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How To Be Spiritual In A Material World
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18 Sep 2021
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Let the Healing Begin

“The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted.”

~ Eric McLuhan

“So much of the sickness is in our heads.”

~ Eric Clapton

Presence, Bliss, Tranquility. They are qualities of experience and states of being to be sure, but they do not arise only in the ethereal planes of awareness. They can exist while we are in embodiment as well. Carrying on from last week’s theme about our letting go, this coming weekend, and the early part of next week will afford us ample opportunities for accessing more of our divinity, while in our embodiment. This Monday-Tuesday, we get a breather, a blessing…a Full Moon in the expansion and dreamy sign of Pisces. Already we’re experiencing the forerunners. Strange or magical dreams and night-time dramas, restless sleep and bouts of feeling lethargic and tired, and a sense that one is walking in a fog bank. It will be helpful to reflect on these myriad states we’re entering before the exact moment of the Full Moon. That occurs at 00:54am British Summer Time. Subtract 5 hours for America’s East Coast, and 8 hours for the West. Hence why this lunation crosses over a day/night boundary.

This space will be super important to take advantage of, as the planetary and energetic aspects that unfold shortly. Next week there are some more intense energies afoot…mostly from Thursday onwards. We get a few little breaks in the action, until Mercury turns retrograde in Libra on September 27th. The real action will begin on October 1st, and reign through the whole month. But I get ahead of myself.

I inserted the quote from Marshall McLuhan’s son Eric as a reminder of why this Full Moon is so different than our abnormal digitized state of perception on the planet. This is an opportunity to connect or reconnect more deeply with our divine spark within. Whether you refer to it as your Higher Self or something else does not matter so much. You and that which is eternal are always together, always equals, and share a common awareness. No separation whatsoever! But in today’s world we may feel very hard-pressed to feel and know that Presence on a moment-to-moment basis. Now is a good time to re-establish the Foundation of your Being in the ways you feel drawn to do so.

The Eric Clapton quote is from the interview he did about his adverse injuries after having had the AZ jabs and having COVID anxiety prior to his accepting the jabs and after. Very honest and courageous man, and an amazing musician whom I’ve followed since 1966. I include it here to illustrate the (scientifically verified) fact of how we can be made to feel ill from just our thoughts and/or emotions, or from taking in toxic ideas from outside ourselves. This is about more than being a hypochondriac. One type of this condition is called psychogenic illness, and it can spread to millions of people in a matter of days or weeks…as we have seen.

With Sun in Virgo and Moon in Pisces, the themes of healing arise, especially emotional and psychic pains or wounds.  Allow your feelings to flow and don’t hold anything back or judge them, no matter how messy or chaotic they might be. It’s part of the healing from releasing we all need…a cleansing. Virgo is all about the body, and about the sacredness and beauty of the divine in human form. Revere your body as such, and it will respond to your healing thoughts. Too much of humanity has forgotten what their bodies are for.

Lastly, I suggest using this time for artistic pursuits, resting, walking in Nature, Qigong, Tai Chi or yoga, meditating, chanting, listening to music (or playing it yourself!). Tuning in to the deeper knowing that is you is the key. If you are looking for information or answers outside of yourself (Sun-Virgo), okay. But come back into yourself and let your heart and spirit discover what is right for you.

 

About the Author:

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

15 Sep 2021
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What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One?

“We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness.” — Albert Einstein

“In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal. Despite the characteristics that differentiate us – race, language, religion, gender, wealth and many others – we are all equal in terms of our basic humanity.” — Dalai Lama

 

The belief that everything in the universe is part of the same fundamental whole exists throughout many cultures and philosophical, religious, spiritual, and scientific traditions, as captured by the phrase ‘all that is.’ The Nobel winner Erwin Schrodinger once observed that quantum physics is compatible with the notion that there is indeed a basic oneness of the universe. Therefore, despite it seeming as though the world is full of many divisions, many people throughout the course of human history and even today truly believe that individual things are part of some fundamental entity.

Despite the prevalence of this belief, there has been a lack of a well validated measure in psychology that captures this belief. While certain measures of spirituality do exist, the belief in oneness questions are typically combined with other questions that assess other aspects of spirituality, such as meaning, purpose, sacredness, or having a relationship with God. What happens when we secularize the belief in oneness?

In a series of studies, Kate Diebels and Mark Leary set out to find out. In their first study, they found that only 20.3% of participants had thought about the oneness of all things “often” or “many times”, while 25.9% of people “seldom” thought about the oneness of all things, and 12.5% of people “never” had thought about it.

The researchers also created a 6-item “Belief in Oneness Scale” consisting of the following items:

  1. Beyond surface appearances, everything is fundamentally one.
  2. Although many seemingly separate things exist, they all are part of the same whole.
  3. At the most basic level of reality, everything is one.
  4. The separation among individual things is an illusion; in reality everything is one.
  5. Everything is composed of the same basic substance, whether one thinks of it as spirit, consciousness, quantum processes, or whatever.
  6. The same basic essence permeates everything that exists.

Those who scored higher on this scale were much more likely to have an identity that extends beyond the individual to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, nature, and even the cosmos. In fact, a belief in oneness was more strongly related to feeling connected with distant people and aspects of the natural world than with people with whom one is close! Also, while a belief in oneness was related to actual experiences of oneness (“mystical experiences”), there was no relationship between a belief in oneness and feeling closer to God during a spiritual experience.

In their second study, the researchers looked at values and self-views that might be related to the belief in oneness. They found that a belief in oneness was related to values indicating a universal concern for the welfare of other people, as well as greater compassion for other people. A belief in oneness was also associated with feeling connected to others through a recognition of our common humanity, common problems, and common imperfections. At the same time, there was no relationship between a belief in oneness and the degree to which people endorsed self-focused values such as hedonism, self-direction, security, or achievement. This means that people can have a belief in oneness and still have a great deal of self-care, healthy boundaries, and self-direction in life.

Implications of a Belief in Oneness

People who believe that everything is fundamentally one differ in crucial ways from those who do not. In general, those who hold a belief in oneness have a more inclusive identity that reflects their sense of connection with other people, nonhuman animals, and aspects of nature that are all thought to be part of the same “one thing.” This has some rather broad implications.

First, this finding is relevant to our current fractured political landscape. It is very interesting that those who reported a greater belief in oneness were also more likely to regard other people like members of their own group and to identify with all of humanity. There is an abundance of identity politics these days, with people believing that their own ideology is the best one, and a belief that those who disagree with one’s own ideology are evil or somehow less than human.

It might be beneficial for people all across the political spectrum to recognize and hold in mind a belief in oneness even as they are asserting their values and political beliefs. Only having “compassion” for those who are in your in-group, and vilifying or even becoming violent toward those who you perceive as the out-group, is not only antithetical to world peace more broadly, but is also counter-productive to political progress that advances the greater good of all humans on this planet.

I also think these findings have important implications for education. Even if some adults may be hopeless when it comes to changing their beliefs, most children are not. Other beliefs — such as a belief that intelligence can learn and grow (“growth mindset”) — are extraordinarily popular in education these days. However, I wonder what the implications would be if all students were also explicitly trained to believe that we are all part of the same fundamental humanity, actively showing students through group discussions and activities how we all have insecurities and imperfections, and how underneath the superficial differences in opinions and political beliefs, we all have the same fundamental needs for connection, purpose, and to matter in this vast universe.

Perhaps now, more than ever in the course of human history, we would benefit more from a oneness mindset.

 

About the Author

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. In addition to writing the column Beautiful Minds for Scientific American, he also hosts The Psychology Podcast, and is author and/or editor of 9 books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire), and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. In 2015, he was named one of “50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider. 

 

27 Aug 2021
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Coming Back to Ourselves

25 Aug 2021
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Life In Time-Space And What To Do About It

Who are we? Why are we here? Where are we going? Not everyone asks such questions, but some of us are driven to find the answers.

We are adept at living life in this time-space universe, but comprehending that which is one or more steps removed from this reality is not one of our specialties. We can get a sense of what lies beyond, but doing that takes as much intuition and feeling as it does intellect.

Our universe is structured by the rules of time and space. Time-space is the nature of the reality we live in: objects appear separate and distinct — this is not that. There is a sequence to events: past, present, and future — this happened before that. Currently, we are rooted in this reality, but there is infinitely more.

Time-space is not an illusion. It is very real on its own level. It is not bad, but our beliefs about it can color how we perceive it to be. Can we expand our understanding and perception to more directly sense that which is beyond time-space? Yes, but our intellect will only take us so far in that pursuit. With patience and practice, and using our intuition and feelings, we can gain a deeper experience of what is normally unknown.

For centuries people have reported experiences of self-awareness detached from their physical bodies such as experiences of near-death or expanded consciousness. There have been different ways of explaining these experiences, but the underlying conclusions are the same: who we are is more than, and independent of, the collection of chemicals and electrical impulses we call our bodies. We have an unseen side. In fact, this unseen side is who we really are. We are that and we use a physical body, as opposed to, we are this physical body and thereby we have that. What is that? Probably every language in history has had at least one name for it. The most common words in English are soul and spirit.

Our understanding of the out-of-body experience, as it is often called, is far from complete. This is difficult territory for our current intellectual nature. We are steeped in the scientific method. We use instruments to collect data. We insist on repeatability. Fortunately, scientists will continue to refine their abilities to investigate and understand extremely subtle phenomena. But some physicists readily acknowledge that there may come a time when the traditional tools of science will reach their limit of perception and become inadequate. It might not be possible to use time-space instruments to study non-time-space reality.

As long as we are attached to Earth, our ability to fully understand non-time-space will be a bit limited. Our fascination with experiencing time-space completely on its own level requires the blocking of our true unlimitedness from our human perception. Of course, we choose to do this with absolute free will. There is no coercion. If we are here, we want to be here simply because it is an incredible experience. Living a life in which the subjective experience is one of complete individuality, without the perception of the underlying oneness of all things, is extremely fascinating. In one sense, perceiving our eternal nature is not the amazing thing. The amazing thing is not perceiving it.

Finding Purpose

Living life on Earth is all-consuming. Our lives are extremely important to us. This is by design. How should we spend our time here? Be gentle with yourself and kind to others, then do whatever you want to do. Of course, there will always be the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, although we are free to ignore those things if we are willing to face the consequences. We are free to do or not do anything, and, when the results of our choices arrive, we will make more choices. Earth life is not about finding our one perfect activity, as if not finding it would make our life a mistake. If we are honest and caring to the best of our ability, that is a great achievement. Let your interests and talents be your guide. Clarify what you desire, then create a step-by-step plan to achieve it. Engage each day with enthusiasm. Recognize the value in everything you do. Care, and do things well.

The challenge is that things do not always go smoothly. Sometimes, outside circumstances can make things difficult, and sometimes our own internal worries and fears can be strong. Recognizing and healing our fears is an important part of life. Do not be afraid to listen to the voice of your heart and mind. Your fears cannot harm you, and, with gentle attention, you can heal them.

Fear is whatever interferes with our internal balance. In obvious and subtle ways fear can affect how we feel and behave. Outer circumstances might be challenging, but if we pay attention to our reactions to them, we will learn much about ourselves.

Whenever we are unduly critical or harsh toward others, it is due to an underlying fear of some kind. If we see someone who looks or acts in a way that makes us overly judgmental of them, notice that reaction. Practice being accepting. Oftentimes, people are the way they are partly because of how they were raised or how they have been treated. Certainly, we all make our own choices in every moment, but we haven’t all been given the same positive influences and advantages. We don’t know the internal and external struggles that others face.

It takes courage to face our challenges. When you are feeling judgmental of, or irritated with, someone take a step back and muster patience and understanding. Direct compassion toward them and say to yourself, “I love you. I support you. I bless you.” Feel this softening of your heart. It will benefit both of you, especially you.

Relax 

Most of us can benefit from taking more time to relax, to tune into what’s going on inside. Relax one or more times a day. It can be done in minutes throughout the day. There are fine relaxation and meditation techniques available, or, simply sit down, close your eyes, relax all your muscles, and feel what’s going on in your chest area. Release the tension in your heart and lungs. With a little practice you will be able to lower your stress level within seconds. It is not difficult.

If you have fifteen or twenty minutes available, sit in a comfortable chair, or lie down if possible, close your eyes, and let go of pressing thoughts. With a few exhales of your breath, feel all the muscles in your body relax. When you exhale, let your lungs stay empty for several extra seconds. Do this only a few times, then breathe normally. Feel your heart rate slow down. You will feel the tension in your body melt away. If you buy a simple blood pressure monitor from a pharmacy, you will be able to measure this directly.

Relax your thinking. Be an indifferent witness to stray thoughts. They don’t matter. Notice yourself expanding, but not in a physical sense. It is not a feeling of getting larger in the room or floating upward in the room, sky, or outer space. Those are time-space concepts. Your expansion is interdimensional. Just relax and feel limitations slip away. Relaxation is a time for simple openness. Repeat to yourself, “I am now and always open to the love and support of my whole self.” Let yourself feel a sense of wholeness. Let whatever happens, happen. Even if you seem to sleep briefly, that’s okay; it may not be normal sleep.

If you wish, during periods of deep relaxation, you can create quiet feelings of contentment or joyfulness. Simply think a word such as gentleness, kindness, clarity, or patience; think the word easily and then for several seconds let the underlying feeling happen without effort. This will be subtle yet potent. Try different words a few times each. Try thinking me as soul, and let soft feelings of expansion and love filter in. If you wake up in the morning a few minutes early, you can do this while you’re still in bed and very relaxed. Deeper feelings will come more automatically with practice over time. Regular periods of such gently guided relaxation will benefit your daily life.

You can relax anytime, anywhere, even for just thirty seconds. When you get in your car, sit for a minute before driving. Don’t turn on the radio. When you arrive at your destination, sit for a minute. You can sense calmness even while focusing on something else.

It can help to leave the television, telephone, and other devices off a little longer. Listen to yourself a little more. Keep your entertainment content kind and uplifting, not uncaring or violent. Recognize and appreciate the goodness in the people and the world around you. Keep your physical, mental, and emotional energies well balanced.

Love And Relationships

Creating loving friendships is among the most wonderful of things we can do as human beings. We are each born with a strong desire to give and receive love. This motivates us to interact and share with others. If we are careful not to dampen this impulse with intolerance or the fear of pain, it will lead us to many fulfilling experiences.

Treat those around you with respect. Be supportive and encouraging. We are all learning, so be patient and understanding whenever you are disappointed or frustrated by the actions of another. Be a calm teacher when you have the opportunity. Savor the time you spend with those close to you, and aim for unconditional love in every relationship.

Be the best that you can be, then engage with the world and let your intentions be known. Be friendly, be open, and you will create many opportunities for sharing love.

Health And Death

We are not our bodies, but our bodies are the vehicles through which we engage life in this time-space reality. Illness cannot harm who you are. It is not badness. Aging is not badness, but our attitudes about aging can color our experience of it. Death is not badness. Death is simply leaving the body and not coming back to it. When you take off a heavy coat, you are still you. We do not truly lose our loved ones through death.

Fear of aging is not helpful. What is helpful is realizing that living more years creates more opportunities to learn and teach, both with our words and as an example. Many have come to believe that aging means becoming unhappy and burdensome to our families and society. It would be more appropriate to recognize that there is much to be gained by those who help someone in need, and to appreciate the contributions that the older generation can make to our communities. Wisdom comes from years of living. Balance, empathy, and an understanding of the nature and purpose of life come from paying attention over time. When older truly is wiser, everyone benefits.

If we have strong beliefs about what happens at and after death, those beliefs can color our initial experience for better or worse. It is best to be open to letting the experience unfold without fear. Reading descriptions of near-death experiences can be helpful, but they describe just the beginning of the transition. Our brains are not designed to fully comprehend our non-time-space nature. Just let the transition happen easily.

When we decide to leave Earth, we will have developed ourselves to a very high degree. A graduate of time-space is a highly regarded, wondrous being. Consider Earth life in the context of an infinite number of other possibilities. Contemplate this occasionally, not as an escape from the challenges of life, but as a way to more fully appreciate your time-space existence. Relax and enjoy.

 

Original article: SpiritofChange.org

 

 

19 Aug 2021
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Completion and a New Beginning – Full Moon in Aquarius, Sunday, August 22nd 2021

Well, I’m back…sort of. Technically still on sabbatical until Monday, August 23rd, but there are too many things popping that need some attention. The main one is the upcoming second Full Moon in Aquarius in less than a month. It bookends the one that occurred on July 23rd at the 1st degree of Aquarius. This Sunday, the 22nd of August, the second one will be at the 29th degrees of Leo and Aquarius. The famous (or infamous) Anaretic degrees are compelling moments in any astrology timeline. Here’s an excerpt from The Dilemma of the 29th DEGREE: Thor’s Hammer or a Cornucopia? by Eileen Nauman, DH(UK):

“Astrologers know that from 0 through 28 degrees, we, as individuals, have ample opportunity to work on our stuff, work through it and change it. “Work” is defined here as our emotional and toxic wounds that we’ve accrued usually through childhood or in our twenties.

And they have to be healed. In other words, we have choice. And since we are down here to grow, the 29th degree is around to ensure that we do what is needed for ourselves — even if we don’t want to do it for a host of reasons (fear, lack of confidence, lack of faith in ourselves, etc.). The 29th degree is there to ensure we WILL do it. Or, if we’ve been running away from a lot of emotional garbage that we’ve refused to own — well guess what? It’s all going to come back to haunt you in that 29th degree.

The 29th degree from a medical astrology standpoint is a loaded keg of emotional toxic ‘dynamite’ that has been ignored for some time, even decades, and it’s sitting there ready to explode. When we have suppressed or repressed emotions, this will translate over time into actual physical, mental or emotional dis-ease.

“Of course, people have free will choice and if they elect not to try and heal their own wound, they ignore it. [For example] they can ignore Saturn transits from 0 to 28 degrees of that sign. However, when it hits the 29th degree, that person is going to have the Cosmic Hammer come down on him or her. The 29th degree is a last-ditch attempt to draw the person or experience to this individual so they can get to work on discharging the toxicity they’re carrying inside themselves.

“And so, calamity hits this person with a sledgehammer. It can be a loss of a job, the spouse wanting a divorce, having to move to another state or country, the death of a spouse or child or parent. And the list goes on…but the list of things that can happen are life changing for that individual. And that’s the power of the 29th degree coming in and confronting the individual who doesn’t want to do the work for whatever the reason. No reason, frankly, is worth avoiding our own wounding. If we drew that wound in this incarnation, it’s up to us to work through it. In working through it, we learn, grow and mature and yes, perhaps even evolve, because of our efforts.

Now, I know that you who are reading this may not have any particularly sensitive points in your own soul blueprint (birth chart) for this incarnation, but that doesn’t mean one is totally out of the woods. You and I share in the collective awareness of the soul of humanity and of the planet, so we are not immune to the knock-on effects that that can have in our personal spheres. That said, this Full Moon is akin to an initiation…for the whole human race.

The little-known dwarf planet Sedna is currently also at the 29th Degree of Taurus and is being squared by the Sun and Moon at 29 Leo and Aquarius this Saturday. Some say that Sedna represents the soul’s destiny and has a hand in illumination and new consciousness. Sedna’s orbital path takes over 11,000 years to complete one revolution around our Sun, and she is way out there beyond the orbit of Pluto, so that last time Sedna was parked at the last degree of Taurus was at the end of the last Ice Age. Sedna was a goddess of the sea and intuitive feelings that belongs to the Inuit Indians of the Arctic regions.

She entered Taurus in 1965, just as the USA civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the rise of the hippie era all commenced. A big shifting in human consciousness to be sure! It’s also worth mentioning that Uranus and Pluto had just entered the element of Earth just about the same time when they both conjoined in Virgo. Sedna enters Gemini in 2024, around the same time that Pluto enters Aquarius. Sedna in Taurus could be one of the factors in the rise of the digital age since 2003, but when she gets into Gemini, it might signal a new rising of human consciousness, but one not tied to artificial intelligence or binary sciences.

At the unconscious level Sedna can represent victimization, illness, alienation, trauma, and suffering. At the conscious level she can foster profound acceptance, including of how bad things currently are, transcendence, keeping one’s heart open no matter what, and having a sense of humour.

With the Sun and Moon underpinning the archetypes of Leo and Aquarius, and squaring Sedna, I feel that we are being offered an initiation. One that can work best if we consciously choose to fully individuate into our sovereign truthful selves, while realizing and cultivating our innate spiritual connection to the elements, especially water (feelings) and earth (the body). This will be the choice point offered: evolved humanity not dependent or enslaved to digital technology, and a groundswell of consciousness opening not only to the higher cosmic influences, but also the divine influence right under our feet…and our noses!

Finally, in summary, allow me to offer the last part of Eileen Nauman’s brilliant essay on the 29th Degree:

THE CORNUCOPIA SIDE TO THE 29TH DEGREE:

“There is a positive side to the 29th degree as I wrote earlier. Think of it as a cornucopia of goodies just waiting to be given to you. If you have done all your homework on yourself and done your best to discharge your toxic dump of emotions, then the 29th degree will leave you alone. Instead, something ‘nice’ will happen to you. It might be a time of joy spent with your grandchildren, your friends, or relatives. Or you attend a workshop that inspires you. Perhaps you sign up for creative schooling, such as painting, learning to write or learn to dance. It can be as simple as a wonderful lunch with a friend or a warm phone call from someone you love. Or it could be big, like a raise, a new job, a book being sold, being rewarded monetarily or in many other ways. It will be a ‘lull’ in having to always do your inner work. It’s Cosmic Gift Time, instead. A pat on the head by the Cosmos that you’ve done the dirty work and succeeded. Then, the 29th degree becomes a time of well-earned happiness in your life. And, as always, the choice of how we want to deal with the 29th degree is ours!”

The biggest issue of the day boils down to the fact that what is transpiring on the planet these last two years is only made possible by our immersion into the dreamspell of the digital domain. There is a simile to hypnosis and collective groupthink underway, exacerbated by the Saturn in Aquarius transit that promotes the group over individuation. True spirituality is about individuation of divine consciousness in the human experience. The mystic Edgar Cayce was asked during one of his trance sessions to describe Christ Consciousness. His reply was “to know thyself to be thyself, yet one with All That Is.”

Our task, as I see it defined in reflection of Sunday’s Full Moon in Aquarius, is to define who you are not by what the crowd says you should be, but who you really are and how true to that you will be. We are all being tested and testing ourselves. Let us rise to the occasion and say choose non-compliance with anything that offends our soul and spirit, and say yes to that which is sourced in love, truth, wisdom, empathy, the spirit of cooperation, and harmony with All That Is.

So be it!!

 

About the Author:

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

 

 

12 Aug 2021
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Dragon And Tiger Medical Qigong

An Ancient Chinese Treasure for Health and Longevity

 

As more people seek natural, safe and effective ways to improve their health, strengthen their immune systems, reduce stress and anxiety, have more energy, emotional balance and greater mental focus, many have come to rely upon the ancient Chinese practice of qigong to accomplish these and many other health and wellness goals.

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong is one of the most popular styles of qigong practiced around the world today. The 1,500-year-old self-healing system teaches you to move qi (vital life energy) through well-defined energy lines within your body that are related to acupuncture meridian lines. Its seven-movement form is a low-impact practice very gentle on the joints, and able to be comfortably performed by anyone regardless of age or current level of health. At the same time, it’s very powerful and dramatically increases vitality, promoting healing on many levels.

Before exploring Dragon and Tiger specifically, let’s first take a look at qigong in general to learn what it really is and give you some background in this remarkable Chinese cultural treasure.

A General Overview Of Qigong

Depending upon sources cited, qigong originated in China between 3-5,000 years ago. Not a single static system, it has many variations, styles, and philosophical bases, each with their specific purposes and objectives. It can be done as a stationary standing practice or a moving form with many parts. Some styles can be done while sitting or lying down, by oneself or with a partner. It has continued to grow and evolve over the centuries, and is perhaps the most well-researched, comprehensive and highly developed system on the planet for building health and extending longevity. That it has continued to flourish through the millennia is a testament to its unique, profound effectiveness and versatility.

Even in the early stages of a beginner-level practice, qigong promotes greater self-awareness, awakening you to increasingly more subtle levels of your being. Many qigongs are rooted in spiritual traditions that transcend simply improving physical health and longevity, adding a nuanced richness and deeper dimensions to enhancing your life. At the highest levels of practice, it is a path to enlightenment and spiritual cultivation, and can prepare your mind for the deepest meditative practices.

Defining Qigong

In order to better understand what qigong is, let’s take a look at the word “qigong” itself, since that will tell us a lot about the actual practice. It is made up of the two syllables “qi” (pronounced “chee”) and “gong”. As each syllable in the Chinese language is itself a discrete word, we’ll first define each syllable separately to gain insight into its fullest meaning.

Often translated as “vital life energy”, or simply “energy”, qi is the sum of all the functional energies that animate and keep you alive, aware, and healthy. The electrical energy measured by an EEG (measuring brain activity) and EKG (measuring heart functional energy), the magnetic energy of an MRI that allows for the magnetic imaging of every cell in your body—all of your cells are polar— the neural energy running through your nervous system, the biochemical energy of enzymatic reactions, hormones and neurotransmitters, and the functional energy of every internal organ are all a part your qi. For a Western mind, this understanding can provide some useful touchstones, but it’s only a part of the totality of your qi, which includes many more subtle aspects than what are contained within the current Western medical paradigm.

In the context of qigong you may find that qi is sometimes translated as “breath” or “breathing”. This is not technically incorrect, since the Chinese character for qi as energy is identical to the character for qi as breath, and we’ll soon see that the Regulation of the Breath is an integral component of all qigongs. But that’s only a part of what qigong is about, and leads to the misinterpretation of qigong as “breathing exercises”. Sometime qi is translated as “subtle breath”, which distinguishes it from the common breath, and is more accurate as it’s the “subtle breath” that is the qi that circulates through our body’s numerous energy pathways.

“Gong” means practice, skill, or cultivation. As in the Western use of the word “practice” as it relates to practicing a musical instrument, practicing medicine, practicing law, or really any profession or avocation in which you may want to acquire some proficiency, it requires some effort invested over a period of time to gain that skill. That acquired skill is the desired result of the practice.

Because all qigongs involve regulating the body, “gong” is sometimes interpreted to mean “exercise”, so that “qigong” is often translated to mean “energy exercise”, but as with “breathing exercise”, it’s also a limited interpretation. In fact, the word “exercise” is sometimes used as a gentle admonition by a qigong master correcting a novice: “You’re not doing qigong, you’re just doing an exercise.” Once learned, an exercise is something that can be effectively performed by rote. In qigong, your full awareness needs to be engaged throughout the entirety of your practice.

Now we can see that the word qigong most accurately means effort invested over time in working with your vital life energy in order to sense, direct, and gather it for the purpose of enhancing your life in a variety of ways. You get to choose what those enhancements might be based upon the style of qigong you select to practice.

Five Philosophical Bases For All Qigong

The five broad categories of qigong are derived from one of the Five Philosophical Bases that most inform each practice. Those are Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian, medical and martial. Each category is very rich and varied, but looked at simply, we can say that Daoist qigongs are most concerned with aligning oneself with the cycles and energies of the natural world and promoting longevity; Buddhist qigongs are most concerned with spiritual cultivation and enlightenment more than with physical health; Confucian qigongs are most concerned with intellectual achievement and societal ethics; medical qigongs are most concerned with preventing illness and treating disease; and martial qigongs are most concerned with developing physical and energetic power for martial applications. Each of the five categories may contain hundreds of different qigong practices ranging from the very simple and relatively common to the very complex and rare.

While there are qigongs that purely adhere to one of the Five Philosophical Bases, it’s common for there to be some overlap among styles. For example, the Daoist qigongs that promote longevity naturally inform some of the health-building aspects of medical qigongs (and vice versa), while the intellectual clarity produced by Confucian qigongs help the mind travel along some the more challenging aspects of spiritual cultivation in Buddhist qigongs.

The Three Regulations

No matter the philosophical basis or style, all complete qigongs include The Three Regulations: The Regulation of Body, Breath, and Mind. Beyond just improving your physical health, each of the Three Regulations influence your emotional, mental, and psychic states of being, more directly as you advance in your cultivation. At very high levels of practice, you can access, balance and clear your karma.

The specific ways in which body, breath and mind are regulated can vary considerably depending upon the goal and purpose of the particular qigong being practiced. The coordinated regulation of body, breath and mind further regulates the qi, first by intention, and ultimately by the mind’s direct contact with qi.

While each qigong has a particular focus, a specific purpose for which it’s intended, all initially produce a similar range of baseline benefits, including general well-being, more energy, reduced stress and increased mental clarity. No matter what style of qigong you may choose to practice, you can expect this common range of benefits. This is because through the Three Regulations, all help you to tune into the wisdom of your own body, releasing negative or restrictive energies, thoughts, and beliefs while bringing you back into balanced wholeness.

Now let’s examine the specifics of a most versatile, accessible and rewarding practice, Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong.

Dragon And Tiger Medical Qigong History

The origins of Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong are traced back 1,500 years. Its creation is attributed to the Bodhidharma, who taught it to monks of the Shaolin monastery in China to help strengthen and revitalize their bodies after extended periods of seated meditation. It included the stimulation of qi flow through qigong and acupuncture meridian lines, providing the foundation for an energy wisdom that blended Daoism, Buddhism, and Chinese medicine. That information was passed to each successive head abbot of the Shaolin monastery in an unbroken lineage through the centuries until the mid 20th century, when the last head abbot taught it to his niece, Zhang Jia Hua, a doctor of Chinese medicine.

Dr. Zhang was very experienced in the use of qigong for medical purposes, and made some additional refinements to the practice, transforming it into the even more powerful medical qigong it is today. Those refinements made Dragon and Tiger one of the most widespread and successful treatments for cancer and other serious degenerative diseases throughout China. During the 1960s and 1970s, she taught more than 20,000 instructors who spread Dragon and Tiger Qigong to over 20 million people. (As an aside, I learned Dragon and Tiger from Daoist Master Bruce Frantzis, who learned it directly from Zhang Jia Hua.)

The Meaning Of Dragon And Tiger

The Chinese often use animals to represent the characteristics associated with an abstraction they are describing, common in Chinese astrology and Five Element Theory, for example. In this qigong context, the dragon is associated with the lungs, which take in the air we breathe, while the tiger is associated with the liver, which powers so many of our physiological processes. The first movement of Dragon and Tiger particularly benefits the lungs and liver, giving this set its name. Here are some characteristics of each of these animals, and the associated benefits you may expect from Dragon and Tiger Qigong.

As the flying dragon is a creature of the air, the first associated correspondence is to the air itself. Dragon and Tiger strengthens your lungs and increase your ability to take in fuller, deeper breaths. We’ve seen that the Chinese character for breath is identical to the character for qi, so as you bring in more air with each breath, you are bringing in more qing qi, or atmospheric qi (literally, “clear qi”). The breathing practices contained within Dragon and Tiger increase your ability to extract more qing qi from the air, which builds your reserves of qi.

A second quality is that of the dragon’s movements, sinuous and lithe. Dragon and Tiger creates a physical openness that engenders a flexibility in your body you may not have enjoyed since you were very young.

A third quality has to do with the positive emotions associated with the lungs. When the lungs are functioning well, you will experience an upsurge in vitality and an exuberance for life, increasing your enthusiasm and joy. Conversely, when the lungs are not functioning well, you will often feel sad even when there’s no apparent reason for such sadness. A two-way street, prolonged periods of grief will likewise adversely affect the overall health of your lungs.

The tiger is the animal associated with the liver. The tiger is very powerful, agile and quick, able to transition from a relaxed stillness to the immediate physical activity of a rapid pounce or run in almost no discernable time.

The first association with the tiger’s power corresponds to the power of a well-functioning liver. The liver is involved in aspects of digestion, nutrient assimilation, detoxification, production of enzymes, the storage of glycogen, vitamins and minerals, and more. Its far-reaching influence on our metabolism and physiological processes is staggering. The health and strength of our body depends extensively on the liver’s ability to perform its functions optimally.

Another aspect of that power exists on the emotional level. It takes drive and perseverance, a kind of psychological power, to make changes in the world and in your life. A healthy liver provides that ability to accomplish, to get things done in a positive and productive way. This means you have the inner strength and focus to do what needs doing yourself, or you are able to inspire others to help when help is needed. By contrast, an imbalanced liver will make you easily angered, and that anger can be used to fuel anger-driven actions (which may even be directed against yourself) or to intimidate others into doing what you want. While still powerful, this is a pathological manifestation of impeded liver energy, an unhealthy way of getting things done.

According to Chinese medicine, the liver controls tendons and ligaments. When the liver is functioning well, your tendons and ligaments will be relaxed, allowing your body a greater freedom of movement, as embodied by the supple grace of the tiger. This helps reduce any restrictive physical pain you may have, and provides not only a greater freedom of physical movement, but greater internal freedom on every level. This involves the more subtle aspects of the manifestation of power, whether that’s applied for health, longevity, martial ability, social influence, intellectual accomplishment or spiritual cultivation.

The liver is also responsible for the smooth flow of qi throughout your entire body. This promotes the optimal functional energy of every organ, allowing each to do its job best and work in balanced harmony, fostering homeostasis. It reduces stress, helps maintain both physical and emotional equilibrium, and sharpens your reflexes, creating the same type of smooth continuous internal flow that allows the tiger to move from a relaxed aware stillness to an immediate pounce with no hesitation or awkwardness.

Physical And Energetic Characteristics Of Dragon And Tiger

Dragon and Tiger is primarily a medical qigong that balances the body’s energy systems in accordance with the principles of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The inclusion of Daoist and Buddhist elements in Dragon and Tiger are used to support and enhance its medical applications. Increased sensitivity and awareness are the hallmarks of all qigongs, and with focused attention on your body, breath and mind, your awareness grows, helping to connect you to your healing qi more deeply. At advanced levels of practice, it can move into spiritual realms, fully integrating body, heart-mind (xin) and spirit (shen) for profound healing on every level of being.

On the surface, Dragon and Tiger have some similarities to the beautiful flowing movements of taiji (tai chi), and many of the principles of Dragon and Tiger can be transferred directly to taiji if you choose to learn that at some later time. It even provides many comparable benefits, improving balance, coordination, strength and longevity. With only seven movements it’s much easier to do, taking less time to learn and less space to practice. Each of its movements focuses on a particular meridian pathway or organ system, and each has specific targeted medical effects that will provide you numerous health benefits beyond those found in taiji. The synergy among the seven movements creates a system-wide energetic upgrade that benefits the health of your entire being.

Despite its simplicity, it’s a complete medical qigong system addressing almost every part of your health needs. Practiced regularly, you will activate and balance the core energy channels most commonly addressed in qigong, and the major acupuncture meridians, releasing blocked and stagnant energy both from your physical body and from the energy field around you, known as the qi body or the etheric field.

Some Expected Medical Benefits

As a therapeutic practice, Dragon & Tiger is designed to balance your body’s energies to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the suffering of disease. In China, it has been used to treat cancer and other serious degenerative conditions. Its seven movements are repeated a number of times, gently stretching, opening and releasing the body, making you more flexible and relaxed. It will reduce stress, improve blood circulation and increase synovial and lymphatic fluid movement, build energy, and enhance your felt sense of general well-being. By increasing awareness of how your body moves through space (proprioception), it‘s also excellent for improving balance, an important consideration for older people and athletes alike.

* The Regulation of the Body can be viewed simply as physical activity, yet when practiced with awareness, it promotes health on both physical and energetic levels, and lays the foundation for deeper energetic benefits that come later. In Dragon and Tiger, some of the physical regulations include weight shifts, which help improve balance in the same way that taiji is known to do; and bending, stretching, and gently twisting muscle tissue, which helps both to release physical tension, promoting relaxation, and opens pathways through which qi flows, reducing obstructions in order to increase the amount of qi available to circulate throughout your body. Removing qi obstruction and promoting qi flow is also the main mechanism through which it relieves aches, pains, and other physical discomforts.

When proper body alignments are learned and maintained, many of the movements release contracted muscles throughout the body, especially in such common trouble areas as the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back and hips. Some movements massage and cleanse the axillary and inguinal lymph nodes, stimulating the flow of lymph fluids and benefiting the entire immune system. Some Dragon and Tiger movements stimulate communication between hemispheres of the brain, improving cognition in ways similar to the Western physical therapy technique of “cross crawl”, used to rehabilitate people with brain injuries and other cognitive dysfunctions.

* Regulation of the Breath most obviously improves lung health, breathing capacity, and resistance to airborne pathogens. It helps to create the optimal acid/alkaline balance throughout the body, crucial to overall good health. As important as these are, they are just a small part of the benefits derived from the Regulation of the Breath.

The Daoist natural breathing used in Dragon and Tiger gently pressurizes all of the internal organs, in effect massaging them to facilitate releasing the toxic accumulations of metabolic waste material in the same way massage therapy does for muscle tissue. It also frees any binding restrictions in the suspensory ligaments that attach each organ to the vertebral column. This allows for both greater organ mobility (its ability to be freely moved, the lack of which often causes pain) and organ motility, the natural movement patterns intrinsic to and generated by each organ. Together this increases the optimal functional energy of each organ, its ability to perform its intended functions, which is a large part of the organ’s qi.

In a purely Western medical context, there have been numerous studies that support this understanding. One study in New York State tracked 12,000 people for nearly three decades, and found that the stronger your lungs are, the less likely you are to die of any cause, when compared to other people in the same demographic. (Schunemann, H. J., Dorn, J., Grant, B. J. B., Winkelstein, W., & Trevisan, M. (2000); Pulmonary Function Is a Long-term Predictor of Mortality in the General Population. Chest, 118(3), 656–664.) The European Society of Cardiology reported that even a minor drop in lung capacity raises your heart disease risk by 200%. (The European Society of Cardiology, 1998.)

The University of Arizona researched possible holistic treatments for Covid-19.  They reported that among 20 subjects taught to practice qigong, there was a significant increase in lung capacity and that after just 10 days, their lungs had become 20% better at taking in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. It was noted to be a potentially lifesaving improvement.

* The Regulation of Mind improves cognition, mood, and perception. When layered in with aspects of Regulating the Body as discussed above, it further improves communication between hemispheres of the brain. This enhances creativity, analytic ability, and overall intelligence.

A well-know qigong principle states that “the qi directs the body, but the mind directs the qi”, or more simply put, where the mind goes, the qi follows. When integrated with the Regulation of the Body and Breath, the Regulation of the Mind most fully regulates the qi, providing the greatest benefits possible in regards to health, well-being, vitality and longevity. This is where the ability to directly feel and work with your qi becomes most apparent, and where Dragon and Tiger becomes most fun and exciting.

Somewhere between 6” and 18” outside your physical body is the perimeter of your qi body, also known as the etheric field. Dragon and Tiger teaches you to learn to feel that perimeter, and to move qi through it in specific ways. The qi of your qi body connects directly with the Dragon and Tiger energy lines within your physical body. Moving qi through your qi field moves qi through the corresponding energy pathways within your body, which creates all the health benefits and other positive changes that this medical qigong practice provides.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a detailed conceptual foundation for Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, the next thing you might want for further insight is an actual demonstration of the Dragon and Tiger form. Click on this link for an in-depth look with additional descriptive information about each movement, and graphic representations of all the associated energetics.

 

About the Author:

Steven Cardoza, M.Sc., L.Ac, holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a nationally certified Chinese medical physician, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with over twenty-five years of experience. He is a certified instructor of Wu taiji and many styles of qigong, and has taught public and professional classes and workshops since 1986. He is the author of the books Chinese Holistic Medicine In Your Daily Life (2017), and Chinese Healing Exercises, A Personalized Practice for Health and Longevity (2013), both published by Llewellyn Publications; and the companion DVD, A Visual Guide To Chinese Healing Exercises. Email Steven at healingdragon@dslextreme.com or visit www.healingdragon.org

 

10 Aug 2021
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The Path Beyond The Current Reality — Rising Above The Chaos

 

What you are experiencing now, collectively, is exactly what it looks like when an old age implodes and a new one begins to take its place. This time has been a great challenge for all living on Earth. No one is exempt from this event, and what will be learned is a great opportunity for all. This is something your soul desired to witness, and you will merge with deep wisdom and truths that you will carry through into the foundation of an entire new cycle.

The damaged mirror of your imploding world will not reflect what you are seeking anymore. You are now in between realities. Everything around you that is in disharmony is an illusion. Look beyond all the devastation, anger, fear, loss, division and controversy. There is no truth in insanity. Insanity is simply fear. The soul does not know fear, because it knows the truth that it is One with God. There is nothing to gain in war. War is simply the belief in separation. The soul does not understand separation and the ego driven concept of “us versus them”. Real truth is self leveling, unifying, all encompassing, and it does not come from the mind of worldly knowledge. Truth is love, and love is the only truth. So getting drawn into all the crumbling bits of drama left over from the old reality is a waste of your energy. Look through and beyond the mirror to see what is already arriving now. Scrape away the reflection of the old world to see beyond it.

You are God, so it is simply impossible that anything created by any other human being (besides the blast of an atom bomb), could break your connection to God or the divine, or slow or stop your ascension! So there is no reason for fear, protection or defense. You cannot work your way to ascension while still fighting the old world. If you keep trying to achieve this in the rubble of this crumbling world, you will only feel exhausted, stuck, angry, confused, divided … and be stuck in indecision. If you are always working toward ascension, it will always be one step ahead of you. Because that is how you see it. If you are working to reach it, then you are also not trusting that it is available to you. The universe hears and responds to all of your presence; not just what your mind desires. There is no future; only now. Realization cannot be timed on a clock, or predicted on a calendar. Only when humanity reaches a realization tipping point is when the ascension will arrive. Ascension will flow into you with a graceful breath of allowance, without thought, without pressure and without trying.

You are experiencing incredible levels of sustained pressure and stress in the collective consciousness which can make you feel disconnected from God, Source, etc…. The human race is going through a dark night of the soul, and one often feels disconnected, disoriented, undecided, lost, and we might question the reason for our existence. It is part of the process. This is an age old, tempering process in which we are made to feel abandoned by God, only to realize that GOD has been within us all along. It is the way. We can never disconnect from God no matter what the circumstances, or which direction is taken. Those that are feeling a huge disconnect now are going through this incredibly powerful process. It does not mean that you did something wrong in any way, or that you missed your chance. It just means that you are right where you need to be. You are incredibly brave to face this void.

There is a new reality arising, and you are being readied to enter. It is waiting for you to recognize it. It will not be reflected in the current world. It will not be what you expect. Like we (The Star Elders) have said for years, this is new with new laws of nature. It is something still mostly unseen by humanity. Rise above all the uncountable, opposing layers in this collective crisis. Leave behind the world that is programmed by the old world and is fed by divisions … us versus them, fear, control, controversy, war, etc…. The answers you are reaching for are not here anymore. They are here in the beyond. This is why nothing in your world now feels right. The old world is imploding and fading into pure illusion … soon to be forgotten like it never existed. (This is where some of our memory issues are coming from.)

As the old world implodes, maintain conscious discernment when you are exposed to the many controversies, predictions and perspectives in the last bits of the old, material world. If you become anxious, or have fear of plausible future “possibilities”, it is your clue that you stepped back into the dying world. You have moved away from your center, your balance, and your inner truth. You need to learn quickly to recognize when there is an emotional hook linked to an undercurrent coming from the imploding world (this might be a feeling of heaviness, darkness or sudden anxiety). This is your divine, inner alarm saying to go back to your center.

When worldly perspectives are subconsciously embedded with the energetics of fear in a credible looking way, it redirects you into your reactive, emotional body, which means that you are no longer living in your unified heart. Once exposed, it can take time and energy to purge this heaviness out of your energy field. There is always some thread of truth in all fragmenting perspectives; otherwise no one would consider entertaining it as truth at all. But, you will do this over and over until you are so strong in your center that you will no longer be drawn into those programs or be set off by them. You are already seeing that you have become less triggered and feel a bit more anchored to your heart center. Nothing from the old, imploding world can hurt you anymore, but it wants you to think it can.

Do not let the outdated, dualistic world drag you away from your center. It is good to know what is going on in the world, and there is always a small bit of truth no matter where you look. But as the ascended masters say … do not allow circumstances to put you into an emotional state where you become unanchored in your light. Be in the present moment, and starve the outer world’s conflicts with the absence of your recognition, your energy and your light. This time is about seeing the world, but not being of the world. To be of the new paradigm is to pull your energy out of the old programs.

We are way showers. When we choose the path of non-choosing, and rise above all the biases, and dust off the chaos of the imploding world, we will create a path for all to follow.

 

~ Aluna Joy Yaxk’in, the Star Elders, with a collective of Ascended Master energies

 

12 Jul 2021
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Remembering Beauty

Today as I was preparing to go for my almost daily bicycle ride, I stopped to glance over at one of our two rose bushes. They are planted in a small strip of ground between our living room window and the fence, and in previous years they have not been doing so well. Poor weather is usually the culprit here in the British Isles, but forgetting the rose food is also another factor. However, during the past 3-4 weeks, they have not only been producing a prodigious number of blooms, but they’ve grown over 6 feet in height!

As I gazed upon the unique orange blossoms, I thought that how easy it is to become inured to the beauty that is so close by somewhere. For a moment in time, all my personal thoughts faded into the background, and so did all the world’s tumultuous activity. Here it was just my consciousness taking in the beauty in front of me, and I became lost in a serenity that there are no words for.

Seems we take so much for granted these days, and most of us are so preoccupied that we just don’t really take in what is right at hand in our lives. It is one thing to look; it is quite another thing to actually see what it is we’re looking at. A mere thought about the to-do list, or a worry or three, and we are turning away from the miracle in front of us and exchanging it for another task, another obligation, and another round of problem solving. If you are an entrepreneur, most likely you live that experience 24/7, and barely come up for air. Marketing, tech hassles, virtual staff issues, grumpy clients…where does it end? When does the good life begin?

It can begin when we choose to slow down enough to take stock of ourselves, check and see if we’re occupying our body instead of hovering near it, and exercise our sovereignty diligently so we honor our own feelings and space to be as we are. Yes, I know…there are obligations aplenty. Working for a paycheck with a family to support during the upheavals of the past 17 months has been a grab bag of stress. Or perhaps you or someone you know has a health condition, or a psychological one. None of this we are experiencing is easy, and we can be so focused on survival mode that we overlook so much that there is to appreciate.

I have a very good book about spiritual seeking called “Doing Nothing” by Steven Harrison. Its focus is on the modern quest for enlightenment and peace, but many of his perspectives could easily be applied to more mundane matters. The other book which I have not read, but recently ordered, is entitled “How to be Idle” by Tom Hodgkinson. The Puritan work ethic, or the work ethic imposed by a jealous God in the Old Testament (“…by the sweat of thy brow shall you earn your bread…”) set the human race on a high-stress path of exertion with a future promise of reward and comfort. The entire dogma of the Abrahamic religions is centered on a perfect hereafter, if we are all good boys and girls, that is.

What is discouraged more today then ever before is that to be idle, or decide to withdraw from the Rat Race, is to be a reactionary. Someone who is anti-societal, and not to be trusted. In China it’s becoming a “thing” and they call it “lying flat”.

At this New Moon in Cancer take an inventory about your own life. Where do you over-commit? Where do you over-give? How do you cope with low-grade anxiety or moments of high stress? Are you happy and peaceful, or anxious and fearful? Are you in your body, and loving your body, or not?

Here’s something to ponder: when there’s a lot of cortisol pumping through our bodies we are incapable of rational decision making. The cost for this is multidimensional too, and as Dr. Gabor Maté states, trauma or living with trauma is the single biggest cause for disease…period!

Your physical and psychic boundaries are yours to employ and maintain. No one else will do it for you. We are empowered, we are capable, and it is not selfish to be concerned with one’s own harmony and wellbeing. Slow down, breathe and look around. What do you see? There’s beauty within and without to appreciate. Remember it often.

About the Author

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

09 Jul 2021
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The Fallacy of Our Carbon Footprint

 

In 1992, a Canadian ecologist named William Rees coined the term “ecological footprint,” a measurement of how much any entity was impacting the planet’s ecology. A decade later, British Petroleum started promoting a new term: “carbon footprint.”  In a splashy ad campaign, the company unveiled the first of its many carbon footprint calculators as a way for individuals to measure how their daily actions—what they eat, where they work, how they heat their home—impact global warming.

BP did not adopt the footprint imagery by accident. In the 30 years prior to the carbon footprint campaign, polluting companies had been using advertising to link pollution and climate change to personal choices. These campaigns, most notably the long-running Keep America Beautiful campaign, imply that individuals, rather than corporations, bear the responsibility for change.

“It was done so intentionally,” says Susan Hassol, director of the nonprofit science outreach group Climate Communication. “It’s a deflection.”

The universal adoption of the term “carbon footprint” hasn’t just changed how we speak about climate change. It’s changed how we think about it. Climate change has become an individual problem, caused by our insatiable appetite for consumption, and therefore a war that must be waged on our dinner plates and gas tanks, a hero’s journey from consumer to conservationist.

 

The reality is that the future of civilization is being decided at a political and corporate level that no individual can impact.

 

Yet the reality is that the future of civilization is being decided at a political and corporate level that no individual can impact. Just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions. Fossil fuel giants are funding climate change skepticism while simultaneously lobbying for tens of billions of dollars in subsidies. Big corporate names like Costco and Netflix are loudly committing to reduce emissions but unable to set meaningful targets or put plans in place. The Trump administration rolled back more than 100 environmental rules and regulations.

The same way that you give your child a toy to play with so you can finish your task uninterrupted, everyday citizens are busy changing out lightbulbs and buying electric cars while the true cause of global warming continues uninterrupted: a civilization dependent on fossil fuels. As Mike Tidwell, the executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, wrote in a 2007 op-ed, “every time an activist or politician hectors the public to voluntarily reach for a new bulb or spend extra on a Prius, ExxonMobil heaves a big sigh of relief.” A complete paradigm shift is needed—both in the way we conceptualize our individual climate impact and in the ways we calculate the emission impacts of those ultimately responsible: corporations and governmental systems.

One of the challenges with the carbon footprint measurement is how few of the factors an individual controls. Most of us have limited options for where we live, how far we have to commute to get to work, what kind of energy is available to heat our homes, etc. If we don’t own our home (and more than 30% of Americans don’t), we may not be able to properly insulate or install high-efficiency appliances. One research report from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that roughly one third of a city dweller’s carbon footprint is determined by public transportation options and building infrastructure. “We build our cities this way,” Hassol says. “It’s system change that’s really needed so that people have better choices.”

The inadequacy of our carbon footprint as a driver of change is painfully highlighted when you look at single-use plastics. Much attention has been given to how much plastic Americans consume (35.3 million tons per year, enough to fill the 104 million-cubic-foot AT&T Stadium in Dallas every 16 hours) and how each individual should be changing their behavior to help combat this waste. Everywhere you look, there’s a campaign to recycle more, or use metal straws, or bring your own bag to the grocery store.

In contrast, there are no public campaigns about the fact that packaging, an area where consumer control is limited, is the top driver of plastic production by a significant margin. The emissions impact of plastic manufacturing itself is rarely mentioned, along with the fact that much of our recycling still ends up in landfills. Some of the poorest nations are left to deal with hundreds of thousands of tons of soft drink bottles. The plastics are often just incinerated, creating serious environmental and health consequences. It’s a question as to whose carbon footprint is making a deeper impact on the environment: the family whose lettuce comes sealed in plastic (and who pays, not only for the product, but also for the waste collection and management services), or the company that is continuing to package food products in plastic materials, and then opting out of responsibility for their disposal.

 

Even if we just wanted to measure individual impact on climate change, the carbon footprint falls painfully short: “The current concept of a carbon footprint is too narrowly drawn,” Hassol explains. “It’s only the things I’m actively using and doing in my personal life and it doesn’t draw on other actions that are perhaps more important in the big picture as far as addressing climate change.”

For example, the average American has a carbon footprint of 16 tons. The average individual footprint globally is 4 tons. But that calculation doesn’t include who you vote for, how you invest your money, who you work for (and how much you travel for work, versus for leisure), or how you talk about climate change and influence others to get involved. “All of that should be part of the way we conceptualize our impact,” Hassol says.

Instead of obsessing over a single metric, Cameron Brick, a social psychologist from the University of Amsterdam, says he urges people to have an ongoing and evolving conversation between themselves and their chosen lifestyle. “It’s not a single number, because anytime you pick a metric, then we will begin to game it,” he says. Instead, a minimal-carbon lifestyle is a process—one that involves community-building and continuing to make improvements over time, he says. “My lifestyle is not perfect either, but probably better each year.”

Hassol points out that one of the most important ways that an individual can impact emissions on a wider scale is also the hardest to calculate: social contagion. “When people do something, it affects others around them and their emissions,” she says.

Studies have shown that energy-related behaviors are heavily influenced by peer groups, even more than cost or convenience. A study in California showed that every time a solar panel was installed within a certain ZIP code, the probability of another installation in that area increased by 0.78%. Similarly, if you know somebody who has given up flying because of climate change, you are 50% more likely to also reduce your own air travel.

“Your individual footprint is not the full measure of your contribution because you’re encouraging other people through your personal actions,” explains Hassol. She recommends that people who want to do more should research community solar options and ways to buy into clean energy in their communities, and then publicize those options among their families, friends and social networks, in order to create that initial momentum for change.

But what could system change look like? For starters, using measurements that actually hold the decision makers responsible for their emissions impacts, for the entire lifecycle of their product or service. That might look like Big Soda being held accountable not only for the manufacturing and transportation of their single-use plastics, but also for each and every bottle that ends up in somebody’s recycling bin (Coca-Cola is the top producer of plastic waste in the world). The shift also might look like emissions information being printed on product labels and unbiased regulatory bodies certifying the accuracy of corporate emissions reports.

On the policy level, interest in a carbon tax is growing. The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act was reintroduced in Congress this year (as Senate bill 984 and House Resolution 2238), and would force a temporary moratorium on virgin plastic production, require minimum recycled content, and ban some single-use plastic food service items. Many states already have some form of a producer responsibility program, where the producer of hard-to-dispose products such as paints, batteries, and other hazardous materials, must finance proper disposal. This creates an incentive to design reusable or less-toxic products.

When we shift the focus from changing consumer behavior to changing producer behavior, we see where true change happens: in corporate boardrooms and among political leaders. The irony of the carbon footprint is that individual action does have the power to change the world, just not on the lightbulb and recycling level.

“This problem is too big to solve voluntarily one person at a time,” Hassol says. “We need to change the system and you have a role in changing that system.”

About the Author

Emma Pattee covers topics related to climate change and feminism. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Cut, WIRED, and others.

Original article here

03 Jul 2021
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State of the Planet Update: Freedom

“…so, there’s rigid and compulsive identification to duty, role, and responsibility, rather than the authentic self is a major risk factor for illness” – from Dr. Gabor Maté – When the Body Says No in Psychotherapy

 

Freedom…what does it mean to you? Does it evoke excitement or fear? What if you could be and do anything you chose? What if you were suddenly free to roam and live any way your heart wanted to? Heady stuff indeed! You might have an argument with yourself (or with others more likely) that you have many obligations and responsibilities. What about keeping society coherent and following the rules? What would happen if you dropped all your masks, and said exactly what you thought, or acted from your authentic self? Maybe freedom to be who you are is absolutely a key part of larger freedoms

I originally had big plans for this blog. I wanted to share about some pertinent astrology stuff, about the USA birth chart, the upcoming Pluto Return for America spanning from February 2022 till roughly January 2024. These are the last acts of Pluto in Capricorn before the main event…Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius on January 21st, 2024, conjunct the Sun. America has been viewed as a beacon of hope and freedom for more than 200 hundred years, especially to peoples around the world with much fewer options or freedom of choice. What will occur over the next 3 years will be seminal for the USA, and by extension, the planet. Well, as John Lennon once quipped “life is what happens when you make other plans”. Sometimes that is the case no matter the scale of experience, and it has been just like that for me this past week. Intensity does not seem to lessen with time, just the complexion of it changes.

A few days ago, I ran across this video of a lecture by Dr. Gabor Maté, and watching it immensely added to my understanding of what the concept of freedom is all about. Since I have Sagittarius rising and Uranus conjunct the Sun, the twin issues of power and freedom have been constant companions for me in this lifetime. My idealized poster child for freedom would sort of look like a rugged pioneer from the American West, or a character like Captain Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. What eluded me was the one quality that drew me, and probably a smaller part of the global population than I imagine, to the heroes and heroines from our history who struck courageously out on their own, sometimes at the very cost of their lives. The figure of William Wallace (movie- Braveheart) is one example of an individual committed to freedom at all costs.

I am rapidly redefining my concept of freedom to be an experience that can only be realized by grounding into one’s own authentic being self so profoundly, that you essentially are out of control. Control by others or other concepts I mean. Living from that ground of being would free you from the lies you tell yourself, the lies you accepted to keep yourself safe and protected, to afford you feeling accepted and loved by others outside of you. My mother use to lecture me, “go along to get along, don’t rock the boat!” Well, that works only up to a point, and then what? You continue betraying your own nature to please others and please the system? That is telling yourself lies.

Dr. Maté’s analysis of such behaviour is that it inevitably leads to illness of some kind, and if not physically, at least mentally, emotionally, and ultimately, spiritually. The Indian mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti put it this way: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” If we honestly take a deep look at what has been happening around us for the past 16 months, one can easily discern the effects that following the dictates of the herd will do to us in all arenas of our experience.

Learning how to live free in a seemingly unfree world is a discipline and an art. Many never start, and few have the patience to withstand the tide of criticism or ridicule that others will use to dissuade you from the dangerous and heretical pursuit of authentic experience and freedom. If you are grounded well into your being, and in harmony with your own Soul and the Cosmos, it will not matter. You will not hold anything against anyone, for you would only be harming yourself. Nonetheless, you will walk in freedom, sovereignty, and peace, because you will know who you are and never compromise your integrity ever again.

Once embarked on, this is something that will become a lifelong practice. I will have to begin each day by committing to it, and then hopefully it will be the whole of my experience…one full of joy and contentment.

About the Author:

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.