Summer: The Essence of Change

If you’ve noticed, we are officially engaged in the midst of the summer madness. Swimming, snow cones, and weekend barbecuing have taken hold throughout the country, taking advantage of the warm summer sun. I want you to imagine yourself at your favorite summer destination. Is it the beach? It it abroad? Are you with your family? Let the sun hit your face, relaxing your muscles. Your breathing is deep and thankful for what you have been given. Are you there? Enjoy this escape… Read more of this post

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Change Your Life With The Power of Gratitude

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John F. Kennedy Read more of this post

Wabi Sabi is Not Food, But You Can Eat It!

I often take notice of things around me that don’t seem to fit in their current environment. These objects have a simplistic way of standing out amongst all of the organized things that coordinate. In a way, these items disorient my mind as my mind searches for organization. Out of this, a state of mind arises. This state of mind enables an appreciation for this disorganization. Interestingly, when we take a closer look we find that this is not a disorganized object at all. Read more of this post

The Physiology of Meditation

Meditation can de-stress you and place you in a serene state of being. Even though this is something meditation does very well, research now shows that the things we do with our body(i.e. meditation)actively effect our brain cells. In fact, the research goes on to say that our genes our changed when we take part in physiologically changing acts. These genes are either turned off or on that are associated with inflammation, cell-aging, and free radicals. This allows the body to repair these factors that contribute to cell damage. These changes have been known to change the “fight or flight” reaction, as well.  This plays more into how our habits change our world, even on a cellular level. Read more of this post

Create Abundance With The Summer Solstice

Did you know that solar power is consider one of our greatest societal accomplishments to date involving energy? Individuals that use solar power are always looking to score the most amount of absorbed power on any single given day. Yesterday, they hit a peak day, and they knew it was coming. June 20th, 2013 arrived the Summer Solstice in where the sun hovered in the sky appearing to stand still for the longest time of the season. This allowed solar power operators to collect a huge amount of renewable energy within a single day. This made June 20th a very powerful day power producers.

summer solstice

The Summer Solstice is a Pagan, Celtic, and Druid tradition that dates back hundreds of years. The main theme of the solstice is abundance, citing if celebrated correctly one can manifest any into the material world. Around the world people celebrate by communing in large drum circles, parties, and rituals. If you notice, everything done during the summer solstice is a communal event. This is very important, for the spirit of the summer solstice is just that; one of a great coming together.

Although you may or may not believe in particular religions or traditions, the religions featured during this celebratory time have very real rituals they follow during the summer solstice. For Pagans, the following themes, symbols, and spells apply:

Herbs – basil, chamomile, daisy, elder, pine, St. John’s wort, tyme, yarrow, frankincense, fennel, lavender, and lily

Essential oils and incense – frankincense, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, lotus, jasmine, rose, wisteria, and myrrh

Colors – yellow, white, red, blue, green, tan

Decoration – anything reminiscent of the sun (yellows, reds, oranges), dried herbs, potpourri, fruits, summer flowers

Gemstones – any green stone (e.g. emerald)

Foods – mead, fresh fruits and veggies, lemonade, cookies and cakes decorated to honor the Sun, and of course plenty of ale

Spellwork – Litha is the perfect time for any magick but is especially good for Animal Protection and Marriage & Vow Renewal spells

Litha Incense – 2 parts Sandalwood, 1 part Mugwort, 1 part Chamomile, 1 part Gardenia petals, several drops of Rose oil, several drops of Lavender oil, several drops of Yarrow oil

Orange Honey Butter – 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 – 2 Tablespoons honey, Combine ingredients and chill until ready to eat. Yum!

If casting spells and chanting doesn’t seem like something that would fit your personality or beliefs, then a good way to spend your summer solstice would be to simply enjoy the day and the day following by honor the mid-summers day with acknowledgment. So often we get caught up in our busy lives and forget to honor the earth we stand on. Be thankful, grateful, and compassionate towards others. In the spirit of the ancients, the ancients would be proud if you did.

 

A Zen Approach to Our Politically Driven World

When we think of Zen we think of a solitary monk sitting on a comfy pillow in a quiet room chanting or simply meditation. Most of the time we never think to cross Zen and politics. Politics has turned into a rough sport between high rolling lobbyists and power hungry politicians. Not to be nieve, not all politicians start out bad, nor do all of them end up bad. It’s the system that we should blame, and the system is where we can inject a drop of Zen.

zen, politics, news, philosophy

The Mall in Washington, D.C. is 1.4 times larger than Vatican City. This amazing fact my give you some insight into how we few our political system. For millennia, we have viewed ourselves as the ultimate power structure, untouchable, and incorruptible. In large scale, when claims such as these are made we know that the system is simply better at hiding the problems rather than fixing them. Therefore, we must act like a dedicated monk and dissect the way we think about politics and our government in order to develop some detachment and peace from it.

Detachment? Yes, that was the implication. How can something so deeply rooted become detached from our sense of self? This is where Zen comes in; we need to establish political information and structure as if we were handling our ego. When we look at our ego, i.e. sense of self, we often look at the parts that make it up. Our likes/dislikes, fears, wants, needs, and conditioning. This too can be applied to the way we interact with political matters. We must first understand the conditioning that is involved. Asking: Is our way of looking at politics conditioned by the way we were raised? Are the views we hold true naturally ours? Are there other views that appeal to us but we’ve been scared to embrace them for reason of exclusion from friends or family? When we get to the center answers to these questions we realize that not all of our views are as organic as we originally thought. We find that many of our base views about politics are founded in past condition and fear. Ironically, these are the two main culprits when dealing with the ego as well. By using awareness and compassion we can learn to embrace the view we are more apt to hold as true versus the preprogrammed methods of looking at the political system.

Through this inspection, we can understand more clearly our position larger issues that effect the whole of humanity. We are, therein, able to step back and look at our interpersonal relationships associated with the political topic. Would we no longer be friends with some people? No, that’s an alienation tactic. Instead, we would estable report with those of different view structure in order to know them as better human beings, allowing them space to express their individuality. This could aslo be summed up as, political compassion.

After we have taken a step backwards, we are now ready to look for patterns in the way we react to political statements and situations. Are we subjecting ourselves to conditioned habit forms of action and reaction that place us in a defensive stance when confronted with opposing views? How does this deep our relationships with others or spark real solutions towards pending political problems? Most of the time they don’t. By acting in knee-jerk fashion we don’t give space for our thoughts to breath. We react habitually because we are comfortable(settling) with that way of reacting to conflict. Most of the time these are defense mechanisms that are put into place to keep us from getting hurt. When discussing politics with someone of different view keeping our thoughts and reactions in check is incredibly important towards the validity of the relationship. Unfortunately, politics has a way of dividing friends, family, and organizations. We become deeply invested in our point of view, so much that we forget that there are other points of view out there that may be right as well even if they are conflicting with ours.

As we endure this time of political change we need to approach each situation as a time to become more aware, egos in check, and watchful of how we react. And just like in 1798 when John Adams spent seven months on his farm in Massachusetts to care for his ill wife Abigail, we too should take time out to take care of the system that is in need of constant care and attention.

Is Your Mind the Problem or Solution?

Did you know that every time your heart beats, your arteries carry 20 to 25 percent of your blood to the brain(Piedmont Brain Tumor Center). The harder you think, the more oxygen and fuel your brain will use from your blood – up to 50 percent. This insightful fact confirms how how amazing our brain is. Psychologically speaking, the average number of thoughts a person has each day is 70,000. The majority of them the same couple of thoughts, repeated. Create this visual:  There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain. The distance around the world at the equator is 24,900 miles – amazing. 

We have gently discovered that our brain is an amazing part of the human body. Accounting for the way we see, feel, and experience the world. However, it seems that this main headquarters for our life is the center of many of our problems. The brain[and body] aslo has the ability to adhere to habit forms and substance addiction. In this sense, we struggle day in and day out with the right decisions for our life. Must of this battle is waged in the thinking mind. Even though psychiatry and philosophy works to come up with answers concerning the thinking mind, the results are still very inconclusive. Each philosopher claims to have answers. But upon closer inspection, we find their rhetoric just as flimsy as those that came before them. Even though many of these outstanding academics fail to come to solid conclusive results, there are constants that remain throughout many of these streams of exploration. I will showcase this four characteristics that are subtle parts of our lives. These characteristics shape our lives, they are key. If you wish to change your life for the better, implementing change in these areas will do that for you.

 

 

  • Habits: Habits first arise in the mind as, simply put, thoughts repeated. Think of a bad habit. Got it? Now, what if I told you that you had the power to change this habit(exchange)out for one that will serve you? This may seem crazy or outside of your view of current thought, but it’s not only possibile, its a necessity. Each habit can be changed, but only if it is replaced by another habit. This shift is a good time to become clear about what you want. Once you make that decision, you will be able to replace a habit with a habit that serves your goals and dreams. For some reason, along the way somewhere, we developed this idea that habits are bad. Habits aren’t bad, bad habits are bad. If I commit to setting a habit of getting up early every day for the purpose of seeing the sunset, that habit is a really good habit. This habit allows me to see every sunset in my lifetime – pretty good if you ask me. So the key here is to find what you want to replace, than, get clear and commit to repeating it in your mind. This may seem like insanity at first, but just think of all the things you’ve done this with yielding no results.
  • Actions: Actions are the direct result of your habits. When you realize this, you fully understand that habits literally form our lives. From how we walk to how we talk, habits shape every aspect of our lives. This brings to light the issues in our lives and how we can turn them around by simple not enlisting in our habitual reactions. The argument here is that we can’t control the events that happen to us. This is a cop-out. Yes, we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to those situations that come into our field of experience. This is the second key to turning around your habits to habits that server you versus destroy you. The core mindset here is to become present during an experience where you would normally react a certain way. Once you become aware of how you are acting, you can take action to change the way you react.
  • Environmental Change: As soon as your habits are aligned with your goals and dreams, and your actions have taken hold the new patterns. You are now ready to watch your environment change to support your goals. Once you start to take action on the new habit forms developed in your mind, your environment will change(sometimes rapidly)to support the actions you are taking. Do you remember the sunset analogy? Once I have made the committed habit to get up early for the purpose to see the sunset, taking action to rise out of bed early, I will see the curtains open by my hands, the tea being made, and the yoga mat laid out. My environment will experience even further changes as I continue this each day. My environment will literally change to support what I have envisioned in my mind.
  • Purpose: I decided to place this last as a form of deconstruction of the steps. Once you have understood these steps, you now need to focus on the purpose for the change in lifestyle. Your answer shouldn’t be “for a better life”, we all want that. Dig deep and really understand your goal and purpose for changing a habit, and therein your life. Why am I honestly changing this habit. Get clear, focused, and lasered in on your goals and dreams. Align your habits with your goals that you’ve now discovered. Once you have aligned your habits towards your goals and dreams the actions will take hold, enabling your environment to support your efforts. Take the risk, take the change. Whats the worst that could happen? Your life remains the same…?

 

The Way to Live Positively

Positive thinking is not just something for the meditator or religious person. Positive thinking is a power aspect of our existence that needs to be utilized more often as our world becomes more complex and technologically advanced. Reality is all about perception and how we view the world. Do you look for the negative in a situation or the positive? Do you think the way you view a situation impacts it’s outcome? positive Is it what you perceive it to be? If  situations are all truly in our heads, then we hold a massive power to influence our environment and the people in it. A positive outlook can completely change the way a situation presents itself. The question is, what is the full range of benefits that stem from thinking positively on a regular basis? Read more of this post

What is Guided Meditation?

Everyday we are seeing the wonderful benefits that meditation offers. Discoveries in neuroscience and biology have taken the art of meditating to new levels of physiological response. Society is at it’s most fast-paced than ever before. Read more of this post

The Myth Busters Visit Washington DC

myth busters, www.zazenlife.com, democracy

Desire

Desire is a TRAP.

Desire-lessness is liberation.

Desire is the creator.

Desire is the destroyer.

Desire is the universe.

And: That applies to the physical plane, the astral plane, and the casual plane.

Heaven, Hell, Demons: Are all the creations of desire!

All the manifestations of the divine mother are creations of desire!

That’s why Naga (the naked ascetic), worked on getting Ramakrishna to go beyond his love for Kali.

Give up even the desire to be experiencing the bliss of being it all, of being with the divine mother.

-Be Here Now.

Most Expensive Food In The World Smuggled Like Drugs

For those of you who do not know, truffles happen to be the most expensive delicacy in the entire world, and they are beginning to create what some call “The Truffle Mafia”.

Italian White Truffle

To be specific, “The Italian White Truffle” which goes for about $3,600 per pound is extremely rare and must be cleaned and cut prior to consumption.

The best example of their value is when in 2007 a man bought a 3.3 pound white truffle for a record-breaking $330,000 dollars…only to be consumed. I personally don’t see what the craze is all about considering that a truffle is technically a mushroom, and paying a good amount of money for a fungus (with the exception of psychedelic mushrooms of course) makes little sense to me. Regardless the rarity pertains with the price as these truffles are subject to an annual worldwide crop of only 30 tons per year.

However, their has been a creation of a black market of truffle selling of a different caliber, namely “Chinese Black Truffles”. Individuals get a white truffle then cut them with black truffles and market them as the rare Italian white truffles to unknowing consumers at high prices. Many complications have come from this, as a huge increase in crime just to obtain the majestic mushroom has risen in France.

Truffle Farmer Using Dog To Sniff Out White Truffles

 

The “Truffle Mafia” as they are called, have done the following in order to obtain these truffles:

  • Raid crops
  • Steal truffles directly from restaurants
  • Car-jacking truffle farmers
  • Beaten truffle farmers
  • Murder truffle farmers
  • Steal truffle farmers dogs that detect truffles
  • Steal the trees that produce the truffles
The scarcity and high prices of these truffles have left an extremely similar resemblance to modern drug trades and practices associated with them.
The reality of the situation that is it a dangerous world and the more scarce something is, the more it is desired and some people are willing to do anything for money.
France alone gets in around 28 tons of the fake “Chinese Truffles” and are passed off through restaurants or wealthy tasteful individuals. These fakes have a value of around only $20 per pound whilst the real ones, as stated earlier, go for a hefty $3,600 per pound.
Who would have thought farming an expensive delicacy would be comparable to illegal drug trades one day? Can’t say I would have seen it coming…

 

Online Gamers Solve Decade-Old HIV Puzzle In Three Weeks

In just three weeks, online gamers deciphered the structure of a retrovirus protein that has stumped scientists for over a decade, and a study out Sunday says their breakthrough opens doors for a new AIDS drug design.

The protein, called a protease, plays a critical role in how some viruses, including HIV, multiply. Intensive research has been underway to find AIDS drugs that can deactivate proteases, but scientists were hampered by their inability to crack the enzyme’s structure.

Looking for a solution, researchers at the University of Washington turned to Foldit, a program created by the university a few years ago that transforms problems of science into competitive computer games, and challenged players to use their three-dimensional problem-solving skills to build accurate models of the protein.

Within days, the gamers generated models good enough for the researchers to refine into an accurate portrayal of the enzyme’s structure. What’s more, the scientists identified parts of the molecule that are likely targets for drugs to block the enzyme.

Within days, the gamers generated models good enough for the researchers to refine into an accurate portrayal of the enzyme's structure.

“We wanted to see if human intuition could succeed where automated methods had failed,” said Firas Khatib, a lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The researchers were hopeful that their finding would open further possibilities of crowd-sourcing and online game-playing in scientific discovery.

“The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems,” Khatib said.

Seth Cooper, a co-creator of Foldit, added, “People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at. Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans. The results in this week’s paper show that gaming, science and computation can be combined to make advances that were not possible before.”

source: io9.com

First Step Towards A Truly Immersive Virtual Reality

Monkeys can now feel virtual objects using a brain implant.

This could be the first step towards virtual reality where you can feel the computer-generated world around you.

An international team of neuroengineers has developed a  bi-directional brain-machine interface. That means the monkeys can use this brain implant not only to control a virtual hand, but also to get feedback that tricks their brains into “feeling” the texture of virtual objects.

"Feeling" the texture of virtual objects.

How it works:

When you’re wearing a pair of big bulky gloves, the sensory information usually provided to your brain by your fingers is deadened by the barrier between your hand and your keys. The result is a one-way interface; your brain can tell your fingers what to do with the keys, but communication from your fingers back to your brain is effectively cut off. As a result, you have to rely on another sense — usually vision — to tell if you’re currently pinching one key, three keys, or no keys at all.

To really make the most of your fingertips, there needs to be a two-way interface between your brain and your hands. When your brain can receive tactile information from your hands about, say, the texture of the key you’re handling, it can make near-instantaneous adjustments that give you better dexterity, or help you choose the right key.

Brain-machine interfaces have come a long way in recent years, but, with few exceptions, these systems have depended pretty much exclusively on one-way interfaces.

To demonstrate the power of a two-way interface, a team of neuroengineers at Duke University designed a brain-machine-brain interface (BMBI) to test on monkeys.

“This is the first demonstration of a brain-machine-brain interface that establishes a direct, bidirectional link between a brain and a virtual body,” said Miguel Nicolelis, who led the study. “In this BMBI, the virtual body is controlled directly by the animal’s brain activity, while its virtual hand generates tactile feedback information that is signaled via direct electrical microstimulation of another region of the animal’s cortex.”

Here’s how it all works: the BMBI takes movement commands from 50—200 neurons in the monkey’s motor cortex and uses them to control the operation of a virtual, “avatar” hand, not unlike a classical one-way interface. But the new interface also implements a feedback mechanism, wherein information about a virtual object’s texture is delivered directly to the brain via something known as intracortical microstimulation, or “ICMS” for short. When a monkey receives feedback in the form of ICMS, thousands of neurons in its brain (neurons that actually correspond to tactile feedback in the hands) receive electrical stimulation via carefully placed electrodes.

This two-way interface allows for the monkeys to engage in what the researchers call “active tactile exploration” of a virtual set of objects. Using only their brains, monkeys were able to direct their avatar hand over the surfaces of several virtual objects and differentiate between their textures.

To prove that the monkeys could pick out specific objects based on tactile feedback, the researchers would reward monkeys for selecting objects with a specific texture. When they held their virtual hand over the correct object, they were given a reward. The study looked at the performance of this task by two monkeys. It took one monkey just four attempts to learn how to select the correct object during each trial; the second, only nine.

Source: www.io9.com

Esoteric Agenda – FULL LENGTH MOVIE

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