December 10-16 Meteor Shower Outlook

Meteor Activity Outlook for December 10-16, 2011

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday December 10th. At this time the moon will lie above the horizon the entire night and will severely impact meteor observing by obscuring all but the brightest meteors. As this week progresses the moons phase will wane and it will rise approximately forty-five minutes later each night. Toward the end of the week there will be a window of opportunity to view evening activity under dark skies between the end of dusk and moon rise. The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week is near two as seen from the northern hemisphere and one as seen from the southern hemisphere. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near eight as seen from mid-northern latitudes and five from mid-southern latitudes. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching meteor activity. All rates are reduced due to intense moonlight.

 

The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning December 10/11 These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.

The list below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning. Detailed descriptions of each shower will continue next week when the moonlight is less of a problem.

 

SHOWER DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY CELESTIAL POSITION ENTRY VELOCITY CULMINATION HOURLY RATE CLASS*
RA (RA in Deg.) DEC Km/Sec Local Standard Time North-South
Antihelions (ANT) 06:04 (091) +23 30 0000 1 – 1 II
Monocerotids (MON Dec 08 06:45 (101) +08 41 0100 <1 – <1 II
Geminids (GEM) Dec 14 07:22 (110) +33 35 0200 3 – 2 I
Puppid-Velids (PUP) Dec 07 08:22 (125) -45 40 0300 <1 – 1 II
Sigma Hydrids (HYD) Dec 06 08:32 (128) +02 61 0300 <1 – <1 II
December Leonis Minorids (DLM) Dec 20 10:15 (154) +34 64 0500 <1 – <1 II
Psi Ursa Majorids (PSU) Dec 05 11:49 (177) +41 61 0700 <1 – <1 IV
December Alpha Draconids (DAD) Dec 05 13:54 (208) +58 44 0900 <1 – <1 IV

 

 

 

Submitted by Robert Lunsford on Fri, 2011-12-09 21:47.

Why We Laugh When Others Trip or Fall

Schadenfreude Explained: Why We Secretly Smile When Others Fail

Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor
Date: 09 December 2011 Time: 10:50 AM
upset businesswoman carrying a box of supplies after losing a job
Do you take joy in seeing a colleague who “has it all” fail in some way?
CREDITR. Gino Santa Maria | Shutterstock

When the office slacker makes a mistake that could cost them a pay raise — do you truly feel bad, or do you have to work to hide your smile?

If you smiled, you’ve just experienced schadenfreude, a bit of enjoyment at the misfortunes of others. And now researchers know more about why we experience this seemingly odd emotion. Turns out, it can be a sure way to make you feel better about yourself. It’s a self-affirming boost.

“If somebody enjoys the misfortune of others, then there’s something in that misfortune that is good for the person,” said study researcher Wilco W. van Dijk, adding that it could be due to thinking the other person deserves the misfortune, and so becoming less envious of them or feeling better about one’s self.

Mwa-ha-ha-ha!  

In the study, van Dijk, of Leiden University in the Netherlands,and his colleagues had 70 undergraduate students (40 women and 30 men) read two interviews about a high-achieving student who was likely to land a great job. Then they read an interview with the student’s supervisor revealing that the student had suffered a big setback in his/her studies. Next, they rated their level of agreement with five statements meant to gauge their schadenfreude, such as: “I enjoy[ed] what happened to Marleen/Mark”; “I couldn’t resist a little smile.”

Those with low self-esteem (assessed at the study’s start) were both more likely to be threatened by the overachieving student, and to experience schadenfreude. However, the researchers found that regardless of self-esteem, those who felt more threatened by this student also felt more schadenfreude.

The researchers thought that perhaps the reason for this was that schadenfreude was self-affirming for these “threatened” individuals.

As a follow-up experiment, the researchers gave about half of the students a self-affirmation boost by shoring up their beliefs about what the students had indicated was a very important value to them, and then asked them to repeat the same interview-reading stint.

Participants with low self-esteem were again more likely to experience schadenfreude, and also more likely to feel threatened by the high-achieving student. However, those who had been self-affirmed were less likely than those who hadn’t to reap pleasure when reading about the other student’s academic slip.

“I think when you have low self-esteem, you will do almost anything to feel better, and when you’re confronted with the misfortune of others,” you’ll feel schadenfreude, van Dijk told LiveScience. “In this study, if we give people something to affirm their self, then what we found is they have less schadenfreude — they don’t need the misfortune of others to feel better anymore.” [5 Ways to Boost Self-Compassion]

Evil thoughts

If you feel an evil sort of glee at the slip-ups of another, are you a bad person? Well, van Dijk says that just about all of us experience schadenfreude at some point in our lives.

“We know that it’s very good to feel empathy and sympathy for people, so if you feelschadenfreude without any sympathy or compassion for that other person,” that would not be good, van Dijk said. “Our society thrives on compassion and empathy.”

While some of us get a kick out of the small blunders of a colleague, say, others experience schadenfreude due to another’s grave misfortunes, as van Dijkhas found in research yet to be published.

The current study is detailed in the December 2012 issue of the journal Emotion.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/17398-schadenfreude-affirmation.html

North Chile Coastal Earthquake

Dangerous shallow earthquake below the Northern Chile coast

Last update: December 7, 2011 at 11:43 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : The (extremely) shallow earthquake (USGS data) occurred along the northern Chile coast.  Only a few villages are located in the direct epicenter area and are at risk during this earthquake.  Locations like Huasco, Copiapo and Caldera will have felt the shaking. The difference in epicenter location and hypocenter leads to a theoretical difference in intensity from max. V (Chile) to VIII (USGS)

Thanks to Carlos Robles who joined us in searching information

Update 23:31 UTC :  Current ONEMI report : No se reportan daños a personas, alteración a servicios básicos o infraestructura producto de este sismo = No injured people reported so far. NO disruption to basic services or infrastructure.

Shaking map Atacama December 7, 2011 earthquake – image courtesy USGS

Update :  The Chilean Armyresponsible for Tsunami alerting reports :
LAS CARACTERÍSTICAS DEL SISMONO REÚNEN LAS CONDICIONES NECESARIAS PARA GENERAR UN TSUNAMI EN LAS COSTAS DE CHILE.

Update :  the earthquake is NOT powerful enough to generate a tsunami of the Chilean University was right with his location of the epicenter.

Update :  A strong earthquake of 6.1 grades affected some localities on the north of Chile and caused panic among the inhabitants. The local newspapers informed that a lot ofpeople where in the shopping malls and escaped asap to open places, thinking that it was a stronger earthquake.

Update :  GDACS is giving population density numbers based upon the USGS epicenter (which we doubt is the right one). GDACS is reporting the following population numbers : 240 people are living within a radius of 5 km from the epicenter, 508 within 10 km, 2026 within 20 km and 10,484 people within 50 km.

Update :  The difference in epicenter location is that USGS is reporting very extreme intensity numbers :
331 people would have experienced a VIII MMI severe shaking, 925 people a very strong shaking, 4,000 people a strong shaking, 207,000 people a moderate shaking and 74,000 people a light shaking.

Update :  ONEMI Chile (one of the best emergency information services in the world) has reported the following MMI values :
Región: Atacama 
Caldera:     V
Chañaral:     III
Copiapó:     V
Diego de Almagro:     II
Huasco:     V
Los Loros:     V
Tierra Amarilla:     V
Región: Coquimbo 
Coquimbo:     III
La Higuera:     III
La Serena:     III
Vicuña:     IV
Región: Valparaíso 
Villa Alemana :     III

 

Epicenter following the Chilean Universidad de Chile – Image courtesy Universidad de Chile

Update :  the main reason why we have started this in-depth article was the fact that USGS reported the epicenter below land and close to a villageThe University of Chile did report the epicenter in the ocean(approx. 30 km in the Pacific Ocean). The exact location of the epicenter is extremely important in labeling the earthquake as dangerous or not dangerous. If the Chilean data are correct, the biggest risk will be gone.

Update :  Universidad de Chile is reporting a magnitude of 5.8 at a depth of 24.4 km (a lot better than the initial 5 km reported by USGS)

Update : Max. intensity value is V MMI (Onemi Chile)

Update : ONEMI Chile is calling the earthquake “Mediana Intensidad“, a very good sign.

Update : The epicenter (if confirmed) is below a very sparsely populated area (USGS data)

for more and updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/12/07/dangerous-shallow-earthquake-below-the-northern-chile-coast/

Jim Self on Moving Through DImensions

2012 – What Do You Mean the 3rd Dimension Is Going Away?

  • By Jim Self

 

As 2012 approaches there is an increasing urgency to this message because we’re all, literally, running out of time to play in the third dimension.

In simple terms, the habit of thinking and feeling and behaving that we know of as the third dimension is going away. Everyone is shifting into a fourth dimensional consciousness and experience, and then into a fifth dimensional consciousness and experience.

However, most people on the planet are not prepared for this Shift. But it is happening nonetheless, and for those who are unaware of what’s going on it will not be an easy or comfortable experience.

Yet this can be a wonderful, enjoyable time as well. With some basic information about what the Shift is, and what “dimensions” are, and with simple tools to help manage our thoughts and feelings, everyonehas the ability to evolve their consciousness and move gracefully and joyfully into these higher vibrational realms.

If you don’t know what dimensions are, you are not alone. Most people playing the game of life as we know it in the third dimension are playing without a “rule book” that would explain what the game really is and how one can play it successfully.

This article provides these basic, missing rules. It explains what the third, fourth, and fifth dimensions are, and why they are the most important consideration of your life right now.

If you can understand the structure and play of these dimensions, you can begin to move fluidly through the unprecedented changes of this Shift without fear, without effort, without the tension and anxiety that is, for the most part, the daily habit of our lives.

So, first of all, let me define what dimensions are not.

Dimensions are not places or locations, and they are not a linear progression – 3, 4, 5, 6 – stacked up like pancakes.  And the 3rddimension, or the 4th dimension, is not the chair you’re sitting in, or the walls that surround you, or even the Earth itself. That is form, which exists predominantly in the 3rd and 4th dimensions, and which will still be very much part of the play in the 4th dimension when the 3rd dimension is no longer an option.

In general, dimensions are states of consciousness available to anyone who vibrates in resonance with the specific frequencies and opportunities available within each dimension.

In a way, you could think of each dimension as a different game with a different set of rules as to what is possible and not possible for the beings that choose to play and create there.

So what is the 3rd Dimension?

The third dimension (3D) is a box of rigid beliefs, more or less, with a relatively inflexible set of rules and limitations. Most of us have been playing this game for lifetimes, so we tend to think it is the only game available to us.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  One of the rigid 3D beliefs that structure our lives – our thinking and feeling and actions – is linear time.

Linear time is an optional belief and structure that let’s us “live” an experience of past and a future… and then we die.  Because this belief is the default assumption of mass 3D consciousness, and events seem to validate the belief, most of us think and act as if it’s true.

But now we are all waking up from the illusion of this ubiquitous belief. And as you become more conscious, you realize that time in 3D is actually a time loop. What you experience in “the past” is pretty much what you put your attention on now, and you project that reality into “the future,” and therefore you experience it over and over again.

So the structure of time is quite specific (and limiting) in the 3rd dimension, but your experience of time is quite different (and empowering) as you move into higher dimensions.

Everything in a 3D consciousness is also very conditional. The concept of, for example, ‘unconditional love,’ does not exist in the 3rd dimension. If you experience ‘unconditional love’ or ‘unconditional peace’ you have actually moved into a fourth dimensional (4D) consciousness.

You see, in the earth experience now, we have access to both 3rd and 4th dimensional consciousness, but most of us rarely step out of the well-grooved habits of 3D thinking and feeling.

The 3rd dimension also offers no possibility of choice. We don’t chooseour thoughts, feelings, and actions in every moment (that’s a skill of 4D and 5D), instead we react from unconscious beliefs and training to the people and situations that pop up in our space.

Duality provides another rigid structure for 3D experience. Up/down. Left/right. Should/shouldn’t. Since the fall of Atlantis 12,500 years ago, we have become very fearful as a way of life, and in that fear we have learned to narrowly define good and bad, right and wrong, etc. Unconscious judgment permeates 3D thinking.

Moreover, we perceive our 3D experience predominantly with the left hemisphere of the brain, home of the rational mind, and so we use only about 5 to 10 percent of the brain’s capacity to play the 3D game. Most of us suspect the rest of our brain must do something but have no idea what it actually does and how it functions.

In fact, what the rest of the brain enables us to do is function in the higher 4th and 5th dimensions, and beyond.

We already have the potential, all the necessary equipment and wiring, right now, to be fully conscious in all these dimensions. But our habits of thinking and feeling, grooved over many lifetimes, dumbs= us down and limit us to 3D experience.  Our left-brain, rational mind only knows what it knows, and doesn’t know what it doesn’t know, and it works tirelessly to keep us within a thin range of objective 3D thinking and possibilities.  And we, for the most part, have gone along for the ride. But no longer.

The increasing light energies and frequencies of the Shift are rewiring our brains to allow us access to a much wider range of information and possibility than is available in the 3rd dimension.  These light energies are preparing us for 4D and 5D experience, even as they are clearing the rigid 3D “rules” from our consciousness.

So what is the 4th Dimension?

The “rules” of 4th dimensional consciousness provide an enhanced sense of ease, possibility, and capability than the structures of the 3rddimension.

Time in 4D, for example, is always present time. The focus is only ever this moment, what is happening right now. Our bodies already know only this present time; they can’t know ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow,’ and as conscious beings in our natural alignment in the higher 4th dimension, we function absolutely in this “Now” of present time awareness and attention. When our attention point becomes present time awareness, choice becomes possible again. We can observe any and all events with a sense of detachment, merely as information to consider, and from that still, uncluttered platform we are then, and only then, free to choose our response. In the higher 4thdimension we become response-able.

A concept and possibility known as paradox also becomes available in the present time of 4D consciousness. Paradox simply means that what was true just a moment ago may not be true right now. And what was false a moment ago may no longer be false. Instead of applying rigid, pre-existing definitions to any experience, we choose our preferred version and vibration in every moment.

So as we move into 4D consciousness in present time, with the power of choice and response-ability, and the flexibility of paradox, the ability to alter the game to enhance our happiness and wellbeing becomes available.

Interestingly, 4D consciousness will not be a long-term option after the Shift clears away the rigid structures of 3D consciousness.

The 4th dimension is serving as an essential, but short-lived, stepping stone or vibrational platform from which we will all move into 5th dimensional consciousness. 5D is the target for Earth and all her inhabitants. The archangels have said the entire consciousness of Earth will be a fifth dimensional consciousness by the year 2015.

But although the 5th  dimension is the target, the experience of the 4th dimension is essential.  We cannot enter 5D directly from 4D. All mental and emotional baggage from the 3rd dimension must be left at the door to the 4th  dimension, and we can only enter the 5thdimension after we have become masterful of our thoughts and feelings in the 4th dimension.

Some assembly is required.

So what is the 5th Dimension?

The 5th dimension operates, to a great extent, in a completely differently fashion from the 3rd and 4th dimensions.

Time in 5D is instantaneous time, meaning that everything (all possibilities) occurs in the same place at the same moment. In 5D, you focus your attention and the answer or experience is given to you exactly when and where you focus.

Ask and you shall receive.

In 5D, you don’t have to move or go anywhere for your answers or experiences; everything comes to you easily and effortlessly based upon the attention point and vibration you choose to hold in every moment.

When you are vibrating in 5D consciousness, you don’t create with form as you do in the 3rd and 4th dimensions, you create with light and light patterns and light frequencies. You apply sound and color and geometric shapes. You consciously interact with the Creator and all the Beings of Light.

In this heightened consciousness, the rational mind plays a very minimal role. It returns to a small, specific focus it was intended to have, namely the wellbeing of the physical body.

But before we can move into our vibrational home that is 5D consciousness, we must first become masterful of the vibrations and possibilities of 4D consciousness. This is the focus of the Shift for most people as we head into the ever-accelerating events of 2012.

So how do you become masterful in 4D consciousness?

The Tools of 4D Present Time

As I mentioned, 4D is the ‘right now’ of ‘present time.’ But present time actually has four different levels.

In 2010, we all stepped into the third level. As we move 2012, we will step into the fourth, and final, level. In that level, when you think, ‘I would like an apple,’ the apple is going to appear in your hand. Usually when I say that people get very excited. And it is exciting. However … there is a however.

The vast majority of people on this planet are not prepared to be the masters of their every thought, feeling, and action in every moment. But there’s no option. It’s a required, baseline skill of higher 4D and 5D consciousness.

One of the reasons the 3rd dimension was created was to provide a “playground” in which we each can practice and hone the vibration of our thoughts and feelings. To accomplish this, the 3D playground has a time buffer. Instead of ‘instant manifestation’ there is a time lag between the thought we think and the manifestation or experience of that thought.  For the most part, we are very sloppy with this buffer.

Instead of focusing on what we want, and allowing this to unfold over time, we spew anger, frustration, boredom, worry, anxiety, blame, guilt, fear – all kinds of lower, disharmonic thoughts and feelings. We behave as if we can think and feel anything with impunity because we do not see the instantaneous results of our thinking.

But no longer. As 3D linear time is collapsing into a single point of present time, the time buffer is collapsing too. We have less opportunity to practice being aware of our mental and emotional habits before what we think is what we get. This is a very big deal.

Fortunately, some simple energy tools can help you manage your thoughts and emotions in every moment so that you can be prepared for the unprecedented opportunity and challenge of living and creating in present time in the higher dimensions.

These basic energy tools are available for free on our websitewww.masteringalchemy .com but let me explain a few of them here by way of example.

to read more, go to:    http://lightworker.com/Spectrum//articles/551/1/2012—What-Do-You-Mean-the-3rd-Dimension-Is-Going-Away/Page1.html

 

Spiral Signs and Petroglyphs

Ancient Spirals – What do they mean?

The Spiral Petroglyph is found in every ancient culture throughout the world.

How is it that all of these ancient cultures craved into stone the exact same symbol in a time where there was no way to communicate with each other? There were no telephones, no TV and no mode of transport that would enable them to visit each other.

I believe that they all looked to the stars and saw the same spirals occurring in the night sky. This phenomenon has now been seen by millions of people around the globe in the past few years.

The Spiral, which is the oldest symbol known to be used in spiritual practices, reflects the universal pattern of growth and evolution. The spiral represents the goddess, the womb, fertility and life force energy. Reflected in the natural world, the Spiral is found in human physiology, plants, minerals, animals, energy patterns, weather, growth and death. The Spiral is a sacred symbol that reminds us of our evolving journey in life. When used as a personal talisman, the Spiral helps consciousness to accept the turnings and changes of life as it evolves. The acceptance of change is one of the greatest freedoms a human can experience, putting consciousness in the present moment where the power of creation is condensed. On a larger scale, using this symbol assures all beings are reminded of their inward and outward evolution, a balanced and centred state of mind. On water, it carries the power to flow and change.

When birds fall from the sky and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the Earth from many colours, classes, creeds, who by their actions and deeds shall make the Earth green again. They will be known as the Warriors of the Rainbow.”

~Hopi Prophecy

Have you heard news reports over the past year where flocks of birds are mysteriously falling from the sky? Large groups of animals being found dead? There are over 1 million people around earth that have joined “the tribe of many colours”. It does appear the above Hopi Indian prophecy has already started to come true.

Kiesha Crowther, also known as “Little Grandmother,” was initiated as shaman at age 30 by a Native American elder and was told that her task was to be shaman and Wisdom Keeper of the “tribe of many colours.”

Last Sunday (5th June 2011) I had the privilege to spend a day with Kiesha, 2 Australian Aboriginal elders/custodians of this great land plus many like-minded souls. During this day we all spoke about the ancient spirals and also the spirals that millions of people have witnessed in the skies over the past few years. This wonderful and inspirational lady is the real deal who created the tribe of many colours, which I am so proud to be a part of. Anyone can join this this international tribe that was prophesised by the Hopi Indians by clickinghere.

The below video details many ancient spiral petroglyph found all over the world. A sound clip from a talk Kiesha conducted on spirals is incorporated into this video.

I highly recommend listening to Kiesha’s message below while watching the many photographs of ancient spirals. Towards the end of the video, the Norway Spiral is shown which occurred in December 2009 and was seen in the night skies my thousands of people. Since then millions around the world have watched this event via youtube.

check out this link for the video:   http://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_embedded&v=IhiPmVHAuTA#!

for more information and videos of spiral lights in the sky in Russia, Australia, etc., go to:   http://wakeup-world.com/2011/06/10/ancient-spirals-what-do-they-mean/

Natural Reference Websites

4 Powerful & Extensive Natural Reference Websites.

The creator of Natural News Mike Adams, has complied four of the most extensive natural reference websites I have ever seen. This is a free public service to promote health freedom and empower consumers with information about the healing power of foods. Nature’s foods contain powerful medicine in the form of phytonutrients, and knowing how to use those natural medicines empowers people with the information they need to be healthier, happier and free from the ravages of chronic disease.

HealingFoodReference.com lists all the top healing foods along with the diseases or disorders they may help. It also lists the nutrients found in each food and which body systems may be helped (like the immune system or circulatory system). You can search for healing foods by food name or by disease name (like “osteoporosis”).

HerbReference.com lists medicinal herbs and their uses, covering Amazon herbs, Western herbs, Chinese herbs and even medicinal mushrooms from Japan.

NutrientReference.com is a reference database of healing nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytonutrients like anthocyanins or saponins. Using this online reference site, you can find out which nutrients help certain health conditions, or even which foods contain specific nutrients.

SupplementReference.com is the smallest of these sites, listing dietary supplements like psyllium, glucosamine and others that don’t quite qualify as individual nutrients. Currently, this site is sparse, but we are working on adding new supplements as quickly as we can. In time, we plan to list actual recommended products in this database as well.

All of these reference sites are hyperlinked to each other where appropriate. So you can click around and explore all the healing properties of foods, herbs, nutrients and supplements, or you can look up a particular health condition (like “depression”) and see what’s good for that.

This information is intended only as a general reference for further exploration, and is not a replacement for professional health advice. These pages  do not provide dosage information, format recommendations, toxicity levels, or possible interactions with prescription drugs. Accordingly, only use this information under the direct supervision of a qualified health practitioner such as a naturopathic physician.   

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2011/07/05/4-powerful-extensive-natural-reference-websites/

Reflections on Lynn Margulis

As Above, So Below: The Worldview of Lynn Margulis

earth.jpg“In the arithmetic of life, One is always Many.”

Lynn Margulis, biologist and Distinguished Professor of Geosciences, composed a grand and powerful view of the living and the non-living.  Integrating the work of obscure Russian scientists, DNA pulled from cell organelles, computer-generated daisies, and the hindguts of termites, her vision was wider in scope and more profound in depth than any other coherent scientific world view.  At the time of her death on November 22nd, 2011, it is a vision that remains misunderstood and misconstrued by many scientists.

Much of this view came from her uncanny ability to first lean forward and see the smallest inhabitants of the Earth; to hover there, and then to leap back at the speed of thought to conceptualize the entire planet. Lean forward, then stand back.  This inner movement, this seeing from soil to space, marked a unique scientific endeavor.

This perspective was earned only through walking through diverse areas of study — geology, genetics, biology, chemistry, literature, embryology, paleontology.  Those fields, are sometimes separated by an untraversed distance at universities: they are housed in separate buildings which may as well be different worlds.  In Margulis, they found agreement and discussion with each other; they were reconnected, just as they are intrinsically connected in nature.

This journey led her to emphasize in all her scientific work two phenomena — the fusing of distinct beings into a single being: symbiosis; and the interaction of organisms and their environments to create relational “loops” that led to regulation of many Earth systems: Gaia Theory.

Taken separately these concepts have the ability to redefine, respectively, how we understand organisms and the environment.

Taken together, they can redefine our consciousness.

* * *

After the Earth was born, give or take a few hundred million years, there were bacteria.  Bacteria were here first and are with us still, comprising a major part of the biosphere.  They are unseen with the naked eye, they lack nuclei (for this reason, they are called prokaryotes — “pro” = before,  “karyon” = nucleus). Their forms were legion and their metabolisms were (and continue to be) strange.

Where life could exist, it did exist in these tiny forms.  One of these forms,  thermoplasma, was an amorphous blob. It enjoyed heat and sulfur.  The stuff we now associate with the devil, this bacterium was quite fond of.  Another bacterium was the spirochete.  Familiar to us now as the type of bacteria that cause syphilis and Lyme disease, the spirochete is a curl of an organism; a tremulous and crooked line with no front or back.  Margulis studied these strange beings through literature and microscope.  From some corner of her intellect, they called to her.

The thermoplasmid and spirochete of early Earth were neighbors and, in a sense, enemies.  Each one would try, when it encountered the other, to consume it.  This was a popular notion at the time: meet and consume. Soon enough, encounter after encounter between the two beings led to an unprecedented event: The beings came together to eat each other and decided on marriage instead. Just what changes happened to cause this friendly ingestion is still unknown.  What is known is that the spirochete didn’t digest the thermoplasmid and the thermoplasmid did not digest the spirochete.  As Margulis was fond of saying, “1 + 1 = 1.”  There was a union of the two, resulting in an entirely new being.  They were inseparable, literally.  The thermoplasmid had a rotor now, and the spirochete had a “head”.  A head and a tail: for the first time, beings haddirection.  Cultural philosopher William Irwin Thompson examines this emergence in his book, Coming into Being. It isn’t that spirochetes couldn’t pursue a coordinate before — but the asymmetricality of the new, combined entity, resulted in a new way of being, completely without reference in the history of life:  One end, distinct in form, ingested the food; the other end did the rowing.  Both absorbed the nutrition.  This was a giant step in the evolution of consciousness, and is echoed by all true evolutions in consciousness:  the rise of a new way of being, inconceivable to the world that came before.

And soon, other mergers were taking place.  Soon, oxygen-breathing bacteria were incorporated by endosymbiosis into this being.  Where once oxygen was poison, now it flowed through without harm.

Cyanobacteria, green and photosynthetic, were incorporated in some of these cells as well.  Both these symbioses remain visible today — as the mitochondria in all cells (the oxygen-breathing bacteria that became mitochondria) and chloroplasts in plant and some animal cells (the cyanobacteria that led to chloroplasts).  These are ancient partnerships that have never dissolved, and which continue to pulse with rhythm, and our existence depends upon them.  Human cells reflect these unions, and we breathe plant-respired oxygen.

Margulis, inspired by the work of little-known biologists, revealed and proved these mergers for us.  At first, her worked was rejected and scoffed at.  It did not fit the still-dominant neo-Darwinian paradigm that tells us all evolutionary novelty comes from natural selection acting on genes and the gradual accumulation of random genetic mutation.  But eventually these symbioses were accepted because they could not be ignored.  In a stunning display of reluctance, despite mounting evidence, the spirochetal origin of the undulipodium (sometimes incorrectly called or mistaken for the “flagellum” — though the undulipodium and flagellum are not similar either chemically or structurally) is still contested and sometimes dismissed.

What is unquestionable: bacteria make up the living architecture of our bodies.

They evolved into our cells, and also remain “free-living” in our digestive system.  Their spiraling remnants are in our gums, our brains.  This means our physical selves are universes composed of the movemenst, biological agreements, and interactions of these beings.

What can this mean for the individual?  What happens when we are simultaneously songs and compositions of notes?  “Identity is not an object; it is a process with addresses for all the different directions and dimensions in which it moves…” Margulis once stated, with her colleague Ricardo Guerrero.

And what happens when we are notes, songs, and the notes again?  What happens when we shift our perspective and see that we are cells made out of cells?

to read the rest of the article, go to:    http://www.realitysandwich.com/above_so_below_worldview_lynn_margulis

Upcoming Lunar Eclipse 12/10

Total Lunar Eclipse Visible to North America Saturday

by Geoff Gaherty, Starry Night Education
Date: 06 December 2011 Time: 04:23 PM ET


December 10, 2011, Total Lunar Eclipse Sky Map
The best views of this eclipse in North America will be from the West Coast. Here we see the partially eclipsed moon setting just before dawn as it will appear from Dusy Basin Lake in eastern California.
CREDIT: Starry Night Software

The last eclipse of 2011, a total lunar eclipse, will occur early Saturday morning (Dec. 10). Although best placed for observers in Australia and eastern Asia, part of the eclipse will be visible from the west coast of Canada and the United States.

total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, casting the moon in shadow. The last such eclipse took place in June 2011.

For observers in North America, this eclipse will happen just before dawn Saturday morning. To see it, stay up late Friday night or get up early Saturday morning. Alaska will see all of the eclipse, British Columbia most of it, the views will decrease as you move south and east from there.

“From roughly Arizona to the Dakotas, the moon sets while it’s still totally eclipsed,” writes Sky & Telescope magazine. “In the Central time zone the moon sets while still only partially eclipsed, before the total stage even begins. And those farther east miss out completely.”

The eclipse will begin at 3:33 a.m. PST, when the faint outer penumbral shadow touches the moon. The eclipse will be obvious by 4:45 a.m., when the dark umbral shadow begins its trip across the moon’s face. The total eclipse phase will start at 6:06 a.m. and last for 51 minutes.

In Sydney, the eclipse will begin at 10:33 p.m. Saturday evening and last most of the night. Totality is from 1:06 a.m. until 1:57 a.m. local time.

It’s difficult to predict in advance how dark any particular lunar eclipse will be. It’s extremely rare for the moon to disappear completely because some sunlight always leaks past the Earth through the twilight zones.

Because this light is coming from countless sunsets on Earth, it is usually tinged reddish in color. If cloud cover on Earth is dense, very little light gets through, and we get a very dark eclipse.

Because this eclipse will be low in the western sky in North America and low in the south in Australia, there should be plenty of photo opportunities.

If you take a photo or video of the eclipse that you’d like to share with SPACE.com for a possible story or gallery, please email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or Clara Moskowitz at cmoskowitz@space.com.

from:    http://www.space.com/13844-total-lunar-eclipse-saturday-dec-10.html

Western Australia Coastal Earthquake

Strong earthquake near the coast of Western Australia (Cape Range National Park)

Last update: December 6, 2011 at 1:49 pm by By 

 

December 5, 2011 By 
Histroric earthquakes map courtesy USGS

Earthquake overview : A strong shallow earthquake occurred in the coastal waters of western Australia. The quake occurred in the middle of the Australian night approx. 50 km from Exmouth and the Cape Range National Park.

Update :  The greater epicenter area had some similar earthquakes since 1990, most of them to the North West and all of the earthquakes at a depth less than 35 km.

Update :  The Muiron Islands Nature reserveis located within the potential (light) damageradius given by Geoscience Australia

Update :  All data below is from Geoscience Australia

Update : Locations where the earthquake might have been felt : Lyndon, Exmouth, Cape Range National Park, Dampier, Onslow and Yannarie

Update :  Geoscience Australia expects this earthquake to be felt in a radius of 252 km

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw 5.4
Local time at epicenter : Tuesday, December 06, 2011 at 04:10:03 AM at epicenter

Depth (Hypocenter) : 15 km
Geo-location(s) :
Approx. 20 km from the Muiron Islands Nature Reserve
50 km from the North West Cape

for updates and more, go to:  http://earthquake-report.com/2011/12/05/strong-earthquake-near-the-coast-of-western-australia-cape-range-national-park/

50 Questions to Ponder

50 Questions That Can Help Free Your Mind

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

5. What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

11. You are having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

15. What is something you know you do differently than most people?

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

17. What is one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

22. Why are you, you?

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

25. What are you most grateful for?

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

32. If not now, then when?

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2011/11/07/50-questions-that-can-help-free-your-mind/