SUNDIVING COMET DESTROYED: The solar system now has one less comet. Earlier today, a sundiving comet discovered on Sept. 15th by Worachate Boonplod, a science writer from Thailand, passed too close to the sun and apparently evaporated. A coronagraph onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the death plunge:
One comet went in, no comets came out. Fierce heat from the sun likely evaporated the comet’s fragile ices, transforming it into a disintegrated cloud of gas and dust.
Sundiving comets are more common than you might think. SOHO has found more than 3000 of them. Most are members of the Kreutz family. Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a single giant comet many centuries ago. They get their name from 19th century German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, who studied them in detail. Kreutz fragments pass by the sun and disintegrate almost every day. Most, measuring less than a few meters across, are too small to see, but occasionally a bigger fragment like this one attracts attention.
Moderate earthquake – Southern California on September 16, 2015
Last update: September 16, 2015 at 4:56 pm by By Armand Vervaeck
Update 16:24 UTC : Max. light shaking near the epicenter (as expected)
Update 16:19 UTC : As the earthquake happened in a rocky area, we do not think that severe damage would be registered. Slight damage is certainly a possibility.
13km (8mi) SSE of Big Bear Lake, California
14km (9mi) S of Big Bear City, California
20km (12mi) NE of Yucaipa, California
40km (25mi) E of San Bernardino, California
41km (25mi) NE of Moreno Valley, California
46km (29mi) NW of Palm Springs, California
84km (52mi) S of Barstow, California
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2015-09-16 09:10:47
A leading scientific publisher has retracted 64 articles in 10 journals, after an internal investigation discovered fabricated peer-review reports linked to the articles’ publication.
Berlin-based Springer announced the retractions in an 18 August statement. In May, Springer merged with parts of Macmillan Science and Education — which publishes Nature — to form the new company Springer Nature.
The cull comes after similar discoveries of ‘fake peer review’ by several other major publishers, including London-based BioMed Central, an arm of Springer, which began retracting 43 articles in March citing “reviews from fabricated reviewers”. The practice can occur when researchers submitting a paper for publication suggest reviewers, but supply contact details for them that actually route requests for review back to the researchers themselves.
The Springer investigation began in November 2014 after a journal editor-in-chief noticed irregularities in contact details for peer reviewers. These included e-mail addresses that the editor they suspected were bogus but were accompanied by the names of real researchers, says William Curtis, executive vice-president for publishing, medicine and biomedicine at Springer. The investigation, which focused on articles for which authors had suggested their own reviewers, detected numerous fabricated peer-review reports. Affected authors and their institutions have been told about the investigation’s findings, says Curtis.
Future vetting
Springer declined to name the articles or journals involved. However, a search of the publisher’s website identified more than 40 retraction notices dated between 17 and 19 August 2015 for articles in 8 Springer journals.
Springer now plans to vet peer-reviewer suggestions more carefully, Curtis says. Its journals may in future request the supply of institutional e-mail addresses or Scopus author IDs for reviewers.
When BioMed Central uncovered its peer-review problem, senior editor for research integrity Elizabeth Moylan noted that some of the issues seemed to involve companies that charge scientists to edit their manuscripts and help them with journal submission. Curtis says that Springer has “limited evidence” to implicate such third parties in some of the cases it uncovered.
Double-checks
Some publishers, such as BioMed Central and San Francisco-based PLoS, have ended the practice of author-suggested reviewers in response to fake peer review. But Elizabeth Wager, a publication consultant and former chair of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), says that “less drastic” measures, such as double-checking non-institutional e-mail addresses given for reviewers, would allow journals to hold on to the expertise that these reviewers often provide.
“The particular problem of fake review comes about when authors are allowed to suggest possible peer reviewers,” says Wager. “The system sounds good. The trouble is when people game the system and use it as a loophole.”
The involvement of third-party companies in bogus peer review is “more worrying”, Wager adds, because it could mean that the practice is more systemic and extends beyond a handful of rogue authors.
Virginia Barbour, the current chair of COPE, says that Springer has informed the committee about the investigation. “It is important publishers take rapid but careful action, as here,” she says.
Do you find it exhausting to be around stressed out or negative people? Have you ever left a dramatic situation feeling drained, even if you weren’t personally involved? For most people, the answer is yes. This is because we are constantly absorbing the energies of objects and people around us. Thoughts, emotions and words of other people can have a profound impact on our psyche and physical well-being. Just as spending time in nature or working in a garden can lessen stress and improve our mood, when you’re in a crowded place you will draw in the energies of the people around you, whether you feel it or not.
Here are some tools that to help you clear away negative energy and create a “shield” to maintain your personal energy and keep your psyche clear from the impact of other people and negative situations.
1. Crystals
It is common for people to be skeptical about the healing power of crystals, but one should just turn to science and technology to find proof that crystals are objects of measurable effect. Crystals are used in many objects we use every day including silicon, which is used in all computers and mobile phones and LCD’s, and quartz, a silicate material used in watches and clocks to regulate time. When you consider all of these applications, the effect of crystals on outside energies is undeniable.
Many crystals, especially darker colored ones such as black onyx, obsidian, amethyst, fluorite and tigers eye, repel negative energies and will cleanse your aura. The presence of crystals can also alleviate stress, boost creativity, and contribute to healing and raise levels of consciousness. It is important to remember that working with crystals has much to do with your intentions and your openness to allowing the crystal to work.
2. Smudging Sage
The North American native tradition of smudging by burning white sage bundles has been used for generations to clear out stale and negative energy out of the body and spirit. With the right intent and respect, the smudging process can help you clean your energy field, even if you are unaware of any problems. Smudging may help you clear residual feelings regarding a situation that has past, negative emotions such as anger and fear that linger after an event or interaction, tension and stress felt psychologically or physically, as well as the harmful energies of other people that have latched themselves to your psyche. Smudging is a relaxing way to regain composure and recenter your awareness after experiencing distress.
3. Essential Oils
Using the natural healing properties of essential oils has become more popular as people realize the limitations and detrimental side effects of some modern healing modalities. Essential oils such as sandalwood, niaouli and myrrh all have very power cleansing properties, and smell great. The olfactory sense is more closely linked to our emotional system than any of our other senses, and by using essential oils a link is created between healthy psychic states and the physical presence of the now.
When using essential oils it is important to inhale only the aroma of the oil, either directly or using and oil diffuser (which can be very useful when cleansing and protecting a larger space or several persons). Additionally, you can place a drop of oil in a few specific spots around the head, such as back of the neck, crown of the head and middle of the eyebrows.
4. Incense
Similar to sage smoke and diffused essential oils, incense is known for its purifying and cleansing properties. Incense may not be the best option if you need to ward of psychic attacks when in public, but it is a great tool to use when gathering with others and to cleanse away negative and stale energies around your living spaces. Ensure you use natural essential oil incense, such as Nag Champa and Tibetan Incense Sticks, that does not have any toxic or artificial perfumes.
5. Using White Light Meditation
Science continues to prove that meditation is a powerful healing practice. You can use a very easy and short meditation to protect yourself from psychic attacks. During such a meditation, close your eyes, calm the breath, and then image in the mind’s eye a bright white light forming a protective shield all around your body and any other person or object that you want to safeguard. It is up to you how long you keep your eyes closed and how bright your light will grow, and as you open your eyes continue with the meditation by trusting that your white light will continue to surround, protect and comfort you.
6. Cleansing Shower or Bath
The physical action of taking a shower or bath, with the right intention set in your mind, can help wash away negative energy. Similar to the white light meditation, image all of the negative energy lifting off each part of your body as you submerge into your bath or as shower water hits your skin. Baths also allow for the use of essential oils, Epsom salt, crystals and flower petals, for additional healing.
After you’ve completed your cleansing in the water, apply essential oils to dried skin. You can use some of the oils mentioned above, or other calming oils that benefit the skin such as lavender or ylang ylang. Mixing a few drops of essential oil into your favorite lotion or with fractionated coconut oil is also a nice option.
7. Mantras
Words, even if only spoken in your mind, have a powerful effect in creating your reality. When spoken out-loud, words and sounds can have an even more profound effect because they create vibrations that interact with your energetic body, helping it to fall into harmony or disharmony.
Chanting the following mantras repeatedly may help cleanse you of negative energy:
KRIM (pronounced “kreem”) – Used to stimulate the lower chakras of the body and begin purifying the body.
HUM (pronounced “hoom”) – Used to break down negativity and spread positivity and vitality through the body.
LAM (pronounced “lam”) – Used to cleanse impurities that have collected in your body and clearing any energy blockages preventing your prana from flowing freely through all your energy channels.
You can also create your own mantra with phrases and words that resonate with you and help you shed all negativity. Another option is practicing a spoken Metta loving kindness meditation which will release a wave of positivity that can be extremely healing. See the example below.
8. Sounds
Similar to chanting mantras, sounds of chimes, bells and gongs have been used in practices such as yoga to dispel negative spirits. In the modern world, wind chimes are known for their relaxing effect on a person. The vibrations created by sounds of chimes and bells resonate through the air breaking up stagnant and negative energies. They also vibrate your energetic body and attune you to different frequencies, strengthening your psyche and spiritual power.
9. Amulets
Amulets, trinkets and talismans, with the specific purpose of protecting the human spirit, are most common in religious traditions, including items such as the Christian cross and rosary and the Muslim hamsa. These types of symbols are believed to hold great power, but similar to crystals, they react o your intentions. If you believe an item is worthless, then it will offer you no protection.
“Every part of your body has its own consciousness or its own soul.” These transformative words, spoken by indigenous medicine women, began my journey within to discover the extraordinary healing capacity of the human body.
When this perspective was introduced to me, I was suffering from a severe chronic pain disorder. I suddenly imagined incorporating this concept into my meditation routine. I thought, Can my body hear me…can I talk to it to gain its cooperation in healing this condition?
That night, after reaching a state of deep calm through meditation, I inwardly engaged my body in a heartfelt conversation, with hope, but having no idea what to expect. After about one hour of this focused communication, something amazing happened. My tissues began to respond. Connective tissue pulled and stretched apart layers of scar tissue. Nerves fired and my calf muscles began to perform flexion and extension exercises independently of my conscious control. As this response continued, one of my calf muscles that had become paralyzed by the neuropathic condition — diagnosed as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy — came back to life as electric-like jolts shot through the area.
My heart pounded as I realized that the path to my freedom from this condition had finally begun. With a background in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, I knew too well how prevalent chronic pain is in this country and I wondered what the implications of this phenomenon could mean to so many others who were suffering. As I continued to make progress with my condition, I organized my approach into a system that I could teach to clients and shifted my professional focus to hypnotherapy.
When instructing my clients, I explain that a regular meditation practice is necessary to train the brain to enter alpha and theta brain wave states. While in these states, communication between the conscious mind and the physical body is dramatically enhanced. I have found that when communicating, there are three key steps to gaining the cooperation of the body:
Approach your body with genuine compassion, understanding that it is made up of conscious cells who experience emotions.
Build trust by engaging your body in mental conversations about your desire for the two of you to cooperate and overcome the ailment.
Allow changes in the conversation by using different thoughts and words that elicit spontaneous elevated emotions.
From my experience, the above guidelines are necessary to achieve dynamic healing responses in the body. I recently came across a very similar set of factors that were discovered by researcher Cleve Backster, who spent 36 years studying biocommunication in plant, animal and human cells. He referred to these factors as real intent, attunement, and spontaneity.[1]
Backster, formerly an interrogation specialist for the CIA, wrote about the defining moment which led him to his real work in this world, in his book Primary Perception.[2] This moment occurred one February morning in 1966 when he decided to monitor the Dracaena plant in his lab utilizing polygraph equipment. He attached the electrodes to a leaf and began to think about ways that he might induce a surge in electrical activity in the plant. In humans this surge in electrical activity is associated with intense emotions. He suddenly imagined burning the electroded leaf. The same instant this idea entered his mind, the polygraph pen shot to the top of the chart showing an extreme reaction on the part of the plant. Amazed, he walked to his secretary’s desk to retrieve a set of matches while pondering the possibility that this plant was somehow detecting the force of human intention.
When he returned with the matches, the plant was still showing the same high level reaction which would interfere with tracking additional changes on the chart. Backster decided to “remove the threat” by returning the matches to the desk. At this point, the chart displayed a downward trend as the plant apparently began to calm down.[3] When Backster attempted to repeat the same results by pretending that he was going to burn the plant, there was no reaction. The plant seemed to sense the difference between real and artificial intent. He eventually discovered that plants become attuned to their primary care takers, responding to both their positive and negative emotions and to their return after being away for a time.[4] Chart findings also showed that plants prioritize the emotions of their primary care takers over the emotions of others nearby.
Backster later expanded his research to include testing human cells for signs of consciousness. He collected white blood cells from human donors, electroded them in a test tube and then recorded the cells’ reactions as the donors experienced different emotional states. He found that spontaneous emotions were necessary in order to elicit an electrical reaction in the cells. For instance, if a donor forced herself to feel an emotion, the cells would not respond. However, when she received a distressing phone call from her daughter, the cells reacted significantly.[5]
He noted that distance seemed to be irrelevant in these experiments. For example, a donor left his electroded cells behind in the lab, then kept a detailed log of any stressful emotions experienced on his trip home to another state, such as missing a turn on the freeway, standing in a long line at the airport, and the take-off of his plane. Later, his logged incidents compared with the chart recording showed strong correlations between the timing of the stressful events and the electrical reactions in his cells. The chart became quiet again when he arrived home and went to sleep.[6]
These experiments were conducted while using equipment that screened out electromagnetic radiation — the usual energies used for information transmission. The cells behaved as if the screens weren’t there, suggesting that this communication is carried by a field still unidentified by conventional science.[7] Some scientists believe that the further development of quantum physics may help guide us to understand this field that communicates emotional intent between living things.[8] Quantum Entanglement is a process where two particles of matter which have interacted with each other, still behave as if they are connected after being separated by many miles. When an energetic change is made to the properties (position, momentum and rotational spin) of one of the particles, the properties of the other distant particle will change at the same instant.
This scientific phenomenon and the research of Cleve Backster, point to the Eastern concept of oneness — the view that all of nature is interdependent. Ancient cultures understood this interconnection as a living universal energy field that sustains life while guiding the evolution of consciousness throughout the universe. The meditation techniques involved in my practice bring the mind into attunement with this field. Energy from this field is then focused into a physical healing event through clear intention — delivered by means of a conversation that evokes spontaneous emotions — and attunes the physical body to the conscious mind. This method which I call Antara (Sanskrit for within), enables one to experience the raw creative healing ability generated by an alliance of the mind and body with this living universal energy field.
Therese Wade received her Master of Science Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr University in 2003. Her combined experience with Chinese medicine, shamanic studies, kundalini meditation and hypnotherapy are integrated within her approach to mind–body–spirit medicine. Please visit AntaraHealingArts.comfor more information.
The Abundance Loop:
How to Develop a Powerful Abundance Mentality That Attracts Wealth Effortlessly
BY JULIANA PARK, CFP
our beliefs, mindset and emotions are the key to an abundance mentality and attracting wealth effortlessly.
Who Do You Believe You Are?
We all hold onto beliefs about who we are and what is possible. Have you ever asked yourself how true are these beliefs? I am astounded and saddened when I hear statements such as these:
“I’ll never be rich.”
“There’s never enough.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’ll never be happy.”
These self-limiting beliefs keep you stuck in the Scarcity Loop. When you believe that money is not within your grasp, you get discouraged and give up. Or worse, you may not even try. When the running script in your head is I don’t have enough to save for the future, you don’t put money away, and, therefore, you lack a nest egg. You create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we believe something is not in the realm of possibility, we don’t bother wasting our energy trying; thus, it’s not in the realm of reality.
“If we believe something is not in the realm of possibility, we don’t bother wasting our energy trying.”
I hear many people say they can’t afford to quit their jobs. And you know something, they’re right. They tell themselves that they can’t quit and then spend their full paychecks (and then more on credit) so that they make it harder and harder to ever quit their jobs. People who are dependent on their employer’s paychecks are not free. Yes, I know, I recognize that most of you are probably not free… yet.
But what if I told you that you could be financially free? Would you believe that you could quit your job, spend your time doing what you love, and still receive an income to pay your bills? Probably not. But ask yourself truthfully: What do you have to lose by changing your belief and adopting an abundance mentality? What would happen if you started to believe that you could indeed save and that you could actually afford to send your children to college or even retire from a grueling job?
I dare you to adopt an abundance mentality and believe that you can be financially free and that you can be rich. I need you to believe it. Because if you can’t even believe it, then taking action toward realizing it may prove futile since it’s not always an easy road.
For this to work, you must have the faith and conviction to withstand the many temptations that come your way and not let challenges deter you from achieving your dream. Many people start with the best of intentions to change their habits, but they revert out of an abundance mentality to old ways once the going gets tough. They stay stuck because they haven’t moved past their old stories, which are the old scripts, of who they are and what is possible.
To help you over this very important hurdle, I am going to introduce you to some common self-limiting beliefs that get in the way of living our dreams. You’ll see how to let go of some of the fear-based beliefs that have defined your identity and shaped your life up to this point. And you’ll learn how to reframe them so you can develop an abundance mentality and start to take the right actions to reach a whole new financial future.
Self-Limiting Belief #1: I Don’t Have Enough Money
This is an offshoot of the fear of not having enough of anything. This fear can easily become the thought I have to have it now, which is endemic to the Scarcity Loop, making you feel incomplete without the object of temptation. Let me show you how this looks in the Scarcity Loop:
The obvious way to break this cycle is to stop shopping or spending money on things you don’t need. But for most people, restraining oneself from spending feels like punishment or deprivation and is counterproductive to developing an abundance mentality. Even if you cut up your credit card, you can’t change your habits until you are willing to change the beliefs you have about that situation in the first place.
“I dare you to believe that you can be financially free and that you can be rich.”
If you have a scarcity mind-set, then refraining from spending feels like torture, like being on a crash diet over Thanksgiving. My intention is not for you to build wealth at the expense of your happiness. Instead of pain, I want you to feel both financially and spiritually fulfilled. This is only possible when you shift your awareness away from what you lack and focus instead on what you have—this is an abundance mentality.
When the running script in your mind is I have enough, then you feel more at peace. Even when your ego is tugging at you to acquire more stuff, you feel convinced and empowered so that you recognize that you truly don’t need it. You have enough. The more you can hold off on spending today, the more money you will have available for the future. You can buy a cute pair of boots now or invest that paycheck and generate passive income to buy two pairs later. You will come to understand that the route to and abundance mentality and financial security is not meant to be laden with guilt and deprivation.
In fact, feelings of guilt and deprivation are symptomatic of the Scarcity Loop. When you feel you don’t have enough, you look externally to ease that sense of inadequacy. Although upgrading your living situation feels good at the moment, that happiness doesn’t last, so you will be tempted to take another dose of “inadequacy relief.”Eventually, you will realize that the long-lasting solution doesn’t lie outside of you and it cannot be purchased, won, or earned. You actually have the treasure box inside of you right now, a healthy financial future, and all you need to unlock it is to shift into an abundance mentality and change your perspective from what you lack to what you have. The loop then begins not with lack but with gratitude.
Abundance Mentality Thinking for Belief #1: I Am Thankful for My Paychecks
This loop represents a balanced approach to achieving financial security, and it starts with embracing the wealth you already have. No matter how little you feel you have today, if you have the means to purchase and read this, you have more than you think.
To help you with this, I invite you to visualize an image with me. Take a moment to clear your mind and relax. Take a couple of slow, deep breaths. Now I want you to imagine that the company you work for has shut down and you are out of a job. Imagine that every dollar you have in the bank is now gone; and you lost your home, your car, and all your belongings. Then imagine that you lost your partner, your family, your friends, and your pets; and you also had to move from your community. And just for the sake of this exercise, let’s keep going and imagine that you have also lost your health, your limbs, your sight, your hearing, your speech, and your ability to read, write, smell, and taste.
How do you feel? How hard would you work to try to get back everything you had lost? Now, shake your head and clear your mind of these tragic thoughts of loss and despair. You haven’t lost all these things, maybe a few, but still you have an abundance of things to be thankful for, right at your fingertips. Can you believe the abundance you have right now?
Self-Limiting Belief #2: There’s Never Enough Time
When you think about balancing work, children, marriage, friends, church, personal health, and finances, how does that make you feel? If you’re like most people, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed. When you believe you have to do it all and you have to do it all right now, you feel squeezed for time. This pressure to optimize your time puts you in task mode and you try to juggle it all, very often by trying to multitask. But studies have shown that only 3% of the population can actually multitask efficiently. The rest of us are better off focusing on one task at a time.
Here’s how this works in my own family: I know that when my children are with me, they make it clear that they want my full attention. I notice a huge difference in my own level of satisfaction when I put away my phone, don’t worry about my e-mails, and physically get on the floor with them and play. When I’m fully present with them, I can be more engaged and have fun, even if it’s just for a few minutes, which is an abundance mentality shift. But when I’m worried about how to respond to a client or what I’m going to write in my next chapter, then I rob that precious moment not only from my kids, but from myself, too. I end up feeling guilty for not being a good mom or being a good professional.
Here’s how we can reframe our view of scarcity of time:
Abundance Mentality Thinking for Self-Limiting Belief #2: I Am Thankful for This Moment
By shifting from fear of not having enough time to gratitude for the time you have, your mind becomes more relaxed and can focus on the task at hand. You do the job well and feel good about completing something to the best of your ability. If the task includes another person, then sharing quality time with that person instead of juggling e-mails and texts will result in a stronger relationship. Positive reinforcement supports you to continue operating in and abundance mentality, firmly in the Abundance Loop.
Self-Limiting Belief #3: Money Is the Root of All Evil
Money is the root of all evil. This is not exactly the wording from the famous phrase in the Bible, but it is the wording that many of us have internalized. The original phrase was more like, “For the love of money is the root of all evil,” depending on the translation you might refer to.
What is interesting about this phrase, however you say it, is highlighted in the following story. I had a wonderful conversation with a talented 78-year-old artist named Harold, who showed me that it’s never too late to change your perception about the rich. He was excited about my speaking on the topic of the abundance mentality, and he shared with me what happened when he adjusted his language around rich people relatively late in his life.
Throughout most of his life, Harold used to call people with money “filthy rich,” and he had little interest in connecting with “those greedy capitalists.” But he found that this thinking actually created such a separation from people based on how much money they had (or at least appeared to have) that it was damaging his overall energy and vibration around abundance in his own life.
“You have an abundance of things to be thankful for, right at your fingertips.”
For Harold, rich meant having enough resources to devote his time to making beautiful and elaborate collages in his small seaside studio. He felt rich at times, flirting with a true abundance mentality, but was never “filthy rich.” He eventually realized that his disdain for those with a lot of money (his stuck thinking about them) was creating a barrier against those who could afford to purchase his artwork.
When he became aware of this, he asked himself why he should judge someone simply because they have the means to afford a more expensive lifestyle. It was then Harold made a conscious effort to let go of his disdain for wealth and stopped calling those other people “filthy rich.” He still sees them as privileged, but he widened his perspective to recognize that he enjoys many privileges as well. He has lived and traveled through Europe, Asia, and Africa with his family of artists and together they worked on some amazing and high-profile public art projects. He eventually saw that he is indeed rich. As a result of reflecting about who is rich and what it means to him, Harold now interacts more peacefully with his patrons, taking better care of the money he earns, and feels better about himself, all hallmarks of an abundance mentality.
I share this story because there is value in taking stock in how you perceive money or those with money. As you can see with Harold, messages such as “money is evil” just serve to create a barrier between you, money and a true abundance mentality. You can see now how someone who holds this belief will repel money and let go of it as quickly as it comes into his or her hands.
I keep coming back to ways to build your awareness about how this works, because only by truly understanding and questioning what you hold to be true can you break through blocks that keep you from flowing into an abundance mentality and the Abundance Loop. If this is an issue for you, try the following statement as your new thought pattern.
Abundance Mentality Thinking for Self-Limiting Belief #3: I Am Thankful for Money
I am thankful for money. See how this simple statement is a much more positive way to look at money in general? Here’s one more example that I hope will help drive the idea of an abundance mentality home. Perhaps you will see yourself or someone you know in Carol’s story.
How Beliefs about Money Impact Your Life
Carol was often stressed about money. She would panic that she didn’t earn enough and always seemed to be behind on her bills. She was tired of living that way and desperately sought to shift into an abundance mentality and heal her relationship with her finances. I suggested that she write down all her beliefs about money.
After I tell you about her experience, you will find this exercise explained for you to try. I gave Carol a piece of paper and had her write “money” in large letters across the top. I asked her to write down all the words that came up for her as she thought about money. Her list looked like this: scary, overwhelming, hate, questionable, scarce, hopeless, confusing, and help!
I then asked her about each word and how true it was. For example, she had written “scary” as one of her money beliefs. I asked her, “Is money itself scary?” She replied, “No, but not having money is scary.” In the following pairs, you’ll see her initial ‘money word’ on top and immediately below them her responses when I inquired deeper into each of her beliefs:
Carol’s Money Beliefs
How true is this belief?
What is your real money story?
Scary
Not having money is scary.
Overwhelming
Feeling like I don’t have enough is overwhelming.
Hate
I hate not being able to have money.
Questionable
My financial future is questionable.
Scarce
Money is scarce. It’s hard to come by. There’s never enough.
Hopeless
I never make enough, so it seems hopeless.
Confusing
I don’t know what to do with my money or my debt.
Help!
I need help!
Going through this exercise helped Carol realize that she didn’t really feel those words about money itself, but about the lack of money. She immediately thinks about the scarcity of money as opposed to the presence of money. Money itself doesn’t stress her, but not having enough does. Money itself isn’t confusing, but not knowing how to allocate her money is.
Separating the concept of “money” from her perspective of not having enough money really helped her clarify her abundance mentality and understand that money was not the main stressor in her life; it was her negative outlook, her scarcity mind-set, about money that was causing her to hate it and fight it. She had transferred the negative energy of her fear of not having enough money onto “money” itself.
“Only by truly understanding and questioning what you hold to be true can you break through blocks.”
To help her develop an abundance mentality, I had her identify what was really negative and make space for a healthier relationship to money. I proceeded to help her gain clarity around her financial situation. We laid out her assets, her liabilities, and her cash flow; and then we mapped out a plan to help her get out of debt.
After working with her to shift her awareness into an abundance mentality, challenge her beliefs, and lay out a concrete action plan, I then asked her to do the first exercise again and handed her another piece of paper. She wrote MONEY at the top, and this time, her words to describe money were hopeful, excited, less stressed, ready to get the plan started, positive, clear, concrete, understanding, and focused. She felt the powerful difference between her scarcity mind-set and an abundance mentality.
I followed up by asking her to write down and use these affirmations:
I have enough money.
I have enough money to take care of my needs at this moment.
I believe in my financial future.
I am financially secure.
I am abundant.
I am building financial wealth.
I am investing in myself.
In less than an hour, Carol felt empowered enough by her new abundance mentality to transform her relationship with money. She felt significantly better knowing that she had the power to change her beliefs around money and actually put together a plan. The act of writing out her financial situation, her savings (however minimal), debts (however looming and large), her income, and her expenses was cathartic. She felt happy to liberate her mind-set from the Scarcity Loop and excited about moving forward in the Abundance Loop.
Exercise: Developing An Abundance Mentality – Taking Inventory of Your Money Beliefs
1. Now it’s your turn. Take your journal out and write the word MONEY in big letters across the top. Write down the words that jump into your mind about money. Don’t censor yourself. Allow yourself to jot down whatever words, phrases, or images that come to your mind, without judgment. There are no right or wrong words, just your truth. Give yourself time and space to let your thoughts flow. Some of it might be scary or ugly—just let it flow.
2. Next, reflect on each word you wrote down. Ask yourself: Is this how I truly feel about money itself? Or is it about the lack of money? I want you to notice how each word makes you feel. If the word makes you feel tense and constricted, write “ugghh” next to it. If the word makes you feel open and expansive, write “ahhhh” next to it.
3. Now tally up how many “ugghhs” you have compared to “ahhhhs.” Don’t be hard on yourself if your list of words is all negative. Facing your deep-seated beliefs with honesty and compassion requires a sincere effort and is the key to developing an abundance mentality. Take pride that you are doing it. You are unveiling the underlying mind-set that impacts your financial wellbeing.
4. The good news is that now you are starting to identify your fears so you can master them. By reading this article and going through these exercises, you are taking a stand that you will no longer live in fear and confusion. You are ready to move forward and take action to align with your best self and your inherent abundance mentality. Celebrate this moment!
5. If most of your words give you a sense of relaxation and happiness, celebrate this wonderful blessing—you already have an abundance mentality about money. You can move forward with gratitude, and are ready to interact with money in a way that reflects your core values and manifest wealth.
This except on an abundance mentality is from The Abundance Loop by Juliana Park. It is published by Hay House (July 2015) and is available at bookstores or online at hayhouse.com.
Gregg Prescott and I witnessed several fleets of UFO’s at approximately 9:30 pm Eastern to 10:30 pm on September 12, 2015. We estimate at least thirty ships crossed over our house during that period of time. We saw most of them through our ATN Gen. 3 night vision goggles but two very large craft with the naked eye.
I would like to preface by saying that I have been searching after that one big sighting for five years now. I have asked my space family to show themselves to me to prove that they are here. I feel them, but I really wanted to have a ship literally uncloak right over my house or to have my family appear to me in my living room.
That had never happened yet, and I re-requested to see a ship about four days ago and went outside at 3:00 am to look for them. I didn’t receive what I was hoping for that night, however the next night I had a dream that I looked outside of my bathroom window and a craft uncloaked and then cloaked itself after about 2 minutes. I can’t complain how I got my contact. Then a few days after that, Gregg and I were sitting outside and he decided to get the night vision goggles out. What happened after that was amazing!
There was lightning south west of us over the ocean. I bring this up because I kept asking myself if it could be a portal. Gregg said this kind of “heat lightning” was typical for Florida. We began seeing small crafts one by one, flying into a 166 degree South direction, over the top of us. So they were flying North to South basically. These were fairly high, and I can’t begin to guess how high but let’s say maybe a little higher than a small commercial airplane would fly over a residential neighborhood.
There were many different formations and groupings. I estimate at least 24 single ships. Some of them had veering patterns, made sharp turns to the right or left, or even stopped and started again. Some flew very fast and some just sauntered along similar to a satellite speed as if trying to blend in as one. A few were responsive to our laser light pen and powered up.
Now for the big ones. Gregg saw a huge UFO with the night vision goggles and said it was the largest ship he had ever seen. He said it was like a triangle but with four lights, and a kite-like tail of lights. It is really hard to see whether these were spheres flying at the same speed in a pattern formation or if it was one ship with lights on it, because it was through the goggles and all you see is white light moving. I tried to see it with my eyes and could not pick up on it. I then tried to find it very quickly and very excitedly with the goggles and could not see if before it was over the rooftop. We know that the triangles are said to be government ships but it didn’t seem to be that because of the fourth light, and nothing felt malevolent the whole time we were observing.
The one big ship I did see was so exciting. Gregg spotted it with the night vision goggles and pointed with his finger, and I picked it up with the naked eye. It had 5 or 6 or more lights on it all moving at the same speed. I could not tell if it was one ship or a fleet of spheres. The lights were white. I could not tell a pattern for the lights, nor could I see the body of the ship, only the lights moving in unison. It was a sight to see! The two big ships we saw were at approximately less than 5,000 feet.
At least seven or eight times we tracked dual ships moving together. One time I spotted two ships actually following behind an airplane! I handed the goggles to Gregg and he immediately tracked it because of the airplane reference, and then he saw the two ships separate and swirl back around behind the plane. It is very hard to tell if the plane was knowingly a part of the parade.
Another time Gregg saw a triple fleet of lights and one of them actually stopped and then took off again to join his buddies.
Something big was going down at that specific time, headed South in Florida. Eventually going south would take you out into the ocean from Sarasota, but where we were was still over land, as the water is directly Southwest about two miles. I felt innately that some big meeting was going on, or there was a particular time frame they needed to get somewhere, because the activity started to slow down about 10:30.
During this wonderful sighting, we were having such a great time. The neighbors must have been distracted by a college football game because we would see a ship and the neighbor would set off one of those bullhorn noisemaker things, which made us laugh. They had no idea what they were missing.
This is undoubtedly one of the coolest experiences I have had watching UFO’s. We have no idea who they were or where they were all going, but it gave me an excitement like never before. I just hope that if this is a part of disclosure, that they are here in our best interest and not a part of some type of malevolent plan.
Practically all modern vehicles can be hacked into and controlled remotely, tech researchers reveal
WIRED reporter Andy Greenberg recapitulated in vivid prose last month how hackers were able to hijack a Jeep that he was driving with nothing but a laptop and mobile device. The hackers were able to take control of the vehicle by accessing its dashboard connectivity system. After toying with the windshield wipers and radio, the hackers successfully drove the Jeep into a ditch. The incident sent ripples throughout the internet, causing Chrysler to issue a recall on hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Recently, car hackers made a splash in cyberspace once again, by hijacking a Corvette’s insurance dongle.
A pair of researchers from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) demonstrated that they could hack a Corvette by sending text messages to a plugged-in gadget known as a dongle that keeps track of the vehicle’s speed and location. The researchers manipulated dongles from Metromile, which the company uses to determine insurance rates.(1)
Hackers take the wheel
The hackers were able to activate the Corvette’s windshield wipers, as well as control the breaks at low speeds with the press of a button. While the researchers only hijacked the Corvette, they claim that they could apply the same hacking methods to thousands of vehicles using the dongles. The group of researchers presented their findings at the Usenix security conference August 11. A video of the hackers taking control of the Corvette has since been posted on YouTube.(1)
Unlike the Jeep Cherokee that was previously hijacked, the hackers did not need a data connection to take control of the Corvette. By sending a text message to the dongle, they were able to take control of the vehicle through the OBD2 port. The researchers claim that they could take control of just about any of the car’s functions, including the transmission, steering and locks. This means that vehicles are even more susceptible to hack attacks than previously believed.(2)
The OBD2 dongle in the experiment was manufactured by the France-based firm Mobile Devices and distributed by the insurance firm Metromile. The company joined forces with Uber to make the devices available to contract drivers as part of the company’s discount insurance program.(3)
Metromile issues security patch
Last June, the researchers contacted Metromile about their findings. The insurance company promptly responded by wirelessly delivering a security patch to the internet-connected gadgets. No Uber drivers reported any hacks prior to the fix. The dongles are used by insurance firms other than Metromile though, and the UCSD researchers claim that thousands of other vehicles are still vulnerable to hacks, particularly in Spain.(3)
Fortunately, a vehicle can only be hacked if someone knows the phone number of the dongle. Most companies do not provide the phone number for security purposes. Regardless, that doesn’t mean that hackers will never be able to obtain the digits. That’s what hackers do — mine hard-to-obtain data.
The vehicle gadgets aren’t bound to consumers, however. The White House ordered last march that federal agencies with more than 20 vehicles use telecommunication devices whenever possible. This would mean that thousands of government-owned vehicles could contain OBD2 dongles in the near future.(3)
The hack is just of one of many that is likely to affect Americans in the near future. All vehicles are vulnerable to hacking to some extent. As hacking vehicles becomes more common, automakers will be held more accountable for the devices they choose to install in their vehicles. In the meantime, it may be best to think twice before plugging the device into your car.
A ‘monster’ virus which has lain dormant in the frozen wastelands of northeastern Russia is about to be resurrected by researchers curious of its potential effects.
Scientists anticipate “reanimating” a 30,000-year-old virus to learn more about it and discover if it is harmful to animals or humans. Mollivirus sibericum, which translates to soft Siberian virus, has been dubbed “Frankenvirus” by many who are in opposition of the quest to bring it back to life.
In contrast to other viruses, the soft Siberian bug is a monster. Not only does it have 523 genetic proteins and measures 0.6 microns, it can also be seen using light microscopy.
As BBC News reports, the Mollivirus sibericum virus is the fourth prehistoric virus to have been discovered since 2003, and experts warn climate change and thawing ice could resurrect similar – and perhaps even more dangerous – pathogens.
The French National Center for Scientific Research made the discovery in the Kolyma lowland region of Russia. The soft Siberian virus is the second of its kind to be found by the team. In 2003, researchers discovered the Minivirus, followed by the Pandoraviruses in 2013, and Pithovirus sibericum which was discovered last year.
The saga of giant viruses started in 2003. Two additional types of giant viruses have been discovered [and] we now describe Mollivirus sibericum, a fourth type of giant virus isolated from the same permafrost sample. These four types of giant virus exhibit different structures, sizes, genome length, and replication cycles. Their origin and mode of evolution are the subject of conflicting hypotheses. The fact that two different viruses could be easily revived from prehistoric permafrost should be of concern in a context of global warming.
The regions in which these mega microbes are being discovered are being increasingly exploited for their mineral resources, especially oil. As Upriser shares, the rate at which they are exploited will no doubt increase as the areas become more accessible due to melting ice and climate change.
Said lead researcher Jean-Michel Claverie:
A few viral particles that are still infectious may be enough, in the presence of a vulnerable host, to revive potentially pathogenic viruses. If we are not careful, and we industrialize these areas without putting safeguards in place, we run the risk of one day waking up viruses such as small pox that we thought were eradicated.
That’s definitely concerning.
In the lab, Professor Claverie and his team will attempt to resurrect the newly discovered virus by placing it with a single-cell amoeba, which will serve as its host. The virus Pithovirus sibericum was revived in March 2014 using similar techniques.
UPDATE:
Research has been carried out, and according to co-author Dr Chantal Abergel, the virus “comes into the cell, multiplies and finally kills the cell. It is able to kill the amoeba – but it won’t infect a human cell.”
Still, a lot of controversy surrounds the scientists plan to “revive” the Mollivirus sibericum virus. Different than most viruses circulating today, these ancient pathogens are not only bigger, they’re far more complex genetically.
The recently discovered virus has more than 500 genes, and the Pandoravirus found in 2003 has 2,500. Compare that to the Influenza A virus which has eight genes.
Of course, a philosophical debate will not deter scientists from doing their work, but a number of pros and cons deserve to be weighed before further research is conducted.
In 2004, United States scientists resurrected the “Spanish flu” virus, which ended up killing tens of millions of people at the start of the 20th century. The revived the virus to understand why the pathogen was so virulent.
Researchers from the States traveled to Alaska to take frozen lung tissues from a woman who was buried in permafrost, and teased genetic details out of the samples and from autopsy issues stored in formalin. Their work allowed the team to reconstruct the code for the virus’ eight genes – but at what cost? All the work was done in a top-security lab at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yet still wasn’t contained.
We have to ask ourselves as an informed public – and voice our concerns to those ‘in charge’ – if “reviving” a monster virus and is really in the best interest of the public.
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” –Friedrich Nietzsche
Sometimes the tribe can be a bit suffocating. Whether “the tribe” is familial, societal, or cultural, it can make even the most extraverted of us claustrophobic. Sometimes in order to keep from being subjugated and engulfed by the status quo, we need to break away. We need to discover a secret place, a sacred space, where we are free to howl at the moon and bow to the sun without a judgmental eye over our shoulder. Where North is a drumroll, and South is a compass. Where we can count to infinity and surf the cosmic wave without the clanking of steel or the honking of horns in our ear. Where East is a crossroads, and West is a threshold. Where we are free to slap the face of God and dance with our demons, and vice versa, without a disapproving finger-wag or a whiny “blasphemy!” from the outdated crowd. Sometimes in order to discover our true place in this life we must disrupt our lives. Like Charles Simic poetically stated, “He who cannot howl, will not find his pack.” In the spirit of finding our place in the world, our sacred pack, here are four ways to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
1.) Meditation and Solitude
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” –John Muir
Mankind is fundamentally connected with the Earth and with the cosmos. Neither the Earth’s problems nor humanity’s problems can be resolved without taking full account of this interdependence. And so it goes with the alienation between cosmos and psyche within the individual.
A powerful way to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe is meditation and solitude. Doing so tears through the veil of ignominy and launches us past the smoke and mirrors of the cultural paradigm. The struggle of independence and codependence between the individual and the tribe melts away into the peace of interdependence, which is why it is usually while we’re immersed in nature that we feel the most alive. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him… Wildness is the preservation of the World.”
It is out in the wild places, away from the commotion of the tribe which is incessantly “distracted from distraction by distraction,” where we discover for ourselves what is medicine and what is poison. Solitude and meditation helps us figure out this most basic energy: how to discern between healthy and unhealthy, right and wrong, good and bad, and what to do about it in regards to the self, the tribe, and the world. As Sogyal Rinpoche said, “What we have to learn in both meditation and in life is to be free of attachment to the good experiences and free of aversion to the negative ones.”
2.) Throw Yourself Into Adventure
“If you end up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.” –Frank Zappa
Tired of living a boring life? Sick of walking around in circles within a tiny comfort zone that constricts your way of being in the world? Weary of the yoke of civilization herding you into a life of nine-to-five slavery and daily grinds? There are ways out of boredom: stop being boring. There are strategies for stretching comfort zones: do constructive things that make you uncomfortable. Comfort is as much of an obstacle as the obstacle itself, whatever the obstacle may be. Quit your job and seek out real, sacred, authentic work that makes your soul sing, no matter how scary it might be getting started. Go where the fear is. Test your boundaries. Courage is to fear as diamond is to “in the rough.”
So throw yourself into adventure. Toss yourself into a sacred journey. Chuck your too-conditioned heart into the unconditional abyss. Lob your overly-brainwashed brain into the crushing waves of the cosmic ocean. Hurl your cowardice into the fire of your fear and bear witness as the unstoppable Phoenix of your courage rises out of the ashes. Slip your cover. Discard all masks. Discover the naked vulnerability of your heart-soul pulsing against the hard gravity of an unforgiving universe. Lose your footing. Lose your balance. Fall flat on your face if you have to. Then rise up from the dust with a full heart; with the blood, sweat and tears of your daring marring your overrated reputation. In short, die a small death. Only the death of your ego can give birth to your soul. Like Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
3.) Overcome Yourself
“The real struggle of the heroic individual is not solely to liberate himself from conflict with society, but rather to use the conflict within himself as a source for self-regeneration.” –Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen
Could there be anything more powerful, more self-evolving, more vitally important to our own time, than the ability to self-overcome? To take in hand the tangled knot of the ego and dare to unravel it? To gaze into a mirror and brave the shattered depths? To peel back layer after layer, security blanket after security blanket, until the soft, vulnerable, baby-Hydra-self is revealed? To gamble with our sense of self and, having won or lost, emerge with the hard-fought-for scars that prove the course of our wisdom. Perhaps Joss Whedon said it best, “Don’t just be yourself. Be all of your selves.”
The best way to maintain vigilance over our inconsistent personality is to simply roll with the inconsistencies by assuming a multitude of personas. One could argue that the more personas we adopt the more likely we are to be individuated. The more masks we don and discard, the more likely we are to achieve a humor of the most high. This is precisely because of cognitive dissonance. Since our personalities are inconsistent and change is inevitable anyway, it behooves us to adapt and overcome to such change rather than deny that the change is occurring. We do this through adopting multiple personas that may or may not be consistent with a dominant persona. This has the potential to increase empathy, humor, and love; in the sense that the more personas we can identify with –like latent shadow personas and darker personalities– the more likely we are to subsume the human condition itself, or at least be able to compassionately relate to other people’s difference as we have already learned how to relate to the plentitude of differences within ourselves.
4.) Amorally Rebel
“All is well with the world, when all is not well with the world.” –Alan Gillis
Look inward and ask yourself: am I caught inside a grand cognitive illusion? Play with the answers until questions emerge. Toy with the ideas that arise until they become ideals, and then crush them like you would a mental paradigm. We are caught between moral and immoral, between left and right, between good and evil, between healthy and unhealthy; between so many illusory dualities that we mistakenly begin to see the world dualistically. But it’s not. Nothing is fixed. Everything is in flux. There is no black and white. There is no permanence. There is only a smeared out Middle Gray blank-slate that we vainly attempt to pigeonhole colors onto. Like Robert Anton Wilson said, “The border between the Real and the Unreal is not fixed, but just marks the last place where rival gangs of shamans fought each other to a standstill.”
But there’s no reason whatsoever that you yourself cannot rise up as one of these shamans and fight “whatever” to a standstill, keeping in mind that the “standstill” is the illusion. It’s the “fight” that’s real. It’s the struggle with a universe in constant flux that’s real. It’s between the extremism at either end of the spectrum of power where the real sacred dance is occurring. It’s in the throes of amoral rebellion where we shine brightest. The moralist is blinded by too much light. The immoralist chokes on too much darkness. The amoralist pierces the dark with their light and diffracts the light with their darkness.
Amoral rebellion puts the powers that be on high notice. We will not be pigeonholed into their outdated constructs of power. We will not be placated by bipartisan claptrap. We will not be bamboozled by plutocratic smoke and mirrors. We will not be consumed by the tribe. We will rise above it and self-evolve, dragging it, kicking and screaming through the brambles of our own fruition if need be. We will become a power unto ourselves, a freedom unto ourselves. We will become a force to be reckoned with. Like Bill Plotkin said, “The world was made to be free in: this we know in our bones, and this definitive and fearful knowledge is what both supports us and requires us to turn away from our secure but less-than-joyful lives.”
but two very large craft with the naked eye.
