In part two, we talked to Alejandro Rojas of OpenMinds.TV about the latest developments in UFOlogy. Thanks David and Alejandro! Source: Jim Harold
Via: Ascension with Mother Earth
David Wilcock’s previous New York Times bestsellers, The Source Field Investigations and The Synchronicity Key, used cutting-edge alternative science to reveal oft-hidden truths about our universe. In The Ascension Mysteries,
David takes us on a gripping personal journey that describes the secret
cosmic battle between positive and negative happening every day, hidden
in both the traumas of our own lives and the world’s headlines. Through his contact with a positive higher intelligence behind the
UFO phenomenon, groundbreaking scientific information, and data from
high-ranking government whistle-blowers, David reveals that the earth is
now on the front lines of a battle that has been raging between
positive and negative extraterrestrials for hundreds of thousands of
years. The Ascension Mysteriesexplores
the towering personal obstacles David overcame to unlock the great
secrets of our universe and looks ahead to what this battle means for
each of us personally. By unifying ancient texts from a variety of
religions with scientific data and insider testimony, David presents a
stunning conclusion—that Earth is on the verge of a massive cosmic event
that will transform matter, energy, consciousness, and biological life
as we now know it and will utterly defeat the great villains of our
time.
One of the most fallaciously accepted beliefs in society today is
that there isn’t enough space or resources available for everyone. The
belief is that the planet is overpopulated and that humanity can’t
harmonize with the environment symbiotically. As a result of this
unquestioned belief, we’ve devolved into a parasitic relationship with
the Earth mother. Thankfully the light of hope is still shining
brightly, and the following article proves it. The elite indoctrinates the masses into thinking humanity has no
choice but to cannibalize the very world which gave it birth. But as
many are now rediscovering, these are unfounded beliefs based on
ignorance of our true relationship with the environment. The reality is
there is plenty of land, water, and resources for all life, not just
humanity. But the problem is, our civilization—care of despotic
elites—is woefully inefficient.
The systems we use every day are taken for granted. We assume that there is no other way to
live life, but is this really true? Planned obsolescence or the
intentional promulgation of inefficient, inadequate and destructive
technological and economic practices are pervasive within the fabric of
human life. Cars are made to fall apart, homes are made to degrade and
loose their value, foodstuffs are intentionally denatured to maintain
the medical industry—and these are only a small handful of the things
the population accepts without question. Instead of developing efficient technologies that
enhance sustainability and abundance, policies are created that actually
hinder it. Consider that the average person consumes foodstuffs which
produce untold waste and destruction for the environment, by way of
artificial farming and distribution methods. And this is primarily
because of centralization systems which are in contrast to how nature
works. For example, massive monoculture farms require a great deal of energy
to maintain, pesticides to protect crops, and increased transportation
and storage costs to distribute the produce properly. All of which makes
the food more expensive, less nutritious, and of course, allows certain
corporations to produce enormous profits— all of which is on the burden
of the consumer. In short, centralization of material goods (food, water, electricity
and so on) is incredibly costly for the people and profitable for the
elite. It allows companies to collect massive profits while the people
and the environment suffer untold destruction and loss. Since the
so-called Green Revolution during
the 1930’s when society transitioned away from organic farming to
massive artificial farms, disease and food costs have skyrocketed. In comparison, 150 years ago, the reverse was the case. Small
communities worked together to provide for each other, albeit not in a
perfect way. Knowledge of farming and survival skills were standard
educational foundations for nearly everyone in society, save those who
choose to live in major cities. But today, the vast majority of people
have no comprehension of how to sustain themselves. Humanity has become
almost completely dependent on the very systems which destroy health and
ruin the environment—and what’s worse—most people aren’t even aware of
these costs. The bottom line is ignorance is not bliss. In only a few short
decades, the environment will be so completely ravaged by modern day
society that civilization as we know it will come to an end. Future
generations will look back at this time and wonder how their forefathers
could have been so foolish and short sighted. Half of all species on
Earth have gone extinct due to environmental destruction care of modern
day practices. Thankfully, the solution is simple. We must re-educate individuals so
as to form decentralized sustainable communities. The primary reason
why most people believe that the world is overpopulated and that we need
enormous centralized systems, is a lack of knowledge, specifically in
regard to how people lived in the past. Therefore, the first step is to
dispel the illusion of dependence, scarcity, and humanity’s divorce from
nature—which are central tenants to the false paradigm of technological
progress we labor under now. The following article is one such educational tool to re-awaken our
fellows to the realities of abundant living. To be sure, humanity isn’t
the problem, it’s what humanity chooses to do that needs to change, our
practices, beliefs, and social programs. Once these things have been
corrected, which can happen fairly quickly, restoration of the
environment and human health can take place. ReGen Villiage is a new sustainable community project near Amsterdam
employing holistic systems of energy and food production, waste
management, and overall design. The team is not using any hidden
technology, such as free energy, for implementing sustainable methods.
They use existing technology to develop the project, which is highly
encouraging and is a central point to dispel the false belief in
dependence and scarcity. Even with existing advances—which are arguably far behind what is
really possible—they plan to produce a completely sustainable community.
Power, waste, and food will all be generated locally, reducing costs by
orders of magnitude and potentially distributing surpluses into the
surrounding areas. Again, the team is using conventional methods, which are not even the
most efficient, by far. This underscores what is possible when a
holistic concept of decentralization is explored, and more to the point,
when we begin to question the status quo. Our world can be healed and restored back to the paradise it was
meant to be, but only if we seek to dispel our own ignorance and take
steps to embody change. Our children deserve to inherit a planet of
safety and abundance, and this is well within our grasp today. — Justin, Stillness in the Storm
This New Neighborhood Will Grow Its Own Food, Power Itself, And Handle Its Own Waste
by Adele Peters
ReGen Village, outside of Amsterdam, doesn’t need a grid or food
systems. It’s a model for a future, fully closed-loop settlement. If you live inside one of the houses in a new neighborhood being
built in an Amsterdam suburb, your dining room might be next to an
indoor vegetable garden. Outside, you’ll have another seasonal garden.
And down the street, almost everything you eat will be grown in
high-tech vertical farms. The neighborhood will be the first ReGen Village,
a new type of community designed to be fully self-sufficient, growing
its own food, making its own energy, and handling its own waste in a
closed loop.
The
community will also produce its own energy, using a mixture of
geothermal, solar, solar thermal, wind, and biomass. “We’re looking at
some very interesting technologies for small-footprint biomass that can
take surrounding farm waste and turn that into a consistent energy
source in a way that can power these communities in northern Europe even
in the dead of winter,” Ehrlich says. A smart grid will distribute
power efficiently, sending it to a carport to charge shared electric
cars as needed. A biogas plant will turn any non-compostable household waste into
power and water. A water storage system will collect rainwater and
graywater and redistribute it to seasonal gardens and the aquaponic
system. It’s the first of a network of similar communities that ReGen plans to build around the world.
“We’re
really looking at a global scale,” he says. “We are redefining
residential real-estate development by creating these regenerative
neighborhoods, looking at first these greenfield pieces of farmland
where we can produce more organic food, more clean water, more clean
energy, and mitigate more waste than if we just left that land to grow
organic food or do permaculture there.” The first 100-home village is on the outskirts of Almere, a quickly
growing town 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam. Inside Almere, the
company is also building a scaled-down version with 35 condo units. The
company also has more projects planned in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and
Germany, but plans to expand everywhere. “We’re really looking at starting off as the Tesla of eco-villages,”
Ehrlich says. “That’s the idea. So we’re coming out as a little bit
higher-end for Northern Europe.” Next, the company wants to adapt the
system for arid climates such as the Middle East. “We tackle the first two hardest climate areas,” he says. “Then from
there we have global scale—rural India, sub-Saharan Africa, where we
know that the population is going to increase and also be moving to the
middle class. If everybody in India and Africa wants the same kind of
suburbs that we’ve been building so far, the planet’s not going to make
it.” Ehrlich, who also works as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Stanford
University and as a senior technologist there, was inspired by a 2013 UN report that argued for the creation of self-sufficient communities. In Almere, the village is likely to grow about half of the food that
the community eats—it won’t grow coffee or bananas, for example. It will
also feed energy back to the local grid. But in some locations, the
company believes that the neighborhood could be fully self-sufficient. The community in Almere will break ground this summer and be completed in 2017. Image Source: Effekt Source: Fast Co-Exist
Via: Stillness in the Storm
(Waking Times) Too much research has been devoted to the science of
stress, depression and the connection to disease and not enough to the
biology of joy. If a greater emphasis was placed on why we don’t go to
doctors when we are feeling optimistic, happy, and joyful, there would
be less value and importance placed on the emotional states that
coincidentally generate more money for those manufacturing medication.
There are many ways to experience pleasure in our brains and happiness
might be the one emotion that prevents and reverses the cascade of
cellular events that lead to disease.
Artificial Happiness
A lot of people get addicted to chemicals – alcohol, cocaine,
amphetamine, heroin, and nicotine. Why do they do that, and why aren’t
they happy? It is because brains have a variety of chemical systems that
regulate their electrical activities in waking and sleeping, and the
addictive drugs artificially stimulate those systems, but the feelings
are not those of joy. For example, a chemical called ‘dopamine’ is broadly spread through
the brain by specialized nerve cells, when a person achieves some kind
of reward, such as by satisfying hunger and thirst, winning a game, or
passing an examination. Dopamine is often called a “reward hormone”. Its
chemical actions are produced also by closely related compounds such as
amphetamine and cocaine. They give feelings of bouyant optimism,
energy, power, and knowledge. This same chemical linked to drug addiction may also contribute to obesity, researchers have found. It is not surprising that people who have no other avenues to
success, living in poverty and hopelessness, will spend their food money
on some transient chemical bliss. But that isn’t happiness, and even
people who are bloated on academic or business success, and who feel
elation, aren’t liable to confuse that feeling with happiness. Other chemicals called ‘endorphins’ act in the brain as natural pain
relievers. Their action is imitated by heroin and morphine, also
alcohol. Again, it is small wonder that people who suffer from the
emotional pains of regret, shame, guilt and despair might find relief
from their demons in forgetfulness. But that isn’t happiness. Yet another chemical called ‘serotonin’ is important in bringing
mental relaxation as an important condition for getting to sleep. We
don’t really know yet what sleep is for, but we know that we can’t
survive without it. The relief from agitation and anxiety that is
mediated by serotonin leads also to recovery from some forms of
depression. That is why the chemical fluoxitine (Prozac) has become so
popular. It doesn’t act like serotonin, but it prolongs the action of
what little serotonin the brain is producing, if it is in short supply.
But return to tranquillity from anxiety and depression is not the same
thing as happiness. So, is there a chemical for joy? Scientists are beginning to
understand that this is a wrong-headed question. There is no such
chemical, and even to ask the question is to expose a deep ignorance
about how brains – and people – actually work.
Happiness Is Directly Linked To Our Health
Dr Derek Cox, Director of Public Health at Dumfries and Galloway NHS,
suspects that for decades health professionals have been missing a big
trick in improving the health of the nation. “We’ve spent years saying that giving up smoking could be the single
most important thing that we could do for the health of the nation. “And yet there is mounting evidence that happiness might be at least
as powerful a predictor, if not a more powerful predictor than some of
the other lifestyle factors that we talk about in terms of cigarette
smoking, diet, physical activity and those kind of things.” The science of happiness is increasingly suggesting a link between happiness and health. Andrew Steptoe, the British Heart Foundation Professor of Psychology
at University College London, has found that happier people also have
greater protection against things like heart disease and stroke. “We know that stress which has bad effects on biology, leads to those
bad changes as far as health is concerned,” said Mr Steptoe. “What we think is happening is that happiness has the opposite effect
and has a protective effect on these same biological pathways”.
What Happens To Our Cells When We Are Happy?
The increasing prevalence and debilitating effects of depressive
symptoms, has motivated intense research investigating the biological
basis of mood disorders and negative affect. However, the immense volume
of research investigating pathophysiology has yet to be paralleled by
research of positive affect. Specifically, this emerging field is focused on identifying
contributing factors and various effects of positive subjective
experiences and emotions, such as hope, optimism, and spirituality.
Positive affect is a term encompassing various components, including
happiness, contentment, life satisfaction, optimism, and well-being. It
appears thathappy people who are highly effective have the same habits. The study of positive psychology is encouraging more researchers to
study a proactive prevention illness by identifying attitudes and
personality traits that contribute to positive mood and increase quality
of life. For example, happy people, as compared with less happy people, tend
to have greater immune system functioning, a reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease, and report greater marriage and job
satisfaction. It is therefore valuable to develop a deeper understanding
of the positive affect by investigating its biological basis. Several
studies have begun to investigate potential biological markers of
positive affect. Research investigating the association between potential biological
markers. Depressed individuals have a lower concentration of prolactin.
Most people associate prolaction with enabling women to produce milk,
however, it is influential over a large number of functions. Prolactin also plays an essential role in: metabolism; regulation of
the immune system; and pancreatic development. In humans, prolactin is
produced at least in the pituitary, uterus, breast, lymphocytes,
leukocytes and prostate. As prolactin response increases, so do the
positive effects associated with happiness and this correlates with
cognition and neural connectivity affecting our ability to perceive
remember, and reinforce existing neural connections. To protect the brain from stress, it releasese a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor) is a neurotrophin which functions to translate
activity into synaptic and cognitive plasticity in the adult animal.
This BDNF has a protective and also reparative element to memory neurons
and acts as a reset switch. That’s why we often feel so at ease and
things are clear after moments of stress and eventually happy. At the same time, endorphins, another chemical to fight stress, is
released from the brain. Endorphins main purpose is to minimize
discomfort and block the feeling of pain by stimulating pleasure
centers, many of which even lead to euphoria. BDNF and endorphins are the reasons exercise makes us feel so good.
The somewhat scary part is that they have a very similar and addictive
behavior like morphine, heroine or nicotine. The only difference? Well,
it’s actually good for us. Endorphins are chemicals that are able to cross through the gaps
between neurons in order to pass along a message from one to the next.
There are many different kinds, and much remains to be learned about
their different purposes and functions, but endorphins can be released with many different types of activities. Endorphins act as both a painkiller and as the pay-off for your
body’s reward system. When you hurt yourself (or eat a hot chili
pepper), you may get a big dose of endorphins to ease the pain. You may
also get an endorphin blast from talking to a stranger, eating a
satisfying meal or being exposed to ultraviolet light. (Everyone has
different amounts of endorphins, and what may trigger an endorphin rush
for one person could very well produce a dud for someone else.) The
pay-off in the form of your body tapping into its own stash of “opiates”
is to let you know you’ve had enough — and convince you to do it again
sometime soon. Overall, the net benefit of cells undergoing all the above changes leads to:
stimulating the growth of nerve connections.
improving cognition by increasing mental productivity.
improving our ability to analyze and think.
affecting our view of our surroundings.
increasing attentiveness.
leading to even more happy thoughts.
Why Happiness Is Not Made By a Chemical
Where we humans find joy is in surmounting this solipsistic barrier
between us and sharing our feelings and comforts. We cannot ever really
cross it, but, a bit like neighbors chatting over a fence, we can be
together. However, there is more to this communion than mere talking.
There is trust, which underlies true friendships and partnerships. What
is the chemistry of trust? Answers are found when we look back on our mammalian ancestors.
Raising a helpless infant to childhood requires intensive parental care,
which comes with bonding between the parents and the infant.
Now, how does a carefree child, when it has grown up, become a parent?
This change in role requires a catastrophic change in beliefs, attitudes
and values to make new parents. We humans would say that they fall in
love, first with each other, and then with their offspring. Scientists have learned that, when animals mate and give birth,
specialized chemicals are released into their brains that enable their
behavior to change. Maternal and paternal patterns of nursing and caring
appear. The most important is a chemical called ‘oxytocin’. It doesn’t
cause joy. On the contrary, it may cause anxiety, because it melts down
the patterns of connections among neurons that hold experience, so that
new experience can form. We become aware of this meltdown most
dramatically as a frightening loss of identity and self control, when we
fall in love for the first time. Bonding comes not with the meltdown, but with the shared activity
afterward, in which people learn about each other through cooperation.
Knowing another person doesn’t come with foreplay and orgasm. It comes
in cooperative activities during and afterward. Trust emerges not just
with sex, but also with vigorous shared activity in sports and combat,
through which people bond into teams by learning to trust each other. So oxytocin is not a happiness chemical, but a brain tool for building trust and this is well known in mother-child bonds.
Perhaps a million years ago our ancestors learned how to use this
mammalian mechanism to promote social bonding beyond sexual union, in
order to form groups and tribes. They did it, and still do it, with
dancing, rhythmic clapping and chanting, singing and making music
together all day and night, into exhaustion and collapse. When they
awaken, they are reborn. Nietsche realized this. Emil Durkheim and other anthropologists have
shown how people engage in Dionysian orgies and religious ceremonies, as
the most effective way in which to create group identities. The joy
they experience comes in dancing and singing with each other, thereby
forming the bonds of trust. Trust comes when we are able to predict what
other people will do, and we achieve that by repeated cooperative
actions. Aristotle wrote: “Happiness is activity of the soul in accordance
with virtue.” That is rather abstract. We can see virtue as a set of
shared goals for the good of ourselves and our children. Joy comes with
activities that we share with people we have learned to trust, and that
enable us to share meaning across the solipsistic barrier that separates
each of us from all others. So happiness is not made by a chemical. That would be the same as
treating a violin sonata as nothing but rubbing horse hair on strings of
cat gut in order to make a wooden box resonate. Violin makers have to
know their materials to make one, and physicians have to know about the
brain chemicals in order to treat patients, when the chemistry of brains
has gone wrong, but they can’t give us a pill to make us happy. We
create our own joys, and we feel happiest in learning to trust each
other.
The Power of Positive Thoughts
As far as your brain, every thought releases brain chemicals. Being
focused on negative thoughts effectively saps the brain of its positive
forcefulness, slows it down, and can go as far as dimming your brain’s
ability to function, even creating depression. On the flip side,
thinking positive, happy, hopeful, optimistic, joyful thoughts decreases
cortisol and produces serotonin, which creates a sense of well-being.
This helps your brain function at peak capacity. Happy thoughts and positive thinking,
in general, support brain growth, as well as the generation and
reinforcement of new synapses, especially in your prefrontal cortex
(PFC), which serves as the integration center of all of your brain-mind
functions. In other words, your PFC not only regulates the signals that your
neurons transmit to other brain parts and to your body, it allows you to
think about and reflect upon what you are physically doing. In
particular, the PFC allows you to control your emotional responses
through connections to your deep limbic brain. It gives you the ability
to focus on whatever you choose and to gain insight about your thinking
processes. The PFC is the only part of your brain that can control your
emotions and behaviors and help you focus on whatever goals you elect to
pursue. It helps you grow as a human being, change what you wish to
change, and live life the way you decide! Why Optimism Leads to Greater Happiness Neuroscientists have discovered that people who have a more cheerful
disposition and are more prone to optimism generally have higher
activity occurring in their left PFC. But that’s a brain explanation.
Interestingly, behavioral scientists have observed fascinating
differences between optimists and pessimists. Optimism, for example,
involves highly desirable cognitive, emotional, and motivational
components. Optimistic people tend to have better moods, to be more
persevering and successful, and to experience better physical health.
One factor may be simply that optimists attribute good events to
themselves in terms of permanence, citing their traits and abilities as
the cause, and bad events as transient (using words like “sometimes” or
“lately”), or the fault of other people. In addition, optimists:
Lead happy, rich, fulfilled lives
Spend the least amount of time alone, and the most time socializing
Have good relationships
Have better health habits
Have stronger immune systems
Live longer than pessimists
On the flip side, pessimistic people explain good events by citing
transient causes, such as moods and effort, and bad events as permanent
conditions (using words like “always” or “never”). A study by a
University of British Columbia researcher found that some people aregenetically predisposed to see the world darkly. Negativity is all-pervasive, it seems. Pessimists:
Automatically assume setbacks are permanent, pervasive, and due to personal failings.
Are eight times more likely to be depressed than optimists
Perform worse at school and work
Have rockier interpersonal relationships
Die sooner than optimists.
According to Sonia Lyubomirsky, a University of California
researcher, unhappy people spend hours comparing themselves to other
people, both above and below themselves on the happiness scale; happy
people didn’t compare themselves with anyone. According to a study from Lund University, collective picture of what makes us happy is more about relationships and people, and less about things. The good news is that you can use your mind to train your brain to
tamp down the negative thoughts that lead to pessimism, while ramping up
the types of positive thoughts that lead to optimism. You can be the
master of the neuronal changes that will lead to greater happiness, and
the rewiring starts in those teensy miracles known as your brain cells,
or neurons. Even if depression runs in your family, you have the
capability of improving the way your brain functions, of setting up
neuronal roadblocks and diminishing the neuronal patterns linked to
negative thinking. You may not be able to eradicate a genetic
disposition towards depression, but you can greatly reduce its impact
and its reoccurrence.
Negative Thinking, Negative Balance
Negative thinking slows down brain coordination, making it difficult
to process thoughts and find solutions. Feeling frightened, which often
happens when focused on negative outcomes, has been shown to decrease
activity in your cerebellum, which slow the brain’s ability to process
new information-limiting your ability to practice creative problem
solving. Additionally, the fear factor impacts your left temporal lobe,
which affects mood, memory, and impulse control. Your frontal lobe, particularly your PFC, decides what is important
according to the amount of attention you pay to something and how you
feel about it. Thus, the more you focus on negativity, the more synapses
and neurons your brain will create that support your negative thought
process. Your hippocampus provides the context of stored memories, which means
the emotional tone and description your mind creates can potentially
rewire your brain by creating stronger neuronal pathways and synapses.
What you think and feel about a certain situation or thing can become so
deeply ingrained that you will have to work hard to dismantle the
negative connections and rewire your brain in order to be less afraid,
to think positively, to believe that dreams can come true, to trust that
your efforts will be successful.
Train Your Brain to Think More Positively
One of the oldest precepts of neuroscience has been that our mental
processes (thinking) originate from brain activity: that our brain is in
charge when it comes to creating and shaping our mind. However, more
recent research has shown that it can also work the other way around:
that focused, repetitive mental activity can affect changes in your
brain’s structure, wiring, and capabilities. The actions we take can literally expand or contract different
regions of the brain, firing up circuits or tamping them down. The more
you ask your brain to do, the more cortical space it sets up to handle
the new tasks. It responds by forging stronger connections in circuits
that underlie the desired behavior or thought and weakening the
connections in others. Thus, what you do and what you think, see, or
feel is mirrored in the size of your respective brain regions and the
connections your brain forms to accommodate your needs. What does all this mean? It means that what we think, do, and say
matters; that it affects who we become on the outside, the inside, and
in our brain. Mostly, it means that you can retrain your brain to be
more positive. Start by thinking happy thoughts, looking on the bright side, and
refocusing your brain when negative thoughts occur. Your mind has the
ability to determine how your brain thinks about what happens in your
life. Use it to your own advantage to reframe events and think
positively.
About the AuthorDr. Marianna Pochelli is
a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine specializing in the treatment of
disease through superfoods and herbal strategies. She actively promotes
detoxification, colon cleansing, and a vegetarian lifestyle using living
foods as a platform to health.
(In5D) Whether we know it or not, we all are in a spiritual path.
It might not seem so seeing how some people lead their lives, or what
their interests, characters and behaviours are like; but everyone wants a
better life. Everyone hurts and everyone suffers. The spiritual awakening happens
at a different stage for everyone, and all of us are waiting for that
miracle. They might not admit it, but the fact is that everyone has a
soul, everyone is a soul and in one way or another we all feel it
pushing through.
The fact that one lives in denial due to life long exposure to a set of
beliefs usually causes others to resist the beliefs of others. When we
initiate the spiritual path openly, our attention is focused on these
practices. Wanting to evolve in the spiritual journey is something that should come from within. We can never force anyone to take it. It does not work in any other way. It is very common that people in relationships are affected by this.
The number of women interested in spirituality is far greater than men. I
know of many women who suffer due to such imbalance. In order to change
attitudes towards spirituality we have to integrate the beliefs of
others, not to dismiss them and accept people as they are now. There is
always a good reason for people’s attitudes and behaviours. Men have not
been trained to seek the spiritual;
our attention has been directed towards a more material life, so as to
be providers, but in a world in which currently most people provide for
themselves, this idea is obsolete. Yet, many men are following the
spiritual path. Everyone wants to find inner peace and men are not the
exception. The first thing we have to do is to look at ourselves. In ‘How most people sabotage their spiritual growth’ I
gave a few reasons as to why spirituality is not taken seriously,
neither by those who practice it, not by those who see it from
non-practicing position. A partner that challenges our beliefs is still a
valid partner. Why are they challenging us? and why did we attract and
felt attracted to that person in the first instance? If you are in a
relationship, you chose to be with that person. There is at least one belief and one activity that the non-spiritual
follow which can be related to. Pain and suffering is the same for
everyone even if expressed differently, and neither can be
removed without seeking truth within. There are several problems when
we disagree on these matters. We need to explain processes, concepts and
practices clearly. If we cannot do so, we might not understand it
fully. I do remember years ago someone looking at my writing and the
only thing they could say was that they “only believed in the universal truth“.
When I asked them to expand on it, there was a silence that continues
until today. Of course, they never were given the opportunity to give a
glimpse at my writing again. This is another problem. There are people in the spiritual path using
the theory against others, instead of treating them with love,
kindness, understanding and compassion. At least once a week I receive a
comment from an occasional reader throwing these theories like knives. I
call this the ‘Text Book Syndrome.” And the only intention is to prove
others wrong. More to it, the comments are usually off topic and I know
they have not even read the blog post. Whilst everyone is entitled to an
opinion, using our knowledge to try and harm others has nothing to do
with spirituality. A person could be doing their own research in many different ways. To
give an example, I have been a keen reader of classics and contemporary
literature, but also in philosophy, economics, politics, art,
psychology, plus a long list of disciplines including theory of
mathematics, which is not my forte. In the end all that mattered to me
was to live the experience, not the theory, as this is what made a
difference in my life. Spiritual or self-help bookshardy
ever got my attention. The interest is in the universal and all answers
can be found in any book if read with intention. Find the intention of
your partner and together, begin to work with it, not against each
other. Open new channels of communication and find out what your true
intentions are. Are you trying to change your partner? Whilst this
intention might seem very loving, it is not. Only when someone decides
to grow spirituality a
change will occur. Let’s change ourselves first and when we do, others
will follow. When we try to change a person against their will, the
reaction is defensive and causes them to close down. No one likes to be
told what to do or that they are doing it wrong. There is a time in life
for everyone in which we do realise our own truth and that we might
have to change it, but it is always our choice. We cannot force our beliefs and opinions on others. Give space, but
also make sure yours is safe and respected. It is possible to be kind
and loving and still stand our ground strongly. It is not a battle, but a
strong belief in your convictions. Watch for that belief that is being
challenged and ask yourself why without reacting to it.
Sit down for thirty minutes with your partner and express your
feelings, emotions and ideas and what you would expect from a them. It
is essential that we do not to give ultimatums, such as, “you do this
with me or else!” It is important to get it out of your system. Ask your
partner to listen to you without their comments and opinions. Being spiritual does
not make us better than anyone else. No one is above or below, we are
just different and we will continue being different regardless of how
much complicity we find in others. This is an exercise to express yourself. A time to be listened to. It
is also important that you are not interrupted. Ask your partner to do
the same, to express what they feel about themselves, not about your
beliefs and practices. And listen, do listen and stay with your feelings
and their feelings. It is not about correcting the beliefs and ideas of others, but about
listening to each other with respect, hence the importance of no
interference during this process. It is very rare to listen to our
partners or to talk to them without interruptions for such length of
time. Once again, be flexible and decide in which way you want to do it.
Don’t prepare a speech, be spontaneous and express what you feel at the
moment. Preparing for this exercise does not work. You already know
what you feel and what you want to say. Say it! It is not a time to
throw accusations either, but to express your feelings and what it means
to you regardless of what happened in the past. If you are reading this blog post is very likely that you are facing
this situation right now. Use this opportunity as a constructive tool to
improve the situation and create a new reality if possible. When you
have gone through the experience, answers and insights will undoubtedly
come to you and you will know what to do next. Sometimes relationships have
to end, but if there is love, doing anything you can to improve it and
take it to a different level of understanding might be worth the effort. If they love you, they will understand the concepts of love, respect,
understanding, kindness and compassion. If they don’t and you are
attacked, ask yourself why it is happening, and most importantly, is it
worth it?
Mane Blanco: I am here to assist others
in their personal transformation in order to realise your natural
abilities and to show everyone that we all are natural born leaders and
through your own personal experience that life is full of beauty and
magic. Manel Blanco’s website
By Frank M Wanderer To be awake in life means the we are fully conscious in the present
moment. Whatever we do, we do it fully consciously, focusing with all
our attention to the activity we are actually performing. How many of us
can say about ourselves that we are present in every moment of our
life?
The Notion of the Illusionary Self
In your present, individual state of consciousness you identify with
the thoughts and emotions that appear in your mind, so you believe that
you are a separate, illusionary person, an Ego.
Living as an Ego in this world, you attempt to stabilize your
illusionary sense of self. You believe that the more (knowledge,
material wealth) you add to your Ego, the stronger and more permanent it
will be. Passing time will, however, prove you wrong, since the illusionary
self is just a shape and as such is subordinate to the eternal law of
the world of shapes and forms. The law is that of the law of change
which stipulates that in that world, the world of shapes and forms, it
is not possible to stabilize anything, as everything is in the process
of constant changes. Your thoughts and emotions keep changing, and so
does their centre, the Ego, with them. Your sufferings are cause by the fact that you attempt to stabilize
something that cannot be stabilized by nature. But you fail to recognize
that, since you fully identified with the Ego, and forgot that you are
in fact pure Consciousness, free of identifications.
An Unchanging Factor
There is, however, one factor that remains unchanged in your life
through the years, and that is the sense that ”I am.” As a result of the
identification with your mind and its functions, the emphasis shifts
from ”I am” to ”I am this and that” (I am a man, I am American, I am a
doctor, I am a father etc.). The concept of ”I am this and that” is in constant change, as they are all bound to the objects of the forms and shapes. The only thing not subject to change, what is beyond ”I am,” is the formless Consciousness. You must wake up from the deep stupor of identification, you need to
become alert, because that is the only way for you to abandon your
identification with the thoughts, the works of the mind, and that is how
you are able to shake off your illusionary existence. If you are alert, only the here and now exist for you, and you may
discover the quiet Presence behind the illusionary and constantly
changing small Ego, the ”I am” which in turn you may recognize as your
real and unchanging Self. This state of consciousness is characterized by deep silence and
tranquility. When you submerge into this quietness, the duality between
you and the world ceases to exist, and in that Presence you are
amalgamated into one unity with the universe. That is how the emphasis
is shifted from ”I am this and that,” that is, from the forms and shapes
to ”I am,” that is, to the existence free of forms and shapes.
Alertness thus becomes a form of existence for you. If you identify with your thoughts and continue to live as an Ego,
dreaming that you are already awake, then you will be content with the
outermost dimension of Alertness. In this way, you will feel no urge to
become fully awake, to be introduced into the deeper dimensions of Alertness. Consequently, you will find the fact that I see you sleeping utterly absurd, since you think that you are awake. In that case, only a completely radical event that shakes your life
all the way down to the foundations may alarm you from the dream of your
identifications.
In these days it seems that identification with the forms and shapes
becomes more and more superficial at an increasing number of people. In
these people something from the deeper dimensions of Alertness appears
to emerge. With the appearance of the deeper dimensions of Alertness, a gap is
generated in you between the world of forms and shapes and the world
without these, that is between ”I am this and that” and ”I am.” One of
the signs that you are on the way towards awakening is when you begin to
feel your current, limited existence, bound to your Ego is of very poor
quality, and you begin to suspect that there are deeper, more profound
mysteries behind your life. Another sign of your awakening is the permanent restlessness, rooted
in an unconscious desire. This desire comes from an ancient, long
forgotten centre of your soul, from the deeper dimensions of Alertness. The Ego lends
a form to that unconscious desire by directing it towards an external
objective in the world of forms and shapes. The objective is to become
as perfect as possible within the limits of your external circumstances.
You wish to include the stabilized, allegedly permanent Ego in that
perfection as well. Naturally, you intend to achieve that goal some time
in the future. The mind, with which you currently identify, is full of currents and
streams: thoughts and emotions come and go all the time. This is your
present state of existence. The first signs of the deeper dimensions of
Alertness loosen the glue of your identification with the mind, so you
will be able to gain more and more experience of the free spaces of the
Consciousness, and you recognize that you are not an isolated, small
self, but the Consciousness itself.
Recognizing yourself as Consciousness is independent of all the
activities of the mind. This recognition will only come if you have had
some experience of the deeper dimensions of Alertness.
Exit from Your Personal History
When you experience the deeper dimensions of Alertness you stop and
at the same time you exit from your personal history and give up
searching. It means that you divert your attention from the world of
forms and shapes, and you no longer wish to find yourself in the world
of forms. Stopping is the consequence of a shift of attention within your
Consciousness. Stopping does not mean the stoppage of your mind, as you
have assumed previously. Some of the spiritual teachings suggest that
stoppage is equal to emptying the mind, usually through various, forced
exercises. The mind will, naturally, stop, but you will not need to
impose it on yourself by spiritual exercises, as it will be the
consequence of the shift of attention in your consciousness. How does this shift take place? It is not something one is able to
force or impose upon them; no effort is capable of achieving that. It is
an experience that simply happens to you. That is when you experience
something from the deeper dimensions of Alertness. This is not something that may only occur to the chosen few. It has
happened to almost every human being, including you, a few times. You
were not alert enough, that is why you failed to realize what was
happening to you. At the moment when the shift of attention is taking
place Alertness emerges. A space appears in you, you have the ability of
seeing, and you may contemplate what is happening to you as an external
observer. Then, like in a flashlight, you see and recognize the reality of your
existence, that is, you are not an illusionary small self, but a
Consciousness free of forms. That recognition is not the result of the
analytical work of the mind, but of a series of realizations inspired by
the inner quiet. These realizations can be best compared to seeing
(that is why various spiritual teachings refer to such people as Seers)
and it works like a revelation. That is what I call the power of Sight. The moments of Sight are, however, brief because of the lack of your
Alertness and the restarting activities of the Mind. Sight brings you
the experience that stoppage is an inactive moment of the mind, silence
between thoughts. In that silence you experience consciousness without
forms, and you may recognize that you are in fact a Presence without
thoughts. In the moments of Sight you recognize the activities of mind,
and you no longer follow them. You recognize the simple fact that with
the help of the mind you are not able to reach beyond the mind. By experiencing the deeper dimensions of Alertness, the capability of
Sight, you also recognize that you are fully independent of the mind,
you are but a witness of what is happening in and around you. Once you
have ceased to identify with your mind, you immediately experience that
fact. That is why you should detach yourself from the mind, and stay in
the position of the eyewitness. That is the state of spatial
consciousness, in which the light of Consciousness, Presence shines out
bright.
The Ability to See
Though the moments of Sight are rare in the life of a person, they
are available to everyone, who is aware of them, alert, and pays
attention to them. The level of your Alertness is therefore what
determines whether the experience is a real turning point in your life,
or the Sight is blurred, you fall back to sleep and continue dreaming
your personal history. The capability of Sight, however, cannot be obtained, practiced, you
cannot make it the brightest gem of your spiritual Ego. The capability
of Sight is now at your disposal, since it is identical with your
original Self. But thick clouds of thoughts obscure your chances of
recognizing that, they prevent you from seeing clearly. There is, however, some good news to you: I can explain how to dispel
the fog and the clouds, how you are able to release the deeper
dimensions of Alertness in yourself. In the following we shall see how you are able to experience the deeper dimensions of Alertness.
By Sierra Bright Medicinal plants grown in your own gardens can reduce your dependence
on drugs, if not completely eliminate them. But growing random herbs
with medicinal properties doesn’t help. It is a common myth that all herbal preparations are safe by virtue
of being natural. This is far from true. A typical example is foxglove
or Digitalis purpurea. It has a positive effect on heart
function, with the cardiac drug digitalin extracted from the plant.
However, ingesting any part of the plant can induce nausea and vomiting,
and can even lead to total collapse from digitalis intoxication and
death. Accessibility is another issue, as in the case of rosy periwinkle Catharanthus roseus/Vinca rosea from
which anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine are obtained. You
don’t benefit from growing this plant unless you are an experienced
herbalist who can put it to good use. Otherwise, it will just remain a
display specimen in your garden. You need to grow plants whose goodness
you can access through simple preparations such as teas and infusions,
poultices and powders. Some medicinal plants are to be used for treating specific ailments,
while others have a generalized positive effect on our health when used
regularly. Many herbs belonging to the latter group have found their way
into our culinary scene as flavoring agents. Your medicinal garden
should ideally have such plants that have practical uses for the common
man besides being easy to grow. Here’s a practical guide to a few of the accessible herbs that have stood the test of time:
1. Aloe vera
Aloe vera is
well known as a skin-friendly plant. It is one medicinal plant people
really make use of, since it is generally safe and requires no
processing before use. It is a must-have in every garden whether you
grow it in pots or in the ground. Aloe vera plants grow well in a sunny location in warmer areas
where there is not much danger of killer frosts. Being a succulent,
this drought resistant plant requires very little care and thrives in
poor soil. It suckers freely, so you can start with just one or two
plants sourced from a reliable supplier. There are several aloes around;
not all of them are edible or have the medicinal properties attributed
to Aloe vera. The jelly-like, colorless pulp of mature leaves can be applied to
minor cuts and burns and to dry, inflamed, or damaged skin due to eczema
or other skin conditions. It is an excellent moisturizer with
anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial effect. The leaf pulp can be
eaten too. Regular use can prevent constipation and relieve other
digestive problems, including ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel
syndrome. Recommended Reading:10 Reasons Every Home Should Have An Aloe Vera Plant
2. Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
This natural hybrid of spearmint and watermint is widely use in
dental hygiene products, mouth fresheners, soothing balms and candies.
Quite possibly the oldest medicinal herb to be used by man, there’s
evidence that peppermint has been used for thousands of years. Grow it
in a part of the garden where the plants are assured of water and give
it plenty of room to spread. Sip a tea made of a handful of peppermint leaves to calm stomach
upsets and relieve pain and discomfort due to gas. Carry a few sprigs of
peppermint when you travel. Sniffing on it every now and then will
prevent nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness. The active ingredient menthol found in abundance in peppermint, as
well as in many other aromatic members of the mint family, has a cooling
effect on the skin. Make a poultice of the leaves and apply it on the
skin to relieve itching and burning resulting from skin allergies and
inflammatory conditions. It has mild analgesic action, and relieves headaches and muscle cramps.
3. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
This perennial herb with tiny, aromatic leaves is a great addition to
any medicinal herb collection. Thyme is easy to grow in a sunny
location and thrives between rocks and boulders, braving summer heat and
winter freezes. The characteristic scent of thyme comes from the
volatile oil containing thymol, which gets released at the slightest
touch. Many herbs contain this powerful antiseptic phenolic compound,
but thyme oil has more than 50% thymol content. Use an infusion of thyme as a gargle to get rid of bad breath and
mouth sores. It can help with tonsillitis and laryngitis. Crushed fresh
thyme applied on the neck is said to reduce throat infections. Inhaling
the vapors reduces nervous exhaustion. The most important use of thyme is to treat respiratory tract infections. Thyme extract is taken orally to relieve bronchitis,
chest congestion, asthma, and whooping cough. A teaspoonful of thyme
extract mixed with equal amount of honey can be given in divided doses
to young children.
4. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is
more of a woody shrub, but it deserves a place in every herb garden for
its medicinal and culinary uses. Although it doesn’t look anything like
other mint plants, it belongs to the same plant family. From the
suffix officinalis, it is clear that rosemary has been counted as
a medicinal plant from long ago, but in our medicinal garden, it is to
be used for general health and wellbeing, rather than for specific
problems. Long known as the herb of remembrance, the claim that rosemary enhances memory has
had a boost from recent research findings. The carnosic acid in the
herb has been shown to prevent brain damage and neurodegeneration of the
hippocampus induced by beta-amyloid peptides. These peptides are
implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. In separate studies Rosemary oil has been found to improve cognitive function and reduce brain aging. Its potential in cancer treatment also has been promising. Grow Rosemary in a pot or plant several in a line to form an aromatic
hedge in the garden. Use the leaves regularly in cooking and herbal
teas to derive maximum benefit. Recommended Reading:21 Magical Uses & Benefits For Rosemary Essential Oil
5. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
No medicine chest is complete without chamomile flower heads. They can be made into a soothing tea that can calm a troubled mind as
well as a colicky baby. Its widespread use across many cultures and for
many ailments is proof enough for its safety and effectiveness. There’s more than one type of chamomile, but the one we want is the Roman chamomile Chamaemelum nobile. This
hairy plant has finely divided leaves and white daisy-like flowers with
bright yellow centers, but that description doesn’t help much in
telling it apart from German chamomile. That’s why scientific names are
important for identifying medicinal plants. When you grow chamomile, you can make a tea from fresh flower heads
or dry them for later use. Take a handful of flowers in a bowl and pour
boiling hot water over them. Allow to steep for 15-20 minutes and drain.
Have a cup of this soothing brew when you feel anxious or unsettled, or
before bedtime in case you have difficulty falling asleep. A tablespoonful or two should calm babies and young children having
colicky pain or stomach upsets. Use it as gargle to relieve mouth
ulcers. Bathe the skin affected with eczema several times a day with
cooled chamomile tea. Recommended Reading:14 Reasons You Should Have A Cup Of Chamomile Tea Right Now
6. Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Pot marigold with its yellow and orange flowers is a delightful
addition to any garden. Not very finicky about soil fertility or pH, it
can be grown easily from seeds and can be treated as an annual or
perennial depending on your growing zone. The edible flowers can be used to treat almost any problem related to skin. Use a poultice of the petals to relieve sunburn and to clear up acne and blemishes on
the skin. Use it as an antiseptic on cuts and bruises. It stops
bleeding and reduces inflammation when applied on nicks and cuts. Many
skin ointments contain pot marigold extract as the active ingredient. A tea made of the flowers is taken to get relief from varicose veins and to ease digestive problems.
7. Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Plants of the salvia family have a long history of being used medicinally, as is evident from their family name. Salvia officinalis is
the common sage that has slightly thick and elongated grey green leaves
used in cooking, and for good reason. It can improve appetite and
prevent flatulence. This plant has a hormone regulatory effect on women.
A tea of the leaves can relieve dysmenorrhea and symptoms associated
with premenstrual syndrome and menopause. Inhaling an infusion of sage
gives relief to respiratory problems, including asthma. It reduces
excessive sweating and salivation too. Sage is neuroprotective, and is used to treat Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression.
8. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
This herb is
worth growing for the delightful fragrance of its tiny flowers alone,
but it can be used therapeutically as a pick-me-up. Inhaling the
fragrance of the flowers is sufficient to get relief from headache and
depression. The essential oil extracted from the flowers has an
important place in aromatherapy. Add a handful of lavender flowers to the bathwater or place pouches
of dried flowers under the pillow to get relaxed sleep. Make the best of
the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of lavender by infusing the
flowers in water and using it to wash face and damaged skin. It can
clear acne and accelerate wound healing. Recommended Reading:20 Magical Ways To Use Your Bottle Of Lavender Oil
9. Echinacea (E. purpurea / E. angustifolia)
The purple coneflower Echinacea is
a stalwart in the native North American herbal medicine. It has an
immunostimulatory action that enables the body to fight bacterial and
viral infections. Commercial Echinacea products are in great demand
during the flu season. Regular users swear by their efficacy as
vehemently as conventional medical practitioners try to discredit them. Native Americans used the roots to treat wounds, insect bites, burns,
and even snake bites. Now flower buds are more commonly used as a cold
and flu remedy. Of the many different purple coneflowers native to North
America, E. purpurea and E. angustifolia are the two most
favored species. You can grow either of them in a sunny location in
your garden. These biennial plants flower only in the second season. Use fresh flower buds to make an infusion to prevent and treat cold
and flu. A tincture made with alcohol is considered more potent. It
involves steeping the flower buds or roots, or both, in pure,
concentrated alcohol for 4-6 weeks, and then filtering out the liquid. Recommended Reading:16 Reasons To Have A Cup Of Echinacea Tea This Winter
10. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
This is another vigorously growing herbaceous plant that has a weed
status today in most places. However, the roots and leaves of comfrey
are traditionally used to treat ligament injuries and broken bones,
earning it common names like boneset and knit bone. Other uses of the
leaf and root poultice include relief from arthritic pain and varicose
vein ulcers. Although comfrey extract has a history of being used internally to
treat excess menstrual flow, gastrointestinal problems and stomach
ulcers, only topical application is recommended today. The allantoin in
the plant can aid tissue repair and regeneration. Gargling with an
infusion of comfrey leaves helps relieve sore throat and gum disease.
11. Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major)
This plant is
considered a weed, but it has several medicinal properties including
antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing ability. The fresh
leaves are mashed and applied as a poultice to wounds, insect bites and
skin sores for pain relief and to promote healing. The allantoin in the
plant is a cell growth promoter. Another bioactive compound aucubin is a
mild antibiotic, and the high mucilage content soothes the injured skin
and relieves pain. A tea brewed from fresh leaves is astringent, and helps control
diarrhea. The leaves are eaten by people suffering from gout since
aucubin increases uric acid excretion by the kidneys. Read Next: How To Make a Plantain Salve
12. Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
This tall plant growing up to 2 feet high stands out anywhere it
grows. But if you offer it a place in your medicinal garden, you can
harvest the leaves and the flowers. They have been used for over 2,000
years to treat respiratory tract problems. Mullein tea made
with leaves or flowers is an excellent expectorant. It is used to
relieve cough associated with bronchitis and consumption. The mucilage
in the plant helps loosen the phlegm and the saponins help flush them
out. When the infection has affected the lungs, mullein leaves are
rolled up and smoked to relieve chest congestion. The roots are used to treat skin infections, including warts and
athlete’s foot. Powder the dried roots and apply it on the affected area
several times a day. Mullein flower tea is also effective in treating
warts. Note: All herbs should be used with caution because they
contain powerful bioactive compounds. Start with small quantities
initially to test your tolerance. Watch out for allergic reactions.
People who have ragweed allergy may have similar reactions to medicinal
plants belonging to that family. When you feel good with a recommended amount of a given herb, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that you will feel better with larger
quantities or a stronger brew. To derive maximum benefit out of the
herbs you grow, try to learn as much about them as you can. Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs Book is a great place to start. Source: Natural Living Ideas
Via: Nexus Illuminati
David Wilcock’s previous New York Times bestsellers, The Source Field Investigations and The Synchronicity Key, used cutting-edge alternative science to reveal oft-hidden truths about our universe. In The Ascension Mysteries,
David takes us on a gripping personal journey that describes the secret
cosmic battle between positive and negative happening every day, hidden
in both the traumas of our own lives and the world’s headlines.
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