Mcninch

Progesterone is naturally produced by the body during the reproductive age. During this time, the progesterone hormone is essential for a number of things such as the normalization of the menstrual cycle and regulating excessive bleeding. Progesterone is also used for hormone replacement therapy and in birth control pills. Progesterone cream, which is synthesized artificially from the phytoestrogens found in yam and soy through laboratory manipulations, is an innovative tool for providing the body the essential quantity of progesterone hormone, without any discomfort or pain.

Progesterone cream is mainly used for treating pre-menopausal symptoms, also known as PMS. The cream is applied to those areas of the body which have easy accessibility to blood capillaries. Such areas can be easily identified, as these are the areas which are most susceptible to blush. Some such areas are the neck, the cheeks, the breast, the buttocks and the palms of hands. The cream is absorbed by the subcutaneous fat, which can be understood in lay man's terms as the fat stored under the skin. From here, the hormone enters the blood capillaries thus, becoming a part of the blood stream.

The presence of the deficient progesterone hormone in the blood stream balances out the excessive levels of estrogen hormone. Research has proved that estrogen can lead to a number of problems in both the male as well as female body. It decreases the bone density, makes the body vulnerable to prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women, destabilizes the zinc and copper levels in the body, and may lead to headaches and depression.

Progesterone cream is used to fight all the conditions as its presence in a person's body automatically brings down the level of estrogen in the body. Thus, contrary to the popular belief that progesterone is merely used to treat PMS is a gross understatement.

The key to quick, effective, and long lasting ejaculation control is through exercise. Yes, there are all kinds of pills and lotions out there, promising to serve as a premature ejaculation cure, but as is most everything in life, if you want real results, you have to do real work.

Thankfully though, the real work can be made efficient and easy. Through learning capabilities that the internet offers, with easy access to online instructional manuals, we can cut to the chase and find the exact information we need. In this case, ejaculation control can be easily figured out how to be correctly dealt with. One of the main exercises entailed in ejaculation control is training what is referred to as the "PC muscle".

First we need to identify the PC muscle, and there is a simple way to laser target this unique muscle which is vital in training for ejaculation control. Have you ever been urinating, and then suddenly stopped, on purpose? Whether it be a strange sound outside which we've paused to listen to, or we are at a new girlfriends apartment with razor thin walls and we really have to go and the continual splash in the water toilet basin seems to never, never, ever end so out of embarrassment we "manually cut our whizz short"... Well whatever the reason we all have controlled our urination at one point. And guess what? The muscle we used to control our flow, was the PC muscle!

So in order to laser target our ejaculation control PC muscle we simply need to take a leak, and then manually stop at some point. Take careful note of the muscle that you are using when you stop your flow. Then continue to go, but this time reach down there and actually feel the muscle being worked when you again come to a urination halt. Go ahead and shake your new best friends hand, for you have just met, the mighty PC muscle. Praise the PC muscle, for it is a front line soldier in the battle for ejaculation control.

Targeting the PC muscle specifically, does take a little time and you shouldn't proceed on until you've officially "shaken hands" as I like to say. As soon as your confident you've pinpointed it, then you can move on to ejaculation control exercises.

The great thing about the PC muscle is that you can work it by itself. That is, you can work the PC hands free! And you can do it privately. Without anyone knowing, you can do a full on ejaculation control workout in public.

What you want to start out doing is simple ejaculation control static holds. While squeezing or contracting upwards, attempt to simply hold the PC muscle in place in that contracted position. It may be very difficult at first, you may barely be able to bang out a static hold of one second. But keep with it, and shoot for 2 seconds, then 3, and so forth.

Once we become more efficient with ejaculation control holds, we'll want to move on to ejaculation control repetitions, eventually shooting for a continual session consisting of several repetitions, with each one having at least a few seconds of static holds to them. Combining both reps and holds will give us a well rounded and effective ejaculation control workout.

Ejaculation control can actually be a fairly easy endeavor to achieve. The difficult part is identifying and becoming familiar and comfortable with the PC muscle. From that point forth it is just a matter of having a proper workout plan and putting in the time for training.

Soccer is growing in popularity around the country. Many kids want a soccer themed party for their birthday. There are lots of fun ways to have everything at your event be soccer related!

Pick a list of kids to attend your party and send out soccer ball invitations. A party supply store will have all the accessories and motifs available for soccer. Have the kids wear their soccer cleats to the party if they have any or their favorite jersey.

The soccer party can be for a birthday, but it can also include a fun scrimmage soccer game. Set up two goals a short distance away and let them run around and score. If there is a parent coach nearby, have them set up cones and let the kids run through some drills. Make up a game for the two teams and have them be the sharks and the guppies and run! The exercise will do them good, not to mention wear them out so they sit better inside the house to eat.

Prizes to give away can be personalized trophies or ribbons. Attach a team picture for a great keepsake for everyone. Other treats can be candy, plastic trinkets or soccer related toys. A soccer ball piata is another great entertainment and prize piece all in one.

Soccer decorations can be found at any party supply store. Soccer balloons, black and white streamers and wall hangings make for a perfect sports party. Special soccer favor bags and treats can also be purchased to give away to each guest.

Party planning stores will also have all of the paper products needed to serve cake and lunch. Plates, napkins and tablecloths to match your soccer motif make clean up easy! Special ball shaped cake pans make round cakes which can be frosted to make soccer cakes!

The quality of life in patients with endometriosis is severely compromised. We see a lot of patients whose jobs have been jeopardized because they have to stay home on account of pain says Dan Lebovic, M.D., M.A., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Not only can the physical pain from endometriosis be unbearable, the emotional pain can hurt just as much. Along with lower back and abdominal pain, painful menstrual cramps, and nausea and vomiting, many women also can experience infertility, or the inability to become pregnant. For some women, this kind of loss can be crippling. So, it is no wonder endometriosis pain therapy is sought by millions of women world-wide. If there is any good news it lies in the fact that women have options when it comes to endometriosis pain therapy. Let's take a look at a few...

1) Hormone Endometriosis Pain Therapy

Endometriosis is when the lining of the uterus is located outside of the uterus, usually on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, abdomen, or lining of the pelvis. During ovulation, this misplaced lining acts as it normally wouldit breaks down and bleeds. But since the lining is not located where it should be, the blood has nowhere to go. It becomes trapped and causes inflammation, which leads to pain.

This is where hormone endometriosis pain therapy comes in. Hormone endometriosis pain therapy basically stops ovulation, therefore eliminating the bleeding and pain. This kind of endometriosis pain therapy is very successful. Doctors prescribe various hormone such as estrogen and progesterone in combination, danazol (based on the male hormone testosterone) progesterone drugs (to shrink endometrial tissue), and Gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH analogs).

While this is proven effective, it is not for every woman. Do you research and homework and get a 2nd opinion before you start down this path. Getting on hormones is easy, getting off of them is a whole different story.

2) Medication Endometriosis Pain Therapy

There are many different medications used as endometriosis pain therapy. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, reduce inflammation, pain, and bleeding from the endometrial tissue. Other over-the-counter drugs doctors recommend include naproxen and acetaminophen. Sometimes, stronger prescription medication may be prescribed as endometriosis pain therapy. The BEST product on the Market is a topical solution called Menastil, which is readily available on the Internet.

3). Surgery Endometriosis Pain Therapy

Certain surgical procedures may be necessary to treat severe endometriosis pain. To remove scar tissues and growths, conservative surgery may be recommended. If endometriosis has ruined the uterus and/or the reproductive organs, radical surgery, such as a hysterectomy may be necessary as endometriosis pain therapy.

Endometriosis pain therapy depends on how severe the symptoms are, your age, how long you have had the disease, and expectation for future pregnancy.

If you experience any chronic pain in your pelvic area or excessive bleeding during menstrual periods, do not hesitate to see your doctor. There may not be a cure for endometriosis, but the various endometriosis pain therapy options are very effective.

Sailing is a fantastic way of spending your vacation amidst the clear blue ocean and getting involved in lots of sea faring activities. Whatever occasion it may be, a honeymoon, a wedding celebration or a family vacation you can make the most of your opportunity by snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, playing golf, kayaking, swimming and sun bathing.

Apart from enjoying these several recreational programs, you can surely spend your time by observing sea birds, dolphins, sea turtles and whales. Sailing boats are available in a variety of forms and magnitudes depending upon the purpose for which it is going to be used. Some of the essential sailing gear comprise of gloves, short waterproof boots with a solid traction on the soles, wind shorts or pants and waterproof hooded windbreakers. Life jackets are also essential for sails boat. Hawaii and the Caribbean islands are two very exotic sailing destinations attracting large number of tourists each year.

Sailing School And Lessons

If boating, sailing and cruising are your passions then joining a Sailing School will prove to be of immense help. The sailing schools offer all-round sailing lessons basic sailing instructions, basic cruising instructions, bareboat charter lessons, navigational lessons, coastal cruising courses, etc. Lessons, that are beneficial for both the novice and the veteran. While the beginners learn the basics from these programs, the experienced lot get a chance to hone their skills.

The many sailing schools like the Annapolis Sailing School, Offshore Sailing School, Ottawa Sailing School, Windward Sailing School offer comprehensive sailing lessons that enable the sailors to guide the vessels to safe anchoring at a targeted port. Equipped with the best of programs, the most experienced instructors, quality sailing gears, these professional sailing institutes offer different certificate courses. The backdrop or the environment in which the Sailing schools are located, also works to the advantage of the learners/trainees.

On Respecting Men and Their Ideas

Men are smart. How many men? All men. What keeps this from being more apparent? Most men, and women, have injuries in and around expressing their ideas.

Here again, should you feel "bumped" by another man's ideas, please sit with the feelings, and when you can, share this experience with the group. Also, try to limit your descriptions of these experiences to the nature of your reactions, excluding, as best you can, any negative assessments you may have made about the man whose ideas bumped you.

Know that the main goal of any and all men's work is to put "connecting to each other" ahead of "being right." Admittedly, this can be an elusive and difficult thing to do at times, especially for men. Even so, please have the courage to confine your differences to the "ideas" present, rather than to the "men" present. Translation: don't kill the messenger just because you don't like his message. We all have things to teach each other but only if we can connect.

On Physically Big Men

My friend John is a big man. Workshop after workshop, men admit being afraid of him. Can you imagine how separate and alone he feels?

Keep this in mind when you find yourself reacting to a bigger man because of his size. He feels the same things you do. The only difference is he feels them on the opposite end of aloneness.

On Loud Men

For years now, men have received approving responses from others for containing their loudness. Somehow, I think people feel safer when men contain themselves.

This is men's work. Be real. And if someone's loud expressions unnerve or frighten you, please ask the group for help.

Please know, I am not suggesting we should ignore how our expressions affect others, only that we should help each other to reclaim the natural enthusiasm and freedom of expression we were each born with.

On Men and Crying

Most boys, and men, get ridiculed for crying. The phrase, "be a man," comes immediately to mind.

If this has happened to you, please hear my voice trumpeting loudly and with love at those people who have told you this:

REAL MEN CRY.

Enough said.

On Men and Anger Release

All people, men and women alike, get angry inside. Most hold it in, though, rather than risk releasing it.

Is this an injury? In a sense, no, as it is simply human nature for people to get wounds in and around anger. After all, anger is one of the most basic, primary emotions. Thus, all of us have witnessed someone having difficulty with anger.

What is the most common difficulty people have with men who are angry? They fear them. Sadly, most people fail to recognize that their fear of anger is the real injury, not the men or the anger itself. In fact, feeling angry is pretty much always a part of healing processes.

Where does this leave men who heal in groups? With a very important task: learning to consciously witness other men being angry without going into shock.

What do men look like when they experience this shock? Sometimes, they look like "deer caught in a car's headlights." At other times, they look pretty similar to the man whose anger just frightened them, only in this case, they are simply "lashing out at the angry person" for frightening them rather than releasing what is often just a natural part of the healing process.

Whatever the case, most men's work involves men who release significant amounts of anger. If these releases frighten you, please do your best to simply sit with your fear during the man's work. Then, when there is time, please voice your fears about what just happened to you. And know this:

Rarely will there have been only one man who was afraid. If you are the one who speaks up, you may simply end up being the most courageous man of all.

On Being Afraid of Physically Small Men

In my grade school, the smallest boy happened to be the toughest boy. Logically, this may make no sense to many people.

With wounds, logic does not matter. Logic, in and of itself, does not make wounds. Only startlingly painful experiences wound people. Thus men may be wounded by anything and anyone; tall, short, thin, fat, young, old, dark or light.

Remember this when you have trouble understanding another man's pain.

And respect his process. No one can know what path this healing will take.

On Quiet Men

I recently led a men's workshop wherein a "Hell's Angels" type of man admitted to being most intimidated by the quietest man in the room. To put it mildly, I was surprised.

I mention this because I'm quite sure other men may feel the same way but be unable to admit this.

Again, just notice your reaction and then, without judgment, share the nature of your reaction with the group

On Hugs and Physical Exchanges in General

Many men have been beaten as boys; many as men as well. Also, some men have been sexually molested as boys. I was such a boy.

Please know then that although I now know how good it feels to be firmly held by another man, it took me many years before I could feel the love in such an act.

With this in mind, please be especially respectful of any man who finds physical touch uncomfortable. And if this is you, please let us know so we may be mindful of what you need.

On Leaving a Workshop

Learning is "state dependent." So is healing. And the only state in which these things occur is the state wherein you are connected to someone else.

Workshops, by design, connect people. Leaving workshops disconnects people. Nothing wrong here. This is just the nature of workshops.

Please try to remember this nature if you find yourself having trouble remembering or describing to someone else what you witnessed or did during the workshop.

Healing did happen. You just have to have been there and be currently connected to someone else who was also there in order to later have access to it, at least to the exact nature of what happened.

Frustrating? Perhaps. But this is what keeps me coming back for more. This and the chance to again witness men exchanging courage stories.

Steven Paglierani is a writer, teacher, personality theorist, and therapist whose work on learning and human consciousness is read weekly by thousands all over the world. He is the author of Emergence Personality Theory, and his mission is to make the world better for children by restoring and deepening their love of learning. He can be read or reached at his site, http://theEmergenceSite.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Paglierani

The Summer is creeping away here in Calgary. On my ride in this morning the temperature was right at freezing so the nice easy schedule of riding in to work and home will be over sooner than I would hope. Now is the time of year that all of those outdoor activities that keep you in shape so easily are going to come to an end in the northern latitudes.

What will you do about it?

Most people have a bad habit of fluctuation exercise. In the Spring you get sore from exercising outside for the first time since the fall and your body hates you for it, but you endure it and workout through the Summer and in the Fall and Winter get almost no exercise again and have your weight float up a few pounds hoping that you can lose it again next Spring. I will be giving tips all Winter for staying in shape but this is a good chance to look at what you should start thinking about right now.

First prioritize your exercise schedule for the Winter. It may be tougher to work out but of course you can do it if you work out the days and times you will be working out. Most of all be realistic. The best times to workout are early morning before you get caught up with the issues of the day and after work if you have a stable work schedule. If you push dinner out a bit you may be able to either workout right after work before dinner or else get an hour in while watching one of the many great TV shows that eat up our Winter nights.

Next figure out what you want to do this Winter for exercise. A few years ago my family (actually my wife and I, the toddlers had no say in it) bought a good treadmill and exercise bike and then each Fall we go out and replace one of the items and lose a bit on the trade-in but at least have some great new and new to us equipment to keep us interested in the Winter.

Lastly make sure that you have a good mix of exercise. One or two pieces of fitness equipment may not be enough to keep you motivated is make sure you plan on skating, skiing or climbing stairs in an office building to supplement your exercise this Winter. If you can find local fitness events that you can take part in. There are a lot of different leagues in the Winter be they hockey or curling or badminton and volleyball.

One great tip for exercise equipment is to have a running log of your distance. This would be floors for a stair machine or actual miles on a treadmill, bike or elliptical trainer. Using a map it is fun to keep track of the distance that you have covered and you can even try to go city to city with goals in between over the course of the Winter.

I guess you would have to be a runner to appreciate the Millrose Games, which celebrated its 100th running during the weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Millrose Games is not arguably the most prestigious indoor track meet in the world, it is in fact THE most prestigious indoor invitational track and field meet in the world. As a runner in high school and college, you dream about running on the boards at the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden the same way a football player dreams about playing in the Super Bowl.

Track and field has fallen on hard times in the United States lately and that is why the 100th running of the Millrose is so significant. Only the 2007 Millrose Games, as Dick Patrick wrote in USA Today on Thursday (2-1-07), "has survived the demise of a once vibrant indoor circuit that the USA monopolized."

Patrick has it right.

Not only did Camelot lose its luster with the tragic loss of President John F. Kennedy, the Millrose Games has lost some of its bloom but is still able to blossom because of the famous Wanamaker Mile competition and enough world-class athletes to merit 2 hours of live coverage by ESPN2 on Friday and 1 hour by ABC Saturday.

I was glued to the TV for both showings.

Many runners who would watch the Millrose Games on the tube would not do so if it were not for sportswriters like Dick Patrick. His pre-meet coverage of the event in USA Today was interesting, informative and plentiful.

The Millrose Games were started in 1908 by John Wanamaker of the Wanamaker department store chain and first gained prominence in the 1920s. Herb Schmertz, who worked for the Wanamaker department store in New York, became the Millrose meet director in 1934 and ran the Millrose games for 40 years, until 1974, when his son Howard, a New York City lawyer, took over in 1975 and continued until 2003.

The Schmertz family ran the Millrose Games for 69 years and Howard Schmertz continued as the meet director emeritus for the 100th running of the Millrose Games. The new meet director is Mark Wetmore of Global Athletics Management.

John Wanamaker of Wanamaker department stores was a giant in American retailing. He opened Philadelphia's first department store in 1861 and would eventually have 15 more stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

Wanamaker is credited with being the father of modern advertising in America. He was the first to copyright his advertisements, the first to guarantee his goods and offer exchanges and refunds, he created the price tag as we know it today, and was the first to locate a restaurant inside his department store.

Wanamaker was far ahead of his time as the first department store with electrical illumination (1878), first store with a telephone (1879), first store to install pneumatic tubes to transport cash and documents (1880) and the first store with an elevator (1884).

It is hardly surprising that John Wanamaker would sponsor a major sports event and give birth to the Millrose Games. As major sponsorship, meets and attendance began to fade in the 1990s, Europe became a much more important indoor player; however, the Millrose Games continued thanks to the Schmertz family.

The Millrose Games has been through three Madison Square Gardens, two world wars and one Great Depression and still survived to celebrate its 100th birthday.

This year's centennial meet saw 40-year-old Gail Devers, already the meet and American record holder in the hurdles, win the event in 7.86 secondsthe fastest time in the world this year and nearly a full second better than the listed world record for masters (40+) athletes at 8.71.

Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva set a Millrose Games record while competing for the first time on U. S. soil. Isinbayeva is the 17-time world record holder; she continually breaks her own world record and tried on her last attempt at Millrose but missed.

In the famous Wanamaker Mile Saturday, four-time winner Bernard Lagat was facing off against Craig "Buster" Mottram, the 6-foot-3 Commonwealth Games champion, and Alan Webb, America's new "home grown" miler. Lagat, a Kenyan runner, apparently has become an American citizen.

Lagat's legacy is already assured as he is a two-time Olympic 1,500 meter medalist. Webb became the first American high schooler ever to break 4 minutes for the mile indoors (3:59.86), and at the outdoor Prefontaine Classic in Eugene (OR) would run 3:53.43 to break Jim Ryan's 36-year-old national high school record. In 2004, Webb won the 1,500 meter Olympic Trials, and he ran an outdoor mile in 3:48.92 last year.

The Wanamaker Mile is different and difficult because Madison Square Garden has a 160-yard-banked-board track compared to normal indoor tracks of 200 meters. Because it is shorter, the turns are more difficult and it is 11 laps rather than 8 laps.

In this year's race, Alan Webb led behind Pacemaker Moise Joseph's 1:54.99 half mile, and then Bernard Lagat, the defending champion, took over until the Australian Buster Mottram sprinted in front with 4 laps to go.

Mottram knew that Lagat considered it vital to be leading with two laps to go to win, and so Mottram poured it on and still led into the final lap. Lagat then went into another gear and won with better finishing speed in 3:54.26. Mottram was second in an Australian record 3:54.81, and Webb was a disappointing fourth.

I really felt for Alan Webb. He was so psyched to do better against Lagat. When interviewed with Lagat before the race, the announcer reminded Webb that Lagat that gotten the better of him several times and asked how Webb would beat him this time. My heart sank.

I have run too many races and understand how the announcer might well have sealed Webb's fate right there. I do not think Webb was prepared to answer such a question just prior to the competition, and could not adjust mentally before he competed.

Webb's answer to the announcer was that he "needed to be tougher" when a better answer would have been "he needed to be smarter," especially if Webb had run a more tactical race and knew his leg speed was as good as Lagat's at the finish.

If not, there is no way he could have won without pushing harder earlier in the hope of wearing Lagat out. Lagat is a Kenyan, not a turtle. He can fly as well as run. Webb's best indoor mile prior was a triumphant 3:55.18 a short week ago in Boston.

Remember, Lagat won in 3:54.81, only 37 one hundredths of a second faster. My guess is Webb is physically ready, but he has some work to do emotionally and mentally to beat Lagat, whose hardened, winning experience and confidence showed better.

They run the Wanamaker Mile for the same reason they play the Super Bowl. You can talk all you want about who will win or why, yet the winning team will have to prove any statements on game day.

Dick Patrick ended his pre-meet story with this outstanding sidebar:

Howard Schmertz was 7 years old when he saw his first Millrose Games in 1933, accompanying his father, meet director Herb Schmertz.

Howard Schmertz, who succeeded his father as director in 1975, since has missed only two Millrose meets when he was fighting in World War II. (Here are Howard) Schmertz's top Millrose moments:

10) Bernard Lagat wins the 2005 Wanamaker Mile in a Madison Square Garden record 3:52.87.

9) Suleiman Nyambui wins the 1981 5,000 (meter race) after a duel with Alberto Salazar, coming off a New York Marathon win. Nyambui sets a world record 13:20.4.

8) Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan wins a record seventh Wanamaker Mile in 1987, outdueling Marcus O'Sullivan (another great Irish runner).

7) In the 1984 long jump, second-place Carl Lewis takes over first and sets a world record of 28 feet, 10 inches.

6) Marine Corporal John Uelses, using a newly designed fiberglass pole, becomes the first to clear 16 feet in the pole vault.

5) In 1974 Tony Waldrop records the first sub-4-minute mile in Millrose's history.

4) Mary Decker wins the 1,500 (meter race) by 80 yards in 1980 and sets a world record 4:00.8.

3) In 1955 Denmark's Gunnar Nielsen reclaims his mile world record from Wes Santee in 4:03.6. Meanwhile, Fred Dwyer, forced off the track on the last lap, and Santee practically wrestle down the homestraight in Nielsen's wake.

2) In 1942, Cornelius Warmerdam, borrowing a bamboo pole, becomes the first to clear 15 feet in the vault. He broke the Millrose mark of 14-3, held by Sueo Ohe, killed several weeks before in Japan's invasion of the Philippines.

1) In 1959 John Thomas, 17, becomes the first to clear 7 feet indoors in the high jump, outdueling Charlie Dumas, the first to clear 7 feet outdoors.

Hats off to Dick Patrick for bringing back some great memories. And hats off to the Millrose Games, still the best indoor games in the world.

Copyright 2007 Ed Bagley

Are you in a loveless marriage? Has the thrill gone out of it? Sex once a month if you're lucky?

If you live in a small community, cheating is often more of a risk than it's worth with neighborhood gossips on the prowl.

In the UK there is a burgeoning internet business that focuses on putting married people in touch with one another for discreet affairs.

A number of these services go out of their way to ensure the comfort levels of clients who don't want their extramarital affairs to interfere with the routine of family life. Some even offer tips on how best to avoid being caught and provide counseling on how to handle emotional fall-out such as guilt. Stress is laid on confidentiality, and there is an undertaking to safeguard clients' identities. Often sexual partners meet and make-out while using pseudonyms. That could get a little weird. Saying her name at the crucial moment wouldn't have the same resonance.

Services that help the married with discreet encounters are becoming quite popular in the UK. Not all of these clients are cheaters, some have the permission of their spouse. There are many people trapped in loveless marriages with partners who aren't putting out. This can effect personal worth and self-esteem. In one story I reviewed, a spouse came second to her hubby's porno habit . Just to rub it in, he would occasionally compare her unfavorably to the lookers on the web. She stayed in the marriage for the sake of her kids. When she finally worked up the courage to date someone she met through an online service, it gave a huge boost to her flagging sense of worth.

Of course the morality squad and some psychologists will counter that this is self-destructive behavior in the end because it is based on deception and doesn't address the underlying problem. Yeah, yeah ... well nothing in this world is perfect and not everyone is a hero. Some people believe that busting up a marriage and creating distress and anger throughout the extended family is too high a price to pay for a bit of hanky panky on the side.

In the case of a woman whose self worth has hit rock bottom in a lousy marriage, discreet encounters of a sexual kind may help her to better handle the negatives in her life. There are many testimonials from women who have used these services that claim just that. There are also casualties of course. Most often those who brought love and personal attachment into a sexual affair that by definition, could only be transient.

Provided a person isn't devoutly religious or strictly moral, the decision to step outside a bad marriage involves weighing the pros and cons carefully. The cons in the United States may well involve anti-adultery laws that are still on the books in some states. So possible legal complications need to be considered also.

These services work well for some people but not for others. Users should know what their tolerances are, in order to avoid getting in over their head. A person who is sensitive and easily hurt would likely complicate their emotional life enormously by sleeping around in this clandestine fashion. On the other hand, some people can carry it off in grand style.

This trend in the UK gives a public and commercial dimension to an infidelity game that has long been a part of European society. Former French President Francois Mitterrand for example, was a notorious philanderer.

N. Americans tends to be more uptight about infidelity, compared to Europeans who traditionally have had a somewhat laissez faire attitude when it comes to sexual escapades. The honesty issue is hammered home by some TV psychologists in the states in a manner that often comes across as unrealistic. It's more about them coming off as wholesome and professional in the eyes of middle America in order to sell books, than it is about reality and the way people really are. If you went around being honest and baring your issues in the manner these "experts" advocate, people would think you are unhinged. We all lie on a fairly regular basis. Studies confirm this. Lies go all the way from alibis-of-convenience to the simple "dinner's on the stove" excuse to extricate yourself from a windbag on the phone who won't quit. To be human is to lie, even though most people are fundamentally truthful about core values and beliefs. In other words the things that really matter.

The advice offered by psychologists invariably involves counseling. But in the case of many damaged marriages no amount of counseling can rekindle the flame. The partners often give up and settle for living their separate lives together, without any genuine intimacy. It is unreasonable to expect a person trapped in a sexless marriage to put sexual needs on hold. It is also unreasonable to expect a spouse to break up his or her world in order to get those needs met. Adult sites and online dating services that offer safe ways to meet others of like mind, may be the way to go for some people. Obviously not all of these online services will be equally credible and care should be taken to check out their track record.

It is legitimate to argue that the refusal of intimacy is potentially damaging to the health and well being of the rejected partner. Fact is, sex is good for you. Provided it's safe and legal it should be a source pleasure and empowerment. It has a therapeutic aspect that is often overlooked. According to some medical opinion a healthy sex life boosts the immune system, increases blood flow, lowers cholesterol, promotes prostate and genital health, boosts testosterone and estrogen counts, improves sleep and relaxation ... and even according to some ... is a life extension factor.

Dating services offer interpersonal connections, unlike pornography which is in high demand these days. There are some 40 million users in the US annually. Porn revenue for 2005 topped 12 billion, exceeding the profits of pro baseball, basketball and football franchises combined. Despite its popularity, a sex life that makes masturbation the primary outlet is rather sad and in the end, isolating. Real sex of the therapeutic type involves a polarity between partners - the give-and-take of love, emotion and all the other human energies that help to make us whole people. At root the healing power of sex is about intimacy and sharing.

An article in the British Guardian newspaper, offers a selection of stories from those who have used these online agencies for extramarital affairs. Here are a couple of comments from a 41 year old married female named Eve, who claims she and her husband have "a brilliant relationship ... it's great ... everywhere apart from the bedroom". She and her husband have four children, aged two to 15. And they do have sex, just at six-month intervals. Eve says - "that doesn't do it for me".

Her verdict after trying the online meeting option ... "so far it's worked out well for me. It's saved my marriage. It's meant that the level of stress at home has gone. It has decreased my frustration."

This comment from Tom ... "Most people reading this will think I'm a shit, but actually it's enabled me to be a better person, father and husband."

There should be different prescriptions for different people with different needs. Our society is now much more open and diverse. Options exist for people today that nobody could have conceived of a few decades ago.

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There is a journey that we all must take. It is called life. There is no escaping this journey. We cannot pay somebody to take it for us or take the pain and sorrow that frequents our path. Without our mother and father there would be no help at all from the very start. We would be helpless and we would die.

We are born with no knowledge whatsoever other than some minor genetic memories, and many of us simply follow the patterns that life, evolution and our peers throw at us. We subconsciously assume we must do as our forefathers; we must follow in their footsteps; we must marry, have children, get a job, step onto the roller-coaster of commercialism and the greed oriented rat race we know as capitalism or even communism. There is seemingly no way out of this life and anyway, most of us are enthused by the chase - for we truly know do different.

All of this is perfectly natural. We are, after all, apes with less hair. We strive to be the alpha male and female; to be top dog; to fit in with the society or tribe that surrounds us and support the same football team as our friends. And often that society is just a larger version of our selves; it is created by groups of selves.

But, in the times gone by, our ancestors saw through all of this and recognized that there was another way. They discovered that in-order for man to elevate himself above the level of the brown earth upon which he scrambled he needed to alter his internal dialogue. Man needed to understand himself and the forces that drive him.

This unique understanding - that there could be a higher goal for mankind, whether collectively or individually - evolved into what we now know as Gnosticism. Of course this is a massive oversimplification and we should always take into account the mystics those who have experienced what we would call other-worldly emotions or visions. Also, regardless of popular perception, the Christians were not the only Gnostics and mystics. Gnostic comes from the Greek word gignoskein meaning simply to know. It was applied to one sect of so-called philosophers in the first ages of Christianity.

However, the term is now being used more loosely and I personally see the term slightly differently to others and probably in a controversial light.

To me the Greek term implies all-knowledge. This is a kind of knowledge gained much like plugging ones mind into the world wide web and being able to download every single piece of data in an instant. In the same way, the true Gnostic, much like the mystic, could understand all things in a unique way. Whether this is the mind tapping into the collective unconscious, the Akashic records, or any other name given to the process, does not matter for the purpose of this article, the fact remains, it was believed. And because of this belief, physical manifestations of the internal belief system emerged the world over. In this way, the temples of man, were exactly that Temples of Man.

Gnosis then, means knowledge of the most esoteric kind and this is the story that has been hidden from our eyes for too long. This is the truth of the secret societies that we on the outside are supposedly too worldly to comprehend.

The Temple

So, let us now try our best to comprehend the Temple of Solomon and in doing so, let us walk upon Holy ground, trodden only by the initiated.

In the years of my own searching there were times when I would be found at the feet of the Magi, sitting and listening to the wise words of the Sufi, joining in the debate at some Freemasonic Lodge. All the time I was learning and viewing the process with an open ear and an open eye, and yet also balancing it all with the knowledge of modern day science and reductionism. Both worlds, the one of the esoteric and the one of science are useless apart both are needed today if we are to truly understand and believe.

And so down to facts about the Temple of Solomon. Well, unfortunately we are sadly lacking in any archaeological evidence, regardless of what you read on some literal fundamentalist website. What we are told is that in the 10th century BC, the wise King Solomon erected a great Temple to the Lord. Unfortunately, if any of this is true, then we actually find that it was a Temple, which encompassed many pagan religions.

According to Professor James Pritchard in his book, Solomon and Sheba (1974, p.35):

.. the so-called cities of Megiddo, Gezer and Hazor, and Jerusalem itself were in reality more like villages.. Within were relatively small public buildings and poorly constructed dwellings with clay floors. The objects reveal a material culture which, even by the standards of the ancient Near East, could not be judged sophisticated or luxurious.. The magnificence of the age of Solomon is parochial and decidedly lackluster, but the first book of Kings implies exactly the opposite.

In fact and in the bright light of day, what we actually have, and what most writers are afraid to say, is no evidence whatsoever for Solomons Temple. In fact, we have no evidence for Solomon, other than these peculiar Biblical texts. Neither do we have any evidence for the Queen of Sheba, or any of the other characters involved. Instead, there is more depth than could ever be imagined, more meaning than we would dare to believe.

John Michell in The Temple at Jerusalem: A Revelation, (Gothic Image) gives us an insight to the real meaning.:

Legends of the Temple describe it as the instrument of a mystical, priestly science, a form of alchemy by which oppositely charged elements in the earth and atmosphere were brought together and ritually married. The product of their union was a spirit that blessed and sanctified the people of Israel.

How right Michell is. The Temple is an instrument of mystical and priestly science or even magic. The secret unravels before our eyes the more we learn. You see the true Gnostic, the true disciple or perfect one, must be a man or woman of balance. He or she must unite the two sides of the mind, the male and female principles as they are called. We are all both male and female and the alchemists used this concept of balance and revealed it in their images of the Hermaphrodite, half man and half woman.

Solomon, was no real man, and Sheba was no real woman. Instead they were symbols of this internal and often external process. The whole story of Solomon, Sheba and the Temple, which is the perfectly formed body, both physical and spiritual, is the story of our own psyche. It is an esoteric truth, misunderstood in its exoteric form.

Hiram

Hiram was the son of a Jewish mother and a Phoenician father and is credited with the decoration of the Temple of Solomon. He was said to have been the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali He cast two bronze pillars 1 Kings 7:13-15.

We must also note something of interest mentioned in 1 Kings 16:

Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on top of the pillars. The height of one capital was 5 cubits; and the height of the other capital was five cubits. He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital.

These pillars became known as Jachin, meaning he establishes and Boaz, which means in him is strength and these are now familiar to most modern Freemasons as central to their own Lodge or Temple. Copies of these can be clearly seen at the infamous Rosslyn Chapel as we shall discover.

But, what is interesting here is the original text about these pillars. Firstly bronze is used for the capitals, just as bronze is used for the Brazen Serpent of Moses and is indicative of the fiery aspect of the serpent as one of the channels in the Kundalini process. Their heights were 5 cubits, matching the five hooded cobras seen across India and atop many pillars, although the Bible calls them Lilies, which are symbols of balance anyway.

Leading up to these capitals then were wreaths of chainwork, seven on each pillar. Strangely these chains were for the capitals, and so we conclude that these seven levelled chains (coils) were pointing towards the head (capital) just as the serpents of the Kundalini do.

There are more real links between Hiram and the serpent. For instance, we noted above that he was of the Tribe of Naphtali. The standard of the Tribe of Naphtali, according to Jewish tradition, is a serpent or basilisk and this could have come from Egyptian origins, as Jewish tradition states that Naphtali was the brother of Joseph, chosen to represent the family to Pharaoh.

And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram [Hiram] my master [father] craftsman, (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skilful men and with the skilful men of my lord David your father. 2 Chronicles 2:13-14.

Here, Hiram is said to be a son of the Tribe of Dan and even the tribe of Dan had an emblem, which was amazingly also the serpent, this time with a horse.

Incredibly there is also a hidden truth and repetitive pattern in this little statement about the real skills of this literary character. Follow this pattern:

Hiram is skilled in:-

1 gold and silver,
2 bronze and iron,
3 stone and wood,
4 purple and blue,
5 fine linen and crimson,
6 and to make any engraving
7 and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him.

Note that there are seven balanced elements to the skill of the man who will build the Temple! This is a real clue to the Temples secret indeed.

According to this book of Chronicles Hiram was a cunning man (a word used for the serpent) endued with understanding, skilful as we can see in the work of gold, silver, brass, stone and timber. But he was also credited with certain tools, which could pierce stone. Stone, as I show in Gnosis is symbolic of wisdom and foundation. Hirams tool therefore pierced the veil or even the very root of wisdom.

According to the book of Kings the Temple was built of stone (or wisdom) before it was brought to the site. Something like a prefabricated building. It was said by tradition that neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron was used in the building. So how was it built? This in itself is a paradox, which can only be answered by the true secret of the Temple being revealed.

According to Rabbinical teaching the prefabrication of the Temple was performed by the Shamir, a giant worm or serpent that could cut stones (incidentally worm means serpent). Not dissimilar to Norse and Celtic beliefs where Valhalla and Camelot were built with the fire of the dragon and in China where building is aided by the serpent energy.

This is a universal concept as can be seen in India, where it was the serpentine linked Nagas of fable who escaped their country and took the architectural wisdom abroad. The architect gods, such as Thoth of Egypt, are linked strongly with the serpent wisdom because they are linked with the building of Temples of Wisdom inside our SELVES.

The Shamir, according to one legend had even been placed in the hands of the Prince of the Sea (Shamir by Wilhelm Bacher & Ludwig Blau), which of course is symbolic of the Prince of Wisdom.

In essence what we really have here is the Temple of Wisdom being built by the serpent and that serpent is none other than that of, or similar to, the internal Kundalini, later to be developed into the Kabbalah. This is a psychological training manual; a method of self-improvement; a way for society to become One; a multi-layered method of getting closer to the deity which resides in each and everyone of us; a deity, that the ancients saw as being the same in each of us.

The whole process repeats again and again throughout the Bible. The Temple is reduced (like the alchemical method) and is remade. Then again and again, until finally the Christ is the Temple which is reduced (killed) and then rises again for the last time. And now, according to the texts, we can all meet with this Christ and we can all have the knowledge. We just need to understand that the true Christ is all and in all. But this hasn't worked has it. Man is still even now in the 21st century, searching for answers and so the temple is being reduced once again

I say, we should all take a look at our own "temples" and knock them to the ground. We should then go about re-building them in a bigger and better way than before, just like the Bible states. And more than that, we must keep on doing this until this world of ours has peace and all truly are equal before God.

About the Author Philip Gardineris the author of the best selling The Serpent Grail, The Shining Ones, and Gnosis: The Secret of Solomons Temple Revealed. He does talks, lectures, has his own radio show and does tours across the world via http://www.powerplaces.com Philip has a degree in marketing and 9 diplomas ranging from etymology to holistic medicine. He is hosting the Philip Gardiners Forbidden Knowledge Conference UK (FKCUK) in July 2006. http://www.philipgardiner.net http://www.gardinerosborn.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Gardiner