Taking Charge of Your Consciousness

Posted on May 9, 2016 by marcia

The Hijacking Of Consciousness

In5D May 9, 2016 Spiritual Awakening

The Hijacking Of Consciousness

Toy bewitched.
Made blind by lusts, disinherited of soul,
No common centre Man, no common sire
Knoweth! A sordid solitary thing
Mid countless brethren with a lonely heart
Through courts and cities the smooth savage roams,
Feeling himself, his own low self, the whole.
Coleridge: Religious Musings.

Frequency War

Many of us are waking up to the fact that the world we live in is being engineered into a nightmare of controlled reality. We see our planet gutted and destroyed before our eyes and there seems no end to the ongoing ecological insanity. We feel outraged when satanic corporations, protected by ‘law’, pollute the earth in pursuit of reckless greed and deranged ‘respected scientists’ test bio weapons on helpless animals.

Many horrific events in this world don’t make sense to sanity…but they do make sense in terms of frequency.

The satanic cabal of Luciferians that run the circus in this density are physical and energetic parasites. They control everything that affects our lives and to keep us addicted to self, they use the law, media and entertainment industry to target our reptile brains and keep us in the mire of the matrix.

Everything in our multiverse is in a state of vibration and we are immersed in a sea of electro-magnetic resonance, being both transmitter and receiver of vibratory information. The constant bloodbath of war, the misery of millions, animal cruelty, sexual abuse of children, human trafficking, child sacrifice at the grid points of our planet, our fascination with ego and the sense bound world, all act as spiritual anchors that compromise our divine consciousness.

Nothing happens by chance

It is no accident, we are overwhelmed with negativity, in fact, it is deliberate. Human beings run on frequency and our thoughts and feelings affect our DNA. The negatively charged environment of ‘us and them’ prevents us from vibrating faster and we are drowning in fear that is constantly created for us by our handlers. We only have to watch the news to realize we are being played….for are we not constantly bombarded with fear porn and bad news? As a result of this bombardment, most people are in a constant state of fear and stress[reptile mind] and in that state of mind, it is easy to create drama and negative scenarios.

We know so little about who we are, and when we start to observe ourselves in action, we find there’s two of us in one body. The reptile mind can completely take us over, and once we are triggered our behavior can range from insults to physical violence, even murder. Each time we are overwhelmed by these instinctual and negative emotions, we are amplifying the lower frequencies that keep us enslaved to the program of duality…the fear field of the third dimension’s beta operating system-fight/flight.

Our handlers know that if they can keep us in fear, stimulate our base instincts and keep us in the game, we will never be able to upgrade our DNA.

Glamour…the art of deception.

Glamorous and deceptive advertising target our emotions, self image and sexuality. They make us want things we don’t need, products to make us feel and look better… and our reptilian minds are constantly stimulated to want instant gratification, at whatever cost.

And the rub is, most of us don’t even realize we are being controlled.

We are caught up in the spiders web of the ‘I’ll be happy when I …..have a new car, quit drinking, move to a new location, start a new job, lose weight, start a family, get a divorce, and our excuses for our pitiful state of being carries on……ad nauseum.

We are always looking for external gratification to make us feel good about ourselves…and it may for a while…but eventually it fails every time and we are back to where we started with our unhappy lives. To mask the symptoms of our spiritual unease, we escape into the salve of false religions, so called ‘teachers and gurus’, the martyr complex, drama, indiscriminate sex, prescription drugs, recreational drugs and alcohol. And, it would seem that we have been indoctrinated to be always in the ‘rushing mode’, always in a hurry…we lose our car keys, door keys, phone, put things down and can’t find them, go to the shops for something and get everything else but the thing we wanted. We are being constantly distracted by the reptile in our divine minds, and instead of slowing down and staying in the moment, we speed here and there until we are utterly exhausted.

There can be no spiritual development while we are anchored to a negative agenda and our path to liberation lies within ourselves. Once we begin to observe the schism within our own minds, the continuous war of ‘us and them’ in ourselves and our projected selves…the world, we realize that everyone is playing the game of duality and distraction, powering the grid with negative emotions.

Until we can control our thoughts and stay mindful in a positive now, we are all the enemy of planet earth.

The Cosmic Reset

We are in the Cosmic reset, the four year period of grace that follows the end of the Grand Cosmic year of twenty-six thousand years.

At this special time that started on December 21 2012, the planetary influences controlling our lives on Earth are at their weakest, and we have a chance to leave the dense duality of this dimension. This is the ascension timeline, the evolution of the life waves…the spiritual upgrading of our DNA.

Every being is geared to evolve, but we are regressing because our spiritual reality has been compromised by our controllers.

Frequency fences and the hijacking of DNA

There have been many modifications to our original genome, and one of them is the the placement of frequency fences in our consciousness. We are food animals farmed for our emotional distress and caught up in the electro- magnetic balance sheet of karma and, our handlers don’t want the food source they have created to escape the farm[matrix]. By stimulating our lower three ‘animal chakras’: security, sex and ego control of our environment, the powers that be can effectively control and negate the planetary grid, and this in turn keeps us anchored in the third dimension of duality.

The awakening

Many of us are waking up to the cruel realities of this dog eat dog world and are doing our best to save life and not take it. We are moving from ‘below the belt’ up to the fourth chakra of Air, the fourth dimension. No longer are we in service to self, the program of the lower three chakras, we have moved into the heart.

When we change our frequency, it’s almost like a bell rings in the matrix. The last thing our controllers want is for us to turn inward and strive to activate our divided blueprint, so when our bell rings …we can expect a distraction to knock us off course.

This attack can take many forms: psychic attacks, chronic anxiety syndrome, an accident, sudden onset of disease, divorce, eviction, emotional betrayal. The attack is to stimulate the reptile mind and keep us out of balance.

The crossroads

Humanity is at the crossroads and many do not understand that we do not have to function in this lower density. We can follow the reptile mind into the electronic slavery of transhumanism, or take the journey inwards to activate our divided blueprint and make it whole.

The choice is ours and ours alone.

from: http://in5d.com/the-hijacking-of-consciousness/

Mercury Retrograde

Posted on May 1, 2016 by marcia

What to Expect from the Upcoming Mercury Retrograde

Adam Elenbaas • 4 days ago

Today a special longer treatment of our upcoming Mercury retrograde!

First we should recognize that Mercury will turn retrograde in a Venus ruled sign, just as Venus is moving out of a Mars ruled sign (Aries), and into her own sign of Taurus where she is much more comfortable and empowered. Simultaneously we should notice that Mercury is being strongly emphasized through Jupiter’s upcoming station in Virgo. Both Mars and Saturn, as well as Neptune, are all moving through Jupiter ruled signs, and Jupiter is slowing down to station and turn direct in both the rulership and exaltation of Mercury (Virgo).

Putting this all together we can see some simple themes coming forward. Mercury is a planet whose broadest archetypal actions include analysis, investigation, consideration, skeptical inquiry, curiosity, deconstruction, and critical thinking. So during a retrograde period, especially during the stations, we may find ourselves seriously questioning, analyzing, or deconstructing something. Or we might find that various systems are being broken down into their parts or that they aren’t working correctly or that there is something standing out that needs more careful attention or revision.

From here the question becomes, “WHAT is being analyzed, deconstructed, broken down into its parts, or analyzed?”
Well, remember that this Mercury retrograde leads us back to Mercury’s position over Jupiter and Jupiter’s position in relationship to Saturn, Mars, and Neptune. Learning to see the community dynamics of the planets is an important part of any analysis.

Jupiter in Virgo represents a kind of puritanical, careful, perhaps naive but also meticulous breaking apart of various systems of doctrine, dogma, and belief or praxis. Whether we’re looking at politics or carpentry, religion, philosophy, or accounting, wherever there is a some outdated or unexamined system in place Jupiter in Virgo suggests a second look or a critical evaluation. This is naturally uncomfortable for Jupiter whose nature is more akin to building greater wholes and coordinating successful growth projects rather than taking systems apart or weeding through the parts of vast networks. However, the entire transit of Jupiter in Virgo may also represent a kind of “take it apart” so that it might eventually become better or stronger on the whole.

But it gets even more specific. Jupiter in Virgo is related to the interests and challenges of Neptune, Mars, and Saturn as well. Let’s start with Mars and Saturn.

Both planets in a Jupiter ruled mutable fire sign emphasize separation, schisms, feuds, and factions. Both planets represent the contentions, competitions, and crusades we are fighting on behalf of various new/old ideas and beliefs. With both of these planets being dominated by the square from Jupiter in Virgo, we are seeing not only the feuds of our underlying values and prejudices, many of which represent serious generational or historical divides, but we are seeing these feuds play out as they relate specifically to the deconstruction or critical analysis of entire systems of thought or practice (analysis of both our ideals and the practical implementation of ideals).

Underlying Jupiter’s disposition in Virgo is also the transcendental dream of Neptune in Pisces. Underlying all of these conflicts and systemic analyses are the images of our dreams, of the reaching for something transcendent, for something non-ordinary, for utopia, for salvation, for whatever we want most deeply but cannot see or name. We are looking for God, you might say, in the individual grains of sand..taking apart our sand castles, one grain at a time, until we’ve found the sacred source in each of them and can then, finally, rebuild our castle with renewed integrity…restored faith…a future worth living for.

The problem is that the waves keep coming and interrupting the process! Exception after exception slips in and confuses our counting, until we are forced to reckon with the unaccountable truth…we will never get to the bottom of this. In this sense Jupiter in Virgo is doing his deconstruction on behalf of that which cannot be satisfied. At some point we will say, “This will have to do.”

Now, let’s return all the way back to Mercury retrograde. If Jupiter in Virgo is emphasizing systemic inspections, then this retrograde is going to be an especially important time for these investigations. Because Mercury and Jupiter are stationing simultaneously, and then during Mercury’s retrograde Jupiter will turn direct…signalling the implementation or the change over, or the positive results of the analysis…the first fruits of a process that has been taking place since the beginning of winter when Jupiter went retrograde.

Why can we be so certain that this transformation will be beneficial? Because Mercury will be with Venus in Taurus and in a superior trine to Jupiter. All of which point to the positive integration or joining of disparate parts for the sake of growth. Out of the careful analysis, something cohesive, beautiful, and harmonious is likely to emerge. And remember that by August Jupiter will enter a Venus ruled sign for an entire year.

However, given the simultaneous Mars/Saturn retrogrades, it’s likely that this entire sequence will also continue to feature factions, feuds, and ongoing conflicts or sharp distinctions or debates between various ideas and practices. It’s also possible that the Mercury/Venus signature in relationship to Jupiter reflects compromises that are strategic but also somewhat divisive (driving a hard bargain, forcing someone’s hand, reluctantly giving up any ground to a perceived opponent, etc).
We’ll look more carefully at this over the next few weeks, but hopefully this gives everyone more to think about!

Prayer: Help us to reconsider, to hold each part up to the light, so that we might see as the one who sees everything.

from: http://realitysandwich.com/319935/what-to-expect-from-the-upcoming-mercury-retrograde/

Surveillance, Fear & Self-Censorship

Posted on May 1, 2016 by marcia

This is What Government Sponsored Mass Surveillance is Doing to Your Mind

Alex Pietrowski, Staff
Waking Times

Big Brother is watching you and he wants you to believe that if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.

This is a lie, of course, and as we move deeper into the era of state sponsored technological surveillance, we see more evidence that the loss of privacy and confidence in inter-personal communications is transforming the individual into a compliant, self-policing ward of the state.

In one of the first empirical scientific studies to provide concrete evidence of the ‘chilling effects’ that government surveillance has on internet users, Oxford University professor Jon Penney looked at Wikipedia search data and traffic patterns before and after the 2013 revelations by Edward Snowden regarding widespread NSA surveillance of the internet. The results demonstrated an immediate trend towards self-censorship, as traffic and searches for terms like ‘Al Qaeda,’ ‘car bomb,’ and ‘Taliban’ showed nearly instant and mentionable decline.

The changes were statistically significant enough to indicate that many people automatically alter their own behavior upon realizing that a punitive authoritarian organization is monitoring them for legitimate or perceived wrongdoings.

“If people are spooked or deterred from learning about important policy matters like terrorism and national security, this is a real threat to proper democratic debate.” – Jon Penney

In 2013, the organization Pen America conducted a survey of writers in the United States showing that many were already self-censoring themselves in an increasingly oppressive atmosphere of government surveillance. The fear of being caught up in a dragnet of legal and financial problems was sufficient enough for many to change their tone and content, even though no direct physical threat existed.

“The results of this survey—the beginning of a broader investigation into the harms of surveillance—substantiate PEN’s concerns: writers are not only overwhelmingly worried about government surveillance, but are engaging in self-censorship as a result.” [Source]

Commenting on the effects of authoritarian governments which heavily surveil their citizens, Pen America also notes that, “historically, from writers and intellectuals in the Soviet Bloc, and contemporaneously from writers, thinkers, and artists in China, Iran, and elsewhere—aggressive surveillance regimes limit discourse and distort the flow of information and ideas.” This is without question the intended aim of such programs.

That study also included data which indicated how people curtail their online behavior and interactions with other people out of fear of being persecuted by the nanny state:

“Smaller percentages of those surveyed described already changing their day-to-day behavior: 28 percent said they had “curtailed or avoided activities on social media,” with another 12 percent saying they had seriously considered doing it; similar percentages said they had steered clear of certain topics in phone calls or email (24 percent had done so; 9 percent had seriously considered it).” [Source]

Furthermore, in a 2015 study by the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) examining how awareness of government surveillance affected people’s use of Google, the world’s most widely used internet search engine, researchers concluded that, “users were less likely to search using search terms that they believed might get them in trouble with the US government.”

In general, people’s behavior also changes in ways more favorable to an authoritarian government when surveillance both online and in the real world is as ubiquitous as it already is in American society. The state draws power from a compliant, acquiescent, and self-policing public, and when mass surveillance is applied to the citizenry, with the predictable result of creating a more submissive and conformist citizenry.

This idea was effectively brought to life in George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, 1984, where the primary surveillance device of the individual was the telescreen, a digital device located in every home that could receive and transmit audio and video, giving individuals zero privacy in their own homes. The beauty of omnipotent surveillance such as this was that the government did not even have to actually be monitoring an individual, because the simple fact that they could be listening and watching was enough to frighten a person into voluntary compliance and self-censorship.

“There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You have to live – did live, from habit that became instinct – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” – George Orwell, 1984

This principle is coming to fruition in our modern world in the form of the internet and social media. Couple this with the creation and publication of government watch lists of all flavors, where people can be arbitrarily restricted from travel, or worse, and we are marching headlong into a brave new world where freedom is tightly constricted not by law, but by a creeping ambiguous fear of what may happen to us if we step out of line. We are creating a society where people may have legally protected free speech, but they dare not use it.

“There is a reason governments, corporations, and multiple other entities of authority crave surveillance. It’s precisely because the possibility of being monitored radically changes individual and collective behavior. Specifically, that possibility breeds fear and fosters collective conformity. That’s always been intuitively clear. Now, there is mounting empirical evidence proving it.” – Glen Greenwald

from: http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/04/29/this-is-what-government-sponsored-mass-surveillance-is-doing-to-your-mind/

The Conspiracy of Education

Posted on May 1, 2016 by marcia

8 Ways School is Making Children Stupid and Depressed

BY SOFO ARCHON

children-playing-in-field

School is supposed to help children grow into mature, conscious, responsible, intelligent adults, who have mastered the art of living, and who can contribute their gifts to the world.

School as we know it, however, couldn’t be further from that. In fact, school, as it exists in most places across the planet, helps only to stunt children’s intelligence and fill them with stress and worries, which results in the chaotic world that we experience all around us.

Here are eight ways school is making children stupid and depressed:

1. It teaches children to conform

At school, children are taught to obey orders and blindly follow what they are being told. Children are told what to do, no matter if they like it or not. They are told to sit for hours upon hours at a desk without complaining, doing nothing other than memorizing information that most probably they will never need in their lives. They are told when to talk, when to move, even when to pee. By and by, children learn to stop trusting their inner voice and conform to what authority wants from them, which makes them suppressed, depressed, and unfulfilled.

2. It teaches children what to think, not how to think

School does not teach children how to develop their capacity to think logically so that they can reach to their own conclusions when presented with information. On the contrary, children are forced to believe in things they are being taught, no matter whether they are true or not, or whether they sprout out of their own understanding or not. Hence their critical thinking is prevented from improving, and as a result children are turned into stupid automatons.

3. It teaches children to be uncreative

Children’s imagination is wild, but school suppresses it. Children can be incredibly creative, but the Arts are almost nonexistent in most schools around the world, since a career path in the Arts is usually not considered as profitable. Instead of allowing children to explore their selves by spontaneously expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings through painting, music, theater, and so on, they are confined in four walls, learning boring things that don’t matter to them and don’t help cultivate their mind, heart, and spirit.

4. It teaches children to fear failure

Mistakes help us grow into wiser beings, but school is teaching children to fear failure, as if it is some kind of evil they need to avoid. Children at school are told to study solely in order to pass exams, and those who fail at exams are looked down upon, sometimes even mocked at, as if they are failures themselves. Therefore children learn to do their best in order to avoid making mistakes, which only prevents them from trying to achieve new things later on in life, lest they will encounter any possible failure.

5. It teaches children to think play is bad

Children find tremendous joy in playing, having fun, laughing, doing things for no reason or goal other than play itself. Play makes their heart pulsate with happiness and turns their life into a celebration. Slowly slowly, however, as children are growing up, they are taught that play is not good, since it’s not something productive, and that they should consider it simply as a waste of time. They are taught to be serious, uptight, worried about future ends, which is only making them depressed, not allowing them to let go and relax into the present moment, savoring all the beauties life has to offer.

6. It teaches children to avoid listening to their heart

Unlike adults, children are in touch with their heart. But after years of social conditioning, when they finally turn into adults themselves, they have created thick barriers between themselves and their heart, not paying attention to its voice anymore. This conditioning takes place mainly at school, where almost every day children are forced to do things they hate doing, that they find boring and futile, and which they are taught society will reward them for. As a consequence, they develop the habit of not trusting and following their inner voice and lose touch with what their heart is beating for.

7. It teaches children to associate money with success

Another way school is making children dumb and depressed is by having them confuse monetary gain with successful living. At school, children learn that the primary goal in life is to earn a good salary, and are being told to sacrifice almost one third of their lives learning and doing things just so they can get a degree that will allow them to find a job later in life and most probably work as corporate slaves. Thus children stop pursuing their passions that would give true purpose and meaning to their lives, and instead do dull things that only burden their psyche, and which merely achieve to help them survive but not truly live.

8. It teaches children to sacrifice today for the sake of tomorrow

The present moment is all that we have. The future, just like the past, doesn’t exist, and if we give it too much attention, we will not be able enjoy the here and now. Most people, however, don’t enjoy the present moment, but are always trying to achieve a future end or goal, thinking that once they achieve it, they will be fulfilled and happy. This mentality has been mainly imbued in them via schooling. At school, children are made to believe that sacrificing today by studying hard and following orders will reward them tomorrow by bringing them joy and freedom. Hence children learn to always be focused on the future, which is making them waste their lives and is filling them with regrets that results in immense anguish in their psyche.

from: http://theunboundedspirit.com/school-children/

Child, Play Outside!!!

Posted on April 24, 2016 by marcia

10 Ways Playing Outside Will Make Your Kid Smarter

Apr 14, 2016

Today, the average American child spends as little as 30 minutes outside in unstructured play each day.

When I was a kid, I lived outside. Most warm evenings would have me and most of the neighborhood kids riding bikes, building forts, catching lightning bugs, or just laying in the grass until the streetlights blinked on or our mothers called us for dinner. I grew up in an age when organized athletics for five year olds were rare, when parents didn’t orchestrate their children’s every waking moment, when mothers and fathers didn’t feel so pressured for their kids to perform and succeed. There was an abundance of free time and my mother didn’t want me in her hair. I am a much better person for it.

Today, the average American child spends as little as 30 minutes outside in unstructured play each day. Let’s be honest, that’s not enough time to organize a game of stickball or terrorize the neighborhood in a bicycle gang or even to get lost in thought lying in the warm spring grass. What are our kids doing with their time? Most of it is spent indoors behind a desk or dazed behind an electronic screen. The average American child spends as much as seven hours using electronics every day.

It’s a sad fact that our kids would generally rather FaceTime with their friends than actually play with them.

But aside from “free time” spent on computers and tablets and cell phones, parents are overly concerned with artificially enriching their children’s lives. Organized sports, and dance classes, and math camps, and scouts are where parents want their kids to spend their “extra” time. By organizing and carefully constructing a childhood, they hope to give their kids a leg up in the human rat race.

It’s a common thought that if a child isn’t spending time in school achieving academic excellence, then they should be studying and completing worksheets, and if there is still time left over, they should be engaged in carefully coordinated activities designed to make them better, smarter, higher-achieving people. All of this is going to have to go down on college applications one day, so we might as well start now and make it look good.

But there is no “extra” time. Kids are like us, they only have time. There’s nothing extra, and too much is sucked up by living a script someone else has created for them. Kids need to write their own scripts, just like adults. They need freedom. And quite often, they need to be outside and engaged in free play to become whole human beings.

Parents, if you’re worried about your kid getting into Harvard (and if so, I argue that you might be worried about the wrong things, but that’s a subject for another blog post), you still might want them to back away from the worksheets and violin practice and just go outside. There are a number of ways that playing outside makes kids smarter.

1. Playing outside improves focus. A 2008 study from the University of Michigan explored the cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. The study found that just walking outside, no matter the weather, and no matter whether the experience was actually enjoyable, helped improve memory and attention by 20 percent. So even when they don’t want to put down the tablet, and they complain about being miserable, just send them outside anyway.

2. Playing outside stimulates creativity. During open-ended play, kids have to make up ways to entertain themselves instead of relying on adults to do it for them. Being outdoors where there are rocks and dirt and sticks presents limitless opportunities for play experiences. No two playtimes will end up looking exactly the same. Being outside presents a plethora of opportunities for imaginative play, creative building, and inventive activities.

3. Playing outside promotes problem solving. During free outdoor play, children make up their own rules. They learn what works and what doesn’t. They learn when to keep trying and when to try something else. If playing with other children, they learn what types of interactions promote cooperation and which cause frustration. By solving their own childhood problems, they’ll be much more independent problem solvers as adults. Practice makes perfect in this area of life. If never given the chance to practice solving their own problems, how can we expect them to magically do it once they turn eighteen?

4. Playing outside develops leadership skills. Playing together outside, children must negotiate rules of games and the roles they play in them. Natural leadership skills will be developed as they play. No special workshops or lessons required.
5. Playing outside improves language skills. Children are so often told that they must be quiet indoors. “Use your quiet, indoor voice,” we often hear teachers tell their young pupils. But outside, children are free to be loud. Instead of others encouraging them to hush, they can experience a freedom to speak that the indoors doesn’t always provide. Many children (especially boys) are able to find their voices outdoors. And cooperative play, gives plenty of opportunities to communicate with one another. Children may issue instructions to each other on the building of a fort or the intricate rules of a spontaneous game.

Being outdoors always creates a lush context for vocabulary development, too. From discovering tiny animals, to expressing changing weather and seasons, to describing the texture rich environment of trees and stones, children are encouraged by the outdoors to try out new words and make them their own.

6. Playing outside is multi-sensory. During outdoor play, a child uses all of his senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and even taste (If I had a dollar for every time I told a child, “Don’t put that in your mouth!”). Not all children learn the same way. By opening up experiences to all of a child’s senses, we help each child learn in their own unique way.

7. Playing outside relieves stress. It’s no secret that today’s kids are stressed out. As many as one in eight children and 20 percent of teens suffer from severe anxiety disorders. Modern children face pressure to perform from their parents, their teachers, and their schools. Children and their parents start thinking about colleges as early as kindergarten, and school systems place a huge emphasis on student test scores. It’s no wonder our children feel stressed out. But more than 100 research studies have shown that time spent outdoors reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. The cure for childhood depression and anxiety is literally waiting right outside our door. And a relaxed and unworried person makes a better learner.

8. Playing outside makes children healthier. You might not think that healthier equals smarter, but sick kids miss school and can easily fall behind. Besides, learning is more difficult when you don’t feel well. Spending time outdoors strengthens immune systems, making children healthier and less prone to catching common illnesses, and therefore less likely to miss school.

9. Playing outside encourages physical activity. Outside, children are free to run and jump and climb. There are opportunities to be physically active that just aren’t available in most indoor environments. There is a growing body of research that shows how physical activity positively affects brain health. Here are just a few:

A 2007 study from Columbia University discovered that regular exercise increased blood flow by 30 percent to the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
Psychologists at the University of of Illinois found that physically fit children scored better in a series of cognitive challenges.
A 2007 German study discovered that after exercise, people learned vocabulary words 20 percent faster than before they exercised.
A Swedish study showed that cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood. The researchers hypothesize that aerobic activity produces specific growth factors and proteins that stimulate the brain.

10. Playing outside is fun. Learning is easier and longer lasting when it is fun. Being outdoors riding bikes with friends, organizing neighborhood “army” battles, and rushing to home base in impromptu games of tag are just plain fun. Those are the experiences that will stick with kids long after they’ve grown up and moved on to the “real world”.

So if you want your kid to get into Harvard, you might just want them to step away from the homework and just go outside and play. They’ll be smart for it… and certainly happier, too.

Featured image from: Source

from: http://themindunleashed.org/2016/04/10-ways-playing-outside-will-make-your-kid-smarter.html

What is Going On ?

Posted on April 24, 2016 by marcia

Survival Weekend: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

by Elle – 24/04/2016

0 16

Survival Weekend: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Daisy Luther
Contributor, ZenGardner.com

Today on Survival Saturday, we have a series of stories that could all be headlined, “What could possibly go wrong?” Do you remember the reality show by that name, where a couple of guys apply science and logic to ill-conceived ideas and explain exactly what could go wrong when you power a skateboard with homemade rockets? Perhaps our future doom won’t be caused by some kind of epic disaster, but by the unwillingness of the people to actually accept reality and apply logic to it.

Survival Saturday is a round-up of the week’s news and resources for folks who are interested in being prepared.

This Week in the News…

Coming to a City Near You: Aerial Spraying of GMO Bacteria over Residential Neighborhoods

Since regular pesticide isn’t bad enough, the officials of Seattle, Washington have taken things one step further: they’re going to douse the city in a genetically modified bacteria in an experimental attempt to eradicate gypsy moths. What could possibly go wrong with that one? (Well, for one thing, the story about the Zika virus originating in the area of South America where GMO mosquitos were released comes to mind.)

If you ever wondered whether you might possibly be an unwilling participant in a science experiment, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that you are.

The Washington Department of Health has recommended that people stay indoors for half an hour after the spray. (They don’t mention anything about sealing doors and windows with duct tape or closing vents to the outside, but hey, maybe that’s just me.) Of course, the USDA, always a proponent of things GMO and unnatural, says everything will be just fine, claiming that “the acidic diet of most Americans renders the bacteria harmless, though it is persistent in produce and food products.” Apparently, this GMO bacteria pesticide has been sprayed on our food for a while now, although I must have missed the announcement of that practice.

Speaking of pesticides, if you’re trying to avoid them check out this newly-released list of the fruits and vegetable with the highest pesticide residue this year. Grab a kleenex, because the things that must now be purchased organically will make you weep.

Reality Is Mean

Let me preface by saying that this little rant does not reflect my opinions on who can use which bathroom. Honestly, I don’t care. There are stall doors. Don’t even get me started on pondering how bathroom laws would be enforced or how it isn’t the government’s place to be potty monitors. We have bigger problems in this country than who pees where and you’d be wise not to get sidetracked by that ridiculous debate.

Okay – back to the story.

I’ll never forget when my kiddo was in 4th grade. She was telling me about an event that happened in school and being very vague in her description of the girl involved. Finally, it dawned on me. I asked her, “Are you talking about the girl in your class who is black?” Since there was only one child in the class of African American descent, that did indeed narrow it down. But my daughter was horrified because the kids had been taught never to refer to a person’s race, even when it was the most accurate descriptor. If I thought that was absolutely ridiculous, I had no idea at the time what was coming down the pipe of political correctness.

Well, here it is. And what has come out of the pipe is the pure sewage of cognitive dissonance.

What could possibly go wrong in a society that politely accepts fantasy as fact? It seems pretty obvious to me that college students are being prepped for the world Orwell had imagined.

Here’s What’s Going on Behind the Pending Economic Disaster

I sent out an extra email last week because I stumbled upon a series of events that made me wonder if the economic collapse is truly upon us. The Fed (which isn’t at all federal, but that’s another story – and one you really should read) has issued warnings to 3 major banks that their contingency plans simply won’t cut it. Chillingly, the Fed wrote to JPMorgan Chase that their plan was “not sufficiently actionable” and that it contained a “deficiency” so great that it could “pose serious adverse effects to the financial stability of the United States.” Gulp.

Meanwhile, secret meetings between those in the economic know abounded last week and Saudi Arabia threatened the US with massive economic reprisals – and by massive, I mean billions and billions of dollars – if their part in 9/11 came to light in a bipartisan bill on the table in Congress that would allow victims of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments.

A commodity trader has come forward (sort of…anonymously) and said that the current plan in the economic world is even worse. In his own words:

Here comes my Very-REAL Conspiracy Theory: the stupid FED and other Central Bankers around the world acting in unison to artificially raise inflation so that they can hopefully get out of the F’ing mess they got themselves into with this low/negative rate BS. Call me crazy, and I am not a “conspiracy theorist” – but what is happening has absolutely no “reasonable” explanation. So I have to think outside the box…

The FED and other Central Banks have already destroyed the equity and other macro-financial markets… it is now turn for the commodities markets…

Gee…what could possibly go wrong if/when that plan is enacted? Read the rest of his theory here.

Oh – and on a related note, if you ever wondered why no bankers have gone to jail for their parts in the economic cluster pulling the rest of the country under – an insider explains exactly why in this article. What could possibly go wrong with ignoring that?

You’ve Got to Taste It to Believe It

Do you have the supplies you need to survive an interruption in the supply chain? Regardless of what type of disaster you are preparing for, it pays to have nutritious, long-term supplies that you can rely on. Preppers Market features the products I use to ensure my own family’s health and well-being. You won’t find any GMOs, any soy, or chemical preservatives in our foods. Gluten-free products are also available for those who do not tolerate wheat products.

Emergency foods are hard to fully appreciate without tasting. Before you make an expensive purchase, try our 4 recipe Sampler Pack: Pasta Primavera, Enchilada Beans and Rice, Granola and Sweet Habanero Chili.

Healthy food storage with GMO-Free ingredients and great taste are rare. I know you’ll be convinced when you taste test our food!

Go here to check out the high-quality offerings, or try a sample pack first. You won’t be disappointed in the delicious taste!

Remember How I Said Justice Scalia’s Death Would Have Serious Repercussions?

I’m not one to say “I told you so!” – wait – who am I kidding? I totally am.

So, here it is.

Remember how I said Scalia’s sudden death, whether it came from natural causes or he was murdered, could change everything? At immediate risk, it seems, will be our right to bear arms.

If you’re wondering what could possibly go wrong if we get someone left-leaning in office, consider that Scalia’s replacement could very likely be the deciding factor in whether or not the Second Amendment remains strong. And now, Chelsea Clinton has ~~danced on his freshly turned grave~~ affirmed the plan to poke even more holes in our right to protect ourselves and our families, and even points out how much easier it will be now that Scalia is no longer on the bench. As reported by SHTFplan:

“It matters to me that my mom also recognizes the role the Supreme Court has when it comes to gun control. With Justice Scalia on the bench, one of the few areas where the court actually had an inconsistent record relates to gun control.”

“Sometimes the court upheld local and state gun control measures as being compliant with the Second Amendment and sometimes the court struck them down.”

“So if you listen to Moms Demand Action and the Brady Campaign and the major efforts pushing for smart, sensible, and enforceable gun control across our country — disclosure [they] have endorsed my mom, they say they believe the next time the court rules on gun control, it will make a definitive ruling.”

Stock up, folks. Food, ammo, and firearms.

Oh – and on a related note, did anybody else notice that Prince was immediately autopsied and a Supreme Court Justice was pronounced dead over the phone and instantly embalmed, thus precluding the possibility of an investigation into his death? Just sayin’.

Anything to add to Survival Saturday?

Oh – I do! Here’s one last link. Remember how our cat disappeared on moving day? Well, our pampered housecat managed to survive almost 5 weeks in the forest, and now he’s back. Of course, it got me thinking about how we could all learn some survival lessons from a lost kitty – you can check out the story here, assuming you don’t hate cats or happy endings.

from: http://www.zengardner.com/survival-saturday-possibly-go-wrong/

More on Common Core

Posted on April 22, 2016 by marcia

Common Core Education: Surveillance and Sexualization of Children

Makia Freeman, Contributor
Waking Times

Common core is the set of educational standards for American children funded by Bill Gates, the very same man who is pushing GMOs, vaccines and other New World Order (NWO) Agenda 21-style schemes. In another example of blatant doublespeak, the curricula are named “Common Core State Standards”, despite the fact they were forced onto the states with bribes, came top-down from the US Federal Government and were written by the international elite. Common Core first came onto the scene in 2009, after Obama took office, using money from the $350 million stimulus package. Common Core is another manifestation of a long-held dream of the NWO manipulators to replace the family with the State, a plan laid out in novels such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which included reference to State hatcheries (i.e. State control of reproduction).

Common Core: Of the Manipulators, By the Manipulators, For the Masses

Did you know Common Core is actually copyrighted? It’s a private set of standards. It’s of the manipulators (since it’s owned by them), written by the manipulators, but it’s for the masses – all the “common” people not wealthy enough to go rich schools where the future leaders of the New World Order will learn an entirely different curriculum … one which probably trains them to become creative thinkers rather than the “obedient workers” John D. Rockefeller wanted common Americans to become. Even the Common Core logo resembles something hypnotic and discordant.

Educator Dr. Duke Pesta has been working tirelessly to expose Common Core for what it really is ever since it was launched 7 years ago. In his presentation, Duke reveals how the Government is already pushing for “public boarding schools” to be open from 8am to 8pm, 365 days per year! He quotes 2 men who were at the forefront of American education, Horace Mann and John Dewey. The latter was an open communist:

“We are who engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause.” – Horace Mann

“The children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society …” – John Dewey

Is Common Core helping the school to replace the family as a surrogate parent? Is Common Core promoting the idea of collectivism, that the individual is subservient to the group, institution, system and State? It would appear so, but that’s not all it’s doing.

Common Core: Minimally Exceptional

Common Core is now being used in 47 out of 50 US states – in almost all public schools – and even if your children are in private schools or homeschooled, as long as they want to go to university or college, they will have to pass SAT/ACT tests written by the same man (David Coleman) who wrote the main English components! Common Core is not designed for local autonomy; teachers have to strictly follow its guidelines, or risk having students do poorly on the test. Duke plays video clips of 3 key men who were involved in creating Common Core:

“It would be great if our education stuff worked (Common Core), but we’re not going to know for a decade.” – Bill Gates

“Teachers will teach towards the test; there is no force strong enough to prevent teachers from teaching towards the test” – David Coleman, chief architect of Common Core, who never taught in an elementary school and never edited a scholarly journal. He has now joined College Boards writing SAT and ACT tests.

“[Common Core meets a] minimal definition of college readiness” (i.e. not for STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) – Jason Zimba, architect of Common Core mathematics, admitting “college ready” really meant ready for a non-selective community college

“Using Common Core math standards will put American students 2 years behind their international peers by the end of 8th grade, and further behind by the end of high school.” – Dr. James Milgram, who refused to sign off on the Common Core standards

To make matters worse, the Common Core assessments are meaningless tests, because the grading process is rigged (just like the votes in American elections)! Did you know that the people running Common Core advertised on Craigslist for temporary workers (at $9/hour) to grade papers? Then, these workers were told that they needed to mark papers to fit into a bell curve with standard deviations (a certain amount of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s etc.) and “needed to learn to see more papers as a 3”. In others words, they had to fit the results into a predetermined spread and ignore the actual quality of the paper!

Common Core Surveillance

This is all bad enough, but hold on, because now it starts to get really Orwellian. Children are being spied upon more and more under Common Core. Some of the ways are stealthy, such as through devices like iPads, as this article suggests:

“Initially, in order to continue to be eligible for Obama’s “Race to the Top” federal funding, states were obligated to implement a Student Longitudinal Database System (SLDS), used to track students from preschool through college (P20-WIN). Some of us may recall the many reports about measuring 400 data points … could these one to one devices be another carefully disguised method of software-driven mass surveillance of students?”

” … all across America, more and more classrooms will be filled with children innocently using their iPads or other handheld devices. Children may be playing interactive educational games, doing interactive assignments, and writing stories that can be easily shared with the teacher and other students. These seemingly harmless activities are in fact being used to collect personal and private information without the parents’ consent or knowledge. Could that educational game be used to measure your child’s mental state? Could those interactive assignments involve morally ambiguous questions that can be used to create a psychological profile of your child? Could that shared story be used to predict violent behavior?”

This Truth in Media article states that:

“Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that data collection will also include critical appraisals of individuals with whom students have close family relationships. The Common Core program has been heavily scrutinized recently for the fact that its curriculum teaches young children to use emotionally charged language to manipulate others and teaches students how to become community organizers and experts of the U.N.’s agenda 21.”

Some of the Common Core surveillance is data mining, as this article explains:

“In this modern computer era, digital personal data is gold, currently being traded like currency … the CEO of Knewton explains how Education is today’s most data mined industry. He explains “the name of the game is data per user”. From Amazon or Netflix they get 1 data point per user per day. Google and Facebook 10 data points per user per day. In education, Knewton gets 5-10 million actionable data points per student per day! Apparently, every sentence of every passage in digital content has a data tag and they can tell how interested a child is in a certain topic, how difficult it was, etc., etc. Ten million data points a day! This data grab is a gold mine to companies that want to market and design products. For venture capitalists, Education is the new hot commodity.”

The NWO manipulators also have plans to introduce all sorts of devices into the classroom which intrude upon the basic privacy of children, including a “facial expression camera”, “posture analysis seat”, “pressure mouse” and “wireless skin conductance sensor”. See this report entitled Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century for more details (pg. 62).

Common Core Sexualization of Children

Introducing kids to sex, including sexual education, at too young of an age, can be confusing and detrimental. A core theme of the worldwide conspiracy is the increasing sexualization of children, which is being fueled by the NWO manipulators’ indulgence in widespread pedophilia. The article Colorado School Employing “Anti-Bias” Curriculum Has Parents Asking Questions highlights how a Common Core aligned school is teaching an anti-bias curriculum. Sounds good, but this means more tyrannical and freedom-destroying political correctness, coupled with sex ed to 4 year olds! As an aside, the organization promoting this is “Teaching Tolerance” which is aligned with the Southern Poverty Law Center – the same one which covers up the truth by falsely branding people anti-Semitic etc.

Children are being encouraged to have sex and be sexual at an early age, which may well be developmentally inappropriate and harmful, given that amount of emotional maturity that is necessary to be involved in a sexual relationship. Now it’s going one step further. Some American public schools under Common Core are already giving advanced forms of birth control to children without parental knowledge. According to Duke, under Common Core, schools now have legal capacity to take teenage girls off campus to an abortion clinic to get an abortion – without informing or consulting parents!

Conclusion: Common Core is a Tool of the NWO

The word “common” in common core really means “lowest common denominator”. Essentially, Common Core is a form of socialism, Marxism or communism that brings everyone down to an equal level. George W. Bush let Senator Teddy Kennedy write the “No Child Left Behind” Act, which had too many stupid high-stake tests, too much social ideology and propaganda being injected, too little local teacher control and too much federal intervention. Common Core is all this on steroids: the ESSA Act (Every Student Succeeds Act) enshrines Common Core at the federal level, and retroactively legalizes all the illegal things the Federal Government did to get it through.

The bottom line is this: if you want your child to have your values, don’t throw him or her away to the State. Avoid Common Core all you can! Homeschool or find a private school that doesn’t do Common Core curriculum.

from: http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/04/21/common-core-education-surveillance-sexualization-children/

Consciousness Opening

Posted on March 30, 2016 by marcia

The 5 Stages of Awakening on the Path of Consciousness

By Nanice Ellis

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

What does it really mean to awaken? It is fair to say that awakening is a journey from limitation to freedom — from unconscious to conscious. Whether you intentionally choose to take this journey or an unexpected experience propels you onto the path, once you start, there is no turning back.

It is true that the journey might be quite arduous at times, but no matter how long or challenging, the extraordinary destination far exceeds any bumps and bruises along the way. The end result of full awakening is freedom from personal suffering, clarity of mind, boundless joy, inner peace and the ability to live an incredibly fulfilling life. The awakened state holds everything we have ever desired, and so much more.

Where Are You and What Comes Next?

There are 5 Stages of Awakening, and when you understand each stage, and where you are on the journey, you can recognize the sign posts along the way, and the possible pitfalls to avoid.

Please use the following guide as a way to navigate the stages of awakening, but keep in mind that everyone’s experience is different. There is no right or wrong way to wake up. Like art, it is all beautiful and perfect.

Stage 1 of Awakening: The Stage of the False-Self

Subtle awareness of “something more” begins to grow.

In Stage 1 of Awakening, we are most asleep, and we do not even know that we are asleep. We are entrenched in mass consciousness and going through the motions of life, generally following the rules of culture and laws of the land.

We don’t usually question reality or seek answers beyond what is necessary for survival and maintenance of a lifestyle.

Our identities define us and we live within the construct of religion, culture and/or society.

We may even play the part of victim or perpetrator.

Unconscious programming runs us, and, as a result, we see the world in black and white – good and bad. We likely process a rigid model of the world according to our specific programming.

Because there is a great desire to fit in and be accepted, in this stage, it is common to sacrifice our needs and compromise our values in order to receive approval and be included in our desired community, be that family, culture, business, religion, etc…

Self-worth is likely conditional and attached to identity or the roles we play, or there may be other means of proving that we are worthy.

Because the ego generally runs the show, we likely believe we are the ego, with little or no awareness that there is a greater part of us.

In stage one, happiness is based on externals, therefore, in order to feel happy, we try to control reality; other people, places and experiences.

Although we attempt to control our lives, for both happiness and security, it is more than likely that our emotions rule, and our actions and reactions are based on our moment to moment feelings.

We make no connection between our thoughts/beliefs and our experiences in reality, and, therefore, we have no direct ability to consciously create our reality.

Despite our unconscious nature, the first signs of awakening happen during this stage; a “flash feeling” that there is something more, or an inkling of doubt that makes us uncertain about life or reality.

Stage 2 of Awakening – The Stage of Questioning

The doubts experienced in stage one begin to turn into meaningful questions. The first signs of movement from unconscious to conscious are experienced.

In Stage 2 of Awakening, we experience a growing discomfort in our lives. There is a feeling that something is wrong or missing. We begin to question mass consciousness and the validity of rules, beliefs and laws. Things that used to bring us comfort like religion or traditions are no longer satisfying and the places that we once found answers no longer provide relief.

We question our identity but we still hold on to it because we must continue to prove our worth, and we don’t yet know ourselves outside of our human identity. As we question the roles we play, we may feel lost, and even betrayed by others or life in general.

We may even blame religion, family, culture, government or the world for our problems, or maybe we blame specific people for our dysfunctions. As we shift responsibility onto others, we feel powerless over our lives; not yet realizing that in order to take back our power, we must take responsibility. In this stage, we might move from victim to survivor, but we are likely still blaming others and feeling powerless.

We begin to ask, “Who am I? Why am I here?”

Although we are searching for answers, we still hold on to certain limiting beliefs that keep us enslaved in the reality we have known. When we attempt to challenge these beliefs, fear brings us back, keeping us asleep a little longer.

In our discomfort with reality, and our search for answers, we may experience a great deal of confusion, overwhelm, anxiety and even depression. We “keep up” with our lives but we are secretly just “going through the motions.”

As we experience a variety of challenges designed to help us wake up, tolerable discomfort turns into pain and suffering. As our disempowering beliefs are demonstrated in real life situations and relationships, we get our first glimpse of the unconscious programs running our lives, but our desire to fit in and be accepted is likely stronger than any desires to free ourselves. Although this is the beginning of our internal programs breaking down, we are still trying to prove our worth by demonstrating our importance and seeking approval for our efforts.

We begin to understand that happiness cannot be found in the outside world, but we are still playing the game – seeking happiness in other people, places and experiences.

In this stage, there can be a great deal of emotional triggers. We may even experience trauma or remember past trauma. Emotions are generally very strong, and we may feel most fragile or vulnerable. What we do not yet realize is that our issues are coming to the surface to be healed and released.

Even though we are beginning to see the world in a whole new light, we may still possess black and white thinking – maybe more than ever. We are not ready to take responsibility for our lives and, therefore, we make little or no connection between our thoughts and our experiences in reality.

As the outside world no longer satisfies our hunger, the journey inward is about to begin.

Stage 3 of Awakening – The Stage of Introspection

Immense personal/spiritual growth and the start of conscious evolution through self-discovery.

In Stage 3 of Awakening, we begin a journey of introspection. In Stage 2, we rebelled against the external world with little or no success in relieving our pain, suffering or discomfort, so now we retreat as we begin to seek answers inside ourselves.

We start to disentangle from mass consciousness, releasing many limiting beliefs that were programmed into us by asleep parents, teachers, culture, society, religion and media. As we release these beliefs, we may experience both grief and relief. If we spent a life time imprisoned in beliefs that caused emotional suffering, physical hardship and lost happiness, we may grieve for the life we never had, and at the same time, we may feel great relief as we break free from limitation.

As we recognize how asleep we have been, we can clearly see that most people we know are still asleep. We try to wake them up, but our attempts are seen as judgmental and, therefore, met with deaf ears.

Not surprisingly, with our eyes wide open, it is common to experience greater judgment of other people (friends and strangers alike), society and the world. Others may feel our judgment and defensively respond with their own judgment of us. We are seen as different, weird and maybe even crazy. Sooner or later, we decide to keep our growing awareness to ourselves; maybe rationalizing that it’s better to be silent than be judged. At this point, we don’t have a lot of hope that others will wake up.

We are still focused on everything that is wrong in our lives, and in the world, but, at the same time, we have resistance to letting go. The process of letting go is often “the work” in this stage, and, as we learn to let go, Stage 3 is where we may leave unsatisfying jobs, intimate relationships, families, friendships, religions, organizations and any disempowering ways of life. We may disentangle from roles we played, reject our past identity, and there may even be a total withdrawal from society.

Our former model of the world is failing and we no longer see the world in black and white or good and bad. There may be a growing sense that we are all connected, but at the same time we may feel completely disconnected from every other human being. In many ways, we are faced with the dichotomy of life and existence.

The most common attribute of stage three is loneliness. In a sea of billions of people, you may feel like you are the only one awake; no one understands you, and there is no one with whom to connect. At this point, you might begin to question “the questioning” – why did you ever begin this journey? What’s the point of waking up, if you must be alone and lonely? After all, you might have been unhappy when you were asleep but at least you had friends, family and people who cared about you. Now, there is no one. You consider “going back.” You wish you could forget about everything you now know just so you can be part of a family or community. You yearn for “normalcy” in order to fit in with others, but you also know that it is too late. You cannot forget what you have remembered, and despite your loneliness and your desire to fit in, you wouldn’t go back or undo your path even if you could.

Issues of worthiness often surface in this stage, because the ways, in which, we once proved worth no longer work or are no longer available because we left the job or situation that once made us feel worthy. We may still try to seek approval, acceptance or appreciation or get other emotional needs met by those still in our lives, but it doesn’t fulfill us, as it once did, and we are left feeling empty – forced to deal with feelings of unworthiness on our own.

Our desire to fit in and be accepted is slowly being drowned out by our desire to be free and awake.

In the quest for answers and relief from emotional pain, we may embark on some sort of spiritual practice such as meditation, yoga or mindfulness. If we are not using the practice to avoid something, its purpose is likely to get us somewhere, accomplish something or wake up.

In stage three, we may experience the first real sense of power, but, if the ego claims this power, we may have challenging and humbling experiences.

By now, we may be able to see the connection between our thoughts/beliefs and the creation of our reality, and, as a result, we try to control our thoughts, but it is a difficult process because old programs are still running.

We no longer look outside ourselves for happiness, but maybe we don’t yet know how to find it within. Peace and freedom may also take precedence over happiness.

Stage three is often the longest stage and almost always the most challenging, but it is also the most important in terms of awakening.

This stage is marked by the swing between resistance and letting go, with moments of clarity and enlightenment, but they don’t last. It is very common to have multiple experiences of awakening in this stage and even to believe that each one is the final awakening; only to find yourself back in “reality”, hours, days or weeks later. With each experience of awakening, the sense of your higher self grows stronger. You are unknowingly making room for this real self to emerge in your consciousness and integrate in your life.

In stage three, it is common to experience a fear of losing oneself, and you may struggle to maintain a sense of self, but ultimately, toward the end of this stage, an ego-death is inevitable. When the ego loses hold, there is often a realization that there is no point or purpose to life. This can be liberating, like a breath of fresh air, or it can be devastating, resulting in hopelessness and despair. Without point or purpose, we no longer know how to live our lives, and nothing is ever the same.

There is a foreboding sense that awakening will cost you everything, yet, at the same time, there is a greater sense that something inside you is waking up.

Stage 4 of Awakening – The Stage of Resolution

Spiritual awakening is effortlessly experienced in everyday life.

Stage 4 of Awakening is the stage of resolution where your true self has finally overshadowed your false self or ego self. The struggle that you experienced in the first three stages is over and you experience a deep peace and knowing of who you really are, and you are no longer seeking answers. This is fondly known as the Eckart Tolle Stage.

All your beliefs have been overhauled in the past two stages, and the beliefs that remain support harmony and balance. You have mastered the art of letting go, and surrendering to a higher power. You also experience and have access to the inner power you possess, without ego control.

Doubt has been replaced with faith and trust. You are able to see and understand your life in such a way that your past and present all makes sense. You have forgiven everyone for everything, including yourself.

Unconscious programming has been replaced with consciousness, and there are no emotional or mental prisons holding you captive.

You take responsibility for your entire life, no longer blaming anyone for anything. As you have freed yourself, you have freed all the people who have ever been effected by your judgment and expectations.

You are no longer trying to prove your worth. You now know and own your intrinsic worth, and, as a result, you experience unconditional self-love.

Although you might still be alone on your journey, you experience a deep and profound connection to all of life and the sense of loneliness has likely faded into all oneness. The need and desire for the old paradigm of relationships has shifted and you no longer yearn to fit in or be “normal.” You allow yourself to be exactly who you are, without needing approval or acceptance from anyone. You no longer have a need to change anyone or help those you love wake up, and you are pleasantly surprised that some people you know are actually awakening. All your relationships improve, and the new people who come into your life are better aligned with who you are.

In this stage, you integrate your insights and develop greater understanding for the journey you have been on. You may teach, mentor or share, but not because you feel you have to, or because you need to, but only because it brings you joy, and you are guided to do so. You may have a compelling desire to support others on their journey or you may have no inclination whatsoever. If you take the role of teacher, mentor, healer or coach, you do not take responsibility for others, but rather you empower them to empower themselves. You don’t take anything personally, and another’s behavior has little, or no, effect on you.

During stage four, it is common to have some sort of spiritual practice, such as meditation, yoga or mindfulness, but not because you are trying to get somewhere or accomplish something (as in the previous stage), but rather because it feels good to you, and it is a natural expression of your life.

You may also experience increased intuition and the ability to access infinite intelligence, as if, you have a direct line to unlimited information.

This stage is marked by living in the moment.

You have made peace with the realization that there is no purpose or point to life, and, as a result, it is effortless to live in the present moment. Your love for life and all living beings overflows unconditionally with gratitude and appreciation as a common state of being.

The concepts of good and bad have dissolved, and, yet, you have the full knowing that inside everyone and everything is love.

You take stock of yourself, realizing that you are still you. You are free from ego-control, and no “authentic parts” have been lost in the journey to awakening. Your personality may be quite the same, but you are likely more easy-going and light-hearted.

Either you have found a livelihood that is aligned with who you are, or you have made peace with your present day livelihood.

There is really no thought of happiness because you no longer need anything to make you happy. You have realized that the secret to happiness is living in the moment and it is now easy to be present at all times.

You have learned how to master your thoughts and beliefs, but, surprisingly, you may have no desire to change anything in your life.

Although you likely experience a full range of emotions, emotions no longer rule you or control your choices or relationships.

Your higher self has integrated in your body, and you live your life as this real self.

You are finally conscious and awake, and grateful that your past “asleep-self” had the courage and tenacity to make this journey. It was worth it – a million times over.

Stage 5 of Awakening – The Stage of Conscious Creation

The ability to consciously create one’s life from the awake state.

Many people arrive at stage four and mistakenly believe it is the final stage of awakening, but it is actually a bridge to an even greater experience of awakening.

In Stage 5 of awakening, you experience, and deepen, all the attributes of stage four, but you also step into your power as conscious creator.

Although there is no pre-ordained point or purpose to life, you now understand that the point and purpose of life can be anything that you choose, and you integrate this understanding by consciously choosing the purpose of your life, because that is the point. Work and play merge into one, and you experience peace and fulfillment equally in both.

You no longer do anything out of obligation or need, but, instead, you are guided through inspiration and pure desire.

You experience a direct connection to all of life, and you are inspired to create in a whole new manner. Through intuitive connection with Infinite Intelligence, you might develop new paradigms of community building, teaching or leadership.

At this stage, you have the ability to attract relationships and form communities that support the betterment of humanity. Since you have mastered your thoughts and beliefs, you can now consciously create the life you desire; living in the moment, while also creating for the future.

In pure connection with Prime Creator, you are channel of expression in all you do.

Whatever stage you might now be experiencing, you cannot get it wrong and there are no tests to pass. Awakening is simply a natural process, just like the caterpillar that awakens as the butterfly.

A common question is, how long does each stage take? The time we spend in each stage is not predetermined, but we can move through a stage quicker and easier when we utilize a mindfulness practice of letting go. Letting go is truly the secret of awakening.

As more and more people awaken, a threshold of awakening will be experienced, and the masses will awaken in a much a different paradigm than those of us who have already awakened or who are awakening now. The stages of awakening will be less defined and maybe even disappear altogether.

No matter where you are on your journey to awakening, you are exactly where you need to be.

from: http://www.zengardner.com/5-stages-awakening-path-consciousness/

Induced Earthquakes

Posted on March 30, 2016 by marcia

(To check out the image, go to: http://www.livescience.com/54212-oklahoma-is-now-earthquake-hotspot.html)

Man-Made Earthquake Hotspot Revealed: Oklahoma
by Laura Geggel, Staff Writer

The chances of a damaging earthquake occurring in parts of Oklahoma and some neighboring states are just as likely as they are in temblor-heavy California, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The culprit? Man-made activities related to oil and gas production are creating the shaky conditions in a region of the central and eastern U.S., the USGS seismologists say.

USGS scientists just released their first map that includes earthquake risks from both natural and human-induced causes for the coming year. Until now, the government agency included only temblor risks linked to natural causes.

The report, which is part of a 50-year forecast examining earthquake hazards, reveals that about 7 million people live and work in areas at risk of human-induced seismicity. Areas in the central and eastern U.S. (CEUS) are at risk of experiencing a quake of the same magnitude as those that occur naturally in California, the USGS said. [Image Gallery: This Millennium’s Destructive Earthquakes]

“By including human-induced events, our assessment of earthquake hazards has significantly increased in parts of the U.S.,” Mark Petersen, chief of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project, said in a statement. “This research also shows that much more of the nation faces a significant chance of having damaging earthquakes over the next year, whether natural or human-induced.”

The CEUS’ induced earthquakes are often the product of wastewater disposal, the USGS said. This wastewater comes from oil and gas production, when it is pumped into underground wells deep in the Earth. This is different from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, in which water, sand and chemicals get pumped into the Earth to break up rock and extract oil and gas. The actual fracking is probably a more infrequent cause of felt earthquakes, the USGS said. (Wastewater from fracking is generally pumped back into wastewater injection wells.)

Still, wastewater injection practices have put six states on the earthquake map. Oklahoma has the highest risk, followed by Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas, the USGS reported. Oklahoma and Texas have the largest populations living near induced-earthquake hotspots.

“In the past five years, the USGS has documented high shaking and damage in areas of these six states, mostly from induced earthquakes,” Petersen said. “Furthermore, the USGS Did You Feel It? website has archived tens of thousands of reports from the public who experienced shaking in those states, including about 1,500 reports of strong shaking or damage.”

For instance, from 1973 to 2008, an average of 24 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher shook the central United States in each of those years. But, from 2009 to 2015, that number increased to an average of 318 earthquakes of that magnitude per year. 2015 saw the greatest number, with 1,010 earthquakes of a magnitude 3.0 or greater. [Video: Watch 2,500+ Earthquakes in Oklahoma Linked to Humans]

And through mid-March of this year, 226 earthquakes of a magnitude 3.0 or higher have already hit the central United States, the USGS said. The largest earthquake to occur near a wastewater injection site was a magnitude-5.6 temblor near Prague, Oklahoma, in 2011.

Overall, USGS researchers found 21 areas with increased rates of human-induced seismicity. Some areas — such as regions within Alabama and Ohio — experienced human-induced earthquakes in the past, but have relatively little risk in the coming year because the activities that caused these quakes have decreased.

But other areas of Alabama and some parts of Mississippi have shown an increase in these activities. But researchers are still determining whether earthquakes in these areas happened naturally or were human-induced, the USGS said.

The scientists found the greatest risk of a human-induced earthquake in north central Oklahoma and the southernmost part of Kansas. They calculated that there is a 10 to 12 percent risk that an earthquake with strong shaking will occur in those areas this year. Such an earthquake, they estimated, would register a 6 or greater on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale, meaning it would easily be felt but would likely cause just slight damage. This translates into about a 5.0 on the Richter scale.

Though scientists disagree about whether wastewater injection leads to larger or smaller earthquakes compared with natural ones, in the CEUS region, when a large temblor does strike, thousands of faults could rupture, according to the USGS. What’s more, human-induced quakes tend to come in swarms of smaller events at shallower depths, whereas shaking is more likely to be felt and cause damage.

The new earthquake report will help architects determine how to safely design buildings within areas of high risk. People who live in earthquake territory can read about safety measures at FEMA’s Ready Campaign.

from: http://www.livescience.com/54212-oklahoma-is-now-earthquake-hotspot.html

No More Anonymous Browsing

Posted on March 30, 2016 by marcia

5 Ways Stores Track Your Every Move

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Posted on March 30, 2016 By Stephanie Catudal

Advertisements that pop up on your computer screen are not random. Every time you go online, marketers monitor and track the websites you search, the links you click on and the things you buy. Companies then tailor content and ads specifically correlated to your expressed interests and spending habits. While online, you are being watched, whether you know it or not.

Yet there is a marketing phenomenon afoot that is even more invasive, and it’s happening generally without your knowledge. Here are five ways you’re being surveilled when you shop in the real world, often without even knowing it.

Video monitoring

Think being accosted by salespeople as you enter a store is annoying? Well, some retailers now use video cameras to track customers walking the aisles of their stores. By using video analytics, companies can determine the age and gender of each customer while monitoring exactly what each person touches, looks at and picks up as they peruse the shelves.

RetailNext, the software that enables these tracking analytics, allows companies to pinpoint high traffic zones in their stores. Heat sensors are used to determine the most highly visited areas of each shop. This gives retailers valuable information as to where to place specific merchandise in order to maximize sales.

Smartphones

Yes, your phone may be “smart,” but when it comes to privacy your mobile device may not be doing you any favors. When you connect to a store’s free Wi-Fi, you are unknowingly allowing them access to track your movements as you shop. You are also giving them free rein to directly market to you.

By using GPS-type coding, companies can tell where you go and where you spend the most time in their stores. This “predictive modeling” information gives retailers important marketing information, like what merchandise you’re interested and in which department you spend the most time.

Store loyalty cards

Signing up for a store card might sound like a good idea at the checkout counter, but you’re getting more than store discounts by doing so. Grocery store discount cards are an important marketing tool, tracking and storing your spending habits each time you shop. In fact, store cards are one of the first ways retailers began specifically tracking consumers as individuals.

When you use your loyalty card, companies record each transaction you make under your specific customer profile and use your spending trends to predict future transactions. Retailers take your spending habits and use the information for marketing campaigns. While it is nice to get coupons for items you are actually interested in buying, it comes at a cost — your anonymity.

Smart lights

“Big Brother is watching” is taking on a whole new meaning with the advent of this new technology. Philips, the electronic company, recently released an LED lighting system that can be used in stores to track and communicate directly with your cell phone.

By connecting to your phone’s camera, these lights can tell marketers exactly where you are in a given store. There’s even an app that can be connected to this technology, allowing retailers to send real-time coupons for products located exactly where you’re standing in their shop. It may be nice to get some discounts while you’re shopping, but remember that rebates are not without cost. For one, your ability to withstand impulse buying is diminished.

Apps

When you download a store app in order to get discounts and promotions, you are also giving marketers direct access to your spending habits. Opening an app in its specific store allows the company to track your movements and send you promotions to “close the deal” on a purchase.

If you have used the app to make a shopping list, retailers can tell whether you’ve forgotten or decided not to buy a certain item on your list. The company can then send you additional promos or coupons to lure you back into buying that product.

Opt-out law

With the pervasiveness of online data collection, retail stores are given the ultimatum of either using ethically debatable tracking methods or be overrun by savvy Internet retailers. By shopping online, customers constantly give cyberspace marketers invaluable consumer information that allows them to specifically target their market audience. In order to compete with the ever-growing online market, physical stores are being forced to act like Internet sellers to keep up.

Luckily, there have been campaigns to limit consumer tracking, both on and offline. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pushing for a “Do Not Track” bill to be passed by Congress. This law would make it easy for online consumers to curtail being personally monitored by cyber marketers. Likewise, the FTC is also working to make a consumer disclosure law for the use of retail video surveillance in stores. This would also enable customers to opt out of being monitored in certain situations.

Do you think it’s creepy to have your shopping tracked or monitored in stores? Or do you enjoy the benefits of receiving discounts specific to your tastes and interests?

from: http://www.thealternativedaily.com/stores-track-your-every-move/