The Group Address COVID

Greetings from Home, dear ones.

We join you this day as a collective because planet Earth is shifting. It’s moving very quickly now because you have a visitor on planet Earth, a new life form. Although it’s been there for a while, now it has crossed over into the human kingdom and is spreading aggressively. There are several important aspects of this to keep in mind. First, this being is evolving or what you’d consider to be mutating very quickly. Because it’s fighting for its life, this being instead calls it evolution.

The Gift

We also tell you that the integration occurring between humans and this creature, which you’re calling COVID-19, will result in a positive benefit in the long run. The next stage of evolution is to start bringing through more of your spirit into your physical body. However, one of the biggest challenges is that your spirit and physical body are incredibly enmeshed. It’s very difficult to loosen one from the other, but that’s what this virus does. It loosens the connection just enough, so that the next stages of evolution will actually be a little more comfortable. Dear ones, understand that not everyone on the planet needs to catch the virus. A critical mass will be reached, when everyone with the new attributes will no longer need to go through this process. When that happens, COVID-19 will either mutate again so that it isn’t as harmful, or you will find many of the answers that you’re currently looking for. At this very moment, a cure for this is available and humans are on track to find it. You’re starting to hone in on the different combinations and other techniques that will work best for the majority of people in most places.

An Answer

Yes, there is an answer that is coming soon. You haven’t quite found it because you have not yet reached that critical mass. However, it is already on the horizon and there are several ways to reduce that timeline even further. Obviously, you can focus on bringing in all that energy to discover the cure that in truth is already there. Yes, it’s already been found. Now it is simply a question of going through the shortened process of approvals to learn more about how it works. Besides being what you refer to as a vaccine or preventative treatment, it’s also a cure for people who already have the virus and it will help them greatly.

The Wave

In the meantime, the wave will pass through planet Earth. You are seeing the effects of it in different countries around the globe. Many of the poorer countries, especially those with humanitarian crises already well underway, will be hit very hard. This wave will continue for a time while this process spreads in many different areas. Dear ones, we tell you, that is the most difficult piece. The wave of this life form entering has hit the United States very hard, and much of that has to do with the way people are polarized there. However, at the same time they also have an opportunity to make more of a difference than other nations. For similar reasons, India will lead the way shortly.

Know that many people who catch this virus may only show slight symptoms or might not even know they are sick. The virus can be fatal and should be taken seriously, but not everyone who catches is it is going to come close to death. There is much more to this that you can work with. For some time, we’ve been very concerned about the incredible separation you’ve had on your planet. The beautiful part about that is that the separation is easing. Oh yes, people are still pointing fingers. But remember you’re all in this together, and that’s the most important piece. You will see the human heart rising during all the chaos. When you see it, identify it, celebrate it, share it with your friends, and pass it around because that’s what will bring a resolution to everything.

Come Together

For those of you who consider yourselves energy healers, especially distance healers, join any programs you can to find ways of connecting people. It might be either online with us here, or in small groups somewhere else. You can even come together online with other people and focus your energy on returning health, because that is coming now. Even after all of this clears out, you’ll find that your world is different. It will feel quite restrictive in the beginning, because you’re not used to these differences. But we also tell you there’s real beauty that can come from all of this. Hold on to that potential and know that every step you take now leaves a path that many can follow.

It’s not as difficult a time as you think. So, breathe, walk through it. Try to be there for those who are working with this energy. As you can understand, the first responders are those taking the brunt of this right now. We also tell you, dear ones, that is an incredible achievement for them. Support them in any way you can. Know that you’re all in this together, and the only way out is together. Allow this experience to eradicate much of the separation that has previously existed.

So with that, know that everything you are able to do from this point forward will make a huge difference. Re-member to look at the ways you are alike, instead of the ways you are separate. By doing this you will bring together the human heart of mankind. And with that, we will leave you for the time being. Know that you’re never alone. It is with the greatest of honor, that we ask you to treat each other with respect, nurture one another, and hold each other tightly, even at a distance.

Espavo, dear ones.

The group

from:    https://www.espavo.org/beacons-light-april-2020/

DNA Changes

SCIENTIFIC PROOF! Our DNA Is Changing!

by Gregg Prescott, M.S.
Editor, In5D.com 

Imagine being able to activate your dormant, “junk” DNA?  In recent news, scientists and geneticists have discovered three and four strand DNA in human cells while some geneticists believe we may soon evolve to a 12 strand DNA.

To those who may dismiss this theory, and article entitled, “Spontaneous Evolution Has Arrived!“, a child was recently born with a 3 strand DNA in England.

Brave toddler Alfie Clamp stuns doctors after being born with extra strand of DNA

A British toddler has become the first person in the world to be born with an extra strand in his DNA, in a condition so rare doctors don’t even know its name.

Alfie Clamp, from Warwickshire, northern England, has a seventh chromosome which has an extra arm.
source

We are taking an evolutionary leap

Dr. Berrenda Fox is a holistic practitioner of the Avalon Wellness Centre in Mt Shasta, California.  In an interview with Patricia Resch, Dr. Fox stated the following:

PR: What are the changes that are happening at this time on the planet, and how are our bodies being affected?

BF: There are major changes, mutations that haven’t occurred, according to geneticists, since the time we supposedly came out of the water. Several years ago in Mexico City there was a convention of geneticists from around the world, and the main topic was the DNA change. We are making an evolutionary change, yet we don’t know what we are changing into.

PR: How is our DNA changing?

BF: Everyone has one double helix of DNA. What we are finding is that there are other helixes that are being formed. In the double helix there are two strands of DNA coiled into a spiral. It is my understanding that we will be developing twelve helixes. During this time, which seems to have started maybe 5 to 20 years ago, we have been mutating. This is the scientific explanation. It is a mutation of our species into something for which the end result is not yet known.

The changes are not known publicly, because the scientific community feels it would frighten the population. However, people are changing at the cellular level. I am working with three children right now who have three DNA helixes. Most people know and feel this. Many religions have talked about the change and know it will come about in different ways. We know it is a positive mutation even though physically, mentally, and emotionally it can be misunderstood and frightening.

PR: Are these children displaying any characteristics different from other children?

BF: These are children who can move objects across the room just by concentrating on them, or they can fill glasses of water just by looking at them. They’re telepathic. You would almost think by knowing these children that they are half angelic or superhuman, but they’re not. I think they are what we are growing into during the next few decades.

PR: Do you think this will happen to all of us?

BF: It seems like most people who were born before 1940 have not been able to make the shift, but have initiated something into the next generation that gives them the capacity to form another helix within our lifetime. Our immune and endocrine systems are the most evident of these changes. That is one of the reasons I work with research in immunological testing and therapy.

Some adults that I have tested actually do have another DNA helix forming. Some are even getting their third. These people are going through a lot of major shifts in their consciousness and physical bodies, because it is all one. In my opinion, the Earth and everyone here is raising its vibration. Many of the children born recently have bodies that are magnetically lighter. 

PR: What other changes should we expect to see?

BF: There will be no disease, we will not need to die. We will be able to learn our lessons, not through suffering, but through joy and love. The old system has to crumble away, and is not doing that without putting up a big fight. So you have all the wars; a lot of the medical-type of healing is not working; the government is not working.

Biophotons and DNA

The eyes are precisely where the solar radiation that feeds life enters the body.
Johan Boswinkel

Dr. Fritz Albert Popp’s research confirmed the existence of biophotons, which are particles of light, with no mass, that transmit information within and between cells.  Dr. Popp discovered that the coherent emission of bio-photons is connected to energy and information transfer processes in the biological organisms, and has been linked to the function of DNA and to gene regulation.

In simpler terms, our bodies not only emit light, but they also store light within our DNA.

A living cell requires energy not only for all its functions, but also for the maintenance of its structure. Without energy, life would be extinguished instantaneously, and the cellular fabric would collapse. The source of this energy is the sun’s radiation.
Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Hungarian biochemist Albert von Szent-Györgyi

Four strand DNA reported by mainstream media

In a science article on NBC, ” researchers have found four-stranded DNA is also lurking in human cells. The odd structures are called G-quadruplexes because they form in regions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that are full of guanine, one of the DNA molecule’s four building blocks, with the others being adenine, cytosine, thymine. The structure comprises four guanines held together by a type of hydrogen bonding to form a sort of squarelike shape. (The DNA molecule is itself a double strand held together by these building blocks and wrapped together like a helix.)”

Abstract: Quantitative visualization of DNA G-quadruplex structures in human cells

“The study showed that if an inhibitor is used to block DNA replication, quadruplex levels go down – proving the idea that DNA is dynamic, with structures constantly being formed and unformed.”

Is it possible that vaccinations, chemtrails and GMO’s have been acting as DNA inhibitors up until this point in time?

Reprogramming your DNA through words and frequencies

Dr. Peter Gariaev’s research into DNA concluded that DNA may be the universal language of spirituality, adding “wave genetics” shows that DNA functions like a holographic computer, part of the larger hologram of the information wave reality.  Our DNA has the capabilities of hypercommunication—telepathy, remote sensing and remote feeling, along with other psychic abilities.  We also have the ability to reprogram our genetic blueprint with simple word and frequencies.

How can we change our DNA right now?

Dr. Masaru Emoto’s research has concluded that water has consciousness.  Based on this premise, I have decided to experiment with water, Ho’oponopono, sigils and positive affirmations.

In February of 2012, I started drinking distilled water as recommended by Andrew Norton Webber.

I also drastically changed my eating habits from your typical processed food, GMO-ladened diet to virtually all organic, including grass fed meat, fresh squeezed juices and homemade smoothies. Initially, I noticed an immediate change in my complexion as well as energy levels but after 7 months or so, I also noticed that I was losing my hair and wondered if that was attributed to drinking distilled water, so I stopped doing this but soon found something even more amazing.

After researching the benefits of ozone water, I decided to buy an ozone generator to infuse my water with extra oxygen. In addition, as per Dr. Masaru Emoto’s research into the consciousness of water, I added affirmations and Ho’oponopono.

Ho’oponopono is the Hawaiian Code of Forgiveness that follows 4 simple mantras:

  1. I love you.
  2. I’m sorry.
  3. Please forgive me.
  4. Thank you.

Dr. Masaru Emoto’s research show us that water has consciousness, so I combined Ho’oponopono with positive self-affirmations.

My affirmations are:

  1. My pineal gland is fully open.
  2. My chakras are clear and balanced.
  3. My DNA codes are fully open to allow me to help myself and others in the best interests of humanity.

I decided to take this one step further after researching the power of sigils. A sigil is an inscribed or painted symbol considered by many to have magical powers.

Many corporate logos use symbols as a way to subconsciously influence us. A perfect example would be the Shell logo, which innocently looks like a shell, but it actually represents the sun and sun-worshipping, which preexisted before many religious belief systems.

Exxon uses symbols and sigils as a way to represent Saturn. In astrotheology, Saturn is Satan. Did you ever wonder why we exchange rings during wedding ceremonies? The rings represent the rings of Saturn (Satan). Look no further than the pre-Christian Chritmas-time celebration of Saturnalia, which was a week of debauchery and drunkenness.

In this world of polarity and duality, the same practices can be done with pure intent.

I decided to make a sigil glass that contained all of my affirmations. This is what it looks like:

I buy 5 gallon jugs of BPA free spring water from Zephyrhills and dispense it from a water cooler. Even my dog drinks this water! I have an ozone machine by the water dispenser.

The particular ozone machine that I use is a A2Z Ozone Aqua 6 Multi Purpose Ozone Generator because it gives me the biggest bang for the buck with a 600 mg/h ozone output.

After pouring water into my sigil glass, I speak my affirmations to the water, then I apply Ho’oponopono. I finish by saying, “Please send these messages to every cell in my body. Namaste.

It is important to keep in mind that the ozone leaves the water relatively quickly, so your best bet is to drink it as quickly as possible.  Some reports say that it only lasts up to an hour or two before dissipating.

High pitched frequencies and DNA

Many people are hearing high pitched frequencies that are not associated with tinnitus or a Vitamin D deficiency and some people believe these have something to do with a DNA upgrade.

In an In5D poll on the article, Do you hear perpetual high pitched frequencies? You’re not alone!, 97.8 people who responded confirmed hearing high pitched frequencies.  Is there a spiritual reason for these frequencies and/or is it possible that they are helping to evolve our DNA?

As a musician, it’s easy for me to figure out what tones I hear, which are predominantly in the key of B, but also in F# and C.  What sounds do you hear, if any?

We are beings of LIGHT

Science has proven that our DNA is evolving.  In order to keep the status quo, is it possible that our vaccinations are working as inhibitors to deter this process?  Despit the vaccinations, GMO’s and chemtrails, is it possible that our DNA will continue to evolve into a form of higher consciousness?

Only time will tell…

We know today that man, essentially, is a being of light. And the modern science of  photobiology is presently proving this.  In terms of healing the implications are immense.  We now know, for example, that quanta of light can initiate, or arrest, cascade-like reactions in the cells, and that genetic cellular damage can be virtually repaired, within hours, by faint beams of light.

We are still on the threshold of fully understanding the complex relationship between light and life, but we can now say emphatically, that the function of our entire metabolism is dependent on light.”

Dr. Fritz Albert Popp

from:    http://in5d.com/proof-dna-upgrade/

On Being a Quantum Activist

Become a Quantum Activist

Written by April 29, 2014 in Activism, Conscious Evolution with 3 Comments

Amit Goswami

Quantum Activism is about changing ourselves and creating a better world in accordance with the new paradigm articulated by Quantum Physics: consciousness creates reality. The goal of a quantum activist is to express Good, Beauty, Truth, Justice, and Love in their life and to intend those qualities for all of humanity. In doing so, the quantum activist will help transform the world.

This article is based upon the teachings of Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D., a retired professor emeritus of theoretical physics and the author of “Quantum Mechanics”, a highly successful textbook that  is used in universities throughout the world.  In addition, he the author of numerous books that bridge science and spirituality including “The Self-Aware Universe”, “Physics of the Soul”, “Quantum Creativity”, “The Quantum Doctor”, and “God is Not Dead.

All of the quotes below are from either Dr. Goswami’s latest book “How Quantum Activism Can Save Civilization: A Few People Can Change Human Evolution” or the quantumactivist.com website that describes the award winning documentary starring Dr. Goswami titled“The Quantum Activist” (which is embedded directly below):

 

Quantum Activism Quotes

We have problems galore in our society and culture.  All of these problems can be traced to the conflict between spirituality and materiality.  The good news is that the worldview conflict between spirituality and materialist science has been resolved in favor of an inclusive world-view based on the primacy of consciousness and quantum physics.  It took quantum physics for us to discover spirituality within science.  We must use quantum physics’ guidance to restore spirituality and unity to our society.”

We have created the problems of our world; we have to recreate the world of solutions… Conventional activism separates, us (those doing right) versus them (those doing wrong).  Quantum physics says that all is movement of consciousness; we are the world.  There is no us versus them. There is only movement toward consciousness or away from consciousness.”

Quantum activism focuses both on individual and collective change.  Today our activists perpetuate the separateness that creates the problems we want resolved.  We ‘battle’ the perpetrators of the problems, negativity with negativity.  Quantum activism will succeed where other activist movements failed because they are founded on separateness.

Start with yourself.  Only if you change can the world change.  We are just taking it a little bit further.  Not only do you start with yourself, but always remember others.

We need to change first.  We need to be inclined towards positive.  If our own hearts are open and we approach things with love, then other people will pick it up.

Even if only a small fraction of us become inspired to change, the change will come for all.

Quantum physics is the physics of possibilities; possibilities proliferate when we sit quietly in the ‘be’ mode, doing nothing.  Occasionally, we choose from among the possibilities precipitating an action, a ‘do’ mode.”

If some of us could practice do good, be good, practice do-be-do-be-do regularly, be with God some of the time, and be in the ego some of the time, and let the dance generate creative acts of transformation, then I think we will hit a certain threshold and will be able to achieve very quickly the power of downward causation in unprecedented numbers.  This is a threshold that will carry us towards making that fundamental step that these changes will take hold in all of humanity, not just a few of us.”

The goal of the quantum activist is to explore quantum possibilities and manifest these archetypes—Good, Beauty, Truth, Justice, and Love—in his or her life as intimately and as expressly as one can, and in doing so to help transform the world. The means a quantum activist uses to achieve this goal are threefold—right thinking, right living, and right livelihood.”

“Right thinking consists of understanding the paradigm shift from a user’s point of view and helping others in our environment to do so. Right living consists of walking the talk, manifesting our understanding in how we live, and becoming guiding examples for the inspiration of others. As such it takes a lot of quantum leaps, openness to being in the nonlocality of God consciousness which informs the doing of the ego’s day to day activities;, and the desire to change hierarchical relationships into tangled ones. Right livelihood consists of earning our living in a way that is congruent with our modes of thinking and living and helping our entire society to achieve this congruence.”

Our challenge is to go beyond ego to higher nonlocal consciousness and access creativity and transformation.

The Secret behind the Secret is that we must choose creatively in synchrony with quantum consciousness to manifest our intentions.

Right Thinking and Right Living

Right thinking is having a worldview that is based upon the primacy of consciousness as the ground of all being. Quantum physics tells us that everything is based upon the movement of consciousness.

Right living is to be empowered by the right thinking.  An important component of right living is what Dr. Goswami calls do-be-do-be-do.  We have to relax within our activity instead of constantly focusing on doing:  do, do, do.  Instead, we also focus on being.   When we focus on being, quantum possibilities proliferate.   If you have more possibilities to choose from, then your chance of choosing a creative solution is greater.  By combining doing and being in our pattern of living, we become more creative.   We become more spiritual.  We make more room for quantum leaps in consciousness.   That is right living.

For additional guidelines on right thinking and right living, see Our Choices Influence the Future Evolution of the Universe.

It will also be helpful if you understand some of the fundamentals of Quantum Physics:  see Make a Quantum Leap to a Better World.

Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.” ~ James Allen

Start With Yourself

If you want peace in the world, then be at peace with everyone in your life and everyone that you encounter – all of your family, coworkers, ex-spouses, even perceived enemies and people who have harmed you .

If you want clean water and clear skies, then do everything you can to protect the environment and keep your own living environment clean.

Look at the glass as half full.  Be optimistic.  Choose to be happy.  If you find yourself slipping into negative thoughts or a dark mood, catch yourself, and say: I choose to feel good now.  Or, I choose to be happy now.  Think of something that puts a smile on your face.  Whistle.  Sing a song.

Live your light.  The more you shine your light, the more you will illuminate the way for others to see their own divine nature.  The best way is to love and believe in yourself.  There’s not anything that you need to go out and do. It’s about the state of being that you hold as you go through life and move through the world.  It’s really very simple.

Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

There is No Us Versus Them.

Our collective consciousness has created the problems of our world.  You cannot solve the problems by fighting against anyone or anything.  Avoid judging others as being wrong.  And, never focus on what you don’t want.  Simply, send out heart-felt intentions of what you do want.   The Global Care Room in the Global Coherence Initiative (GCI) website is a great way to facilitate doing that.  For more details, see “The Good News” section in the article Reclaim the Incredible Power that Has Been Taken From You.

Remember, there is only movement toward consciousness or away from consciousness.

You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” ~ Albert Einstein

We are all connected to everyone and everything in the universe. Therefore, everything one does as an individual affects the whole. All thoughts, words, images, prayers, blessings, and deeds are listened to by all that is.” ~ Serge Kahili

Always Remember Others

We are all connected.  When you hurt someone else (physically or emotionally) or hold grudges, you are hurting yourself.

So, forgive others.  Rather than looking for faults in others, look for the good in them. Be kind and compassionate.

Also, be sure to include others in your heart-felt intentions.

If you can stop for a moment and just give your awareness to elevating your consciousness and elevating the light within each individual as a unified whole collective, a unified oneness… If you can imagine the oneness of the universe filled with light, you can heal the world that you live in, heal your planet, and heal those that are under distress right now with tragedies that are happening in the world.” ~Simion (see How Can We Use Collective Consciousness to Change the World? – Simion Responds)

An Invitation

A few of us will start this.  I invite you to become a quantum activist with this resolution in mind:  we can change ourselves and we can change the world simultaneously.” ~Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D.

from:    http://consciouslifenews.com/become-quantum-activist/115832/

MultiDimensionality & Ascension

Homo Divinicus – the shape of things to come

Submitted by Chris Bourne on 27 December, 2012 – 06:55

These are monumental times we’re blessed to be living in. Humanity is waking up from eons of amnesia. Gaia has centred in the Fifth Density and powerful evolutionary transitions of consciousness will unleash the earth from the restrictive and exploitative karmic energies of our past. To many, in these early hours, the full magnitude of what’s taking place will be challenging to grasp. It’s entirely understandable. The key is to keep walking the path of the soul, allowing our natural Ascension to peel away the crusted veils. I can feel the birth of a new multidimensional humanity beginning to unfold, one which I feel given to call “Homo Divinicus”…

Breaking the Intervention

Humanity was always meant to be fully multidimensional, interconnected with the higher realms of consciousness and centred in the natural flow of the universe: a benevolent guidance that co-creates situations for maximum soulful expression, the bountiful experience of interconnectivity and expansive evolutionary growth.

Although it’s difficult to perceive and accept, until we reclaim that which was taken from us, we can’t fully appreciate how humanity has been controlled and downgraded by an Opposing Consciousness which exists in the field all around us. Some are becoming fully aware of this now, but in actual fact, it doesn’t matter too much whether you perceive it or not. Many would consider this veil as merely a projection of ones own ego or simply society’s matrix of mass subconsciousness. And this too is fine. What matters most, is walking the path of the soul and fully unveiling our beingness.Gaia has now reclaimed herself from this global intervention, and although it will still take time to fully unwind, the time has come for those ready and willing, to truly begin to shake off the karmic layers that limit and become once more what we were always meant to be. So what is “Homo Divinicus” all about?

The Seven Bodily Vehicles of Expression

We don’t just have one bodily vehicle of expression, but seven. There is one connected through each of the main chakras, and each at a variant vibrational frequency. Because of the Opposing Consciousness intervention, for most people, the soul has been fragmented and thereby contained within the lower physical and mental vehicles. You could consider the distortions of the ego have drawn the soul into eddy currents of lower density. Alternatively, full embodiment has been prevented by the distraction of higher blissful like frequency resonance (false love and light). These are the variant frequencies we must discern through in order to reclaim our full divine gift of multidimensionality.

So how is the full compliment of Homo Divinicus truly meant to function? To me, the soul is meant to flow naturally down through the chakras from the higher dimensions creating and animating expression as it builds downwards through our being. When this happens, we become truly as one with the higher creative flow. In my knowing, based on my own experience and in working with many evolving people, here is a personal indication of how I feel that is supposed to happen. In sharing it, I encourage you to explore your own experience within this framework, which in itself, can help activate that destined beingness…

  • 7. Spirit-Light-Body (merkaba): the spirit-light-body is designed to receive soul consciousness through the crown chakra to align our being with the right dimensional activity inline with our higher purpose.
    Through the spirit-light-body, the soul has the capacity to act through multiple planes of consciousness simultaneously. It interconnects us with all other sentient life and is able to harmonise with the co-creative intent of other souls within our sphere of influence. Our divine purpose could be channeling in the harmonistic light of the Fifth Density to which we are ascending; it could be counteracting Opposing Consciousness in the Fourth Density to prevent distortional interference; alternatively it could be bringing absolute presence into the Third Dimension to fulfill creative activity. Thus the spirit-light-body shines the light of our soul interdimensionally.
  • 6. Celestial Body: the celestial body harnesses and stores reflections of our soul through the countless lifetimes we’ve experienced. It’s purpose is to help us align with our true aspects of beingness.
    The downward shining light of the soul is next received into the third eye chakra, which ‘looks’ into the outer world comparing what it sees to the reflections of the soul in the celestial body. When the soul notices its own brilliance, it helps us align with and unfold those aspects of beingness that are most becoming of us; we settle into our groove so to speak. It is that feeling of complete self-belief, self-confidence, self-acceptance and contentment. When we can notice ourselves manifested in the outer world through our own authentic inner reflection, that is when we are truly living. We are frequently reduced to tears at the seemingly simplest of things because we are fulfilling our divine purpose.
  • 5. Higher Mind: from authentic being arises authentic creation. The purpose of higher mind is to co-create experiences with other sentient beings as ‘sacred contracts’ for higher education and self realisation.
    Through the power of the celestial body, we have noticed how to be within the external world and now is the time to experience this through creative action. At this stage, the creative impulse is quite abstract and undefined; the purpose is more about contemplations of educational higher truth, co-creating with other sentient life, rather than an actual creation itself. The soul now acts through higher mind, gathering together ‘elementals of consciousness’ into a directional flow of creation, like swirling clouds in the heavens.
  • 4. Causal Body: the causal body is where our “karma” is held. It is the cause of our incarnation, it sets the agenda for our learning experience based on the attachments and creative experiences we need to evolve through.
    As the soul shines its beams of creative light down through the higher vehicles, our karma casts shadows of attachment through the lower bodies and into our outer experience. The causal body (also known as the energy body) now attracts and manifests exactly the right conditions to unveil the learning experiences required for our evolution. We are invited to confront and dissolve the obscuring clouds of karma by fulfillment of non-judgmental Right Action. We perceive this directing influence as the “Christ Consciousness”, a pull through the Heart Centre – “this is the way to go now”.
  • 3. Lower Mind: lower mind is designed to receive, interpret and process higher channeled knowing through our clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairsentient (psychic) skills.
    So now we know what to do, the question is how to do it? If our authentic, creative action does not get side-tracked, the gathering energies are next passed into our subconscious or “lower mind”. Lower mind then helps us to ‘connect the dots’ within the co-creative weave. Through the clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairsentient skills of lower mind, we notice rhythms and patterns of synchronicity in our “consciousness landscape” and have clear visions of the ‘garment’ to be created. As Right Action clicks into place moment by moment, it becomes abundantly clear what we are being invited to do and how to do it.
  • 2. Emotional Body: the emotional body builds energy, passion and conviction around our behaviours to bring our creative Right Action into fruition.
    The creative process has now gathered together the right fabric for our creation, but it now has to be woven into form. The soul now utilises the emotional body to garner more consciousness ‘elementals’ and weaves emotion around the creative act. It provides a multi-coloured palette of experience that brings the garment to life. It makes the illusionary reality feel very real, yielding meaning and sense of purpose to life. However, once the creative action has come to fruition, the weave of the garment is meant to quickly unwind again, so that something else may be created. It is not a part of the divine design that we hang onto emotions and build identities around them as is so often the case.
  • 1. Physical Body: the physical body provides the ultimate vehicle to bring the creative, downward flowing process into full expression; it provides the experience of separation – of one thing relative to another.
    Finally, the soul’s gathering weave of elementals takes form around our ultimate vehicle of creative expression – the physical body. As the master weaver, our brain reads the pattern that has been crafted through our higher bodily vehicles and then orchestrates a magical symphony of activity throughout our billions of material cells. The physical body finally brings life to the creative action experienced in the myriad of human, physical possibility. The physical body is a multifaceted mirror of higher creative intent. It is the jewel in the crown; when functioning as designed, it makes the illusion of reality real.

A Divine New Form


So for me, the onward journey of humanity and first step is all about reclaiming this multidimensional nature, which we’ll look at how to facilitate in a moment. It’s something that a growing number are beginning to fully reclaim here and now. Despite our convoluted DNA heritage, the infusion of light around the planet is helping to ease that path.

In following the ascending path of the soul, core beingness will begin to resonate the tone of one’s soul ray harmonic. It is this that shapes aligned bodily vehicles through which to express.

In my vision of the way higher co-creative flows appear to be shaping, I see humanity beginning to divide into three ‘camps’ for the onward journey and next evolutionary chapter:

  • An appropriate form: Firstly there are those souls who have been contaminated by the polluting nature of the matrix and are clearly not progressing. As the Earth becomes increasingly uninhabitable during what will likely become a long cleansing and rejuvenation process, for these souls I see alternative incarnations in appropriate form elsewhere in the cosmos. I sense a long period of recalibration necessary to gently find realignment over time. There will also be many souls dissolved back into the source, as the bottleneck of denser energy retarding the universal flow is unraveled.
  • Homo Divinicus: There’s a broad spiritual awakening for another group of souls who are following the spiritual path, but taking a medium, longer period of time to fully ascend. I see these souls initially shaking off physical form but then moving into the bridging 4th Density. A period of healing and recalibration will be necessary after eons of convoluted DNA. The causal energy body, which forms the blueprint for physical incarnation, will then shape the newly aligned and much more resonant form of Homo Divinicus. Whatever the name that ultimately settles, I feel this form already beginning to shape in the field, created by a collective higher yearning – the natural aspirational impetus that causes evolution to happen.
  • Divinicus: There’s a relatively small group who are fully confronting, processing and peeling away past life karma of this lower realm. These souls are getting ready to ascend and will fully do so in the next few human generations. When Ascension happens, the old physical form of incarnation will no longer be necessary – the required lessons have been integrated. In my vision, these beings will move into the Middle Realm and settle temporarily in the 8th Density, the next karmic bridge where form can be manifested based on the new agenda of realisations to be made. New bodily vehicles formed of more light based frequency will then take shape in the 5th/6th/7th densities (the Middle Realm) so that a new embodiment can happen. The 8th density will continue to provide the karmic barrier and the bridge into the Higher Realm where the new higher self will also be taking form. The higher evolutionary process will then begin for what I see as “Divinicus”.

Reactivating our Multidimensionality

So what can we do in our day-to-day lives to currently facilitate the maximum inflow of this new evolutionary consciousness? How may we provide the most fertile inner ground for the seeds of Divinicus to germinate and grow? The “Five Gateways” project has been designed with plenty of insight, guidance and tools that evolving souls can benefit from. Here below are seven recommendations from the book…

  • Surrender: be absolutely clear that the ONLY game going on in the universe is self-realisation and that we might as well finally surrender and take an active part in that game rather than trying to conveniently ignore it while it plays with us! So accept that ALL events, happenings and circumstances have but one purpose…to discover our absolute completeness – our “absoluteness” – beyond all circumstances. Realise the aim of the game is to be completely free inside WHATEVER happens.
  • Become the “Observer”: the next step is to become the Observer of ourselves in all activities, events and circumstances. We notice where we lose our temper; where we become tight inside because of other people’s behaviour; where we might blame another for the reality we are creating ourselves; where our addictions to something in particular cause us to act in predictable ways. When we notice this, firstly it is important just to watch it, accept responsibility for it, but not judge ourselves. In this way, we are already beginning to break free. It’s also important to contemplate and utilise techniques for regaining the place of the Observer when we lose it, which inevitably happens in the beginning. It could be a deep breathing exercise for example, a visualisation meditation, or a mantra of some kind. Some people find it of particular benefit to put up strategically placed ‘post-it’ notes around the house; “let go” for instance.
  • Open the heart: next we need to open the heart further by attuning to those experiences that generate the sublime taste of interconnectedness; feelings such as lightness, expansiveness, timelessness and crystal clear clarity – the sense of the Fifth Density. So the key is to follow those experiences of a sense of higher ‘rightness’ as much as possible – “what makes your Heart sing” – until you are tuning in and centering consistently in that vibration. So to keep attuning to the feeling, could mean moments of deep breathing or meditation during day to day life, frequent bodily movement expression, walking in nature as much as possible (or at least noticing nature where you are); following the sense of rightness and what feels good to your higher beingness.
  • Follow the inner pull: as the heart opens, we begin to notice the natural synchronistic order of things and an inner pull to “Right Action”. Sometimes this pull can be felt as an energy through the heart chakra, sometimes it is a simple inner knowing “this is what to do now”. In which case it will benefit to always respond to that pull. Where does the pull lead? It will guide you to events, circumstances and experiences that provide an opportunity to express a “divine gift of beingness”, and to expose the density of trapped eddy currents formed from an attachment to a desired or resisted outcome. These are “distortions” of authentic beingness, often created by the matrix in which we live, causing people to get tight, worried, angry or frustrated.
  • Deal with distortions and addictive behaviour: the key to dealing with distortions is to realise each conceals a divine gift of beingness and to ultimately unveil that instead. So for example someone might smoke because it gives them the feeling of relaxed completeness; you might drink because it makes you feel more sociable and confident; you might comfort eat because it gives you the feeling of contentment. Alternatively you might get worried, stressed or tight around particular issues because you think you need a particular outcome. The key to overcoming such conditioning is to go within, breathe deeply, settle into the pregnant pause before the moment is born, find your sense of inner completeness, unwind the tightness you can feel, thus making space for an authentic act of beingness to arise naturally. This is by no means an easy thing to do, but the more we practice it, the more we’ll realise every moment offers a black and white choice: give in to conditioning or surrender into the soul. In this way, we become the masters of our own destiny.
  • Raise your energetic vibration: this can be achieved by regulating the denseness of vibrations we bring into the body thereby limiting the stimuli that raise our internal metabolic rate. So for example, if we eat dense, processed foods polluted with toxins then the body has to work harder to process them and the extra effort swallows up consciousness. Or if we pollute our minds with too much clutter, or the negativity caused by the judgmentalism frequently expressed through the media, then we tend to tighten inside. Internal tightness is also heightened by too much computer time, over use of electrical gadgets and chemical toxins used in household cleaning materials. The key is to organise your immediate living environment to raise energetic vibration.
  • Conduct regular spiritual practice: we live in a world that de-sensitises us and it is therefore of paramount importance that we redress the balance by conducting regular spiritual practice such as daily meditation. Traditionally meditation is considered as sitting quietly in stillness, but it could also happen during movement or breathing. Practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi, the martial arts, dancing, singing and painting can all be considered meditation. The key to true meditational benefit, is to be watching yourself in the practice whilst doing it. Such practices liberate powerful “endorphins” into the body which counteract the effects of stress and negative energy. They redress the internal balance helping you find greater harmony and peace that you may reactivate the designed, downward creative flow.

– See more at: http://www.openhandweb.org/Homo_Divinicus#sthash.MXgSXBIa.dpuf

QUadruple Strand DNA

Scientists Discover Quadruple Helix: Four Strand DNA In Human Cells

by

dnaThe human race knows very little of itself, almost like a race with amnesia. As we continue to move forward through time, new discoveries are made that make old theories obsolete and false. It’s a good lesson that shows us how we can attach ourselves to “truths” and believe them whole-heartedly, often forgetting that truth is constantly changing and new paradigms of perception always lurk around the corner.

Decades after scientists described our “chemical code” of life using the double helix DNA, researchers have discovered four-stranded DNA within human cells. The structures are called G-quadruplexes, because they form in regions of DNA that are full of guanine, one of the DNA molecule’s four building blocks. The others are adenine, cytosine and thymine. A hydrogen bond is responsible for holding the four guanines together. The four stranded DNA usually presents itself right before cell division.

The discovery was published online in Nature Chemistry, and you can take a look at it here. The study was led by Shankar Balasubramanian at the University of cambridge, UK.

For us, it strongly supports a new paradigm to be investigated – using these four-stranded structures as targets for personalized treatments in the future.We have found that by trapping the quadruplex DNA with synthetic molecules we can sequester and stabilise them, providing important insights into how we might grind cell division to a halt — Shankar Balasubramanian

The study went on to show certain links between concentrations of four-stranded G-quandruplexes and the process of DNA replication, which is crucial to cell division and cell production. G-quadruplexes, (when targeted with synthetic molecules responsible for trapping and holding these DNA structures) prevent cells from replicating their DNA, thus blocking cell division. Scientists believe that this discovery could possibly lead to a stop in cell proliferation at the root of cancer

We are seeing links between trapping the G-quadruplexes with molecules and the ability to stop cells dividing, which is hugely exciting. The research indicates that G-quadruplexes are more likely to occur in genes of cells that are rapidly dividing such as cancer cells. It’s been sixty years since its structure was solved but work like this shows us that the story of DNA continues to twist and turn” – Shankar Balasubramanian

We now know that G-quandruplexes form in the DNA of human cells. If anybody had mentioned this earlier, they would probably be labelled as crazy. Maybe we could take this as a lesson and accept the fact that there are always new discoveries to be made about our biology, as well as the nature of our reality. For all we know, our DNA could be multidimensional in nature? It could be 12 stranded DNA? Maybe we have yet to discover it?  Maybe a majority of our DNA, and the biological functions it serves are largely undiscovered. Maybe some portions of our DNA have yet to be activated? The more we discover about our own biology, the better, as we are witnessing with the discovery of the G-quandruplex.

from:    http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/07/17/scientists-discover-quadruple-helix-four-strand-dna-in-human-cells/

Good Guys Are Survivors

Survival of the … Nicest? Check Out the Other Theory of Evolution

A new theory of human origins says cooperation—not competition—is instinctive.
posted May 03, 2013
Hugging Salt Shakers photo by Harlan Harris

Photo by Harlan Harris.

A century ago, industrialists like Andrew Carnegie believed that Darwin’s theories justified an economy of vicious competition and inequality. They left us with an ideological legacy that says the corporate economy, in which wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, produces the best for humanity. This was always a distortion of Darwin’s ideas. His 1871 book The Descent of Man argued that the human species had succeeded because of traits like sharing and compassion. “Those communities,” he wrote, “which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring.” Darwin was no economist, but wealth-sharing and cooperation have always looked more consistent with his observations about human survival than the elitism and hierarchy that dominates contemporary corporate life

Nearly 150 years later, modern science has verified Darwin’s early insights with direct implications for how we do business in our society. New peer-reviewed research by Michael Tomasello, an American psychologist and co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, has synthesized three decades of research to develop a comprehensive evolutionary theory of human cooperation. What can we learn about sharing as a result?

Tomasello holds that there were two key steps that led to humans’ unique form of interdependence. The first was all about who was coming to dinner. Approximately two million years ago, a fledgling species known as Homo habilis emerged on the great plains of Africa. At the same time that these four-foot-tall, bipedal apes appeared, a period of global cooling produced vast, open environments. This climate change event ultimately forced our hominid ancestors to adapt to a new way of life or perish entirely. Since they lacked the ability to take down large game, like the ferocious carnivores of the early Pleistocene, the solution they hit upon was scavenging the carcasses of recently killed large mammals. The analysis of fossil bones from this period has revealed evidence of stone-tool cut marks overlaid on top of carnivore teeth marks. The precursors of modern humans had a habit of arriving late to the feast.

However, this survival strategy brought an entirely new set of challenges: Individuals now had to coordinate their behaviors, work together, and learn how to share. For apes living in the dense rainforest, the search for ripe fruit and nuts was largely an individual activity. But on the plains, our ancestors needed to travel in groups to survive, and the act of scavenging from a single animal carcass forced proto-humans to learn to tolerate each other and allow each other a fair share. This resulted in a form of social selection that favored cooperation: “Individuals who attempted to hog all of the food at a scavenged carcass would be actively repelled by others,” writes Tomasello, “and perhaps shunned in other ways as well.”

This evolutionary legacy can be seen in our behavior today, particularly among children who are too young to have been taught such notions of fairness. For example, in a 2011 study published in the journal Nature, anthropologist Katharina Hamann and her colleagues found that 3-year-old children share food more equitably if they gain it through cooperative effort rather than via individual labor or no work at all. In contrast, chimpanzees showed no difference in how they shared food under these different scenarios; they wouldn’t necessarily hoard the food individually, but they placed no value on cooperative efforts either. The implication, according to Tomasello, is that human evolution has predisposed us to work collaboratively and given us an intuitive sense that cooperation deserves equal rewards.

The second step in Tomasello’s theory leads directly into what kinds of businesses and economies are more in line with human evolution. Humans have, of course, uniquely large population sizes—much larger than those of other primates. It was the human penchant for cooperation that allowed groups to grow in number and eventually become tribal societies.

Humans, more than any other primate, developed psychological adaptations that allowed them to quickly recognize members of their own group (through unique behaviors, traditions, or forms of language) and develop a shared cultural identity in the pursuit of a common goal.
“The result,” says Tomasello, “was a new kind of interdependence and group-mindedness that went well beyond the joint intentionality of small-scale cooperation to a kind of collective intentionality at the level of the entire society.”

What does this mean for the different forms of business today? Corporate workplaces probably aren’t in sync with our evolutionary roots and may not be good for our long-term success as humans. Corporate culture imposes uniformity, mandated from the top down, throughout the organization. But the cooperative—the financial model in which a group of members owns a business and makes the rules about how to run it—is a modern institution that has much in common with the collective tribal heritage of our species. Worker-owned cooperatives are regionally distinct and organized around their constituent members. As a result, worker co-ops develop unique cultures that, following Tomasello’s theory, would be expected to better promote a shared identity among all members of the group. This shared identity would give rise to greater trust and collaboration without the need for centralized control.

Moreover, the structure of corporations is a recipe for worker alienation and dissatisfaction. Humans have evolved the ability to quickly form collective intentionality that motivates group members to pursue a shared goal. “Once they have formed a joint goal,” Tomasello says, “humans are committed to it.” Corporations, by law, are required to maximize profits for their investors. The shared goal among corporate employees is not to benefit their own community but rather a distant population of financiers who have no personal connection to their lives or labor.

However, because worker-owned cooperatives focus on maximizing value for their members, the cooperative is operated by and for the local community—a goal much more consistent with our evolutionary heritage. As Darwin concluded in The Descent of Man, “The more enduring social instincts conquer the less persistent instincts.” As worker-owned cooperatives continue to gain prominence around the world, we may ultimately witness the downfall of Carnegie’s “law of competition” and a return to the collaborative environments that the human species has long called home.

from:    http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/how-cooperatives-are-driving-the-new-economy/survival-of-the-nicest-the-other-theory-of-evolution

On Continuing Human Evolution

Human Evolution Enters an Exciting New Phase

Image: Kevin Dooley/Flickr

If you could escape the human time scale for a moment, and regard evolution from the perspective of deep time, in which the last 10,000 years are a short chapter in a long saga, you’d say: Things are pretty wild right now.

In the most massive study of genetic variation yet, researchers estimated the age of more than one million variants, or changes to our DNA code, found across human populations. The vast majority proved to be quite young. The chronologies tell a story of evolutionary dynamics in recent human history, a period characterized by both narrow reproductive bottlenecks and sudden, enormous population growth.

The evolutionary dynamics of these features resulted in a flood of new genetic variation, accumulating so fast that natural selection hasn’t caught up yet. As a species, we are freshly bursting with the raw material of evolution.

“Most of the mutations that we found arose in the last 200 generations or so. There hasn’t been much time for random change or deterministic change through natural selection,” said geneticist Joshua Akey of the University of Washington, co-author of the Nov. 28 Nature study. “We have a repository of all this new variation for humanity to use as a substrate. In a way, we’re more evolvable now than at any time in our history.”

Akey specializes in what’s known as rare variation, or changes in DNA that are found in perhaps one in 100 people, or even fewer. For practical reasons, rare variants have only been studied in earnest for the last several years. Before then, it was simply too expensive. Genomics focused mostly on what are known as common variants.

However, as dramatically illustrated by a landmark series of papers to appear this year — by Alon Keinan and Andrew Clark, by Matt Nelson and John Novembre, and another by Akey’s group, all appearing in Science, along with new results from the humanity-spanning 1,000 Genomes Project — common variants are just a small part of the big picture. They’re vastly outnumbered by rare variants, and tend to have weaker effects.

The medical implications of this realization are profound. The previously unappreciated significance of rare variation could explain much of why scientists have struggled to identify more than a small fraction of the genetic components of common, complex disease, limiting the predictive value of genomics.

‘The genetic potential of our population is vastly different than what it was 10,000 years ago.’

But these findings can also been seen from another angle. They teach us about human evolution, in particular the course it’s taken since modern Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa, learned to farm, and became the planet’s dominant life form.

“We’ve gone from several hundred million people to seven billion in a blink of evolutionary time,” said Akey. “That’s had a profound effect on structuring the variation present in our species.”

Akey isn’t the first scientist to use modern genetic data as a window into recent and ongoing human evolution, nor the first to root rare variation in humanity’s post-Ice Age population boom. The new study’s insights reside in its depth and detail.

The researchers sequenced in exhaustive detail protein-coding genes from 6,515 people, compiling a list of every DNA variation they found — 1,146,401 in all, of which 73 percent were rare. To these they applied a type of statistical analysis, customized for human populations but better known from studies of animal evolution, that infers ancestral relationships from existing genetic patterns.

“There were other hints of what’s going on, but nobody has studied such a massive number of coding regions from such a high number of individuals,” said geneticist Sarah Tishkoff of the University of Pennsylvania.

Akey’s group found that rare variations tended to be relatively new, with some 73 percent of all genetic variation arising in just the last 5,000 years. Of variations that seem likely to cause harm, a full 91 percent emerged in this time.

Why is this? Much of it is a function of population growth. Part of it is straightforward population growth. Just 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, there were roughly 5 million humans on Earth. Now there are 7 billion. With each instance of reproduction, a few random variations emerge; multiply that across humanity’s expanding numbers, and enormous amounts of variation are generated.

Also playing a role are the dynamics of bottlenecks, or periods when populations are reduced to a small number. The out-of-Africa migration represents one such bottleneck, and others have occurred during times of geographic and cultural isolation. Scientists have shown that when populations are small, natural selection actually becomes weaker, and the effects of randomness grow more powerful.

Put these dynamics together, and the Homo sapiens narrative that emerges is one in which, for non-African populations, the out-of-Africa bottleneck created a period in which natural selection’s effects diminished, followed by a global population boom and its attendant wave of new variation.

The result, calculated Akey, is that people of European descent have five times as many gene variants as they would if population growth had been slow and steady. People of African descent, whose ancestors didn’t go through that original bottleneck, have somewhat less new variation, but it’s still a large amount: three times more variation than would have accumulated under slow-growth conditions.

Natural selection never stopped acting, of course. New mutations with especially beneficial effects, such as lactose tolerance, still spread rapidly, while those with immediately harmful consequences likely vanished within a few generations of appearing. But most variation has small, subtle effects.

Visualization of the distribution of potentially harmful genetic variation across protein-coding portions of the human genome. The top section represents variation that predates the human population explosion 10,000 years ago. The bottom represents variation that arose since then. Image: Fu et al./Nature

It’s this type of variation that’s proliferated so wildly. “Population growth is happening so fast that selection is having a hard time keeping up with the new, deleterious alleles,” said Akey.

One consequence of this is the accumulation in humanity of gene variants with potentially harmful effects. Akey’s group found that a full 86 percent of variants that look as though they might be deleterious are less than 10,000 years old, and many have only existed for the last millennium.

“Humans today carry a much larger load of deleterious variants than our species carried just prior to its massive expansion just a couple hundred generations ago,” said population geneticist Alon Keinan of Cornell University, whose own work helped link rare variation patterns to the population boom.

The inverse is also true. Present-day humanity also carries a much larger load of potentially positive variation, not to mention variation with no appreciable consequences at all. These variations, known to scientists as “cryptic,” that might actually be evolution’s hidden fuel: mutations that on their own have no significance can combine to produce unexpected, powerful effects.

Indeed, the genetic seeds of exceptional traits, such as endurance or strength or innate intelligence, may now be circulating in humanity. “The genetic potential of our population is vastly different than what it was 10,000 years ago,” Akey said.

How will humanity evolve in the next few thousand years? It’s impossible to predict but fun to speculate, said Akey. A potentially interesting wrinkle to the human story is that, while bottlenecks reduce selection pressure, evolutionary models show that large populations actually increase selection’s effects.

Given the incredible speed and scope of human population growth, this increased pressure hasn’t yet caught up to the burst of new variation, but eventually it might. It could even be anticipated, at least from theoretical models, that natural selection on humans will actually become stronger than it’s ever been.

“The size of a population determines how much selection is going to be acting moving forward,” said anthropologist Mark Shriver of Penn State University. “You have an increase in natural selection now.”

An inevitably complicating factor is that natural selection isn’t as natural as it used to be. Theoretical models don’t account for culture and technology, two forces with profound influences. Widespread use of reproductive technologies like fetal genome sequencing might ease selection pressures, or even make them more intense.

As for future studies in genetic anthropology, Akey said scientists are approaching the limits of what can be known from genes alone. “We need to take advantage of what people have learned in anthropology and ecology and linguistics, and synthesize all this into a coherent narrative of human evolution,” he said.

Geneticist Robert Moyzis of the University of California, Irvine, co-author of a 2007 study on accelerating human evolution, noted that the new study only looked at protein-coding genes, which account for only a small portion of the entire human genome. Much of humanity’s rare variation remains to be analyzed.

Moyzis’ co-authors on that study, geneticist Henry Harpending of the University of Utah and anthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin, also warned against jumping to early conclusions based on the new study’s dating. Some of what appears to be new variation might actually be old, said Hawks.

Even with these caveats, however, the study’s essential message is unchanged. “Sometimes people ask the question, ‘Is human evolution still occurring?’” said Tishkoff. “Yes, human evolution can still occur, and it is.”

Citations: “Analysis of 6,515 exomes reveals the recent origin of most human protein-coding variants.” By Wenqing Fu, Timothy D. O’Connor, Goo Jun, Hyun Min Kang, Goncalo Abecasis, Suzanne M. Leal, Stacey Gabriel, David Altshuler, Jay Shendure, Deborah A. Nickerson, Michael J. Bamshad, NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project & Joshua M. Akey. Vol. 491, No. 7426, Nov. 29, 2012

from:    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/11/recent-human-evolution-2/

Nessie Exists, QED Evolution Does Not, at least at Some US Schools

Loch Ness monster cited by US schools as evidence that evolution is myth

The Loch Ness monster: Used as evidence that evolution is mythThe Loch Ness monster: Used as evidence that evolution is myth

By CLAIRE MCKIN
Published on Monday 25 June 2012 14:05

THOUSANDS of American school pupils are to be taught that the Loch Ness monster is real – in an attempt by religious teachers to disprove Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Pupils attending privately-run Christian schools in the southern state of Louisiana will learn from textbooks next year, which claim Scotland’s most famous mythological beast is a living creature.

Thousands of children are to receive publicly-funded vouchers enabling them to attend the schools – which follow a strict fundamentalist curriculum.

The Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme teaches controversial religious beliefs, aimed at disproving evolution and proving creationism.

Youngsters will be told that if it can be proved that dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time as man, then Darwinism is fatally flawed.

Critics have slammed the content of the religious course books, labelling them “bizarre” and accusing them of promoting radical religious and political ideas.

One ACE textbook called Biology 1099, Accelerated Christian Education Inc reads: “Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence.

“Have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland? ‘Nessie’ for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur.”

Another claim taught is that a Japanese whaling boat once caught a dinosaur.

One former pupil, Jonny Scaramanga, 27, who went through the ACE programme as a child, but now campaigns against Christian fundamentalism, said the Nessie claim was presented as “evidence” that evolution could not have happened.

He added: “The reason for that is they’re saying if Noah’s flood only happened 4,000 years ago, which they believe literally happened, then possibly a sea monster survived.

“If it was millions of years ago then that would be ridiculous. That’s their logic. It’s a common thing among creationists to believe in sea monsters.”

Private religious schools, including the Eternity Christian Academy in Westlake, Louisiana, which follows the ACE curriculum, have already been cleared to receive the state voucher money transferred from public school funding, thanks to a bill pushed through by Republican state governor Bobby Jindal, a Hindu convert to Catholicism.

Boston-based researcher and writer Bruce Wilson, who specialises in the American political religious right, said: “One of these texts from Bob Jones University Press claims that dinosaurs were fire-breathing dragons. It has little to do with science as we currently understand. It’s more like medieval scholasticism.”

Mr Wilson believes that such fundamentalist Christian teaching is going on in at least 13 American states.

He added: “There’s a lot of public funding going to private schools, probably around 200,000 pupils are receiving this education.

“The majority of parents now home schooling their kids are Christian fundamentalists too. I don’t believe they should be publicly funded, I don’t believe the schools who use these texts should be publicly funded.”

from:http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/loch-ness-monster-cited-by-us-schools-as-evidence-that-evolution-is-myth-1-2373903

Deepak Chopra on The Brain & Consciousness

  • Deepak Chopra

Author, ‘War of the Worldviews’; Founder, The Chopra Foundation

A New Era for the Brain — Guiding Your Own Evolution

Posted: 03/ 1/2012 8:20 am
 One of the great abilities of the human brain is to boost itself into a higher function. No one can explain how this happens. By the time early humans discovered fire and simple tools like the wheel and lever, our brains were already the most complex structure in the universe. We then proceeded to use this structure in unprecedented ways. Somewhere in our DNA was the potential for higher mathematics, for example, even though Homo sapiens existed for 200,000 years without tapping that capacity.

The reason that we are able to accomplish huge, never-ending leaps needs to be solved. If it can, then a new era will open up for the brain. The key is not materialistic, to my mind. One needs to begin, in fact, by turning away from the brain, whose intricate workings have mesmerized researchers for three decades, ever since the development of feasible brain scans. Such advances are fascinating, but we run the risk of sitting around a radio as it plays Mozart, staring at how the transistors work while imagining that we are uncovering the secrets of music.

Once you stop staring at the brain and start exploring the music it plays — i.e., the richness of human thoughts, feelings, images and sensations — a simple truth emerges. There is something more complex in the cosmos than the human brain: the process that makes the brain work. This process involves consciousness. It is our mind that is using the brain, not the other way around. (I would argue that the brain is a creation of the mind, a physical projection of consciousness. But that argument can be set aside for another day.) If we could understand the process that underlies the entire brain, instead of focusing in reductionist fashion on bits and pieces of brain function, doors would suddenly be flung open.

Let me suggest a beginning.

What we already know are a few fundamentals that apply to everything happening in the brain. Some functions are already confirmed by brain scans; others arise from deduction, working form observed facts to larger principles.

1. The process always involves feedback loops.

2. These feedback loops are intelligent.

3. The dynamics of the brain go in and out of balance but always favor overall balance, known as homeostasis.

4. We use our brains to evolve and develop, guided by our intentions.

5. Self-reflection pushes us forward into unknown territory.

6. Many diverse areas of the brain are coordinated simultaneously.

7. We have the capacity to monitor many levels of awareness, even though our focus is generally confined to one level (i.e., waking, sleeping, and dreaming).

8. All the qualities of the known world, such as sight, sounds, textures, and tastes, are created mysteriously by the interaction of mind and brain.

9. Mind is the origin of consciousness, not the brain.

10. Only consciousness can understand consciousness. There is no mechanical explanation that suffices, working from facts about the brain.

This list bridges two worlds, biology and philosophy. Biology is great at explaining physical processes but totally inadequate to tell us about the meaning and purpose of our subjective experience. Philosophy delves deeply into meaning but has made only tentative forays into the brain. Both worlds are needed to understand ourselves. Otherwise, we fall into the biological fallacy, which holds that humans are controlled by their brains, or the philosophical fallacy, which treats experience devoid of its physiological connection. Leaving aside countless arguments between various theories of mind and brain, the goal is clear: We want to use our brains, not have them use us.

I’d like to expand on the practical uses of the 10 principles listed above — they would be merely intriguing if they remained abstractions but incredibly practical if they lead to the next phase of human evolution. That phase involves using the brain better, something that human beings excel at. We are driven to greater creativity, complexity, imaginative leaps and unknown horizons. “Better” doesn’t mean more efficiently, the way technology improves a computer. In fact, by giving technicalities over to machines, we left more room for using our brains outside technology. In a world where every sort of calculation is done automatically, at the push of a button or the stroke of a keypad, assigning the brain a more evolved role poses the hugest challenge.

In the following posts I’ll suggest a new synthesis that takes the most basic aspects of brain function — feedback, self-reflection, homeostasis and multi-dimensional consciousness — to show that the era of higher brain function has arrived, awaiting only how you and I choose to participate.

from:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/brain-mind_b_1304000.html?ref=mindful-living&ir=Mindful%20Living

Evolution & Facial Features

Evolution Is Written All Over Your Face

ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2012) — Why are the faces of primates so dramatically different from one another?

Primates from Central and South America. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of California – Los Angeles)

UCLA biologists working as “evolutionary detectives” studied the faces of 129 adult male primates from Central and South America, and they offer some answers in research published Jan. 11, in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The faces they studied evolved over at least 24 million years, they report.

“If you look at New World primates, you’re immediately struck by the rich diversity of faces,” said Michael Alfaro, a UCLA associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the senior author of the study. “You see bright red faces, moustaches, hair tufts and much more. There are unanswered questions about how faces evolve and what factors explain the evolution of facial features. We’re very visually oriented, and we get a lot of information from the face.”

Some of theprimate species studied are solitary, while others live in groups that can include dozens or even hundreds of others.

The life scientists divided each face into 14 regions; coded the color of each part, including the hair and skin; studied the patterns and anatomy of the faces; and gave each a “facial complexity” score. They studied how the complexity of primate faces evolved over time and examined the primates’ social systems. To assess how facial colors are related to physical environments, they analyzed environmental variables, using the longitude and latitude of primates’ habitats as a proxy for sun exposure and temperature. They also used statistical methods to analyze the evolutionary history of the primate groups and when they diverged from one another.

“We found very strong support for the idea that as species live in larger groups, their faces become more simple, more plain,” said lead author Sharlene Santana, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in ecology and evolutionary biology and a postdoctoral fellow with UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics. “We think that is related to their ability to communicate using facial expressions. A face that is more plain could allow the primate to convey expressions more easily.

“Humans have pretty bare faces, which may allow us to see facial expressions more easily than if, for example, we had many colors in our faces.”

The researchers’ finding that faces are more simple in larger groups came as a surprise.

“Initially, we thought it might be the opposite,” Santana said. “You might expect that in larger groups, faces would vary more and have more complex parts that would allow one individual to identify any member of that group. That is not what we found. Species that live in larger groups live in closer proximity to one another and tend to use facial expressions more than species in smaller groups that are more spread out. Being in closer proximity puts a stronger pressure on using facial expressions.”

“This finding suggests that facial expressions are increasingly important in large groups,” said co-author Jessica Lynch Alfaro, associate director of the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics. “If you’re highly social, then facial expressions matter more than having a highly complex pattern on your face. ”

The evolutionary biologists also found that when primates live in environment with more species that are closely related, their faces are more complex, regardless of their group size. This finding is consistent with their need to recognize individuals of other closely related species that live in the same habitat to avoid interbreeding, Santana said.

Santana, Lynch Alfaro and Alfaro present the first quantitative evidence linking social behavior to the evolution of facial diversity and complexity in primates, and they also show that ecology controls aspects of facial patterns.

As species live closer to the equator, the skin and hair around their eyes get darker, the biologists report. They also found that regions of the face around the nose and mouth get darker when species live in humid environments and denser forests and that facial hair gets longer as species live farther from the equator and the climate gets colder, which may be related to regulating body temperature.

“This is a good start toward understanding facial diversity,” Alfaro said. “There was not a good idea before about what aspects of faces were shaped by which evolutionary pressure. Sharlene [Santana] has been able to say what social complexity, social behavior and ecology are doing to faces.”

In the future, Santana, Lynch Alfaro and Alfaro may use computer facial-recognition software to help quantify the faces in a more sophisticated way. They also plan to study the faces of carnivores, including big cats.

Previous studies, they noted, have found that primate species with moustaches and beards (such as No. 11 and No. 9 in the accompanying image) tend to look poker-faced; they don’t move their faces much when they communicate, compared with other species (such as No. 4).

Alfaro praised Santana’s ability to answer some of these difficult evolutionary questions.

“Sharlene has tested ideas that have been virtually impossible to test before,” he said. “She has found a clever way to implicate the degree of sociality as contributing to the diversity of faces. Social behavior explains some aspects of facial diversity.”

Santana also devised a way to test a theory that has been in the biological literature for decades but had never been tested before. As a lineage diverges and species accumulate, a series of changes in facial coloration and body coloration emerges. The theory she was able to test suggests that once a species evolves to have a certain color, such as hair color, the change is irreversible and it cannot evolve back to a previous color in its lineage. Santana found this theory to be wrong.

“The idea in biology that evolutionary change is irreversible is rejected very strongly by our data,” Alfaro said.

Lessons for human faces?

Does the study have implications for the evolution of human faces?

The findings do suggest, Alfaro said, that an important factor in shaping human faces is the premium on making unambiguous facial expressions.

“Humans don’t have all these elaborate facial ornamentations, but we do have the ability to communicate visually with facial expressions,” Alfaro said. “Does reduced coloration complexity create a blank palate for visual expressions that can be conveyed more easily? That is an idea we are testing.”

Santana’s research is funded by fellowships from the National Science Foundation and UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics.

from:    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111223744.htm