Food For Thought | Ascension Lifestyle

13 Jun 2022
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How We Changed the World ~ ALLchemical Mastery

Alchemy has always seemed a somewhat mysterious ability to many people. The word itself evokes a level of power that, in the past, many have been frightened to step into.

I began my journey into alchemy back in the mid 1990’s when I read Serge Kahili King’s book ‘Urban Shaman’. It was an eye opener for me into a world of exciting possibility and global transformation. I would say the most important insight from this book was about becoming one with something (like a hurricane, a computer, the oceans, etc.) to elevate its purpose in this world.

So I dove into transformation with an incredible fervour … and not just people transformation, but global transformation as well.

I realised that the greatest relationship that I was seeking was to become the Universe, the Force, the Source (whatever we might like to call this incredible consciousness and energy that carries magic in its might and limitless creation at its core).

I let go of my identity. I surrendered my being to be remade over and over until I had evolved sufficiently to embrace myself as that universal force, innovating ways to live as that.

I discovered a power that I hadn’t known existed earlier in my life. A power that surged life, potential and possibility into play in ferocious and playful ways.

I made friends with that power, that force. I aligned myself with Life and for all things that would allow Life to thrive everywhere throughout the galaxies and upon this world.

I opened up brilliant new relationships with the consciousness and energy (the emerging entities if you will) of everything … organisations, countries, worlds, nature, the Earth, etc. And once I did that I discovered an open door to a world of wondrous alchemical creation that I had not known before.

Next I invited my consciousness buddies to join me in this exploration, with each one of them bringing something extraordinary into the co-creation. Together we became these Life Powers & Forces, we united as the Earth and the Universe, we surged possibilities into play everywhere our attention was drawn to play and create.

The callings came fast and furious through us all as we sourced a breakthrough in what I now love to call ALLchemical Creation.

ALLchemical creation is about tapping the new dream of us all, about becoming the Source and the Universe in Creation … then allowing ourselves in our collective, collaborative mastery to create breakthrough after breakthrough after breakthrough as Life surged through us to become whatever was next for it and for us all.

ALLchemy is collective and collaborative. It’s not just something you do as an individual expanding into greater connection and consciousness. It’s something we all are, all together embedded in a power source beyond our own, aligned with what Life wants to bring forth for all life to thrive now.

It is a pure, powerful, delightful thing to be a part of as you are moved by the desires and breakthroughs surging from Life through you. You create like never before in what I love to call collaborative genius fusion or kaleidoscopic creation, each one of us bringing something truly breath-taking to the ultimate outcome for all.

For me, ALLchemy is my future. It’s my ALL as I continue to surrender myself over and over again to whatever wonders it wants to create through me / us. It gifts me a life well lived and a joy for creation that has been a long time coming in this lifetime. But now IT is here ~ IT meaning that mysterious, wondrous, miraculous, power force of the Universe that chooses to entertain us as a home base for its miracles to occur.

I am honoured to have found my way into this magnificent art form that utilizes my whole beingness in this lifetime. When (and if) I leave this planet, I will do so completely fulfilled and wildly in love with Life, having lived in a way that I wish that everyone will discover in the coming days, months and years. For I am a collaborative ALLchemist and what a brilliant life that has given me and a miraculously unprecedented future for this world!

About the Author:

Soleira Green is a visionary author, quantum coach, ALLchemist & future innovator. She has been creating leading edge breakthroughs in consciousness, quantum evolution, transformation, innovation, intelligence and more over the past 25 years, has written and self-published eleven books, and taught courses all over the world on these topics.

10 Jun 2022
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Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Yes, I have blatantly plagiarized the title of a recently released film starring Michelle Yeoh. I’ve not even had the pleasure of seeing this work of cinematic art yet, but I am familiar enough with the plot to know that the central character could represent any one of us. If you’ve seen it, you will know what Michelle’s character is facing. An audit by the Internal Revenue Service, and dilapidated laundry business barely able to provide a living for her and her bumbling husband, and strangers popping in from the future asking for her help to save the world. All in a day’s work I’d say!

There are two sides or stories to the conundrum that the star of the movie, and us, all face. One side is all about the amount of effort and attention most of humanity is forced to expend just to stay afloat financially or socially in the current world structure. Most of the folks I know are simply exhaustipated (wiped out) by the demands of the daily routine, and the expectations arriving from all directions. Food shopping and prep, earning enough to pay for the food, rent/mortgage, put Junior through college, pay the bills, pay the taxes, keep dealing with 2-factor authentication every time you want to log into something, dealing with the partner, the in-laws, the neighbor who is building an extension on their home (you cannot hear yourself think, much less run an at-home business!), and the list goes on and on.

The other side of this circus is the possible reality that unity consciousness might bring to us if we had every barrier to it suddenly lifted. We just might flame out and disappear with the sheer immensity of seeing, knowing, and feeling everything, everywhere, all at once. Is that what Spirit/God/Goddess/All That Is experiences? How can one know for sure? How in the heck does the Great Spirit cope with all that anyway? These are some of the questions that I entertain when I wake up in the middle of the night.

One thing I can report on, is that when I had a unity experience about a year after my kundalini awakening occurred in 1994, it didn’t feel at all like I imagined it to feel. It was…intimate, quiet, intense and relaxing all at the same time. Like being cradled in the arms of one’s mother, yet totally alert and aware…of everything! Not just that, but aware that Everything is You, and You are in or are part of Everything. The aftermath or comedown was a devastating one for my ego…which was to be emotionally overwhelmed with gratitude, awe, wonder and ecstasy. Can you feel so much ecstasy without exploding? I guess so, cause I’m writing about it here.

The former side, the crazy upside-down busier than I have a right to be world is just plain nuts in my view. Our culture promotes and rewards striving and hard work, but it never praises anyone who chooses a path or inner or outer peace. Those types are lazy, or a burden on society. Most of my childhood programming centered on becoming a “productive member of society”, which is code for a good, obedient little consumer. My mother’s messages supported all of that – “go along to get along” or “don’t rock the boat”, and loving statements like that.

Fortunately, many of us (and if you’re reading this you are probably part of this tribe) sort of awakened from our sleepwalking. Maybe some of us cottoned on to the con game no one else saw at a very early age. Others have had a midlife crisis, a divorce, and serious illness, a relationship gone bad, and then awaken during or after those event(s). We begin to REMEMBER. We have few words to describe it, but we somehow know that Life wasn’t necessarily meant to be this mad or busy, or so full of compromises. Our souls knew better, and we left behind what we previously embraced, for it no longer resonated, no longer entranced us.

There are three upcoming astrological markers that will dovetail into the main points I’m sharing here. All the action happens on June 11th, and on both sides of June 15th-16th.

On June 11th at 11:51pm BST (10:51pm UT) transiting Venus meets up with and kisses Uranus at 16 degrees of Taurus. Can you say “unusual” or “unconventional” when it comes to sexual loving, flings with the opposite or same sex, and coming to terms with what our true natural values and needs are as regards our sexuality? I knew you could. This transit is brief but can certainly upend your own status quo regarding sexuality, which may lead you into unusual encounters with possible partners or with society at large (“…that is indecent and immoral, and you need to stop that now!”). You get my drift. Judgment always crops up when Uranus is in town and is wearing a bull costume. You may also have unusual and possibly revelatory experiences with your own sexual nature. Uranus encourages exploration and trying new things, so this weekend could be interesting! If you in fact have any aspects to anything at 16 degrees of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius or Leo, you may feel this “hit home”. The potential stinger in this conjunction could be a further eroding of the value of Bitcoin, fiat currencies (paper money), and digital money (the M3 money supply). The almost hyperinflation happening is definitely tied to Uranus in Taurus, as is the deflation of cryptocurrency values.

The next upcoming astrological markers that will dovetail into the main points I’ve been sharing here is the Full Moon in Sagittarius on the 14th squared to Neptune, followed by Neptune in Pisces being squared (challenged) by the Sun in Gemini on the 15th. Hermes, or Mercury, is a data hog and likes to collect information. Sometimes this causes mental indigestion. This Full Moon is lit up by the Neptune point…everything at 23 to 25 degrees of mutable signs. Like anything can happen but it may go unnoticed, or more delusion/confusion may arise, especially in the “news” or official pronouncements from the powers that rule. In other words, words and messages that deceive.

Another thing about this is the Sun-Moon being square to the planet and sign that rules the waters (oceans, oil, amongst other things) and the everything everywhere. It will come as no surprise if we feel like we’re having more of an out-of-body experience while dealing with data overload, all at the same time. You might find yourself waking up from a dream and going right into a daydream. The veils will be thin, very thin, and all manner of tricksterish energy and entities will be around. Ground and earth yourself, that’s the remedy. Take your shoes off and wiggle toes in grass, or better yet, dirt or sand. And watch how much you engage with others in electronic mediums! Trolls and bad actors love this sort of dissociative energy.

The other aspect that will help is Mars and Chiron meet at exact midpoint of Aries on June 15th as well. Aries is the embodiment of “I Am”. The warrior and the Centaur meet, and this bodes well for those who recognize the divine value of individuation. You see, the film “Everything, Everywhere, All the Time” fragments the concept of a “self” and does so in a humorous way. Living in the digital soup that we all inhabit these days; it is becoming increasingly challenging to even feel who we are beyond the surface. Our inner life is more and more fragile and distant, hard to get a grip on, living in such an artificial electronic construct.

We can easily delude ourselves whilst in this environment, so it is super useful that Mars and Chiron team up now. It revs up the status of the individual, and the value of our inner self/being to a powerful degree. It could make us not only walk around saying “I Am” but acting more authentic. Caution: people might not like that and get riled and annoyed with you, or worse. But believe me, it is much better to be in trouble with others instead of being in trouble with yourself.

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.

08 Jun 2022
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Do These 5 Emotionally Intelligent Things Within 5 Minutes Of Meeting Someone

What’s the point of networking if not to get other people to like you? Sure, you need new contacts to see you as interesting, competent, professional, and potentially valuable to them—but if they don’t also find you likable, nobody will feel motivated to reach out later and work with you.

The reason why all comes down to emotional intelligence, the set of skills and qualities that allow people to form deeper, closer relationships with others. Likability is a key ingredient in that, and its career benefits are pretty obvious. For instance, being likable—and liking your coworkers in return—can increase your chances of getting promoted.

But when it comes to first impressions, you don’t always have much time to get people to like you. So here are a few straightforward things that the most emotionally intelligent people do to cement their likability from the get-go:

Show Genuine Enthusiasm For Meeting

Especially in business contexts, some people’s demeanors while making introductions are terse and serious. That might feel formal and “appropriate,” but it’s not always the most emotionally intelligent thing to do. Neither is laying it on thick with a forced grin and over-the-top proclamations about how absolutely wonderful it is to meet.

Just be natural. Pretend you’re meeting a sibling’s new significant other at a social occasion. Give your best, authentic smile. Open up your posture so your legs are at a wide stance but you’re relaxed. Make eye contact, offer a firm handshake. It’s that easy.

Offer A Compliment

If you notice something about the person you’ve just met that you can compliment them about, do it right away. Maybe there’s a recent accomplishment you’re aware of that you could mention. If not, ask a question or two that can lead to information you can later compliment them on.

Emotionally intelligent people are great listeners right from the moment they make acquaintances. They know that most people love to talk about themselves and will like and appreciate anybody who’ll earnestly listen. The problem is that most of the time—especially in the moment or two after meeting someone—we’re too busy thinking about our own responses and can’t wait for the next opportunity to jump in. This tendency is natural, and it sometimes gets worse when we’re nervous.

So treat the first five minutes after meeting somebody as a silent quiz session: Pretend you’re being tested to see how much you can find out about the new acquaintance—that when five minutes are up, you’ll have to write an essay about everything you’ve just learned, and the more information you include, the higher your score.

Ask At Least Two Open-Ended Questions

Conversations often die quickly or turn into monologues when they aren’t propelled forward by good questions. When someone starts talking about something they enjoy, use that as an opening to ask more: “How did you get into that?” “What do you like most about it?” Since it’s something they’re clearly dying to talk about it, don’t just ask yes/no or simple factual questions that might cut off their chance to really dig into it.

Aim for at least two open-ended questions within the first few minutes of striking up a chat with somebody you’ve just met. That should be enough to get a good, in-depth conversation going. On a subconscious level, you’ll quickly become somebody they remember liking and will want to be around.

Find Something You Share

Have you ever spoken with someone and found them distracted, glancing around the room or maybe fiddling with their phone while you were speaking? If you did, there’s a slim chance you came away really liking them afterward. In order to make someone feel like they’re getting your full attention, you obviously need to focus on them exclusively. But you also have to find an interest or belief you both share.

The most emotionally intelligent people know that it’s easiest to connect with people they’ve found something in common with. These commonalities might not always be obvious, though; you have to look for them. For example, there’s a really experienced runner who works out at my gym, and we often have a chance to chat. Since I personally have zero interest in running, there wouldn’t seem to be common ground for a meaningful conversation beyond, “Good to see you again, how’s your week going?” But since most people like food, I once asked him what he eats before a major long-distance run. It gave us something in common to talk about.

These conversational openings are really simple but not always obvious right away just after meeting someone. Pay attention to what makes somebody light up, become more animated, and sit up straight. These little cues are easy to catch early on in your conversation, and they can make for great opportunities to quickly find commonalities, passions, and ideas to talk about in those crucial few minutes while we’re forming first impressions.

Say Their Name Before You Leave, And Commit Key Facts To Memory

Everybody loves the sound of their own name. Say it when you first meet someone; then sprinkle it throughout the conversation whenever you get the chance. At a minimum, make sure to say their name when you’re about to leave: “Really great meeting you, Shareen.” “Thanks for chatting, Kyle, let’s be in touch.”

Finally, emotionally intelligent people reinforce the likability they’ve banked during first impressions by remembering a few key details later on. The names of a new acquaintance’s partner, kids, even the pets they have or that vacation recommendation they shared—that’s all useful information to refer back to the next time you see them. It’ll help you stand out in their memory, and make them look forward to connecting with you again—because for some reason or other, they find that they just like you.

Original article here

05 Jun 2022
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Who Are You?

I am always careful when using phrases and sentences saying something like, “Be you”, “Discover yourself “, or “Be authentic”. I admit that this kind of statement puts me off. However, sometimes it is difficult to express experiences that happen to us at a deep inner level, and I have come to the conclusion that, no matter what, words are here to be used the way we know and when adding the feeling from which they are expressed, any word gets validated.

From childhood we hear that we are here to grow up, go to school, study, get a degree, get a job, marry, have children, grow old and die. It seems like a futile cycle and quite frankly, a somehow boring one.

Are we more than just our bodies? Why are we here? Is this all? What is our purpose? Who are we? Where are we going? These are a few of the fundamental questions that many people have in their mind. However, a vast number of people never ask themselves these questions, and go through life just playing their roles and waiting for the “end”. Maybe they are not curious about being more than just flesh and bones, or maybe the system we live in is powerful enough to keep us numb and oblivious to the invisible realms of existence. Whatever the case, I still think that most of us know deep inside that we are more than what we can see.

Thanks to the spiritual teachings I practise, I have been able to experience my real being in an unquestionable manner. Meditation, pineal gland activation and other techniques have made me aware of my inner self. I am a light being, inhabiting a human body. Not a complicated realisation at all and cliché, if you want. The thing is that today, more and more people are starting to be aware of the fact that there is an invisible part of themselves they cannot ignore anymore, their own experience shows them this reality.

Everything is energy and science has been talking about it for quite some time now: think of Einstein and his famous formula, E=mc2. Remember Nikola Tesla as well, who said, “If you want to find the secrets to the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

We could say that we are consciousness or we have a conscience, something beyond the physical plane that is powerful and profound and is in our experience. And this consciousness manifests itself in the physical field through a body, tangible and visible.

Every time we acknowledge what we call our “soul” and place our attention on our thoughts and feelings of love, for example, we actually go beyond the body, we enter an invisible realm of existence. Every time we acknowledge our heart as a way of awakening intuition, we go to this intangible field of reality and, even more, every time we are there, we have the wondrous feeling of being home, of belonging.

I encourage you to find what resonates with you in order to experience the inner world. In the meanwhile, I invite you to sit down in a quiet place and start by feeling your body, then be aware of your breathing, inhale and exhale slower than normal, place your attention on your heart, feel it full of light and love. Enjoy this state for at least ten minutes and repeat it hopefully two times a day, everyday.

The realisation of being a light being, will make you conscious of the fact that everyone else is a light being too, therefore we are all the same, we are equal and any differences disappear. Experiencing our inner self is understanding the concept of wholeness, of being part of the One, is finding our true origin and purpose, is initiating our journey back home, is ascending.

We have the opportunity of looking at life as a spiral of experiences that elevate us from just being “human”. We are so much more than our body. We cannot see it with our physical eyes, but we feel it, we know it, we live it. We are infinite beings.

About the Author:

Veronica Sanchez De Darivas is Chilean-Australian, now living in the UK and a proud mother of teenage twins. A spiritual awakening teacher, bestselling author, pineal gland (third eye) activator and Certified Instructor for the Cyclopea Method, Veronica is currently the only instructor in the world teaching the Cyclopea Method in English.

28 May 2022
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Remember Your First Time?

The first time I put up a one person show, I didn’t know what I was doing.

The first time I taught a workshop, I didn’t know what I was doing.

The first time I gave a sermon at the Church of the Pacific, I didn’t know what I was doing.

I learn by doing and hopefully, each time I get better.

I remember the evening I previewed LOVELAND, my one-person show at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. The lead character, Frannie Potts, was incredibly challenging to perform.

Within 5 minutes of stepping on stage, I realized how limited my acting abilities were for Frannie. I couldn’t embody the emotional range required by the words I had written. I didn’t know what I was doing. Frannie sounded harsh and off putting, one note only. I could feel the audience recoil.

The next 75 minutes were excruciating. Minutes would go by of pin drop silence, a comedian’s worst nightmare. I couldn’t wait to get off stage.

Immediately following the performance, a former student came up to me and said,

Ann, it was so cool to see you fail. (This student was not known for her tact.)

She was right, I failed miserably and failing sucks, especially in front of a live audience. The next day, I had a two-hour rehearsal with my director, Joshua Townshend. The next night I failed again but not as bad as the first night. Improvement!

My friend and fellow solo performer, Heather Woodbury, has this great quote regarding her creative work.

“Over time, my suck level got less and less.”

This is what happened to me with LOVELAND. My suck level got less and less and a year later, LOVELAND won “Best Solo Show” in SF and LA.

As a storytelling teacher, I have shared this story with my students many times and I’m often requested to tell it again. I think people like hearing it because it gives them permission to suck, to make mistakes, and to grow from these so called “failures.” Ira Glass, host of This American Life, talks about this too in his video on being bad in the beginning.

Think about your own creative life. Where have you demanded perfection from yourself? Can you let yourself make mistakes? Can you acknowledge it’s all part of the creative process? We have a tendency to beat ourselves up when we “fail,” but what if instead, we gave ourselves immense credit for our willingness to put our work out into the world.

During Covid, I was unable to perform. I had to find a new way to express myself. I started making short videos and they were not very good in the beginning. I could feel the inner critic wanting to stop me at every turn, but I vowed to keep going. I knew from years of experience that the only way to beat the voice of the inner critic is to not give up and keep showing up for my art.

If you are feeling the voice of the inner critic to be overwhelming, I suggest letting it speak. Pick up the pen and ask the critic, “Why are you showing up today and what do you have to say to me?” This writing exercise is incredibly illuminating and can help you understand the relationship you have with this critic. On any creative journey, you will encounter this critic so it’s important to acknowledge it, but don’t let it stop you from achieving your goals. You can do it. You were born to create.

What helps me most when I make mistakes and “fail” is to know I’m not alone and to let myself receive support. We need each other to help us through these times.

Right now, I’m working on another one-person show, and as much as I’d like the development process to be perfect, it’s not. Writing first drafts is messy and trying out new material is always hit or miss. I have come to accept this as part of the creative process.

About the Author:

Ann Randolph is an award-winning writer and performer. Her current solo show, Inappropriate in All the Right Ways, has been described by The Huffington Post as “a show like no other.” Her show, Loveland, played for two years straight in San Francisco where it won the SF Weekly Award for Best Solo Show and garnered the SF Bay Critic’s Award for Best Original Script. Loveland also played to sold out audiences in LA and won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Show.

Original article here

23 May 2022
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3 Simple Habits That Can Protect Your Brain From Cognitive Decline

You might think that the impact of aging on the brain is something you can’t do much about. After all, isn’t it an inevitability?

To an extent, as we may not be able to rewind the clock and change our levels of higher education or intelligence (both factors that delay the onset of symptoms of aging). But adopting specific lifestyle behaviors – whether you’re in your thirties or late forties – can have a tangible effect on how well you age. Even in your fifties and beyond, activities like learning a new language or musical instrument, taking part in aerobic exercise, and developing meaningful social relationships can do wonders for your brain. There’s no question that when we compromise on looking after ourselves, our aging minds pick up the tab.

The Aging Process and Cognitive Decline

Over time, there is a build-up of toxins such as tau proteins and beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that correlate to the aging process and associated cognitive decline. Although this is a natural part of growing older, many factors can exacerbate it. Stress, neurotoxins such as alcohol and lack of (quality and quantity) sleep can speed up the process.

Neuroplasticity – the function that allows the brain to change and develop in our lifetime – has three mechanisms: synaptic connection, myelination, and neurogenesis. The key to resilient aging is improving neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons. Neurogenesis happens far more in babies and children than adults. A 2018 study by researchers at Columbia University shows that in adults, this type of neuroplastic activity occurs in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that lays down memories. This makes sense as we respond to and store new experiences every day, and cement them during sleep. The more we can experience new things, activities, people, places, and emotions, the more likely we are to encourage neurogenesis.

With all this in mind, we can come up with a three-point plan to encourage “resilient aging” by activating neurogenesis in the brain:

Get your heart rate up

Aerobic exercise such as running or brisk walking has a potentially massive impact on neurogenesis. A 2016 rat study found that endurance exercise was most effective in increasing neurogenesis. It wins out over HIIT sessions and resistance training, although doing a variety of exercise also has its benefits.

Aim to do aerobic exercise for 150 minutes per week, and choose the gym, the park, or natural landscape over busy roads to avoid compromising brain-derived neurotrophic factor production (BDNF), a growth factor that encourages neurogenesis that aerobic exercise can boost. However, exercising in polluted areas decreases production.

If exercising alone isn’t your thing, consider taking up a team sport or one with a social element like table tennis. Exposure to social interaction can also increase the neurogenesis, and in many instances, doing so lets you practice your hand-eye coordination, which research has suggested leads to structural changes in the brain that may relate to a range of cognitive benefit. This combination of coordination and socializing has been shown to increase brain thickness in the parts of the cortex related to social/emotional welfare, which is crucial as we age.

Change your eating patterns

Evidence shows that calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, and time-restricted eating encourage neurogenesis in humans. In rodent studies, intermittent fasting has been found to improve cognitive function and brain structure, and reduce symptoms of metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Reducing refined sugar will help reduce oxidative damage to brain cells, too, and we know that increased oxidative damage has been linked with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Twenty-four hour water-only fasts have also been proven to increase longevity and encourage neurogenesis.

Try any of the following, after checking with your doctor:

24-hour water-only fast once a month
Reducing your calorie intake by 50%-60% on two non-consecutive days of the week for two to three months or on an ongoing basis
Reducing calories by 20% every day for two weeks. You can do this three to four times a year
Eating only between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. as a general rule

Prioritize sleep

Sleep helps promote the brain’s neural “cleaning” glymphatic system, which flushes out the build-up of age-related toxins in the brain (the tau proteins and beta amyloid plaques mentioned above). When people are sleep-deprived, we see evidence of memory deficits, and if you miss a whole night of sleep, research proves that it impacts IQ. Aim for seven to nine hours, and nap if it suits you. Our need to sleep decreases as we age.

Of course, there are individual exceptions, but having consistent sleep times and making sure you’re getting sufficient quality and length of sleep supports brain resilience over time. So how do you know if you’re getting enough? If you naturally wake up at the same time on weekends that you have to during the week, you probably are. If you need to lie-in or take long naps, you’re probably not. Try practicing mindfulness or yoga nidra before bed at night, a guided breath-based meditation that has been shown in studies to improve sleep quality. There are plenty of recordings online if you want to experience it.

Pick any of the above that work for you and build it up until it becomes a habit, then move onto the next one and so on. You might find that by the end of the year, you’ll feel even healthier, more energized, and motivated than you do now, even as you turn another year older.

Original article here

18 May 2022
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The Secret to a Meaningful Life is Simpler Than You Think

Some people seem to spend their whole lives dissatisfied, in search of a purpose. But philosopher Iddo Landau suggests that all of us have everything we need for a meaningful existence.

According to Landau, a philosophy professor at Haifa University in Israel and author of the 2017 book Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World, people are mistaken when they feel their lives are meaningless. The error is based on their failure to recognize what does matter, instead becoming overly focused on what they believe is missing from their existence. He writes in The Philosopher’s Magazine:

To my surprise, most of the people with whom I have talked about the meaning of life have told me that they did not think that their lives were meaningful enough. Many even presented their lives as outright meaningless. But I have often found the reasons my interlocutors gave for their views problematic. Many, I thought, did not pose relevant questions that might have changed their views, or take the actions that might have improved their condition. (Some of them, after our discussions, agreed with me.) Most of the people who complained about life’s meaninglessness even found it difficult to explain what they took the notion to mean.

In other words, Landau thinks that people who feel purposeless actually misunderstand what meaning is. He is among many thinkers over the ages who’ve wrestled with the difficult question, “What is a meaningful life?

The Question of Meaning

Philosophers’ answers to this question are numerous and varied, and practical to different degrees. The 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, said the question itself was meaningless because in the midst of living, we’re in no position to discern whether our lives matter, and stepping outside of the process of existence to answer is impossible.

Those who do think meaning can be discerned, however, fall into four groups, according to Thaddeus Metz, writing in the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy. Some are god-centered and believe only a deity can provide purpose. Others ascribe to a soul-centered view, thinking something of us must continue beyond our lives, an essence after physical existence, which gives life meaning. Then there are two camps of “naturalists” seeking meaning in a purely physical world as known by science, who fall into “subjectivist” and “objectivist” categories.

The two naturalist camps are split over whether the human mind makes meaning or these conditions are absolute and universal. Objectivists argue that there are absolute truths that have value, though they may not agree on what they are. For example, some say that creativity offers purpose, while others believe that virtue, or a moral life, confers meaning.

Subjectivists—Landau among them—think that those views are too narrow. If meaning happens through cognition, then it could come from any number of sources. “It seems to most in the field not only that creativity and morality are independent sources of meaning, but also that there are sources in addition to these two. For just a few examples, consider making an intellectual discovery, rearing children with love, playing music, and developing superior athletic ability,” Metz proposes.

For subjectivists, depending on who and where we are at any given point, the value of any given activity varies. Life is meaningful, they say, but its value is made by us in our minds, and subject to change over time. Landau argues that meaning is essentially a sense of worth which we may all derive in a different way—from relationships, creativity, accomplishment in a given field, or generosity, among other possibilities.

Reframing Your Mindset

For those who feel purposeless, Landau suggests a reframing is in order. He writes, “A meaningful life is one in which there is a sufficient number of aspects of sufficient value, and a meaningless life is one in which there is not a sufficient number of aspects of sufficient value.”

Basically, he’s saying meaning is like an equation—add or subtract value variables, and you get more or less meaning. So, say you feel purposeless because you’re not as accomplished in your profession as you dreamed of being. You could theoretically derive meaning from other endeavors, like relationships, volunteer work, travel, or creative activities, to name just a few. It may also be that the things you already do really are meaningful, and that you’re not valuing them sufficiently because you’re focused on a single factor for value.

He points to the example of existentialist psychologist Viktor Frankl, who survived imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps in World War II and went on to write a book, Man in Search of Meaning. Frankl’s purpose, his will to live despite imprisonment in the harshest conditions, came from his desire to write about the experience afterward. Frankl noted, too, that others who survived the camps had a specific purpose—they were determined to see their families after the war or to help other prisoners live, maintaining a sense of humanity.

Landau argues that anyone who believes life can be meaningless also assumes the importance of value. In other words, if you think life can be meaningless, then you believe that there is such a thing as value. You’re not neutral on the topic. As such, we can also increase or decrease the value of our lives with practice, effort, action, and thought. “I can ruin or build friendships, upgrade or downgrade my health, and practice or neglect my German. It would be surprising if in this particular sphere of value, the meaning of life, things were different from how they are in all the other spheres,” he writes.

For a life to be valuable, or meaningful, it needn’t be unique. Believing that specialness is tied to meaning is another mistake many people make, in Landau’s view. This misconception, he believes, “leads some people to unnecessarily see their lives as insufficiently meaningful and to miss ways of enhancing meaning in life.”

He notes too that things change all the time: We move, meet new people, have fresh experiences, encounter new ideas, and age. As we change, our values transform, and so does our sense of purpose, which we must continually work on.

You Are, Therefore You Matter

Some might protest that Landau’s being simplistic. Surely there must be more to existence than simply assigning a value to what we already have and thinking differently if we fail to recognize purpose in our lives.

In fact, there are even less complex approaches to meaningfulness. In Philosophy Now, Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London in the UK, provides an extremely simple answer: “The meaning of life is not being dead.”

While that may sound coy, many philosophers offer similar responses, although few as pithy. Philosopher Richard Taylor proposes that efforts and accomplishments aren’t what make life matter, writing in the 1970 book Good and Evil, “the day was sufficient to itself, and so was the life.” In other words, because we live, life matters.

It can be disconcerting, perhaps, to have such an easy answer. And detractors might argue that nothing can matter, given the immensity of the universe and the brevity of our lives. But this assumes our purpose is fixed, rigid and assigned externally, and not flexible or a product of the mind.

The Question is the Answer

There are other approaches, too. Casey Woodling, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, proposes in Philosophy Now that the question of meaningfulness itself offers an answer. “What makes a human life have meaning or significance is not the mere living of a life, but reflecting on the living of a life,” he writes.

Pursuing ends and goals—fitness, family, financial success, academic accomplishment—is all fine and good, yet that’s not really meaningful, in Woodling’s view. Reflecting on why we pursue those goals is significant, however. By taking a reflective perspective, significance itself accrues. “This comes close to Socrates’ famous saying that the unexamined life is not worth living,” Woodling writes, “I would venture to say that the unexamined life has no meaning.”

Mystery is Meaning

In the Eastern philosophical tradition, there’s yet another simple answer to the difficult question of life’s meaning—a response that can’t be articulated exactly, but is sensed through deep observation of nature. The sixth-century Chinese sage Lao Tzu—who is said to have dictated the Tao Te Ching before escaping civilization for solitude in the mountains—believed the universe supplies our value.

Like Woodling, he would argue that goals are insignificant, and that accomplishments are not what makes our lives matter. But unlike Woodling, he suggests meaning comes from being a product of the world itself. No effort is necessary.

Instead of reflection, Lao Tzu proposes a deep understanding of the essence of existence, which is mysterious. We, like rivers and trees, are part of “the way,” which is made of everything and makes everything and cannot ever truly be known or spoken of. From this perspective, life isn’t comprehensible, but it is inherently meaningful—whatever position we occupy in society, however little or much we may do.

Life matters because we exist within and among living things, as part of an enduring and incomprehensible chain of existence. Sometimes life is brutal, he writes, but meaning is derived from perseverance. The Tao says, “One who persists is a person of purpose.”

Original post here

11 May 2022
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Alchemical Transcendence

This past week I did a call with my Miraculous Maestro buddies where we explored next level Quantum Energy. I believe we have recently moved to a whole new level of energetic play, so thought I’d pass it on for you to enjoy . . .

Let’s assume for the moment that there are five paradigms of energetic play….

Paradigm 1 ~ Mind based, logical, unaware of energy

Paradigm 2 ~ Heart-based, kind, caring, learning energy techniques that give you steps to follow; you are a conduit for the energy

Paradigm 3 ~ Creatively based, vibrant, fun, exciting, you become a dynamic creator and the world is brighter for you being in it

Paradigm 4 ~ Transformative, understanding that you are a greater being able to source energetic movement in the world, you begin to discover energetic mastery at a global & universal scale

Paradigm 5 ~ Alchemical transcendence, surrendering yourself to become the Universe / Source / the Force to power up new possibilities with great finesse and mastery, you become an ALLchemist working in and as the quantum field to soar new’ness into life, here miracles are possible

A friend was telling me about a personal manifestation course she’s doing, about how to meditate to visualise exactly what you want. In that moment I realised how differently we ALLchemists work…

We surrender ourselves, our desires, our expectations to become the ALL (Universe, Source, Divine, Infinite, the Force … whatever you’d like to call it).
Then we power up the Life Power & Miraculous Power to activate new possibilities, bringing them through into consciousness and reality for all life to thrive.
And finally we get excited to see what the universe has in store for us for today’s wonderful surprise. The outcomes astound and delight us.

As ALLchemists we play in the playgrounds of ‘what wants to be’ (not what is or what was), asking what can we do for the universe today. And there is where the MAGIC really gets cooking!

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08 May 2022
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State Of The Planet Update: “Alice in Wonderingland”

Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

Alice replied, rather shyly, “I-I hardly know, Sir, just at present-at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

“What do you mean by that?” said the Caterpillar, sternly. “Explain yourself!”

“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, Sir,” said Alice, “because I am not myself, you see.”

– Alice in Wonderland

Are things feeling a bit ‘odd’ to you of late? Has your dream life picked up considerably, but you can’t make heads or tails about what they might mean? Felt spacey, light-headed, or dizzy, or like you’re walking in a dream or a starring in a cartoon. Maybe you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, and are wondering around in Wonderland? Well, that’s the psychic and astrological space between the eclipse that just occurred on April 30th, and the one coming up on May 16th. It’s also being amped up in other ways, which I’ll get to momentarily.

Another thing about the space we’re currently traveling through isn’t something else to be wary of, or apprehensive about. Despite the headlines, or the gossip, not all that is happening on our planet is a cause for concern or over-reaction. If some of my previous articles have put you on high alert about certain aspects of the current situation we are experiencing or witnessing, I have not shared from a place of trying to create fear or anxiety, but from a place of love and a desire to inform and empower you.

We are all changing and being changed at such an accelerated pace that some disorientation is perfectly normal. Considering the level and intensity of the times we are living through, inside a predominantly digital environment, it will affect our perceptions and our assumptions or judgments about those perceptions. This is the nature of digital…it is binary, and either something is on or off, 0 or 1, left or right, up or down, right or wrong.

There isn’t very much room or latitude for both/and, or neutrality. Hence all the polarization and atomization of our cultures. Many of our institutional structures are founded on the dualistic model, and it has permeated human consciousness ever since the beginnings of “civilization”. Prior to that, our orientations were predominantly inclusive. Our ancestors weren’t striving for unity, they were already living it to a certain degree. They intuitively understood their place within the fabric of Nature and the heavens. They had no illusions about the intimate interplay between the elements, the environment and themselves. They accepted all of it as something they were part and parcel of.

Since those long-forgotten times, history has happened, and we have lost some very precious aspects of our humanity. As a result, we created religions and other spiritual systems with rules to try understanding the world around us and come to grips with the main 5 questions before all of humanity – who am I, why am I here, where am I, what do I do with this, and what does it all mean? Being orphaned from our original primordial consciousness has divorced us from knowing and thrown us into bicameral confusion via the dualistic mind. We are predominantly mental creatures these days, and our intuitive and instinctual natures are either dormant, suppressed or extremely subservient to the orientation we have to the mind created self. The digital age has not only accelerated our propensity to living in a disembodied state almost 24/7, but it has also influenced human consciousness into a desire to emulate or merge with technology itself. From where I sit, this situation is unsustainable and an evolutionary dead end.

The astrology of our times is mirroring this situation back to us, hoping that we’ll catch on and connect the dots before we are totally subsumed into a trance-like hive mind. The event of the partial Solar Eclipse on 30th of April introduced us to some encouraging energies and laid out before us some challenges as well. Uranus conjunct the Sun-Moon at 10 Taurus, along with a conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and Mars in the late degrees of Pisces, has emphasized our dissociative state of awareness while at the same time trying to awaken us to our predicament of being orphaned from our true and natural sentient state of beingness. Hence the dreamy sort of stumbling around effect some of you may be encountering. However, as I mentioned earlier, the astrology is merely reflecting an existing situation. The causative factors are numerous and are triggered and amplified by the transiting aspects in astrology.

Factor 1: The Schumann Resonance has been off the charts since April 29th. This is most likely in response to the series of X-Class flares our star has been generating off and on since mid-April.

Factor 2: Geomagnetic storms are more frequent. (See Solar activity)

Factor 3: Collective or consensus reality – the dominator culture is ramping things up on several fronts locally and globally: the situation in the Ukraine, hyper-inflationary policies and hidden price-gouging putting downward pressure on the middle class and poor. The Oil Giants are currently celebrating bumper profits in the 1st fiscal quarter of 2022. Celebrity distractions (Heard-Depp hearings), and politics as usual round out the list.

Factor 4: The pandemic mentality hasn’t gone away entirely, while at the same time a growing body of evidence is pointing out that the responses to the whole thing may be making things worse many times over. In the U.K. the highest number of new cases called Covid-19 (or one of the variants) are among those who have received both jabs plus one and even two boosters.

The Merry Month of May has plenty of activation points to cover, so here’s the menu:

May 10th – Mercury turns stationary retrograde at 4 degrees and 51 minutes of Gemini Time: 12:48pm BST. Please, please, please, back up your data on all your digital devices well ahead of the 10th.

May 11th – Jupiter ingress into Aries at 00:44am BST

May 13th – The Sun conjuncts the North Node at 22 degrees of Taurus

May 16th – Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse at 25 degrees of Taurus, conjunct the Lunar Nodes at 22 Taurus. Chiron and Venus are conjunct at 14 plus of Aries, Mars is conjunct Neptune at 23 plus degrees of Pisces, and Saturn at 24 Aquarius is still square to the Lunar Nodes.

All of the above is a significant chronology to be sure, but the main event is the bookend eclipse on May 16th. This completes, or rather initiates, the first eclipse pattern for 2022.

In a nutshell this Lunar Eclipse will set the tone for the next six months or so. Taurus-Scorpio is about security and acquisition mixed with desire and power, around food, shelter, sex, money, and VALUES! Uranus is too far away from this eclipse to add much to it, but he’s already had his input back on April 30th. I’d look for this eclipse to bring more to the light of awareness about how we are all being conned out of our humanity by the promises of a shiny new utopia that openly states that, “we will own nothing and be happy.” That quote is from Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum’s stated goal to digitize humanity and our institutions into a global control grid.

We will also be asked to examine our acquired values and dig deeper to find our true values…those ones that our ancestors held as sacred: love, empathy, embodied living, compassion, cooperation, mutual respect, and a universal recognition of the oneness of all Life, a Life with Divine origination.

What may thwart or distort this will be the Mars-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. More distortion of the truth, or facts…take your pick. Twisting realities to suit a narrow agenda. Obliterating information and data crucial to personal or collective decision-making via censorship and state security public relations statements. Think the “memory hole” from Orwell’s book “1984”. You may be told that something you saw somewhere, no matter how briefly, never existed in the first place. With everything and everyone logged into the “cloud”, making data disappear is a relatively easy affair. More celebrity dramas or entertainment distractions will proliferate. Meanwhile the Saturn effect on the Nodes will provide a backdrop of the same “you need to do what everyone else is doing for the good of all” messaging. Maybe Covid restrictions will resurface. We’ll see.

The buffer will be provided by Chiron meeting Venus in Aries. Chiron in Aries is symbolic of the right of being an individual…an individuated and unique being, and that this a divine birth right that no other can abrogate or take away from you, unless you acquiesce to it being done. Imagine a lone individual standing up to collective power, and you get the idea. The “Tank Man” photo from the time of the democracy movement in China that brought on the tragedy of the massacre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing comes to mind. One person, standing in front of a line of battle tanks, and refusing to move out of the way, is a compelling example of the symbology of Chiron’s transit through Aries. Adding Venus into the mix only amplifies the message to embrace and love our uniqueness and individuality, and everyone else’s right to the same thoroughly and totally.

This configuration of Venus-Chiron will help us to understand the meaning of the sudden reversal, or intended reversal, of the controversial “Roe versus Wade” Supreme Court ruling in a preliminary brief that was leaked earlier this week. This intended revelation has galvanized women to speak out against the ongoing efforts of the patriarchal forces to claw back women’s rights, and everyone’s divine right of sovereignty and choice in all matters, including what you allow or don’t allow to happen with one’s body.

With the Nodes in Scorpio-Taurus, one can also see the interplay of the issues about fertility, sexual preferences, childbearing, motherhood, and childrearing coming up at this juncture. Is there a war on women? Of course, there has been…for millennia. Also, a war on our biology and sexuality. The heritage and user’s manual for the conservative patriarchal mindset is rooted in the Judeo-Christian doctrines. Those belief systems originated with A.I. Not the A.I. of Silicon Valley fame, the alien A.I. that helped to foster the monotheistic father-God religions. This scenario is clearly delineated in the Gnostic gospels, known as the Nag Hammadi Codices. It is plain to see that these issues have become politicized over the past 30-40 years. Politics and religion do not have carte blanche to impose anything on anyone that does not align with the inner values of the individual. Venus-Chiron will be about self-knowledge and self-love.

It now appears to be a war on humanity itself, or at the very least, the organic version of us. The original organic human being is seen by transhumanists as messy, imperfect, and fatally flawed…and prone to illness and death. This perception is birthed and fostered by A.I. (artificial intelligence), and with our culture becoming ever more ensconced in a digital framework it will only hasten the demise of our species, as we have known it.

In summary, I feel this eclipse cycle will usher in a resurgence of individual willpower, a will to not just resist an imposed order from the past, but to work in concert with a wider global awareness that if we can stand up for ourselves adequately, we can work in cooperation with others more effectively. The gaps are widening in many areas of our human family, and it will be necessary to remember that differences of opinion of mindset does not obviate the reality of our inherent oneness or divine origins.

Love, a realistic love, based on the timeless spiritual values of respect for the choices and sovereignty of others, also includes the knowing that we are the author(ity) in our lives. As such, the agendas of others cannot include domination of the “other”, in any form. The time of centralized authority is already past, but the progenitors of it have refused to acknowledge it and continue to pursue an insane course of activity. In other words, respect others’ choices, but do not allow other’s choices to take a higher priority than that. Don’t betray yourself or your values out of fear or obligation.

Which brings us full circle to the subject line of this blog, Alice’s conversation with the Caterpillar. No matter how selfish it might feel to your or my ego, completely accepting and celebrating Who We Are, as we are right now, is essential. Once we realize that knowing we relax into trusting ourselves, and our own guidance. All deeper knowing comes from this step towards caring for the Self unconditionally. This is the crux of becoming self-actualized, and it is the primary purpose of our life’s journey, both here and beyond. For example, you could choose to realize that judging yourself about your flaws is not a productive strategy for joy and inner peace. Difficulty in accepting the bits we judge as wrong in ourselves is made a thousand times worse by accepting the judgment of others, or an outer authority, as valid. This is the origin of guilt and shame…an outer authority declaring your fatal flaws, your original sins, and us believing it!

Between now and the bookend Eclipse of May 16th, take some steps to loving the totality of you, just as you are in this moment. Doing mirror work is a useful tool for such an exploration. Conscious deep breathwork is another. One of my favourites is long walks in Nature, where I can breathe deeply into my body and feel the walls between myself, my form and the outer natural world dissolve. It’s an “always on” love affair…with Nature. Allow Her in. This is the message of the North Node in Taurus too…to honour the Mother inside each one of us.

We have never been alone, and never will be. What an adventure!

About the Author:

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

05 May 2022
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The Art Of Visualisation

Visualisation is the process of creating an image of something or someone in our minds, according to dictionary definitions. Nowadays the word visualisation is everywhere, very much associated with the Law Of Attraction. However, visualisation is a tool in itself that has to be used wisely.

Most of us have had the experience of seeing an event in our mind and then that situation, which was created in an energetic way, manifested in our physical life. In this sense, what we see, think and create inside our busy brain has the potential to become tangible, to exist in this world of reality, regardless of whether such creation is good or bad. Then, a sensible use of the art of visualisation is required.

We tend to think that visualising needs to be done in a state of meditation. However, we are always envisioning things in our minds. Our thoughts are not only the words we use to have a conversation with ourselves; there are also images. To experience this, let’s do an easy exercise: what happens in your mind when you read the following sentence? “I would like to eat spaghetti with pesto salsa.” I expect that you immediately had an image of a plate with spaghetti á la pesto and even more, you saw yourself enjoying it.

The images, visions and thoughts we experience during our day-to-day life might seem to be insignificant, however behind them there is always a feeling, a sentiment, which powers our visions in an energetic way. And this is precisely why we have to be careful with the creative process in our minds: we want to create positive and uplifting outcomes for ourselves.

Of course, having images and thoughts in our minds constantly doesn’t mean that all of them will manifest, what I am saying is that we have to be mindful of those repetitive images and thoughts, with those where our feelings are intensified.

The idea here is to visualise with purpose, with an intention and move the energy towards the accomplishment of our dreams.

To visualise with intention, we first need to be clear of what we want to create. Clarity is essential, otherwise we lose focus and our efforts go nowhere. For me, clarity is a mix of organised thoughts and feelings. How do we do this? I will show you a process, it is not rocket science, but it works for me.

Write down what you would like to manifest. Make a list of no more than 7 items.
Go over your list and observe your feelings and emotions when reading each wish or dream.
Choose the ones you feel are more aligned with you at this particular moment.
Number them from 1 to 7, one being the item you would most like to manifest.
Start with number 1.

Once you are clear about what you are willing to visualise, a different sequential process starts. Understand that trying to visualise too many things at once is not going to work, because you will be scattering your energy.

Sit in a quiet place. (Once we want to visualise with purpose, is better to do it in calmness).
Connect with your heart by feeling its palpitation, and breathe in and out a bit slower than normal.
Place your attention on your mind, without forgetting your heart, and start visualising dream number one of your list.
Visualise it in a detailed way, like a scene of a movie.
Enter the scene, see yourself living that creation. Enjoy the vision, feel it, it is happening.
Maintaining the visualisation, feel gratitude in your heart, and then open your eyes.
To add more power, draw your dream or write it down, so you can see it or read it every day until it happens in the physical world. Don’t forget to feel it in your heart, and to be grateful.
Move the energy towards the manifestation of this dream. How? This is simple, if we want to win the lottery, we have to buy a lottery ticket, right? Then, for example, if you want to find a new job, start researching about it, make phone calls, send emails, etc. This is how you move the energy.

Visualisation is, as you can see, a powerful tool. Hopefully you can use it for your own good, to benefit others and our beautiful planet Earth. We are all connected in the invisible realms of the universe, linked to a superior force called Source (God, One, etc.) and what I create for myself affects everyone around. Keep this in mind when visualising.

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