Bizarre Beauty Rituals
By Janet Martin
You normally won’t find fish or bird droppings at the beauty section of big department stores. But these bizarre cosmetic ingredients have been used by Japanese women for ages to maintain their smooth, wrinkle-free complexion.
Now, trendy, high-end spas are offering these ancient remedies to both men and women who are willing to try anything in the name of beauty. These geisha-inspired treatments are the latest craze and are taking the beauty industry by storm.
“For several centuries, Japanese women made their own skincare formulas at home with natural food products – and the trade secrets of their female ancestors were passed from generation to generation. It is these ancient beauty rituals – and renewed interest in the once denigrated geisha – that have been resurrected in Japan and sold around the world,” said Stephanie Rafanelli in the Daily Mail.
For starters, how about a goldfish pedicure? In this procedure, hundreds of miniature fish eat your feet right before your very eyes! But don’t panic. We’re not talking about piranhas here. The treatment uses doctor fish or gara rufa that nibble away dead, scaly skin in a matter of minutes.
“Several beauty salons have picked up on this trend, which has long been used in Turkey, China, and Japan. The fish feed on dead skin, leaving the healthy, new skin exposed. The result is supposed to be soft smooth skin without a hint of roughness,” explained Amy White in AssociatedContent.com.
“Your most unpleasant flaky bits will be swiftly nibbled away in 15 unbearably ticklish minutes to reveal baby, clean feet. So the only thing you’re likely to die of is laughing,” Rafanelli added.
If you have a strong stomach, get a nightingale-dropping facial at Hari’s Salon in London. This 90-minute treatment will help lighten and brighten dull skin. The bird’s feces were used by early geishas and Kabuki actors to remove their thick make-up. Prior to applying, the droppings were dried in the sun. This has been replaced by ultraviolet light to sterilize them. At £135 it’s one of the most expensive facials but customers swear it leaves the skin shiny, clean, and fresh looking for the rest of the week. Plus it’s odor-free!
“Nightingale droppings contain an enzyme called guanine which bleaches and heals the skin, which makes it such an effective facial ingredient. This amino acid's benefits have long been known by Japanese geishas and Kabuki actors. Even monks have used these droppings to condition their exposed scalps,” revealed White.
Believing that beauty is not only skin deep, the Takano Yuri Beauty Clinic in Japan is known for its Etiquette Up treatment that supposedly purifies the body. This weird beauty regimen promises to detoxify your internal organs and make your feces odor-free. Your bathroom visits will be more pleasant afterwards. Did I mention this procedure is also good for the skin and eliminates wrinkles? Indeed, Japan is the place to be for pretty feces – I mean faces!
For the less adventurous types who don’t want to go far in their pursuit of beauty, they can find comfort in the popular wrinkle-fighter Dermaxin. This unique cream has powerful anti-aging ingredients that moisturize the skin, leaving it smooth, soft, and healthy.
Check out http://www.dermaxin.com for details.
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com
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Bizarre Travel Guide
By Mansi Aggarwal
Carrying a travel bag and looking around the places of historical and sculptural importance. Is that what you conceive as a holiday? If yes you haven’t seen or heard enough. The traveling experience can be more than rewarding if the choice of the places to visit is bizarre. And more so going to those untouched places can be one hell-of an experience. May be it is going in to the wilderness of the Amazon or the endless Kalahari, the fun never ends. Some places definitely provide more then you can ask for.
For those who have seen all the obvious and usual places to visit these can be the fun trips. Hunting vampires in Transylvania or getting close to the sharks at the sea, every thing that you never thought about makes the trips one to remember. The popularity of these goes to the extreme thinking of the tourists and the efforts of the tour organizers. The trips include many out of the world experiences. One of them is the storm chase. It’s like trying to cut through the storm risking all you have for the thrill of the lifetime.
Many may think it unusual but many people consider hunting for Unidentified Flying Objects as there idea of an adventure trip. People cite the UFO’s and then the most common places to find them are prepared for the tourist and wait for them to return. This also comes, sometimes with unusual alien citing which add the extra thrill to the adventure. The much known area 51 is on the list of such enthusiasts and they claim to have made visits. Museums and memorials dedicated to the alien s and their things are there at many places across the United States.
The scientific advancements are giving hope to the concept of H. G. Wells regarding time travel. The tourists definitely would like to venture into some adventure, which can take them to the past. This seems a bit too complicated but this is fast becoming the most sought after concept and people are willing to pay for the same. There are risks attached to it and there seems to be a lot of time that remains before this thing to get materialized; yet the craving is never-ending.
Another adventure that the people have been indulging into for years is the treasure hunts. In the pursuit of hidden treasures many people venture in to the deepest of seas and the innermost of the forests looking for them. Even the mystery of the Bermuda triangle is also intriguing and the tourists don’t want to miss a chance to go there. Well, to do that one has to make a trip and go because no tour operator will take the risk.
Then the latest in bizarre adventure list is the concept of space travel. With the theories regarding possibilities of life on other planets people are willing to go to outer space for the trips of there life time. This is one of the possible traveling ideas because it has been experimented and people have actually been to space for a trip. The space tourism seems to be the nest thing in traveling brochures.
So say goodbye to the customized tours and pack your bags for some bizarre traveling experiences.
Mansi aggarwal writes about bizarre travel.Learn more at http://www.oddballvacations.com
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Psychology of Lying - 3 Bizarre Reasons Why People Lie
By Michael Lee
In order for an individual to detect that a person is telling a lie, the person needs to understand the psychology of lying to know the reason behind the act.
In fact, having knowledge on the psychology of lying can help you become more observant to the different signs of lying, as well as the mentality that comes with it. This is useful in order to avoid being put in a sense of doubt or under emotional stress when you are confronted with it.
Fear
One of the reasons why a person tells a lie is because of the fear of possible consequences involved when telling the truth.
This psychology of lying is quite prevalent in younger generations when they are hiding something sensitive from their friends and family members -- opting to tell a lie rather than being punished for telling the truth.
It is a sign of escape of possible punishment that comes with the act of telling the truth.
Self-Image
Improving their own image in the eyes of their friends and families is one of the reasons why people tell a lie. In order to uplift their social on par with others, a person would often create stories, usually on the spot, to make sure that the other party is kicked out of the limelight.
This psychology of lying is just a temporary rise on the social ladder, and will often be replaced with embarrassment when the truth comes out.
Harming Others
Another purpose is to attack other people, indirectly, by telling a lie about them. In fact, this is often seen felt by prominent individuals in the society.
In order to lower the status or career of this individual, a person will often create a lie that will put others into a state of doubt regarding their own beliefs and truths.
To summarize, people may lie due to the fear of the consequences when they tell the truth, to boost their self-image inappropriately, or to deliberately harm others. Using the psychology of lying, you'll be able to handle circumstances when people are not telling the truth.
Discover how to detect lies and easily persuade anyone to do anything you want using powerful conversational hypnosis techniques. Grab your FREE course that reveals groundbreaking persuasion secrets at http://www.20daypersuasion.com/secrets.htm.
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Does Time-Travel Put Free-Will in Doubt?
By Jeffrey Hauser
Whether it was H.G. Wells sending a machine into the future or Michael J. Fox using a DeLorean to accomplish the same mission in 1985, we’ve all read or seen tales of time travel. Scientists at this very moment are attempting to send a tiny photon back in a millisecond of time. They are getting closer than you might think. It involves a tremendous amount of energy to accomplish such a feat, but, if it happens, think of the consequences. Traveling backward, even to a short amount of our past, means that we can go either direction.
Why? Because if someone or thing can go back to a moment that already existed, they are creatures from the future moving into a prior time. The future is therefore, already known. That means it now exists. There is no guesswork required. Let’s make a supposition. If we can go back in time and review events of the period, even as an observer without being able to manipulate or change anything, we can bear witness to what has occurred. That also determines a fact that, for those we are observing, their future is already been decided.
Consider that you go back 10 years and see yourself. You are unable to alter the series of event that will take place, but you also know exactly what and when things will manifest themselves. Unfortunately you can’t yell at yourself to avoid hitting that tree or betting on the wrong horse at the race track either. But you do have a virtual roadmap of what you will experience over the upcoming decade. So, do you have free will? If the future is already a known fact, how can it be changed? The truth is, it can’t. You are destined to do whatever has been chosen for you. Does it seem that you are free to make choices? Of course it is. But, is that what is actually the case?
The point of this exercise is, does it really matter? You go about living as you always have, knowing that life is a series of choices that will determine your future. I once wrote a novel called, “The Palmer Effect,” where I tell the tale of someone who lives in multiple worlds or dimensions, all caused by the various decisions the hero, Harry, makes. Based on who he married, the job he took, and where he chose to live, his life altered. But Harry continued on in each life and therefore created dozens, if not hundreds of other lives in other worlds.
Whether that is true or not, the world we live in is guided by events of our choosing and if that is considered free will, all the better. Would you want to know the future, if given that option? I doubt many would, especially if it included the exact day and time of your demise. I prefer to live as if I was living forever. And if the “myself of the future” could travel back and watch me, I would hope they could not contact me in any way and therefore let me decide my fate for myself, both good and bad. And for that matter, how do you know that someone from the year 2500, where time-travel is now common, is not observing you rat this very moment? Think about it when you have some time in the future.
Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix."
His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com and he is currently the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
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Want to Put Someone in a Hypnosis Trance?
By Perry Lai
Mini loops will be able to make your nested loop less rigid and can add a little gratification to your audience putting them in a hypnosis trance.
You can already start to design your nested loops and create stories that will fit your target audience. You do not necessarily start with the first story when you make your own nested loop.
Once you have decided what your stories are, you can design your loop in no particular order according to your stories. You may wish to begin your nested loop with your third story, add the other stories as part of the introduction, if you deem it will make your third story more flowing.
The principle of drawing your listener into a hypnosis trance and making a good lead, will be able to guide you in making an interesting and colorful nested loop which will enable you to extract emotions and state, establish suggestions and create amnesia, resulting to your listeners' arrival at a resolution.
You may sequence your stories by starting with a story that will create a smooth and flowing conversation at the beginning of your nested loop. The second story will serve as your second lead which will cushion your way to the third story.
You also have the liberty to add other aspects of conversational hypnosis to your stories along as you design them. You have learned the piggy back principal, seeding rapport hooks, and many other principals which will get your audience drawn in and glued to your stories.
Aside from choosing your stories and structuring them to your nested loops, there are other principles that you can use to make your nested loops most effective for you and your client easily putting them into a hypnosis trance.
Perry is a speaker, trainer, author and coach. Download your FREE guide on "The Untold Secrets of Conversational Hypnosis Revealed". Click the hyper-link to download and learn more about Hypnosis Trance
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Self Hypnosis - Five Simple Steps to Success
By Julia Denham
Self hypnosis is a valuable self help skill. You can learn it very easily, and the more often you use it, the better you'll get at it. Discover how in this article.
All hypnosis is self hypnosis. When you're hypnotized by someone else, that person takes charge of helping you to relax by distraction, and giving you suggestions. You can learn to do it for yourself.
A hypnosis session has three elements: relaxation and distraction, suggestions, and the return. Once you know how they work, and how hypnosis feels, you can use "instant" hypnosis in your everyday life.
Why use hypnosis? Simply to get more out of life. You can eliminate bad habits like overeating and smoking, and develop good habits. You can also develop a powerful memory, and an out-going personality.
Read these five tips, then use them.
1. Focus and relax... let your imagination go
Self hypnosis starts by creating a private space for yourself. Close your office door. Lie down, or sit in a chair with your feet on the floor. Keep your back straight, whether you're lying down or sitting. Take several deep breaths.
2. Choose a daydream scenario to relax completely
Create a daydream. Imagine yourself in your favorite place: on a beach, in the mountains - anywhere you choose. You're completely relaxed, just enjoying yourself lying in the sun.
3. Write a simple script, or use affirmations
Once you're completely relaxed, you can give yourself suggestions. You can write a script (open your eyes to read it), or just repeat affirmations.
4. Coming back - count yourself back to your normal waking state
Now count yourself back to consciousness - five, four, three, two, one - wide awake!
5. Repeat daily for success
The more often you practice self hypnosis, the more successful you'll be. Choose one thing to work on - overeating, getting a better memory, eliminating shyness - and work with it for at least two weeks.
A self hypnosis session can be completed in five minutes, once you've practiced. Enjoy your self hypnosis sessions - they're great for stress relief, and they can help you to success in all areas of your life.
Hypnosis can change your life for the better. You can eliminate challenges, and achieve any goals you set. Want to know more about the power of hypnosis and self-hypnosis? Visit Discover Hypnosis Now at http://discoverhypnosisnow.com/ and Hypnosis Wins at http://hypnosiswins.com/ for more information and tips.
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Hypnosis Scripts
By Dane Bergen
A person who learns the techniques of self hypnosis may find hypnosis scripts very useful for making the learning process easy. It will help you to reach the trance state of mind when you practice self hypnosis at your home. If practiced properly in a scientific manner self hypnosis will help you a lot in improving the level of self confidence. It will also help you to overcome the phobia you feel towards some objects.
A lot of people are now attempting to learn the techniques of self hypnosis with an intention to improve the quality of their life. Some others learn it to become a teacher of self hypnosis. Whatever be the intention behind learning it, these directions in a written form will help you a lot in making it a less complicated process.
Using a scientifically designed hypnosis script will help you to program your subconscious. It will again help you to reduce stress and to improve your confidence.
As you think it is not a difficult job to find out hypnosis scripts that suits your need. A simple search in the internet will open up a world of hypnosis scripts before you. You can find a large number of websites that provide these tools of hypnosis in the internet. You can also find sites that offer them free of cost to their visitors.
Normally a script that you use for a particular purpose will not be suitable for another person who strives for some other object. A person who wants to quit the habit of smoking by using this technique should use the tools that are specially designed for it. Using a script meant for losing body weight will not produce any result in such a person. Always try to be specific about your desire before you invest your money on these tools to be used in self hypnosis process.
The scripts we use fall in to two categories: visualization scripts and positive suggestion scripts. As the very name suggests visualization scripts are meant to make the visualization process an easy one for the user. Positive suggestion scripts are designed to make the suggestion you induce to your mind more effective and scientific.
Be careful about the quality of the script you purchase to get the best out of your learning process. It is always better to inquire about the qualifications of the persons who prepare them before you one for your use.
To get your complimentary Hypnosis course, or for my personal advice on Hypnotism, Hypnotherapy and Self Hypnosis visit my website by clicking the links.
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5 Bizarre Contests Around the World
By Andrew Biggins
Competitiveness is an in born trait amongst humans - hence the various contests we see on TV, magazines, etc. In the spirit of the upcoming Beijing Olympics, here are a few contests you probably would want to steer clear of (well maybe except the first one...) and were probably rejected by the Olympics committee.
Topless Women's Soccer
Oh yes, say this isn't true?! Everybody knows what soccer is - but have you ever watched a topless women's soccer match? Women wearing nothing but G-strings with their national colours painted all over their body (talk about patriotic) play a mean game of soccer to the delight of the pre-dominantly male crowd (naturally!)
Stinky Sneaker Championship
Take those stinky sneakers out your closets! (or off your shoes really). In Montpelier Vermont, a contest is held in search of the foulest, stomach-turning, barf-inducing (insert adjective here) sneakers ever to stink the face of the earth. The contest began 25 years ago, and have had the honor of a NASA Employee, dubbed "the Nose of NASA", as master sniffer.
Just here a few tips from the contestants:
"Just wear them a lot. And drag them when you ride bikes."
"The cow pies... They're just hard to avoid. They're everywhere.'
"Keep wearing the same socks for 3 months.."
All for the grand prize of a $500 savings bond, $100 for a new pair of sneakers, the Golde Sneaker, and various Odor-Eater products!
Shin-Kicking Contest
Waiting to get all that hostility and angst out on someone? Release and let go by shin-kicking! That's correct folks! Since 1612 in merry old Costwold England, men don traditional smocks, hold each other's shoulder and try to outkick each other to the ground. Their only protection? Straw down their trousers!
Bikini Japanese Girls Bizarre Tongue Writing Contest
Japanese girls in Bikinis? Doing something with their tongues? (imagination running wild).
This is one contest where your creativity in writing won't matter... or will it? Naturally, from the land of Takeshi's Castle, there is no bizarre list without any Japanese creation whatsoever.
Horned Toad Derby Contest
In the town COALINGAholds the annual Horned Toad Derby where horned toads ... "are placed in the center of a large red circle and the first to leave the circle wins bragging rights for its sponsor." Can just imagine the men bragging.
I'm pretty sure there are still a lot of contests around the world to top the bizarre contests lists, anything you know? Send in your links!
Andy Biggins knows that life isn't a box of chocolates but he loves it as sweetly as if it were! Traveling and Gadgets rule his world, and if you want to know more about his thoughts on just about those 2 topics, swing by his site The Big Life
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The Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics
By Kate Corbin
“If thoughts can do that to water, imagine what our thoughts can do to us.”
– from the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know!?The Law of Attraction teaches that we attract into our lives whatever we focus on. Quantum Physics teaches that nothing is fixed, that there are no limitations, that everything is vibrating Energy. By understanding that everything is Energy in a state of potential and by applying the Law of Attraction to bring into our lives what we focus on, it is never necessary to feel stuck with an undesirable life.
We are Creators of the Universe. The classical physics of Newton takes a material perspective in which the Universe is composed of discrete building blocks, solid and unchangeable. Quantum physics takes a spiritual perspective in which there are no separate parts, in which everything is fluid and always changing.
The physical world is a sea of Energy constantly flashing into and out of existence. It is through our thoughts that we transform this ever-changing Energy into observable reality. Therefore, we can create our reality with our thoughts. With quantum physics, science is leaving behind the notion that human beings are powerless victims and moving toward an understanding that we are fully empowered creators of our lives and of our world.
With Newton, we were insignificant cogs in the Universal Machinery.
With quantum physics, we are Creators of the Universe.Everything is Energy. Einstein’s 1905 formula E = mc2 explains the relationship between Energy and matter, i.e., that Energy and matter are interchangeable – that, in reality, everything is Energy – dancing, fluid, ever-changing Energy.
This Energy is influenced by our thoughts. It is shapeable, formable, and moldable. As Creators, we shape, form and mold the Energy of the Universe through our thoughts. We transform the Energy of our thoughts into the Energy of our reality.
The Physics of Possibility. The popular movie, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, clarifies that quantum physics is the physics of possibility. We have been conditioned to believe that the external world is more real than the internal world. Quantum physics says just the opposite. It says that what’s happening on the inside determines what’s happening on the outside. It says that our world is shaped by our thoughts.
Since nothing is fixed and everything is in a state of potential, everything is possible. As we understand that everything is possible, and as we focus our thoughts on what we want to attract, we can literally call into existence whatever we desire.
My ten-year old neighbor loves the expression – “It could happen!” He probably doesn’t know much about the physics of possibility, but he practices it with his great attitude. He reminds me to entertain possibility. He reminds me that nothing is impossible.
Dreams into Reality. The Universe exists as infinite potential in infinite abundance. As we focus our thoughts, we have the power to bring our desires into existence, our dreams into reality. As we focus our thoughts, we have the power to be and do and have whatever we desire.
Kate Corbin is a Law of Attraction Life Coach and the creator of Gold Star Coaching. Both her coaching practice and her e-book, Dining at the Cosmic Café: How to Be and Do and Have Whatever You Desire, http://www.goldstarcoaching.com/ebook.html are designed to help people move from where they are to where they want to be and truly live the life of their dreams. To contact Coach Kate, learn more about the Law of Attraction, and to check out her e-book, visit http://www.goldstarcoaching.com/
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The Origins of the Ouija Board
By Sarah Todd
Throughout history man has been obsessed with his mortality, fascinated by what lies beyond this life. The ouija board is probably the most famous tool used for communication with the dead, and it seems to have been around for centuries. In China there are records dating from 1,200 BC, claiming ouija instruments were frequently used in written communications with the dead, while 13th century Mongols were said to use a table and "rapping noises" for the same purpose. In 540 BC the Greek philosopher Pythagoras and his sect held frequent séances or circles at which 'a mystic table, moving on wheels, moved towards signs. Pythagoras and his pupil supposedly interpreted the board's actions to the audience, describing them as revelations from the unseen world. The results were compiled into an "Apocrypha" (meaning "those having been hidden away - a book of uncertain authorship.
Today's ouija board was designed in Baltimore in 1892 by Elija J Bond and William Fuld, when the boards became popular for use in "parlour games". It's a refined version of one invented in 1853 by French spiritualist Monsieur Planchette. The earlier board was a large piece of paper with a two wheeled heartshaped wedge which had a pencil attached to one end. Today's board is inscribed with numbers and letters, and the wedge is now called a "planchette".
The layout of the ouija board varies slightly from country to country. The original and most popular layout places the "yes" at the top of the circle and the "no" at the bottom. The letters are placed in a circle starting with the letter A next to the word yes and continuing around until the letter Z ends up on the other side of the word "yes". The ten numbers from one to zero are placed at the bottom next to the "no". The ouija board usually requires a minimum of two people to operate it. It is very rare that one person has the power to operate the board.
ouija boards have become an iconic part of culture, and have featured in a number of books and films. Their roles vary from being a benign object to an evil entity. A more peculiar role of talking boards in literature stems from authors using the board to channel written works from the deceased:
~ Pearl Curren held public séances, and claimed her ouija board allowed her to communicate with the spirit of Patience Worth, resulting in Curren publishing a number of poems and prose.
~ Sylvia Plath's poem "Dialogue over a Ouija Board" incorporates the text of one of the sessions she held with her husband using a ouija board.
~ Emily Hutchings claimed in 1917 she had communicated with Mark Twain, who dictated a book she wrote through the ouija board. Twain's descendents halted publication of the book through the courts, which was later said to be so badly written it could not have been written by Twain - dead or alive.
~ James Merrill used messages he claimed he obtained from various deceased people while using a ouija board in his poetry "The Changing Light at Sandover".
~ John Fuller worked with a spirit medium while researching his book "The Ghost of Flight 401", which was about a flight which crashed into the Everglades en route to Miami. They claim they contacted the flight engineer through the board, and the information obtained was not known to either him or the medium.
~ Writer GK Chesterton used a ouija board to try and break a period of skepticism and depression. His experiments with the item launched his interest in the occult.
~ Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous used a ouija board to contact spirits. His wife claimed he would receive messages directly without using the board. For a while, his participation in AA was deeply affected by his involvement with the ouija board. Wilson claimed he received the twelve step method directly from a spirit without the board and wrote it down.
Although ouija boards are considered harmless toys to many people they are a force for evil, opening a door for demons and other malevolent entities to enter our world and create havoc or even destroy a person. The very thought of the potential power of a ouija board is thought to have a very negative effect upon a fragile mind. And that thought alone should be enough to warn us of their power - benign or otherwise.
The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog
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2 Astral Travel Techniques Explained - Have an Out of Body Experience Effortlessly
By Tina Bardo
In this article I'd like to take a quick look at 2 of my favorite astral travel techniques. If you are trying to have on out of body experience and are having difficulty, I'm hoping these 3 simple and short pointers will help you on your way! They have for me....so let's hope the same for you, ok? Read on..:-)
Simple Distant Visualization
This is REALLY easy. You simply get a good idea of a place in your home, office or anywhere really that you are VERY familiar, and visualize it when you close your eyes. (when attempting OBE of course..:-) The key is, you have to have a VERY refined sense of this particular place - what it feels like, looks like, smells like, etc. By immersing your inner "eye" in this environment during the OBE exercise, if you are ANYTHING like me, you'll find this to be a powerful catalyst to actually shifting your internal perspective to that specific locale completely. A bona fide OBE is often very close behind!
Fixed Attention Technique
This has it's roots in a Zen practice, and even that of a Cabalistic meditation I learned several years ago. It's very effective for astral projection as well. You simply focus the entirety of your attention on a place within your own body that you can see. If you are touching your fingers together, for example, focus on the sensation that arises from the fingers touching on the most MINUTE level. You'll become immersed in the sensation pretty quickly and the rest of the world starts to narrow to that single point of focus.
Cabalistic meditation ( at high levels) teaches you to focus your concentration on the spot at the back of your head....which of course, you can't SEE. (because none of us have eyes in the back of our heads just yet..:-) But by training the mind on a sensation, or a "spot" on your body that is unreachable through the ordinary senses, the EXTRAORDINARY senses begin to kick in! And this is always, for me, the very beginning of a magical and mysterious journey in a hurry!
And of course there is SO much more....More that lies possible in YOUR life if you only open yourself up to the possibilities. Simply START by opening your mind, spirit & enhanced AWARENESS and ride the supernatural surfboard into the wild, wacky and wonderful world of the unknown..:-) It WILL rock Your WORLD...I promise..;-)
Who Else Wants to Experience Radical Inner Peace & Magnificent Well Being?
Read on...to discover how to experience almost MAGICAL psychic POWERS, blissful meditation and SO much more...quickly easily and magically even if you are a complete novice and have no idea what you are doing!
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Synchronicity or Coincidence--You Decide
By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD
Synchronicity is a phenomenon where an event in the outside world coincides meaningfully with a psychological state of mind. "Meaningful coincidence"... Synchronicity - a term introduced by the depth of psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung’s work... Recently the term "synchronicity" was introduced into pop culture consciousness by the artist, Sting (an avid student of Jung) and the Police. And more recently - the best seller book entitled "The Celestine Prophecy.” The author, James Redfield, relies heavily upon the experience of "synchronicity."
Synchronicity was defined by Jung as an "a causal connecting principle," an essentially mysterious connection between the personal psyche and the material world, based on the fact that at the bottom they are only different forms of energy. Jung associated synchronistic experiences with the relativity of space and time and a degree of unconsciousness.
Synchronicity . . . consists of two factors: a) An unconscious image comes into consciousness either directly (i.e., literally) or indirectly (symbolized or suggested) in the form of a dream, idea, or premonition. b) An objective situation coincides with this content. The one is as puzzling as the other.["Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle," ibid., par. 858.]
The very diverse and confusing aspects of these phenomena are, so far as I can see at present, completely explicable on the assumption of a psychically relative space-time continuum. As soon as a psychic content crosses the threshold of consciousness, the synchronistic marginal phenomena disappear, time and space resume their accustomed sway, and consciousness is once more isolated in its subjectivity. . . . Conversely, synchronistic phenomena can be evoked by putting the subject into an unconscious state.[On the Nature of the Psyche," CW 8, par. 440.]
It is not only possible but fairly probable, even, that the psyche and matter are two different aspects of one and the same thing. The synchronicity phenomena point, it seems to me, in this direction, for they show that the non psychic can behave like the psychic, and vice versa, without there being any causal connection between them.[Ibid., par. 418.]
To gain a fuller understanding and appreciation for the Jungian concept of “synchronicity" – One needs to take a circuitous path called the Journey of Wholeness, or "Unus Mundus"...
Unus Mundus (literally meaning: One World) Journey of Wholeness
The four elements are depicted by the four cardinal Zodiac signs: Aries - fire, Cancer - water, Libra - air and Capricorn – earth.
Unus Mundus is the conjunction...
It's the royal mystical marriage of: Heaven/Earth, Sun/Moon, King/Queen transformed back into the original, undivided unity of the world soul... the world logos... the god image within... Unus Mundus is the final reuniting of our spirit, soul, and body with the world soul.
Unus Mundus In Alchemy
Renaissance alchemist Gerhard Dorn's highest goal and desire was transforming the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth) back into the original One World unity of Unus Mundus.
"Learn from within thyself to know all that is in heaven and on earth, that thou mayest be wise in all things. Knowest thou not that heaven [spirit] and the elements [matter] were formerly one, and were separated by a divine act of creation from one another, that they might bring forth thee and all things?... Know that man's greatest treasure is to be found within man, and not outside him...
From the alchemist text "Theatrum Chemicum" Volume One (1602 AD)
Gerhard Dorn's "Speculativae philosophiae..."
Unus Mundus In Mythology
In mythology, Unus Mundus is that mythical, imaginal place where heaven touches earth... Unus Mundus is the mystical land beyond all time and space... a sphere of unity where the opposites of: life/death, love/hate, peace/war, good/evil, spirit/matter all merge into one another and cease to exist separately... Then, there is only the One...
Christos "Understand that thou art a second little world and that the sun and moon are within thee, and also the stars...."
Origen, 2nd/3rd Century Christian Mystic/Theologian, Homilies in Leviticum, 126
Late 2nd Century Christian mystic Origen taught that Christ showed each of us the way to Unus Mundus by the example of his (Christ's) life....
Christ was the only person in the history of the world who had succeeded in the delicate, tricky balance of standing firmly with one foot in heaven while simultaneously placing his other foot on earth....
Unus Mundus
The place where heaven and earth meet.... it's the marriage of: Heaven/Earth, Sun/Moon, King/Queen
Have you experienced a "Unus Mundus moment?"
You know... Those brief, fleeting moments when we feel in total harmony with the flow and pulse of the universe? Those brief moments when we "somehow" know and feel that our lives are being mysteriously orchestrated by a power larger than ourselves? Those brief, shining moments when we feel more like "the windshield than the bug?"
Bringing Unus Mundus Down To Earth - (Unus Mundus & Synchronicity)
Examples of Synchronicity:
1. You're sitting at home... And then for no apparent reason you start thinking about someone you haven't thought about or seen for years... and at the same instant, the phone rings and it's the person you were thinking about... Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
2. You're going on a road trip to San Jose, CA. Before going to bed that night, you set your radio alarm clock to wake you up the next morning with music. When the radio comes on the next morning, the words of the song playing on the radio are: "Do you know the way to San Jose?" Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
3. One night, you have a dream about someone who used to be important in your life... This is a "someone" who hasn't been in your life, dreams or thoughts for quite some time - and the dream leaves you with an eerie feeling of concern for the "someone." Later on you discover that the "someone's" mother died on the same night and it was virtually at the very same moment you had the disturbing dream... Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, motivational speaker and inspirational leader specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net
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Some Bizarre Death Penalty Laws
By Mick Mickelsen and Clint Broden
Recently I had a Federal judge reject my attempts to keep a client on death row from being executed. I was appointed to represent the defendant after he had lost his trial; lost his appeal in state court; and lost his attempt to convince the trial judge to find his case constitutionally flawed pursuant to a "writ of habeas corpus." I was appointed, as Federal law provides, to represent him in relation to his final "appeals" to Federal court.
After I was appointed to represent him I asked the judge to let me have investigators and the funds to thoroughly review his case. Eventually the court agreed to let me do this. The evidence of guilt was overwhelming but the investigation revealed that the trial attorneys had failed to put on hardly any evidence in the phase of the trial in which the jury is supposed to hear all the evidence relevant to the question of whether he should live or die. The Supreme Court has made it increasingly clear over the years that it is unconstitutional in this day and age to execute someone unless the jury is provided a complete overview of the defendant's life. The good, the bad and the ugly. Yet this clearly did not happen in this case. Easy answer right? Just retry the defendant on the question of whether he should be executed. Wrong!
The problem is I did not find out all of this information until it is too late. The law provides that if an allegation is made that the trial lawyers failed to do something it has to be raised in the first state writ of habeas corpus. If it wasn't raised then it may never be considered again. Why wasn't the evidence presented in the first state writ of habeas corpus? The defendant had a lawyer didn't he? Yes, but one that worse than having no lawyer at all. The trial court appointed a lawyer who had just graduated from law school and had no experience in death penalty litigation. It appears she simply had no idea what she was supposed to do because she raised no meaningful issues in the state writ of habeas corpus. Well, in that case the courts should just allow the defendant another chance to file a state writ of habeas corpus right? Wrong again. The courts are afraid that if the failures or inadequacies of state habeas counsel could result in "do overs" the death penalties appeals really would never come to an end. So if state habeas counsel drops the ball, to bad, so sad," for the defendant.
Consider the upshot of all this for a moment. The defendant is guilty. As a practical matter the only question is whether he should spend the rest of his life in prison or be executed. The Supreme Court says no automatic death penalty. The jury must here all relevant evidence about the defendant before it can make such a momentous decision. The court appoints the defendant a lawyer who fails to put even a fraction of all the relevant evidence before the jury. The first appeals lawyer can't do anything about it, even if he knew about it, because the law says in the first appeal the lawyer can only talk about things that were before the court at trial and the whole point is the trial lawyer did not place any of this information before the court. The court then appoints an inexperienced lawyer who has no idea what she is supposed to do to prepare and file a state habeas petition. She does no investigation and thus makes no mention of the failure of the first attorneys to present any of this evidence. Then the courts appoint the defendant a new attorney and tell that attorney that he is limited to carrying forward the frivolous claims of the first habeas attorney. When he informs the court of all the important evidence the jury never heard, the court then responds, "the defendant failed to raise these issues in the first habeas corpus and thus cannot raise them now." Really?
The nearly retarded defendant with a fourth grade education on death row? He didn't do anything but sit in his cell. The courts initially failed to appoint competent attorneys for the defendant. The attorneys that the court assigned to the defendant failed him and the public, who would like to believe that before people are executed, the jury that imposed the death sentence was making an informed decision. In reality, the courts are far more responsible for the failure of this evidence to presented to the jury than the defendant himself. In fairness to the judges the law provides for this "Catch 22," but sometimes the law promotes more injustice than justice.
Source: Broden & Mickelsen
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Reviewing The Various Types And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia
By Mike Selvon
Schizophrenia is a form of psychosis that shifts sufferers from reality to an often terrifying world of delusions, confusion, danger and hallucination. Often the symptoms of schizophrenia are described as "positive" or "negative." Positive symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders and involuntary movements may come and go.
Negative symptoms refer to reductions in normal behavior, such as a monotonous voice, emotionless facial expression, a lack of pleasure, infrequent speech, poor hygiene and the inability to execute a plan. Sometimes, symptoms occur constantly, while at other times patients suffer from schizophreniform disorder.
There are five different types of schizophrenia, according to schizophrenia research, and the symptoms vary. The first type and the most common is paranoid schizophrenia. The paranoid schizophrenic suffers bizarre delusions and sometimes auditory hallucinations.
For instance, the patient may believe that the government is spying on them, that people on television or animals are talking to them, or that someone is trying to deliberately hurt them. Often, paranoid schizophrenics also suffer an accompanying anxiety disorder that causes heightened fear, nervous twitches and displeasure. Other patients have delusions of grandeur, and believe they are a great inventor or a celebrity.
Strange emotional responses characterize the second type, which is called disorganized schizophrenia. Symptoms of schizophrenia for this type may include emotionless facial display, a monotone voice, or the inability to laugh, cry and show any emotion. Sufferers may exhibit signs of "psychomotor poverty," disrupted speech patterns, a lack of spontaneous movement or motivation, derailment, thought disturbances and reality distortion.
The third type is called catatonic schizophrenia, which is the stereotypical view of a person rocking back and forth in a strait jacket, staring vapidly -- sometimes rambling incessantly, or at other times being completely mute. The symptoms of this type may include making jerky, bizarre movements, with arms and legs flailing about for no reason. The catatonic schizophrenic is incapable of caring for him or herself and is characterized as having a very severe mental illness.
The fourth type is referred to as undifferentiated schizophrenia, meaning that the symptoms cannot definitively classify the disorder as one type or another. Some patients show all the different symptoms or a few from each category. These patients sometimes lack catatonia, paranoia and disorganized speech, but may instead exhibit symptoms of a neurological disorder.
Lastly, the residual schizophrenic is someone who may have a past history, but currently exhibits no positive symptoms -- like delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or bizarre behavior. Sometimes residual schizophrenia occurs during a transition from diagnosed schizophrenia to remission, and other times no psychotic episodes occur for years.
Roughly, one out of every one thousand people develops a schizophreniform disorder - meaning that they exhibit a short term form of schizophrenia. Two thirds of the people with the disorder go on to develop a life-long mental illness.
These symptoms of schizophrenia can be caused by genetics, brain chemistry or environmental factors. Some people are literally pushed to the brink of insanity due to stress from social interactions. Others have an imbalance of neurotransmitters that may lead to disorganization in the brain.
To treat schizophrenia of any type, the good news is that taking an anti-psychotic schizophrenia drug is usually very effective in treating the symptoms, and allows most sufferers to live a relatively normal life.
A free audio gift awaits you at our portal site, where you can enrich your knowledge further about the symptoms of schizophrenia. Your comment is much appreciated at our mental illness blog.
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