New Age
- Fairy Sightings
- Brownies in the Mirror
- Liberate Your Imagination
- Devils Horns
- The Intention Experiment
- A New Dimension of Time
- Sand Mandalas
- Yoko's Letter to John
- Absinthe is Legal in the US
- Nikola Tesla
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
Despite any cultural propensity towards cynicism, Fairy sightings continue to this day.
What, no fairies you say?
Balderdash. It's all a manner of where you are looking.
In the UK in particular, fairies are still considered an avid part of existence and helpers to those of the hills. One area in particular, Bredalbane Hills in the UK, is legend for a race of beings known as the Urisk. Considered to be half man/ half fairy they are shunned by both races and looked upon as outcasts. In 1825, the Quarterly Review published an article detailing something of their character with the following anecdote:
"To the very great annoyance of a Highland miller, and to the injury of the machinery, his mill, he found, used to be set to work at night when there was nothing in it to grind. One of his men offered to sit up, and try to discover who it was that did it; 'and, having kindled a good turf-fire, sat by it to watch. Sleep, however, overcame him, and when he awoke about midnight, he saw sitting opposite him a rough shaggy being. Nothing daunted, he demanded his name, and was told that it was Urisk. The stranger, in return, asked the man his name, who replied that it was Myself. The conversation here ended, and Urisk soon fell fast asleep. The man then tossed a panful of hot ashes into his shaggy lap, which set his hair all on fire. In an agony, and screaming with the pain, he ran to the door, and in a loud yelling tone several of his brethren were heard to cry out, "What 's the matter'with you?" "Oh! he set me on fire!" "Who?" "Myself!" "Then put it out yourself" was the reply.
Link
Balderdash. It's all a manner of where you are looking.
In the UK in particular, fairies are still considered an avid part of existence and helpers to those of the hills. One area in particular, Bredalbane Hills in the UK, is legend for a race of beings known as the Urisk. Considered to be half man/ half fairy they are shunned by both races and looked upon as outcasts. In 1825, the Quarterly Review published an article detailing something of their character with the following anecdote:
"To the very great annoyance of a Highland miller, and to the injury of the machinery, his mill, he found, used to be set to work at night when there was nothing in it to grind. One of his men offered to sit up, and try to discover who it was that did it; 'and, having kindled a good turf-fire, sat by it to watch. Sleep, however, overcame him, and when he awoke about midnight, he saw sitting opposite him a rough shaggy being. Nothing daunted, he demanded his name, and was told that it was Urisk. The stranger, in return, asked the man his name, who replied that it was Myself. The conversation here ended, and Urisk soon fell fast asleep. The man then tossed a panful of hot ashes into his shaggy lap, which set his hair all on fire. In an agony, and screaming with the pain, he ran to the door, and in a loud yelling tone several of his brethren were heard to cry out, "What 's the matter'with you?" "Oh! he set me on fire!" "Who?" "Myself!" "Then put it out yourself" was the reply.
Link
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
Helpers and Healers, Brownies were accepted as something akin to real, according to the Mirror, a UK publication.
An interesting report on the character of Brownies from a newspaper clipping was published in the UK Mirror, Saturday April 12, 1823, well over a hundred years past.
"The Brownies formed a class of beings, distinct in habit and disposition from the freakish and mischievous elves. They were meagre, shaggy, and wild in their appearance. Thus Cleland, in his satire against the Highlanders, compares them to
" Faunes, or brownies, if ye will,
"Or satyrs come from Atlas hill."
In the day time the Brownie larked in remote recesses of the old houses which he delighted to haunt, and in the night sedulously employed himself in discharging any laborious task which he thought might be acceptable to the family, to whose service he had devoted himself. But, although, like Milton's lubber fiend, he loves to stretch himself by the fire, he does not drudge from the hope of recompence. On the contrary, so delicate is his attachment, that the offer of reward, but particularly of food, infallibly occasions his disappearance for ever.
The last Brownie, known in Eltrick forest, resided in Bedsbech, a wild and solitary spot, where he exercised his functions undisturbed, till the scrupulous devotion of an old lady induced her to hire him away, as it was termed, by placing in his hand a porringer of milk and a piece of money. After receiving this hint to depart, he was heard the whole night to howl and cry, "Fare well to bonny Bedsbech!" which he was compelled to abandon for ever."
The article goes on to detail how the Brownies were likely legitimate descendants of the Lac Familiaris of the Ancients.
Link
"The Brownies formed a class of beings, distinct in habit and disposition from the freakish and mischievous elves. They were meagre, shaggy, and wild in their appearance. Thus Cleland, in his satire against the Highlanders, compares them to
" Faunes, or brownies, if ye will,
"Or satyrs come from Atlas hill."
In the day time the Brownie larked in remote recesses of the old houses which he delighted to haunt, and in the night sedulously employed himself in discharging any laborious task which he thought might be acceptable to the family, to whose service he had devoted himself. But, although, like Milton's lubber fiend, he loves to stretch himself by the fire, he does not drudge from the hope of recompence. On the contrary, so delicate is his attachment, that the offer of reward, but particularly of food, infallibly occasions his disappearance for ever.
The last Brownie, known in Eltrick forest, resided in Bedsbech, a wild and solitary spot, where he exercised his functions undisturbed, till the scrupulous devotion of an old lady induced her to hire him away, as it was termed, by placing in his hand a porringer of milk and a piece of money. After receiving this hint to depart, he was heard the whole night to howl and cry, "Fare well to bonny Bedsbech!" which he was compelled to abandon for ever."
The article goes on to detail how the Brownies were likely legitimate descendants of the Lac Familiaris of the Ancients.
Link
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
His name is murder to spell, but his beautifully chaotic galatic butterfly mind is anything but. Today's blog features highlights and gems to warm your fuzzies beyond.
I discovered Rob Brezsny over a year ago, likely stumbling or digging metaphysical websites. His monthly column, entitled 'Freewill Astrology' drew me in due to his cosmically prosaic way with words. His inner connectiveness to truth is what's kept me there.
What follows below is far better than anything i can encapsulate as to the beautiful, sea-creatures of inexplicable goodness that he is and that we are, save to whisper one word in your ear:
(remember).
Let me remind you who you really are: You are one of the chosen ones. You're a luminous being. A primordial miracle. A resplendent avatar. You are a deity in disguise--not a Buddha or a Christ, but of the same lineage and made from the same mojo.
I want to be sure you get what I'm saying. You're an immortal messiah. You have been around since the beginning of time and will be here after the end. Every day and in every way, you're getting better at playing the mysterious master game we all dreamed up together before the Big Bang bloomed.
Let me put it another way. You're a rebel creator longing to make the whole universe your home and sanctuary. You are a dissident bodhisattva joyfully struggling to germinate the seeds of divine love that are packed inside every moment.
It's time to remember. You are a shimmering burst of spiral hallelujahs that has temporarily taken on the form of a human being, agreeing to endure amnesia about your true origins. And why did you do that? Because it was the best way to forge the exquisitely unique and robust identity that would make you such an elemental force in our 14-billion-year campaign to bring heaven all the way down to earth."
Link
What follows below is far better than anything i can encapsulate as to the beautiful, sea-creatures of inexplicable goodness that he is and that we are, save to whisper one word in your ear:
(remember).
Let me remind you who you really are: You are one of the chosen ones. You're a luminous being. A primordial miracle. A resplendent avatar. You are a deity in disguise--not a Buddha or a Christ, but of the same lineage and made from the same mojo.
I want to be sure you get what I'm saying. You're an immortal messiah. You have been around since the beginning of time and will be here after the end. Every day and in every way, you're getting better at playing the mysterious master game we all dreamed up together before the Big Bang bloomed.
Let me put it another way. You're a rebel creator longing to make the whole universe your home and sanctuary. You are a dissident bodhisattva joyfully struggling to germinate the seeds of divine love that are packed inside every moment.
It's time to remember. You are a shimmering burst of spiral hallelujahs that has temporarily taken on the form of a human being, agreeing to endure amnesia about your true origins. And why did you do that? Because it was the best way to forge the exquisitely unique and robust identity that would make you such an elemental force in our 14-billion-year campaign to bring heaven all the way down to earth."
Link
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
What's going on with all of the Devil Horn handsigns? Whatever your conspiratorial bent, one thing remains clear - they are used an awful lot for being so oddly vague.
I grew up in the age of metal - that is, the music that was deafening, rife with ear-bleeding guitars and dotted liberally with doves heads and leather. I have come not to praise metal, but to elaborate on a specific hand gesture that anyone from my time will be only too familiar with.
I refer to the 'Devils Horns'.
The Corna, or "Devils Horns", if you will, are comprised of making a fist; and then lifting the first and fourth finger (pointer and pinky respectively), thumb optional. Whereas back-in-the-day it was reserved exclusively for only the most egregious and hardcore of metalheads (Dio, Priest, Kiss, Black Diamond, et al), it widened somewhat to be found more commonly in any venue pertaining to music, whether awards shows or concerts. I can live with this.
What is notable - even conspiratorial -, is the frequency with which it is lately being used by the most unsuspecting groups - politicians, movie stars and even the pope.
When the Pope gives the sign of Devil Horns, it's time to start asking questions.
I mean, this is not a unilaterally understood hand gesture. Depending on your source, it is either the sign for the Devil or the sign to ward him off, a symbol for the Texas Longhorns or the ASL symbol for "I love you". In an international age where such gestures can vary tremendously as regards their cultural meanings, why are so many people using a gesture that so few can ascribe a meaning to at all?
Certainly, I am not the only one asking. And I make no pretense to an answer - this writer seeks only to ask the questions. And to ponder a bit on what the heck, where she conspiratorially inclined, is going on here?
Links here, here and here.
I refer to the 'Devils Horns'.
The Corna, or "Devils Horns", if you will, are comprised of making a fist; and then lifting the first and fourth finger (pointer and pinky respectively), thumb optional. Whereas back-in-the-day it was reserved exclusively for only the most egregious and hardcore of metalheads (Dio, Priest, Kiss, Black Diamond, et al), it widened somewhat to be found more commonly in any venue pertaining to music, whether awards shows or concerts. I can live with this.
What is notable - even conspiratorial -, is the frequency with which it is lately being used by the most unsuspecting groups - politicians, movie stars and even the pope.
When the Pope gives the sign of Devil Horns, it's time to start asking questions.
I mean, this is not a unilaterally understood hand gesture. Depending on your source, it is either the sign for the Devil or the sign to ward him off, a symbol for the Texas Longhorns or the ASL symbol for "I love you". In an international age where such gestures can vary tremendously as regards their cultural meanings, why are so many people using a gesture that so few can ascribe a meaning to at all?
Certainly, I am not the only one asking. And I make no pretense to an answer - this writer seeks only to ask the questions. And to ponder a bit on what the heck, where she conspiratorially inclined, is going on here?
Links here, here and here.
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
In Lynne McTaggart's 'The Intention Experiment', mass participants gather worldwide through intent and love to change the signature of water.
Lynne McTaggart, the author of two books on the science of Spirituality. The Field [Harper Paperbacks, 2003] and The Intention Experiment [Free Press, 2007], on the face of it seems a charming and unassuming woman poised at the forefront of spirituality science with an emphasis on thought and intent. Her pilot experiment gathered a group of 16 meditators based in London to simultaneously direct their thoughts to four remote targets; A laboratory in Germany: two types of algae, a plant and a human volunteer. The meditators were asked to lower certain measurable biodynamic processes scientists poised to extrapolate results, if any. What was discovered were significant changes in all four targets while the intentions were being sent, compared to times the meditators were ‘resting’.
And so the "Intention Experiments" began.
With a nod to Masaru Emoto, author of "The HIdden Messages in Water", the most recent experiment focuses directly on changing the characteristics of water through the unified sending of Love.
Future experiments include an experiment to determine wherther through thought, global temperatures can be lowered and one on lowering crime rates through thought.:
Volunteers are currently being assessed. If you're interested,in participating, link here.
And so the "Intention Experiments" began.
With a nod to Masaru Emoto, author of "The HIdden Messages in Water", the most recent experiment focuses directly on changing the characteristics of water through the unified sending of Love.
Future experiments include an experiment to determine wherther through thought, global temperatures can be lowered and one on lowering crime rates through thought.:
Volunteers are currently being assessed. If you're interested,in participating, link here.
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
As we flirt with conceptual understandings of multiple realities, science is inching ever closer to the concept that there are not one but two dimentions of time.
Not long ago, the Telegraph UK reported on Itshak Bars' amazing theory of two-time physics, The theory suggests that rather than time being a simple line traveling from point A to point B, it is a seperate dimension to the existing three that we are aware of. Further, the passage of history is represented by curves embedded in no less than six dimensions, with four of space and two of time.
Implications? This is where it becomes more new age than science,at least in the traditional sense of the believable, for through this theory, it is expected that not only will many of the current problems with existing physics be solved, but that it will pave the way towards 'predictive outcomes; and time travel.
Tes, time travel.
"Until now, they have been reluctant to meddle with time because it can lead to unexpected consequences, such as time travel.
Changing our picture of time from a line to a plane (one to two dimensions) means that the path between the past and future could loop back on itself, allowing you to travel back and forwards in time and allowing the famous grandfather paradox, where you could go back and kill your grandfather before your mother was born, thereby preventing your own birth."
Perhaps the strongest implication in this proposal lies not in whether it is a verifiable truth per se, but that it demonstrates a continual line of thinking where science and alternative thought are inching closer together than ever before. witness one comment left by Dr. Peter Beamish, a Cetecean Biologist in Newfoundland in response to the article,
Amazing. Simply amazing.
December 21, 2012 is coming closer every day. The Mayan calendar's end date. Google it and you'll find lots of material. Time as we understand it is beginning to take on new shape.
Amaxing, indeed,
Link
Implications? This is where it becomes more new age than science,at least in the traditional sense of the believable, for through this theory, it is expected that not only will many of the current problems with existing physics be solved, but that it will pave the way towards 'predictive outcomes; and time travel.
Tes, time travel.
"Until now, they have been reluctant to meddle with time because it can lead to unexpected consequences, such as time travel.
Changing our picture of time from a line to a plane (one to two dimensions) means that the path between the past and future could loop back on itself, allowing you to travel back and forwards in time and allowing the famous grandfather paradox, where you could go back and kill your grandfather before your mother was born, thereby preventing your own birth."
Perhaps the strongest implication in this proposal lies not in whether it is a verifiable truth per se, but that it demonstrates a continual line of thinking where science and alternative thought are inching closer together than ever before. witness one comment left by Dr. Peter Beamish, a Cetecean Biologist in Newfoundland in response to the article,
Amazing. Simply amazing.
December 21, 2012 is coming closer every day. The Mayan calendar's end date. Google it and you'll find lots of material. Time as we understand it is beginning to take on new shape.
Amaxing, indeed,
Link
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
The sand mandala is a Tibetan tradition of painstakingly arranging grains of sand into beautiful works of art and then sweeping it all away.
The Buddhist canon teaches that all things are transitory. The art of making sand mandalas follows this tradition in that these exquisite creations are painstakingly built, and then after dedication and ritual, systematically desroyed.
For the monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery, the practice of creating these Mandalas is a healing ritual as well. Formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols, the sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.
After an opening ceremony, the monks being painting in the lines for the mandala. The construction of the mandala then can take many weeks to complete, filling in the lines with various colors of grains of sands using tweezers to inch in every individual grain. The end result is a work of amazing achievement, worthy of a place in any museum. However, after the closing blessing and ceremony, the sand is swept away with half of it being distributed to those present and the remaining sand is carried in a procession by the monks to a flowing body of water, where it is ceremonially poured to disperse the healing energies of the mandala throughout the world.
Links:
Sand Mandalas
For the monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery, the practice of creating these Mandalas is a healing ritual as well. Formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols, the sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.
After an opening ceremony, the monks being painting in the lines for the mandala. The construction of the mandala then can take many weeks to complete, filling in the lines with various colors of grains of sands using tweezers to inch in every individual grain. The end result is a work of amazing achievement, worthy of a place in any museum. However, after the closing blessing and ceremony, the sand is swept away with half of it being distributed to those present and the remaining sand is carried in a procession by the monks to a flowing body of water, where it is ceremonially poured to disperse the healing energies of the mandala throughout the world.
Links:
Sand Mandalas
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
Today marks the twenty-seventh year since John Lennon's untimely passing.
I remember being in a car, riding home with a friend who had just gotten her license when we heard the news. We pulled over and listened as the radio announcer reported that Lennon had been shot, and then confirmed,
'John Lennon is dead.'
As the snow fell silently around us, we held each other. We cried.
John Lennon was a candle of hope in a confusing world. It seemed impossible to believe that anyone so committed to peace could have met such a violent end. Rather than any sexual act of undoing, that singular moment marked the night my innocence died.
On the Imagine Peace website, Yoko Ono left her own message:
"I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything - sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine - holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.
I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years - and will stay with me forever."
Blessings to you John, wherever you may be.
Link here
Additional credits: Boingboing
'John Lennon is dead.'
As the snow fell silently around us, we held each other. We cried.
John Lennon was a candle of hope in a confusing world. It seemed impossible to believe that anyone so committed to peace could have met such a violent end. Rather than any sexual act of undoing, that singular moment marked the night my innocence died.
On the Imagine Peace website, Yoko Ono left her own message:
"I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything - sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine - holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.
I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years - and will stay with me forever."
Blessings to you John, wherever you may be.
Link here
Additional credits: Boingboing
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
After nearly a century, absinthe is legalized in the United States once again.
The Green Fairy. La Fee Verte. The Emerald Muse.
These are but a few of the sobriquets given to the worlds most controversial drink - Absinthe. Beloved by mystics, visionaries and artists alike, absinthe was initally banned in 1905 after a demonizing campaign for its prohibition; and now after nearly a hundred years, the United States has indeed lifted the ban on its sale.
No, really.
The first two absinthes to be allowed in the US market were Lucid and Kubler, each utilizing the more historical formula of high alcohol content (typically 128 proof or more) and low amounts of thujone.
The thujone in absinthe, initially at the heart of its eventual downfall, remains a controversial aspect. Thujone, a considerably potent toxin, is one of the key properties of wormwood and lethal in high doses. However distillers such as Lucid have spent painstaking hours analyzing the content of bottles of historical absinthe.
The conclusion?
That thujone itself was present only in the smallest amounts and that it's the combination of Wormwood along with other herbs such as hyssop and calamus which create the drink's notable characteristic of mystically lucid clarity. After much legal wrangling demonstrating this data to the FDA, the government overturned the ban with set stipulations that the thujone would remain at a low 10 parts per million.
Absinthe comes at a price - nearly $75.00 a bottle and up at the time of this writing. However, it's an amazing piece of history which the more bohemian among us are passionately celebrating.
For such an incredibly historical and dare I say, exciting event, news coverage is surprisingly scant. A sampling of media links however can be found here:
NY Times Coverage
Seattle Post
San Francisco Gate
These are but a few of the sobriquets given to the worlds most controversial drink - Absinthe. Beloved by mystics, visionaries and artists alike, absinthe was initally banned in 1905 after a demonizing campaign for its prohibition; and now after nearly a hundred years, the United States has indeed lifted the ban on its sale.
No, really.
The first two absinthes to be allowed in the US market were Lucid and Kubler, each utilizing the more historical formula of high alcohol content (typically 128 proof or more) and low amounts of thujone.
The thujone in absinthe, initially at the heart of its eventual downfall, remains a controversial aspect. Thujone, a considerably potent toxin, is one of the key properties of wormwood and lethal in high doses. However distillers such as Lucid have spent painstaking hours analyzing the content of bottles of historical absinthe.
The conclusion?
That thujone itself was present only in the smallest amounts and that it's the combination of Wormwood along with other herbs such as hyssop and calamus which create the drink's notable characteristic of mystically lucid clarity. After much legal wrangling demonstrating this data to the FDA, the government overturned the ban with set stipulations that the thujone would remain at a low 10 parts per million.
Absinthe comes at a price - nearly $75.00 a bottle and up at the time of this writing. However, it's an amazing piece of history which the more bohemian among us are passionately celebrating.
For such an incredibly historical and dare I say, exciting event, news coverage is surprisingly scant. A sampling of media links however can be found here:
NY Times Coverage
Seattle Post
San Francisco Gate
Posted by
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
Tesla was the most revolutionary inventor of our time, and an avid advocate of the occult and paranormal phenomena - which cost him nearly everything.
I have been captivated with Nikola Tesla since my first encounter with a Tesla Coil at the ripe age of ten. What baffled me then still bewilders me now - that for being someone that was so influential on modern day living (he has been termed the 'inventor of the twentieth century'), so brilliant a thinker and revolutionary for his or any time, he is largely unknown or skimmed over, societally speaking.
As an example, nearly every schoolchild can list at least two of Edison's inventions, but most have never even heard of Tesla, despite his unfathomable contributions to robotics, remote control, radar and computer science, and to the expansion of ballistics, nuclear physics and theoretical physics.
His eventual ostracism from the scientific community was predominately due to his style of thinking, which was based more in the love of discovery than for any capitalistic merit. Many of his achievements continue to be used (and admittedly misused) to support alternate sciences, UFO theories, and new age belief.
Regardless of any prejudice that the scientific community at large held towards Tesla, the fact that he was arguably one of the most brilliant thinkers of our age should have gone much further insofar as simply dismissing that rabbit hole completely.
One video in particular which effectively chronicles the highlights and little known facts regarding this provocative thinker can be found here:
The MIssing Secrets of Nikola Tesla (Parts 1-4)
Other interesting videos about Tesla can be found here:
Tesla - The Lost Wizard
Tesla - The Genius Within
Tesla - The Philadelphia Experiment and Time Travel
As an example, nearly every schoolchild can list at least two of Edison's inventions, but most have never even heard of Tesla, despite his unfathomable contributions to robotics, remote control, radar and computer science, and to the expansion of ballistics, nuclear physics and theoretical physics.
His eventual ostracism from the scientific community was predominately due to his style of thinking, which was based more in the love of discovery than for any capitalistic merit. Many of his achievements continue to be used (and admittedly misused) to support alternate sciences, UFO theories, and new age belief.
Regardless of any prejudice that the scientific community at large held towards Tesla, the fact that he was arguably one of the most brilliant thinkers of our age should have gone much further insofar as simply dismissing that rabbit hole completely.
One video in particular which effectively chronicles the highlights and little known facts regarding this provocative thinker can be found here:
The MIssing Secrets of Nikola Tesla (Parts 1-4)
Other interesting videos about Tesla can be found here:
Tesla - The Lost Wizard
Tesla - The Genius Within
Tesla - The Philadelphia Experiment and Time Travel