GIVING TO OTHERS AND YOURSELF

SWEDENBORG QUOTE

...IT IS THE DIVINE OF THE LORD THAT MAKES HEAVEN. The angels taken collectively are called heaven, for they constitute heaven; and yet that which makes heaven in general and in particular is the Divine that goes forth from the Lord and flows into the angels and is received by them. And, as the Divine that goes forth from the Lord is the good of love and the truth of faith, the angels are angels and are heaven in the measure in which they receive good and truth from the lord. ... Heaven and Hell  ­­—Emanuel Swedenborg

A MEDITATION

One should love God mindlessly,
by this I mean that your soul ought to be
without mind or mental activities
or images or representations.
Bare your soul and all mind
And stay there without mind.

Moreover, I advise you
to let your own 'being you' sink away
and melt into
God's 'being God.'
In this way you're 'you' and God's 'his,'
will become a completely one 'my.'
And you will come to know his changeless existence
and him nameless nothingness.

from Meditations with Meister Eckhart a book
by Matthew Fox

BOOK NOOK

A listing of books covering the subject of "The End of the World"

• Catastrophobia: The Truth Behind Earth Changes   Barbara Hand Clow
• Galactic Alignment: The Transformation of Consciousness According to Mayan, Egyptian and Vedic Traditions  John Mayer Jenkins
• Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar Carl Johann Callerman
• The Orion Prophecy: Will the World be Destroyed in 2012  Patrick Geryl
• The World Cataclysm in 2012  Patrick Geryl
• When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance and Planetary Survival Matthew Stein
• A guide to the End of the World: Everything You Never Wanted to Know  Bill McGuire
• A Monument to the End of Time: Alchemy, Fulcanelli and the Great Cross Jay Weidner, Vincent Bridges
• The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye: Alchemy and the End of Time  Jay Weidner, Vincent Bridges
• Mayan Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date  Terrence McKenna
• The Coming Global Super-storm  Whitley Strieber
• Fiture Prospects of the World According to the Bible  Code Joseph Noah
• The Cosmos of Soul: A Wake-Up Call for Humanity  Patricia Cory
• Coming Earth Changes: Causes and Consequences of the Approaching Pole Shift William Hutton
• Pole Shift: Predictions and Prophecies of the Ultimate Disaster  John Warren White
• Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Complete Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival  Jack a Spigarelli

These books are all available on Amazon.com More can be found under this category online. References to this subject exist in part in other books you are familiar with.

DO YOU ZO?

An interesting tribe of Indigenous people are the Zo. Numbering up to 25,000 they are living along Indo-Burma frontier. In India, Zous/Zos are officially recognized as one of the 29 "Scheduled Tribes" within the state of Manipur. According to the Census of India, the Zou population in Manipur (30,567 persons) is the tenth largest Scheduled Tribe population in Manipur. The unofficial estimate for the Zou/Zo population in India is around 20,000 to 25,000 (2001 Census).

If you are interested in indigenous tribes; their culture and religion go to http://zolengthe.net


 FRIENDLY PERSUASION

According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar, it’s impossible for any of us to have more than 150 friends. The human brain literally can’t process the intimate information required to sustain more than that.

WHAT IS REIKI?

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well being. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.

Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, ReikiReiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.

The article above is from the website What is Reiki. 

We have several Reiki practices in our group. Just to mention two: Paul and Ruth. Don't just expect miracles ... welcome them! All healing is natural. Without the natural ability of the physical and mental to heal, all disease or injury would be imminently fatal. We are born with a healing process already operating in, through and around us. It is our destiny to be diligent of how we avoid corrupting our systems of health and well-being -- keeping the flow of healing energy unimpeded.

Every second of every minute of every hour, of every day, of every month, of every year, of every eon ... healing energy is flowing --bringing us closer to spirit. It is the nature of spirit to give and bestow blessings and healing.  Nature does not hold back. Since there is no end to source there is no need to stop or slow the great current of energy that gives life to all. This is the same energy that created All.

Creation is so full of life and love that there really is no room for despair. Doubt, despair, anger, fear and resentment all tend to cut off the natural flow of perfect love that heals. Meditation such as that from Meister Eckhart opens channels that heal the mind-body-spirit. Visualizing the truth 'that you are a perfect child of God, made in his image and likeness' reminds your creative brain (unconscious) that you are whole. 

This technique also works to alleviate pain, sorrow, grief, loneliness and lack. If you are afraid of poverty, you are creating it in your thoughts (law of Attraction). "Fear not" and go about your father's business believing you are perfect and whole and that as a child of God you are entitled to unlimited blessings.

 Below is a quote from the creator of Reiki on how to live an abundant life 

FIVE PRINCIPLES

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind
The founder , Usui Mikao  

-ns-

KAHLIL GIBRAN'S CHAPTER ON GIVING FROM THE PROPHET

On Giving

An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran

Then said a rich man, "Speak to us of Giving."
And he answered:

You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things
you keep and guard
for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow
bring to the over prudent dog
burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the
pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full,
the thirst that is unquenchable?

There are those who give little
of the much which they have-
and they give it
for recognition and their hidden desire
makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life,
and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy,
and their joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain,
and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not
pain in giving, nor do they seek joy,
nor give with mindfulness of virtue:
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle
breathes its fragrance into space.
Through the hands of such as these God
speaks, and from behind their eyes
He smiles upon the earth.

It is well to give when asked, but it is
better to give unasked, through understanding:
And to the open-handed the search for
one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.
And is there aught your would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given:
Therefore give now, that the season of
giving may be yours and not your inheritors`.

You often say,"I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so,
nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live,
for to with-hold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his
days and nights, is worthy of all else from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from
the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.
And what desert greater shall there be,
than that, which lies in the courage and the
confidence, nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend
their bosom and unveil their pride,
that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed?
See first that you yourself deserve to be
a giver,and an instrument of giving.

For in truth it is life that gives unto life-
while you, who deem yourself a giver are but a witness.

And you receivers- and you are all
receivers- assume no weight of gratitude,
lest you lay a yoke upon
yourself and upon he who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings:
For to be over-mindful of your debt,is
to doubt his generosity who has the
free-hearted earth for mother,and God for father

Kahlil Gibran's book, published in 1923 is especially relevant and  helpful
for these times and is a wonderful gift for yourself or a loved one.
"The Prophet"

 

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF GIVING:

Giving: Unlocking the  heart of good stewardship  By John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson, Judson Poling

 Although I have not read either of these books I have heard a review of the Clinton book that gives it high marks. It is for sale on Amazon.com and no I am not advertising Amazon. You can also find wonderful books on Barnes and Noble and other sites, but I have my emails and blogs tied to Google which has close ties to Amazon and most of the links I find go to that site.


I have noticed that even the material available for my Kindle comes from Amazon. My advice would be to purchase a little Amazon stock here and there. Even if books become obsolete you can get the e-books from there.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AND A JOYOUS AND 
ABUNDANT HOLIDAY SEASON

THE MICROCOSM -- FLITTER OCTOBER 2010

SWEDENBORG SAYS ...

Swedenborg Foundation

 ...affections bring forth thoughts but thoughts do not bring forth affections. There is an appearance that they do, but is is a fallacy. And when affections bring forth thoughts, they at the same time bring forth all things of man, because affections are of his life.

          ---E. Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained (22, #1175:4)

NATURE OF THE EGO

..."When you realize that you are a microcosmic image of the whole, as God of your universe, then you might decide to improve it. As you begin to improve yourself, you are likely to encounter the most central trap of the whole spiritual realm ---ego...

-- Returning to the Source -- They Way to Experience God (The Microcosm pg 63 line 9) 

by Wilson Van Dusen

 A POEM OF CREATION

I once had a dream,

I dreamt that I, even though a man, was pregnant,

pregnant and full with Northingness like a woman who

is with child.

And out of this Nothingness

God was born.

-- from Meditations with Meister Eckhart


BILL AND BARRY BLESS THE WORSHIP CENTER

Thanks to Bill Blue and Barry Colley many improvement have been made to the worship center. Maintenance which has been lacking for many months is being done and they have started a wonderful garden and are working some bee hives. They prepare for the congregation each Sunday morning with coffee, fresh fruit and home baked goodies. 

We would like to place the following people in the light: Marianne, Ruth, Paul, Barry, Norm and any others you know with a challenge. If you want to place someone in our prayer circle please send the names to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com 

                     I only see You. I am in love
with whatever Your Creating does. You make
happiness, and I'm grateful. You make
disaster, and I'm patient
                    Anyone who loves
Your making is full of Glory. Anyone who loves
what You have made is not a true believer.
                    ---Rumi, This Longing (24)


REVIEW: Can Science Explain the Soul?

By Stuart Hameroff MD and Deepak Chopra MD

Please take time to read this essay on The Soul. There are many secrets revealed by these two authors, who offer (in many instances) two versions of an idea. Entire article can be found at this link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/can-science-explain-the-s_b_675107.html

This is one writing that I want to keep on my Kindle. You might find inspiration on Dr. Chopra's website www.depakchopra.com
Some subtitles in this article are:

• Consciousness and the Soul
• Awareness After Bodily Death
• The Quantum Plunge
• Running on Empty – The Soul At Large in the Universe
• Conclusion – A Science of the Quantum Soul

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS BIG BUSINESS: BUT NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Some of the big newspaper chains are scouring the web with search engines looking for snippets and whole copies of their articles on rebel websites. The “PLAN” is to sue websites that pilfer-to-publish and hold them by the throat, to either make them pay up to $150,000 penalty fee or suffer a long and painful lawsuit in court.

The ‘suits’ who thought up this plan are trying to squeeze additional revenue by forcing the small players into an untenable situation. If you get caught in this net your a dead fish. But it is not all gloom and doom for first time writers and fledgling websites. In some cases the ‘suits’ have spent tens to thousands of times more money pursuing perps than they can possibly hope to recoup. In one case $64M was spent to receive only $150,000.

The caution against violating copyright rules also goes for: books, music, art, documents and other artistic  and original works. When we say “PLAN” we mean a well organized team are working day and night with focus and energy. This is not a hit-or-miss copyright editor who happens to see a redux of his paper’s Lifestyle feature in a suburban housewife’s web page. A team of law school grads and hungry lawyers is going to work every day just to see if they can slap your wrist. Beware of quotes and snippets ­— paragraphs and pages that you place on the web.


REFINING EDUCATION CULTIVATING THE SOUL
From the Living section of Huffington Post


What is the defining myth of our times? I’ve heard our culture described as materialistic, but we don’t seem to love the material world all that much. I’ve also heard our philosophy labeled as “the myth of fact.” Although I do see the academic world mad in its pursuit of facts, all carefully defined and counted, I think more simply that we are devoted to the myth of things.

We pride ourselves on the things we possess, and we go to school to learn things. The things we learn are all sorted out and grouped together: We learn mathematical things and scientific things and even psychological things. When I taught at universities, one of the problems I ran into -- and no doubt one of the reasons they didn’t give me tenure -- was trying to create thing-type exams for material that was not reducible to things. It isn’t easy to adapt philosophical and religious issues to a multiple-choice exam.

At school, students cram for an exam. “Cram” means to fill up or stuff. Well, if you’re stuffing yourself for an exam, you must be filling yourself with things. That’s how we imagine education: filling our minds with stuff.

The Greeks of old had a different idea that they called paideia. This was education conceived as creating a cultured person who would be a mature citizen and leader. Imagine if our focus in education was on the person rather than the things studied. We’d be concerned that a student grow up and learn how to deal with life and help others deal with it as well. This education has two purposes: self-ripening and leadership.

It’s a false hope, and the quality of our leadership in business and government, with some notable exceptions, betrays the failure of that hope. Some things have to be taught, and eventually we discover that the most important things aren’t things at all. They’re qualities of character and hard-won values and matters of taste. The reason we have so many tasteless things in our society is that we don’t teach taste, and the reason we confuse moralism with ethics is that no one taught us the difference.

There are many items we assume can’t be taught that will simply fade away if we don’t teach them: manners, civility, good language, mature love, good art, self-awareness and reflection, intelligent reading, responsible travel, care of one’s home and belongings, a sense of the beautiful, intelligent spirituality and empathy for our fellow citizens on the planet. This is a small part of a much longer list.

Who should teach these things--parents or teachers? Obviously, both. And not only parents and teachers, but brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends, managers and CEOs, mayors and senators, movie stars and janitors. As members of society, each of us has a role to play in teaching the values and wisdom we’ve somehow acquired.

One way is not to treat the material we teach as things. I’ve used mythology in much of my writing, and frequently a reader will say to me, “I never knew that mythology had anything to do with my life.” Most people could say the same about many things they have studied. I didn’t know literature had anything to do with me. I didn’t know that science had something to say about my life. I didn’t know that I could sort out moral issues by reading poems.

The “thingification” of education has cost us an immeasurable loss of values and insight. We build great machines, but we don’t know how to use them for human edification. Many have studied the natural world as a collection of things of which we are the absent landlord. We grant Ph.D.s to people without knowing if they’re ready to be creative and responsible citizens of the world. As long as they know certain things...

Maybe it’s time to restore subjectivity to the subjects we study and to redefine our very idea of education. We could guide people as they learn not only things of value but also how to be.
from www.huffingtonpost.com 

  Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore has been a monk, a musician, a professor, a psychotherapist, an author and a lecturer

VOLUSIA COUNTY IN FOREFRONT OF EDUCATION REFORM

Another concept in teaching has reached Volusia County. Woodward Elementary School is now dividing up a few grade classes into gender specific groups. Boys and Girls are being taught differently in an effort to provide a better educational experience for both. Scientific studies have determined that boyS and girls have different preferences as to subjects, lighting, atmosphere, colors, sounds, activities and social structure.

Males are more tribal and enjoy physical movement while learning. Some prefer to walk around the classroom or drum during study time. Much of their interaction in an "in your face" type of posture.Boys would rather take things apart and change the arrangement of the furniture and reference materials. They also prefer brighter primary colors and lots of natural light.

At a recent presentation of the Paul Harris Fellow award to Dr. Wendy Libby, Dean of Stetson University ...Dr. Elizabeth Heins of Stetson and Torrence Broxton, Principal of Woodward Elem. School spoke on the subject of gender-specific teaching. As a partner in this project Candace Lankford, School Board President made some comments. This picture shows Dr. Libby's award (L-R) Candace Lankford, Dick Brunning Past District Gov. of Rotary, Dr. Libby, Al Bouie President of Rotary Club of DeLand, Dr. Patrick Coggins (making presentation) and Gloria Denston incoming President of Rotary Club of DeLand. Not shown: Torrence Broxton and Betty Heins.

Girls, on the other hand, are not necessarily competitive, but often support and cheer each other on. The girls prefer softer lighting, paler or pastel colors, and beauty and symmetry are important to their surroundings. They are less likely to move furniture once it is a pleasing arrangement that is functional. I am thinking girls might want to decorate the classroom for seasonal activities and establish a theme.

The differences go even deeper into the education experience. Single gender classes often bring out the leadership qualities of both boys and girls when the complicated social structure of gender is eliminated. The genders also prefer to study (and excel in) different subjects. Achievement improvement is the determinant factor in the effectiveness of gender specific classrooms. Stetson University and the Volusia County School Board are cooperating to take this method to it's most effective limits in our public school system. To learn more go to www.stetson.edu/artsci/education/pds/network.php
An article on this subject can be found on the blog cogwheeldelandrotary.blogspot.com

DRUIDRY
Religion
Britain Recognizes Druidry As a Religion

The Pagan festival of Samhain approaches. An ancient Celtic belief is held by Druids who worshipped deities with natural forms. Neo-paganism, Wicca and Voodoo are often mentioned in the same category as Druidry. The British has finally recognized Druidry as an official religion and bestowed official status to the existing members. Tax exemption as a religion is a boon to Brits who worship in Druid congregations . They already have such status in the US.

Membership of 350 comprises The Druid Network in Britain, which has only sought charitable status for “the advancement of religion for public benefit and no other purpose.” As explained below, the Druids claim they are not ordinary. They hold no asserted dogma, and worship love and fertility. Druids associate their Gods with the natural forces of nature, the moon, rain and love. Their Gods take the forms of animals and plants of the world of nature.

They often tend to be demonized. Official recognition will help legitimize the religion."We are not just a bunch of people who run wild in the forest as neo-pagans, communicating with spirits and practicing witchcraft." Many people do not realize that practicing witchcraft and communicating with spirits is not Satanic. Druids do not believe in or recognize Satan, Judaism or Islam.

According to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, neo-pagan groups are growing in the United States. So, who knows what will come next: Druid Schools, Druid hospitals, maybe even a Druid center of worship near Ground Zero.

A short definition of Druidry (from Wikipedia)

Neo-druidism or neo-druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents is a form of modern spirituality or religion  that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment. It is considered to be a Neopagan faith by some adherents, along with such religions as Wicca and Asatru, though “some assert that Druidry is not a religion at all, not even necessarily a spirituality, but simply a philosophy of living” that can be adhered to by followers of any religion or by atheists.

Originally inspired by 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century Romantic movements, modern Druidism was based upon theories about the Iron Age Celtic druids which are no longer considered to be historically accurate. Modern Druidism has no demonstrable historical link to the ancient Celts or their culture. In the first half of the twentieth century, modern druids developed fraternal organizations modeled on Freemasonry that employed the romantic figure of the British Druids and Bards as symbols of indigenous British spirituality. Some of these groups were purely fraternal and cultural, creating traditions from the national imagination of Britain. Others merged with contemporary movements such as the physical culture movement and naturism. Since the 1980s some modern druid groups have adopted similar methodologies to those of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism in an effort to create a more historically accurate practice. However, there is still controversy over how much resemblance modern druidism may or may not have to Iron Age or earlier druidism.

MICROCOSM

"It is to begin with, all inside us. But because we are all miniature versions of the universe, it is also found far beyond. And because we are all biologically and spiritually part of the first man, the place precedes us. And because we all carry within us the genotype and vision of the last man, the place is foretold in us. There is no surprise in any of this. We have all known it all since before we were conceived by our most recent mother and father."
--Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Honey From the Rock (15)

A POEM OF ENLIGHTENMENT

slightlywarped.com's Curiosities

slightlywarped.com's Curiosities

THE GODS LIVE ON MOUNT OLYMPUS

FLITTER                                                                                                                                                  

Regular Sunday services at Chrysalis Spiritual Center will resume the Sunday after Labor Day at 10 am
Skuli will return from his summer adventure and we can catch up on activities at Chrysalis Garden, Bamboo Arts and our lbeloved members.

When I dwelt in the ground,
      in the bottom, in the stream, and
      in the source of the godhead,

No one asked me where I was going or
      what I was doing

Back in the womb from which I came,
      I had no God
            and merely was myself,

And when I return
      to God and to the core, the soil, the ground,
      the stream and the source of the godhead,
No one asks me where I am coming from
      or where I have been

For no one misses me
      in the place
      where God ceases to become.

Path 1: CREATION from Meditations with Meister Eckhart

MT. OLYMPUS WAS HOME TO THE GODS

Myths The Creation of the World

In the beginning there was only chaos. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknowable place where death dwells, and Night. All else was empty, silent, endless, darkness. Then somehow Love was born bringing a start of order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there was Light and Day, Gaea, the earth appeared.

The religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct. The so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper among living men. They belong now not to the department of theology, but to those of literature and taste. There they still hold their place, and will continue to hold it, for they are too closely connected with the finest productions of poetry and art, both ancient and modern, to pass into oblivion.

In order to understand these stories, it will be necessary to acquaint ourselves with the ideas of the structure of the universe which prevailed among the Greeks- the people from whom the Romans, and other nations through them, received their science and religion.

The Greeks believed the earth to be flat and circular, their own country occupying the middle of it, the central point being either Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods, or Delphi, so famous for its oracle.
The circular disk of the earth was crossed from west to east and divided into two equal parts by the Sea, as they called the Mediterranean, and its continuation the Euxine, the only seas with which they were acquainted.

Around the earth flowed the River Ocean, its course being from south to north on the western side of the earth, and in a contrary direction on the eastern side. It flowed in a steady, equable current, unvexed by storm or tempest. The sea, and all the rivers on earth, received their waters from it.

The northern portion of the earth was supposed to be inhabited by a happy race named the Hyperboreans, dwelling in everlasting bliss and spring beyond the lofty mountains whose caverns were supposed to send forth the piercing blasts of the north wind, which chilled the people of Hellas (Greece). Their country was inaccessible by land or sea. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils and warfare. Moore has given us the “Song of a Hyperborean,” beginning

“I come from a land in the sun-bright deep,
Where golden gardens glow,
Where the winds of the north, becalmed in sleep,
Their conch shells never blow.”

The abode of the gods was on the summit of Mount Olympus, in Thessaly. A gate of clouds, kept by the godesses named the Seasons, opened to permit the passage of the Celestials to earth, and to receive them on their return. The gods had their separate dwellings; but all, when summoned, repaired to the palace of Jupiter, as did also those deities whose usual abode was the earth, the waters, or the under-world. It was also in the great hall of the palace of the Olympian king that the gods feasted each day on ambrosia and nectar, their food and drink, the latter being handed round by the lovely goddess Hebe. Here they conversed of the affairs of heaven and earth; and as they quaffed their nectar, Apollo, the god of music, delighted them with the tones of his lyre, to which the Muses sang in responsive strains. When the sun was set, the gods retired to sleep in their respective dwellings.

On the south side of the earth, close to the stream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans. They were named the AEthiopians. The gods favoured them so highly that they were wont to leave at times their Olympian abodes and go to share their sacrifices and banquets.

On the western margin of the earth, by the stream of Ocean, lay a happy place named the Elysian Plain, whither mortals favoured by the gods were transported without tasting of death, to enjoy an immortality of bliss. This happy region was also called the “Fortunate Fields,” and the “Isles of the Blessed.”

We thus see that the Greeks of the early ages knew little of any real people except those to the east and south of their own country, or near the coast of the Mediterranean. Their imagination meantime peopled the western portion of this sea with giants, monsters, and enchantresses, while they placed around the disk of the earth, which they probably regarded as of no great width, nations enjoying the peculiar favour of the gods, and blessed with happiness and longevity.

The Dawn, the Sun, and the Moon were supposed to rise out of the Ocean, on the eastern side, and to drive through the air, giving light to gods and men. The stars, also, except those forming the Wain or Bear, and others near them, rose the stream of Ocean. There the sun-god embarked in a winged boat, which conveyed him round by the northern part of the earth, back to his place of rising in the east. Milton alludes to this in his “Comus”:
Hestia, Demeter, Dionysus, and Hades are the variable gods among the Twelve. Hestia gave up her position as an Olympian to Dionysus in order to live among mankind (eventually she was assigned the role of tending the fire on Mount Olympus).

Persephone spent six months of the year in the underworld (causing winter), and was allowed to return to Mount Olympus for the other six months in order to be with her mother, Demeter. And, although Hades was always one of the principal Greek gods, his home in the underworld of the dead made his connection to the Olympians more tenuous.

The Olympians gained their supremacy in the world of gods after Zeus led his siblings to victory in war with the Titans; Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings; all other Olympians (with the exception of foam-born Aphrodite) are usually considered the children of Zeus by various mothers, except for Athena, who in some versions of the myth was born of Zeus alone.

Additionally, some versions of the myth state that Hephaestus was born of Hera alone as Hera's revenge for Zeus' solo birth of Athena.

Aphrodite
Apollo
Ares
Artemis
Athena
Demeter
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hestia
Poseidon
Zeus

 The Titans, also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus who was dethroned by his son Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and were punished by being banished to Tartarus. During their rule the Titans were associated with the various planets.

• Gaea
• Uranus
• Cronus
• Rhea
• Oceanus
• Tethys
• Hyperion
• Mnemosyne
• Themis
• Iapetus
• Coeus
• Crius
• Phoebe
• Thea
• Prometheus
• Epimetheus
• Atlas
• Metis
• Dione
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Ancient Greek theology was based on polytheism 

  There were many gods and goddesses. There was a hierarchy of deities, with Zeus, the king of the gods, having a level of control over all the others, although he was not omnipotent. Some deities had dominion over certain aspects of nature, for instance, Zeus was the sky-god, sending thunder and lightning, Poseidon  ruled over the sea  and earthquakes, and Helios ruled over the sun. Other deities ruled over an abstract concept, for instance Aphrodite  controlled love.

  
  Whilst being immortal, the gods were not all powerful. They had to obey fate, which overrode all. For instance, in mythology, it was Odysseus’ fate to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, and the gods could only lengthen his journey and make it harder for him, but they could not stop him.

  
  The gods acted like humans, and had human vices. They would interact with humans, sometimes even spawning children with them. At times certain gods would be opposed to another, and they would try to outdo each other. In the Iliad, for example, Zeus, Aphrodite, Ares and Apollo support the Trojan side in the Trojan War, while Hera, Athena and Poseidon support the Greeks (see theomachy).

  
  Some gods were specifically associated with a certain city. For instance, Athena was associated with the city of Athens, Apollo with Delphi and Delos, Zeus with Olympia and Aphrodite with Corinth. Other deities were associated with nations outside of Greece, for instance, Poseidon was associated with Ethiopia and Troy, and Ares with Thrace.

  
  Identity of names was not a guarantee of a similar cultus; the Greeks themselves were well aware that the Artemis worshiped at Sparta, the virgin huntress, was a very different deity from the Artemis who was a many-breasted fertility goddess at Ephesus. When literary works such as the Iliad related conflicts among the gods these conflicts were because their followers were at war on earth and were a celestial reflection of the earthly pattern of local deities. Though the worship of the major deities spread from one locality to another, and though most larger cities boasted temples to several major gods, the identification of different gods with different places remained strong to the end.

  
  
  Afterlife

  
  The Greeks believed in an underworld where the spirits of the dead went to after their death. If a funeral was never performed, it was commonly believed that that person’s spirit would never reach the underworld and so would haunt the world as a ghost forever. There were various different views of the underworld, and the idea generally changed over time.

  
  One of the most widespread areas of the underworld was known as Hades. This was ruled over by a god, a brother of Zeus, who was called Hades (his realm was originally called ‘the place of Hades’). Another realm, called Tartarus, was the place where the damned were thought to go, a place of torment. A third realm, Elysium, was a pleasant place where the virtuous dead and initiates in the mystery cults were said to dwell. The underworld commonly featured in mythology and literature based thereupon.

  
  A very few, like Achilles, Alcmene, Amphiaraus Ganymede, Ino, Melicertes, Menelaus, Peleus, and a great part of those who fought in the Trojan and Theban wars, were considered to have been physically immortalized and brought to live forever in either Elysium, the Islands of the Blessed, heaven, the ocean or literally right under the ground. This belief was of little relief to practically everybody, as the moment your body was living through either decay, fire or consumption, there was no hope of anything but the existence of a disembodied soul.

  
  Some Greeks, such as the philosophers Pythagoras and Plato, also espoused the idea of reincarnation, though this was not accepted by all.

  
  Greek religion had a large mythology. It consisted largely of stories of the gods and of how they affected humans on Earth. Myths often revolved around heroes, and their actions, such as Heracles  and his twelve labors, Odysseus and his voyage home, Jason and the quest for the Golden Fleece and Theseus and the Minotaur
  .
  

  

  Minotaur -- Half man half bull

  
  Many different species existed in Greek mythology. Chief among these were the gods and humans, though the Titans also heavily appeared in Greek myths. They predated the Olympian gods, and were hated by them. Lesser species included the half-man, half-horse centaurs, the nature based nymphs (tree nymphs were dryads, sea nymphs were Nereids) and the half man, half goat satyrs. Some creatures in Greek mythology were monstrous, such as the one-eyed giant Cyclopes, the sea beast Scylla, whirlpool Charybdis, Gorgons, and the half-man, half-bull Minotaur.

  
  Many of the myths revolved around the Trojan war between Greece and Troy. For instance, the epic poem, The Iliad, by Homer, is based around the war. Many other tales are based around the aftermath of the war, such as the murder of King Agamemnon of Argos, and the adventures of Odysseus on his return to Ithaca.

  
  There was no one set Greek cosmogony, or creation myth. Different religious groups believed that the world had been created in different ways. One Greek creation myth was told in Hesiod’s Theogony. It stated that at first there was only a primordial deity called Chaos, who gave birth to various other primordial gods, such as Gaia, Tartarus and Eros, who then gave birth to more gods, the Titans, who then gave birth to the first Olympians.

  
  The mythology largely survived and was added to in order to form the later Roman mythology. The Greeks and Romans had been literate societies, and much mythology was written down in the forms of epic poetry (such as The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Argonautica) and plays (such as Euripides’ The Bacchae and Aristophones’ The Frogs). The mythology became popular in Christian post-Renaissance Europe, where it was often used as a basis for the works of artists like Botticelli, Michelangelo and Rubens.

  
  

  Sacred Texts

  
  Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Pindar’s Odes are included as sacred texts as are other works of classical antiquity. These are the core texts that were considered inspired and usually include an invocation to the Muses for inspiration at the beginning of the work.

  
  

  Rites of Passage

  
  One rite of passage was the amphidromia, celebrated on the fifth or seventh day after the birth of a child. Child birth was extremely significant to athenians, especially if it was a boy.

  
  Mystery religions

  
  Those who were not satisfied by the public cult of the gods could turn to various mystery religions which operated as cults into which members had to be initiated in order to learn their secrets.

  Here, they could find religious consolations that traditional religion could not provide: a chance at mystical awakening, a systematic religious doctrine, a map to the afterlife, a communal worship, and a band of spiritual fellowship.

  
  
  Some of these mysteries, like the mysteries of Eleusis and Samothrace, were ancient and local. Others were spread from place to place, like the mysteries of Dionysus. During the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire, exotic mystery religions became widespread, not only in Greece, but all across the empire. Some of these were new creations, such as Mithras, while others had been practiced for hundreds of years before, like the Egyptian mysteries of Osiris. 
  -nss- in part extracted from Wikipedia and other sites.
  -nss-
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Moving Away from Conspicuous Consumption
  

  
  
  
  The relentless consumerism of the good old days -- i.e., before the financial crisis hit -- seemed as natural as Apple pie. Now, though, it's becoming apparent that the spending habits of old were more a factor of cheap money economics and nonstop corporate propagandizing than an unavoidable human compulsion. Brought back to earth by a harsh new reality, many people are discovering, as the New York Times reports in "But Will It Make You Happy?" that there's more to life than borrowing and buying:
  
  
  

  SHE had so much.
  A two-bedroom apartment. Two cars. Enough wedding china to serve two dozen people.

   Yet Tammy Strobel wasn’t happy. Working as a project manager with an investment management firm in Davis, Calif., and making about $40,000 a year, she was, as she put it, caught in the “work-spend treadmill.”
   
  

  So one day she stepped off.

  
  Inspired by books and blog entries about living simply, Ms. Strobel and her husband, Logan Smith, both 31, began donating some of their belongings to charity. As the months passed, out went stacks of sweaters, shoes, books, pots and pans, even the television after a trial separation during which it was relegated to a closet. Eventually, they got rid of their cars, too. Emboldened by a Web site that challenges consumers to live with just 100 personal items, Ms. Strobel winnowed down her wardrobe and toiletries to precisely that number
  
  Her mother called her crazy.Today, three years after Ms. Strobel and Mr. Smith began downsizing, they live in Portland, Ore., in a spare, 400-square-foot studio with a nice-sized kitchen. Mr. Smith is completing a doctorate in physiology; Ms. Strobel happily works from home as a Web designer and freelance writer. She owns four plates, three pairs of shoes and two pots. With Mr. Smith in his final weeks of school, Ms. Strobel’s income of about $24,000 a year covers their bills. They are still car-free but have bikes. One other thing they no longer have: $30,000 of debt.
  
  Ms. Strobel’s mother is impressed. Now the couple have money to travel and to contribute to the education funds of nieces and nephews. And because their debt is paid off, Ms. Strobel works fewer hours, giving her time to be outdoors, and to volunteer, which she does about four hours a week for a nonprofit outreach program called Living Yoga.
  
  “The idea that you need to go bigger to be happy is false,” she says. “I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness.”
  
  While Ms. Strobel and her husband overhauled their spending habits before the recession, legions of other consumers have since had to reconsider their own lifestyles, bringing a major shift in the nation’s consumption patterns.
  
  “We’re moving from a conspicuous consumption — which is ‘buy without regard’ — to a calculated consumption,” says Marshal Cohen, an analyst at the NPD Group, the retailing research and consulting firm.
  

  There's lots more. Click here to read the rest.

  Posted by Michael Panzner on August 08, 2010 at 08:37 PM in Social Conditions Permalink

  Digg This
  
  -nss-
  
  
  MEMORY IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES
  

  
  

  
  
  "In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing the memory. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century put memory within the paradigms of cognitive psychology. In recent decades, it has become one of the principal pillars of a branch of science called cognitive neuroscience, an interdisciplinary link between cognitive psychology and neuroscience".  -Wikipedia
  
  Dr. Camille King of Stetson teaches psychology and has an excellent presentation on Memory. In a recent appearance Dr. King revealed some exciting information on the WHAT and HOW of Memory. She quoted some studies from a book called  The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Sachs
  Dr. King related there are 3 types of memory.
  
  Long Term
  Short Term and
  Sensory
  
  Long term memory holds learned information and experiences from childhood on that can be triggered by a thought, smell, question, condition or other stimulous. In this list could be standards of behavior such as promptness, honesty, ambition, fetishes, beliefs, relationships and responses to stimuli. Character and personality are formed somewhat on the values of long term memory.
  
  
  Short term memory has a limited capacity and a limited duration. Although animals were not included in Dr. King's study, I have learned that a dog has a short term memory of 20 seconds. Loss of short term memory in humans can cause you to be standing in front of an open refrigerator wondering what you are looking for. The ability to form short term memories can deteriorate in time and can be a herald of a medical problem. 
  
  
  Sensory memory is unlimited and brief. It is visual and iconic. Of the five senses all have an effect on sensory memory. This type of memory can be used in learning responses to certain stimuli such as: heat, cold, ice, noise, pain, ecstasy, loneliness, color, texture, taste, heights and softness. An example of sensory memory could be that gripping feeling in your jaw when you see someone eating a sour pickle. 
  
  
  There are simple procedures for improving all types of memory:
  
  
  1.) Paying attention (hold your attention on the object and get a clear vision)
  
  2.) Associating (remember the blue B alphabet block by BBB)
  
  3.) Chunking (divide and memorize 'chunks' or portions of the object)
  
  4.) Visualizing (seeing my Aunt Minnie in a hospital gown reminds me she has a doctor's appointment.
  
  5.) Meaning (combine the object with an emotion such as comfort or elation)
  
  6.) Repeating (focus on the object for a time and then go back several times and repeat. Persons with short-term memory loss may find it beneficial to repeat and repeat occurences until they become "long-term" memories. This helps them to become more cognizant.)
  
  7.) Concentrating (intense focus -- may be combined with other methods to re-inforce)
  
  -nss- 
  
  
  Memory Improvement Techniques
  

  
  

  
  The problem with human learning, is that so much that we learn is in terms of what we already know. --www.mindtools.com 
  
  Avoid frustrating memory loss. Retain and recall more information.
   It’s a classic situation - you meet someone new, and then moments later you’ve forgotten their name! Names, passwords, pin and telephone numbers... the list is endless - with so much to memorize is it really possible to improve how much you can remember?
  
  The good news is “yes”! Just like every muscle in your body, the adage “use it or lose it” applies, so the more you exercise your brain, the more you will remember.
  
  Mnemonics
  
  ‘Mnemonic’ is another word for memory tool. Mnemonics are techniques for remembering information that is otherwise quite difficult to recall: A very simple example is the ‘30 days hath September’ rhyme for remembering the number of days in each calendar month.
  
  The idea behind using mnemonics is to encode difficult-to-remember information in a way that is much easier to remember.
  
  Our brains evolved to code and interpret complex stimuli such as images, colors, structures, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, positions, emotions and language. We use these to make sophisticated models of the world we live in. Our memories store all of these very effectively.
  
  Unfortunately, a lot of the information we have to remember in modern life is presented differently – as words printed on a page. While writing is a rich and sophisticated medium for conveying complex arguments, our brains do not easily encode written information, making it difficult to remember.
  
  Using Your Whole Mind to Remember
   
  

  

  The key idea is that by coding information using vivid mental images, you can reliably code both information and the structure of information. And because the images are vivid, they are easy to recall when you need them.
  
  The techniques explained later on in this section show you how to code information vividly, using stories, strong mental images, familiar journeys, and so on.
  
  You can do the following things to make your mnemonics more memorable:
  
  • Use positive, pleasant images. Your brain often blocks out unpleasant ones.
  
  • Use vivid, colorful, sense-laden images – these are easier to remember than drab ones.
  
  • Use all your senses to code information or dress up an image. Remember that your mnemonic can containsounds, smells, tastes, touch, movements and feelings as well as pictures.
  
   • Give your image three dimensions, movement and space to make it more vivid. You can use movement either to maintain the flow of association, or to help you to remember actions.
   
   • Exaggerate the size of important parts of the image.
  
   • Use humor! Funny or peculiar things are easier to remember than normal ones.
  
   • Similarly, rude rhymes are very difficult to forget!
  
   • Symbols (red traffic lights, pointing fingers, road signs, etc.) can code quite complex messages quickly and effectively
  

  

  .
  
  Designing Mnemonics:
  Imagination,
  Association and
  Location
  
  The three fundamental principles underlying the use of mnemonics are imagination, association and location. Working together, you can use these principles to generate powerful mnemonic systems.
  
  Imagination: is what you use to create and strengthen the associations needed to create effective mnemonics. Your imagination is what you use to create mnemonics that are potent for you. The more strongly you imagine and visualize a situation, the more effectively it will stick in your mind for later recall. The imagery you use in your mnemonics can be as violent, vivid, or sensual as you like, as long as it helps you to remember.
  
  Association: this is the method by which you link a thing to be remembered to a way of remembering it. You can create associations by:
  
     • Placing things on top of each other.
     • Crashing things together.
     • Merging images together.
     • Wrapping them around each other.
     • Rotating them around each other or having them dancing together.
     • Linking them using the same color, smell, shape, or feeling.
  
  As an example, you might link the number 1 with a goldfish by visualizing a 1-shaped spear being used to spear it.
  
  Location: gives you two things: a coherent context into which you can place information so that it hangs together, and a way of separating one mnemonic from another. By setting one mnemonic in a particular town, I can separate it from a similar mnemonic set in a city. For example, by setting one in Wimbledon and another similar mnemonic with images of Manhattan, we can separate them with no danger of confusion. You can build the flavors and atmosphere of these places into your mnemonics to strengthen the feeling of location.
  
  For a detailed explanation of how to use imagination, association and location mnemonics, try these articles: Go to www.mindtools.com/memory.html to find these articles.
  
     •  The Link Method and Story Method – Remembering a Simple List
     •  The Number/Rhyme Mnemonic – Remembering Ordered Lists
     •  The Number/Shape Mnemonic – Remembering Ordered Lists
     •  The Alphabet Technique – Remembering Middle Length Lists
     •  The Journey System – Remembering Long Lists
     •  The Roman Room System – Remembering Grouped Information
     •  The Major System – Remembering Very Long Numbers
     •  Using Concept Maps to Remember Structured Information
     •  Memory Games – Have Fun While You Improve Your Memory
  
  The above information is from Mind Tools a web site for development of career skills. It also provides a simple demonstration of the importance of memory in learning and daily endeavors.
  
  Mind Tools has a free eNewsletter that is published every 2 weeks called “Remember” They also have a memory improvement workbook that is FREE when you subscribe go to www.mindtools.com/memory.html
  
  
  

  SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS

                                                                                                                                                           

  
  

  

  1.)  The Law of Pure Potentiality

  
  

  2.) The Law of Giving

  
  

  3.)  The Law of Karma

  
  

  4. )  The Law of Least Effort

  
  

  5.) The Law of Intention and Desire

  
  

  6.) The Law of Detachment

  
  

  7.)  The Law of Dharma or Purpose in Life 

  
  

  From Summum by Summan Bonum Amen Ra

  
  

  
  PROBLEMS

                                                                                                                                                   

   

   PROBLEMS

  Correct Idea

  Misconceptions

  Fancy

  Sleep

  Memory

  
  

  SOLUTIONS

  Balance 
  
  See you next month. Does anyone have an article to include in our newsletter? Please email to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com
  -nss-