrounds the gel can be used to produce a juice or a dried substance (called latex) that is taken by mouth. 3. Asian Ginseng Common Names: Asian ginseng, ginseng, Chinese ginseng, Korean ginseng, Asiatic ginseng Latin Name: Panax ginseng Asian ginseng is native to China and Korea and has been used in various systems of medicine for many centuries. Asian ginseng is one of several types of true ginseng (another is American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius). The herb called Siberian ginseng or eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is not a true ginseng. Treatment claims for Asian ginseng are numerous and include the use of the herb to support overall health and boost the immune system. Traditional and folk uses of ginseng include improving the [...]

2018-05-05T05:23:14-07:00By |

3 Things You Must Do to Avoid the Popular Trap of Lower Consciousness

Such heavy times we live in, and so paradoxical, for while we have enormous material prosperity, light-speed digital connection, and fingertip access to nearly the entire history of human knowledge, we are strategically divided and frightened, force fed by a propagandized media and entertainment complex, and under the influence of a cultural sickness that values death above life. In a reality such as this, planet earth is too oft viewed as an arena of conflict rather than a sea of possibility, and in this age, the gravity of lower consciousness is mighty heavy. An upward shift in consciousness is the only way for the human race to survive this dilemma. But the shift is not something that happens once, then is complete forever. It is more akin to sailing the high seas in a one-man sloop, where constant attention must be given to the tautness of its sails, or else the vessel sets aimlessly adrift. Whichever direction the human race chooses to go is always the direct result of the level of consciousness in which individuals and the collective move from. If we make decisions and take action when fear, anxiety, scarcity, stress, and anger are at the helm, then we are certainly doomed. Should we, however, approach our burgeoning problems with care, creativity and respect for life, then any righteous outcome is possible. And likely. The catch is, though, while we can direct the power of intention to elevate the spirit and experience first hand the rewards of higher consciousness, the downward pressures of society tend to draw us into disremembrance, leading to unwitting abdication of our personal power, and hence spiritual depletion. In this way we are too easily swept along with the prevailing winds of popular hysteria, mindlessly indulging in lower frequency mindsets. Consciousness is eternally dynamic. Often a mere passing glance at the right idea is enough to rekindle the desire to see the manifestation of the higher self. For this, consider the following requisites for avoiding today’s traps of lower consciousness. 1.) Breakaway From the Popular Narrative and Create Your Own So much energy is lost in the pursuit of the popular narrative of reality. They call it current events because the ever-evolving story is intended to carry you, your thoughts, and your focus away, toward some frivolous destination. The juicy stream of drama and detail that surfaces in media is formulated to commandeer your attention and direct it onto the destructive and consumptive qualities of the human experience. Attention is a most valuable commodity today, too valuable to give away, in fact. Abandon the mainline script, jump ship, and direct your focus onto the story you are creating about your own life. Turn off, tune out and reject that which does not serve you well, and in this way you may retain ownership of your conscious self, avoiding the pitfalls of the reptilian and hive minds. 2.) Disengage in Confusion and Conflict for the Pursuit of Clarity   So much of public discourse today is a mindless exercise in chaos, and argumentation has [...]

2020-10-05T10:48:16-07:00By |

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