Life may seem hard sometimes.  We do our best to deal with life's challenges as they come up and maintain a positive outlook on life. 

We've all experienced a sudden trauma in our life that we weren't expecting.  A death in the family, a bad breakup, a business failure, or a debilitating physical injury are just some of the types of traumas that can overpower our most powerful mindset and lead us into a spiral of negative beliefs and harmful emotions. 

If we aren't careful, these traumas can live in us for so long that we forgot how we felt before they happened. 

A trapped pain can taint our every interaction until our anger, frustration, or depression are just accepted as part of our personality by ourselves and everyone who knows us. 

We think, "It would feel so good to be a kid again, free of all the pain and hardship that life has bestowed upon me." 

The reality is that although we can never be a kid again, we can still feel as good as we did when we were young (in fact, we can feel better). 

How?  

Just as life has been a journey with it's road bumps, the journey back to childlike glee is a similar journey. 

Some things that have helped me include meditation, affirmations, EFT, energy work with chakras and healers, being present, understanding and using the law of attraction, and T.A.T.

What is TAT? 

TAT stands for Tapas Acupressure Technique and is the most powerful method of releasing emotions from painful traumatic memories that I know of. 

It's an easy process of holding a few acupressure points while going through a series of statements that allow your mind and body to let go of trauma or negative beliefs. 

It allows your body to dissipate negative emotions which leaves you with greater energy, personal power, and inner peace.

How to do TAT?

To learn how to do TAT, download this free ebook and follow the step-by-step instructions, then come back and read the rest of this post.

To do TAT, find a quiet place where you can spend 10 minutes to yourself.  I usually do TAT before I go to sleep since it helps relax me and clear my head. 

You may feel dramatic shifts immediately or a more subtle shift within a few days.  You may feel like a weight has been lifted or you just feel happier or more emotionally free. 

This is the process of regaining that youthful joy of being a kid again.  Feel free to be creative with the wording.  Say the words that feel best for your situation.

I have personally used TAT, dozens of times to overcome many things in my life.  I like to focus on one trauma or limiting belief at a time and do it every night for about 5 days straight. 

I've done on things that I logically thought that I was beyond and I've found that it's helped a lot since there was still a bit of pain buried deep within my psyche.  

Throughout the day if anything comes up I may go into the TAT pose and reaffirm the "I choose" statement from step 8 to refocus myself. 

It's a great way to center yourself and refocus your energy.  Try it on a painful event you've experienced in the past right now and see how it works for you.

To learn more, purchase TAT Instructional Videos and Audio Programs or  download this free ebook.

I recommend getting the TAT 2000 DVD Workshop or the TAT for Physical Conditions.

Here are some Videos to help you get an idea of how to do TAT and how well it works:

TAT Introduction (By a Skeptical Vietnam Vet)

TAT for Healing Combat Stress (Part 1)

TAT for Healing Combat Stress (Part 2)


TAT Experience from a Veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan

Why Do TAT?  What Does TAT Do?

To learn more, purchase TAT Instructional Videos and Audio Programs or download a free "How to Do TAT eBook".

Have you ever experienced crippling fear?  Perhaps it made it hard for you to speak, move or otherwise function.  You logically understood there was nothing to fear, yet it seemed like your fear took control of your body and there was nothing you could do to stop it.  

Others may tell you to just push through it, and you want to, yet that feeling of fear can be so powerful that you are overwhelmed.  It's like the fear is rooted deep inside you and there is little you can do to overcome it. 

In some cases, fear may dictate a person's lifestyle, making their life much harder than it has to be (such as in the case of the fear of flying or the fear of approaching women).

When I was younger I had a fear of public speaking.  My palms and forehead would get sweaty, my stomach tense and nervous, my throat dry, my voice would waiver; it was not fun.  I just kept pushing through and little by little I gained the confidence to become a very good public speaker.  It took years of practice to overcome that fear. 

If I had used EFT, I could have overcome that fear in days or even minutes.

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique.  It is a revolutionary technique of tapping on various acupuncture points in order to balance your body's energy.  The theory behind EFT states that "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."  So by balancing your body through tapping, you can clear out any negative emotions stored deep within you.

Watch this introduction video about the effectiveness of EFT and some of the incredible success stories, then read my guide on EFT below.

The acupuncture points are located along your meridians, which are your body's energy pathways.  By tapping on the various points, your meridians balance themselves out which allow for the energy to flow properly.  Once the disruption is removed, the negative emotion is also removed. 

This is how negative emotions are caused:

1. You think of a distressing memory or experience a specific situation.
2. This triggers a disruption in your body's energy system.
3. You feel a negative emotion (fear, sadness, anger, etc).

Through the use of EFT, you treat #2 (the disruption), which prevents experience #3 (the negative emotion).  This goes against conventional psychotherapy which attempts to treat #1 by addressing either the memory or the situation in the hopes that it will stop the negative emotions from happening.

So if you have an extreme fear of flying, people may explain to you all the safety precautions and statistics of airplanes, yet you still feel the fear.  It's not until you clear out your energy system that your fear goes away.  It can take many years of retraining your body using the traditional methods or a few minutes with EFT.

So how do you perform EFT?

There are four steps to EFT.  Once they are memorized, a full run through can be completed in about 1 minute.

1. The Setup
2. The Basic Recipe
3. The 9 Gamut Procedure
4. The Basic Recipe again

The Setup

The setup is used to properly orient your body's energy system for healing.  Sometimes we experience Polarity Reversal, which is like a self-sabotage effect that the ego creates with problems it doesn't know how to handle properly.  Through the use of the setup, we temporarily remove this polarity reversal long enough for EFT to fix the disruption.  This step is crucial to success because, in some cases, the polarity reversal is so strong that nothing will work unless the setup is done first.

To do the setup, simply rub your lymph area on either side of your chest about 2 inches above your nipple.  This is known as the Sore Spot.  You will know you hit the right area when you feel a very sensitive twinge. (You may alternatively tap the karate chop point instead of this sore spot).

While you are rubbing, you say an affirmation statement three times.  "Even though I have this ________, I deeply and completely accept myself."  In the blank, you fill in the fear or problem you are experiencing.  

So for the fear of flying you would say, "Even though I have this fear of flying, I deeply and completely accept myself."  Say this three times while rubbing the sore spot and you've completed The Setup.

The Sequence

The sequence is the set of acupuncture points which you tap to balance your energy system.  Simply tap each point about 7 times with your index and middle finger. You can use either hand, though your dominant hand is preferable.
 

The list of points is as follows:

1. Eyebrow – Located just above the nose where the eyebrow starts, slightly to the side.
2. Corner of the Eye  – Located on the bone alongside the corner of the eye.
3. Under the Eye – Located an inch under the pupil.
4. Under the Nose  – Located in the area between your nose and upper lip.
5. Under the Mouth – Located below your bottom lip and above your chin.
6. Collar Bone – Located where your collarbone and first rib meet.  To find it, locate the U shaped indentation at the top at the bottom of your throat (where a man knots his tie), then move down 1 inch and to the side 1 inch.
7. Under the Arm – Located about 4 inches below the armpit.
8. Under the Nipple – Located about 1 inch below the nipple.
9. Fingers – Located on the outside tip of each finger where the nail and the skin meet. 
10. Karate Chop – Located on the fleshy, outside part of the hand between the top of the wrist and the bottom of the pinkie finger.

Tap all points in any order about seven times each (The under the nipple point can be skipped for ladies in social situations).  You can use either the right or left side for any of the points. 

Each time you tap you say a reminder phrase.  The reminder phrase is a shortened version of the Setup affirmation.  For the example we used above, the reminder phrase is simply, "fear of flying."  So in this case we would simply say "fear of flying" once for each point during the tapping.  This reminds the body to fix it's energy system for that specific fear or issue.

The 9 Gamut Procedure

The 9 Gamut Procedure is used to engage various parts of the brain while tapping on the Gamut Point.  The point is located on the back side of either hand between the knuckles of the ring finger and the pinkie and about an 1/2 inch back (toward the wrist).

Simply tapping the Gamut Point by itself can be very effective in reducing fear, so when it's combined in this procedure, it's even more powerful.  

To perform the 9 Gamut Procedure, simply tap the Gamut Point WHILE performing these 9 steps:

1. Close your eyes
2. Open your eyes
3. Look hard down right (don't move your head)
4. Look hard down left (don't move your head)
5. Roll your eyes in a clockwise circle (imagine your nose is the center of a clock and you are looking at each of the numbers, without moving your head)
6. Roll your eyes in a counter-clockwise circle (without moving your head)
7. Hum 2 seconds of a song such as "Happy birthday to you"
8. Count rapidly from 1 to 5 out loud
9. Hum 2 seconds of the song again

After the 9 Gamut procedure, simply do the entire sequence again (while saying the reminder phrase for each point).

Sometimes after doing one round of EFT, the fear or negative emotion will be gone forever.  Other times you may need to do multiple rounds of EFT for it to subside.  Also, there may be various "aspects" that you need to get through before negative emotion is completely gone.

For example, a person who is afraid of flying may need to do multiple rounds of EFT like this:

The first round they can say "Even though I have this fear of flying, I deeply and completely accept myself" for the setup, then do the sequence with the reminder phrase "fear of flying," then do the gamut, then the sequence again with the same reminder phrase.

The second round they may do the exact same thing except change the phrase to fear of takeoff. For the third round, they can change it to fear of heights, or fear of tight spaces and so on.  (They may even use a past traumatic event such as "Even though I was in a very scary plane ride, I deeply and completely accept myself").

Many times our emotions get entangled with each other and what seems like a simple fear of flying could actually be many fears that are triggered all at once.  By doing rounds of EFT on each aspect, you become closer and closer to completely overcoming that fear.

I have personally used EFT hundreds of times on many things.  I've used it before I gave business presentations, before I played in sports, and even when I was feeling nervous about surfing in big waves.

The results are so subtle and instantaneous that I often look back and think "Was I really afraid of that, no way."  It's like I can't even relate to being afraid anymore.

EFT can also be used for

• pain
• trauma
• chronic illness
• addictions
• allergies
• weight loss
• anger
• sports
• and anything you can think of

Think of something that you're afraid of or that you feel uneasy about and use EFT on it right now.

Be sure to download the Free EFT Manual from http://www.EmoFree.com 

As we step into our roles as men of integrity, it becomes natural for us to live by our own internal code of ethics.  A set of values and standards from which every decision, every situation, and relationship stems from.

What is integrity?  It is defined as "Steadfast adherence to a code of values; completeness and soundness; virtue. I define it as being "true to the wholeness of one's own Self".

"How can we develop our own code of ethics, our standards of integrity, to guide our life? 

The following is a workshop to uncover your own standards of integrity from the book "The Energy of Money" by Maria Nemeth.  It will take approximately 10 minutes, at the end of which you will have your own personal set of standards to live by for the rest of your life. 

Step 1: Take out a clean sheet of paper.  On the left side, write down the names of all the people who have qualities you admire.  The following is a list to help you brainstorm.

• Family; cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents, siblings.
• School; teachers, mentors, classmates.
• Friends; from childhood, work, school, clubs.
• World Leaders; spiritual, political, professional.
• Athletes; professional, Olympic, from your school.
• Healers; doctors, practitioners, psychics, therapists.
• Musicians & Artists; actors, singers, dancers, rock stars.
• Fictional; from movies, stories, religions, cultures, books.

Step 2: Review the list. Look at the first name on the list and write down all the qualities that you admire in that person, one per line. Then go to the second name, and write down all the qualities you admire in them. 

If there are any qualities that they both share, simply put a check next to that quality.  Don't worry about having the qualities line up next to the names, just write them all out.   Do this for each name so that certain qualities begin to have lots of check marks next to them.

Here is what it will look like:

Step 3: Now that you have a list of all the qualities you admire.  Look at each quality for a moment and consider the following:

When I read this word, does my heart seem to tingle or open?  Do I get excited and want to be around people who have this trait? 

Your heart is your guidance system.  When it finds anything that resonates with your inner being, it will light up and give you that exciting blissful feeling inside your chest. 

So, for each word that gives you this type of reaction, put a star next to it.  When you are done, write all the qualities with a star on the new sheet of paper. 

Step 4:  Review the list.  Each quality that you've put down is highly significant to you.  Your heart reacts strongly to these qualities because it has receptor sites for each one. 

You have these qualities within you. 

If you didn't, then your heart would not react to them.  Because you can see these qualities in others, it means they exist inside you.  These qualities describe your authentic nature. 

Step 5: Print the list on a card.  At the top write "These are my Standards of Integrity" and at the bottom write, "I know these are mine because I can see them in others." 

You can laminate it and carry it with you or place it in on your work desk.  If you feel stuck, confused, or unmotivated, re-read it.  These words will evoke power within you, your seeds of greatness.

We are all familiar with using money to exchange goods and services.  We utilize our specialized skills and knowledge to create value for others and then are compensated for it in the form of Dollars, Euros, and so on.  We use currency to enrich the quality of our life by purchasing things that we want and making profitable investments.

In the non-physical world, things behave in a similar way.  Think of your thoughts as if they were currency.  Every thought that you have is a purchase, an investment.  

What investments are you making every day?  Every morning when you look at yourself in the mirror, what parts of yourself are you spiritually financing?  Every time you read the newspaper, watch TV, or speak with others, what parts of the world are you spiritually financing?

Every time you put your attention onto something that you really want, you are spiritually financing it, even if it doesn't yet exist.  When you've financed it with enough positive emotion, desire, and energy (often in the form of action), it will eventually be paid off and will then manifest into your life.

This is how you communicate with the universe.  You invest your attention, your energy, and the universe will manifest your investment. 

We truly are the creators of our universe.

Most people experience problems when they notice their investments haven't yet manifested, and they begin to lose hope.  They lose the positive emotion that was driving the investment, and they begin to focus on the lack that they are experiencing rather then what they want. 

This is where you can use gratitude and self-acceptance as your secret weapons for rapidly speeding up manifestation and inoculating yourself against the possibility of losing hope.  

Gratitude is an amazing thing.  It allows you to appreciate everything that you already have which creates powerful positive emotions inside you.  These positive emotions are the driving force behind your manifestations.  They open the floodgates to receiving more from the universe.  

Many people bounce around spiritually; first they are excited about manifesting and focus on what they want, then they start to lose hope and focus on the lack of it.  This up and down emotional roller coaster sends mixed signals to the universe and slows or stops manifestation.

If they practice gratitude, they bounce from being excited and happy about what they want, to being appreciative and grateful for what they have.  One message communicates to the universe, "This is what I want, send it to me", while the other one communicates, "I appreciate and take care of what I already have."  Both support your manifestation.

Imagine that you are a parent and your kid has a pet dog that he doesn't feed properly and often ignores.  If he says to you, "I want another dog and I know that I haven't been taking care of this one but when I get a second one I promise I will change."  Do you think you would get him another dog?  No way!  He has to be able to handle one before he can even think about getting two. 

The universe is the same way.  Through gratitude you are communicating to the universe, "I can be trusted with more, send away."

Self-Acceptance is basically gratitude focused on yourself.  When you accept yourself just the way you are, you are releasing the barriers to manifestation.  It removes the neediness from your emotions.  Sometimes people put conditions on their happiness such as, "I'll be happy when I lose 10 pounds," or "I'll love myself once I get a girlfriend."  This tells the universe, "I am not happy with myself now."

People often bounce around spiritually here as well; first they will be excited about manifesting better health, but then they will look at themselves right now and are reminded of their sickness and lose hope.  This also sends mixed signals to the universe.

By accepting yourself with all your imperfections, you bounce from being excited about improving yourself, to being grateful for your unique qualities and being happy with yourself exactly as you are at that moment.  Both support your manifestation.

How do we cultivate gratitude and self-acceptance?  For gratitude, see my previous post on Transforming Frustration into Power.  As for self-acceptance, it's probably the hardest for most people and I'm not able to give it all to you in just one paragraph.

For starters you could check out the TAT or EFT and move onto many of the programs in the resources section.   

So remember:

What spiritual investments are you making today?

We may like to think that we have "reached a higher level" or are "spiritual," yet when someone cuts us off on the freeway or a family member starts badgering us, we may slip right back into reaction mode. 

You can call them our emotional hot buttons; little things that get under our nerves and really aggravate us.  We momentarily forget all that meditation and spiritual knowledge we have learned and practiced. 

How can we overcome these "hot buttons"?  Better yet, how can we use them to  our advantage?  Below are simple steps to transform your frustrations into greater personal power.

Step 1:  Identify your hot button. Consciously watch yourself to see what triggers a reaction from you.  Is it a particular friend or family member, co-worker, or even a common situation?  For example, maybe when you're running late and the car in front of you is driving slow, or your friend keeps bringing up an old event that annoys you.

Step 2:  Observe your reaction.  Figure out how you reacted and if you are feeling positive or negative emotion.  Do you feel angry, defensive, or annoyed?  Are you yelling, cursing, or exaggerating the situation to fit your stance?  Make the connection between your hot button and your reaction, such as, "Ok, when my neighbors are being loud, I get mad and can't think straight."

Step 3:  Ask "what can I appreciate about this?"  Find something in the situation to appreciate, and think about it for a moment until you feel positive emotion.  This is a tough one at first, since our pain body welcomes more pain yet resists appreciation very strongly. 

For example, the other night I was laying in bed around 1am I hear this loud vacuuming from the school across the street from my house.  At first I instantly got frustrated and thought, "Why the hell do they have to clean at 1am on a Sunday night!" 

Then I caught myself and thought, "What can I appreciate about this?" 

• Well, I'm glad that my ears are so good that I can hear the vacuum even with the windows shut. 
• I'm also glad that the schools are taken care of so that the kids have a clean environment which means my neighborhood is pretty good. 
• The sound knocked me back into my body, which helped me to become present and get out of my head. 

Within a few moments I had forgot about the loud noise and began to relax again.  I don't even remember when it stopped since I was already feeling good and thinking about something else.

Step 4: Decide how to act.  Once you are in a state of positive emotion, you are able to make a better decision and will be less likely to trigger the pain-body reaction from other people.  Sometimes people are behaving inappropriately and the best thing you can do is call them out on it.  The key, though, is to be in a state of positive emotion first so you can lead them into your state rather than let them pull you down into their negative state.

By going straight into gratitude and appreciation, you inoculate yourself from the outside world's effect on you.  This practice allows you to:

• Actively create your own reality (you choose how you will act)
• Manifest what you want easier (since there is less emotional resistance)
• Develop charm and charisma (you overcome any objections with ease)

Imagine, when you are in a good mood and can reframe any negative situation into something good, others will be drawn into your positive reality. 

I observed this a while back during a vacation with my brother and dad.  My dad is very picky when it comes to food, and when our waiter brought us our pizza, he kept asking for extra toppings and questioning the ingredients.  My brother and I kept telling him to quit being so picky, we didn't want spit on our food. 

When he talked to the waiter, the guy just smiled and replied in his funny accent with answers like "So you guys like it spicy, no problem."  He didn't take anything personal and handled everything smoothly with pleasure.  Seeing him being happy relieved us and we all enjoyed the pizza even more.

Next time you feel angry or frustrated, ask yourself, "What can I appreciate about this?"  and see how things play out differently.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone you know that took place entirely in your mind?  Did you think about doing something, went through all the details and then said, "That's a great idea, I'll plan to do that later."

Now that I am clearing some of the junk in mind, that voice keeps popping up with great wisdom.  Five minutes ago I began to have a conversation with someone I had recently met in my head.  I kept replaying what I was going to tell them yet I wasn't taking action.  Suddenly the voice tells me:

"Do or speak.  Do not think about doing or speaking."

It's so short and to the point.  There is power in the simplicity.  How much time do we waste in our heads thinking about doing things and what we are going to say.  When we do those things or have the conversations, they are always different anyway so what good was all that thinking? 

Let go of the thinkingness and allow the presence of the moment to sink in.  If you are in a car, observe the sky, the other cars, the buildings.  If you are in an office, observe the sounds, notice the temperature, feel your chair.  If you are outside, observe the animals, the plants, the sounds.  It really makes time slow down and allows you to enjoy being alive. 

Mark Twain said it best: "I've had thousands of problems in my life, most of which never actually happened."

If this interests you, grab a copy of the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and try what he recommends.  It's quite a challenge at first but it's really worth it.

I am realizing more the power of following my inner voice.  It's so deep inside that it almost feels like a different person.  Many times I question my inner voice because I don't understand the value of a path it tells me to follow until I have already walked it. 

For example, the other day I was visiting Seattle with my family and my parents ended up going to a jewelry store while my brother and sister and I had some free time so we began walking around.  I took the lead and instantly I felt that small voice subtly urge me (with a gentle feeling rather than with words).

I saw a thrift store across the street and felt it.  My mind told me "maybe I will find something odd or valuable there."  I walked in and looked around, seeing only old books and junk.  The feeling was gone as well.  Instantly some self-doubt popped up, "I guess I imagined that inner voice." 

Just as I stepped back outside, I saw a nearby lamp store named 'en-light-enment' and I again felt that pull, so we walked towards it.  As I was walking up to the front door I noticed directly next door was a herb shop and once again I felt that pull.  I bypassed the lamp store and the three of us walked into the herb store. 

Inside I found a plethora of herbs stacked in jars alongside the wall, next to a library of books on health and some hot tea for store patrons.  We sipped some teas and I picked up a good book called The Green Pharmacy by James Duke. 

As I read through the various herbal remedies it suggested, I recalled that my sister had a very bad bladder infection the night before and we were considering taking her to the doctors if it didn't get better.  I looked up the necessary herbal treatment, consulted with the lady at the store, and bought the book and the necessary herbs for my sister. After a few days of using them, the infection was practically all cleared up and I now had a great book on using herbs as medicine (which I had been thinking about the previous week).

The funny thing is, when we started walking, we couldn't see the herb store from our location.  It wasn't until we had walked across the street and around the corner, that we were able to see the herb store.  That is why my inner voice guided me to the thrift store then to a lamp store.  Had I resisted that feeling and thought "oh there is no reason to go to a thrift store" then I would not have ended up at the herb store.

That is why many spiritual leaders say "surrender to life" or "let life be your guide."  It's just like in The Matrix when the prophet tells Neo he is not "The One" specifically so he could get on the path of becoming "The One." 

Steve Pavlina says it best:

"When you think about what path you’re on, rather than just your current position, you’ll become much more aware of where you really are on a scale of 1-10. Life is a journey, not a destination. When you get stuck at a 7, your path is the problem — it’s your path that’s really a 3 because it isn’t moving you forward….The real 10 is not some position. It’s the path itself. "

I've also become aware that path with my life has changed.  This new path is reflected in the new blog.  Ask yourself if you are on the right path.  Where is this path leading you?  Is it somewhere you want to be?  What path would you like to be on?

When I consider taking advice or training under a "guru" of some sort, I always looks at what their life is like.  It's like a glimpse into the future of that path.  If it's somewhere I would also like to be then I learn as much as I can from that person.

Hey guys, thanks for your patience, I know it was quite a long time though don't worry, it's been worth the wait.  So what is Yang Town and how is it different my old blog?  Yang Town is a blog for men centered around spirituality and self-improvement. 

Topics of interest include chakras, meditation, healing energy, psychology, women, relationships, and masculine embodiment.  The word ‘Yang’ comes from Yin & Yang in which Yin is feminine and Yang is masculine.  Have you taken the Yang Town Journey Yet?  If not click here, then come back to this post.

I envisioned the site design back in January of this year after much meditation.  As soon as I had the idea, I grabbed my notebook and sketched out the concept.  I'm not much of a digital graphic artist, so after the initial sketch, I searched for a high quality illustrator and eventually found a design company from Argentina to help make my vision a reality.

Around this time I began to distance myself from my old blog, dewussified.  I just could not bring myself to post with much passion like before.  It's as if the site was no longer home to me; I just didn't resonate with it anymore.  I looked at the old site in a completely different way. 

To evolve, one should move away from what they don't want and move consciously towards what they want.  You've probably heard this as the law of attraction. 

How have I made this jump in consciousness?  I've radically changed alot of things, everything from the way I eat, my lifestyle, my friends, learning ways to let go of pain and to heal my energy, and especially how to quiet my mind.  There is so much that I've learned in the past year that it will take many upcoming posts to share them all with you. 

So you can expect to see some incredible topics ahead and some really far out ideas.  I'd like to ask that you suspend your beliefs and judgments for a little while and try out a lot of the ideas I put forth.  Most of them can't be understood by the mind, they have to be experienced.

Thanks for sticking with me this far and I wish you the best on your own path.

Shaving is one of those lost arts, buried beneath the rubble of new razor technology and the fast paced modern life.  Years ago a man prided himself enough to shave with precision and care.  Shaving was a ritual, not a mindless chore.  I've always shaved with Gillette Mach 3 razors and thought life was good.  I had no idea what I was missing until I'd had enough of the red bumps and constant skin irritation from shaving. 

After doing some research I've found some a great way to shave.  It takes a few more minutes, has a slightly higher risk of bleeding, and a higher upfront cost.  Though it also is healthier on the skin, gives a closer shave, and allows you to feel a sense of masculine power.

If you decide that you are worth it to shave this way, here is what you'll need:

Razor – First you want to get a good razor.  The one I bought is a Merkur "Hefty Classic" Double-Edge Safety Razor, imported from Germany.  Apparently it will last a lifetime.  Price $30

 "Old World Craftsmanship and Quality – Imported from Germany"

 The great thing about this razor is the ease of use.  To clean it, simply unscrew the bottom of the hand and the top rounded portion comes out, allowing full access to the razor, this way you can clean off hairs and cream that get stuck in between the blade.   It's also stylish, and you can lay it to rest on the counter and the blades will not be touching the surface (reducing the amount of germs and bacteria it picks up).

Razorblades – You'll also want to pick up some replacement blades.  The blades for the razor above are Merkur Stainless Steel Platinum Double-Edge Blades

You can find a 10 pack for $5, that's cheaper than a pack of Mach3 blades.

Shaving Brush – The brush I got is called the Vulfix Pure Badger Shaving Brush Price $35. Why is it important to get a shaving brush?  Well according to the article from above:

"The combination of hot water mixing with the cream and getting beaten by the brush all over your face delivers a thicker, richer, more emollient lather that’s impossible to get with your fingers alone. A shaving brush also gently exfoliates, or removes the dead skin, from your face before shaving, which gets rid of anything coming between the blade and your whiskers. Finally, the up-down brushing lifts your whiskers and suspends them standing upright in the thick lather, which exposes the maximum whisker length to your blade as it skims along your face."

Basically, this is the most important part of shaving, it reduces the irritation and prepares the face, and it feels freaking amazing.  Seriously, if you buy only one thing from this article, buy a badger hair brush (make sure it says badger hair).

Shaving Cream – The shaving cream I bought is called Proraso Shaving Cream, Price #10.  It's imported from Italy and is one of the lowest priced/high quality creams.  Get the original Green one:

"Eucalyptus, Menthol, and Glycerin based shaving cream will transform your daily shave into an event to look forward to. Its tingle will invigorate you and its quality ingredients will provide a close shave without irritation."

After Shave – I use a skin toner called Maxwell’s Apothecary To Tone Price $18.  This is the perfect replacement for the regular aftershave.  It's an "herbal toner that cleanses and tightens facial pores after the harsh impact of shaving." 

This alone will reduce the irritation from shaving, it especially helped my neck even before I bought any new shaving equipment.

 
Shaving Mug – I actually didn't order a mug yet, but the one I plan on ordering is the Nickel Plated Shaving Bowl Price: $30

You need something to soak the cream into your brush and this will do it.  Of course, it's a bit pricey, there are a couple cheaper ones out there that will do the job as well.   

Styptic Pencil – [Update: Styptic pencils contain some really unhealthy ingredients, I don't have a better substitute yet except tissue and aftershave.] The last thing you will need is a styptic pencil. I found out this one the hard way.  After a couple times shaving with my new razor, I got a little careless and started rushing before I left the house.  I nicked a tiny part of my lip and it bleed for 40 minutes straight.  I tried tissue, ice, salt, and nothing worked.  I finally walked into to rite aid pharmacy with my tissue still held up to my face and asked the clerk to help me find something to stop the bleeding.  After about 5 minutes of using it, the bleeding had stopped completely.

 So now that you have all the gear, how do you shave right?  Well, if you want the detailed explanation, view the original article. Otherwise, I will go over it briefly.

1) First start running the water (not burning but very warm).
2) Drop the brush in it, and splash your face to get it nice and wet.
3) Take the brush out and hold it upside down so most of the water falls out.
4) Fill up your shaving mug with goop of shaving cream, dip your brush in and mix it around. (it will look like the cream disappeared into the brush, don't be fooled, there will be alot in the brush).
5) Use the brush to lathering up your face, moving it in an up and down motion. Do this at least 1-2 minutes to build up a nice lather.
6) GENTLY AND SLOWLY use your razor to shave.  Go in the same direction as your hair grows to minimize any irritation.  Make sure to keep your face nice and wet.
7) When you're done shaving, rinse your face with cold water.
8) Rinse the brush with water so it is completely clean, then stand it upright in your medicine cabinet.
9) Pat, not rub, your face dry with a fresh, clean towel.
10) Apply skin toner and you're done!

You don't have to buy them from the same store I did, these are simply provided for your convenience.  I hope this helps.  I used to get really bad red bumps on my neck from shaving, after using this process, most of the redness is gone. 

 Good luck!

[*Update 4-6-2008* Nearly all posts from here until late August 2008 have been removed.  They served myself and others at one point but now I am choosing to improve the level of consciousness of this blog.]

I have surrendered to translating my revelations into digital characters….the following posts from here on out will follow my quest for spiritual enlightenment and the ever pervading question that men ask of themselves…I welcome any praise, disagreements, guidance, or kudos…Welcome