We need to look at this from several perspectives. There is the body chemistry connection, there is the psycho-spiritual connection, and there is a changing physical reality - all contributing factors.

First of all, let me preface this article by saying that I am not a scientist. I would call myself an intuitive detective for purposes of this article, and I'm presenting something to you that requires your willingness to follow the leads. There are websites, articles, and books you can read that will further your understanding of what is happening. But for now, let's take a look at what we're facing.

More and more people are experiencing levels of depression that they cannot seem to shake. And as a result, there is more dependence on drugs to provide a solution to the problem. However, it is important for us to determine if the depression we are feeling is psycho-chemical, or a result of other factors.

Let's take a look at the food connection. What are we are eating? In the interest of saving time, we are often tempted to buy products that masquerade as food so that we don't have to do much cooking. We have become fanatical about non-fat foods. And as a result, products have been developed that are politically correct, but nutritionally lacking. When we read the ingredients, there are more names we cannot pronounce than ingredients with which we are familiar. And often, the ingredients that are familiar to us include sugar derivatives and salt. We then place those questionable food items into our microwaves, which emit a powerful wave that changes the structure of the "food," and changes the way what we are eating is processed by the body. Like cell phones, we have been sold a marketing spin on microwaves that makes us feel absolutely safe while using them when the reverse may actually be the case. So we must ask the question: What effect does the eating of non-nutritional food and microwave cooking have on our chemistry?

We next look at our lifestyles in addition to our changing food intake patterns. Jobs that used to be where we went for 40 hours a week have now become home away from home. The work rules that precluded working longer hours in the past seem to have dissolved as a new technology captures our imagination and feeds our pocketbooks. We are willing to adapt to longer hours, greater perks, and stock options. Yet, at what price? One of the great maladies of modern day goes beyond depression. It is loss of soul.

Soulful living requires time to be still. It calls us to commune with the natural world where we partake of beauty that no mortal hands can create. When we are constantly stressed about product release, or, on the opposite End, how we will be able to pay the rent given the high cost of living, Soul, Nature, and Stillness are forgotten.

Living in a technologically-demanding world has stressed our systems. We are engaging with life less, and are glued to our screens more. Meaningful interactions are minimal as we scramble for enough time to take care of basic necessities. Many new upscale technology firms have restaurants, dry cleaners, auto wash and oil change services, and even post offices, and that's aside from the requisite gym. In other words, they are becoming our home away from home. Efficient, to be sure, but what is lost in the quotient?

As we look at the food and non-food we eat, the drugs we ingest to maintain equilibrium, and the demands on our lives from companies that lure us with the promise of "gold in them thar ..com's" we also face another culprit. This one is something over which we have no control. It is our solar system. In my book, Vision of the Grail, and in works done by Gregg Braden (Awakening To Zero Point, and Walking Between the Worlds), the point is made that we are now in a time frame where we are facing dropping magnetics and heightened electrical frequency on the earth. Because of where we are in our transit through the solar system, we are being bombarded by changing frequencies. And in this, we are being dislodged from what was a safe and secure feeling to a heightened sense of uprootedness.

For those who have a strong spiritual base, this time period can be elevating. For those whose spiritual connection is limited, or who have unresolved challenges, it can be a frightening time as everything familiar dissolves. We are in the midst of change, and we are not quite what is new yet. So, as depression rises, it is a signal to go within. There is need to find the nugget of truth that is waiting for us and requires our retrieval.

In the next article in this series, we will look at how the new vibration of 2000 plays a role in this process. We will see how our focus and reactions need to readjust in order for us to find the gold within that is waiting to be discovered. And we will look at depression through new eyes, and perhaps find new ways of dealing with it.