Happy New Year's Eve Day!

It is New Year's Eve Day and it is a good time to reflect. Often, people make resolutions that are not kept through January. I like to make plans. Plans sound more firm and active then resolutions. This year I plan to live joyously and notice when I spend more time planning than doing.

One of my favorite quotes: You have lost a whole week making those drawings. Why don't you make the machine! - Thomas Edison to my great-grandfather in the book Beloved Scientist.

That is my plan for the new year. To notice, and do.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Another magazine I love is Spirit Of Change. It is the largest holistic magazine published in New England. You can get it for free at stores like Whole Foods and New Age stores. Or, you can save a tree and read it online. You can subscribe for free to the digital edition. Some of the articles are posted on the home page. When you click on the article title it will come up with really small print. Click again on the article text and the font size will increase. This magazine has lots of great articles about conscious living, holistic health, and healing modalities.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Posting on the blog

I have changed the setting of the blog so that it is now easier to post comments. Before, you had to have a google account or have a blog to sign in. Now, anyone can post without logging in with a password. You will still have to type in a phrase, so that the blog system knows that you are a human being and not a spamming machine, and I will moderate and release comments, as a secondary precaution against spamming the blog forum. Contribute your knowledge!

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Shirley MacLaine Shows Her Chakras To Johnny Carson

Naropa University Consciousness Laboratory

Naropa University, in Boulder, CO is an accredited school with degrees in many contemplative disciplines. Under the direction of Dr. Peter Grossenberger, the university offers a Consciousness Laboratory. The department is Contemplative Psychology. According to the departmental website, the Consciousness Lab provides a unique synergy between modern psychological science and ancient contemplative approaches to understanding mind and spirit. A web search found that several colleges and universities have departments dedicated to the study or neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality.

Check out the college website and the department site links. It looks like a very interesting place to study. Appears to be well-funded and donors are from recognizable foundations. The college atmosphere is very spiritual and peaceful. Very different than the very large state university I attended!

I will post more colleges, universities, and studies in this discipline as I find them on the web.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Hark! the herald angels sing

The lyrics of this traditional Christmas carol got me thinking. This is the version in the 1982 Episcopal hymnal and I was surprised to notice that the word Sun, not Son, is written. This verse is really about universality, continuous life, and healing as Natural Law.

Vs.3

Mild he lays his glory by
born that we no more may die
born to raise us from the earth
born to give us second birth
Risen with healing in his wings
light and life to all he brings
hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
hail, the heaven-born prince of peace

Spirituality & Health Magazine has evolving website

I love reading magazines online. It is lighter on the planet and lighter on my budget. Spiritiuality & Health Magazine, with the tag line soul/body connection, is in the process of archiving articles on its website. For recent editions they are up to May 2008. The archives section goes back to 1998!

This magazine covers many topics that interest me. Some recent articles included spirituality and healing in the operating room, another about spirituality(not religion but rather your personal outlook) in the workplace. I will add a link to the magazine to the list on the right.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Winter Solstice

December 21 marks the winter solstice. It is the shortest day of the year. We celebrate the solstice as a 24 hour period but it is really just a moment. And, like all moments and all things, it passes and we move on. This morning, at 7:04 EST, the earth's axis tilted to its southernmost extreme, and for a moment it appeared that the sun stood still. How often in life it seems as if time stands still! Yet, we are really moving forward, changing, and repeating cycles and lessons that are essential for spiritual growth.

We observe today as the first day of winter and we leave autumn behind. The winter is like midnight. We have fallen asleep and we enter the restorative phase. We awaken in spring refreshed, ready for new life.

To me winter marks progress and the heralding of foward motion within the cycle. Starting now the days grow longer. In Salem, we are in the midst of a storm and the hard earth is blanketed in white. I am home and mother nature has imposed a stillness. The life force, infinite intelligence, is gently reminding me to rest, reflect, and go inward. To lift my heart, mind, and spirit to the sun even in the darkest and grayest of times. For yes, the days will grow longer and the sun will warm my face again. But today, I must slow down, rest, and restore for the future.

Interesting animation about consciousness

The Basics

It has been a few weeks since I last blogged. This whole working and making a living thing while we are on the earth plane...well, I guess that is where we learn the lessons for our spiritual progression. Yada, yada. So, I am going to make this blog entry especially good to make up for it. Mom, you will enjoy this entry.

I am extremely interested in physical phenomena. I have been ever since family friends from many years back re-entered our lives. Ron and Tracy Spencer, from a Spiritualist church in East Aurora, NY, visited Salem and gave a table tipping demonstration. It was pretty amazing. They had worked out a code with a spirit that worked through the table, As the table would tip one of the recited the alphabet and then the table would stop tipping on a specific letter, and one of them would write out the letters, form words, and deliver messages. This was far more evidential than having the table just move.

Later that year they stayed overnight at my home and we sat at the table. It is one thing to see table tipping, or typtology if you wish to use the correct terminology, in a public demonstration and quite another to witness it in your own home, in your living room, just you and the two mediums who sit regularly. I have been exposed to mediumship, trans-mediums, and the belief in the spirit world for my entire life. Nothing was quite like this experience in my living room.

Sadly, my dear friend Ron passed away shortly thereafter and we lost track of his wife, Tracy. I would love to be in touch with her again. We became fast friends and she and I would say we felt more like sisters.

So, I did what everybody does when they want to track down an old friend: I cyber-stalked her. I googled her name, where I think she may be living, etc. Well, I wasn't able to find her let alone stalk her. I did, however, find a web document that Ron, Tracy, and Ron's parents, Peggy and Paul (also deceased) were mentioned as sources for a paper written on a website about Spiritualism. It is a long read, 16 pages at least, but worth the time. Here is a link and I will add a permanent link to the blog. Article

Have an ectoplasmic day!

"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented."

Ed Harris, in the role of Christof, the producer in The Truman Show, makes this statement (not in the scene posted on the blog today), and it is the primary message of the movie. How true. Why?

Why do people place limits based on what has been presented as reality and then believe it is the only reality? Life has many variables. Variables may be our education, financial situation, family attitudes, geographic region, religious beliefs, political teachings, and most importantly, what we consider real in our very own mind. It is so easy to hold assumptions about the world and ourselves. Assumptions that then place enormous limitations on our lives because of what we consider reality. What if we decide to choose that the variables are not static? We may bump up against ideas that are not consistent with reality. Then what?

Enjoy the final scene. Warning, if you have not seen the film it is a spoiler. If you have, or don't care, please view. It is amazing what we can do when we realize we have the power to choose our reality.

Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir

See the Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping website

It's Black Friday and I am observing Buy Nothing Day 2008. Well, sort of. I went to a local Mom & Pop grocery store to get provisions for a small gathering of friends who will be dining at our home this evening.

This year retail sales during the holiday period are expected to be down and some say this season is all ready over. Chains have begun to liquidate a massive inventory of stuff that will not sell this holiday season. It's tricky. On the one hand, the economy will benefit if retail sales are up and stuff we don't need is moving out the doors and into our overcrowded homes. On the other hand, consumers who are already strapped will get themselves deeper in a hole and have more stuff that brings very little spiritual or emotional satisfaction.

There is a middle ground.

Choose to approach this holiday season from a mindset of ABUNDANCE! Abundant friends, family, love. When we run around buying every gadget in sight we are operating from a sense of scarcity. Do that, and yes, in late December when the buzz is gone you will definitely feel the scarcity.

The more stuff we crowd our lives with that we don't need, the clutter, isn't good for us. But, how can we get money moving through the economy, still give and receive gifts, and stay within our budget? It is easy. I urge you to consider the following ideas:

-Make holiday gifts such as homemade cookies and granola.
-Homemade candles.
-Support local, family-owned businesses.
-Support local artists and artisans.
-Embrace that less is more.
-Give in service.

Today I got some cash moving in the community, supported a local store that may feel the sting from the biggies, and will sit around the table breaking bread with people whose laughter raises my consciousness, lifts my spirit, and if there is any hangover it will be from an extra glass of Merlot shared with others, not from a 29%interest rate.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Linus' Thanksgiving Prayer

Whale gives thanks

I received this story by email today and found it incredibly moving. Of course, I wondered if it is true. According to Snopes it is true and you can read more and in detail on that site.

A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her --a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

Happy Thanksgiving and have an ectoplasmic holiday.

Being Thankful

Elevate your consciousness this Thanksgiving. Think of all that you are thankful for and feel your energetic vibration soar. Many will pray for world peace this week. Pray for peace within yourself and the rest will take care of itself. This is especially important tomorrow when you are standing in line with a frozen turkey and a ready made pie crust. Remember why you are shopping. It is to purchase food for a Thanksgiving feast.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Our thoughts

Thoughts are things. Spiritualists, metaphyscians, new age practitioners, and those who practice Science of Mind, have long acknowledged that thought is powerful. Our thoughts may be able to change the world. Writers such as Dyer, Chopra, Hill, and Hay have all written, in some way, that we may not always be able to change a situation, but that we always have the power to change how we think about a situation. I wish to go a step beyond and suggest that if we change how we think about a situation we can often find just the right word or action to peacefully affect a change. Sometimes it isn't enough to just change how we think. We must change what we do. It's an ellipsis of thought and action. Thoughts inform actions and actions inform thoughts. Why do I bring this up today? Because it is on my mind. My thought. Thinking about how changing how I feel about a circumstance may affect change. It will definitely affect what I do!

Music and DNA

There is a game floating around facebook. The rules are to grab the book nearest you, turn to page 56, and find the fifth sentence. Post that sentence. I played this game and here is my sentence: Not only is it possible to make music starting with DNA, one can do the reverse: one can start with great pieces of music, assign nucleotides to the notes, and end up with a particular type of DNA. - Music and Miracles, compiled by Don Campbell.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Spiritual Cinema

There is a new genre of films being made called Spiritual Cinema. Films that are inspirational, touch our soul, and communicate new ideas about spirituality. Check out this link to Spiritual Cinema Circle.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

May The Force Be With You

Luke Skywalker: I don't believe it!
Yoda: That is why you fail.

I found a very funny video, Joan's Present: Spirit World Visitation on YouTube. It is BBC and they disabled the embed function so you have to link direct. Anyway, it is pretty funny and it tell us that the subject is out in the open.

Moral of the story? Don't mix your spirits!

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Neurotheology

My new search term today is Neurotheology. It is wonderful that scientists are studying connections between the brain and spirituality.

This morning I found an article in CNN archives called Are Humans Hard-Wired For Faith? I believe that the brain is like a hard drive and the spirit is like the software. It is extremely interesting to me that scientists have determined that the frontal lobe, right behind the forehead, is the area that processes prayer and meditation. Of course, their is contoversy as to what the research really means. Who cares! People are paying attention to connections and ideas are being explored in this realm! Ponder that in your frontal lobe.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Paying Attention

Two interactions happened between yesterday and today that deserve some attention.

1. While driving to the grocery store I glanced into my rearview mirror and I thought I saw a woman I worked with 20 years ago, who I do not see often - randomly, in the car behind me. While shopping I ran into her partner who was by herself shopping for a church event. She was just about to buy a ton of nut based products for a group of children. She was stunned to learn that is a no-no these days with so many children diagnosed with nut allergies. Hmmm...

2. Went for coffee today with a friend. Glanced up and saw a former colleague who I had not seen in close to 7 years. She could not believe she saw me as just last night she had talked to her husband and daughter about me and wondered how to get in touch.

This seems to happen all the time.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

The Hundredth Monkey by Ken Keys, Jr.

I love this story. I found the text at a website called World Transformation.

The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes. THEN IT HAPPENED! By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! But notice. A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea --Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone! (from the book "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, jr. The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part. You can look at the whole book also.)

If only...

Satirical cartoon of physical manifestations during a spiritualist seance.

I do not know the source of this cartoon, but I found it on a website during a search for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The author of the site from which I abstracted the cartoon, Donald Simantek, thinks that phenomena is a hoax. It goes on about Spiritualism, Fox Sisters, Houdini, and even Fairies. The site is heavily biased and actually a bit condescending towards those who believe in Natural Law. However, the cartoon is just priceless. There was no way I could resist posting it here. Get things moving, people!

Have an ectoplasmic day!

December 21, 2012

Today I did a google search of Human Consciousness and I stumbled upon a website dedicated to the predicted events of December 21, 2012. According to the Mayan calendar this is the end of time.

There are many opinions about the end of time, whether it is a physical end or a conscious end to what we currently know, with predictions from Edgar Cayce, Nostramdamus, Einstein, and even in the Bible. Will the earth, and we as spiritual entities, undergo a dramatic shift in consciousness? Is it the end of the world? Is the end of the world a metaphor for the changes that will occur to those of us who live on planet earth? Interesting questions to consider.

According to the website Adishakti we are in a period of transformation right now. Our relationships with time and money will change. Even our DNA will change as we undergo a collective consciousness shift as the galaxy alligns.

There is alot on the web about this date. Some uplifting and optimistic to a spiritual shift while we reside on planet earth. Some that show the earth in flames and burning out to nothingness. I suppose either outcome is the same. A radical shift in consciousness either way.

Have an ectoplasmic day!

Vote!

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were no longer in the physical to visit the polls by the time the 19th amendment was passed. Honor their Spirit! If you live in the United States and are registered, go vote today!

The Mind-Matter Unification Project at Cambridge University.

Professor Brian Josephson, a physicist at Cambridge University and director of the Mind-Matter Unification Project, has published extensively regarding the brain and intelligent process. He is a scientist who advocates research in parapyschology. His website links many published papers in regard to telepathy, quantum mechanics, neuroscience, and educated responses to well-circulated news outlets in support of paranormal theories that are overlooked by less progressive scientists or those who have a deep seated cultural bias toward moving forward in this realm.

Click here for Brian Josephson's website which links to many of his papers and research. Think I will add this to the links page!

Have an ectoplasmic day!

What happens when we die?

In September, Time Magazine published an article titled What Happens When We Die?

Photo: John Drysdale / Keystone Features / Getty

A fellow at New York City's Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Sam Parnia is one of the world's leading experts on the scientific study of death. Last week Parnia and his colleagues at the Human Consciousness Project announced their first major undertaking: a 3-year exploration of the biology behind "out-of-body" experiences. The study, known as AWARE (AWAreness during REsuscitation), involves the collaboration of 25 major medical centers through Europe, Canada and the U.S. and will examine some 1,500 survivors of cardiac arrest. TIME spoke with Parnia about the project's origins, its skeptics and the difference between the mind and the brain. (Time Magazine, september 18,2008)

Click on the attribution link to read the entire article. I believe that there is a mind-body-spirit connection and I can't wait for the results of this study. As technology advances we will learn even more about the connection!

Have an ectoplasmic day!

What is Ectoplasm?

ec.to.plasm (ěk'tə-plāz'əm)n.

1. Biology The outer portion of the continuous phase of cytoplasm of a cell, sometimes distinguishable as a somewhat rigid, gelled layer beneath the cell membrane.
2. a.)The visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.
   b.)An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.
   

ec'to·plas'mic adj.

As found on Dictionary.com

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Ectoplasmic-Salem

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