Unlocking the Mystery of Om Om (also written Aum) is the oldest and most sacred sound found in yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism. Not only does Om represent the entire universe, known as Brahman, it is also said to be the source of all creation. Om represents all time: past, present, and future; and is beyond time itself. Om represents the eternal oneness of all that is, and thus represents the ultimate goal of yoga: to become unified in body, mind and spirit. Chanting the mantra Om is perhaps the oldest of yoga’s spiritual practices. Om is said to be the essence of all mantras, and is used as the mula-mantra, the root and beginning of most mantras. It is very important when repeating Om to pronounce the "O" sound correctly. Though indivisible, Om has four subtle sounds that correspond to four levels of consciousness. When chanting Om, equal measure should be given to both the “O” and the “M” sounds, i.e. Courtesy of YogaBasics.com
German supermarket Edeka release heartbreaking Christmas advert A Christmas advert released by German supermarket Edeka is melting hearts worldwide. Similar to John Lewis’ emotive “Man On The Moon” advert; it focuses on an elderly man alone at Christmas. But, some viewers believe it has trumped the British advert as the most powerful yet. The advert shows an elderly man spending several Christmases alone; with his children providing a different excuse each year: "I just wanted to call and let you know that we can’t make it for Christmas this year… we’ll try again next year. Time passes and tragically the children receive news of their father passing away. The children return to the family home to attend his funeral and pay respects; but as they enter the dining room, their father appears and says: "How else could I have brought you all together?" Tears quickly turn to smiles as the family indulge in a Christmas dinner that has been long overdue.
Animal Thought By Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Department of Animal Science Colorado State University Western Horseman, Nov. 1997, pp.140-145 (Updated January 2015) Temple Grandin is an assistant professor of animal science at Colorado State University. As a person with autism, it is easy for me to understand how animals think because my thinking processes are like an animal's. I have no language-based thoughts at all. Most people use a combination of both verbal and visual skills. A radio station person I talked to once said that she had no pictures at all in her mind. Associative Thinking A horse trainer once said to me, "Animals don't think, they just make associations." Animals also tend to make place-specific associations. Years ago a scientist named N. Fear Is the Main Emotion Fear is the main emotion in autism and it is also the main emotion in prey animals such as horses and cattle. Both animals and people with autism are also fearful of high-pitched noises. Fear-based behaviors are complex. References
Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes (Photo: Dustin Diaz) How much more could you get done if you completed all of your required reading in 1/3 or 1/5 the time? Increasing reading speed is a process of controlling fine motor movement—period. This post is a condensed overview of principles I taught to undergraduates at Princeton University in 1998 at a seminar called the “PX Project.” The below was written several years ago, so it’s worded like Ivy Leaguer pompous-ass prose, but the results are substantial. In fact, while on an airplane in China two weeks ago, I helped Glenn McElhose increase his reading speed 34% in less than 5 minutes. I have never seen the method fail. The PX Project The PX Project, a single 3-hour cognitive experiment, produced an average increase in reading speed of 386%. It was tested with speakers of five languages, and even dyslexics were conditioned to read technical material at more than 3,000 words-per-minute (wpm), or 10 pages per minute. The Protocol 1) Trackers and Pacers (to address A and B above)
Transcendental Consciousness Transcendental Consciousness Objectively Verified The existence of Transcendental Consciousness can be objectively verified—due to the profound connection between mind and body. Changes in mental states are matched by changes in physiological functioning. Although scientists cannot tell what you are thinking about in the waking state, or envisioning in the dreaming state, they can clearly distinguish between the three major states of consciousness—waking, sleeping and dreaming. These three major states of consciousness can thus be identified by unique styles of physiological functioning—especially by particular combinations of metabolic rate and brain wave patterns. This is all significant because, in the Vedic literature, the direct experience of the unified field of natural law during Transcendental Consciousness is said to take place in a fourth major state of consciousness. References: American Psychologist 42 (1987): 879–881. Science 167 (1970).
Top 10 Paths to Spiritual Enlightenment By Jafree Ozwald ManifestingVibration.com "Enlightenment is a process of peeling back the many layers of your Infinite Self. What is "Spiritual Enlightenment"? The following 10 steps will take you closer to having an experience of spiritual enlightenment. 1. Feeling separate and disconnected from our Universe is how we create failure after failure in life. The Ego is the thought program. As you may have heard, F.E.A.R. really stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. As humans we tend to get attached to people, and what they say, do or think about us. We experience pain because of one thing...Ignorance. 5. When you were 7 years old, what were you told you were not enough of? 6. "Think-aholics" have become the societal norm. Thoughts are safe, while experiences are real and unsafe. 8. 9. 10. Our society abhors people who step out of line. Choosing to be conscious, means waking up from the Rat Race. Article by Jafree Ozwald, author of How to Raise Your Manifesting Vibration
Support for ISIS in the Muslim World - Perceptions vs Reality - Metrocosm According to a Brookings report from last January: 40% of Americans believe most Muslims oppose ISIS.14% think most Muslims support ISIS.And 44% (the plurality) of Americans believe Muslim views are evenly balanced on the issue. American perceptions of Muslims’ support for the Islamic State are all over the map. And you only have to search Google for “how many muslims support isis” to see why. The first result shows “81% of respondents support the Islamic State.” The range of answers to this question reported by the media is enormous, partly because much of it comes from online polls, social media sentiment analysis, and other non-scientific / unrepresentative studies. Last month, the International Business Times cited a study from Pew Research Center concluding ISIS is “almost universally hated.” What the Muslim world actually thinks of ISIS Looking only at scientific opinion polls, the results are actually very consistent. In the Muslim world, support for ISIS is low across the board.
The Relativity of Wrong by Isaac Asimov I received a letter from a reader the other day. It was handwritten in crabbed penmanship so that it was very difficult to read. In the first sentence, he told me he was majoring in English Literature, but felt he needed to teach me science. It seemed that in one of my innumerable essays, here and elsewhere, I had expressed a certain gladness at living in a century in which we finally got the basis of the Universe straight. I didn't go into detail in the matter, but what I meant was that we now know the basic rules governing the Universe, together with the gravitational interrelationships of its gross components, as shown in the theory of relativity worked out between 1905 and 1916. These are all twentieth-century discoveries, you see. The young specialist in English Lit, having quoted me, went on to lecture me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the Universe at last, and in every century they were proven to be wrong. "Wrong!"
10 Transformational and Spiritual Aphorisms Throughout the ages, there have been many who have transcended the domain of the ego and had gotten a taste of those delicious higher states of consciousness. Rather than keep their experiential knowledge and wisdom about the higher aspects of existence to themselves, they spread the word to others, be it through spoken word, written works, or other methods. Thanks to the sages, spiritual teachers, and every-day people who had an enlightening experience, we can ignite the light of expanded awareness concerning the higher aspects of the human experience and of existence itself from such people. There are an untold amount of such spiritual aphorisms to be enjoyed by our higher selves so we will take a look at 10 such aphorisms. May these timeless words nourish your mind and soul. Aphorism 1 A human being is a part of a whole, called by us a universe, a part limited in time and space. -Albert Einstein Aphorism 2 “Life is what you make it,” this is very true. -Unknown Aphorism 3 Aphorism 4
The Pranic Body Dr. Swami Satyamurti Saraswati, PhD (Belfast) The nature of prana is light. It is a form of energy existing everywhere, within us and outside us. According to yoga, within the physical body is a subtler body known as the pranayama kosha, which forms the subtle network through which prana flows. Researchers working with the Kirlian high voltage photographic apparatus obtain what is believed to be photographs of this subtle pranic field. The pranic field is sometimes called psi plasma due to the fact that it can be likened to the plasma (charged gases) studied in plasma physics. The five pranas "Just as an emperor posts his officials in different parts of his realm, similarly the chief prana allots functions to the lower pranas." Traditionally prana is divided into five zones in the body. 1. There is another subdivision of the pranic force called the upa pranas. Mahaprana "From prana indeed all living forms are born and, having been born, they remain alive by prana. Prana and consciousness
High Existence Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
Edward Snowden Divulges the 5 Easiest Ways to Protect Yourself Online by Natalie Shoemaker In a recent interview with The Intercept, Edward Snowden offered some advice for what average citizens can do to reclaim their privacy. Because the sharing of information should be a conversation, not an enigma buried in a site's 'Terms of Service.' 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. By using these programs, people have already changed the conversation about security and privacy. The trick is getting more people to adopt these programs (think of it like herd immunity). “I think reform comes with many faces,” Snowden told the site. The sharing of information should be a conversation — not an enigma buried somewhere in the Terms of Service of a site. Natalie has been writing professionally for about 6 years. Photo Credit: ADAM BERRY / Stringer/ Getty