sun gazing

David Wolfe explains the best way to do this.

Sun Gazing
Sun Gazing with David Wolfevia The BodyMind Institute
Posted by David Wolfe on Saturday, 26 December 2015

a riddle...what am I?

What am I?
I am so essential to being human, a sense of me comes preinstalled. I am not and cannot be provided by any other human. I cost nothing and cannot be bought. I am available in any and all circumstances. I am a gift. You just need to engage with me. I am essential for proper brain functioning. You may think you see me in the machinations of the world but it is just a pretence of me. Even if you don't know what I am your search for me can become me until you find me. What am I?

earthing and intelligence

How earthing and intelligence go together very well articulated by David Wolfe.

The hero's journey

from the work of Joseph Campbell, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Rachel Pollark, Robert Ray and Christopher Vogler

THE HEROIC JOURNEY

The 12 Stages of The Hero's Journey
derived from Joseph Campbell's Monomyth from his bookThe Hero With A Thousand Faces and adapted by Christopher Vogler 

1. Ordinary World
This is where the Hero's exists before his present story begins, oblivious of the adventures to come. It's his safe place. His everyday life where we learn crucial details about our Hero, his true nature, capabilities and outlook on life. This anchors the Hero as a human, just like you and me, and makes it easier for us to identify with him and hence later, empathize with his plight.

2. Call To Adventure
The Hero's adventure begins when he receives a call to action, such as a direct threat to his safety, his family, his way of life or to the peace of the community in which he lives. It may not be as dramatic as a gunshot, but simply a phone call or conversation but whatever the call is, and however it manifests itself, it ultimately disrupts the comfort of the Hero's Ordinary World and presents a challenge or quest that must be undertaken.

3. Refusal Of The Call
Although the Hero may be eager to accept the quest, at this stage he will have fears that need overcoming. Second thoughts or even deep personal doubts as to whether or not he is up to the challenge. When this happens, the Hero will refuse the call and as a result may suffer somehow. The problem he faces may seem to much to handle and the comfort of home far more attractive than the perilous road ahead. This would also be our own response and once again helps us bond further with the reluctant Hero.

4. Meeting The Mentor
At this crucial turning point where the Hero desperately needs guidance he meets a mentor figure who gives him something he needs. He could be given an object of great importance, insight into the dilemma he faces, wise advice, practical training or even self-confidence. Whatever the mentor provides the Hero with it serves to dispel his doubts and fears and give him the strength and courage to begin his quest.

5. Crossing The Threshold
The Hero is now ready to act upon his call to adventure and truly begin his quest, whether it be physical, spiritual or emotional. He may go willingly or he may be pushed, but either way he finally crosses the threshold between the world he is familiar with and that which he is not. It may be leaving home for the first time in his life or just doing something he has always been scared to do. However the threshold presents itself, this action signifies the Hero's commitment to his journey an whatever it may have in store for him.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
Now finally out of his comfort zone the Hero is confronted with an ever more difficult series of challenges that test him in a variety of ways. Obstacles are thrown across his path; whether they be physical hurdles or people bent on thwarting his progress, the Hero must overcome each challenge he is presented with on the journey towards his ultimate goal. The Hero needs to find out who can be trusted and who can't. He may earn allies and meet enemies who will, each in their own way, help prepare him for the greater ordeals yet to come. This is the stage where his skills and/or powers are tested and every obstacle that he faces helps us gain a deeper insight into his character and ultimately identify with him even more.

7. Approach To The Inmost Cave
The inmost cave may represent many things in the Hero's story such as an actual location in which lies a terrible danger or an inner conflict which up until now the Hero has not had to face. As the Hero approaches the cave he must make final preparations before taking that final leap into the great unknown. At the threshold to the inmost cave the Hero may once again face some of the doubts and fears that first surfaced upon his call to adventure. He may need some time to reflect upon his journey and the treacherous road ahead in order to find the courage to continue. This brief respite helps the audience understand the magnitude of the ordeal that awaits the Hero and escalates the tension in anticipation of his ultimate test.

8. Ordeal
The Supreme Ordeal may be a dangerous physical test or a deep inner crisis that the Hero must face in order to survive or for the world in which the Hero lives to continue to exist. Whether it be facing his greatest fear or most deadly foe, the Hero must draw upon all of his skills and his experiences gathered upon the path to the inmost cave in order to overcome his most difficulty challenge. Only through some form of "death" can the Hero be reborn, experiencing a metaphorical resurrection that somehow grants him greater power or insight necessary in order to fulfill his destiny or reach his journey's end. This is the high-point of the Hero's story and where everything he holds dear is put on the line. If he fails, he will either die or life as he knows it will never be the same again.

9. Reward (Seizing The Sword)
After defeating the enemy, surviving death and finally overcoming his greatest personal challenge, the Hero is ultimately transformed into a new state, emerging from battle as a stronger person and often with a prize. The Reward may come in many forms: an object of great importance or power, a secret, greater knowledge or insight, or even reconciliation with a loved one or ally. Whatever the treasure, which may well facilitate his return to the Ordinary World, the Hero must quickly put celebrations aside and prepare for the last leg of his journey.

10. The Road Back
This stage in the Hero's journey represents a reverse echo of the Call to Adventure in which the Hero had to cross the first threshold. Now he must return home with his reward but this time the anticipation of danger is replaced with that of acclaim and perhaps vindication, absolution or even exoneration. But the Hero's journey is not yet over and he may still need one last push back into the Ordinary World. The moment before the Hero finally commits to the last stage of his journey may be a moment in which he must choose between his own personal objective and that of a Higher Cause.

11. Resurrection
This is the climax in which the Hero must have his final and most dangerous encounter with death. The final battle also represents something far greater than the Hero's own existence with its outcome having far-reaching consequences to his Ordinary World and the lives of those he left behind. If he fails, others will suffer and this not only places more weight upon his shoulders but in a movie, grips the audience so that they too feel part of the conflict and share the Hero's hopes, fears and trepidation. Ultimately the Hero will succeed, destroy his enemy and emerge from battle cleansed and reborn.

12. Return With The Elixir
This is the final stage of the Hero's journey in which he returns home to his Ordinary World a changed man. He will have grown as a person, learned many things, faced many terrible dangers and even death but now looks forward to the start of a new life. His return may bring fresh hope to those he left behind, a direct solution to their problems or perhaps a new perspective for everyone to consider. The final reward that he obtains may be literal or metaphoric. It could be a cause for celebration, self-realization or an end to strife, but whatever it is it represents three things: change, success and proof of his journey. The return home also signals the need for resolution for the story's other key players. The Hero's doubters will be ostracized, his enemies punished and his allies rewarded. Ultimately the Hero will return to where he started but things will clearly never be the same again.

Game changers protocol

"Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end."
Doing something you have been putting off releases dopamine.

Stonehenge the true story

From the British Museum:
Today is the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere! This 1836 watercolour of Stonehenge is by John Constable. After visiting Stonehenge in 1820, Constable made a sketch that was eventually worked up into a large watercolour for his last exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. This watercolour represents a middle stage in the process – it is squared for transfer to a larger sheet.

The finished work (now at the Victoria and Albert Museum) was captioned: ‘The mysterious monument... standing remote on a bare and boundless heath, as much unconnected with the events of the past as it is with the uses of the present, carries you back beyond all historical records into the obscurity of a totally unknown period’

http://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2013/12/shock-1954-photos-show-stonehenge-being-built-2449888.html

callibration of the anthropos

cabala

Anthropos is a name for the human species, we are anthropine animals as, for example, cats are feline animals and dogs are canines.
From the writings of John Lamb Lash:
The base substrate of the human genome is nous, nucleic acid, the basis of sentience and genetic transmission, divine intelligence

"Within this substrate Sophia compounded or deposited other archetypal radiant essences: 

each component can be understood in three ways: a divine archetypal impulse from the Generations, a capacity or talent, a chemical component or reciprocate"

dianoia, communication and language, serotonin and dopamine

metanoia, the ability to see patterns, to construct and deconstruct models and paradigms, DMT

perinoia , ludic or pretending skill, endorphins.  Note coupled with fear this becomes paranoia.

enthymesis, passion, desire, enthusiasm, eros, iron radiation field based in haemoglobin, 

plus lymphatic fluids and electrolytes of cardiac action

ennoia, free will, intention, with the enhancement of conative latitude, freedom from instinctual programs, adenocortisone

cognitive apprehension, proprioception, knowing what we are apprehending, genius learning abilities, wisdom, serotonin

Our capacity for free will, togther with our cognitive abilites and our ability to pretend, and also to build abstract models, leads to a tendency to disconnect from our environment and even turn against it...hence the problem. An extra capacity came later which can help us.

luminous epinoia, creative imagination, mitogenic radiation of the ribosomes, related to ATP and luminosity invisible wavelengths of DNA (biophotons)

power of introverts

Introversion is not about being shy, it's about the response to stimulation.  Most people are a mixture of both introversion and extroversion and time for solitude matters for all of us. Excellent talk.

individuals

This is for all the wonderful independent thinking people who have the courage to refuse to let social demands, the pressures of relationships and spiritual/political correctness crush or chip chip away at their souls; when we live our lives doing what we are truly here for as individuals connected to source then we can actually have happy, healthy, truly loving connections with others and self-destructive behaviours fall by the wayside...

amazonian tribe who breastfeed animals

This reminds me of something I used to talk about about interspecies cooperation and the willingness of traditionally well loved domestic animals to share their milk with us.

"A photographer has claimed he witnessed a close-to-extinction Amazonian tribe breastfeed their pets until the animals are fully grown.
The Awa tribe reside in the forests of eastern Brazil, and face a possible end to their culture, due to European colonists who have enslaved them and stolen their land.
The tribe are protected from modern society and are rarely seen.
Photographer Domenico Pugliese claims to be one of the few outsiders who has spent time with the tribe, photographing their way of life.

The tribe reportedly treat animals like family members, women even breast feeding squirrels and monkeys until they're full grown. (Domenico Pugliese/Survival International)
He claimed the main aspect of modern society the tribe did not understand was his single marital status.
“They do not understand what a grown man is doing being single, without a family,” he told the Daily Mail.
“They look at me and they try to give me advice. They do not know where I am coming from. They do not have a concept of the world.
“I cannot explain to them where I'm coming from, I can't explain the lifestyle to them. For them, it is unbelievable to be a man who does not have a family.”
Family life is a fundamental aspect of the Awa culture, a value which Mr Pugliese said extends to their pets, including pigs, parakeets, squirrels, agouti and monkeys.
According to Mr Pugliese, pets are considered family in the same way children are. He said the pets gather food, crack nuts, and protect the tribe at night.
Mr Pugliese said women in the tribe even breastfeed some of the animals.
“They feed the squirrels and monkeys like they feed their kids, breastfeeding,” he said.
“It highlights how far we have come from where we were. They are so close to nature. In fact, it is not even close - they are part of nature.”
Mr Pugliese said he was worried about exposing the tribe to the modern day world - but they embraced at least one contemporary item.
“They love to have t-shirts,” he said.
“I don't know where they think the t-shirts come from - they can't imagine a factory.
“Maybe they think it is coming from the trees. After all, every day, they get their shopping from the jungles.”
Before Portuguese settlers landed in the area 500 years ago, tens of thousands of Awa people were believed to have lived in the Amazon. There are now believed to be only 400 left in the tribe. "
© ninemsn 2015

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/12/06/12/58/near-extinct-amazonian-tribe-so-connected-with-nature-they-breastfeed-animals

as the blue prince sings

"Be watchful Children" as the Blue Prince sings 

"Welcome the day by ever letting loom

play in your breathing where each moment 

prove a myriad guises of the fear of death

transmuted by an all-divining love, not power 

will make over what is killing you is 

all you have denied to live a stable life and

keep the fear in check

Yet something gives where pride or arrogance

disguise an aspiration from the depths

your heart will have divined its apposition

and marked with feeling by the sign

revealing why you suffer and how the wound

you leave in time will not be hidden nor healed

So till you will it open unto death 

you cannot reach us

Lord and Muse

For every gaze is finite

where it sounds the well of cosmic seas

all guises of emotion are yours to lose and

shiver if you will when slackening fire

sets cool edge on the nerves in desperation

scream out for delay in hopes to animate 

a fast-dissolving dream

So stream to us for toward us

all the currents run exquisitely away

Where sky and sea dissolve and merge

accept the day as all there is,

knowing you’re not to live save by dying

find Beauty even in the womb where pain

conceals its cure

Our love is dangerous and pure

Flame from the lips of laughing Gods

will sight the elements of sin and burn you clear

Our love is tremulous and near

If flowing in your breath the rise and fall of

ecstacy is ever felt let death blow

through you as it will and suffer to be

sundered where you melt

JLL

planetary tantra

Yolanda of Galicia interviews John Lash

https://soundcloud.com/yolandagalicia/jll-9-12-15-v1

john trudell

"For decades my identity was political, but I've come to understand that there's no political solution when you're dealing with someone else's rules... All politics to me – Indian or white – is an illusion preventing us from being authentic because we're communicating through something that isn't real to us." -John Trudell 15 Feb 1946 - 8 Dec 2015

the change in reality when the virus got in...it became about submission rather than responsibility

The tribes we lead

https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en

Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.

“It’s tribes, not money not factories that can change our world, because they want to connect. We find something worth changing and assemble tribes that spread the idea….leading and connecting people and ideas”

1. “The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there.
2. “Senator Bill Bradley defines a movement as having three elements: (1) A narrative that tells a story about who we are and the future we're trying to build. (2) A connection between and among the leader and the tribe. (3) Something to do - the fewer limits the better. Too often organizations fail to do anything but the third.” “None of these stalls are appropriate for a leader in search of change. There's a small price for being too early, but a huge penalty for being too late. The longer you wait to launch an innovation, the less your effort is worth. “
3. “The secret of being wrong isn't to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn't fatal. The only thing that makes people and organizations great is their willingness to be not great along the way.
4. “If the only side effect of the criticism is that you will feel bad about the criticism, then you have to compare that bad feeling with the benefits you'll get from actually doing something worth doing.
5. “Life's too short" is repeated often enough to be a cliché, but this time it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre. It's not just pointless, it's painful. Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from.”

http://www.slideshare.net/BrookeBoser/8-lessons-from-seth-godins-tribes

Potential cure for diabetes in ayahuasca

"Potential cures and methods to reverse the disease are showing some promising results, and one of them is a chemical that’s commonly found in a number of plants around the world. It’s also a main ingredient in the psychoactive mixture commonly known as ayahuasca."
http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/10/chemical-found-in-illegal-ayahuasca-plant-may-be-able-to-completely-reverse-diabetes/

How do you protect yourself psychic vampires? - the answer may be unexpected

Energy vampirism is a parasitic relationship in which one person feeds off of the life force (also known as prana) of another person. These people who drain other's energy are referred to as psychic vampires. But despite this definition, it is impossible to take energy from someone else. So why does it feel possible?
In this episode Teal explains how to recognize a psychic vampire, how to prevent yourself from loosing energy as the result of one and urges us to recognize the patterns of vampirism within ourselves. Psychic vampires do not feel as if this universe is infinite. They do not feel that it is possible to get the love that they desire. They do not trust themselves to fulfill their own needs. And as a result, they believe that the only way to get what they need is to take it from others. Believe it or not, the remedy for victim and vampire is the same!
Both must realize the truth that it is impossible to take energy from someone or have your energy taken by someone. If you feel drained of energy or like you don't have enough, it is because you are not allowing yourself to think thoughts that let that energy in. Then, both need to do the following:

1. Develop Authenticity (create and find the true self).
2. Develop Autonomy and a sense of healthy self sufficiency where one feels capable of fulfilling one's own needs
3. Nurture themselves (cultivate self love).
4. Commit to their life and physical body.
5. Develop self trust (if we really trusted our own internal guidance system and our own ability to "discern" we would not worry about what other people could do to us),
6. Learn to see and expect nuances (gray areas and complexities) instead of seeing the world as black and white with villains and victims
7. Study the behaviors they want to receive from others (for example: do you want to be caressed? Appreciated? Listened to?) And practice doing those things to others.
Any thought you can think and anything you can do to help yourself feel em

If you honour your feelings you honour your boundaries

"Teal explains that the most important thing when it comes to understanding narcissism is to separate self-love from selfishness. Most people think that narcissism is an extreme form of self-love. It is not. In fact, narcissism has nothing to do with self-love. It has to do with someone who perceives an extreme lack of self-sustaining resources, like love. Compassion is necessary when interacting with narcissists. Narcissists hold some of the most painful beliefs and therefore live some of the most painful lives you can find on this earth. People often think narcissists have a high level of self-esteem. They do not. In fact, their life is a perpetual search for self worth and self-view gratification because they are very insecure.
In this episode of Ask Teal, Teal explains narcissism in depth. She then explains how a narcissist can find healing and what to do if you have attracted a narcissist into your life."

A narcssism needs to change beliefs about the hostility of world and their own self worth and develop an abundance mentality

Questins to ask if we wonder if there is a narcissist in our lives.

Is there reciprocity
Are you able to be your self?
Is there a sharing of vulnerability?
Do you trust person with your feelings?
Can your friend leave you empty or
Do they bring out best in you?
Is your friend accountable?
Are you allowed to have healthy boundaries?
Do you care about each other?
Does friend exploit you or value you?

"If your honour you feelings you honour your boundaries" Teal Swan

How we can effectively overcome narcissistic abuse

Learn how and why we become addicted to the pain and abuse from the narcissist. Discover how we believe talking about our pain helps, yet lengthens our recovery process, and understand how we cement our deterioration at a physiological, psychological and emotional level without realising it.


These are the steps to healing:
1. Recognition that the emotional pain is the symptom of unhealed inner identity beliefs
2. The acceptance that the outer situation or person who triggered your pain is a catalyst bringing up for you what you need to heal
3. The embracing and being with the emotion in order to access the inner identity dysfunctions that require healing
4. The real easing of the pain and negative inner identity beliefs to allow the space to be cleared for:
5, The bringing in and alignment to true self function in order to transform the previously painful inner identity issues



Learn how to break your peptide addiction and create a healthy peptide cycle. Discover how to access and transform your Inner Identity's limiting beliefs taken on from past lives, childhood and painful love relationships. Learn how to align your Inner Identity with the life you really want to live.

 

Is drug abuse an attempt at self healing?

"Is drug abuse self-destructive or is it a desperate attempt at self-healing? This is important because if the answer is self-healing, primary prevention is far more difficult than anticipated -- possibly because incomplete understanding of the benefits of so-called health risk behaviors causes these behaviors to be viewed as irrational acts that have only negative consequences. Does this incomplete view of drug abuse leave us mouthing cautionary platitudes instead of understanding the cause of our intractable health problems?
-- Dr. Vincent Felitti

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_Childhood_Experiences_Study

ayahuasca changes personaility long term

After analyzing the MRI images, the researchers found that cortical thickness was altered in eight areas of the brain in the ayahuasca test group versus the control group. The most prominent difference observed was thinning in the posterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain posited to be a central communication hub in a special brain network involved in high-level constructs such as the ego or self. Interestingly, the researchers also detected cortical thickening in the anterior cingulate cortex of ayahuasca users, an area of the brain believed to be involved in governing attention and cognitive control. In correlation analyses, the researchers observed that a higher frequency and number of years of use of ayahuasca is associated with a thinner posterior cingulate cortex.

In line with these findings were differences in scores between the ayahuasca test group and the controls with respect to aspects of personality and neuropsychology. Ayahuasca users scored significantly lower than controls in a personality trait characterized by pessimistic worry in anticipation of future problems and scored higher in self-transcendence, a characteristic exemplified by spirituality, religiousness, and expansion beyond one’s own boundaries to consider one’s self as an integral part of the universe as a whole. These higher scores in self-transcendence were associated to a thinner posterior cingulate cortex. “Thus,” the authors of the study state, “differences in this character dimension may have a neural basis and be the result of repeated intake of [ayahuasca].”

http://reset.me/study/study-long-term-use-of-ayahuasca-linked-to-changes-in-personality-and-brain-structure/

the shocking power of authority

Let’s say you see a newspaper ad saying the psychology department at Yale is running a little “experiment on memory.” Paid volunteers are needed for the hour-long study, so you figure why not?

Upon arrival at the lab, you meet two men — a research scientist in a lab coat, and another volunteer just like yourself. The researcher proceeds to explain the study to you both.

He tells you the study is about the effects of punishment on memory. The task of the other volunteer will be to learn a series of word pairings (he’s called the “Learner”).

Your job as the “Teacher” will be to test the Learner’s memory of the word

pairs, and administer electric shocks for each wrong answer. And for every new wrong answer, the voltage goes up.

You’re not sure about this whole thing, but it must be okay, right? The testing begins, and when the other volunteer misses a question, you pull a lever that delivers a mild shock.

Over time, though, the shock levels increase, and the Learner is grunting

 audibly. At 120 volts, he tells you the shocks are really starting to hurt. At 150 volts, he tries to quit. The researcher tells you to keep going, and that the shocks will cause “no permanent tissue damage” to the Learner. You continue questioning and delivering punishment for incorrect answers.

At 165 volts, the Learner screams.

At 300 volts, the Learner refuses to respond any longer, as the shocks are

impairing his mental capacities. The researcher tells you to treat non responses as incorrect answers.

The Learner is screeching, kicking, and pleading for mercy with every

subsequent shock, all the way up to 450 volts when the researcher finally

stops you.

Scary story.

This couldn’t possibly have really happened, right? Well, actually, it did, in 1963 at Yale, during a series of experiments by Stanley Milgram.

But here’s the real scoop about the Milgram experiment:

• there were no actual electric shocks

• the Learner was an actor

• the study had nothing to do with memory.

What Milgram wanted to know was how far the Teachers would go when told

to continue to deliver those shocks, since they thought they really were.

About two-thirds (65%) of the subjects administered every shock up to

450 volts, no matter how much the Learner begged for mercy. Without the

researcher’s encouragement to continue, however, the study found that the

test subjects would have stopped giving punishment quite early on.

The results shocked the Yale faculty (no pun intended), and have become a

part of modern psychological lore. Every aspect of the experiment had been

carefully vetted to pull test subjects from a standard cross section of ages,

occupations, and education levels. In other words, these were not sadistic

savages — these were people just like you and me.

A 2002 analysis of the original study confirms the findings.

What could possibly lead to this behavior?

Milgram concluded it’s our deep-seated sense of duty to authority. We’re

trained from childhood to respect and trust authority figures (such as

scientists in lab coats), and the obedience that comes with it stays with us

throughout our lives.

Even when we feel something may not be quite right

Your nutritional ensemble

This is what I hope is a straightforward article about the nutrition groups we need for wellbeing - and those to avoid. To read click here.

http://foodforconsciousness.co.uk/your-nutritional-ensemble/

amazon tribe natural medicine encyclopedia

In one of the great tragedies of our age, indigenous traditions, stories, cultures and knowledge are winking out across the world. Whole languages and mythologies are vanishing, and in some cases even entire indigenous groups are falling into extinction. This is what makes the news that a tribe in the Amazon—the Matsés peoples of Brazil and Peru—have created a 500-page encyclopedia of their traditional medicine all the more remarkable. The encyclopedia, compiled by five shamans with assistance from conservation group Acaté, details every plant used by Matsés medicine to cure a massive variety of ailments.

http://soulsurfing.website/index.php/2015/07/20/amazon-tribe-creates-500-page-remarkable-natural-medicine-encyclopedia/

have your say on the psychoactive substances bill

The UK Parliament put a public call for input regarding it's Psychoactive Substances Bill to prohibit new psychoactive substances (NPS).
http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2015/october/have-your-say-on-the-psychoactive-substances-bill/
The Bill was amended by the House of Lords to not include organic substances (http://www.ibogainealliance.org/blog/uk-psychoactive-substances-bill-no-longer-includes-natural-substances/).
Here you can find a summary of the progress of the Bill through parliament (http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/psychoactivesubstances.html).

psychoactive substances bill not to include organic substances

“It is not possible to legislate against all psychoactive agents without criminalizing the sale of dozens of harmless, everyday products that produce changes in mood and behavior, from fresh flowers and herbs to spices and incense.”

http://www.ibogainealliance.org/blog/new-uk-psychoactive-substances-bill-will-no-longer-ban-all-natural-substances/

grounding - an independent documentary

“I was now connected to the earth almost 24 /7  The remarkable way I was being affected made me ponder that most people in modern societies are almost never in direct contact with the Earth’s surface. No wonder people walk around fat sick and nearly dead”  With a host of distinguished experts and beautiful footage of ancient sites. A truly inspiring movie.

The essential missing  connection in our lives today. This situation is so easily remedied. Click here for grounding sheets, mats and plush pads,

earth crammed with heaven

Art: Emilio Gonzalez Morales (Maya; Guatemala), courtesy of artemaya.com

“Earth's crammed with heaven...
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.”
― Elizabeth Barrett Browning

from http://www.curanderismo.org/

birthed from the mystery

Photo: Nisha Thais Ackermann

You didn’t create yourself; 
you are a miracle birthed from the mystery. 
How do you have the right to judge and be so hard on yourself? 
Look through the eyes of wonder, sister, 
see the beauty you are made of.
~ Chameli Ardagh
www.awakeningwomen.com

waterfalls, jungle and temples

Our recent trip to to the amazing waterfalls Agua Azul and Miso Ha and also the Mayan temple ruins at Palenque in the beautiful autumn light. The life force at these places is incredible, in every way. The trees so tall, the waterfalls so powerful, the ruins so evocative and the atmosphere so magical.

Cascada Agua Azul

Cascada Misol Ha

day of the dead

Lady of Duality by Rick Ortega

The Day of the Dead is celebrated all over central and southern Mexico at the end of October and beginning of  November `It was originally held at the beginning of summer but the date was changed as Christianity merged with the native Mexican animistic ways. This video is at Oaxaca.

“The observation of Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead, is seen throughout Mexico, and increasingly by people of other ethnicities and backgrounds who lacking a ritual of their own have found a heart-home where they can honor their ancestors and other loved ones who have crossed over. We are happy to share our beautiful ritual with persons who approach it with reverence, lightness of spirit, and an understanding that Dia de Muertos is not Halloween but a sacred remembering... a sacred witnessing of the joys and sorrows of our ancestors, and a celebration of the strength of spirit of their descendants to preserve the soul of this sacred pre-contact tradition.

As a result of colonization Dia de los Muertos now take place on November 1 and 2, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Typically November 1 is to honor children and infants, known as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) and as Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels). November 2nd honors adults and is known as Día de los Muertos and Día de los Santos Difuntos (Day of the Holy Dead). Before Mexico’s invasion by the Spaniards these holy days took place in August, and were celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to Mictecacihuatl known as the "Lady of the Dead" and corresponds to the modern Catrina.

Dia de Muertos is when we gather to pray for and invite friends and family members who have died to come and enjoy some time with us within whose hearts they yet live. We build altars to their memory at home and in public places. Some altares are simple and some elaborate. Often we will hold vigils at the cemetery taking our time to lovingly clean the headstones, place candles and bouquets of cempaxochitl (marigolds) on graves, toys (in the case of children), pan de muerto, tamales, drinks, and incense burners filled with copal. It is not uncommon for us to take lawn chairs to the cemetery and sit for hours recounting favorite anecdotes and memories of special days and hire a small Norteño or mariachi group to play favorite songs that our beloveds enjoyed when alive. It's both a sad and joyful time!

In the coming days I will be posting photographs, videos, and articles on Dia de los Muertos and hope that what is shared helps you celebrate the life of your loved ones while at the same time honoring this important tradition, which is the religious and cultural legacy of the ancestors of Mexihca, Mayan, and other Native people’s of Mexico.”
— Grace Alvarez Sesma
http://www.curanderismo.org/

(Respectfully, please keep in mind that this is a specific religious cultural observance. Used outside of that as in a winter solstice celebration or Halloween dress up or other non-Dia De Muerto observance, could be considered cultural appropriation, especially when done by someone who is not a member of the original Mexican community. By this I mean taking one or more elements of a cultural ritual and using them in a different context for which it was intended.)

Oaxaca: The Day of the Dead from Bob Krist on Vimeo.

the hungry ghost and recovery

Gabor Mate - The Hungry Ghost - The Biopsychosocial Perspective of Addiction Part 3

Gabor Mate looks at addiction as a product of the kind of culture that has been spread around the world, in particular the interference with community and spiritual life. Very insightful.

What is recovery? What does it mean to recover something? It means you find something.
The person finds themselves again after they have lost sight of themselves.

The myth is that an addict has to reach rock bottom. People don't need more defeat, they've had enough defeat. In order to gain possession of ourselves we need some confidence, some hope of victory, some taste of victory. We must know what victory is and like it better than defeat.

To read more on this topic click here.

the dawn phenomenon

This fascinating article is from Anna Middleton and Michael Davies who have announced their very timely and cutting edge initiative on diabetes. Diabeatit.  Go here to find out more. 

The dawn phenomenon is a normal part of waking. Our cortisol levels (stress hormones, though stress is not the right word here, remember this is normal) begin to rise before we wake up. When we release cortisol we always release a little glucose into our blood from our liver. It's like our own internal "pick me up" to get us up and moving. When your are tired it takes more glucose and cortisol to get you up, in fact one of the ways your body will try to cope with tiredness is to keep your sugars a bit higher all day. No biggie if you are not diabetic, but if you are, then you can start the day with high sugars just because you are tired.

So sleep is DIRECTLY correlated to good blood sugar control. It's not a side player, or a minor factor, it is absolutely key. And just to top things off, the other side effect of sleep deprivation is...... yep - food cravings. Ha! We're not finished. Along with higher sugars, and more cravings, there is another little bitter twist, when your sugars are higher you will tend to be hungrier and want sugary or fatty foods more also. So you now have two mechanisms, not one, driving your cravings.

Did you think it was self sabotage, or your lack of moral fibre that drove your cravings? Bah humbug! Feeling tired, hungry and stressed is a very physiological phenomenon. The best thing about all this though, is that it is not food based. If you are struggling with the old dieting mentality (you know, the "today will be different" thinking) then stress relief and sleep is the place to begin. Give yourself an easy win on your path to recovery, and pay more attention to getting your rest.

entering the flower world

Curandera by Alberto Rojo of Arte Tolteca

"The curandera is not only a healer of the body, but also a restorer of faith in one’s own inner wisdom.... The curandera guides us in non-judgmental, fearless self-reflection. By sharing both happy and painful personal experiences, she gives us both a reality-check and inspiration to follow our dreams. In many instances she is a spiritual midwife, helping us give birth to new paths and new ideals. She helps us recognize the unconscious creation of obstacles to a life lived with sacred purpose, whether as homemaker, student, teacher, or doctor."

—Grace Alvarez Sesma

Excerpt from the chapter, Entering the Flower World, a Mexican Path to The Soul, from the book, Meditations for Interspiritual Wisdom.

magnesium the often forgotten mineral

A little mentioned benefit of magnesium supplementation is reported by many people, especially women, and that's having thicker more lustrous hair,

By the way our favourite and very easily absorbed magnesium supplement is available here. I personally use it every day as, although I eat a healthy diet ,I think it's quite difficult these days to get what we need from food. This is one of the reasons for chocolate cravings, especially amongst women.

By Steven Bancarz|
http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/10-signs-you-have-a-magnesium-deficiency/

Are you often tired, depressed, anxious, or have trouble sleeping? Do you have heart pains, high stress, frequent headaches, and muscle weakness?  The answer to your problems may be far simpler than you think.
 Magnesium is arguably the most important mineral in the body. It is the lifeblood of all your energy systems since over 350 different vital cellular functions require magnesium to operate. In fact, your heart literally cannot beat without magnesium.
If your heart is in bad health, the rest of your body will follow suit, and it’s important to make sure you have enough magnesium in your diet since high blood pressure, heart attacks, cholesterol problems, and cardiovascular disease are all directly linked to low magnesium diets.
Studies have shown..
A study in the journal Atherosclerosis found that people with low magnesium levels were more than twice as likely to die of heart disease (which is America’s biggest killer right now).  They were also more than seven times as likely to die from all causes.  And seeing as 90% of all Americans are deficient in magnesium, it’s not too hard to understand why heart health is such a big problem right now.
Inadequate magnesium appears to reduce serotonin levels, and antidepressants have been shown to raise brain magnesium. A 2008 study found that magnesium was as effective as the tricyclic antidepressants in treating depression.
A large clinical study of more than 8,500 women found that a higher intake of dietary magnesium may decrease the risk of high blood pressure in women.
It’s also been proven to help treat diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, insomnia, and osteoporosis. Magnesium also helps protect your DNA and keep your immune system operating at a high level. This mineral is the literally best kept secret in nutrition right now, and almost everyone is experiencing symptoms of deficiency in some way.
Here are 10 common symptoms of magnesium deficiency and what you can do about it:
1) Irregular heartbeat or heart pains
2) Weakness and cramping
3) Fatigue and drowsiness
4) Stress and anxiety
5) Sleep disorders
6) Migraine headaches
7) Depression and mood swings
8) Weak bones
9) Metabolic damage
10) Indigestion and nausea
These are some of the main symptoms of magnesium deficiency which have been proven to be reversible through nothing more than adding more to magnesium to your daily intake.
Some of you may have been struggling for some of these problems for years like I had been, and you will be amazed at how much of a difference magnesium can make to any symptoms stemming from nervous system, cardiovascular, and mental health.
Foods high in magnesium
Here is a list of some common foods that contain good amounts of magnesium and should be included into your diet if you feel you are experiencing symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
1. Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach
2. Nuts and seeds (pumpkin in particular)
3. Whole grains
4. Avocados
5. Bananas
There are other foods that are relatively high in magnesium, but due to the dramatic depletion of our soil, most foods simply don’t have enough in them in the most absorbable form to give us what our bodies need.  Eating your proper servings of fruits and vegetables each day along with some nuts and seeds is a really good place to start.

the wise guru

wildlife thriving at Chernobyl

http://www.treehugger.com/animals/wildlife-absolutely-thriving-chernobyl-disaster-site.html

It's hard to find a bright side to the world's worst-ever nuclear disaster, but wildlife may beg to differ. After the 1986 fire and explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released radioactive particles into the atmosphere, everyone left, never to return. But now researchers studying animal populations have made a seriously counterintuitive discovery:
The Chernobyl site looks less like a disaster zone and "more like a nature preserve," rife with elk, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, foxes, wolves, and others.
"It's very likely that wildlife numbers at Chernobyl are much higher than they were before the accident," says Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth in the UK. "This doesn't mean radiation is good for wildlife, just that the effects of human habitation, including hunting, farming, and forestry, are a lot worse."
Human beings are worse for wildlife than nuclear disaster. That's pretty sobering.

Earlier reports from the 1,600 square mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone have shown major radiation effects and pronounced drops in wildlife populations. But the new study, based on long-term census data, reveals that mammal populations have bounced back. The number of animals in the exclusion zone now rival those in four uncontaminated nature reserves in the region.
Remarkably, the number of wolves living in the Chernobyl area is more than seven times greater than can be found in any of the other reserves.
They have found a rare Przewalski's horse and European lynx, which were previously gone from the region but have now returned. They also report a European brown bear in the exclusion zone. European brown bears have not been seen in that region for more than a century.
"These results demonstrate for the first time that, regardless of potential radiation effects on individual animals, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone supports an abundant mammal community after nearly three decades of chronic radiation exposure," the study conclude. The researchers point out that this boost in population came at a time when elk and wild boar populations were diminishing in other parts of the former Soviet Union.

"These unique data showing a wide range of animals thriving within miles of a major nuclear accident illustrate the resilience of wildlife populations when freed from the pressures of human habitation," notes co-author Jim Beasley.
As for longer-term effects we don't know – and there are questions about the impact on other species – but for now these animals are flourishing in their abandoned wildlife wonderland. Welcome to dystopian utopia.

ten behaviours that make anxiety worse

from Dr Mercola's site

1. Denial
Do you deny that you suffer from anxiety? This can backfire and may amplify your feelings. This is particularly true if you struggle with OCD or specific phobias.
2. Avoidance
Hiding from your fears or apprehensions may seem like a reasonable way to beat anxiety, but it’s likely to make your fears expand. Dr. Moore uses the example of a fear of driving on highways. If you avoid highways and opt for side roads, you may soon start to fear driving on fast side streets as well.
3. Fishing for Reassurances
Fishing for reassurance from those around you may reinforce your core irrational belief and contribute to toxic thinking. For example, if you feel anxious about your body image, asking someone “I’m not fat, am I?” will not make you feel better, because the question already implies you think you are fat.
4. Magical Thinking
Magical thinking is part of a family of cognitive distortions in which you cling to the hope that you’ll receive an instant cure for your anxiety. You probably won’t be able to “wave a magic wand” and have your anxiety disappear, but you can look toward improving and reducing your symptoms.
 5. Relying on Herbal Drinks
Chamomile tea and other herbal beverages may provide some relief from your anxiety symptoms, however they won’t help heal the underlying causes. If you become too reliant or hooked on herbal remedies, this temporary crutch may end up making your anxiety worse.
6. Thought Stopping
Some people with anxiety snap themselves with a rubber band or other device to stop anxious thoughts. This may offer momentary relief, but the thoughts will return, possibly with increased vigor than before. Dr. Moore notes, “The more you try to ‘control’ your anxiety, the more power you give it.”
7. Relying Only on Medications
Relying on anxiety medications may offer some relief, especially if your anxiety is severe, but it shouldn’t be viewed as an exclusive coping strategy. There are serious side effects to consider, and, like herbal drinks, medications are only a surface-level fix, not a “cure.” As Dr. Moore explained:
“Think about it – what will happen when the medication doesn’t work as well as it used to? Also, what will happen if you decide to come off the medication?
This is why it is important to combine medications with other treatment approaches, such as strength training and talk therapy – preferably with a CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy] slant.”
Commonly prescribed medications include benzodiazepine drugs like Ativan, Xanax, and Valium. They exert a calming effect by boosting the action of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the same way as opioids (heroin) and cannabinoids (cannabis) do. This in turn activates the gratification hormone, dopamine, in your brain.
Since the identical brain "reward pathways" are used by both types of drugs, they can be equally addictive and also may cause side effects like memory loss, hip fractures, impaired thinking, and dizziness.
8. Analysis (Psychoanalysis)
Talk therapy that focuses on your childhood and past may offer emotional catharsis and healing for some people. However, research suggests it is not the most effective form of talk therapy for treating anxiety. Better approaches may focus on the present, here and now, as opposed to what’s happened in the past.
9. Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol and drugs may help you escape your anxious feelings temporarily but will likely make your anxiety worse in the long run. You may also become addicted to or dependent on them, adding to your mental health challenges.
10. Engaging in Learned Helplessness

planted

are you worthy?

What is the difference between people who have  a strong sense of love and belonging and those who don’t? Those who believe they are worthy let go of who they should and embrace who they are.
In it's original meaning having courage meant willingness to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.

Described as a  reseacrher-storyteller, Dr. Brené Brown is a researcher professor at the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work, where she has spent the past ten years studying a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness, posing the questions: How do we engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to embrace our imperfections and to recognise that we are enough -- that we are worthy of love, belonging and joy?

microdosing

Something similar can be done with totally legal and natural plants medicines...
"Taking sub-perceptual amounts of psychedelics... while maintaining your daily routine, playing sports, or performing any other activity, has been proven to increase mental capabilities as well as physical ones.Using psychedelics in this low-dose capacity, also referred to as psycholytic doses, doesn’t have the same effect as a hearty Terence McKenna dose does; psycholytic doses do not inhibit ego-functioning in the same aspect."

http://iheartintelligence.com/2015/10/08/using-psychedelics/

real reason for runners high

"Any runner knows the feeling of elation and calm they feel after an intense workout. You’ve probably heard that the feeling can be chalked up to something called endorphins, the so-called 'happy' chemicals. That may not be quite true.
A new study suggests that endorphins may have nothing at all to do with the so-called runner’s high. Instead, these warm fuzzy feelings may be the result of chemical compounds made by the body called endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system is also responsible for moderating the psychoactive, feel-good effects of marijuana, The New York Times reports.

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. Back in the 1980s, scientists found that endorphin levels in the blood spiked after prolonged exercise. From there, people made the logical leap to assume that these chemicals also produced the sense of euphoria in the brain. But there’s a problem with this theory. Endorphins are big molecules, and are too large to fit through the brain’s gatekeeper - the blood-brain barrier. So there’s no way they could be responsible for the post-run high.
Researchers have spent the last decade looking for other explanations, which led them to cannabinoids."

http://www.sciencealert.com/the-real-reason-you-experience-a-runner-s-high-may-not-be-what-you-think

biphasic sleep

I posted about his topic on this blog a few months ago I think. It makes a lot of sense from my own experience and what others tell me.

"Extensive research by historian Roger Ekirch shows humans have traditionally slept in two phases. In his book, At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, he points to more than 500 references from historical texts that speak of dividing the night into two periods of sleep.
It appears it was common for humans to go to bed two hours after dusk, wake in the middle of the night for a couple of hours to smoke, talk, pray or even have sex, then go back to sleep until morning. It wasn’t until the 19th century that people began sleeping in one block."

http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/oct/09/awake-3am-entrepreneurs-biphasic-sleep-insomnia

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/omalley/626/ekirch.pdf

ayahuasca and consciousness

Graham Hancock shares the research from 'Magicians of the Gods' in his 'Ayahuasca and Consciousness' lecture at Sunrise festival 2011. He compares mystical, psychedelic, fairy and UFO experiences. He discusses DMT and the pineal gland. Also the role of psychedelics in human progress. He shows how ayahuasca is made in the jungle and describes how it works. He describes the connection with our mother planet. An impassioned talk for the future of humanity. "We do still live in an enchanted universe..our planet is a sacred realm...if I am not sovereign over my own consciousness then I am not sovereign over anything"

ibogaine a unique plant medicine

After many years researching what takes us into our natural state of happiness I came to the conclusion that our interactions with the plant world and nutrition that we can obtain from plants are absolutely key elements. The plants that we are naturally designed to eat, even fruits, have undeniable effects on our neural system and the way we experience life. Psychoactive plants, used in a considered way, have been an intrinsic part of the human journey.

Unfortunately, during our journey as the human species, we have veered off track of naturally happy lifestyles in many ways. It’s as if, in today’s world, we have forgotten what makes us happy and healthy, and what our true needs and nature are. Or the world does not support them. It’s understandable that many humans are now self-medicating with chemical substances as well as artificially processed plant chemicals just to get through the day. Because these substances are just substitutes for what people really need, they never quite get anyone to where they want to go. They put their systems out of balance, so they can lead to addiction. Addiction can be defined a person’s uncontrollable attachment to the use or abuse of any substance or activity.

Healing miracles in our time.
I have set up just set up a new website www.ibogainestates.com  to share knowledge of the incredible healing power plants, nutritionally and medicinally. It is focused on the unique healing plant medicine, ibogaine, because of ibogaine’s unique powers to reset the biochemistry of brain and give an individual a fresh start. In particular it is ibogaine’s power as an addiction interrupter that has given it a growing reputation for giving people their lives back. Freeing people from compelling but harmful behaviour.
We are reaching out to those people caught up in the cycles of addiction and trauma and also loved ones who are trying to help. Addiction can not only be to substances if course, but to all kinds of activities and behaviours. This site is intended to be a resource for dealing with addiction and healing trauma in general, by a variety of means.

I believe that everyone is searching for a real sense of connection and being alive. All this work is about  learning how to gaining a vibrant sense of connection to life in a healthy, happy and sustainable way. Addiction is increasing rapidly in the modern world and the classic treatments of rehab and meetings are not achieving the success rates people had hoped. It seems that a situation has arisen in the world that really can only be healed with plant medicines. This is spoken about in world mythologies, for example in the Huichol tradition of Mexico, good plant medicines are brought in to replace the bad drugs. There is much beauty in the process. You can rise from a state of quiet desperation to a vantage point beyond even that you had imagined – and sustain it, and live from it.

You can read the entire article here:
http://foodforconsciousness.co.uk/ibogaine-a-unique-and-powerful-plant-healing/