Books on the nightstand...

Information gluttony is one of the areas that I work on... It is such a chore to try and read only one book at a time start to finish. Monkey mind indeed. Here are a few currently in the que:



Black Elk Speaks is the story of the Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) and his people during the momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century. Black Elk met the distinguished poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt (1881-1973) in 1930 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and chose Neihardt to tell his story. Neihardt understood and conveyed Black Elk’s experiences in this powerful and inspirational message for all humankind.

When Black Elk received his great vision, white settlers were invading the Lakotas’ homeland, decimating buffalo herds, and threatening to extinguish the Lakotas’ way of life. The Lakotas fought fiercely to retain their freedom and way of life, a dogged resistance that resulted in a remarkable victory at the Little Bighorn and an unspeakable tragedy at Wounded Knee. Black Elk Speaks offers much more than a precious glimpse of a vanished time, however. As related by Neihardt, Black Elk’s searing visions of the unity of humanity and the earth have made this book a venerated spiritual classic. Whether appreciated as the poignant tale of a Lakota life, a history of a Native nation, or an enduring spiritual testament, Black Elk Speaks is unforgettable.



My Stroke of Insight: A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain--the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side--swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.


The Gnostic Magic of Runes: Gnosis, The Aeneid, and the Liberation of the Consciousness

The world has often heard of the adventures of the great heros such as Aeneas, Hercules, and Parsifal - but for the first time, the meaning of those famous stories is made clear. The founder of the modern Gnostic Movement provides a deeply spiritual and psychological exploration of the ancient symbols hidden in Virgil’s Aeneid, Richard Wagner’s Parsifal, and more. Excerpts from these tales are interwoven with a series of practical exercises from the ancient Nordic Runes that help the serious student awaken their consciousness so they too can enter into their own direct experience of the parallel universes that we have long forgotten.

Topics include: The Divine Mother and the Holy Gods; Parallel Universes; Rune Fah (Feoh, Fehu); Pennate Gods; The Puncta; Return and Transmigration; Rune Is (Isa); The Cosmic Egg; The Oracle of Apollo; Rune Ar; Proton and Antiproton; The Harpies; Rune Sig (Sigel, Sowelu); The Ain Soph; The King Helenus; Rune Tyr (Teiwaz); Meditation; The Deformed Giant Polyphemus; Rune Bar (Beor, Berkana); The Ten Rules for Meditation; The Tragedy of Queen Dido; Rune Ur (Uruz); The Story of Master Meng Shan; The Country of the Dead; Runes Dorn and Thorn (Thurisaz); The I ; The Cruel Enchantress Circe; Rune Os (Othila); Origin of the Pluralized I ; The Three Furies; Rune Rita (Raido); The Divine Mother Kundalini; The Forge of the Cyclops (Sex); Rune Kaum; The Purgatorial Region; The Temple of Hercules; Rune Hagal; The River Lethe; The Pines - The Nymphs; Rune Not (Nauthiz); Parsifal; The Sacred Fire; Rune Laf(Lagu, Laguz); The Final Liberation; The Dream of the Consciousness; Rune Gibur (Gebo, Gyfur); and more.


The Backpacker's Field Manual, Revised and Updated: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills

The Backpacker's Field Manual has been the bible of the Princeton University Outdoor Action Program for more than a decade, field-tested by one of the most respected outdoor programs in the country. It is the most comprehensive backpacking guide available--broad in scope while still focused on the essential skills and information that backpackers need to travel safely and comfortably in the wilderness. Backpackers of all levels will find this book indispensable:
before you start your trip, for deciding on an itinerary, selecting equipment, and figuring out what food, clothing, and other supplies to pack;
once you're out in the wilderness, for choosing a campsite, setting up camp, navigating with map and compass, identifying trees and plants, and preparing meals (recipes included!);
if something unexpected happens, for finding a lost person, seeking shelter in a lightning storm, and performing first aid for common injuries.

More than 100 line drawings illustrate such useful skills as how to set up a tarp, repair your stove, wrap an injured ankle, predict the weather, and much more. And scattered throughout are Tricks of the Trail, additional tips for successful backcountry hiking.

Byron Katie

Byron Katies series of questions have been helpful in my own path because she has a simple method for delving into our negative emotions. She hasn't reinvented the wheel here, but it is a practical and simple way to begin exploring where your thoughts and emotions come from. Here is what her site has to say:

"About Byron Katie

Byron Katie, founder of "The Work", has one job: to teach people how to end their own suffering. As she guides people through the powerful process of inquiry called The Work, they find that their stressful beliefs—about life, other people, or themselves— radically shift and their lives are changed forever.

Based on Byron Katie's direct experience of how suffering is created and ended, The Work is an astonishingly simple process, accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, and requires nothing more than a pen and paper and an open mind.

Through this process, anyone can learn to trace unhappiness to its source and eliminate it there. Katie (as everyone calls her) not only shows us that all the problems in the world originate in our thinking: she gives us the tool to open our minds and set ourselves free."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on compassion...

THE DALAI LAMA ON COMPASSION

"My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. These things are very useful in our daily life, and also for the whole of human society these practices can be very important.

"Basically, universal responsibility is the feeling for other people's suffering just as we feel our own. It is the realization that even our own enemy is motivated by the quest for happiness. We must recognize that all beings want the same thing we want. This is the way to achieve a true understanding, unfettered by artificial consideration.

"At the heart of Buddhist philosophy is the notion of compassion for others. It should be noted that the compassion encouraged by Mahayana Buddhism is not the usual love one has for friends or family. The love being advocated here is the kind one can have even for another who has done one harm. Developing a kind heart does not always involve any of the sentimental religiosity normally associated with it. It is not just for people who believe in religions; it is for everyone who considers himself or herself to be a member of the human family, and thus sees things in accordingly large terms.

"The rationale for universal compassion is based on the same principle of spiritual democracy. It is the recognition of the fact that every living being has an equal right to and desire for happiness. The true acceptance of the principle of democracy requires that we think and act in terms of the common good. Compassion and universal responsibility require a commitment to personal sacrifice and the neglect of egotistical desires.

"I believe our every-day experience confirms that a self-centered attitude towards problems can be destructive not only towards society, but to the individual as well. Selfishness does not solve problems for us, it multiplies them. Accepting responsibility and maintaining respect for other will leave all concerned at peace. This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism."

Conciousness

Written by Samael Aun Weor

People confuse consciousness with intelligence or with intellect, thus, they qualify a very intelligent or intellectual person as a very cognizant person.

Undoubtedly—and without fear of deceiving ourselves—we affirm that within a human being the consciousness is a very particular means of apprehending internal knowledge and is completely independent of any mental activity.

The faculty of consciousness facilitates the knowledge of ourselves.

The consciousness grants us the integral knowledge of what is, where it is, what is really known, and what is certainly ignored.

Revolutionary psychology teaches that only the individual by himself can know his own self. Yes, only we ourselves can know if we are or are not cognizant at any given moment; only by oneself can one know about one’s own consciousness, and whether it was active or not at any given moment.
Only the individual by himself—and nobody but himself—can become aware at any given instant, at any given moment, if before that instant, if before that moment, he was not really cognizant, that his consciousness was very asleep. Thereafter, he will fall asleep again and forget that experience, or will keep it as a memory, as the memory of a strong experience.

It is essential to know that the consciousness within rational animals is not a continuous or permanent entity. Normally, the consciousness within these intellectual animals mistakenly called humans sleeps profoundly; thus, the moments in which their consciousness is awake are seldom, very seldom. Yes, intellectual animals work, drive cars, marry, die, etc., with their consciousness totally asleep, and it awakens only in very exceptional moments.

Sadly, the life of present human-like people is a life of dreams, yet they believe they are awake and will never admit that they are dreaming—that is, that their consciousness is asleep.

If any of them were to suddenly awaken, he would feel terribly ashamed of himself, he would immediately comprehend his clownishness, his own buffoonery, since this life is frightfully ludicrous, horribly tragic, and seldomly sublime.

If a boxer in the middle of a fight was to unexpectedly awaken—covered in shame—he would see the entire fascinated public and then—before the astonishment of the sleeping and unconscious multitudes—he would flee from the horrible spectacle.

When a human being admits that he has his consciousness asleep, you can be sure that he has already begun to awaken.

The reactionary schools of old-fashioned psychology that deny the existence of the consciousness—and that even declare the term useless—reveal a most profound state of sleep. The henchmen of such schools snooze very profoundly within an utterly infraconscious and unconscious state.

Those who confuse the consciousness with psychological functions, i.e. thoughts, feelings, motor impulses and sensations, are indeed very unconscious: they are profoundly asleep.

Those who admit the existence of the consciousness, and nonetheless, utterly deny the different degrees of cognizance, reveal their lack of cognizant experience, that is, they reveal their sleeping consciousness. Any person who—even for a brief moment—awakened his consciousness, knows very well by his own experience that different degrees of observable consciousness exist within oneself, namely:

1. First: time; how long did we remain cognizant?
2. Second: frequency; how many times have we awakened our consciousness?
3. Third: amplitude and penetration; what was one cognizant of?

Revolutionary psychology and the ancient Philokalia affirm that the consciousness can be awakened and made continuous and controllable by means of a special kind of super-effort.

A fundamental education has as it’s objective the awakening of the consciousness. It is worthless to expend ten or fifteen years of study in school, college, and university if upon completion of our studies we are sleeping automatons.

It is no exaggeration to affirm that—by means of great effort—intellectual animals can become cognizant of themselves for a brief couple of minutes; nonetheless, it is clear that, in regard to cognizance, there exist remarkable exceptions that we must seek with the lantern of Diogenes. These remarkable cases are represented by authentic human beings such as Buddha, Jesus, Hermes, Quetzalcoatl, etc. Yes, these founders of religions possess continuous cognizance: that is, they are great, enlightened men.

Commonly, people are not cognizant of themselves, yet have the illusion of being cognizant in a continuous manner; this illusion is due to memory and all the processes of thought. For example, any individual who practices a retrospective exercise in order to remember their entire life, can truly recall, remember the number of times they married, how many children they begot, who their parents were, their teachers, etc. However, this does not signify the awakening of their consciousness; this is simply the remembrance of unconscious actions, and that is all.

Here, it is necessary to repeat what we have stated in former chapters. There are four states of consciousness:

1. Sleep
2. Vigil state
3. Self-cognizance
4. Objective cognizance

The wretched intellectual animals mistakenly called humans live only in two of these states, since they expend one half of their life in their bed sleeping and the other half in the wrongly called “vigil state,” which indeed is a sleepwalking state. Yes, the individual who in bed sleeps and dreams believes that he awakens by merely returning to the vigil state, but he continues dreaming, because for him the vigil state is indeed a sleepwalking state. This is similar to daybreak: the stars seem to hide when the sun rises, yet they continue to exist even when the physical eyes cannot perceive them.

In normal life, the populace knows nothing about self-cognizance, and much less about objective cognizance. Nevertheless, people are proud and everyone thinks that they are cognizant of themselves. Yes, intellectual animals firmly believe that they have cognizance of themselves and they would never accept—under any circumstances—being told that they are actually asleep and that they live unconscious of themselves.

Exceptional moments exist when the intellectual animal awakens, but these moments are very rare. This awakening can occur in an instance of great danger, or during an intense emotion, or in some new circumstance, or in some new, unexpected situation, etc. Nonetheless, it is indeed a disgrace that the intellectual animal does not have any control over those fleeting states of awakened consciousness, and that he cannot evoke them in order to make them continuous.

Nevertheless, these fundamentals of Gnostic education affirm that any individual can acquire control over his consciousness and thus attain self-cognizance. Yes, this revolutionary psychology has methods, scientific processes, to awaken the consciousness.

Perseid Meteor Shower To Peak August 11 and 12

Graeme Stemp-Morlock
for National Geographic News
August 7, 2008

Unlike short-lived solar eclipses or unpredictable auroras, meteor showers regularly offer skywatchers a dazzling show.

Soon the curtain will rise on one of the best of these showers: the Perseids, so called because the meteors appear to originate in the constellation Perseus.

Slated to peak sometime during the night and early morning of August 11 to 12, the shower offers one of the year's best chances to see a shooting star.

Under perfect conditions, observers can expect to see about 90 to100 meteors an hour, said Wayne Hally, a self-professed "meteor geek" who writes a newsletter for the North American Meteor Network.

Hally spends a few hundred hours a year watching for meteors from his base in northwest New Jersey.

The stargazer said he expects the Perseids to have a sustained peak over several hours this year.

"Based on last year's results, it appears that the actual peak was not at a specific time but lasted a day and a half surrounding that date," Hally said.

"The peak [this year] might be the whole night."

A Blaze of Glory

Meteor showers happen regularly when Earth plows through a stream of dust and small rocks trailed by a comet after its close approach to the sun.

(Related: "Meteor Dust May Affect the Weather, Study Says" [September 13, 2005].)

109P Swift-Tuttle, the comet responsible for the Perseid meteor shower, orbits the sun every 133 years. The comet last made a close approach in 1992, resulting in a spectacular meteor shower with rates four times higher than average.

"The Perseids have been seen since 36 A.D., almost 2,000 years ago. Most [meteor showers] have not been around that long, as streams spread out," Hally said.

"The comet that produces the Perseids is in a good reliable orbit. So it's been around for 2,000 years, and it will probably be around for another 2,000."

More than just a pretty spectacle, meteors offer astronomers a glimpse back in time to when planets formed.

Paul Wiegert, a physicist and astronomer at Canada's University of Western Ontario, studies meteors with the Meteor Physics Group, the largest research body of its kind in North America.

"[Comets] are interesting because they are extremely old, forming when planets did, and they are unaltered since. With comets, you can observe what went into making the Earth, its original ingredients," Wiegert said.

Occasionally pieces of comet debris survive the fiery descent through our atmosphere and crash into Earth as meteorites.

"Meteorites can be billions of years old, much older than anything on Earth," Wiegert said.

"It's like a free sample of material from outer space. Space missions cost millions of dollars to go get that material, but sometimes we can get it delivered here for free."

(Related: "Chicago Meteor Shower a Windfall for Scientists" [May 13, 2003].)

Starry Nights

Observers on the U.S. West Coast will likely get the best view of the peak just before dawn on August 12.

But the Perseids will put on a good show as seen from any place on Earth for several reasons.

The moon will set between 1 and 2 a.m., making the sky darker and allowing observers to see fainter meteors.

Also, the region in the sky where the meteors appear to come from will rise up higher as the night progresses, so fewer meteors will shoot below the horizon.

Meteors higher in the sky also appear brighter, because they are seen through less distortion-causing atmosphere.

Hally, the meteor buff, says that people who want to see the largest number of meteors possible should find the darkest sky available and face northeast, where the meteors will appear to come from.

And don't forget a warm blanket. Even August can feel cold with the early morning dew, he noted. A reclining deck chair can also help reduce neck strain from looking up.

"[W]ith meteors, you never know exactly what you are going to get," Hally said. "With a telescope on a star cluster, it will look the same today as the next hundred years.

"If you look at the planets, you don't see a lot of change. But with a meteor shower you never really know what's going to happen."

Gorilla "Paradise" Found; May Double World Numbers

Dan Morrison
for National Geographic News
August 5, 2008

Deep in the hinterlands of the Republic of the Congo lies a secret ape paradise that is home to 125,000 western lowland gorillas, researchers announced today.

The findings, if confirmed, would more than double the world's estimated population of gorillas.

Western lowland gorillas are a subspecies classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Their numbers have been devastated in recent years by illegal hunting for bush meat and the spread of the Ebola virus. Just last year scientists projected the animals' population could fall as low as 50,000 by 2011.

Now those predictions may have to be dramatically reworked to incorporate findings released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

A first ever ape census in northern Congo found 73,000 of the gorillas in that country's Ntokou-Pikounda region and 52,000 more in the Ndoki-Likouala area.

The Ndoki population includes an obscure group of nearly 6,000 gorillas living in close quarters in isolated swamps near Lac Télé.

"We knew there were apes there, we just had no idea how many," said WCS's Emma Stokes, one of the lead researchers in the two-year project.

The gorillas have thrived thanks to their remoteness from human settlements, food-rich habitats, and two decades of conservation efforts in one of the world's poorest countries, Stokes said.

Shy, But Plentiful

Lowland gorillas are more common than their mountain cousins. The animals are found in tropical forests and swamps in Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

Organics: The Dirty Dozen

How time flies when you are sleepin....

Its been a busy summer filled with time outside, art, music and meditation. Tons of pics to share. Until then, here is a list of the foods that it is most important to buy organic, as well as, a list of those foods that test lowest in pesticides when chemicals are used.

Dirty Dozen (buy these organic):

peaches
apples
sweet bell peppers
celery
nectarines
strawberries
cherries
lettuce
grapes
pears
spinach
potatoes


Cleanest 12 (lowest in pesticides):

onions
avocados
sweet frozen corn
pineapples
mangoes
sweet peas frozen
asparagus
kiwis
bananas
cabbage
broccoli
eggplant