Category Archives: Energy

2 Reasons You Should Start Meditating Today

Humans are easily broken down into three general categories: mind, spirit, and body. When I say the mind, I am referring to not only the tool that is your brain, but your personality as well. The spirit, in the context of this article, is kin to your soul. In essence, that intangible, unique, common, and interconnecting aspect of humanity. The body is the standard reference to that meat sock you use to roam the scape of the Earth. Meditation is an ancient practice that has helped countless people (including yours truly) with any number of ailments, from various denominations and sects.

The two reasons you should mediate, aren’t the cosmic, golden keys some people may have been expecting and hoping for. No, the two perfect reasons you should start your practice today are far more tangible. You should do it because you deserve to experience life in the most loving, fun and productive manner. The second reason is because the world is in social and spiritual pain. It is up to us to heal ourselves and others.

Because You Deserve It!

Meditation will help you maximize every part of your experience as a person. Restoring your physical health, healing your mind, growing your awareness of all your senses, this is just the tip of the iceberg. And my friend, this iceberg makes the word colossal, extend no further than its own eight letters. You won’t even have to wait for shipping and handling! The effects of meditation are immediate.

As mentioned earlier, there are three components to a person’s make up. Meditation not only helps improve the states of all three but increases the ‘communication’ between the three.  For example, the relationship of your stomach in relation to your emotions will be more readily understood. Often the needs of aspects of our person aren’t actively, or clearly communicating what is needed or the communication method is being misread.

Providing sufficient ‘space’ for all the amazing parts of your sum, is only one of the winnings elements of meditation. I was diagnosed Bi Polar type II and my hunt for a winning combination of drugs was reaching terrible heights. Through meditation and genuine conversations I was able to come off all my medications. I still have ruff spots, but they are manageable. The biggest way meditation helped me was helping me realize how destructive my mania was. While manic or depressed my stomach was never properly communicating with my head, my heart was being ignored by my brain, or my heart would simply flip out. I mistook these flip outs as I was in love, or sad or any number of intense emotions. Meditation clears away the mis communications on a cellular level, providing the three main elements of ‘you’ to seek out and combine efforts to unlock better living.

It Is Every Individual’s Responsibility To Help The World, Starting With Yourself And Your Neighbor

We are the equivalents of cells in an organ. Same as on the micro level we have three main components, our community has the same. Earth is our body. Government, the Internet, communities at large, and society are the mind. The spirit or soul is exactly the same on this scale as the individual. Not only does each element need help but there must be room for the components to ‘speak’ to each other to achieve any goal. The planet (body) is sickened with toxins, drilling and a complete lack of respect for other life. The governments are constantly fight with one another, and when they aren’t at each other’s necks, there are skirmish wars between the governments and the people (who just want to be heard and keep of get basic rights). While many people have found a form of religion or a lack of organized religion or a form of spirituality that helps them be happy. This happiness seems to come at the cost of hate for other sects and groups. All around the world there are core problems with each component but through poor communication, we are no more productive than a dog chasing his tail.

Meditation will help you, as a person, become the best human you could have hoped for. As your presence is healed and made strong, so to will the elements in life you interact with and are simply around. Your empathy will rise and you communication skills will make the pro’s ask you for tips. As you are a necessary and integral part of the whole your health is everyone’s health and vice versa. Through meditation you will find it ripples through communities, no matter the religious faith. As more people are able to realize and ‘hear’ varying messages between their components, the complexities of the macro version will start to reveal their parallels to each person’s unique components. With all these people growing together as a whole, through individual means, answers will start to come.

In the end you need to save yourself, to save your community. You need to recognize the strength in yourself to point it out in others. Only together do we have a chance to better ourselves sustainable manner. And a ‘fight’ among your brothers and sisters, for your brothers and sisters, is always worth the effort.

If you’re ready to start meditating, try this stellar guided meditation.

GEODESIC DOMES – OUT OF THE PAST AND INTO THE FUTURE

Build the future with geodesic domes! This technology has been around for nearly 100 years. Geodesic domes utilize the power of natural geometry to make mind-blowing, incredibly efficient structures. Think of how the shell of an egg can hold its shape, and how a spider web can be very light and yet be strong enough to catch prey. This technology is a celebration of nature as opposed to an attempt to conquer it. For those more technical readers out there… A geodesic dome is a spherical or hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a network of geodesics (great circles) on the surface of a sphere or a hemisphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements, which have local, triangular rigidity, and so distribute the structural stress throughout the geodesic sphere.

Montreal_Biosphere-Buckminster_Fuller

The first dome was designed and patented for a planetarium right after World War I. Twenty years later R. Buckminster Fuller gave the dome the name geodesic. Although Fuller was not the original inventor, he is credited with the U.S. popularization of the idea for which he received a U.S. patent. The geodesic dome appealed to Fuller because it was extremely strong for its weight, its “omnitriangulated” surface provided an inherently stable structure, and because a sphere encloses the greatest volume for the least surface area. Fuller hoped that the geodesic dome would help address the postwar housing crisis.

These homes are extremely energy efficient for many reasons. More specifically…

  • Its decreased surface area requires less building materials.

  • Exposure to cold in the winter and heat in the summer is decreased because, being spherical, there is the least surface area per unit of volume per structure.

  • The concave interior creates a natural airflow that allows the hot or cool air to flow evenly throughout the dome with the help of return air ducts.

  • Extreme wind turbulence is lessened because the winds that contribute to heat loss flow smoothly around the dome.

  • It acts like a type of giant down-pointing headlight reflector and reflects and concentrates interior heat. This helps prevent radiant heat loss.

geo interior

The net annual energy savings for a dome owner is 30% less than normal rectilinear homes according to the Oregon Dome Co. This is quite an improvement and helps save the environment from wasted energy. Domes have been designed by Bucky and others to withstand high winds and extreme temperatures as seen in the Polar regions. Dome homes can be kind of weird looking and they don’t necessarily fit in all the beautiful square neighborhoods when you’re walking around the suburban world, but Fuller saw much potential in those triangles. Dome homes have become one of the most efficient building systems available. Not only are they energy-efficient and cheaper to build than a standard home but they are beautiful in appearance and and have endless design possibilities both interior and exterior.

geo dome 2

In the future large urban areas could be domed under a single roof. The dome would be airtight and pressurized, creating a habitat that can be controlled for air temperature, composition and quality, typically due to an external atmosphere (or lack thereof) that may be harmful to habitation for one or more reasons. These cities may be situated on Earth, a moon or another planet. The world’s first climate controlled domed city is being built in Dubai.

Forest Sage & Alistair Jordan Hunt

The Intention Challenge: Are You Ready To Change Your Life?

The way we start our day has a huge impact on the day’s events. Its common and natural to wake up in a reactionary kind of way. We wake up hungry so we eat. We wake up upset so we try and run from that feeling. I’d like to challenge you to an one week experiment. I promise it’ll take maybe an hour, over the course of your week.

I’d like you to create an intention or feel free to use any combination of the ones listed below. Write it down in a couple of choice locations such as your fridge, next to your laptop, in the bathroom, at your desk at work, or in your car. When you wake in the morning take a couple moments to acknowledge how you feel and with out expectation, examine your intention. At the end of the week see how you felt and how productive you were. At the end of this week I’ll go into further detail on how to craft intentions specific to you. I’ll also cover potential pitfalls that occur in playing with intention.

The difference between an expectation and a intention is a crucial distinction. Expectation is the perception that something will occur. This aim can be passively or actively worked toward, but it is only a perception. Expectation can lead to surprise but more often it adds disappointment to our lives. Intention is the acknowledgement of aspects of our present. You acknowledge the love in your heart and encourage it to grow. Your not expecting it to. You pour energy into the intention and that changes the ‘depth’ of the intended aspect. Try not avoid turning your intention into a expectation.

Do your thing with passion and integrity even if folks don’t notice you.  We do what we do not for an applause, but because we know it’s right.

It important that we be able to acknowledge the opinions of our peers and not become dependent on them. Only you know what certain actions and ideas mean to you. You do your best to relate them to others so they can understand you better but that understanding will never be first hand. So if you go through life allowing external forces to change you, you will never achieve any deeper understandings of the world around you.

Whatever your challenge is, worrying about it won’t help.  Either do something to address it or do something to let it go.

You only have so many hours in the day, so many tasks you can stay focused on, why waste any energy towards worry. If I find myself obsessing negatively on something, I remind myself of what I am already doing to achieve that end. If there is nothing more I can do , then I remind myself that I took the matter a seriously as I could and whatever happens happens. I renew my faith in my ability to roll with the unexpected.

The secret to being grateful is no secret.  You choose to be grateful.  Then you do it again and again.  Every day.  When you forget, begin again.

Persistence in repetition is a staple of meditative practice. Forgetting is a human error and to be easily forgiven. In ALL things it is important to remember to continue to strive.

Two things, more than anything else, define you daily: Your patience when you are struggling, and your attitude when you are not.

Suffering is the instrument of change and how we deal with it defines our character. whether your life is currently stable or unbelievably hectic, remember that all things come to pass. Keep your head as high as you can and act with modesty and compassion, the craziest life transitions occur when we never expect it.

Before you waste it on anger, resentment, spite or envy, think of how precious and irreplaceable your time is today.  Positivity always pays!

This is the whole reason you are setting an intention, the Buddha once said, ‘The trouble is that we all think we have time.’ He was right the future is uncertain and the possibilities are infinite. Live your life with appreciation and enjoyment, you have no idea what tomorrow holds.

10 Must-Read Spiritual Books That Will Honor Your Soul

HEY! You clicked this link because your interested in getting smarter, living better, being more knowledgeable or simply passing an afternoon without Facebook? Well how are you do expect to finish a book if you can’t even give an article a try?

This list is a compromise between a few people who are important to me and my own searches. We hope to give you a list that will be practical and accessible, but most of all entertaining. If you don’t see something that you feel NEEDS to be mentioned please post it so everyone can see!

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Well known for his severely blunt attitude towards nonsense in every form, Rinpoche Trungpa writes in a similar but compassionate vein. This is a must read for EVERY modern spiritualist out there. When I read this my own perceptions were more finely tuned.

We can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spirituality when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Finding Freedom: Jarvis Jay Masters

Masters wrote this from death row, the entire time he claimed his innocence. A highly emotional read for anyone, I would recommend this for anyone incarcerated, whose been through the system, or facing irresponsible life elements. This debuts the side of Buddhism in action you’ve never thought of. Masters creates his mala from Tylenol and jean fabric.

The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: Ramana Maharshi

This book is the varied conversations between Ramana and international spiritual seekers. Ramana’s style of teaching is famously non denominational. He asks’ Who am I’ repetitiously to convey his message. This book can be shared between religious groups with reliable ease.

Be Here Now: Ram Dass

Is probably one of the most famous western author of mindfulness and meditation. Be Here Now is the most commonly read of his books, but in seriousness you could pick up anything he wrote and find it alarmingly profound. He is one of a handful of authors that literally makes me smile or laugh with the beauty of his revelations. Covering a wide set of practices and stories of travel, you are bound to learn or laugh.

A Gradual Awakening:  Stephen Levine

Levine offers very practical and accessible meditative practices in this book. Many people I know started with this book to build their initial practice. From the ground up it is an excellent guide for the development and stages of mindfulness. As a fun tid-bit, if this bloke’s name seems familiar it may be because his son is Noah Levine (Dharma Punks, Against the Stream very good traveler’s reads)!

A Brief History of Everything:  Ken Wilber

This entertaining foray into key individual’s place in history. The focus sways over a staggering number of topics, everything from multiculturalism, ecology, gender wars, environmental ethics to equality. Wilber does a great job finding hidden connections and keeping audiences amazed.

The Places That Scare You: Pema Chodron

A student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Chodron definitely has no tolerance for bull. With out fear she will help readers grip the inherent wisdom and strength we already have. She aptly points out patterns and fear that keep us ‘where we are’.

The Awakening of Intelligence: Jiddu Krishnamurti

Not the most famous of his works, this book is a wider venue of ideas. He touches on ideas and concept that apply to ANYONE living in the modern world. He is a teacher if Vendata, and presents things in a non dualistic manner. This is probably not a beginner’s book as the content is very heavy. While I am always happy to to help a person start their path, I feel I neglect those further along. This one is for you my friends.

The Heart Of The Buddha’s Teachings: Transforming Suffering Into Peace And Joy  Thich Nhat Hanh

I love this man and his teachings more than any others! My bias is due to he was the first one to explain mental concepts to me, helping me grasp the nature of the mania that was destroying my life. This book is the most basic and fundamental aspects and view points into Buddhism. This former advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King has a way of inspiring compassion in ways that made me giggle. I handed my copies of his books to many a prisoner, who normally wasn’t Buddhist. They all, with out fail came back with new insights and desires to love. This book is highly recommended to anyone trying to figure out how to meditate or curious what Buddhism truly is.

The Self-Aware Universe:  Amit Goswami.
The Disappearance of the Universe: Gary Renard

This book covers a lot of scientific ground. While slightly outdated, it makes for an accessible read for most. Mainly focused on the Vedic side of science, it helps people understand concepts behind the nature of the universe and time, with the help of well written alterations.

Backed By Science: Your Intentions And Thoughts Create Your Physical World

Dr. Masaru Emoto is internationally renowned researcher and alternative healer. His water molecule experiments were featured in the film What the Bleep Do We Know? His experiments have the consistent theme of demonstrating human thoughts and intentions can alter physical reality.

This rice experiment is simple and easy to recreate. It calls focus to the different effect of positive and negative thoughts.

brain_simulation

Dr. Emoto placed portions of cooked rice into clear containers. He then labeled one ‘you fool’ and the other ‘thank you’.

He placed the containers at the entrance to a school. The students were instructed to say the labels aloud to the jars everyday as they entered the school. The results were astounding.

After thirty days of daily communication, there was a notable change between the two. The jar labeled ‘you fool’ decomposed at an accelerated rate. The negative thoughts and intentions had a profound effect of making the rice breakdown faster.

Science-Meditation-Mind-Molecular-Zen-BrainThe jar labeled ‘thank you’, showed almost no decomposition. The positivity helped to maintain the structure and health of the rice.

This evidence of thoughts interacting with the physical plain has far reaching implications.

We have yet to begin to quantify the exact exchange that occurs from our thoughts, but the implications are there, waiting for someone to unlock it.

What Kind Of Wizard Are You? Take The Quiz And Find Out

This quick 8 question test can tell you what kind of wizard you are. Don’t worry we won’t ask you divulge any of your arcane secrets! The test uses your favorite activities, zodiac signs and personal preferences to plot out your inner wizard. The answer you get (I’m an air wizard), will show you how your natural proclivities would influence your magic powers.

There are a couple of wizards out there, and they don’t all fit so squarely into typecast categories. More often than not the most powerful magic a person can wield is that of love and productivity. Regardless of your strengths and weaknesses, try to resist using your powers for your personal gain. Look to the needs of others as they are an extension of yourself. Only as a community can anything be truly gained.