An open fire elicits certain responses from the cells that for instance, a furnace does not. The effect of the light plus the warmth on the skin is extremely healing. People sit by a fireplace in wintertime because it is unconsciously recognized that recuperative and therapeutic results occur. Simply put, the cells respond to fire-light in somewhat the same manner that flowers do to sunlight. The stimulation is much more than skin deep, however, and an open fire is cleansing. It even helps clear the blood.

Cavemen recognized this. I am not suggesting that we use our fireplaces instead of the furnace. I am saying that in wintertime there are definite health-value effects to be felt when we sit in front of an open fire. Two evenings a week would be quite effective.

The proximity of so many trees also has considerable health value, and to those doing psychic or other creative work the effects are particularly conducive to a peaceful state of mind. Trees are great users and yet conservators of energy, and they automatically provide much vitality to areas in which they are plentiful. This is physically obvious in scientific terms. Besides that, however, the consciousnesses of trees are remarkably kind and enduring.

We think of dogs as friends of man, and we personify gods in human terms. We think of them sometimes as guardians. In those terms, now, trees are also guardians. They are attached to the people they know. You cannot put a leash on them and walk them around the block, yet trees form a protective barrier about, say, a home or a neighborhood. They are actively concerned. They have personalities–certainly to the same extent that dogs do, yet of an entirely different nature. They respond to us. The trees in a neighborhood are particularly friendly, strong, and protective, and they will help renew our energies.

The air may be drier in a certain way. Ocean air is wet but it is healthy. River air is wet, but it may be healthy or unhealthy, according to the nature of the river, the land, and the attitude of the people. After a flood, the river air is felt to be a threat, and to many it is therefore unhealthy. Why do some people, after being flooded in one location, then move to another equally threatening environment.