The Master Cleanse, PART THREE: How to Do It

So, now you know a little bit about the history of the Master Cleanse and why it works. But you still need instructions on exactly how to do it. In this third installment, I'll tell you everything you need to know to get started.  I'll give special instructions to those who only eat raw food.

As I explained before, the Master Cleanse involves two aspects, which are drinking your lemonade and doing the salt flush. You also must completely abstain from eating any food. All you're allowed to have is your lemonade, water, and some herbal tea if you like.

Usually when reading information about the Master Cleanse, the importance of abstaining from food and not "cheating" is over-emphasized. The reason is because many people have a hard time wrapping their brains around the concept of not eating.

For example, I once recommended the Master Cleanse to a client with chronic lower back pain. She told me she did it for ten days, but it didn't help her pain. First of all, even though ten days is the minimum length of time, it might not be long enough. Second of all, she continued to eat one meal a day! She would drink her lemonade throughout the day, then eat a healthy dinner. She also did not do the salt flush. What she did is not the Master Cleanse! The Master Cleanse is not the Slim Fast diet! It's a fast, done for the purpose of cleansing. In order for it to work, you must abstain from food completely and you must do the salt flush.

Because many people don't understand the concept of completely abstaining from food, most information you read states that you must never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever cheat. The authors are trying to drive the concept of food abstinence through your skull, which they assume is thick. While this approach to teaching is understandable, it unfortunately has given many people the false impression that if they cheat, they have completely ruined the cleanse and either have to start all over again, or might as well quit. This is absolutely not true!

Cheating isn't advisable for three reasons. One, it's a slippery slope. Two, it can throw off your metabolism and make it harder for you to stick to your cleanse. It's like getting that first taste of blood, so to speak.  Three, a lot cheating will indeed reduce the efficacy of your cleanse, because you're making your digestive system work and taking energy away from your cleansing and healing process.

However, it's important to understand that a little slip and fall will not completely ruin your cleanse by any means. You don't have to start over, and you shouldn't quit. You also haven't done any damage to yourself, as some people also fear. As long you don't feel any major sickness or pain, then you're all-right, and you're still cleansing. All you have to do is get right back on the horse and keep going. Keep on counting your days, because you're still rolling! Don't be discouraged, because there's no need to be. You haven't missed a beat.

That being said, how you break your fast is very important. Once your digestive system has shut down, you must be very gentle in waking it back up again. If you were to go for thirty days without eating and then all of a sudden eat a high protein or high fiber meal, that's something that could potentially send you to the hospital. Protein and fiber are the hardest to digest, and so the whole point of the fast is to avoid these two elements, so that the energy normally used for digestion can be used for cleansing and healing.

If you do decide to quit your cleanse early for whatever reason, it's important to still follow the proper steps for breaking your fast. I'll be explaining these steps later.

First, let's talk about the lemonade. As I discussed before, the lemon juice and cayenne pepper will help to detoxify your system, and give you nutrients. The grade B or grade C maple syrup will also give you nutrients, as well as the calories and carbohydrates you need to feel full and continue functioning normally.

It's very important to use grade B or grade C maple syrup. You must not use grade A. This is an absolute must not. The higher the grade, the more refined it is, which means the carbohydrates are more refined. While you don't want your digestive system working too hard, you also don't want the carbohydrates to absorb too quickly. If they do, they will actually destabilize your metabolism and have the opposite effect of what you want.

Many people with metabolic imbalances, such as diabetes, believe that the Master Cleanse would be unsafe for them. The exact opposite is true. Thirty days on the Master Cleanse will actually cure most cases of diabetes. Over the last six decades, the Master Cleanse has cured countless cases of diabetes. However, it's very important to use grade B or grade C maple syrup instead of grade A. You'll have to go a health food store.

Stanley Burroughs, who developed the Master Cleanse, recommended using organic lemons and organic maple syrup, because of their higher nutritional content and lower level of toxic chemicals. This is the best thing to do. However, many people find that financial restraints or convenience factors make it difficult for them to buy organic. If this is the case, non-organic products will actually do just fine. Many people use non-organic products and still end up with fantastic results. Because lemons have a thick rind, the juice inside has fairly good (though not perfect) protection against pesticides. I sometimes use a combination of organic and non-organic products.

It's very important to use fresh squeezed lemon juice, not bottled lemon juice. If you don't have a juicer, you'll need to get one. You'll want a juicer that can remove most of the pulp, since you don't want to be digesting fiber. You can get a perfectly good juicer of this sort for about thirty to thirty five dollars. I bought mine at Target. You can also buy an electric citrus squeezer for only about twenty dollars. However, my experience has been that the juicer is much more efficient, and therefore you'll end up using a lot less lemons. Of course, you can also buy a fancier juicer if you want to continue juicing or making smoothies when you're finished.

Now, I'm going to finally give you the right proportions! For every eight ounces of water, you'll want to use two tablespoons of maple syrup and two tablespoons of lemon juice, which is about half a lemon. You'll use one-tenth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Any cayenne pepper will do, but organic and higher quality brands are preferred. Drink at least two liters a day, but drink as much as you need to stay full. There's no limit to how much you can drink, and there's nothing wrong with drinking it constantly.

In addition to your lemonade, you'll also want to drink plenty of water. Water actually helps you feel full, and it keeps you hydrated, which is very important while cleansing. If you aren't adequately hydrated, then your body can't properly eliminate toxins. I've personally suffered the consequences of not drinking enough water while cleansing, and becoming dehydrated. Don't let that happen to you! If you feel like you're drinking an absurd amount of fluid and going to the bathroom a ridiculous number of times per day, you're doing it right.

While I'm on the subject of water, I want to mention the importance of using spring water rather than distilled or "purified" water. Scientific research has proven that distilled water actually leeches nutrients from the body. The reason is because the distillation process removes minerals and electrolytes from the water, so the water molecule then takes these nutrients from your body in order to complete itself again. Buy only spring water.

Now, on day three or four of the Master Cleanse, you'll want to begin doing the salt water flush. The process for this is also simple. You'll need between thirty two and thirty four ounces of lukewarm water, and two teaspoons of sea salt. Sea salt is best. It's easily found, as well as cheap, so there's no reason not to have it. However, in the absence of sea salt, any non-iodized salt will do. The salt must be non-iodized. If all you have is iodized salt, then hold off on doing the flush until you have salt that's non-iodized.

You want the water to be lukewarm, about the same temperature as your body. When you stick your finger in it, it should feel neutral or slightly warm. The amount of salt will also be in about the same proportion as what  is in your body. Because of that, the water won't digest. It will instead irrigate your bowels. Basically, it'll go in one end and come out the other.

Stanley Burroughs recommended doing the salt flush first thing in the morning, when your stomach is completely empty. However, this can be difficult for people who have to go to work in the morning. Once you drink your salt water, you'll need to stay near a toilet for the next couple of hours while you have multiple bowel movements you won't be able to hold. Many people don't have time for this in the morning, and you certainly don't want any nasty surprises during your commute.

If it's not convenient for you to do the salt flush in the morning, you can do it in the evening. In fact, some sources even recommend doing it in the evening, I'm guessing because of the convenience factor. I recommend abstaining from lemonade for at least an hour or two before doing the flush, in order to empty out your stomach. You'll need to be well-hydrated, but don't overload your body with water right beforehand.

After you drink your salt water, you'll want to continue drinking plain water in order to assist yourself in the process. For me, the salt flush only works if I continue drinking water after I've had my salt water.

The best way to drink your salt water is to just drink it! Don't try to sip it. Just chug it. Pretend you're a frat guy drinking a beer and just chug. To me, the taste is not that bad. Some people say they can't stand it, or that it makes them feel sick to their stomach. This is the part where you're going to have to suck it up. The faster you drink it, the faster you get it over with. Stop being a baby and just chug the damn thing. After you do the flush two or three times, you'll start to get over it.

If you absolutely cannot stand to drink the salt water, there's the option of using an herbal laxative tea. First drink the tea, then continue drinking water. You don't have to chug the tea, but you'll want to drink it fairly quickly so that you don't render it impotent by spacing it out too much. Needless to say, you should not add anything to the tea.

Some sources recommend using laxatives as an alternative to the salt water. This is very bad advice. You should not use laxatives of any sort, because they're made out of chemical poison, and that's the last thing you want. Even so-called natural laxatives are not acceptable. Only use the herbal laxative tea, if you can't handle the salt water.

It's very important to do the salt flush while on the Master Cleanse, and to start soon, within a few days of beginning your lemonade fast. The salt flush is the other half of the Master Cleanse. If you don't do the salt flush, then you aren't doing the Master Cleanse. You're fasting on lemonade, but you're not doing the Master Cleanse!

If you can't do the salt flush every day, at least make sure you do it several times throughout your cleanse. My recommendation is that you should do it a minimum of two or three times a week during a standard thirty to forty day cleanse. If you're doing a shorter cleanse, you should try to get in as many flushes as possible. Burroughs strongly advocated doing it every day, regardless of the duration of your fast.

If the salt flush doesn't work, it could be for several reasons. Maybe you need to wait another day, maybe your stomach wasn't empty enough, or maybe you need to adjust the amount of salt and/or the temperature of the water. Some people find they they need to use more salt, or less salt. Experiment until you get it right. You could start with trying an extra teaspoon of salt, since it's common for some people to need a little more salt.

If you make the mistake of waiting too long to do the salt flush, or the mistake of not drinking enough water, you may suffer consequences. You'll be more likely to experience things like fatigue, soreness, headaches, and restlessness. If that happens, it won't be too severe and it can easily be corrected by drinking more water and doing the salt flush. I have made both mistakes, so don't let it happen to you.

There is one special treat you get to have during the Master Cleanse, which is non-caffeinated herbal tea. When you're fasting, opportunities to drink herbal tea become very exciting. However, don't drink more than two or three cups a day at the most, because you don't want to overload your system with herbs. If you're drinking a lot of herbal tea and start feeling tweeky, cut back a little bit. Herbs will effect your system more strongly while you're fasting. I recommend avoiding anything that tastes harsh to you. You don't want to take in herbs that are hard for you to digest. Remember that you don't want to work your digestive system too hard, because that defeats the purpose of fasting.

Burroughs recommended drinking peppermint tea while on the cleanse. It's refreshing and soothing, and easy to digest. It also has detoxifying properties of it's own. It reduces body and breath odor, which can increase somewhat while your body is releasing toxins. It also has the added benefit of decreasing your appetite.

Needless to say, you can't add sugar or honey to your tea. However, you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup, or however much maple syrup you like. A cup of peppermint tea with a tablespoon of maple syrup is absolutely delicious. I'm drinking one right now as I write this article, on my 23rd day of the Master Cleanse, and I'm enjoying it immensely. When I feel a bit restless, I have a cup of chamomile. I actually avoid all other herbs, for the most part. You'll find what works for you.

Do not drink black tea, green tea, white tea (a form of green tea), or "regular" tea, even if it's decaffeinated. It will be too hard on your digestive system. Green tea is very healthy, but don't drink it at this time. You should only drink herbal teas that taste and feel mild to you. 

Now it's finally time to discuss the proper way of breaking your fast. Doing it the right way is very important for your safety, and that isn't an exaggeration. This is serious business. You can't eat just anything, or else you might land yourself in the hospital and be in a lot of pain. Fortunately, human beings have enough common sense that this basically never happens.

Breaking the fast is a three day process, called "easing out." If three days is too quick for you, the process can be lengthened.  If you want to lengthen it, feel free to modify as you please, as long you don't skip steps.

On day one, you'll want to start with fresh squeezed orange juice. Use your juicer to juice oranges. If you can, go ahead and allow some pulp, so your body can start digesting a little bit of fiber again. If your juicer doesn't let you allow pulp, that's all-right. There's no certain amount you need to drink, but I recommend juicing several oranges throughout the day. Drink a lot, as much you want. You can water it down if you want, but you don't have to. You can also drink some lemonade if you feel like the orange juice isn't enough. Keep drinking water.

On day two, you can start making vegetable soup and/or blending. You don't want to eat raw vegetables, because they'll be too hard on your digestive system. Do not use canned soup. Make some! If you've never made soup before, it's very easy. I like using the crock-pot. Any recipe will do, as long as it's vegan. Go easy on the spices, because they'll taste very strong to you and could upset your stomach. If you only eat raw food, you can try blending instead. Make smoothies with fruits and vegetables. If you're a raw foodie, you probably already have the necessary equipment. Blending the fruits and vegetables will make them easier to digest.

On day three, start eating raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat your soup too, if you like. Do not eat any meat, dairy, or anything processed. Because you're avoiding processed foods, also do not eat any soy products or other processed vegetarian foods, such as "garden" burgers or fake chicken or any of that. Eat only foods that are both vegetarian and all-natural. If you want to eat something high in protein such as beans, nuts, or brown rice, eat a small amount. Don't overdose on the protein. For some people, this type of diet or something similar to this is a way of life and will obviously remain so.

If you want to, you can also "ease in" to the Master Cleanse starting three days before. Just follow the same steps in reverse. However, if you find yourself unable to get past the ease-in process, you might actually find it easier to just simply dive right in. That's how I do it. 

On day four of easing out, you can begin returning to your normal diet. Still take care to take it slow and listen to your body. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you feel up to it, but don't run back to the chili cheese fries and start undoing all the good you just did! If you do, that's all-right. Your body will still benefit from the fact that you did the Master Cleanse, and nobody can ever take that away from you. However, it's best to use this as an opportunity to develop better habits. You now have a clean slate and a balanced metabolism with which to start over.  You are new again.

Different people have different diets that they consider healthy. Some like to eat lean meat, while others believe that vegan is the only way to go. I'm not here to tell you what your normal diet should or shouldn't be, other than to say that you should avoid processed foods and be sensible, eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Whatever you consider a healthy diet for yourself is fine with me. Remember:

The Master Cleanse is for EVERYBODY!!! It does not matter who you are or what you normally eat. Everybody can and should do the Master Cleanse.

In part four, I'll give you strategies for success, helpful tips, and ideas about what to expect. Many people experience "healing events," which I'll talk more about. I'll also get down and dirty about the salt water flush by discussing it in more detail, so you won't be surprised by anything. There are some ways of slightly modifying the Master Cleanse, which I'll also share with you.

In part five, the final part, I'll discuss the spiritual benefits of doing the Master Cleanse. Fasting is always beneficial, but I also believe there's something special about the Master Cleanse.  

I plan to have both articles out by the end of this week. ;)







 



 


   



   








 

The Master Cleanse, PART TWO: What It Is and How It Works

The Master Cleanse is a system of detoxifying the entire body. The method is quite simple really. You make a lemonade using spring water, fresh squeezed lemons, grade B or grade C maple syrup, and just a pinch of cayenne pepper, in certain proportions. You then drink as much lemonade as you need throughout the day to maintain a feeling of fullness. You don't eat any food, take any supplements, or consume anything else, except water and maybe some plain herbal tea if you like. You do this for at least ten days, and preferably thirty to forty days for a thorough cleanse. That's it.

Well, that's almost it. There's also something called the salt flush, which you should do every day or at least a few times a week while you're on the Master Cleanse, beginning on day three or four. The salt flush is a vital part of the cleanse. All you do is drink a tall glass of salt water, designed to be about the same temperature with the about the same proportion of salt as your body. The salt water runs through your system without digesting and irrigates your entire digestive tract. Basically, it goes in one end and comes out the other.

The salt flush method of cleansing the digestive tract is superior to the use of colonics, because a colonic only irrigates the colon, or lower intestines. The salt flush irrigates the entire upper, middle, and lower intestines, along with the rest of the digestive tract. And you can do it by yourself at home just by drinking a glass of salt water. For those who can't handle drinking salt water, there's the alternative of using laxative herbal tea followed by water.

The lemonade works in conjunction with the salt flush. Both the lemon juice and cayenne pepper help to loosen excess mucus in your body, which is attached to toxins and waste. Excess mucus is also related to excessive inflammation, which is related to all manner of illness and disease. One reason why taking fish oil or flax seed oil is so beneficial to overall health is because it reduces inflammation in the body. Fasting is the best way to quickly and drastically reduce the amount of inflammation in your entire body.


Not only will the lemon juice and cayenne pepper act to loosen mucus throughout the digestive tract, but they will also loosen mucus and reduce inflammation throughout all of your internal organs, including your lungs and sinuses. Many people with sinus and respiratory problems get better on the Master Cleanse. Many people with acne, such as myself, notice that their skin is perfectly clear toward the end of a thirty day cleanse. The cleansing that is happening to your skin is also happening to your entire body, inside and out. Your skin is only a reflection of your body's health. While fasting, you might hear people comment on how bright or glowing your skin looks.

After three or four days of drinking your lemonade and abstaining from food, you are ready to begin flushing. You system is completely empty, and the toxic build-up in your intestines has been loosened. After drinking your salt water, stay near a bathroom for the next couple of hours. The process is not painful and not too uncomfortable for most people, but you will spend a considerable amount of time sitting on the toilet. There may be a little bit of cramping involved, but there may not be. It also feels quite refreshing and pleasant in a way that you have never felt before. You can feel the sensation of being deeply cleansed from the inside out, and it actually gives you a very refreshed feeling unlike any other.

Doing the salt flush throughout your cleanse can clear away up to five pounds or more of toxic build-up that is trapped inside your intestines. Not only is this good for your health, for fairly obvious reasons, but it will also flatten out your stomach and add to an appearance of thinness.

Your intestines are the place where all of your fuel, all of your physical energy, is processed. The health of your intestines has been shown to be related to your physical health in general, which is why colonics have become so popular. Not only are your intestines related to your physical well-being, but they're also related to your psychological well-being. A clean intestinal tract facilitates the proper balance of hormones, and the proper balance of neuropeptides such as serotonin.

The fresh lemon juice and cayenne pepper will do more than just loosen up all that toxic stuff that's in you. They also contain a rich, complex blend of vitamins and minerals that will nourish you while you're doing your cleanse. The grade B or grade C maple syrup will also give you nutrients, as well as the complex carbohydrates and energy you need to go on living your life normally. You can even continue to exercise. In fact, you can drink up to 2,000 calories or more per day!

You are not starving! You are being given everything you need. In fact, the Master Cleanse might even replenish certain nutrients you're currently deficient in. For example, grade B or grade C maple syrup contains a rich B vitamin complex, and most people in our society are deficient in B vitamins. If your diet is normally not very healthy, then by the end of the Master Cleanse you'll probably have more adequate nutrition within your body than you do right now.

Anyone can do the Master Cleanse! Anyone! The first time I did the Master Cleanse, I was eating a lot of fast food and usually had an unhealthy diet with a lot of fatty meat and heavy food. I just dove right into it, and went for 27 days! If I can do it, anybody can do it! I still don't have a perfect lifestyle, but I believe that cleansing periodically helps to mitigate some of the effects of poor lifestyle choices, and it makes changes in your body and your mind that encourage you to make changes in your everyday life.

Eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables is also considered a form of fasting. In fact, eating nothing but raw food for thirty days will cure most cases of diabetes, in much the same way that the Master Cleanse will. However, a raw food diet will not give your body the same thorough cleansing as the Master Cleanse. Some who have been raw foodies for years may feel that the Master Cleanse is not necessary for them, and that's perfectly fine. However, I believe that anyone who chooses to do the Master Cleanse will benefit from it. It's also easy to transition back and forth from the Master Cleanse to a raw food diet, and I'll explain how in part three.

Anyone can do the Master Cleanse! The Master Cleanse is for EVERYBODY!!!

Next: How to Do It

The Master Cleanse, PART ONE: A Breif History

                                   

For the last two weeks that I've been on the Master Cleanse, I've received a lot of questions from people who want to know more about it. I did a Google search on the Master Cleanse and noticed there's actually a lack of concise, accurate information. That might be one reason I've received so many questions. In response, I decided to write an article series that will hopefully satisfy most of your curiosities and help get you started.

In this five-part article series, I'll give you a brief history of  how the Master Cleanse was developed, an explanation of how it works, instructions on how to do it, tips and strategies for success, and a discussion of the spirituality that is linked to it. My primary reference is The Master Cleanser, by Stanley Burroughs, as well as my own experience.

A Brief History

The Master Cleanse was developed in the 1940's by a man named Stanley Burroughs who studied and embodied the practice of natural living. In his time, the use of fasting to treat and sometimes cure diseases was still used in some hospitals and medical centers. Throughout history, many have believed that fasting periodically is beneficial or even vital to one's health. Fasting has been known to cure a variety of diseases, including cancer, liver disease and heart disease, among many other things. It can also cure common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and ulcers.

There are other ways to achieve these results, but fasting works by giving the body a thorough internal cleansing from the inside out. It will cleanse your digestive system, internal organs, skin cells, lymphatic and circulatory systems, and essentially your entire body. Fasting will flush toxic tissue out of the body, including tumors and other harmful wastes. 

Your body uses a lot of energy in the process of digestion. When you're not digesting food, this energy is freed to get to work on giving your body a thorough cleansing. Your body goes into a state of repair and regeneration. As you start to break down unhealthy tissue, you'll also accelerate the growth of new, healthy tissue. During a fast, you go deep into a healing process. It revitalizes you at a cellular level, and maybe even at a genetic level.

It is said that a person can go for 40 days with nothing but water, without experiencing any malnutrition or any tissue damage. What Burrough's witnessed was that water fasts were sometimes being used in medical facilities where the fasting patients were being monitored by professionals and sometimes given IV's in addition to water, but sometimes not. The fasts often succeeded in curing illnesses, sometimes even when quite severe or advanced.

However, for most people water fasts are very difficult to do, and not necessary. It can also be very difficult to function on a water fast, if not impossible. Some people might even feel sick if they don't eat, especially if they already have a metabolic imbalance. Therefore, Stanley Burroughs developed something that's basically the closest thing to a water fast you can do without it being a water fast, and it's surprisingly doable. While you're on it, you're actually getting a rich blend of nutrients and up to 2,000 calories or more per day.

The Master Cleanse has cured countless people of uclers, hypertension, and diabetes over the decades. It's also been used to assist people as a complementary therapy in more serious cases. The Master Cleanse is done for ten to forty days, with a standard fast being thirty days. Thirty days is a standard length of time for anyone wanting to achieve a thorough physical cleansing. (For a water fast, the standard length of time is ten days.)

Along with a physical cleansing, there's also a spiritual or energetic cleansing that occurs, which can have lasting effects in one's life. Of course we all know the story of Jesus fasting for 40 days in the desert, the amount of time a person can live without food. Buddha fasted, and many other stories about fasting have existed throughout ancient history. Bourrough's believed that God, nature, people and animals are all one and all the same. I'll briefly discuss his spiritual philosophy, and my thoughts on the benefits of doing the Master Cleanse that actually go beyond the benefits to your physical body.

Next: What It Is

Avatar: Controversial?

Yesterday my boyfriend and I saw "Avatar" in 3-D at the Paseo in Pasadena. The film was hard not to enjoy. The visual effects were spectacular. The anti-war, pro-nature message was easy to swallow. Even the popcorn tasted good. But some have found reason to criticize, and I must admit that although I was enraptured, there was something about it that bothered me too.

"Avatar" is a futuristic sci-fi film that uses cutting edge technology to create stunning visuals. In the story, an army of white male humans occupy another planet, named Pandora, which is populated by a race of blue humanoid beings who call themselves Na’vi. Humans seek to control Pandora because they found a mineral, which they now consider valuable, within the soil. The analogy is so obvious it hardly needs to be explained. "Avatar," like other classic sci-films before it such as "Star Wars" and "Dune," makes a thinly veiled statement against imperialism. 

It’s an entertaining film, and people are eating it up as fast as popcorn with extra butter. So far it's the second highest grossing film of all time, raking in $1.6 billion dollars as of today, only $230 million behind the number one grossing film. The earnings are somewhat bolstered by 3-D ticket sales, but that's still impressive.

The question of who is number one is moot regardless. The number one grossing film of all time, "The Titanic," was directed by the same person, Canadian-born James Cameron. He also directed "The Terminator," "Alien," and many other well-known films. On Sunday, Cameron received a trophy to add to his collection when "Avatar" won a Golden Globe for best director. It also won best drama. But not everybody liked it.

The most prominent critics have been the folks from The Vatican A.P. radio station, and Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. These venues have criticized "Avatar" for it's portrayal of the Na'vi as having a nature-based, “pantheistic” form of spirituality. They consider it blasphemous to elevate nature to the level of a deity, and that’s what they believe is being promoted. Pope Benedict XVI has not made any official statements concerning the film, but in the past has warned against the dangers of neo-paganism and turning nature into "a new divinity."

Catholics aren't the only religious folks with concerns. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, asked Cameron to put a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the movie. He wanted it to state that the movie has no relationship to Hinduism. In Hinduism, the word "avatar" means descent or incarnation. Zed believes the movie misuses a concept from an ancient religion, which is followed by one third of the world’s population.

The flippant use of the word "avatar" is not new, however. For years, the word "Avatar" has been used to refer to the graphic one uses to represent oneself on the Internet. "Avatar: The Last Airbender," is a video game based on a television series by the same name. "Avatar," the TV show, first aired on Nickelodeon in 2005. In 2008, the show was made into a full length movie. There was a sequel video game called "Avatar: The Burning Earth."

Hindus aren’t the only ones to have their ancient sacred religion hijacked by a video game. There's also a video game character named Metatron, who happens to have the same name as an archangel from the Jewish Kabbalah. 

Despite the concerns raised by the Universal Society of Hinduism, "Avatar" has been a huge hit across India. According to Entertainment Daily, "Avatar" broke block office records during its opening weekend in India, beating out many classic Bollywood films and making it the number one Hollywood film in terms of opening sales. The number of 3-D screens in India has increased from 12 to over 50, exemplifying the extent to which the film is a hugely successful international money-making venture.

If what I learned in logic is correct, not all Hindus live in India and not all Indians are Hindu. Nonetheless, I think it's safe to say that most Hindus aren’t really up in arms. Perhaps most Catholics aren't either. At the end of the day, most everyone will buy a ticket and take his or her seat. I did, and I'm glad. It was worth the price of admission, as they say. However, there was one thing about it that bothered me, as well as other critics.

In "Avatar," the hero of the story is a white US military guy, an ex-marine named Jack Sully. He occupies a Na’vi body that was built in a test tube, known as an “avatar.” The Na’vi accept him as one of their own, and ultimately he becomes their hero. He fulfills one of their prophesies and becomes a savior figure to them. As I watched the Na’vi literally bow down to him, I felt a little sick to stomach. I felt a hint of racism.

Some critics have accused "Avatar" of perpetuating "the white messiah fable," the patronizing liberal myth that a white savior must come along to rescue the indigenous people under attack, who are ultimately not smart enough to save themselves. I got the same feeling, which is where I think that uncomfortable sensation in my stomach came from. That, and too much soda.

Even the actors who portrayed the five main Na'vi characters are African-American, with the exception of one. Wes Studi, who is Cherokee, played their chief. The chief’s daugher, Neytiri, was played by African-American actress Zoë Saldaña. The Na'vi are portrayed as being at one with nature, but they're also portrayed as animalistic and in need of rescue. I wonder if maybe there is indeed a patronizing subtext.

However, there's also another way of looking at it. Cameron has commented that the Na'vi are representative of our higher selves. Looking beyond the obvious white messiah fable that has been told by Hollywood so many times, I believe that Avatar is also a story about all of us getting in touch with, and ultimately saving, ourselves.

Regardless of the debate, "Avatar" is undeniably worthy of merit. For the most part, the film will be remembered as having a positive message during a time when a positive message was much needed. James Cameron makes no qualms about his political agenda, and is very open about the film's anti-war message. Cameron's anti-establishment views can also be detected fairly easily in "The Terminator," "Alien," and "The Titanic."

Like it or not, "Avatar" has been a huge hit around the world. Perhaps the most positive effect it can have is to give us confidence. So often we feel there's nothing we can do to help others or even ourselves, but "Avatar" shows us how people can work together to make changes.

We all can sympathize with the Na’vi, and we all can sympathize with Jack Sully. Not only do Jack Sully and other humans help the Na'vi, but tribes of Na'vi across the planet Pandora join together in the revolution. Perhaps we also can join together in an international revolution. Maybe it will even be intergalactic. 

The Ancient World Revisited, The Future World Revised

All my life I've been told the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built by slaves. In grade school we learned about slaves being forced to lug around all those big, heavy blocks. That's what I've seen depicted in films. I've even seen cartoon satires of emaciated Egyptian slaves toiling in the desert under the burn of a hot sun and the lash of a cruel whip.

In some way, these images of slavery took away from the beauty and magnificence of the pyramids. One of humanities greatest achievements was also based on humanity's inhumanity. It made me wonder whether or not the pyramids would have ever been built were it not for slavery, and whether or not that justifies it in some unfortunate way. It seemed like a paradox. Do the ends justify the means? In college, such historical facts were used as points of philosophical discussion.   

But on Tuesday, January 12th, the pyramid was turned on it's point. Egypt's chief archeologist Zahi Hawass announced that the pyramids were not, in fact, built by slaves. They were built by free workers who were buried beside the king, which is a sign of great honor. Within some of the worker's tombs, there were writings on the wall describing them as friends of the king. And they were very well fed.

The building of the pyramids was a project everyone supported. Farmers in the region who donated food to the the workers were exempt from paying taxes. As a result, approximately 21 buffalo and 23 sheep were sent to feed them daily.

This is just one of many myths about the ancient world that has been turned on it's head. At one point in time we were taught that the ancient world was filled with nothing but barbarism, completely unenlightened and almost animal.

After the Romans conquered Europe, they believed the Celtic pagans they conquered were illiterate. However, what has been unearthed in more recent centuries is a wealth of Celtic literature and artwork that is now celebrated around the world. At one point in time, we believed Columbus was the first to discover the earth was round. But now we know the ancient Mayans had knowledge of astronomy superior to our own.

We used to believe human beings in the ancient world were instinctively racist. However, we now know that because of worldwide travel and migration via ship, there were many areas throughout the ancient world in which people of different races lived and worked side by side.

In fact, the word "race" as it pertains to skin color didn't exist in any language in the ancient word. The word, and the concept, was actually invented during the African slave trade. The concept that different people belong to different races was used to resolve the paradox between American liberty and American slavery, and later was further solidified by the US Census. Slavery did exist in the ancient world, but people were identified by what nations they belonged to, not skin color. 

We used to think women had no place in the ancient world, but now we know they were actually honored as being embodiments of the Goddess. They acted as high priestesses and other authority figures, played a vital role in rituals, were indispensable to their communities, had legal rights, owned property, owned businesses, created art and wrote literature, took part in public performances, and participated in every day life.

Varying degrees of sexism did exist throughout the ancient world, and a woman's role could vary widely. There were some societies that were very repressive toward women. However, throughout much of the ancient world women had a lot more rights than in many areas of the world currently.

In Egypt especially, there was very little difference between the way men and women were treated under the law. While it's true that women were rarely Pharaohs, in every day life they were given the same citizen status as their male counterparts. In a way, it wasn't much different than the current United States, a country that has never seen a female president, in which women are still (almost) equal. 

The ancient world was imperfect, as is the world today. However, every day we find new information which forces us to rethink our assumptions about the ancient world. Why have we had such a negative view of it? Perhaps it's partly because it's the conquerors who write history, and they give us a negative view of the conquered. Perhaps it's meant to justify current policies that are not in line with the ideals of human rights. The "fact" that something has always "always been" a certain way is used as an excuse for that being the way it is. Perhaps a lot of information was simply lost.

Regardless of the reasons for the misinformation, I think it's important to uncover the truth about our past, so that we may be brought closer to the truth about our present and our possible future. Perhaps "human nature" is not so heinous after all. Perhaps there truly is real hope for humanity.

A more positive understanding of our past gives us a more positive understanding of ourselves, which give us a more optimistic view of what our future can potentially be as we continue to evolve. The world will never be perfect, but maybe it really is possible for us to create a world that is largely peaceful, sane, sustainable, equitable and just. Perhaps all we need to begin visualizing this world is a better opinion of ourselves, and a more accurate telling of our story.