The 4 Stages of Enlightenment According to Buddhist Scripture

As he guided his followers over the 45 years he taught, Buddha recognized four distinct levels of realization, each marked by a deep and unmistakable experience of selflessness, followed by certain changes in outlook and behavior.

The experience generally occurs during intensive meditation, when the attention has become one-pointed, and follows extensive study and understanding of the basic truths of Buddhism (especially the three marks of existence: selflessness, impermanence, and dissatisfaction).

The four stages of enlightenment are Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant. The teaching of the four stages is a central element of the early Buddhist schools, including the surviving Theravada school of Buddhism.

The 4 Stages of Enlightenment

Stream-enterer

The first stage is that of Sotāpanna (Pali; Sanskrit: Srotāpanna), literally meaning “one who enters (āpadyate) the stream (sotas),” with the stream being the Noble Eightfold Path regarded as the highest Dharma.

The stream-enterer is also said to have “opened the eye of the Dharma” and is guaranteed enlightenment after no more than seven successive rebirths, possibly fewer. The stream-enterer can also be sure that he will not be reborn in any of the unhappy states or rebirths (an animal, a preta, or in hell). He can only be reborn as a human being, or in a heaven. The stream-enterer has attained an intuitive grasp of Buddhist doctrine (samyagdṛṣṭi or sammādiṭṭhi, “right view”), has complete confidence or Saddha in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and has good moral behaviour (Sila).

When you become a stream-enterer, you can never again believe that you’re really a separate self that lives inside your head and looks through your eyes. Your experience forever eliminates this illusion. When you look within, you can’t find a self anywhere.

In everyday life, however, you may still feel like a separate somebody and may still get caught up by greed, anger, ignorance, and various other negative feelings and patterns. Fortunately, the stage of stream-enterer also brings an unshakable confidence and dedication to the Buddhist spiritual path, so you’re motivated to keep deepening and refining your realization.

I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles. I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags. – Buddha

Once Returner

The second stage is that of the Sakadāgāmī (Sanskrit: Sakṛdāgāmin), literally meaning “one who once (sakṛt) comes (āgacchati)”. The once-returner will return to the human world only one more time, and will attain Nirvana in that life.

After you become a stream-enterer, your practice includes reminding yourself of your new realization of “no-self,” as well as paying attention to the ways that you’re still attached and your resistance to life as it unfolds. After a period of time (generally years of devoted practice) in which your concentration gets even stronger and your mind becomes even more tranquil, you have another direct insight into no-self. (Remember, knowing this truth as a concept or memory is one thing, but experiencing it directly, beyond the conceptual mind, is something else entirely.)

This insight (essentially the same as the first but even stronger and clearer) brings a significant reduction in attachment and aversion and the suffering that accompanies these states of mind. For example, occasional irritation and preference replace hatred and greed, which no longer have any hold over the once-returner.

Again, someone who reaches this stage has only one more rebirth before becoming completely enlightened.

I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake in India as a drop of oil upon my foot. – Buddha

Never-returner

The third stage is that of the Anāgāmī (Sanskrit: Anāgāmin), literally meaning “one who does not (an-) come (āgacchati)”. The non-returner does not come back into human existence, or any lower world, after death. Instead, he is reborn in one of the worlds of the Rūpadhātu called the Śuddhāvāsa worlds, or “Pure Abodes”, where he will attain Nirvāṇa; Pāli: Nibbana; some of them are reborn a second time in a higher world of the Pure Abodes, but in no case are born into a lower state.

An Anāgāmī has abandoned the five lower fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth. An Anāgāmī is thus partially enlightened, and on the way to perfect and complete Enlightenment.

After the experience that signals entry to this stage, all of the worst hindrances, such as hatred, greed, jealousy, and ignorance, completely drop away, but a hint of a self-sense (a “me”) still remains — and with it, the slightest trace of restlessness and dissatisfaction sticks around as well. The experience itself is rarely accompanied by any emotion or excitement, just a clearer recognition of what has already been seen twice before. These people appear to be extremely content, peaceful, and without desire, but the subtlest preference for positive rather than negative experiences remains.

I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illuminated ones as flowers appearing in one’s eyes. – Buddha

Arahant

The fourth stage is that of Arahant, a fully enlightened human being who has abandoned all fetters, and who upon decease (Sanskrit: Parinirvāṇa, Pāli: Parinibbāna) will not be reborn in any world, having wholly abandoned saṃsāra.

At this stage, the path bears ultimate fruit in nirvana — any residual trace of a separate self falls away for good. The experience, frequently accompanied by unimaginable bliss, has been compared to falling into the depths of a cloud and disappearing. At this point, the circumstances of life no longer have the slightest hold over you; positive or negative experiences no longer stir even the slightest craving or dissatisfaction. As Buddha said, all that needed to be done has been done. There’s nothing further to realize. The path is complete, and no further rebirths are necessary.

I see meditation as a pillar of a mountain, nirvana as a nightmare of daytime. – Buddha

> Four Stages of Enlightenment | Tamqui

> Four Stages on the Path to Nirvana | Dummies

> Buddha | Lucid Cafe

Aug 5, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Taking Micro Doses of Psychedelics Can Enhance Mental Function and Physical Ability

Micro-dosing is taking sub-perceptual (6-25 microgram LSD, 0.2-0.5 gram dried mushrooms, 50-75 microgram mescaline HCL) while keeping up with ones daily activities, engaging in extreme sports, appreciating nature or enhancing one’s spiritual practice.

This manner of integrating psychedelics, also known as a psycholytic dose, doesn’t inhibit ego-functioning as the ‘heroic’ Terence McKenna dose does. It can be much easier integrated into everyday functioning.

What are the benefits of taking psychedelic micro doses?

Athletic Performance

James Oroc, the author of the amazing book Tryptamine Palace: 5-MeO-DMT and the Sonoran Desert Toad, while writing about the secret affair between psychedelics and extreme sports, stated that while taking psychedelics at lower doses, the “cognitive functioning, emotional balance, and physical stamina were actually found to be improved.”

Virtually all athletes who learn to use LSD  at psycholytic dosages believe that the use of these compounds improves both their stamina and their abilities.

According to the combined reports of 40 years of use by the extreme sports underground, LSD can increase your re- flex time to lightning speed, improve your balance to the point of perfection, increase your concentration until you experience “tunnel vision,” and make you impervious to weakness or pain.

LSD’s effects in these regards amongst the extreme-sport community are in fact legendary, universal, and without dispute. – James Oroc

Sprituality

Myron Stolaroff, while writing about the usefulness of psychedelics in the practice of buddhism, argues that low doses of psychedelics can be extremely beneficial to improve ones meditation practice.

The use of low doses often can be much more effective in dealing with our “psychic garbage.” Many do not care for low doses because they can stir up uncomfortable feelings, and they prefer to transcend them by pushing on into higher states, but it is precisely these uncomfortable feelings that must be resolved to achieve true freedom.

With low doses, by focusing directly on the feelings and staying with them without aversion and without grasping, they will in time dissipate. Resolving one’s repressed feelings in this manner clears the inner being, permitting the True Self to manifest more steadily.The surfacing of buried feelings that this procedure permits often can bring new understanding of one’s personality dynamics

Creativity and Problem Solving

In the 60′s the creativity enhancing effects of psychedelics were already hailed as revolutionary, and these famous trippers would certainly agree. One significant study investigated the effect of 100 micrograms of LSD on top of the field experts who had been struggling with a hard problem for months. Their solutions were reviewed by a panel of other experts in the same field. As Tim Doody reports;

LSD absolutely had helped them solve their complex, seemingly intractable problems. And the establishment agreed.

The 26 men unleashed a slew of widely embraced innovations shortly after their LSD experiences, including a mathematical theorem for NOR gate circuits, a conceptual model of a photon, a linear electron accelerator beam-steering device, a new design for the vibratory microtome, a technical improvement of the magnetic tape recorder, blueprints for a private residency and an arts-and-crafts shopping plaza, and a space probe experiment designed to measure solar properties.

Experimenting With Psychedelic Micro Doses

To be able to experiment with these states of conscious in a safe and constructive manner, be sure to follow these guidelines.

Start out with a dose on the lower end of the psycholytic spectrum and record how you react to it. A too high dose makes you incapable of following your normal routine and you stay in the limbo/coming up phase the whole time, which is neither clear nor trippy and often uncomfortable.
Follow your normal routine, especially sleeping, eating, working and spiritual practice.
Be conservative with consecutive doses. Building a tolerance is unlikely, but having a normal baseline improves integrity of action.

> Micro-Dosing: The Revolutionary Way of Using Psychedelics | High Existence

Jul 31, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Cannabis Around the World: 8 Countries That Embrace Marijuana (List)

Unlike the United States’ arcane Cannabis policies, these 8 countries actually take facts into account when classifying and regulating Marijuana.

8 Countries That Embrace Marijuana

Spain

In Spain personal marijuana has been legal for decades. Today Barcelona is en route to challenge Amsterdam as the world center of pot tourism. In Spain, anyone is allowed to grow the herb for personal use, and – echoing California’s rules for medical marijuana use – growers can form collective, nonprofit, members-only cannabis clubs.

Barcelona officials have given their blessing to this new phenomenon. … The number of cannabis clubs that have opened in Barcelona recently has some experts saying this city will soon challenge Amsterdam as the go-to destination for vacationers who want to get high in peace. – Suzanne Daley New York Times

Daley reported that the pot clubs provide an economic boost.

Though they are nonprofits, advocates say the clubs are generating thousands of jobs and tax revenues for the state. In addition to selling a wide array of cannabis products and hashish, many of the clubs also sell food and drinks and offer extras to their members, like live music nights and Pilates classes.

Portugal

Portugal has enjoyed the benefits of all-out drug decriminalization for over a decade. Portugal became the first nation in Europe to decriminalize personal possession of drugs – including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine – in 2001.

Decriminalization means those drugs remain illegal, but instead of throwing people in jail for their use, the country imposes a fine similar to a traffic ticket and provides addiction treatment options. By removing criminal penalties for drug use, the nation was able to fund the resources necessary to treat drug addiction as the health crisis that it is.

Today in Portugal if you’re convicted of possessing small amounts of drugs, you visit a psychologist, social worker and legal advisor who determine what kind of treatment you need. Prior to decriminalization, Portugal had a serious drug problem, but over the last decade the nation has seen a decline in drug use.

While critics of the law warned that drug use would swell, it has not risen. We have seen significant reductions in H.I.V. infections and in overdoses, as well as a substantial increase in new patients seeking drug treatment. – João Castel-Branco Goulão, Portugal’s national Drug Coordinator & Chairman of the European Monitoring Center on Drugs and Drug Addiction

Canada

While the Great White North does not allow marijuana for recreational purposes anywhere, it has a nationwide government-sanctioned medical marijuana program. About 20 companies are licenced to mass-produce cannabis in Canada for medical purposes.

In addition to the substantial economic boost that comes from the new market, the Canadian government probably took the stacks of convincing research on cannabis’s potential health benefits into account in its decision to allow large scale medical marijuana production and distribution.

Israel

In Israel a $40-million-per-year medical-marijuana industry is thriving.

The Israeli government is funding and supporting breakthrough research on the many healing potentials of the cannabis plant – from cancer, to addiction, to psychological traumas. Israel’s federal government sanctions their national medical marijuana program.

Iceland

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Iceland smokes the most weed in the world, on average. The report, which included a breakdown of illegal drug use per country, found that 18.3% of the Icelandic population smokes weed. The United States ranked fourth in the report, with 14.8 percent of the population using pot.

Whatever the reason for their infatuation with cannabis, Icelanders were also found to be one of the happiest populations on the planet.

Netherlands

Surprisingly, cannabis remains illegal in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government and law enforcement are extremely tolerant of the herb and possession of small amounts is decriminalized nationwide. Two million tourists per year visit the city of Amsterdam for its legendary “coffee shops,” which are licensed to sell weed. You’re not allowed, however, to buy your bud on the streets, and coffee shops do card.

Uruguay

In response to increasing drug trafficking activity and violence, Uruguay became the first nation to legalize marijuana across the board, in December 2013. It did so in an effort to undermine the powerful cartels that have ravished much of the rest of Latin America. The plan in Uruguay is to set government weed prices extremely low so that cartels will be forced out of business.

While many had hoped to see Uruguay’s pot sales start already, President Jose Mujica announced that complications have delayed sales until 2015.

North Korea

While not officially confirmed, according to Open Radio North Korea, as well as other news outlets and visitor reports, marijuana has never been controlled in the country and is not considered to be a drug. While the North Korean penalty for hard drugs like meth is severe, people are allowed to smoke pot without regulation – it even grows freely on the side of the street.

NK NEWS receives regular reports from visitors returning from North Korea, who tell us of marijuana plants growing freely along the roadsides, from the northern port town of Chongjin, right down to the streets of Pyongyang, where it is smoked freely and its sweet scent often catches your nostrils unannounced. Our sources are people we know who work inside North Korea and make regular trips in and out of the country.

There is no taboo around pot smoking in the country—many residents know the drug exists and have smoked it. In North Korea, the drug goes by the name of ip tambae, or ‘leaf tobacco.’ It is reported to be especially popular amongst young soldiers in the North Korean military. Rather than getting hooked on tar and nicotine like servicemen in the West, they are able to unwind by lighting up a king-sized bone during down time on the military beat. – VICE

> 9 Marijuana Policies From Around the World That Are Way Ahead of the U.S | Waking Times

Jul 31, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Consciously Control Your Immune System with The Wim Hof Method

Wim Hof is a holder of 20 Guinness World Records for withstanding extreme temperatures.

He has climbed Everest and Kilimanjaro in only shorts and shoes, stayed comfortably in ice baths for hours, and run a marathon in the desert with no water.

Wim is able to accomplish these feats with ease through the use of The Wim Hof Method – a breathing technique that allows you to control the autonomous systems of the body.

However, the most earthshaking effect of the Wim Hof method is the ability to consciously control the immune system to fight off any disease.

By becoming more in tune with the body, Wim says you can rid yourself of even the most destructive diseases, including AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and cancer.

The Wim Hof Method

The Wim Hof Method is similar to Tummo (inner heat) Meditation and Pranayama (yogic breathing). Yet it is something else entirely. While Wim has studied yoga and meditation for many years, this technique primordially comes from what he terms ‘cold hard nature’. By subjecting himself to the bitter conditions of nature, he learned to withstand the extreme forces of cold, heat and fear.

The first part is a breathing exercise which can be likened to controlled hyperventilation.

The image will consist of rapid breathing that makes one languid, invigorates one, makes one high on oxygen. One mechanism of this practice is the complete oxygenation of your blood and cells.

Get Comfortable and Close Your Eyes

Sit in a meditation posture, whatever is most comfortable for you. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction. It is recommended to do this practice right after waking up since your stomach is still empty.

Warm Up

Inhale deeply. Really draw the breath in until you feel a slight pressure from inside your chest on your solar plexus. Hold this for a moment and then exhale completely. Push the air out as much as you can. Hold this for a moment. Repeat this warm up round 15 times.

30 Power Breaths

Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth in short but powerful bursts. The belly is pulled inward when you are breathing out and is pulled outward when you are breathing in. Keep a steady pace and use your midriff fully. Close your eyes and do this around 30 times or until you feel your body is saturated with oxygen. Symptoms could be light-headedness, tingling sensations in the body, electrical surges of energy.

Scan Your Body

During the 30 power breaths, delve into your body and become aware of it as possible. Trace your awareness up and down your body and use your intuition as to what parts lack energy and what parts are overflowing. Scan for any blockage between the two. Try to send energy/warmth to those blockages. Then release them deeper and deeper. Tremors, traumas and emotional releases can come up. It can be likened to kundalini rising. Feel the whole body fill up with warmth and love.

Feel the negativity burn away.

Often people report swirling colors and other visual imagery during this exercise. Once you encounter them, go into them, embrace them, merge with them. Get to know this inner world and how it correlates to the feeling of tension or blockages in your body.

The Hold

After the the 30 rapid succession of breath cycles, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using too much force. Then push all of the air out and hold for as long as you can. Draw the chin in a bit so as to prevent air from coming in again.

Really relax and open all energy channels in your body. Notice how all the oxygen is spreading around in your body. Hold the breath until you experience the gasp reflex on the top of your chest.

Recovery Breath

Inhale to full capacity. Feel your chest expanding. Release any tension in the solar plexus. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath once more. Drop the chin to the chest and hold this for around 15 seconds.

Notice that you can direct the energy with your awareness. Use this time to scan the body and see where there is no color, tension or blockages. Feel the edges of this tension, go into it, move the energy towards this black hole. Feel the constrictions burning away, the dark places fill with light. Relax the body deeper as you move further inward, let everything go. Your body knows better than you do. After 15 seconds you have completed the first round.

Start this practice with one or two rounds. Try to do it daily and add two more rounds in a few days. After you feel more comfortable with holding your breath you can start to add exercises and stretches. Work up to a minimum of 15 minutes or 6 rounds with exercises. You can do this practice for how long it pleases you.

If you feel dizziness or pain, get out of the posture and lie on your back. Breathe easily again and stop this practice session.

Reserve at least 5 minutes after this practice to relax and scan the body.

Summary

30 times balloon blowing
Breathe in fully
Breath out fully and hold until gasp reflex
Inhale fully and hold for 10-15 seconds.
Repeat until finished
Take 5 minutes to relax and scan your body

Bonus Power-ups

Add push-ups or yoga poses during the time you are holding your breath until you wait for the gasp reflex. Notice that you are stronger without air than you would normally be if you could breathe!
Charge the energy up the spine by holding moola banda, contract the rectum & sex organ and pull the navel inward towards the spine.
Stand up in squat position and do the balloon breath. Try to breathe away the burn. (get seated again the moment you continue the cycle, you don’t want to be standing and faint) See if you can get the energy overtake the pain. Don’t give up easily and see how far you can go if you have the willpower!

Cold Exposure

After the body scan of the previous exercise you are ready let your body embrace the cold. It is very important to try to relax as much as you can, really be with the cold, only then can your body process the signals and start thermogenesis.

As Wim says, “The cold is your warm friend!”

Cold Showers

If you are new to cold exposure, start with cold showers. Begin with your feet and then follow with your legs, your stomach, shoulders, neck and back and finally your head. An initial shock, shivering and hyperventilation is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold.

If you feel any strong physical uncomfortableness, like heavy shivering, numbness or pain, get your body warm again as soon as possible.

Once you are out of the shower, take a moment to do another slow body scan before you dry yourself.
Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time. There are little muscles around your veins that contract when they get into contact with the cold. After some time (only 1-2 weeks according to Wim) these become stronger, making your veins healthier and reducing the force that your heart has to use to pump blood around your body.

You can increase exposure over time. At one point the cold will feel just as comfortable as wearing your favorite pajamas and you can skip the warm shower completely. Notice how you feel amazing after a cold shower and sluggish after a warm one.

Ice Baths

After a few weeks of cold showers you can up the ante to an ice bath. Get 2-3 bags of ice at your local convenience store and put them in a half-full bath tub. Wait until around two thirds is melted or that the water has reached your designated temperature (10 / 12 °C (50 / 59 °F)). You can throw in a couple of handfuls of salt to speed up this process.

As with the cold showers, try to relax as much as you can. Start out with around 10 minutes and increase exposure over time. If you feel uncomfortable or in doubt, get out. After this exercise make sure you do another body scan.

It is normal to feel extra cold after a small period of time after the ice bath. This is called the after-drop. Take a hot glass of raw coca and keep your blood flowing by talking a walk.

You’ll feel amazing after!

These exercises are extremely powerful when done consistently and with intent. Try them and out and report your findings in the comments below!

Remember, the cold is your warm friend.

> Consciously Control Your Immune System | High Existence

Jul 30, 2014Jun 17, 2016

An Index of Psychedelic Medicines and the Disorders They Cure (Video)

This video produced by Reset.me highlights how psychedelic medicines are saving lives worldwide.

Numerous studies show these substances are non-neurotoxic, non-addictive and are having profound medicinal effects curing some of the most stubborn mental health disorders by helping people purge bottled up trauma:

MDMA is curing debilitating PTSD in veterans.

Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in shrooms, is alleviating anxiety and depression.

LSD was used successfully for decades to combat alcohol addictions and anxiety.

Ayahuasca is helping people purge traumatic memories while increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

Video Sources

UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances which made Psychedelics Illegal worldwide
http://www.unodc.org/pdf/convention_1…

Study: Alcohol is Most Dangerous drug
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeve…

Alternet: The Hardest Drugs to Kick
http://www.alternet.org/10-hardest-dr…

Ranking of Drug Harm
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/vi…

CDC: Tobacco Mortality Rate
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_stati…

Psychedelics Don’t Cause Mental Health Problems—And They Might Keep You Sane
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/psyched…

MAPS.org MDMA PTSD Research:
http://mdmaptsd.org/research-category…

Veterans Suicide Data Report:
http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Suicide-Da…

Magic Mushroom Toxicity
http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushroom…

Caffeine or cannabis — which drug is more dangerous?http://www.cannabisculture.com/node/1…

Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Psilocybin in 9 Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,http://article.psychiatrist.com/dao_1…

TEDx: Roland Griffiths on Psilocybin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPLim…

Magic mushrooms’ psychedelic ingredient could help treat people with severe depression
http://www.theguardian.com/science/20…

“Magic Mushrooms” Show Signs of Helping in Addiction, Cancer Anxiety
http://reason.com/blog/2012/12/07/mag…

‘Magic Mushrooms’ Can Improve Psychological Health Long Term,http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/16…

‘Magic Mushroom’ Drug Shows Promise in Treating Addictions and Cancer Anxiety, http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/07…

Psilocybin and neurogenesis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRNSE…

LSD vs. Alcoholism, Neurons to Nirvana
http://www.mangu.tv/node/1945

LSD could help alcoholics stop drinking, AA founder believed
http://www.theguardian.com/science/20…

Peyote: Psychological and cognitive effects of long-term peyote use among Native Americans
http://nierika.info/castellano/wp-con…

DMT The Spirit Molecule Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiqzH…

Maps Ibogaine Research
http://www.maps.org/research/ibogaine/

A New Ayahuasca Study
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/201…

Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes, and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:d…

Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil
http://www.udv.org.br/arquivos/Human_…

Potent Jungle Vine Brew Has Potential to Treat Addiction
http://www.voanews.com/content/potent…

How Psychedelics unlock traumatic memories, Ayahuasca vs. PTSD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYYqf…

Integrating the Modern Practice of Traditional Ayahuasca Shamanism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukzVN…

Jul 29, 2014Jun 17, 2016

The Most Astounding Fact in the Universe – Neil deGrasse Tyson (Video)

Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked:

What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?

The Most Astounding Fact Transcript

The most astounding fact is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on Earth the atoms that make up the human body are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core under extreme temperatures and pressures.

These stars, the high mass ones among them went unstable in their later years they collapsed and then exploded scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas cloud that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems stars with orbiting planets, and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself.

So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up – many people feel small because they’re small and the Universe is big – but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity.

That’s really what you want in life, you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant you want to feel like a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive… – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Jul 23, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Psilocybin and The Psychedelic Experience Creates a Prolonged Positive Outlook on Life (Study)

The human mind expands with the number of new experiences that are encountered. Psilocybin research points to the possibility that these experiences open up realms of consciousness that are otherwise untapped during normal cognitive functioning. Your brain and body remember these states of being resulting in a positive shift towards one’s outlook on life.

After psilocybin injections, the 15 participants were found to have increased brain function in areas associated with emotion and memory. The effect was strikingly similar to a brain in dream sleep.
– Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, a post-doctoral researcher in neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and co-author of the study

These hyper emotional states are also seen during dream states. By experiencing these senses in your waking life through magic mushrooms you expand your perception and view reality more like a dream long after the initial trip. This helps relieve stress and has shown to lead to a positive outlook on life.

Our firm sense of self—the habits and experiences that we find integral to our personality—is quieted by these trips. Carhart-Harris believes that the drugs may unlock emotion while “basically killing the ego,” allowing users to be less narrow-minded and let go of negative outlooks.

Based on these findings, shrooms may take you on a trip to a happier and more positively charged outlook of reality.

> Psychedelic Mushrooms Put Your Mind in a “Waking Dream”, Study Finds | Washington Post

Jul 22, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Metaphysical Aspects of the 5 Platonic Solids

Platonic Solids are the basic building blocks of all life, the language of creation used and described in many religions and cultures for thousands of years.

Each of the Platonic Solids and their associated elements, chakras and energies, are aligned to be used in natural healing, metaphysical studies and spiritual endeavours.

You can work with each shape individually or as a collective to tap into their universal power.

Hexahedron (Cube)

♦ Earth Element
♦ Root Chakra
♦ Sits flat and firm, is solid and sturdy
♦ Key Function: Grounding
♦ Reconnects energy to earth and nature
♦ Regaining refocus
♦ Removing tension and easing physical stresses
♦ Great for work, in car, children and pets.

Icosahedron

♦ Water Element

♦ Sacral Chakra

♦ Key Function: Transformation

♦ Helps one go with the movement, flow and changes of life effortlessly

♦ Teaches us to ‘go with the flow’

♦ Enhances the creative thought process and freedom of emotional expression

♦ Unblocks and removes emotional stressors that block creative energies

♦ Connected to sexuality, fertility and reproduction.

Tetrahedron

♦ Fire Element

♦ Solar Plexus

♦ Key Function: Manifestation

♦ 3^rd Dimension

♦ Sits flat no matter which side, perfect symbol for balance and stability

♦ Balance between the physical and spiritual

♦ Supports personal power and acceptance

♦ Creates change.

Octahedron

♦ Air Element

♦ Heart

♦ 4^th Dimension

♦ Key Function: Integration

♦ Cultivates acceptance, forgiveness, love and compassion for self and others

♦ Its mirroring or self-reflecting shape moves us to a higher vibration of reflection, compassion and healing – As Above, So Below.

Dodecahedron

♦ Ether Element

♦ Third Eye, Crown and Higher (8^th and above) Chakras

♦ Key Function: Ascension and mystery

♦ Represents divine creation associated with the Universe

♦ Holds a very high but gentle energy so helps cultivate a higher vibration in meditation

♦ An expression of life & consciousness beyond physical vibrations of the body

♦ Connect to Higher Self or Source energy.

> Platonic Solid | Absolute Empowerment

Jul 20, 2014Jun 17, 2016

5 Reasons Monsanto Roundup Needs to be Banned Forever

The science is irrefutable on this simple fact: Roundup weedkiller, manufactured by Monsanto, is a deadly chemical poison that persists on – and in – food crops consumed by millions of people.

The many consequences of Roundup’s continued use in commercial agriculture are reason enough to ban the toxic chemical cocktail for the sake of the environment and humanity.

These are strong words, but they are fully substantiated.

Roundup Ready Crops Absorb Glyhposate

Despite industry claims, Roundup does not simply wash off crops after it has been sprayed. A study out of Norway recently found that glyphosate accumulates inside crops at “excessive” levels.

Published in the 2013 June issue of the journal Food Chemistry, the study revealed that, while Roundup Ready crops are capable of resisting glyphosate in order to survive, they also absorb and incorporate it into food.

This means that people who eat GM soy or products derived from it, including soy lecithin and soy protein, are also eating a chemical solution linked to all sorts of health problems.

Exposure to Roundup Doubles Exposure to Lymphoma

The government maintains the same position as Monsanto — that glyphosate is essentially inert and not something to worry about. But a recent review of more than 44 published scientific studies found otherwise, having determined that exposure to glyphosate doubles farmers’ risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The study authors theorize that glyphosate disrupts the normal functioning of white blood cells, throwing your immune system into a sickened, dysfunctional state. – Leah Zerbe, Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen

Roundup so Heavily Used That It’s Being Found in Air & Rainwater

It would be one thing if Roundup were isolated just to crop fields. But scientists are finding that the chemical is now spreading to the air, and even raining down along with precipitation.

This means that glyphosate is now traveling with the wind patterns and raining down on people’s homes and on city parks where children play.

Roundup is Killing Butterflies and Other Pollinators

Even if Roundup really was helping to boost yields and produce more food – as demonstrated here and elsewhere, this is not actually the case — the harm inflicted on butterflies and other pollinators by the GM crop pesticides is simply inexcusable.

Researchers from Iowa State University found that glyphosate use has resulted in an 81 percent reduction in the monarch butterfly population, which relies on milkweed for reproduction and survival.

Like bees, monarch butterflies serve as crop pollinators. Without them, many seed- and fruit-bearing plants would be unable to survive.

Roundup Doesn’t Even Work as Claimed

Perhaps the biggest reason why Roundup deserves to be banned forever is that the weedkiller does not even work. Overuse of Roundup has led to the emergence of highly resistant “superweeds” that no longer respond to chemical treatments and now plague millions of acres of U.S. cropland. Roundup does not even biodegrade as claimed.

Because of this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is gearing up to approve an even more deadly herbicide made from a component of Agent Orange, the Monsanto biowarfare chemical used during the Vietnam War.

> Five Reasons Round-up Should be Banned | Higher Perspective

Jul 16, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Weaving a Home: Collapsible Woven Refugee Shelters

Human life throughout history has developed in alternating waves of migration and settlement. Navigating this duality between exploration and settlement, movement and stillness is a fundamental essence of what it means to be human.

In the aftermath of global wars and natural disasters, the world has witnessed the displacement of millions of people across continents. Refugees seeking shelter from disasters carry from their homes what they can and resettle in unknown lands, often starting with nothing but a tent to call home.

Designed by Abeer Seikaly, “Weaving a home” reexamines the traditional architectural concept of refugee shelters by creating a technical, structural fabric that expands to enclose and contracts for mobility while providing the comforts of contemporary life (heat, running water, electricity, storage, etc.)

Design is supposed to give form to a gap in people’s needs.

This lightweight, mobile, structural fabric could potentially close the gap between need and desire as people metaphorically weave their lives back together, physically weaving their built environment into a place both new and familiar, transient and rooted, private and connected.

Structural Fabric Weaves Refugee Shelters into Communities

In this space, the refugees find a place to pause from their turbulent worlds, a place to weave the tapestry of their new lives.

They weave their shelter into a home.

> Structural Fabric Weaves Tent Shelters into Communities | Abeer Seikaly

Jul 14, 2014Jun 17, 2016

Ayahuasca Visions: Shamanic Psychedelic Visionary Art, Nisvan Gallery

It can be tough to take the psychedelic plunge and still remember to bring a bit of that often indescribable essence back with you, to the real world. Fortunately, Nisvan’s ability to recall his Ayahuasca visions is in full display.

Enjoy Nisvan’s incredible visionary art inspired by his psychedelic shamanic ayahuasca ceremonies.

Nisvan’s Ayahuasca Visions

Inner vision

Letting go of physical restrictions, shifting into a multi-layered consciousness of sound/light vibrations.

El Rey Leon

Power animal, giving strength and protection on the inner levels.

Flight of the Eagle

Travelling with lightspeed to the outer realms.

We are star-princes

Two elders appear, offering healing to the soul.

Spectral bat-insect

Trying to hide in the folds of my memory.

Galactic knights assembling

Entering the inner-space dome

Palace of light

Dark Chrissalis bird of habit disintegrated at the treshold of the palace of light.

Healing Buddhas

Appearing in caleidoscopic mandala vision, beaming their love directly from the source

Harmony

Sky Prince

Having awareness of heavenly constellations.

Ancestors: the Chief

Cosmic man

Beyond the body, resonating with the stars.

Golden Birdman

Not of this world

> Shamanic Psychedelic Art | Ultra Feel

Jul 3, 2014Jun 17, 2016

10 Ways to Raise Your Vibration and Appreciate Life

All your thoughts and feelings are energy, and energy is vibration. Learn to raise your vibration and watch your life change dramatically.

Find Something Beautiful and Appreciate It

Beauty is all around us, from the morning dew to the evening stars and everything in between. Many go through life not noticing all the beautiful things that are around them, and yes it’s everywhere, so appreciate it when you do.

Whether it’s the scent of a flower or the way rain ripples in puddles of water, appreciate the beauty life has to offer.

Make a List of All You are Grateful For

Making a gratitude list shifts your vibrations from focusing on what you do not have to what is already abundant in your life.

There is more to be grateful for than you can imagine.

Meditate

Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and breath in and out. Too often we rush through our days with a scattered brain leaving us in a state of anxiety and stress.

Meditation helps to calm your spirit down and put you in a peaceful state of mind. 10 minutes of meditation a day can change your life forever.

Giving to someone else shifts your thinking from “I don’t have enough, to I have more than enough to give to others.” Abundance is a high vibration.

Stop Complaining and Gossiping

Complaining and Gossip puts you in a very low vibration. Ask yourself “Are the things you are talking about bringing you more of what you want?” if not stop complaining, and start finding ways to rejoice.

Move, Exercise, Get Active

Vibration requires movement, the more you move the better your vibrations move. So Get Active! Dance!

The happier you feel, the more you will draw happy experiences to yourself because you are operating at a different frequency.

You are not a victim to circumstance, past, family upbringing, trauma, or anything else. You can change your life in an instant.

In many wisdom traditions this is called “total responsibility.” No one is responsible for how you feel right now, but you. It isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing because it gives you your power back.

Just sit and try to make your breath longer, fuller, and more relaxed. It has a direct effect on your nervous system and helps to calm you down. A calm vibration is a high vibration.

Fear holds us back from being in a state of love and happiness, and facing those fears opens you up to a greater world of possibilities. Fear of Heights? Go skydiving. Scared of public speaking, say a poem at an open mic.

You’ll begin to realize your fear was worse then the actual problem, and a sense of relief will wash over you.

Have a Meaningful Conversation with a Friend.

Rather than gossip or complaining, talk about your ideas.

What do you have planned for yourself? What do you think is the nature of reality? Are we spiritual beings having a human experience?

Talking about these things with someone helps to raise both your vibrations by thinking big. If you don’t have someone to talk to, there’s a community of higher-minded individuals right here.

> Raise that Vibration | Spirit Science and Metaphysics