Author Archives: marcia

Magma Activity in Three Sisters Area in Oregon

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Magma Causing Uplift in Oregon

Charles Q. Choi, OurAmazingPlanet Contributor
Date: 04 January 2012 Time: 11:22 AM ET
Three Sisters
The Three Sisters area — which contains five volcanoes — is only about 170 miles (274 km) from Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980. Both are part of the Cascades Range, a line of 27 volcanoes stretching from British Columbia in Canada to northern California. This perspective view was created by draping a simulated natural color ASTER image over digital topography from the U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset.
CREDIT: NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Volcanic activity is causing the earth to rise in Oregon, scientists have found.

Though whether such uplift is a sign of an imminent eruption remains uncertain.

As early as the summer of 1996, a 230-square-mile (600-square-kilometer) patch of ground in Oregon began to rise. The area lies just west of the South Sister Volcano, which with the North and Middle Sisters form the Three Sisters volcanoes, the most prominent peaks in the central Oregon stretch of the Cascade Mountains.

Although this region has not seen an eruption in at least 1,200 years, the scattered hints of volcanic activity here have been a cause of concern, leading to continuous satellite-based monitoring. Now 14 years of data is revealing just how the Earth is changing there and the likely cause of the uplift — a reservoir of magma invading the crust 3-to-4 miles (5-to-7 km) underground.

Uplifting ground

The European Space Agency’s European Remote Sensing and Envisat radar satellites revealed that the terrain deformed in three distinct phases since this uplift began. From 1996 to 1998, the ground rose by 0.4 inches (1 cm) per year. Then, from 1998 to 2004, uplift grew to 1.2-to-1.6 inches (3-to-4 cm) annually. However, for the rest of the decade, uplift declined to only a few millimeters per year, for a total of 9.8 inches (25 cm) of uplift so far.

“The most important implication of our research is that the ground appears to still be uplifting,” said researcher Susan Riddick, a geodesist at the University of Oregon. “Previous researchers believed that the ground uplift, a result of the input of magma deep in the Earth’s crust, had stopped at around 2006. We found that the ground is still uplifting as of late 2010 and may still be uplifting, but at a slow rate.”

By analyzing precisely how the landscape was changing, the researchers suggest the magma pocket behind this uplift has a volume of 1.76-billion-to-2.47-billion cubic feet (50-million-to-70-million cubic meters), enough to fill 20,000-to-28,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Eruption monitoring

Since the ground is still rising, “magma may still be accumulating, and as a result, this area needs to be continually monitored to determine whether or not there will be an eruption,” Riddick told OurAmazingPlanet.

“If there were to be an eruption, it would probably not be from a pre-existing volcano that we can see because the uplifting ground area is several kilometers from historically active volcanoes,” Riddick added. “A new volcanic vent would likely form. Lava would be ejected from a vent and fall to the ground to create a cinder cone, which is a steep conical volcano made of lava fragments. We believe it would be a small eruption, because we calculated that only a relatively small amount of magma has accumulated in the earth’s crust so far.”

If the researchers are correct, ” if an eruption were to take place, it would produce a small cinder cone, then the eruption would be localized within the Three Sisters wilderness area and would not pose a great hazard to the public in neighboring towns,” Riddick said. “However, this can change if more magma accumulates at depth, which is why continual monitoring of this area is crucial.”

Riddick and her colleague David Schmidt detailed their findings online Dec. 17 in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/17727-magma-causing-oregon-uplift.html

 

Meditation & Time Perception

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NOTE:    I, more often than not, rather than practicing meditation, take part in the exercise of Meditation-Procrastination.  It is not because I do not want to meditate, it is just that I am not making it a priority.  And there are many reasons for taking time out to meditate.  Susan Morales enumerates a few:

Susan Morales, M.S.W.

Psychotherapist and student/practitioner of meditation

Can Meditation Change Our Perception of Time?

Posted: 11/13/11 11:58 AM ET

I often hear, “I don’t have time to meditate.” In our society where time equals money, this statement is hard to dispute. The new movie “In Time” takes this concept to the extreme. Time has become the currency. A cup of coffee costs four minutes of one’s life.

The very fact that time is precious is the reason we should meditate. I have found that taking time to meditate gives me time — the same way that exercising takes energy but ultimately helps one have more energy.

#1: We See The Big Picture

When we close our eyes and focus inside, we are able to see get an overview, a broader perspective of our lives. We step away from the minutiae and see the broad-brush strokes that make up our days. Meditation gives us the opportunity to see what is really important. Try this exercise: Imagine a day in which you were very over-scheduled. You felt overwhelmed. (I hope this isn’t every day!) Now let your mind float over the activities without trying to judge them. Which stand out as important and/or meaningful? Which could you have done without? Perhaps there were some phone calls you didn’t really have to make or a lunch date that could have been postponed.

When we’re overwhelmed we have less energy to focus on the important tasks. Sometimes we end up rushing things that need more attention. We may even make mistakes that cost us more time.

Meditation can help you sort out what is important, help you prioritize so that your time is spent where you really want it and not on activities that are less important to you.

#2: Our Perception of Time Is Expanded

When we are busy and engaged, time flies. When we are bored or not where we want to be, time drags. Of course, time doesn’t change, it is merely our experience of it that changes. During peak performances athletes describe being in “the zone.” This phenomenon also occurs in traumatic events. Time seems to expand, slow down. I stumbled this last spring while playing tennis, going up and back to hit an overhead. The fall that took my head to the concrete probably took a split second, but I had time to think at least a dozen thoughts, including “Is this how my life is going to end?” I had time to break the fall with my hip so my head only bounced off the court causing a moderate concussion. This sensation of time slowing can also happen in meditation. By focusing on our internal sensations, or our breath, our brain waves shift to a slower rhythm allowing the sense of time to expand.

When time seems to slow down, we feel we have time for whatever we want. Our bodies and minds relax and stress is reduced. Not stressing means more time!

#3: We Focus On The Present Moment

Our thoughts, our feelings and our actions happen in the present moment. So why are we so focused on the past and the future? Consider how often you anticipate what is going to happen or worry about something that might happen. Conversely, how much do you dwell on the past? Obsess about how you should have done something or said something differently. Or how so-and-so did you wrong?

This past or future focus can be a huge drain on our energy and our time. Being in the present moment gives us the chance to channel all our energy on what we’re doing, on whom we’re with. Meditation can teach you this kind of focus and concentration. One of the things that I’ve noticed is that I am more efficient, less distracted. The pay off is more time for what’s important to me.

There’s also a big bonus to keeping your attention in the present moment: Your memory improves. What I’ve experienced — granted after many years of a regular meditation practice — is that I retrieve information more quickly, forget things less often and find misplaced items more easily. All of this translates into more time.

My life is extremely full. Often I’m asked, “How do you do all of it?” My answer is simple. “I meditate.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-morales-msw/making-time-for-meditation_b_1083308.html?ref=healthy-living-spirit

 

Muslim Women on Jon Stewart

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Muslim Women For Jon Stewart 2012

Posted: 1/3/12

Buried in the “controversy” over Bradley Cooper’s selection as People magazine’s most recent Sexiest Man Alive is a little known fact: If you had polled American Muslim women the winner would have been — wait for it — Jon Stewart.

Every Monday through Thursday, thousands of Muslim women across the country eagerly tune in to Comedy Central to watch The Daily Show — ok, let’s be real — we’re really tuning in to check out Jon. With his great hair, fine Armani suits, intelligence, and deadpan delivery, what’s not to love? Plus, he speaks truth to power, often on social justice issues and current events that impact minorities, including the American Muslim community. He gets it.

Look, sometimes it’s tiring being a Muslim in America. Like all other Americans, we’re suffering through the recession, worried about job security, our mortgages and whether we’ll be able to afford health insurance. But, unlike other Americans, we can’t escape the bad news by turning on the TV because whenever we do that there’s YET ANOTHER opportunist saying something crazy about us!

So it’s a relief to know that, regardless of how the day’s events are spun on cable news and by politicos, we can come home after a long day at work, take off our heels, slip into something more comfortable and — spend the night with Jon.

He’s been on the right side of every faux controversy involving Muslims, from Park51 to calling out politicians and pundits who use Islam or Muslims as a wedge issue or to score cheap election year political points. He did it again most recently in a segment discussing Lowe’s decision to pull its ads from the TLC show All-American Muslim after the show became the target of a boycott campaign by the fringe group, Florida Family Association. Their problem? The show features “ordinary folk while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties and traditional values that the majority of Americans cherish.”

With a baffled look on his handsome face, Jon asked, “Why would you be upset to learn that there are non-Jihadi Muslims?” Exactly. While the cable news brings fringe groups into every American’s living room, thereby inflating their sense of self-importance and expanding their impact, Jon Stewart exposes their prejudices and shrinks them down to their real — itsy bitsy — size.

Within minutes of the segment airing, half of our Muslim girlfriends on Facebook posted the link with comments such as, “<3 Jon!!!,” “Stewart 2012,” “looooove,” and “I <3 Jon Stewart… and my husband is ok with that!”

But can Muslim women really love Jon Stewart, who is — gasp! — Jewish? Honestly, that makes it even better. The Daily Show‘s Senior Muslim Correspondent Aasif Mandvi may be a suitable boy to bring home to our parents, but the element of forbidden fruit makes Jon all the sexier. (And, we suspect our moms might have a thing for Jon too.)

As we ring in 2012, we’re putting it out there now: To avoid a Ryan Gosling type “he was robbed!” scenario for this year’s People magazine’s selection, skip the controversy and embrace what Muslim women already know — Jon Stewart is America’s Sexiest Man Alive!

Ayesha Mattu & Nura Maznavi are the co-editors of the upcoming anthology, “Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women” (Soft Skull Press).

Communicating with Canines

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Clever Canines: Dogs Can ‘Read’ Our Communication Cues

Joseph Castro, LiveScience Staff Writer
Date: 05 January 2012 Time: 12:01 PM ET
dog, pet, puppy

Dogs can understand our intent to communicate with them and are about as receptive to human communication as pre-verbal infants, a new study shows.

Researchers used eye-tracking technology to study how dogs observed a person looking at pots after giving the dogs communicative cues, such as eye contact and directed speech. They found that the dogs’ tendency to follow the person’s gaze was on par with that of 6-month-old infants.

The study suggests that dogs have evolved to be especially attuned to human communicative signals, and early humans may have selected them for domestication particularly for this reason, the researchers said.

Other scientists are excited that the eye-tracking method has been successfully adapted for dogs. “This opens many new opportunities in studying dog cognition,” said Juliane Kaminski, a cognitive psychologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, who was not involved in the research.

Communicative Intent

“The research was motivated by the infant scientific literature,” said study first author Erno Teglas, an infant psychologist at the Central European University in Hungary. The researchers essentially conducted the same experiment with dogs that other scientists did with infants in 2008.

For their study, Teglas and his colleagues tracked the eye movementsof 16 untrained adult dogs during two different trials. The dogs watched a series of movies in which a woman turned her attention toward one of two identical containers — one on her left and one on her right — after addressing the dogs in an “ostensive” or “non-ostensive” manner.

Ostensive signals, Teglas explained, convey the intention of communication. “You’re saying to the dog: ‘You are addressed and not someone else, and now I am going to tell you something that’s relevant or important to you,’” he told LiveScience.

To convey her intent to communicate in the first trial, the woman in the video made eye contactwith the dogs and then said, “Hi dog!” in a high-pitch, motherly tone (or “doggerly tone,” as Teglas describes it). In the second, non-ostensive, trial, the woman didn’t look at the dogs at all and said, “Hi dog,” in a low-pitch tone, as if she were speaking to another adult.

The researchers found that the dogs spent a similar amount of time looking toward the woman and scanning her face in both trials. However, the dogs spent more time looking at the same container as the woman in the ostensive trials compared with the non-ostensive trials.

The results indicate that, like infants, dogs are sensitive to cues that signal a person’s intent to communicate useful information, Teglas said, though it’s unclear if certain breeds are better at reading communicative signals than others.

A special adaptation

Kaminski says that the study fits in with other research (including her own) showing that dogs are aware of the “intentional dimension of communication,” a skill that may be a special adaptation unique to dogs.

“There is no other species which is so responsive to communicative cues coming from humans,” Kaminski wrote in an email to LiveScience. “Not even apes, as humans’ closest living relatives, have the same sensitivity to human communication.”

Teglas notes that previous research has shown that wolves, dogs’ closest living relatives, are not as adept as dogs at following human gestures to find food or other rewards (in fact, puppies will do better than adult wolves, unless the wolves were specially trained).

One question still remaining, Teglas said, is which communicative cue — eye contact or directed speech — is more important. “One should think that one of the cues might be more relevant,” he said. “There might even be different kinds of animals that respond to different kinds of cues.”

The research was published today (Jan. 5) in the journal Current Biology.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/17763-dogs-communication-intent.html

2011—Most Costly Disaster Year Ever

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Globally, 2011 Was Costliest Disaster Year Ever

OurAmazingPlanet Staff
Date: 04 January 2012 Time: 03:24 PM ET

From devastating earthquakes to record tornado outbreaks, 2011 was the most expensive year for natural disasters worldwide, according to a new insurance report.

At $380 billion, global economic losses from natural disasters in 2011 were two-thirds higher than in 2005, the previous record year, which had losses of $220 billion.

The magnitude 9.0 Japan temblor in Marchalone caused more than half the year’s losses, according to the report from global insurance firm Munich Re. In the United States, a deadly dozen disasters each caused more than $1 billion in damage.

While 90 percent of the recorded natural catastrophes were weather-related, the big earthquakes were the most expensive disasters,. Normally, it is the weather-related disasters that account for the greatest insured losses, according to the insurance firm. Over the last three decades, geophysical events such as earthquakes accounted for less than 10 percent of insured losses, Munich Re said.

Around 70 percent of economic losses in 2011 occurred in Asia, where 16,000 people were killed in Japan during the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Even without considering the consequences of a crippled nuclear reactor in Fukushima following the quake, the economic losses caused by the quake and the tsunami came to $210 billion — the costliest natural catastrophe of all time.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February caused $16 billion in damage. Other expensive disasters included tornado season in the United States, which caused $46 billion in damage. Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in three years, caused $15 billion in damage.

“Thankfully, a sequence of severe natural catastrophes like last year’s is a very rare occurrence,” said Torsten Jeworrek, the Munich Re board member responsible for global reinsurance business, in a statement.

Some 27,000 people died in natural catastrophes in 2011. This figure does not include the countless deaths from famine following the worst drought in decades on the Horn of Africa, which was the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the year.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/17738-2011-expensive-natural-disaster-year.html

Nature’s Mimicry

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Fish Mimics Octopus That Mimics Fish

ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2012) — Nature’s game of intimidation and imitation comes full circle in the waters of Indonesia, where scientists have recorded for the first time an association between the black-marble jawfish (Stalix cf. histrio) and the mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus),

Undescribed by scientists until 1998, the talented mimic octopus is known to impersonate toxic flatfish, lionfish, and even sea snakes by creatively configuring its limbs, adopting characteristic undulating movements, and displaying bold brown-and-white color patterns. Thanks to these brazen habits, it can swim in the open with relatively little fear of predators.

The jawfish, on the other hand, is a small and timid fish. It spends most of its adult life close to a sand burrow, where it will quickly retreat upon sighting a predator.

During a diving trip in Indonesia in July 2011, Godehard Kopp of the University of Gottingen, Germany, filmed an unexpected pairing between the two animals. Like a lackey clinging on to the big man on campus, the black-marble jawfish was seen closely following a mimic octopus as it moved across the sandy bottom. The jawfish had brown-and-white markings similar to the octopus, and was difficult to spot among the many arms. The octopus, for its part, did not seem to notice or care.

Kopp sent the video to Rich Ross and Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences, who identified the jawfish species. Since this association had not been recorded before, they published their observations online last month in the scientific journal Coral Reefs. The authors surmise that the jawfish hitches a ride with the octopus for protection, allowing it to venture away from its burrow to look for food — a case of “opportunistic mimicry.”

“This is a unique case in the reefs not only because the model for the jawfish is a mimic itself, but also because this is the first case of a jawfish involved in mimicry,” said Dr. Luiz Rocha, assistant curator of ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences. “Unfortunately, reefs in the Coral Triangle area of southeast Asia are rapidly declining mostly due to harmful human activities, and we may lose species involved in unique interactions like this even before we get to know them.”

Octopus-jawfish video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4kZAgny5eg

from:    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104153747.htm

Dominican Republic Earthquake

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(As you know, the Dominican Republic shares an island with Haiti.  My concern here is the possibility of another quake related to this one which could potentially affect Haiti also, if not the whole island.  This is a land of great poverty and want.  Even small natural disasters are magnified under such conditions, in terms of the effect on people there.)

Shallow earthquake in the southern part of the Dominican Republic

Last update: January 5, 2012 at 11:32 am by By

Earthquake overview : Moderate earthquake with epicenter in the southern part of the island.  The earthquake has been felt all over the island (including in Haiti)


Epicenter landscape – panoramio image courtesy Elnalouise

11:28 UTC : The Dominican Republic Civil Defense has alerted all of his services minutes after the quake occurred but at the time of writing this update, NO damage or injuries have been reported. Authorities in the direct epicenter area are currently inspecting buildings and public works to assess the situation.

11:04 UTC –  Rock slides have been reported along the road from Azua to San Juan. Drivers are warned to be careful in driving this road.

11:02 UTC – The epicenter has been located 17 km South-East of  Ocoa. Following the local media who are referring the the Dominican seismological agency UASD, the depth of the hypocenter was at 33 km and the magnitude was measures as 5.2. Both USGS and EMSC have reported a magnitude of 5.3 at a depth of 10 km.  33 km or 10 km makes a world of difference towards damaging capability.

– As early stated in this report, the earthquake has been felt almost all over the country but will have been felt also in neighboring Haiti !

– A lot of people are downloading our QuakeSOS iPhone application, but so far people are only testing and sending SAFE alerts.

– reports from the Dominican Republic are talking about people leaving their houses in panic (normal with such a magnitude)

– Maximum recorded (reported) MMI seems to be V = moderate shaking. Moderate shaking damage can be cracks in walls at max., but we will have to wait for a few more hours to be certain that no additional damage has been inflicted.

– The area has a lot of hills (see image)

– Closest villages to the epicenter (errors are possible within a radius of 16 km) : La Palma, Calderon, Hatillo, Agua, Galeon and Bani

– EMSC reports the same values than USGS (5.3 @ 10 km)

– The earthquake occurred during the early morning hours 05:35 AM !, when almost everybody was still sleeping

– the shallow hypocenter (focal depth) makes this earthquake moderately dangerous within a radius of 20 km.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.3
UTC Time : Thursday, January 05, 2012 at 09:35:29 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Thursday, January 05, 2012 at 05:35:29 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10 km
Geo-location(s) :
17 km (10 miles) SSE (149°) from Ocoa, Peravia, Dominican Republic
33 km (20 miles) W (270°) from San Cristóbal, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
50 km (31 miles) W (260°) from SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/01/05/shallow-earthquake-in-the-southern-part-of-the-dominican-republic/

Quadrantid Meteor Showers 1/4

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EarthSky’s meteor shower guide for 2012

Via meteorblog.com
The first major meteor shower of 2012 is the Quadrantid shower, predicted to peak on the morning of January 4.

The next major meteor shower will be the Quadrantid shower, which is expected to peak after midnight on the morning of January 4, 2012. This shower favors northerly latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. If the peak happens as predicted – at 7 to 8 hours Universal Time – that means eastern North America might be in a good position to watch the 2012 Quadrantid shower. Predicting the peak and the intensity of a meteor shower is always a tricky business, though. No matter where you live, the best time to watch is in the wee hours before dawn on January 4

Use the Big Dipper and the star Arcturus to locate the radiant of the Quadrantid shower

January 4, 2012 in the wee hours before dawn Quadrantids
When we say January 4, we mean in the wee hours before dawn, not that night. Although the waxing gibbous moon lights up most of the night and doesn’t set until roughly 3 a.m. local time, this is about the best time of night to watch for these meteors. Click here to know when the moon sets in your sky. Although the Quadrantids can produce over 100 meteors per hour, the sharp peak only lasts for a few hours, and doesn’t always come at an opportune time. In other words, you have to be in the right spot on Earth to view this meteor shower in all its splendor. If this year’s forecast proves correct, eastern North America, the North Atlantic Ocean and possibly western Europe will be in a fine position to watch this shower. However, meteor showers are notorious for defying predictions. This shower is worth a try at northerly latitudes all around the globe. Face the general direction of north-northeast, but take in as wide an expanse of sky as possible. Watch from about 2 a.m. until dawn.

from:    http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

Myth of the White Buffalo Woman

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Cover image

Lakota dancer ›

 Lakota dancer

White Buffalo Woman

This is a central myth of the Plains tribes, especially the Lakota, or Sioux. It tells how the Lakota first received their sacred pipe and the ceremony in which to use it. It has often been related, for example by Black Elk, Lame Deer and Looks for Buffalo.

In the days before the Lakota had horses on which to hunt the buffalo, food was often scarce. One summer when the Lakota nation had camped together, there was very little to eat. Two young men of the Itazipcho band – the ‘Without-Bows’ – decided they would rise early and look for game. They left the camp while the dogs were still yawning, and set out across the plain, accompanied only by the song of the yellow meadowlark.

After a while the day began to grow warm. Crickets chirruped in the waving grass, prairie dogs darted into their holes as the braves approached, but still there was no real game. So the young men made towards a little hill from which they would see further across the vast expanse of level prairie. Reaching it, they shielded their eyes and scanned the distance, but what they saw coming out of the growing heat haze was something bright, that seemed to go on two legs, not four. In a while they could see that it was a very beautiful woman in shining white buckskin.

As the woman came closer, they could see that her buckskin was wonderfully decorated with sacred designs in rainbow-coloured porcupine quills. She carried a bundle on her back, and a fan of fragrant sage leaves in her hand. Her jet-black hair was loose, except for a single strand tied with buffalo fur. Her eyes were full of light and power, and the young men were transfixed.

Now one of the men was filled with a burning desire. ‘What a woman!’ he said sideways to his friend. ‘And all alone on the prairie. I’m going to make the most of this!’

‘You fool,’ said the other. ‘This woman is holy.’

But the foolish one had made up his mind, and when the woman beckoned him towards her, he needed no second invitation. As he reached out for her, they were both enveloped in a great cloud. When it lifted, the woman stood there, while at her feet was nothing but a pile of bones with terrible snakes writhing among them.

‘Behold,’ said the woman to the good brave. ‘I am coming to your people with a message from Tatanka Oyate, the buffalo nation. Return to Chief Standing Hollow Horn and tell him what you have seen. Tell him to prepare a tipi large enough for all his people, and to get ready for my coming.’

The young man ran back across the prairie and was gasping for breath as he reached his camp. With a small crowd of people already following him, he found Standing Hollow Horn and told him what had happened, and that the woman was coming. The chief ordered several tipis to be combined into one big enough for his band. The people waited excitedly for the woman to arrive.

After four days the scouts posted to watch for the holy woman saw something coming towards them in a beautiful manner from across the prairie. Then suddenly the woman was in the great lodge, walking round it in a sunwise direction. She stopped before Standing Hollow Horn in the west of the lodge, and held her bundle before him in both hands.

‘Look on this,’ she said, ‘and always love and respect it. No one who is impure should ever touch this bundle, for it contains the sacred pipe.’

She unrolled the skin bundle and took out a pipe, and a small round stone which she put down on the ground.

‘With this pipe you will walk on the earth, which is your grandmother and your mother. The earth is sacred, and so is every step that you take on her. The bowl of the pipe is of red stone; it is the earth. Carved into it and facing the centre is the buffalo calf, who stands for all the four-leggeds. The stem is of wood, which stands for all that grows on the earth. These twelve hanging feathers from the Spotted Eagle stand for all the winged creatures. All these living things of the universe are the children of Mother Earth. You are all joined as one family, and you will be reminded of this when you smoke the pipe. Treat this pipe and the earth with respect, and your people will increase and prosper.’

The woman told them that seven circles carved on the stone represented the seven rites in which the people would learn to use the sacred pipe. The first was for the rite of ‘keeping the soul’, which she now taught them. The remaining rites they would learn in due course.

The woman made as if to leave the lodge, but then she turned and spoke to Standing Hollow Horn again. ‘This pipe will carry you to the end. Remember that in me there are four ages. I am going now, but I will look on your people in every age, and at the end I will return.’

She now walked slowly around the lodge in a sunwise direction. The people were silent and filled with awe. Even the hungry young children watched her, their eyes alive with wonder. Then she left. But after she had walked a short distance, she faced the people again and sat down on the prairie. The people gazing after her were amazed to see that when she stood up she had become a young red and brown buffalo calf. The calf walked further into the prairie, and then lay down and rolled over, looking back at the people.

When she stood up she was a white buffalo. The white buffalo walked on until she was a bright speck in the distant prairie, and then rolled over again, and became a black buffalo. This buffalo walked away, stopped, bowed to the four directions of the earth, and finally disappeared over the hill.

Buffalo in the Badlands

A lone bull buffalo in the Badlands

from:    http://www.livingmyths.com/Native.htm#White

Phoenix Rising Star in Ego

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Messages from my heart: Healing Ego Driven Responses

By Phoenix Rising Star

I was anticipating a future conversation, feeling that anxiety, that sinking feeling that says ‘this isn’t going to be pretty’.

I was organizing a come-back in my mind. Trying to think of the best and fastest way to make my point, to not allow myself to be put down, and to respond so brilliantly, there would be no further discussion.

This woman really gets to me. Fortunately I don’t have to deal with her very often, but when I see an email from her, I cringe. She’s power driven, uses corporate-minded tactics that cuts the rug out from under me, and pressures everyone to do things her way.

I haven’t yet figured out a way to work with her without anxiety on my part.

As I was mulling this over, creating my exceptional responses, I suddenly realized what I was doing. I was just as much in my head as she was. I was responding from my head to her actions from her head; from the ego.

And I was judging HER for this.

Ouch.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s how ego works. It creates a scenario, and the automatic response in most of us is to respond in kind. Her power driven words were causing me to try to respond in an equally power driven manner.

And it wasn’t working. I was failing miserably at it; feeling badly. The words weren’t coming out right. Nothing about my comebacks worked or felt right.

And that is also how ego works. There will never be enough. There will always be a shortage, a limitation, a lack, a need that is unfulfilled with ego. Nothing will ever be complete with ego. ‘An eye for an eye’ will go on until there are no more eyes.

There’s a part of us that understands that lack is not in alignment with our soul. Our natural state as a soul is to be abundant. This awareness gives us the opportunity to look at other options for our reactions, our emotions, our thoughts, our ways of living. Propelling us into living in the heart. If we choose it.

I decided to call this my healing opportunity.

Healing my automatic reactions to ego driven experiences.

Healing my ego responses and choosing to react from my heart.

Or rather, to not react, but to be in my heart.

Period.

I didn’t really know how to do this.

There may be a manual on it, but I doubted that amazon.com had it.

Just thinking about books gave me an idea, though.

I went into my sacred space of my heart.

I’m very visual, so when I’m there, I see incredible details.

In my sacred space of my heart, I have an Akashic records room. It looks just like an old library or book collection. Books are on shelves, and the shelves stretch way up over my reach. Fortunately there is a ladder for me to climb so I can get to the very top if need be.

Volumes and volumes and volumes of bound books are in my records room.

Recording all my awarenesses, knowledge, understanding, hopes, dreams, aspirations, as well as all the people, players, situations, lifetimes, and experiences I’ve had.

Ever.

When I need something, I go here.

Everything has already been experienced.

I’m just reliving it or relearning it, if I so choose.

I figured this wasn’t the first time around this knowledge.

Now I choose to remember it and live it.

As I entered my Akashic record room, I asked for the book or chapter that would help me heal the automatic reaction of my ego.

Immediately I was led to the top shelf of the third bookcase from the left. Climbing the ladder to retrieve it, I was a bit overwhelmed to see a huge volume entitled, “Healing Ego Driven Responses”.

Curiously I took it down from the shelf, climbed back down the ladder, and took the volume into my tiny space of my heart. Curling up in a comfortable position, the book fell open to a section titled, “Addictions”.

Under this title, written similarly to a medical dictionary, there were different addictions in sub-categories such as ‘Sugar’. ‘Emotions/Drama’. ‘Mental Beliefs’. ‘Spiritual Experiences’.

And under each sub-category, was a description of that particular addiction as well as its origin. With suggestions for healing.

I knew I probably could learn from the sub-category of sugar, but I found myself irresistibly drawn to Mental Beliefs.

Under that sub-category were several chapters on different belief systems.

Again I was irresistibly drawn to one.

‘The Need To Be Right’.

Curious, I began reading.

“The need to be right is demonstrated in the actions of a person who insists. It can also be seen in actions similar to stubbornness and persistence, but in a manner that indicates an unwillingness to allow for any one’s opinions, thoughts or feelings. This need can also be demonstrated in control issues, because controlling the outcome ensures the individual is always right.

“The origin of this addiction may be in past lives that were not healed, and also in childhood of the present lifetime. Individuals who were looking for validation outside of themselves, and were never encouraged to believe in his/her own perspective or intuition will many times build this belief system within. Individuals who were sporadically, but not consistently rewarded for good ideas, sometimes build this addiction over time. Individuals who are filled with fear of making a mistake will also build this addiction.

“Like all addictions, mental beliefs build on themselves. It starts with a subconscious decision, and in the cellular memory, becomes reinforced through subsequent experiences. Until eventually, the individual actions become those that feed the addiction, in this case, the need to be right, rather than the focused intention of the occasion or meeting.

“Healing this addiction begins with healing the fear of making a mistake. The individual must recognize that mistakes are old programs frequently associated with shame and blame. When the word opportunity is substituted for mistake, the negative connotation is replaced, and the painful emotions are neutralized. Thus, enabling the individual to view everything as an opportunity for growth. Not to be judged harshly.

“Healing this addiction may also be accomplished through the intention of releasing the cellular memory where this belief began. And with the intention that the replacement of that memory be a higher belief system embodying self love and support.

“Healing this addiction may also be accomplished through the experience of seeing it in others. Having others reflect it back. Becoming aware of it within through the viewing the actions without. Using heart-felt intention will create a powerful transformation in this way.”

Oh my goodness!

I recognized that what was giving me anxiety about this situation was my own fear of making a mistake. Of not being right. Of being judged for it. I had this very fear within me. And seeing it in her, made me aware of it. ‘Becoming aware of it within through viewing the actions without.’

I knew what I needed to do.

I invited the woman I had viewed as egotistic and the antagonist into my tiny space of my heart. The place closest to God. My space of creation for my heart’s desires.

I intended to share with her what I had learned about myself. What I had learned about us. What I learned about humanity.

When she came in, she appeared younger than I’d ever seen her. She looked around interestedly and then sat down.

We sat and smiled at each other.

And kept smiling and smiling.

I found I had nothing to say.

There was nothing to say.

It was complete.

“Healing this addiction may also be accomplished through the experience of seeing it in others. Having others reflect it back. Becoming aware of it within through the viewing the actions without. Using heart-felt intention will create a powerful transformation in this way.”

I felt at peace.

And so, it appeared, did she.

After quite a long time of sitting in silence and smiling at each other, quite comfortably, she got up and left.

Later that morning, when I went to my computer, I saw an email from her.

And I smiled. Feeling quite at peace.

 

Respectfully yours,
Phoenix Rising Star

from:    http://www.spiritofmaat.com/jan12/healing_ego_driven_responses.html