Volume 11, Issue 3, page 10


IVE YEARS ago I quit smoking. I had been
smoking two to three packages a day for a
long time. Data had been coming my way
for a long time about the "dangers" of
smoking and it was beginning to stir up within
me the knowledge that I had better cease sooner
than later. (But I couldn't want to quit hard
enough.)
One afternoon, while I was laid up with a
virus, I decided the time had come. I quit and
have never regretted it. There have been many
improvements in my general health. Taste and
smell have improved considerably.

Now for the strangest part of it all. There
were and never have been any "withdrawal symptoms ". No agony or torture of any sort. No desire to smoke. There were a number of physical
patterns that had to change -- such as reaching
to my pockets for a cigaret in a moment of
stress, anxiety, etc. These gradually ceased
until now I feel that there are no residual
effects left.

Now for some reasoning behind the ease of
ceasing smoking.

I feel that as soon as the desire to stop
smoking became stronger than the desire to
continue smoking, ceasing smoking was no longer
a problem. It was quite easy because of this
"desire".

This "desire" was acquired thru accumulation of data on the action called smoking, and
most of all understanding this data and its
relationship to me and my actions in every-day
living. With this understanding, there was no
longer any desire to continue smoking. There
was in its place a desire to live a better and
fuller experience, without smoking...

I think if this desire to change as against
a desire to maintain is applied to other phases
of "problem solving", there isn't any problem
to solve.

Suppose. we have a psychological problem. We
also recognize, intellectually, the need to do
something about it. But the problem doesn't
disappear.

My answer is simple but effective. Information is collected about the subject, neither
grading it good nor bad, right or wrong. Just
data and information on the subject. The hardest part is to refrain from judging any piece
of information or grading it. Just recognize
that it is pertinent to the problem under consideration. Gradually with the accumulation of
data comes a better understanding of the problem. Now, with this greater understanding,
comes an increase in the desire to do something about this problem. Sometimes it is only
a desire for greater understanding. Sometimes
more information is needed. But the desire has
increased.

Until one day enough data has been accumulated, the understanding has reached a boiling
point, and the desire has now made it necessary to make a decision. This is apparently
the key point. But the decision once made (no
matter what) is easily put into effect and there
is apparently no conflict whatever in the decision. If there is conflict or questioning
about the decision, or hesitation, then there
hasn't been enough data collected or enough
understanding developed on the data collected.

So back to first steps and continue again
until the pressure for a decision comes to the
front.

This makes life bearable and wonderful to
live, I find. This may not be applicable to
another single person but it is fulfilling my
needs at the present and has been very workable and useful to me for the last five years. --
RUSS V. HAGGARD, 1605-B S.Stoner, Los Angeles,
Calif.

His ruler, the Moon, would be very adverse then
while yours, Jupiter, would be favorable. Uranus, the planet associated with divorce, would
be favorable, as would Saturn, lessening the
chances of frustration. Also, if a property
settlement is of considerable importance here,
Saturn' s favorable influence would abet this
too. The Moon's position this day is not considered favorable for a client if his cycle is
low as the past crops up and blocks one's desires. However, if the cycle is high, there
could be value in the "old" or past events, to
the client's gain. Since your husband's cycle
is at its lowest and yours high, this would
certainly work to your benefit with your testimony appearing the more favorable.