The results of recent research suggests that ancient, or pre-historic, builders of the monumental structures found in such diverse places as Ireland, Malta, southern Turkey and Peru all have a peculiarly common characteristic – they may have been specially designed to conduct and manipulate sound to produce certain sensory effects.

Some ancient monumental structures were built to manipulate sound for sensory and mind effects – suggests recent research.

Beginning in 2008, a recent and on-going study of the massive 6,000 year-old stone structure complex known as the “Hal Saflieni Hypogeum“ on the island of Malta, for example, is producing some revelatory results.

The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni is an underground cave system covering around 500m² on 3 levels, with various inter-connecting corridors and passage ways that lead to a number of small chambers, built between 3000-2500 B.C. The cave system was re-discovered in 1902 and since then there has been particular interest in one of the rooms, named the “Oracle Chamber”. The space is said to amplify voices dramatically, with certain frequencies resonating enough to be felt through the body. But this structure is unique in that it is subterranean.

As knowledge of this phenomenon has spread, many investigations have been carried out into its acoustic properties as well as other similarly designed spaces across the world.

Low voices within its walls create eerie, reverberating echoes, and a sound made or words spoken in certain places can be clearly heard throughout all of its three levels. Now, scientists are suggesting that certain sound vibration frequencies created when sound is emitted within its walls are actually altering human brain functions of those within earshot.

Research has shown that a number of these locations (such as that at Newgrange, Ireland) have very similar acoustic features, specifically resonating at 110Hz.

It is still not known whether the space was specifically designed to produce these resonances (which would indicate a very early understanding of acoustics and sound) or if it was simply a lucky coincidence with those particular room dimensions and rock type. The use of the space is also unknown, was it a ritual site where chanting and singing were common, or maybe a temple for prayer?

Research carried out in February 2014 by Dr. Paolo Debertolis, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy and Linda C. Eneix, Mediterranean Institute of Ancient Civilizations, may shed some light on the use of the space by investigating the type of noise sources that are capable of exciting the resonances of the space.

Regional brain activity in a number of healthy volunteers was monitored by EEG through exposure to different sound vibration frequencies. The findings indicated that at 110Hz the patterns of activity over the pre-frontal cortex abruptly shifted, resulting in a relative de-activation of the language center and a temporary shifting from left to right-sided dominance related to emotional processing and creativity. This shifting did not occur at 90Hz or 130Hz. In addition to stimulating their more creative sides, it appears that an atmosphere of resonant sound in the frequency of 110Hz or 111Hz would have been “switching on” an area of the brain that bio-behavioral scientists believe relates to mood, empathy and social behavior. Deliberately or not, the people who spent time in such an environment under conditions that may have included a low male voice – in ritual chanting or even simple communication – were exposing themselves to vibrations that may have actually impacted their thinking.

Researchers at the University of Malta are confirming the findings in an on-going study.

But the Hypogeum is not alone in its peculiar sound effects. A study conducted in 1994 by a consortium from Princeton University found that acoustic behavior in ancient chambers at megalithic sites such as Newgrange in Ireland and Wayland’s Smithy in England was characterized by a strong sustained resonance, or “standing wave” in a frequency range between 90Hz and 120Hz. “When this happens”, says Eneix, “what we hear becomes distorted, eerie. The exact pitch for this behavior varies with the dimensions of the room and the quality of the stone.” Going further back in time, she points to the ancient 10,000 B.C. site of “Göbekli Tepe” in southern Turkey. Located on a hilltop, it consists of 20 round stone-built structures which had been buried. Those structures that have been excavated feature massive, T-shaped, standing limestone pillars. “In the center of a circular shrine,” she says, “a limestone pillar “sings” when smacked with the flat of the hand.”

Göbekli Tepe.

And now, new findings of a recent archaeo-acoustic study suggests that the ancients of the 3,000-year-old Andean ceremonial center at Chavín de Huántar, in the central highlands of Peru, practiced a fine art and science of manipulating sound with architecture to produce desired sensory effects. With the assistance of architectural form and placement, and sounds emitted from conch-shell trumpets, the “oracle” of Chavín de Huántar “spoke” to the ancient center’s listeners.

The buildings were constructed using a highly specialized combination of shafts, corridors and surfaces, all designed to make a series of echo chambers, in which sounds – often conch shell trumpets, called pututus, being blown by priests outside of the structure and chanting, as well as water running in streams under and around the buildings – would seem other-worldly. Add in the psychotropic effect of ritual consumption of San Pedro cactus juice (and possibly other substances, like ayahuasca), and one can easily see how a pilgrimage to such a temple would have been a profound spiritual experience.

An intact corridor at Chavín de Huántar.

Miriam Kolar, Stanford Inter-disciplinary Graduate Fellow, PhD Candidate
 at Stanford University and leader of the study says: 

”At Chavín, we have discovered acoustic evidence for selective sound transmission between the site’s “Lanzon” monolith and the Circular Plaza: an architectural acoustic filter system that favors sound frequencies of the Chavín pututus (conch-shell trumpets) and human voice.

“The Lanzon is a sacred statue or stela depicting the central deity of the ancient Chavín culture. Thought to be Chavín’s central “oracle” for its inhabitants, it is housed in a chamber, part of a series of underground passages within the Old Temple of the ceremonial and religious center of Chavín de Huántar. A central duct was built to connect the area of the Lanzon monolith with that of the Circular Plaza, an open-air place of ceremonial activity and significance. The duct was specifically designed to filter and magnify or conduct to a certain sound range – namely, the special range emitted by the Chavín pututu instrument. The specific reasons for this acoustical configuration are not entirely understood, but studies involving human participants within the ancient architectural and artifact context of the site are indicating that the resultant sound effects may have been related to intentional auditory perceptual effects of sound and space on humans.

The Lanzon within its chamber.

The circular Plaza at Chavín de Huántar (Outside View).

Acoustic resonance is a feature of many natural caves, and it’s likely that this natural feature was the primary motivator in the development of acoustics in ritual sites and practices. Modern technology allows archaeologists to identify and study such features of ancient sites, and in most cases the research is inaccessible to the amateur.  However, there are branches of this endeavour that are within reach of anyone who can get themselves to the locations in question.

Recently, a team of researchers have been using sound to study the world famous Stonehenge megalithic site in Wiltshire, England.

Aerial view of Stonehenge.

According to experts from London’s Royal College of Art, Stonehenge holds more mystery than meets the eye. For many years, enthusiasts and researchers have held that Stonehenge had an audio component, either in its use or construction. Many visitors report that chants and music seem to resonate in a strange way at various points within and around the structure, but new insights seem to suggest that the stones themselves were musical instruments.

Research recently published in the Journal of Time & Mind, suggests that the bluestones – the smaller stones that make up the interior of the monument – actually have acoustical properties and may have been selected for that reason. It turns out that the stones resonate in a peculiar way when struck with a hammer or other instrument, and generate a wide range of sounds. Researchers even found what may be evidence of hammer or stone strikes on several of the stones, indicating that they’re on the right track.

English Heritage allowed archaeologists from Bournemouth and Bristol Universities to acoustically test the bluestones at Stonehenge, effectively playing them like a huge xylophone.

This research, with the input of other experts, suggests that many of the standing stone sites throughout the UK may have had, as a central feature, an acoustic nature. It may be that Stonehenge and other standing stone circles and like monuments were built as musical instruments, to be used in conjunction with or as a part of ritualistic gatherings and celebrations.

The same may be true for monuments all over the world, as is highlighted by researchers such as Michael Tellinger, who demonstrates in a video on his YouTube channel the acoustic properties of artifacts found at Waterval Boven, South Africa.

The “sonic rocks” could have been specifically picked because of their “acoustic energy” which means they can make a variety of noises ranging from metallic to wooden sounding, in a number of notes.

There is no denying it, sound has played a central role in the development of not only human spirituality and culture, but also in architecture. While most of our history can only be relayed in terms of visual artifacts and writing, the aural history of our ancestors just begs to be heard. And when you consider the fact that resonant sound has been a significant part of human life for upwards of 27,000 years (at least), it’s no wonder so many people feel so passionately about music and its makers.

So what does all of this mean? What explains these similar, yet geographically and culturally disparate finds?

“How curious that such varied ancient structures, separated by so much time and distance, should have common features which imply sophisticated knowledge”, observes Eneix. “Did the architects of the day each make and develop their own discoveries or did they inherit a concept from some older school of learning?

Scientists may never have the answer to that question, but the accumulating evidence suggests that there is a real story to tell about humans and their fascination with sound.

Additional Research:

As you may already know, Quartz, which consists of silicon dioxide, is the second most abundant mineral on earth. Quartz has amazing properties, some being these below:

Pyroelectric – generates heat.

Piezoelectric – generates electric charge when subjected to mechanical pressure.

Can store data and information and is easily programmable – as evidenced by its rampant use in electronics and computers.

Amplifies energy and has consistent energy output – has been used in “watches” for example.

Just like how we are using crystals today in natural formation and via manufactured variation, ancient civilizations have understood the value of crystal energy and have harnessed this energy for their advantage.

An Empath is a person who has the ability to understand the emotional state of another individual. There are many different types of Empaths and many levels of gifts and abilities. It’s one thing to be an empath, it’s another to be a Heyoka. heyoketricksterFor the Heyoka Empath, there is little available information and yet is the most powerful type of Empath. Heyoka or “Sacred Clown” is a Native American term and has been loosely translated to mean “Fool or Clown”. This translation does not give justice to the true meaning of the term. To say, to act in a manner that is different, backward, opposite of normal, gives us a clearer understanding. The spirit of a Heyoka is the Great Mirror. When you connect to a Heyoka, what you see in them will show you what you need to work on to evolve spiritually. The Heyoka’s mirror is one of emotion, for however you react to them emotionally is their guidance to reflect back to you. For example, after being with one you may feel anger, feeling them to be arrogant yet the Heyoka’s mirror is showing you your need to be humble. Or you may feel great love, again the Mirror is showing you the path of self-love. The following traits of a Heyoka is defined by the energy you carry. It’s how you interact with reality, how you process emotions. empath-4 Some of the traits may include; being dyslexic (thinking backwards), being born breach (coming into the world backwards), doing certain things backwards, or appearing younger than their age. Heyoka is movement and transformation. This is something you don’t claim to be. A Heyoka recognizes another Heyoka when they feel that energy. It’s a deep understanding of our how our sensitivities and emotions interact with each other. In Native American ceremonies, the Heyoka would be the one to disrupt the proceedings so as to get the people to see things differently or to shift the energy of the situation. Modern day Heyokas, when working with people, will say or do something to shift the energy which creates change, healing and balances the energy. ascension The Heyoka’s gift is to bring people back into balance and get people unstuck by showing the opposite, the backward way. Heyoka’s carry the medicine of chaos and this medicine has the power to change people’s lives. This energy is firm, forthcoming and strong. It is disruption out of love; in the hopes to experience growth. It is the medicine to show us that the shadow remains unseen and the mirror of truth is hard to gaze into. It’s difficult to humble yourself in a world of ego. So if you were to meet a Heyoka, would you have the courage to experience the unseen and see yourself as you truly are?

A recent study found that a diet rich in acidic foods increases uric acid levels in the body, leading to conditions such as gout (form of arthritis), joint pain, and uric acid crystallization. Peter was suddenly jolted from his sleep by a sharp and throbbing pain in his left foot. He looked down to see that his big toe was extremely swollen and red, so tender and sore that even the lightest friction from the bed sheet was too much to bear. This was becoming a common occurrence in his life, a highly inconvenient one at that. Wendy could barely function at work. She struggled to even finish her morning coffee for fear of having to go to the bathroom, for every time she did, she would nearly pass out from the immense pain shooting through her belly and pubic area. This was her second case of kidney stones in the same year. If you or somebody you know is suffering from kidney issues, joint pain, or a condition known as gout, then you probably know how unfortunate it is to experience a lower quality of life at the hands of a debilitating ailment. Uric acid crystallization has been linked to gout, kidney stones, joint pain, and more. Uric acid crystallization has been linked to gout, kidney stones, joint pain, and more. According to Global RPH, approximately 2 million people suffer from gout, a form or arthritis, 75-90% of which are men. Gout has been known to lead to painful conditions such as kidney stones due to the build up of uric acid in the blood or urine. Although there are multiple factors which can lead to high levels of uric acid in the body, a recent study suggests that uric acid build-up can be linked to one substantial factor – an acidic diet. The study explores the theory that by introducing a more alkaline diet to the body, one can effectively lower uric acid levels, thereby reducing instances of gout and other kidney and joint related issues. What The Scientific Evidence States The study enrolled a group of healthy female students, who had no medical problems at their regular physical examinations provided by the university, in a back-to-back 5-day study which compared urine samples from a high-protein, less vegetable/fruit laden diet (acidic) to a low-protein, high-vegetable/fruit diet (alkaline). Researchers measured the total volume of urine, the pH, levels of organic acids, creatinine, uric acid, and titratable acid, as well as all cations (Na+,K+,Ca2+,Mg2+,NH4+) and anions (Cl−,SO42−,PO4−) necessary for the estimation of acid–base balance. The study noted a linear relationship between higher acidic serum levels and the metabolic degradation of materials being consumed (diet). Uric acid in the serum was higher in the acidic group than in the alkaline group, therefore from these observations, it is considered that uric acid may be reabsorbed more actively in acidic urine than in alkaline urine where it is more actively excreted. Conclusion & What To Eat For Alkalinity According to the study, high protein foods (rich in amino acids) were prone to acidic by-products. This included meat, eggs, and some dairy products such as butter. Furthermore, foods such as corn, alcohol, sugar, salad oils, and mayo were also found to produce acidic by-products in the body. On the flip side, here are the foods that produced alkaline conditions in the body: Green leafy vegetables, pumpkin, miso, basil, cucumber, cabbage, kiwi, pineapple, mushrooms, yams, vinegar, walnuts, bell peppers, and more. (For more info, see appendix) Researchers also noted that since the study was conducted exclusively on female students, experiments of the same kind need to be performed on male students, on older populations and also on people with hyperuricemia at baseline for generalization of dietary intervention. Bottom line: Dietary intervention is one of the best choices in preventing conditions caused by uric acid build-up such as gout and joint pain, and an alkaline rich diet is an effective way to go about preventing these types of disorders. The Ultimate Alkalizing Cocktails Using the acidic/alkaline chart from Alkalife, we’ve put together two fantastic alkalizing cocktails to help eliminate acidic environments in the body. Enjoy! Ginger-Fruit Iced Tea MG_5812 Ingredients: Organic ginger tea Purified water 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon &/or lime juice 1/4 cup of organic grapefruit juice Directions: Steep the ginger tea in purified, alkaline water for 5 minutes or until desired colour. Let cool. Stir in lemon and/or lime juice as well as the grapefruit juice. Add ice and enjoy! (Can be enjoyed hot as well during the winter months) The Very-Berry-Banana Smoothie BerryBananaSmoothie1 Ingredients (serves 1): 2 ripe medium-large bananas 2 cups of frozen mixed berries (strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, and/or raspberry) 1-2 cups of kale (spine removed; your choice of variety) 2-3 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup – 1 cup of purified water. Directions: Throw all ingredients into a medium-high powered blender until smooth consistency (I used a Vitamix; a Nutribullet also works well). Original Post: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/12/09/how-to-rid-your-joints-of-uric-acid-crystals-gout-joint-pain/

What Exactly are Kidney Stones?Kidney stones are deposits of minerals – usually some form of calcium like calcium oxalate – that collect in the kidneys and can form small, pebble-like “stones” within the kidneys themselves. Positioning is everything when it comes to kidney stones: a stone can stay in the kidney for weeks, months or even years without a person having any symptoms. However, if the stone becomes lodged at any point in the ureter, extreme back or flank pain and bloody or cloudy urine can result. At this point, a doctors will try to have a patient pass the stone naturally through pushing fluids and by given them strong analgesics to keep the pain under tolerable control. However, some stones are large enough that they require surgery to remove. The third option is to combine pushing fluids with the use of remedy like the one given below to dissolve the stone so that it is easier to eliminate naturally. Kidney Stone Remedy Recipe Ingredients 1 cup pure maple syrup 9 ounces extra virgin olive oil 9 ounces lemon (with peel) 9 ounces parsley root 9 ounces raw organic honey Directions Scrub the lemon and cut into pieces with the peel still on, then put it in a blender and process. Next, clean and scrape the parsley root, cut it into chunks, add to blender and process in with the lemon. Then add the maple syrup, honey and olive oil and process once more until you get a smooth, well-blended mixture. You can store this is an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. How to Use Take one tablespoon of this every morning one an empty stomach, then be sure to drink a lot of fluids for the rest of the day. How Does This Remedy Work? The main active ingredient here is the lemon; consumption of this fruit is excellent for kidney stone therapy, since it raises the acidity of your urine and dissolves the calcium-based kidney stone naturally. The parsley, too, is also important, as it is a natural diuretic to help you increase urine output and flush the kidneys naturally. The honey is important, too, as it can be soothing to the irritated linings of your ureters and also provides powerful antibiotic protection for them, while the maple syrup makes the remedy palatable. So if you do have problems with kidney stones, consider using this home remedy to dissolve all or part of the stone naturally and make it easier to pass. It tastes delicious because of the honey and maple syrup and is really effective at treating this painful condition, making it easier to cope with.

Magick and Psychedelic Drugs are Serious Business

May 26, 2014 by Andrei Burke 8 Comments

Academia may be on the brink of recognizing psychedelic-fueled esoteric study as a legitimate field of inquiry

Have you gained insights into the nature of reality from the use of psychedelic substances? Do you spend long hours listening to the bottomless well of Terence McKenna archives on YouTube? Do you know what words like “hermeticism” and “entheogen” mean? Then you might be part of a new religious movement dubbed “entheogenic esotericism.”

According to academic Wouter Jacobus Hanegraaff, “entheogenic esotericism” is what happens when psychedelic drugs meet with Hermetic philosophy; Hanegraaff coined the term to describe a new religious movement that has been growing in prominence in Western societies for the last half a century. Hanegraaff, who is a professor of Hermetic Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, defines entheogenic esotericism as “the religious use of psychoactive substances as means of access to spiritual insights about the true nature of reality.” (Check out Hanegraaff presenting on Entheogenic Esotericism below.)

A group of ethnobotanists and scholars of mythology coined the word entheogen in 1979 in an effort to find an appropriate terminology that acknowledges the ritual use of psychoactive plants in traditional religious context, while avoiding terms like “hallucinogen” or “psychedelic” that had been hijacked by law enforcement and popular culture. A drug is considered entheogenic if it generates “unusual states of consciousness in which those who use them are believe to be ‘filled,’ ‘possessed,’ or ‘inspired’ by some kind of divine entity, presence, or force.”

The criminalization of entheogenic substances, however, did very much to harm the development of a genuine religious movement. As a result, the focus of consciousness expansion moved from drug-induced ecstatic states in the 1960s, toward more focused and drugless methods like meditation in the 1970s. Prohibition made it difficult for authors who discovered valid insights into the nature of reality through the intervention of psychoactive plants and substances to publish their stories, for fear of legal consequence and cultural stigmatization. The majority of authors on the subject were forced to employ “skilled revelation of skilled concealment” to transmit their experiences.

Prohibition hasn’t been the only obstacle faced by entheogens. Deep-rooted prejudices in the Western intellectual tradition have created controversy for entheogens being accepted as a legitimate religious experience. Post-Enlightenment thinking has internalized Protestant dogmas to the point that they are accepted as the way of things, with little reflection on the cultural biases that produce these dogmas. Entheogens became victims of these prejudices because of a belief that religion “implies an attitude in which human beings are dependent on the divine initiative to receive grace or salvation.” This categorizes them as on the animistic fringe of “magical” activity, and outside the bounds of a “truly religious” experience.

Entheogens also face the prejudice that religion is intended to be about “spiritual realities,” and not material ones. Under this presumption, modification of brain activity by chemical means is counterintuitive to religious pursuit, making entheogens little more than sleight-of-mind tricks that cheat the practitioner into believing they experienced a “genuine” religious experience.

Hanegraaff problematizes this position by pointing out that there are no scholarly procedures for distinguishing genuine from fake religion. It’s doubly wrong to ignore the fact that mind and spirit are inseparable from neurological activity. If there were any spiritual experience that didn’t have a neurological counterpart, we would be incapable of having it.

Prohibition and cultural prejudice have done little to prevent the intrepid force of entheogens becoming legitimized. Hanegraaff cites Christopher Partridge’s framing of entheogenic religion within the context of contemporary occulture, which traces three distinct phases of “modern spiritual psychedelic revolution.” The first of these is Albert Hofmann’s discovery of LSD in 1938, through the end of the 1950s, with Aldous Huxley as figurehead. This was followed by Timothy Leary’s psychedelic era from the 1960s through 1976, with the third phase being the development of rave culture beginning in the mid-80s.

We are now hinged on a fourth wave of entheogens, with the influence of cyberculture being central in this era. This wave synthesizes Leary’s psychedelic utopianism of the 60s and the Castenadan neoshamanic tribalism of the 70s to produce a vision of entheogenic religion suitable for 21st century global resurgence. This era does not blindly adopt the hedonistic imperative, nor does it fall into luddite fantasies. It is within this wave that minds like Terence McKenna were able to take sail and gain prominence, and it was in McKenna that the culture surrounding entheogens were synthesized with Hermetic philosophy to produce the religious phenomenon that Hanegraaff has termed “entheogenic esotericism.”

Hanegraaff points to a series of talks given by McKenna at Easlen in the 1990s on the history of Hermetic philosophy as an example of when the concept of “entheogenic esotericism” crystalized. By attempting to introduce his audience to Frances Yates’ Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, McKenna in turn discoursed on the “interconnectedness of mind and matter, the notion of microcosmos/macrocosmos, the idea of individual minds being ultimately part of a universal Mind, and the idea of the human mind as the ‘mirror of nature’ (and the reverse).” (Talk attached below.)

In Yates’ narrative of the Hermetic Tradition, McKenna found a system that emphasized personal religious experience and the powers of the imagination, one that promoted a holistic science that saw the world as an organic living whole. It reflected an optimistic perspective that emphasized humanity’s ability to operate on the world to create a “more harmonious, more beautiful” society. This pre-Enlightenment philosophy rejects the creatio ex nihilo doctrine and conceptualizes the world as “co-eternal with God.” We are able to achieve gnosis—direct experiential knowledge of our divine nature through ecstatic states of mind.

While all of this information might be old hat to many a psychonautic veteran, keep in mind that Hanegraaff’s concept of “entheogenic esotericism” presents an opportunity for a detailed anthropological survey of contemporary psychedelic studies to emerge. Such an acceptance holds the potential of breaking up the vestiges of Enlightenment prejudices permeating the academy.

The Western intellectual discourse has been mired in an existential despair for the last half a century. While this stance is an honest reaction to the horrors of the 20th century, its prevalence has alienated us from a genuine spiritual engagement with the world, and thus inhibits us from fully acting to effect positive change. We now stand to see the transmutation of this existential despair into entheogenic esotericism.

Here’s how to purify your lungs in just three days: 1. Take a break from smoking ASAP. 2. Immediately eliminate all dairy products from your diet. Their benefits are not worth the costs to your lungs. 3. The night before your detox you must drink some herbal tea to start your detox process. 4. As soon as you wake up, make yourself some organic lemon water. 5. Between breakfast and lunch make sure you drink some carrot juice. 6. Any time during the day, enjoy some grapefruit or pineapple juice. 7. Right before bed, enjoy a potassium-loaded juice like cranberry juice. Repeat for three days. Then enjoy breathing! Original Post: http://theheartysoul.com/improve-lung-health/?t=MAM

Original Post: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-blue-and-how-do-we-see-color-2015-2 It's about the way that humans see the world and how until we have a way to describe something, even something so fundamental as a color, we may not even notice that it's there. Until relatively recently in human history, "blue" didn't exist, not in the way we think of it. As the delightful Radiolab episode "Colors" describes, ancient languages didn't have a word for blue — not Greek, not Chinese, not Japanese, not Hebrew. And without a word for the color, there is evidence that they may not have seen it at all. How we realized blue was missing In "The Odyssey," Homer famously describes the "wine-dark sea." But why "wine-dark" and not deep blue or green? In 1858 a scholar named William Gladstone, who later became the prime minister of Great Britain, noticed that this wasn't the only strange color description. Though the poet spends page after page describing the intricate details of clothing, armor, weaponry, facial features, animals, and more, his references to color are strange. Iron and sheep are violet; honey is green. So Gladstone decided to count the color references in the book. And while black is mentioned almost 200 times and white about 100, other colors are rare. Red is mentioned fewer than 15 times, and yellow and green fewer than 10. Gladstone started looking at other ancient Greek texts and noticed the same thing — there was never anything described as "blue." The word didn't even exist. It seemed the Greeks lived in a murky and muddy world, devoid of color, mostly black and white and metallic, with occasional flashes of red or yellow. Gladstone thought this was perhaps something unique to the Greeks, but a philologist named Lazarus Geiger followed up on his work and noticed this was true across cultures. He studied Icelandic sagas, the Koran, ancient Chinese stories, and an ancient Hebrew version of the Bible. Of Hindu Vedic hymns, he wrote: "These hymns, of more than ten thousand lines, are brimming with descriptions of the heavens. Scarcely any subject is evoked more frequently. The sun and reddening dawn's play of color, day and night, cloud and lightning, the air and ether, all these are unfolded before us, again and again ... but there is one thing no one would ever learn from these ancient songs ... and that is that the sky is blue." There was no blue, not in the way that we know the color — it wasn't distinguished from green or darker shades. Geiger looked to see when "blue" started to appear in languages and found an odd pattern all over the world. Every language first had a word for black and for white, or dark and light. The next word for a color to come into existence — in every language studied around the world — was red, the color of blood and wine. After red, historically, yellow appears, and later, green (though in a couple of languages, yellow and green switch places). The last of these colors to appear in every language is blue. The only ancient culture to develop a word for blue was the Egyptians — and as it happens, they were also the only culture that had a way to produce a blue dye. If you think about it, blue doesn't appear much in nature — there are almost no blue animals, blue eyes are rare, and blue flowers are mostly human creations. There is, of course, the sky, but is that really blue? As we've seen from Geiger's work, even scriptures that contemplate the heavens continuously still do not necessarily see it as "blue." Kettleman City CaliforniaRussell Mondy/Flickr Is the sky really blue? What does that mean? In fact, one researcher that Radiolab spoke with — Guy Deutscher, author of "Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages," tried a casual experiment with that. In theory, one of children's first questions is, "Why is the sky blue?" So he raised his daughter while being careful to never describe the color of the sky to her, and then one day asked her what color she saw when she looked up. Alma, Deutscher's daughter, had no idea. The sky was colorless. Eventually she decided it was white, and later on, eventually blue. So blue was not the first thing she saw or gravitated toward, though it is where she settled in the end. So before we had a word for it, did people not naturally see blue? This part gets a little complicated, because we do not know exactly what was going through Homer's brain when he described the wine-dark sea and the violet sheep — but we do know that ancient Greeks and others in the ancient world had the same biology and therefore same capability to see color that we do. But do you really see something if you don't have a word for it? A researcher named Jules Davidoff traveled to Namibia to investigate this, where he conducted an experiment with the Himba tribe, which speaks a language that has no word for blue or distinction between blue and green. blue squares Vidipedia/Himba color experiment Namibian tribe member participating in a research project. When shown a circle with 11 green squares and one blue, they could not pick out which one was different from the others — or those who could see a difference took much longer and made more mistakes than would make sense to us, who can clearly spot the blue square. But the Himba have more words for types of green than we do in English. When looking at a circle of green squares with only one slightly different shade, they could immediately spot the different one. Can you? green squares himba Vidipedia/Himba Colour Experiment Which square is the outlier? For most of us, that's harder. This was the unique square: Davidoff says that without a word for a color, without a way of identifying it as different, it is much harder for us to notice what is unique about it — even though our eyes are physically seeing the blocks it in the same way. So before blue became a common concept, maybe humans saw it. But it seems they did not know they were seeing it. If you see something yet can't see it, does it exist? Did colors come into existence over time? Not technically, but our ability to notice them may have ...

Our sleep offers a chance to temporarily free our selves from the physical reality that our body seems to constrain us to during the waking hours. That period of slumber is where dreams can come true, where we can escape physical grounding and have the ability to literally fly, travel anywhere we choose, and communicate with spirit guides. Check out these 7 herbs for dream recollection and dream enhancement and fill your dream journal up quickly!

Xhosa Dream Root

1. Xhosa Dream Root – Vivid and Prophetic Dreams

You may find this herb labeled as it’s technical name Silene Capensis or as ‘undlela zimhlophe‘, as it’s called by the Xhosa peoples of Africa. Noted as a ‘teaching plant’ and considered highly sacred, shamans traditionally use Xhosa dream root to promote lucid dream states in healers and other shamans during initiation ceremonies. If you aspire for more vivid and profound dreams or simply want to gain more universal insights from them, give this herb a shot – literally. You mix this in small amounts with water typically and consume it prior to sleeping. It also makes an interesting tasting tea but it can be bitter, so the ‘shot’ form is recommended.

  Celastrus Paniculatus

2. Celastrus Paniculatus – The Elixir of Life

While this dreaming herb may sound like a spell Harry Potter would use, this amazing gift from Mother Nature packs a powerful punch and facilitates more than lucid dreams. It’s known for promoting longevity, sharpening the mind and memory, and it aids in concentration. This is perhaps why this herb is promoted to assist with ADD-type disorders, prevent epileptic seizures, and to aid in memory recollection in Alzheimer’s sufferers. Essentially, you benefit during the waking hours, and the herb keeps working while you sleep to fuel dream recollection!

  3. Blue Lotus – Mind Body Spirit Herb

A favorite used in yogic practices and meditation, the blue lotus is considered to be a source and possessor of the universe’s highest sacred energies in Hinduism. However, this relaxing herb promotes the mind body spirit connection as well as lucid dreaming states. This is also highly recommended for insomnia sufferers by many holistic healers. Typically consumed by smoking, in elixirs, and steeped in teas, if you have trouble dreaming or find yourself frequently waking up in dreams, blue lotus, aka Nymphaea Caerulea, may help.

  Wild Asparagus Root

4. Wild Asparagus Root – Fly by Night

Reported to be SO effective at allowing one to fly in their dreams, many herbalists will advise against its use at all if you are not seeking to fly in your dream states. Also known as Asparagus Lucidus or Cochinensis, many Taoists use and recommend this herb for dream mobility, and reports have many users soaring through the skies and all across the universe and even into alternate realities and dimensions. Sweet and slightly bitter, most prefer to make a tea with this herb, and an additional ‘side-effect’ reported of regular wild asparagus root consumption is softer, more supple skin. Flying and skin benefits – ladies, this is YOUR dream herb!

  African Dream Bean

5.  African Dream Bean – Master Spirit Connections

Known to promote euphoric lucid dreaming states, Entada Rheedii, or African Dream Bean is used by a number of tribes and cultures around Asia, Australia, and India. Often used in magic and rituals to proved users good luck, many find that their dreams are so powerful and vivid and declare that spirit communications are more accessible. This dreaming herb is typically dried and smoked, but some people get results by eating the bean’s internal seeds.

  Mexican Tarragon

6. Mexican Tarragon – Grow a Garden of Herbs for Dreaming

Growing lovely flowering Mexican Tarragon can have you dreaming nightly and leave you with some eye candy in your herb garden. These Mexican Marigolds as they are also known, are an intrinsic part of Día de los Muertos festivities and are pretty commonly used as a spice. However, as a dreaming herb, one typically dries it for teas and smoking, but it can be burned as a bedtime incense to promote vivid images and dream recollection. Also revered for its anti-viral properties, these herbs for dreaming can be used in antiseptic solutions and essential oils.

  Mugwort Herb

7. Mugwort – A Versatile Dreaming Herb

Also called Artemisa Vulgaris, this long time staple in Europe is superior for treating stomach ailments and eliminating parasitic invaders. This herb often helps one heal while dreaming. Some users report having darker dreams that reveal hidden insights, allowing them to better know themselves and mend from past hurts and experiences. Sweet and floral in scent, Mugwort is excellent for use in essential oils, teas, and for its aromatic qualities during ceremonies and meditation practices.

Our sleep offers a chance to temporarily free our selves from the physical reality that our body seems to constrain us to during the waking hours. That period of slumber is where dreams can come true, where we can escape physical grounding and have the ability to literally fly, travel anywhere we choose, and communicate with spirit guides. Check out these 7 herbs for dream recollection and dream enhancement and fill your dream journal up quickly!

Xhosa Dream Root

1. Xhosa Dream Root – Vivid and Prophetic Dreams

You may find this herb labeled as it’s technical name Silene Capensis or as ‘undlela zimhlophe‘, as it’s called by the Xhosa peoples of Africa. Noted as a ‘teaching plant’ and considered highly sacred, shamans traditionally use Xhosa dream root to promote lucid dream states in healers and other shamans during initiation ceremonies. If you aspire for more vivid and profound dreams or simply want to gain more universal insights from them, give this herb a shot – literally. You mix this in small amounts with water typically and consume it prior to sleeping. It also makes an interesting tasting tea but it can be bitter, so the ‘shot’ form is recommended.

  Celastrus Paniculatus

2. Celastrus Paniculatus – The Elixir of Life

While this dreaming herb may sound like a spell Harry Potter would use, this amazing gift from Mother Nature packs a powerful punch and facilitates more than lucid dreams. It’s known for promoting longevity, sharpening the mind and memory, and it aids in concentration. This is perhaps why this herb is promoted to assist with ADD-type disorders, prevent epileptic seizures, and to aid in memory recollection in Alzheimer’s sufferers. Essentially, you benefit during the waking hours, and the herb keeps working while you sleep to fuel dream recollection!

  3. Blue Lotus – Mind Body Spirit Herb

A favorite used in yogic practices and meditation, the blue lotus is considered to be a source and possessor of the universe’s highest sacred energies in Hinduism. However, this relaxing herb promotes the mind body spirit connection as well as lucid dreaming states. This is also highly recommended for insomnia sufferers by many holistic healers. Typically consumed by smoking, in elixirs, and steeped in teas, if you have trouble dreaming or find yourself frequently waking up in dreams, blue lotus, aka Nymphaea Caerulea, may help.

  Wild Asparagus Root

4. Wild Asparagus Root – Fly by Night

Reported to be SO effective at allowing one to fly in their dreams, many herbalists will advise against its use at all if you are not seeking to fly in your dream states. Also known as Asparagus Lucidus or Cochinensis, many Taoists use and recommend this herb for dream mobility, and reports have many users soaring through the skies and all across the universe and even into alternate realities and dimensions. Sweet and slightly bitter, most prefer to make a tea with this herb, and an additional ‘side-effect’ reported of regular wild asparagus root consumption is softer, more supple skin. Flying and skin benefits – ladies, this is YOUR dream herb!

  African Dream Bean

5.  African Dream Bean – Master Spirit Connections

Known to promote euphoric lucid dreaming states, Entada Rheedii, or African Dream Bean is used by a number of tribes and cultures around Asia, Australia, and India. Often used in magic and rituals to proved users good luck, many find that their dreams are so powerful and vivid and declare that spirit communications are more accessible. This dreaming herb is typically dried and smoked, but some people get results by eating the bean’s internal seeds.

  Mexican Tarragon

6. Mexican Tarragon – Grow a Garden of Herbs for Dreaming

Growing lovely flowering Mexican Tarragon can have you dreaming nightly and leave you with some eye candy in your herb garden. These Mexican Marigolds as they are also known, are an intrinsic part of Día de los Muertos festivities and are pretty commonly used as a spice. However, as a dreaming herb, one typically dries it for teas and smoking, but it can be burned as a bedtime incense to promote vivid images and dream recollection. Also revered for its anti-viral properties, these herbs for dreaming can be used in antiseptic solutions and essential oils.

  Mugwort Herb

7. Mugwort – A Versatile Dreaming Herb

Also called Artemisa Vulgaris, this long time staple in Europe is superior for treating stomach ailments and eliminating parasitic invaders. This herb often helps one heal while dreaming. Some users report having darker dreams that reveal hidden insights, allowing them to better know themselves and mend from past hurts and experiences. Sweet and floral in scent, Mugwort is excellent for use in essential oils, teas, and for its aromatic qualities during ceremonies and meditation practices.

By Amateo Ra: A recent article in Scientific American has reported the discovery that fractal patterns and the golden ration have been discovered in outer space for the very first time. Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have been studying a specific kind of stars called RR Lyrae variables using the Kepler Space Telescope. Unlike normal stars, they expand and contract, causing their brightness to adjust dramatically, and in so doing create pulsations. But the pulsations aren’t random or arbitrary. They are pulsating in accordance with the golden mean. We have seen the golden ration turn up in nature all the time, but this is the first time it has ever been identified in space. “Unlike our Sun, RR Lyrae stars shrink and swell, causing their temperatures and brightness to rhythmically change like the frequencies or notes in a song,” Dr Lindner, the lead Researcher, explained. It’s the ratio between this swelling and shrinking that is so important. They have been studying the pulsations of these stars, and several of them have been pulsating frequencies nearly identical to the Golden Ratio. These specific stars are called “Golden RR Lyrae Variables.” “We call these stars ‘golden’ because the ratio of two of their frequency components is near the golden mean, which is an irrational number famous in art, architecture, and mathematics,” Dr Lindner said. The Golden Mean fractal-pictures-5-1 The Golden Mean or Ratio, (1.61803398875…) is a pattern that is absolutely essential to the understanding of nature, as its found in everything from sunflowers, to succulents, to sea shells, and is commonly referred to in the study of Sacred Geometry. The Golden Ratio was essential to Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, can be found in studying the Pyramids of Egypt, the Parthenon, and several researches believe they have correlated it to the understanding of the human genome and unlocking the codes in our DNA. The Golden Ratio or Divine Proportion, when plotted numerically, creates a sequence that emerges what we can see as a Fractal Pattern. Metaphysicians and Modern Physicians for the last 15-years have been avidly suggesting that the study of fractal patterns can lead us to a greater understanding of the Universe, and a Unified Field within it that very likely may be at play in structuring the Universe. “The golden stars are actually the first examples outside of a laboratory of what’s called “strange nonchaotic dynamics.” The “strange” here refers to a fractal pattern, and nonchaotic means the pattern is orderly, rather than random. Most fractal patterns in nature, such as weather, are chaotic, so this aspect of the variable stars came as a surprise.” Reported an article in Scientific American. These RR Lyrae variable stars are at their youngest over 10 billion years old and their brightness can vary by 200 percent over half a day. This makes it a bit challenging to study from Earth due to our day-night cycle. It’s the variation itself causing this mathematical phenomenon. Plato had theorized that the Universe as a whole is simply a resonance of the “Music or Harmony of the Spheres.” This new study may provide deeper insights to pairing the Philosophies & Spiritual Sciences offered throughout the ages with modern Astronomy, and how we may understand the underlying elegance of nature as a whole. While some of these stars pulsate with a single frequency, observations confirm that others pulsate with multiple frequencies. “Just as flamboyant rock stars deliver pulsating rhythmic beats under their song melodies, so, too, do these variable stars,” said Dr Lindner. Indeed, the universe is one big pulsating rhythm. About the author: Amateo Ra is a Blogger, Speaker & Conscious Biz Coach. He is also the co-founder of Creator Course, an Online School for Conscious Living which is currently being built. For the last 4-years, he has been training with Global leaders in Spirituality, Physics, Geometry & Conscious Business. Originally Featured Articles: Sci-News.com & ScientificAmerican.com

Original post from http://thespiritscience.net/2014/11/05/one-of-the-best-dialogs-ever-written-the-egg/

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