The SHN #1: Let There Be Light!

Welcome to my first-ever newsletter! I'm excited to have this platform to connect with all of you and share what's been on my mind lately. Consider this newsletter a hub where I can organize my thoughts, discoveries, and ongoing journey. My hope is that you'll find something valuable amidst the diverse topics I'll be exploring.

Broadly speaking this newsletter will be about things that I consider to be life-promoting, like holistic health and wellness, philosophy/spirituality/metaphysics, and being the CEO of your own Self. In this space, I'll be diving into these areas and more, offering insights that both align with the current scientific knowledge base as well as that challenge conventional thinking.

At one point you’ll hear me discussing the latest evidence-based nutrition research, and immediately after that talking about how the magnetic field around your body stores information from your past lives and how this can impact your health.

In this inaugural edition, we’ll explore the fascinating impact of light on our well-being and how we can optimize our “light diet”. It's eye-opening stuff that can help us increase cellular energy and overall quality of life.

After that, I'll be sharing key takeaways from “The Thunder of Silence”, a book by Joel Goldsmith.

Then comes a practical health tip that I’ve found helpful that you can try out on your own.

Finally, I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

I'm grateful to have you as an audience!

Joe Burt

I recently wrote a lengthier article on light and it’s role in health, which you can find here. It has way more of the science, links to tons of source material, and includes advice on what products you can try to make use of this information.

Harnessing the Power of Light:

Light is a fundamental aspect of the universe and plays a critical role in our lives. Understanding its importance and optimizing our light exposure can lead to numerous health benefits.

• Circadian Biology: The study of biological rhythms that repeat on a roughly 24-hour cycle. These rhythms, controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain, regulate sleep, hormone production, immune function, and mood. Eye and body exposure to different frequencies of light is how this process is managed. Aligning your life with the circadian rhythm of your location is potentially the most important thing you can do for your general health.

• Light Frequencies and Benefits

  a) Sunrise and Sunset (Red Light):

  -Regulates circadian rhythms and cellular processes.

  -Promotes Vitamin D production, reduces inflammation, supports hormone production, and improves mitochondrial function.

  b) Midday Sun (UV Light):

  -Facilitates Vitamin D synthesis, improves mood, reduces the risk of chronic disease, supports circadian rhythms, enhances skin conditions, and lowers blood pressure.

• Action Steps to Improve Your Light Diet

  -Gradually increase exposure to midday sun, conditioning your body to handle UV light without burning, building up your “solar callus”, starting in early Spring. I wrote another article about this.

  -Spend at least 10-15 minutes in direct sunlight in the morning (20-30 minutes on cloudy days). Preferably watch the sunrise.

  -Get maximum body UV exposure at some point midday, even if it’s only 5 minutes.

  -If unable to get outside, consider using red light and UV light devices that mimic sunlight.

  -Minimize sunglasses use, allowing your eyes to absorb natural light.

  -Avoid sunscreen. Shade is the best way to avoid overexposure. Wearing long sleeves/pants/hats is preferable to wearing toxic sunscreen.

  -Use yellow tinted glasses during the day if spending long hours at the computer (same companies listed above sell daylight glasses) and download Flux or Iris on your computer to manage the blue light.

  -Watch the sunset whenever possible to experience the psychological and physical health benefits from the red light frequencies.

  -Use blue light blocking glasses 1-3 hours before bedtime to reduce exposure to artificial light at night. Red/orange tinted glasses needed for this (BonCharge, RA Optics, True Dark, etc).

  -Replace regular white light bulbs with red incandescent bulbs or candles in the evening (can have 1-2 lamps that always have the red bulb in that’s used only for night)

  -Limit screen time and turn screens "red" or reduce blue light emission in the evening. Consider setting up your phone like shared in this link.

Improving your light diet by understanding the importance of light frequencies and taking actionable steps can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. Embrace natural light, reduce exposure to artificial light at night, and optimize your circadian rhythms for a healthier and more balanced life.

There are leading experts from diverse scientific backgrounds that bang the drum on this topic as being THE #1 THING to get right for your health. It’s absolutely worth trying out some or all of these tips and see what happens to your sleep, energy levels, and general well-being.

The mainstream narrative seems to be “the sun gives you skin cancer ahhhhh”. Why, then, has skin cancer been steadily rising despite humans spending more time indoors and abusing SPF 50 when outside? Why, then, are clinicians now USING SUNLIGHT to treat skin cancer.

Strangely “trends in the epidemiological literature suggest that approximately 30,000 U.S. cancer deaths yearly would be averted by the widespread public adoption of regular, moderate sunning.”

This study continues “For more than 50 years, there has been documentation in the medical literature suggesting that regular sun exposure is associated with substantial decreases in death rates from certain cancers and a decrease in overall cancer death rates.”

Another study concludes “…sun exposure may also improve outcome from cancers of the breast, colon and prostate and Hodgkin lymphoma.” Or this study from Sweden which showed that avoiding the sun is as big a risk factor for mortality as smoking!

Please draw your own conclusions, do not burn, and consider that the sun at the center of our solar system is the reason we’re alive, and is to be enjoyed, not avoided.

If this piqued your interest, check out my longer article on the subject.

“Spiritual” Talk

Joel Goldsmith was a renowned spiritual teacher, author, healer, and mystic in the mid 20th century. Though relatively obscure today, he inspired several prominent spiritual teachers, including Eckhart Tolle. He wrote over 30 books and has hundreds of hours of lectures available online if inclined to dig deeper.

Goldsmith claims no religion which I respect and instead preached the importance of going within and connecting to the divine Source inside of you. Frequent, short meditations to keep conscious contact to Source is his preferred method of practice, which you can learn about here.

In his book "The Thunder of Silence", profound insights into spirituality and the nature of reality are shared. Let’s delve into the key teachings of the book, highlighting the transformative power of transcending human desires and embracing a spiritual consciousness.

Goldsmith's teachings revolve around the idea that our true spiritual welfare is not dependent on external forms or rigid observance of rules. Instead, it is deeply rooted in the state of consciousness we cultivate. The goal of life becomes the conscious awareness of our true Self, a union with God/Source that transcends the limitations of the human experience.

One central theme in Goldsmith's teachings is the importance of surrendering our personal will and desires to the divine will. By relinquishing our attachment to outcomes, we open ourselves to the flow of divine grace and guidance. This shift in consciousness allows us to experience true freedom and liberation from fear, lack, and limitation.

Goldsmith encourages us to go beyond the dualistic thinking of good and evil, recognizing that true spiritual fulfillment is not found in external achievements or possessions. Instead, it is attained by embracing a life of giving, sharing, and cooperating. As we align ourselves with the divine principle of givingness, our material needs are met as a natural reflection of our inner state of abundance.

In the realm of prayer (aka meditation), Goldsmith emphasizes the significance of secrecy and the power of silence. He explains that prayer/meditation is not a mere request for external changes, but a deep communion with the divine within us. Through silent prayer, we create space for divine wisdom and guidance to flow into our consciousness, leading us to fulfillment and peace.

Goldsmith reminds us that our true nature is the light of consciousness, the very essence of God. As we awaken to this truth, we become vessels for Source to shine through us. Our purpose is not to assert personal power, but to be transparent instruments through which the divine can manifest its mighty works on Earth.

"Thunder of Silence" offers profound teachings that invite us to go beyond the limitations of the human experience and embrace our true spiritual nature. Through surrender, forgiveness, and deep communion with the divine, we can experience inner peace, fulfillment, and a harmonious connection with all of creation.

The more “spiritual” books you read, the easier it is to notice the commonalities among them. No matter the date written, no matter the author’s religious or spiritual background, the same central themes often present themselves.

One theme is that there is a piece of the infinite invisible within you that lies dormant until recognized. You can call it God, Source, the Universe, creative energy, life force, divine intelligence, it doesn’t matter. Once connected with, it is able to draw out your unique skills and abilities, to pull the right people and opportunities toward you. Self-consciousness, greed, and fear (small self stuff) naturally give way to cooperation, inner peace, and happiness (true self stuff).

It’s not right or wrong to agree with this or pursue this relationship. If you’re called to strengthen your connection to a higher power, you will. It’s inevitable. If you’re not, that’s fine too.

If you resonated with my man Joel and his teachings, I’d recommend starting with his book The Infinite Way.

Get Your Lymph Flowing

A much overlooked aspect of maintaining a healthy body is the maintenance of your lymphatic system. This system helps fight infections by producing and transporting white blood cells, removes excess fluid from tissues to prevent swelling, absorbs dietary fats, filters waste products, and transports immune cells and molecules throughout the body.

Blocked lymph flow can result in symptoms such as swelling, frequent infections, fatigue, pain, skin changes, and digestive issues. Since this is often overlooked, it regularly goes undiagnosed as a potential reason for these issues.

Dr. Perry Nickelston created a “Big 6” routine for improving your lymphatic system. It only takes a couple minutes once learned and is worth adding to your self-care routine.

AI Powered Journal: I’ve always found it challenging to maintain a consistent journaling practice. Rosebud makes it easy, giving you prompts to write about and being as simple or as in-depth as you feel like on a given day. It saves all your entries and adapts to what you ramble on about.

Living 4D with Paul Chek: Passing along one of my favorite podcasts. Chek has been a holistic health educator for almost 40 years and has had some wild experiences with the military, the spirit world, remote viewing, and beyond. Want to listen to a 4-hour podcast with an ayahuasca shaman? Or how certain music has healing powers with sound alchemist Ian Morris? Or maybe you want to wake up to reality with counter-culture philosopher Charles Eisenstein (a true gem).

BioGeometry Pendant: This is a piece of jewelry that was studied by the Egyptian government on its ability to clear the Hepatitis C virus along with traditional treatments like pharmaceuticals. Just by wearing the pendant, 90% of patients cleared the virus while other treatments were in the 20-30% range. It includes various shapes, called BioSignatures, which equate to biological processes in the body. Your body’s energy field picks up on the shapes as information and your physical body’s equivalent processes operate smoothly as a result. So yes, shapes can cure disease. Confused but want to learn more?

In 2017, Harvard Medical School reported that the half-life of medical knowledge was 18-24 months, and predicted it was headed for 73 days by 2021. This means that it would be nearly impossible for the average doctor to be current on medical research. You can no longer blindly trust your doctor(s) who is still working off what they learned in med school 20 years ago. Expand your net, be curious, be willing to change your mind, and have frank, two-way conversations with your health and medical "authorities" rather than unquestioningly following their prescriptions.

The response to this newsletter launch has been incredibly humbling for me, so thanks to everyone for your support 🙏 

That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, pass it along!SHN