Most of us have heard of Transcendental Meditation. Maybe you vaguely remember some phase The Beatles went through, or have caught wind of the David Lynch Foundation's funding of TM programs in schools. Perhaps you follow Deepak Chopra, who expounds regularly on the myriad health benefits, or have simply heard there's a meditation practice that charges $2500 to learn one word. All true. But I'd like you to hear just a little more.
While I can't vouch for the copy-righted Transcendental Meditation (TM) program since, well, I can't afford it, I can vouch for the technique. It's also known as Vedic meditation, and increasingly, it's everywhere.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi mainstreamed Vedic meditation under the name Transcendental Meditation in 1955, roughly 5,000 years after the practice's actual origin. Drawn from the Veda, an ancient Indian body of knowledge predating Hinduism and responsible for yoga and ayurvedic medicine, Vedic meditation was and remains a "house-holder's" meditation. You don't need to recluse yourself from society or forfeit the material world to practice. The training program takes all of a handful of hours over a couple days, after which you're on your own, sitting comfortably with your assigned mantra, eyes closed, for 20 minutes, twice daily. Simple, right? Portable, and easily integrated into the busy American life.
So if your curiosity is piqued but the $2,500 TM price-tag proves too large a hurdle, consider a free introductory talk with any number of independent Vedic teachers. Same practice, but on a more manageable sliding scale, and once you've completed the course, you can repeat it as often as you like with any Vedic teacher, at no additional charge. After all, a meditation designed to be accessible for the masses, should be financially accessible as well.
We've all heard about May flowers as justification for April rain, and certainly, as anyone who has visited our nation's capital during cherry blossom season can attest, those flowers are worth the wet. But did you know a gift of May flowers (a May basket, to you May Day fans) was also believed to promote healing? Or that acceptance of a May bouquet could constitute engagement?
To ancient Pagans, May Day, known as Beltane, celebrated flowering fertility, as spring moved into summer. The Goddess and God were believed to mate at this time, and young lovers followed in amorous suit, using flowers to signify their intent. In Europe, young men would scale the Alps in collection of edelweiss, which, when publicly accepted by their maiden, signified that the couple were engaged.
Similarly, in a tradition of "May birching" or "May boughing," young men would fasten garlands along the windows or around the doorknobs of the young women they were squiring on Beltane Eve. Mountain ash leaves and hawthorn were particularly suggestive of love, but beware any thorny branches, which were said to represent disdain. With time, this tradition generalized to include the gifting of Beltane flowers to anyone in need of healing or prosperity.
But don't forget about the April showers! Rejuvenating spring rain was integral to Beltane festivities, and it was believed that washing your face in the pre-dawn Beltane dew would yield a year of health, luck, and beauty.
Enticed? Click HERE for instructions on making your own eco-friendly, recyclable May Basket. Just beware of thorns!
So... May Day. Something about Maypoles and flower baskets, right? Like Groundhogs' Day (aka Imbolc) before it, May Day has yet to make much of an impact among contemporary American holidays. And yet this day, also known as Beltane, has tremendous significance among Pagans, second only to Samhain/Halloween. So maybe those poles are worth a closer look...
As with all Pagan sabbats, Beltane parallels the wheel of the year, celebrating the bloom of spring flowers and blessing their growth into a bountiful harvest. Celebrated at the mid-point between the Vernal Equinox (Ostara) and the Summer Solstice (Litha), Beltane also marked the last of the spring fertility festivals (after Imbolc and Ostara), as the cattle were driven to pasture.
But let's get to the good stuff: fertility festivals? Just as crops burst from the earth and flowers expand into bloom, Pagans believe that at Beltane the, um, pleasures of the self are similarly awakened. That's right, from springtime courtships to that enormous ribboned phallus, Beltane is basically about sex. And frankly, it isn't even discreet.
Young couples were encouraged to test their fertility with Beltane trysts, and any babies born from Beltane were believed to be blessed by the Goddess herself. Trial unions, called hand-fastings (as the lovers' clasped hands were bound by ribbon), were also popular at Beltane, committing the couple to each other for one year and a day in preparation for a marital commitment. (Actual marriage, however, was discouraged in May, in deference to the union between Goddess and God.)
And that sexual union? Brings us right back to the Maypole, essentially an enormous phallus, thrust deep into the earth, around which young men and women dance, weaving colored ribbons in encouragement of the earth's (and their own) fertility. For many Pagans, dancing the Maypole is an enchanted experience, uniting the energy of the earth, and the energy of the sun to yield a bountiful harvest. So, whether you subscribe to the more... suggestive interpretations or not, clearly a day of celebration is upon us. We at Daily Mantra hope you enjoy.
Two separate studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine have found that Tai Chi can help control type 2 diabetes. Both sets of researchers, working independently at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan and the University of Queensland in Australia, found that a 12 week exercise program based on the ancient Chinese meditative martial art form boosted the immune system and significantly reduced blood sugar levels.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the (over) developed world. Over 20 million Americans suffer from the condition. Type 2, which is linked to obesity, accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases in America. Over the last fifteen years the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has doubled, and the Center For Disease Control predicts the incidence of diabetes will double again by the year 2050, which means a lot of Americans should start practicing Tai Chi's gentle movements and controlled breathing.
"Exercise helps people with diabetes by improving the control of blood glucose level, as well as minimizing the complications of diabetes," says physician and Tai Chi expert Dr Paul Lam, who was ahead of the curve, producing a Tai Chi for Diabetes DVD in 2002. "Stress is shown to make the control of diabetes worse and relaxation is especially beneficial. It is well established that tai chi reduces stress and improves relaxation."
The CDC estimates that nearly one third of the 20 million-plus Americans with diabetes do not know they have it. Find out if you're one of the 6.2 millions American that has yet to be diagnosed by clicking HERE to take the American Diabetes Association's Risk Test.
And since Tai Chi has been found to be beneficial for numerous other conditions, including ADHD, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's, even if you’re not at risk from diabetes, you may want to consider giving Tai Chi a try. Unlike most martial arts, it’s primarily a non-contact discipline and is suitable for people of all ages.
When most of us think "meditation", a room full of screaming traders is not the first image that comes to mind. Fluorescent lights, frantic phones, a bevy of television screens on every wall, even the most grounded of gurus would concede this environment something less than meditationally ideal. Of course, these are often precisely the times we could most use a dollop of transcendence. Enter: DailyZen.com.
In addition to inspiring quotations and e-cards, this soothing site offers an online meditation sanctuary accessible from any place with an internet connection, be that a Wall Street trading floor, a crowded airport, or your own sometimes less than calming abode.
Simply click "enter" from the DailyZen.com home page, and select "Meditation Space." From here you will be invited to pause, breathe, sit tall, and release your concerns as you enter a cyber-sanctuary peopled with fellow meditators from around the globe.
So sure, cyber-meditation may sound counter-intuitive, but when you're stuck in some I-banking cubicle (or ensconced in a houseful of children and chores), just pausing at the DailyZen meditation page and breathing for a moment can go a long way in restoring your calm and composure. To this we can all say "Om."
In response to the Communist Chinese government's edict, which went into effect on September 1st 2007, requiring Buddhist temples to get prior approval from four separate government departments before they can recognize individuals as reincarnated lamas, The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has suggested he may hold a referendum amongst his followers worldwide to let them decide the future of the Dalai Lama lineage, which dates back to the 14th century.
The Chinese government have long been maneuvering to get their choice anointed as the next Dalai Lama after the death of the current one in order to gain greater control over the contentious region of Tibet. In 1995 they arrested the six year old boy The 14th Dalai Lama had named the Panchen Lama. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (born April 25th 1989), The 11th Panchen Lama, is the second highest ranking Tibetan Buddhist lama, and according to tradition bears part of the responsibility for finding the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama. He became known as "the youngest political prisoner in the world," and has not been seen in public since his arrest, though the Chinese government claims he is still alive and well. In his place, Chinese officials installed their own pretender to the thrown.
The 13th Dalai Lama died on December 17th 1933 and Tenzin Gyatzo, the son of a poor farmer, was publicly recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama six years later in 1939. He was discovered after a long search and successfully completed a number of tests. During one of these he was able to pick out objects belonging to the previous Dalai Lama that were hidden amongst objects that weren't.
Tenzin Gyatzo follows in the footsteps of his 13 predecessors in a chain of reincarnation that dates back over 600 years. The first Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup, was himself said to be the earthly manifestation of Chenrezig, who is said embody the compassion of all Buddhas and walked the earth with Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
In his official biography, the 14 Dalai Lama says, "I am often asked whether I truly believe this. The answer is not simple to give. But as a fifty-six year old, when I consider my experience during this present life, and given my Buddhist beliefs, I have no difficulty accepting that I am spiritually connected both to the thirteen previous Dalai Lamas, to Chenrezig and to the Buddha himself."
Under the current climate of confusion and duress the exiled 14th Dalai Lama is suggesting he may either forgo rebirth or be reborn while he is still alive. The purpose of reincarnation is so that the Dalai Lama may complete the work of his predecessors.
In response to The 14th Dalai Lama's proposals, Liu Jianchao, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said, "Dalai's remarks obviously violated the religious rituals and historical conventions." The Chinese government is officially atheist, so irony was piled on irony when Jianchao continued, "The reincarnation of the living Buddha is a unique way of succession of Tibetan Buddhism and follows relatively complete religious rituals and historical conventions."
In his typically compassionate way it seems The 14th – and perhaps final – Dalai Lama may gently be handing the Chinese government the delicate silk cord they require to hang their current policies against religion and the freedom to pursue it. Certainly he has shown any claim to logic or reason on the subject has long departed from the Communist administration’s inconsistent public utterings on the subject. I wonder how you say "hoisted by your own petard" in Mandarin?
I’ve always been drawn to alternative healthcare methods because they tend to be less invasive. As a squeamish person, acupuncture’s needles have always kept me away, despite my understanding of the basic concepts behind the practice: the stimulation of certain key points where our energy flow may be blocked. Lately though, it seems the universe is trying to send me a message through every person I speak to — from a former boss to my best friends. They’ve all seen an acupuncturist for very different reasons, but have all been equally satisfied with their results and continue to go back, so I thought I’d better finally investigate.
Roland Ryf was recommended by my Reiki practitioner, Stacy Macris so I already trusted him and knew of his extensive qualifications in a variety of healthcare methods. He not only led me through the process gently but with thorough explanations about what he was doing. We spoke about the emotional components of my health challenge, a main cause of energetic blocks. After diagnosing some trouble spots, he gave me herbal remedies to use in conjunction with my continuing acupuncture treatments. I left with literature to read for a better understanding, a bottle of herbs and a sense of hope. In addition to feeling that my body, mind and spirit had all been taken into account, I felt genuinely cared for as an individual—something that is sorely lacking in the mainstream medical community (see previous article on Acupuncture vs Conventional Therapy). I absolutely recommend acupuncture to anyone, but especially to those who are unsatisfied with their current medical care and want to be treated as a whole person.
Pranic healing is an energy healing modality that is based on ancient Indian teachings. Prana is the Sanskrit word used to describe the life-force energy that flows through our chakras to make up our energetic body, and our surrounding aura. This intuitive healing technique has gone through a revival in recent decades thanks to Master Choa Kok Sui who spent 20 years researching, testing, practicing and organizing ancient texts on the subject.
Basic techniques are the same whether you receive treatment in Sri Lanka or California and they include scanning, locating blockages, cleansing and energizing. But each practitioner adds techniques that they feel are complementary to the health of their clients. The practitioner I visited in Sri Lanka had an office that was very Feng Shui, and used reflexology as a guide as well as crystals to direct their energy in a more laser-like and precise way. I could feel the movement happening inside of my body.
Another pranic healer I visited, Nancy Kroner in Canyon Country, California supplements her energy work by partnering with spirit guides. She also offers homeopathy and natural products that detoxify and support health inside your body and in your environment. “It's not about what's wrong with you, but what IS and how best to learn from it,” she explains. “When you are energetically balanced, you are given the opportunity to be guided, and to learn how to enhance your life. This process will relax your body, release your stress and allow you to have peace of mind.”
That is one thing I really like about Pranic healing -- it is not meant to work alone, but instead can be used in conjunction with other healing modalities, including Western medicine. Unlike faith healing, there is no compulsion to avoid doctors, medicine or surgery. As Master Choa Kuk Sui says, "Pranic healing is not intended to replace orthodox medicine, but rather to complement it. If symptoms persist or the ailment is severe, please consult immediately a medical doctor and a certified Pranic healer."
Putting on masks and costumes has helped to fulfill many of humanity’s deepest needs throughout time. Tribes around the world have used them to invoke gods or goddesses of nature or fertility, using the masks to symbolically step into the energy of that role. In medieval times, European royal courts hosted masquerade balls in which masks and costumes served to connect attendees to religious or cultural traditions through ritual. We all wear many masks in our daily lives, but they don’t cover up the light that shines from within us, which is the truth of who we are.
We can think of all the Halloween masks that surround us as we go into meditation today. Following our breathing to the center of our being, we can picture all the masks we choose to wear and the roles they represent. Though we can fulfill those roles, we are not solely identified by the masks we wear. Rather than being limited by our roles or the face we present to the world, we can celebrate the freedom to change and try on other masks. We are the light that animates the mask, and therefore we can change our masks at any time, or remove them entirely when we want to reveal the fullness of our true selves.
As we try on all of our masks and costumes in our mind’s eye and then take each one off, we realize that each mask is just an aspect of ourselves – just one color from the multi-faceted jewel of our inner being. We can look at ourselves in the mirror and see our light, appreciating the masks that allow us to step into different roles in order to experience life more fully. Whether they represent our roles in our families, our job titles, and our cultural backgrounds, they all give us additional colors to reflect the beauty of ourselves.
Coming out of meditation, we can bless all of these aspects of ourselves, and then admire the beautiful kaleidoscope of our lives, knowing that all the colors radiate from the same source, and out into the world.
The word graphology might bring visions of pie-charts to mind, but it’s really the fancy name for handwriting analysis. According to professional graphologist and artist, Lena Rivkin, “you can see someone’s aptitudes, logical reasoning abilities, intelligence, interpersonal skills, sex drive, integrity, and psychological and physical health” in their handwriting.
Lena has always been interested in handwriting’s “graphic movement,” as she puts it. What began as a fascination from youth has become an extension to her intended profession as an artist. Now, as a working graphologist for over 15 years, her work includes pre-employment screenings, forensic work, compatibility analysis, career guidance and handwriting authentication, as well as public speaking and private consultations. She analyzes the handwriting of well-known artists, entertainers, politicians and historical figures as well.
One client brought her handwritten letters from a parent who had died in the client’s youth. Lena was able to give that person an insight into who that person was to help fill in the blanks.
I brought a handful of writing samples from people I know well in order to see what she could tell me about them. She was able to tell me that two of the people were complete opposites, which explains to me both why they had difficulty working together, but also why their teamwork resulted in such successful, long-term projects. And it was inspiring to hear her describe a close friend with the exact words she herself had once used to describe how she’d like to be seen. From this analysis, I was able to tell her that she already was all the things she aspired to be.
Lena is currently teaching a class called The Creative Slant, a course that focuses on famous painters and their handwriting. For more information, go to her website AboutHandwriting.com or contact her at: lena@abouthandwriting.com
Heather Graham’s best dramatic performance to date was as the dissolute 70’s porn starlet Roller Girl in Paul Thomas Anderson’s wrenching period drama Boogie Nights. Although Graham powerfully and memorably portrayed this human being damaged by a world of degraded sexuality, the actress herself, according to one recent early morning talk show interview, has a much more positive and even spiritual connection to sex.
Like music superstar Sting whom she mentions in the interview (click HERE to view), Graham is a practitioner of tantric sex. Helpfully, she refers interested viewers to The Art of Sexual Ecstasy by Margot Anand, the book that first turned her on to the practice, so to speak. Subtitled The Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers, Anand’s book is billed on its cover as “a course in enhancing pleasure and deepening intimacy.”
Among other skills, the volume promises to teach readers “the delicate art of seduction and awakening the five senses,” to “express their vision of the god or goddess within as they dance for each other,” and to “develop humor and playfulness in love, and harmonize their energies in a soul-to-soul communion.”
Graham does seem playful, energized and open as she enthuses about tantra’s “full body orgasm.” But is society at large ready for the harmonious joining of the sacred and sexual realms? The nervous titters Graham’s candor elicits from her interviewers may indicate that, even in our sex-saturated media culture, talk of female orgasm and pleasure, especially of going to “a spiritual level with your orgasm,” may be a final taboo.
Kundalini is a Hindu divinity. Coiled and ready to pounce, She is a serpent goddess said to reside at the base of the spine. Not Kali’s spine or Krishna’s spine, your spine. Yes, according to Hindu mythology, you are inhabited by a god.
As a quick gander at any of the many websites devoted to the phenomenon will attest, the process called Kundalini awakening is complex, multifaceted and mysterious. However literally you wish to take the serpentine mystical metaphor, this energetic transformation, most closely charted by the ancient Hindus, has been observed in a wide range of cultures. Indeed, according to Lee Sannella, MD in his seminal tome The Kundalini Experience, it can also be found in the esoteric teachings of Chinese Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, some Native American tribes and the Bushmen of Africa.
Sannella himself uses the metaphor of childbirth more than once to describe this internal, sometimes unsettling or violent happening that is, nonetheless, entirely natural. The end result of childbirth is a new being. Likewise, the individual with awakened Kundalini energy ultimately emerges with a new, mature and blissful consciousness of oneness and peace.
Many a spiritual seeker has hungered for such an awakening. And many a guru has offered to uncoil the sleeping serpent for his followers by merely touching the top of a devotee’s head. Known as shaktipat, this sort of hands-on energetic transmission is one means of getting the serpent energy moving. However, some who spontaneously experience the chakra-opening experience of awakened Kundalini might speak a word of caution to eager seekers. The symptoms of awakened Kundalini vary widely, but some are disruptive in the extreme. (Perhaps this accounts for much of the fearful lore that has risen up in relation to the phenomenon.) If you are experiencing a heightened awareness of energies coursing along your spine, out of any of your chakras or elsewhere in your body, fear not. First of all, you are not alone. And, secondly, there are wise teachers aplenty to guide you. You might begin by reading Lee Sannella’s book or by checking out the helpful website of Lawrence Edwards, PhD, LMHC (TheSoulsJourney.com).
Again, in relation to Kundalini, caution and prudence may well be of value. However, fear is never either necessary or useful. In the biblical Western tradition, a snake and a woman together herald a fall from grace. Perhaps it’s only poetic justice, then, that in another mythic tradition a female serpent offers a route back into the garden of naked oneness and timeless bliss.
While in some states you need a license to legally wield an acupuncture needle, no one is likely to regulate the therapeutic practice known as Emotional Freedom Techniques that involves rhythmically tapping upon one’s own person. Like acupuncture and its less invasive cousin acupressure, EFT makes use of the meridians of Chinese medicine. With the statement, “EFT offers great healing benefits,” no less a figure than Deepak Chopra, MD has thrown his weight behind the practice. And even more enthusiastic endorsements abound, such as the prediction by Eric Robins, MD that "some day the medical profession will wake up and realize that unresolved emotional issues are the main cause of 85% of all illnesses. When they do, EFT will be one of their primary healing tools."
EFT was created in the early 1990’s by Gary Craig. Taking its lead from both Eastern medicine and contemporary physics, it treats the human body from an energetic perspective. Painful emotions, said to be stored in the body’s energy field, are relieved when that field is restored to balance. This is accomplished by tapping upon the meridians while holding one’s negative feelings in mind. Proponents credit this simple procedure with healing a wide range of psychological ailments including anxiety, depression, addictions, post-traumatic stress disorder, general stress and phobias. Practitioners even ascribe to EFT the potential to effectively treat grave physical diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis.
To date, EFT has been examined in three peer-reviewed publications. In all three, the treatment relieved the symptoms of phobias or more general psychological distress. While no study ruled out (and one even suggested) that these healings were merely the result of the placebo effect, nonetheless the positive outcomes were consistent. Placebo or no placebo, in many cases, the treatment worked.
One appeal of EFT is the ease and independence with which it can be utilized. While a professional practitioner certainly can be hired and may, in some cases, be quite helpful, none is required. A how-to manual and other tools to help you get started are freely and readily available on the internet. So, if you are a do-it-yourself-er who likes to take charge of your own healing or simply budget-minded and open to alternative therapies, EFT might be worth a try. Who knows? Relief could be just a few taps away.
Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing technique that uses the application and direction of life force energy to promote healing and general well-being. The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words: Rei meaning “universe or higher power” and Ki, which means “life force energy.” Joined together they mean “universal life force energy.”
My Reiki appointment was a chance to have a gentle, caring person guide me through my energetic anatomy to understand the ways in which various energies had manifested physically. After taking stock of my energy, and the areas where it wasn't flowing freely, my practitioner used her energy to get mine moving again, while also pointing out ways to re-focus my thoughts and energy to improve my life. “Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the client’s energy field and charging those parts with positive energy, allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way,” explains Reiki practitioner Stacy Macris.
Stacy, of Reiki by Stacy in Thousand Oaks, CA, says that each practitioner brings their own talents and sensibilities to the treatment. In Stacy’s case, she works with the colors that various energies emanate, as well as being sensitive to each client’s own spiritual wellbeing and needs. At the end of my session she offered me a list of affirmations to work with for my healing and also referred me to an acupuncturist for additional healing opportunities. As her flyer says, “What a treat to relax fully and feel the waves of positive energy wash over you.” I fully agree. I could actually feel the energy she was directing and noticed a marked improvement in all areas of my physical and emotional life.
You can contact Stacy, who works out of the Natural Healthcare Center in Thousand Oaks, California at stacymacris@yahoo.com or go to reiki.com for an international list of practitioners.
At the sound of the word “meditation,” you probably imagine someone sitting perfectly still, perhaps in a lotus position with their eyes closed. They may even be saying “OM” or repeating a mantra. But meditation by definition is “the act or process of thinking,” with the thesaurus suggesting words like cogitation, contemplation, reflection, rumination, and thought to be used in its place. Therefore, why should we need to sit still just to focus on our thoughts?
I have long been a fan of the walking meditation. It puts me into a rhythm and helps to shift my thoughts to the present -- especially if I have to watch where I’m going. Deepak Chopra, in his “Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,” recommends getting out into nature to get in touch with life force energy. Walking through your neighborhood or a park gives you an opportunity to feel the breeze and take in the awareness of life that surrounds you in the form of plants, insects, and birds or other animals. You may be reminded how effortlessly it all works together, thereby aligning yourself with the divine order of the universe.
You may also want to use the rhythm of your steps to repeat a mantra. In the book “Seven Masters, One Path: Meditation Secrets from the World's Greatest Teachers,” John Selby says that when you concentrate on two or more things at one time, you quiet your mind, moving into a clear state of consciousness. So by repeating a mantra or affirmation and concentrating on your steps, your entire focus is in the moment. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has published a few books that promote walking meditation as a means to literally walk your life path. So let’s not restrict ourselves to one form of meditation, but practice whatever allows us to make the connection to our inner world as we move through the world around us.
Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is a great sport for those drawn to martial arts, who want to increase overall fitness, and find inner calm by sweating, punching and kicking out stress. Thailand’s national sport, also know as The Art of the Eight Limbs, allows fighters to use hands, shins, elbows and knees, making it challenging for both the mind and body. Unlike other martial arts, there is also a heavy focus on conditioning.
“Muay Thai is a complete workout for women,” says trainer Mark Komuro, co-owner of The Yard, a Muay Thai gym in downtown Los Angeles. “The training incorporates strength, cardio and flexibility, which are key elements of an overall fitness program. In order to fight, you need to fully dedicate yourself to become stronger in mind, body and spirit.”
Pilates - it's popular and it kicks your ass. But I find it really hard and it's not so entertaining. Well, enter Bur-lates.
We have meshed two of our favorite pastimes to give you a more entertaining and fun way to work out. We have the old style of Burlesque and vaudeville, mixed with the tried and true methods developed by Joseph Pilates, along with our own style of vaudeville, just to keep you entertained while you work!
Wowee! That sounds like fun. Burlates sure appealed to me. So I ordered me a copy.
The other night when I was not feeling so motivated I put in the DVD and plopped down on the couch. My butt stayed on the couch a whole 5 minutes before I got out my yoga mat and started following along. Between serious instruction explaining the (difficult!!) exercises are sexy demonstrations in the form of mermaids, cowgirls and fish net clad lovelies. I was inspired to build my strength and got ideas for costumes at the same time. It's true - Burlates made me forget I was exercising!
Production quality is good (but it's not Hollywood slick) and I liked that the women demonstrating (and wearing the costumes) had real-world bodies (that looked fantastic!). It's a great gift for a one off viewing or if to seriously have fun exercising. If you only watch it once, it's totally worth the $20. It might even get you on the floor exercising, like it did for me. You might want to think twice about wearing high heels while practicing though. ;)
In preparation for tomorrow's summer solstice, which is to be the longest day of the year. A solstice "occurs twice a year, whenever Earth's axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon."
Why does the summer solstice happen?
The seasons of the year are caused by the 23.5º tilt of the earth's axis. Because the earth is rotating like a top or gyroscope, the North Pole points in a fixed direction continuously -- towards a point in space near the North Star. But the earth is also revolving around the sun. During half of the year, the southern hemisphere is more exposed to the sun than is the northern hemisphere. During the rest of the year, the reverse is true. At noontime in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears high in the sky during summertime, and low during winter. The time of the year when the sun reaches its maximum elevation occurs on the summer solstice -- the day with the greatest number of daylight hours. It typically occurs on, or within a day or two of, JUN-21 -- the first day of summer.
Whether you're a Druid or neo-Pagan at Stonehenge watching the sunrise, or celebrating Johannisnacht, Litha or the Chinese Festival of Li, tomorrow is a day to celebrate the warmth of the star that blesses us - just make sure to wear your sunscreen.
Do you believe in the Law of Attraction? This blog has 9 reasons of his own. Here's one I agree with.
9. Creativity is at the very core of each soul, each person. You are driven to create experience. Creativity is also part of your service to the greater whole. As you create, you discover more of who you are through observing your creation. It is the very nature of the soul to be creative, but many of you have forgotten your creativity by believing that the ways in which you can express yourselves are limited to certain jobs, roles, and functions in life.
I'm not sure how that related to the law of attraction, but I still like it.Read the rest of them.
I remember when I first came across the book, The Hundredth Monkey. I found it in the back shed of a house my father had just acquired. I was fascinated by the concept that learned actions could "jump" islands. It seemed impossible and wishful thinking. Was it science trying to prove Jung's collective unconscious? A telepathic link?
The "Hundredth Monkey Effect" is a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behaviour spread instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number was reached. The story behind this supposed phenomenon originated with Lyall Watson, who claimed that it was the observation of Japanese scientists. Source
But not all skeptics agree:
Yes, according to Watson, one monkey taught another to wash sweet potatoes who taught another who taught another and soon all the monkeys on the island were washing potatoes where no monkey had ever washed potatoes before. When the "hundredth" monkey learned to wash potatoes, suddenly and spontaneously and mysteriously monkeys on other islands, with no physical contact with the potato-washing cult, started washing potatoes! Was this monkey telepathy at work or just monkey business on Watson's part? Source
But then I found this post, that includes a fascinating perspective:
Myers suggests that the story of the Koshima monkeys based on the scientific observations has a different explanation. Rather than an example of the spontaneous transmission of ideas, she believes the story is an example of the propagation of a paradigm shift. In a paradigm shift, changes in habits or beliefs tend to come from innovations by those in young adulthood. If the innovation is strong and well-grounded in fact or faith, it will pass among members of that generation. Members of older generations will continue to cling to the habits and beliefs they grew up with. With the passing of the torch of power from one generation to the next, the paradigm of the younger generation takes hold." Source
It's not about telepathy. It's about learning from every side. It's about one person, a connector, affecting a few people, who in turn affect more things moving outward. It's the kernel of a paradigm shift. Old inefficient ways will eventually fade away, replaced by innovations that expand the possibilities for expansion.
Change will happen whether we want it or not. That is a given fact. What path that change takes is, to a degree, under our collective control.
Tsuki no kokoro is usually translated as a mind like the moon. This refers to the necessity of maintaining surveillance over one’s surroundings at all times. As the bright illumination produced by the unclouded full moon as it reflects its light earthward, so the mind must be aware of all conditions surrounding it. This is often described as zanshin or kan-ken futatsu no koto, or “perceiving with both the eyes and the intuitive mind.”
Zanshin (kan-ken futatsu no koto or tsuki no kokoro) Literally "remaining mind/heart" or "reflecting heart or mind", also, "mind like the moon." A state of complete, balanced, continuous and relaxed readiness, awareness and alertness, where you are "present in the moment. . . Zanshin also relates to your awareness of your position within your environment, and to the world around you. You notice the people around you (their body language, expression, voices) because you need to be prepared to interact with them socially, politically, economically and spiritually.
Happiness is all the rage. But how do you know if you are happy. Do you experience happiness in the moment or in retrospect? If you're interested in finding out how happy you are (and you like taking quizzes) you may find Martin Seligman's site Authentic Happiness interesting.
After free registration at the site, you can take various questionnaires. You won't find out what superhero you are or what color you most resonate with. Instead you can take the Gratitude, Grit or Optimism tests.
So, go find out how happy you are. It's free to register and take the tests.
The B'omarr monks are a very secretive sect, whose ultimate goal is to achieve enlightenment and to probe the mysteries of the universe. They also desire to find the "Ultimate Truth", which they are constantly in search of. They participate in almost constant meditation until deemed "enlightened" by their peers. Once this stage is reached, the monks' brains are removed from their bodies and placed in jars, thereby freeing them of the bother of maintaining a body, and giving them greater freedom to ponder the imponderables. Occasionally a brain jar is attached to a spiderlike droid, allowing it to roam about the palace. The walkers are controlled through signals from the brain itself. Receptors allow the disembodied monks to hear, and they can speak through speakers. The disembodiment process can extend the monks' lifetimes by centuries. The monks are very careful not to betray any of the secrets of their order, and it is rumored that they have mysterious psychic abilities. Members of the order are generally human.
A brain in a jar being carried around by a spider like creature!!! Sounds like something out of science fiction movie doesn't it? Well, it should, because they are. Want to learn more? They remind me of the Matrix and 12 Monkeys.
What I didn't like about "The Secret" - all the hype of "ancient knowledge" in the beginning, and one more thing - mostly it focuses on, and hooks people in because of - greed. So many of the suggestions of the uses of the Laws of Attraction focus on material gain. Doesn't seem very holistic to me.
I have to admit, I haven't seen the movie yet, and after reading her review I don't know if I'll waste my time. The entire premise sounds like the standard feel good self-help rah rah motivator movie. (Maybe I don't care about the secret because I've created my own methodology to get your heart's desire. And you don't have to buy a movie to get it. )
Then I came across a website and presentation that was the Official Secret Seminar Affiliation Program. If that sounds like a mouthful, then don't expect to swallow the drivel they as slopping as self-help. The titles goes something like, "The Teachers featured in the Secret, give you the science of getting rich." I'll tell you their secret to getting rich: it's called a pyramid scheme preying on the hopeful and ignorant.Scam artists do the same thing.
Why is the new age industry looked at with disdain? It's because it's easy for predators like the secret people to extort money from fools. But it's not really much different from the pharmaceutical industry... translating hope in the form of a pill and extorting sums of money from your health insurance company thus chaining you to a job that provides benefits...
Think you don't have time for meditation? Think again! All you need is one minute. You can even do this at work if you have headphones or an office. I really liked the Focusing my Thoughts. And it really took less than a minute. It was over before I realized it began and I felt calmer and more focused afterwards. Meditation really works. Try it out. Here's an example of what you might expect.
7 Steps to Stillness
Take a moment to be comfortable in your environment.
Keeping your eyes open, gently rest them on a chosen point somewhere in front of you.
Withdraw your attention from all sights and sounds.
Follow the thoughts suggested on the commentary
Acknowledge and appreciate the positive feelings and thoughts which may spring directly from this exercise.
Stay in these feelings for a few moments.
End your meditation by closing your eyes for a few moments and creating complete silence in your mind.
There are many more choices. Want to re-energize? Let go? Have a positive focus? Or maybe just relax for a moment? Then be sure to visit the site. It just takes a minute.
Hypothetical situations - everyone asks questions about what you would do if so and so happened. And here at daily mantra we are no different. We're asking the authors - and you - what you would do in this situation.
It's a cold winter day, there's ice and snow in the streets that have been causing accidents, power outages and a variety of emergencies across the city. Sirens are heard everywhere and you think to yourself "god" must be playing with his ant farm. As you continue to walk home, with some difficulty, you hear screams for help. You alter course and walk towards the screams and you see a building with smoke pouring from the roof, and fire coming from all of the windows. You make your way inside and see the building is falling apart. Being the brave soul you are, you rush towards the screaming and see a handicapped elderly man who's been screaming, and an infant laying on the floor by his walker. Both need you to help them out of the building, but it looks as if it will collapse at any minute. The man is crying and saying "I don't want to die", the infant, is laying there unaware of the chaos and danger in the surrounding environment.
So, what would you do?
daily mantra authors will answer the question tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Update 2: What is my answer to the question? Well, before I read all the responses, I was all for the old guy, for some similar and yet different reasons. I like old people, I don't usually like babies. The knowledge and experience of old people is more valuable to me (and society) then the potential of a baby, although it would be much easier to carry the baby out. Then again, maybe the fire started because the old man was smoking and he was supposed to be watching his grandchild.
The thing we've all been taught to do is to help people. So yeah, we'd want to save the lives. But that is a conditioned response. It's not necessarily what's supposed to happen.
I was walking on a beach boardwalk in Monterey, CA many years ago. I saw a seagull with a broken wing caught in the surf, struggling to survive. My first response was to run down and save the bird, but my colleague stopped me. He told me, "Everything has to die sometime. It is not your responsibility to decide." I remember the image of the bird struggling in the surf and the wise words of my friend.
Hypothetically I have the chance to save one life from the burning house and so hypothetically I will save mine.
It's a cold winter day, there's ice and snow in the streets
that have been causing accidents, power outages and a variety of emergencies
across the city. Sirens are heard everywhere and you think to yourself
"god" must be playing with his ant farm. As you continue to walk home,
with some difficulty, you hear screams for help. You alter course and walk
towards the screams and you see a building with smoke pouring from the
roof, and fire coming from all of the windows. You make your way inside
and see the building is falling apart. Being the brave soul you are, you
rush towards the screaming and see a handicapped elderly man who's been
screaming, and an infant laying on the floor by his walker. Both
need you to help them out of the building, but it looks as if it will
collapse at any minute. The man is crying and saying "I don't want to die", the
infant, is laying there unaware of the chaos and danger in the surrounding
environment. After weighing your options and the environment around you, you
realize you can only save one. Who do you save?
I would save the elderly man. Why? Here's the reason: because in the story, the old man spoke to me and said that he didn't want to die, and if I chose to save the infant, I would always hear this man's cries for help in my head for the rest of my life. And frankly, I don't have any particular feeling towards babies or children. Ok, that was the selfish reason. Here is the real reason:
The baby hasn't made any impact on it's karma here on earth yet. It remains, so to speak, at a balance. The old man, on the other hand, has made lots of life contracts, impacted many people's lives, created debt to the world just by existing and being taken care of by others. If he is saved from death, he still has a chance to pay back some of the debt, change his life with the remaining time he has left. Maybe that means he is kinder to his family or maybe he will write his memoires and have a positive effect in someone's life, or perhaps he can have a chance to resolve the conflicts and loose ends of his life before he dies. If he dies in the fire, unwilling, terrified and with strong emotions for the life that he's lived here on earth, chances are these strong feelings will yank him right back into a human body to do it all over again.
I believe that life on earth is a trap. A small prison for souls. It would be fine if we learned our lessons in the lifetime we are given. But it's not enough. We waste our time here and then when we die, we have to come back and try again.The infant, may get killed in the fire and when its soul is released, it may decide not to be reincarnated. Then, it would be free.
I could rest at night knowing that I believed my decision gave both the old man and the baby a second chance.
Most of us have heard of 
We've all heard about May flowers as justification for April rain, and certainly, as anyone who has visited our nation's capital during cherry blossom season can attest, those flowers are worth the wet. But did you know a gift of May flowers (a May basket, to you May Day fans) was also believed to promote healing? Or that acceptance of a May bouquet could constitute engagement?
So... May Day. Something about Maypoles and flower baskets, right? Like Groundhogs' Day (aka Imbolc) before it, May Day has yet to make much of an impact among contemporary American holidays. And yet this day, also known as Beltane, has tremendous significance among Pagans, second only to 
Two separate studies published in the 
DVD in 2002. "Stress is shown to make the control of diabetes worse and relaxation is especially beneficial. It is well established that tai chi reduces stress and improves relaxation."
When most of us think "meditation", a room full of screaming traders is not the first image that comes to mind. Fluorescent lights, frantic phones, a bevy of television screens on every wall, even the most grounded of gurus would concede this environment something less than meditationally ideal. Of course, these are often precisely the times we could most use a dollop of transcendence. Enter: 
In response to the Communist Chinese government's 
I’ve always been drawn to alternative healthcare methods because they tend to be less invasive. As a squeamish person, 
Putting on masks and costumes has helped to fulfill many of humanity’s deepest needs throughout time. Tribes around the 
The word graphology might bring visions of pie-charts to mind, but it’s really the fancy name for handwriting analysis. According to professional graphologist and artist, Lena Rivkin, “you can see someone’s aptitudes, logical reasoning abilities, intelligence, interpersonal skills, sex drive, integrity, and psychological and physical health” in their handwriting.
One client brought her handwritten letters from a parent who had died in the client’s youth. Lena was able to give that person an insight into who that person was to help fill in the blanks. 
Heather Graham’s best dramatic performance to date was as the dissolute 70’s porn starlet Roller Girl in Paul Thomas Anderson’s wrenching period drama Boogie Nights. Although Graham powerfully and memorably portrayed this human being damaged by a world of degraded sexuality, the actress herself, according to one recent early morning talk show interview, has a much more positive and even spiritual connection to sex. 
Among other skills, the volume promises to teach readers “the delicate art of seduction and awakening the five senses,” to “express their vision of the god or goddess within as they dance for each other,” and to “develop humor and playfulness in love, and harmonize their energies in a soul-to-soul communion.” 
Kundalini is a Hindu divinity. Coiled and ready to pounce, She is a serpent goddess said to reside at the base of the spine. Not Kali’s spine or Krishna’s spine, your spine. Yes, according to Hindu mythology, you are inhabited by a god. 
Many a spiritual seeker has hungered for such an awakening. And many a guru has offered to uncoil the sleeping serpent for his followers by merely touching the top of a devotee’s head. Known as shaktipat, this sort of hands-on energetic transmission is one means of getting the serpent energy moving. However, some who spontaneously experience the chakra-opening experience of awakened Kundalini might speak a word of caution to eager seekers. The 
At the sound of the word “meditation,” you probably imagine someone sitting perfectly still, perhaps in a lotus position with their eyes closed. They may even be saying “OM” or repeating a mantra. But meditation by definition is “the act or process of thinking,” with the thesaurus suggesting words like cogitation, contemplation, reflection, rumination, and thought to be used in its place. Therefore, why should we need to sit still just to focus on our thoughts? 
Pilates - it's popular and it kicks your ass. But I find it really hard and it's not so entertaining. Well, enter 
The word of the week is Tsuki no kokoro.
Think you don't have time for meditation? Think again! 