Category Archives: News

The Intriguing Connection Between Learning A Language & Playing An Instrument

The connection between learning music and a language. 

Everything we learn seems to go so much easier when we are young. Children function like sponges. Give them some kind of information and they will suck it up. Your childhood is the best period to learn different subjects that will benefit you in the long run.

This is also the reason why many parents encourage their children to play a musical instrument or to learn one of the multiple languages that are being offered at school. For children, it can sometimes be seen as a hazard but most of the times this gets replaced by gratitude as they grow older.shutterstock_237309790

“Language and music defines us as humans.” – Psychologist A. Pattel

Is there a way which makes it easier to learn a language or music when we have passed the threshold of childhood? How does one influence the other? What is the connection between learning a language and music simultaneously?
In several ways, music and languages can be compared.

Think about it, they have the same buildup. When you start to learn a language, the first thing you learn are the basic most common words. The next step is combining the words into simple sentences and making yourself understood. This will be followed by learning the matching grammar. Continue reading

Studies Reveal What Is Really Going On In a Dog’s Head

Let’s face it. We have all looked at our furry four legged friends and wondered what in the world is going on in that brain of theirs. What are they thinking? How do they feel? What mood are they in, etc. and so on.

The Dog:

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Humans and dogs have lived together for 30,000 years. Let that sink in for a moment. 30, 000 years.

During this time the relationship between man and beast has developed into one of unconditional love, friendship, and companionship. Today, you can find a dog in 50% of American households.

We like to think that the vigorous wagging of a tail, constant licking, or head nuzzling movements are signs that our dogs love us back.

However, since dogs obviously can’t communicate with us verbally we can’t really be sure. Can we?

Dog Brains:

Thanks to recent developments in brain imaging technology, we’re starting to get a better pictures of the happenings inside the canine cranium. Scientists have started to study the brain of the domestic dog and the results of this are quite exciting for all dog owners.

Studies show that dogs not only love us back but they actually see us as their family. Dogs rely on humans more than they do their kind of affection, protection, and anything in between. Continue reading

13 of The Most Interesting Mythological Creatures From Greek Mythology

Typhon: Typhon was the father of most mythological creatures. He was the last child of the goddess Gaea. He was an enormous being. It is said that he was as tall as the stars and his arms stretched from East to West.

Some legends describe Typhon as having a hundred dragon heads, some describe him with one human head and dragon heads for fingers. However, most stories agree that his body was covered in dragon wings and had hundreds of serpents for legs. Typhon could throw mountains at people he didn’t like.

Echidna: The Echidna was a snake woman who chose Typhon as her lover. Both she and her mate were children of Gaia and Tartarus. She had the distinction of giving birth to the most terrifying, horrible and dangerous monsters in the ancient Greek world.  Her offspring included; Cerberus, the gorgons, the Hydra, the Nemelan Lion, Chimera, and the Sphinx.

Echidna and Typhon attacked Olympus, but Zeus managed to repel them, burying Typhon under Mount Etna. Echidna and her children were spared to continue challenging future heroes. Eventually, Echidna was killed by Argus Panoptes while sleeping.

Terrifying offspring of Typhon and Echidna:

Cerberus: You might know this one as the three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hell and Hades. Cerberus has the claws of a lion, a mane made out of snakes, and a serpent’s a tail. Legend tells of a few living people who were able to sneak past the great beast with bits of magical music or drugged food. Hercules is the only one who is said to have defeated the monster head on.shutterstock_379035166

Chimera: One of the most fascinating mix n’ match monsters, the Chimera had three heads, but only one of them was on its neck. The torso and main head was that of a lion. It had a goat’s head sticking out of its back and snake as a tail. It could also breath fire. Continue reading

Anti-AnxiTEA: 5 Tea & Smoothie Recipes To Soothe An Anxious Mind

Across human history a multitude of different cultures have used teas and crushed fruits (which we now call smoothies) for therapeutic reasons, from Greek philosophers to Chinese emperors. Science has now proven the validity of ancient claims that these drinks have a positive impact on your mental health.

With so many pressures that face each and every one of us in the modern world, the state of our mental health has never been under such scrutiny. The pressures we face and our own awareness of our mental health can cause us all anxiety. This list is designed to help you find the best teas and smoothies to help manage your stress levels.

Ashwagandha Tea

shutterstock_419772517Ashwagandha is an Indian herb that has been used throughout the centuries and literally means ‘smell of horse’ as it was once thought to give the drinker the strength of a horse.

Although this has been disproven, science has now shown that ashwagandha tea is an adaptogen – meaning a compound that prevents the physical and chemical effects of stress.

You can drink ashwagandha tea several times a day and it is well known for its earthy taste. It takes between 5-10 minutes to brew and should be covered during brewing for best results.

Alongside its ability to help with anxiety, Ashwagandha is also shown to help improve memory and lower cholesterol.

Lemon Balm Teashutterstock_317170763

Where ashwagandha tea is effective at preventing the buildup of stress and anxiety lemon balm tea is the perfect antidote when you’re already stressed. Continue reading

The Science of The Sun: How Light Affects Our Mental Health

We, as humans, revolve our lives around the cycle of the sun. We have done this pretty much since the creation/development of our species. To this day, humans consider the time when the sun goes down to be night time, and time to power down.

It is a time for our body to sleep and rejuvenate for the next day.

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This stems all the way back to our first ancestors and cavemen who would return to their camps at night for protection from the elements and animals.

When the sun starts peeking through our windows at 5-6 in the morning, we know that the day is fast approaching and soon we will have to roll out of bed and attack the day.

When there is an overcast week, most people get the bad weather blues. But it’s actually not the weather’s fault at all- it is the lack of sunshine that encourages your mopey and drained feelings.

This feeling can also overcome individuals in the winter months and is scientifically termed “Seasonal Affective Disorder.” 

Why is light important?

Light is necessary for the survival of life on Earth because almost all energy used by life is derived from the sun. Plants and algae use light energy in photosynthesis, which provides usable chemical energy for heterotrophic organisms. Plus, without light, the Earth would be completely cold and dark since even the moon gets its glow from reflecting the sun.

Continue reading

The Hidden Chakras: Understanding Our New Emerging Meridians

If you feel as though you have been going through a lot of changes over the past couple of months and you’re not quite sure what might be causing it, you’re not alone.

 New chakras are emerging on the Earth plane, though many of these have been chakra points in the spiritual body all along and as humanity progresses, we have raised the vibration of the planet and ourselves. This has brought about the physical world presence of these new chakras which have, and will continue to manifest themselves on the physical plane, creating changes in all of us.

Who is Affected?

As you raise your vibration and consciousness, so too does Gaia (Mother Earth) and because of this, vast changes are occurring; chakras are merging, moving, and forming, an upgrade that will roll out in 3 stages.

Firstly, the forerunners, those of you who begin their spiritual awakening prior to 2012 will experience these shifts, before the Second Wave Awakeners who began their journey between 2012 and 2016. Finally, the rest of the world will experience the upgrade.

New Chakras

So what changes are going to take place? Here we take a quick rundown looking at these new chakras, and show which shifting chakras they have absorbed (along with the duties) and how this will  impact your physical life.

You can refer to this Chakra map throughout the article, thanks to Karen Downing and Suzanne Jonas for drawing this up!

Via Karen Downing

Via Karen Downing

Crown Chakra – (Purple and white)shutterstock_312843965

Starting our journey at the top of the head, the Crown chakra is where the connection to the spirit occurs and spiritual energy enters the body. This sits, as a crown would, on the top of your head. Continue reading