Dr Matt Newsletter October 19, 2022 "Death as an Advisor"
Supporting healthy social interactions and diversity of health choices
Below are some interesting items I like to share each week and please feel free to send me ideas of your own for the newsletter. Today’s newsletter sections include:
Humor of the week - the frustration and anxiety of Mindfulness practice
A Lesson from Native American Shaman Don Juan Matus recorded in the book, Journey to Ixtlan, by Carlos Castaneda: “Using death as an advisor”, and “dropping our pettiness”.
Inspirational quote from Psalm 90
Musical selections of the week: Country wisdom and learning from our own mortality
Community building – Farmer’s Markets - great produce and support for our local farms.
Family-run business of the week: Optimal Body – health, nutrition, and fitness with Cory and Mumta
Research of the week –Prayer and mindfulness practice changes perspectives – including in brain scans of prayerful Catholic nuns and mindful Buddhist monks
Yours truly, one moment at a time.
Matt Irwin
Moral of this week’s newsletter from Psalm 90:12: “Learn that you must die, that you may gain a heart of wisdom” (Fabrycky, 2020, page 188), 😊
Humor of the week - the frustration and anxiety of Mindfulness practice
Inspirational quotes from Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda’s books about his apprenticeship to native american teacher and shaman Don Juan Matus may not be totally accurate. However, the life lessons are timeless, and likely based in real experiences that he had during his trips to Mexico to study with Don Juan, originally as part of his PhD in anthropology research, and later for his own personal knowledge and learning.
In his books, Carlos describes how much fun Don Juan had by pushing Carlos’s ego to the brink. In this section from the book, Journey to Ixtlan, Don Juan scares him with theatrical wizardry so that his fear of death will help him see a new perspective on his “pettiness”:
“Don Juan said ‘The thing to do when you're impatient is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death. An immense amount of pettiness is dropped if your death makes a gesture to you, or if you catch a glimpse of it, or if you just have the feeling that your companion is there watching you.’
After using theatrical efforts to bring Carlos a close awareness of his own impending death, Carlos writes:
"I argued that he had pressed the issue far enough because I was terrified. He had one of his roaring belly laughs. … and explained, ‘Death is the only wise advisor that we ever have’… He smiled and hummed a Mexican tune. ‘Yes, one of us here has to change and fast. One of us here has to learn that death is always to one's left. One of us here has to ask death’s advice and drop the cursed pettiness that belongs to men who live their lives as if death will never tap them.’ He began to laugh again, and for some reason his laughter was no longer offensive to me. It did not differ in tone or quality - the new element was my mood. In view of my impending death, my fears and annoyance were nonsense."
Music of the week: Country Wisdom
I like all types of music, as you can tell from all the different styles I have had in my newsletters :-). However, I did not fully appreciate country music until I watched the Ken Burns special last fall – all 10 hours of it! The lyrics in Country tunes are perhaps the most emotional of all the genres out there, and they can also make you think. Below are three songs about using death as an advisor, which might make Don Juan smile a bit.
Willie Nelson - Still Not Dead – Willie hit a low point trying to make it Nashville, the Mecca of country music. One cold, snowy night he attempted suicide in a unique way, by lying in the middle of Broadway Street, Nashville's main thoroughfare, waiting for a vehicle to strike him. "I lay, prepared to stay. Eyes closed. Ready to move on and move out. If this world wasn't working, maybe the next one would" he wrote in a recent book. The cars avoided him, he moved to Texas, and the rest is history.
Tim McGraw – Live Like You Were Dying – Live like you were dying is one way to have our mortality advise us about living life to the fullest, and “dropping our pettiness” as Don Juan would say. However, most people would not choose to climb a mountain - research efforts show that most people want more quality time with friends and family, and perhaps a chance to compassionately resolve some “unfinished business”.
Johnny Cash – Ain’t No Grave – In typical defiant fashion, Johnny faces death with open arms and a bit of bravado, saying that there ain’t no grave that can hold his body down even with “angels comin’ after me”. This was his last album, and he died before it was released.
Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson - Lay me Down: Loretta Lynn died two weeks before this writing, on October 4, 2022. She and Willie recorded this together in 2016, about death as a peaceful rest: “when they lay me down someday, my soul will rise and fly away”. This may remind you if my research section on Near Death Experiences from the September 14th newsletter.
Community Building: Farmer’s Markets
There are farmer’s markets seemingly everywhere, including on most weekdays. This is a great opportunity to meet local farmers, ask them when is the best time to buy various crops, and support local farms. Paying cash also helps them with their bottom line. Below are some links to our area’s markets.
Alexandria City: Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The main one in front of town hall on King Street is open year round
https://washington.org/visit-dc/washington-dc-farmers-markets#
Arlington County– Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of November https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Topics/Urban-Agriculture/Farmers-Markets
Fairfax County– Every day except Monday and Tuesday
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farmersmarkets/
Washington DC – pretty much every day of the week:
https://washington.org/visit-dc/washington-dc-farmers-markets#
Prince William County – Thursdays Saturdays and Sundays
https://www.pwcva.gov/department/parks-recreation-tourism/farmers-market
Family-Run Business of the week: Optimal Body – health, nutrition, and fitness with Cory and Mumta –
Drs Cory Aplin and Mumta Purohit developed the Optimal Body Weight Loss Systems after coming to the realization that what works for people to lose weight in their 20's and 30's doesn't work very well in their 40's and beyond. With so many men and women exercising regularly and still not losing weight, or only eating one meal a day, yet still gaining weight, a more comprehensive approach needed to be developed. The Optimal Body programs are based around fixing the root cause of weight gain instead of endlessly chasing symptoms. Phase 1 is to remove the barriers to losing weight by reducing inflammation and toxins. Phase 2 is supporting the hormones that burn fat, regulate appetite, and reduce cravings. Phase 3 involves working 1 on 1 with a health coach to customize an eating plan around each individual's tastes, so they can develop new eating habits that are easy to follow, without any harsh dieting or beating themselves up at the gym. By combining high quality nutrient supplementation with lifestyle modification, people are able to lose weight quickly, while establishing new habits to keep the weight off for good. A free consultation can be booked by visiting www.MyOptimalBody.com