In August 1961, a barbed-wire barrier was erected between East and West Berlin. A few days later, workers started building a concrete block wall. Residents of East were no longer allowed to enter the West. The "Iron Curtain" that Winston Churchill had spoken about in a 1946 speech had now come to fruition. (MSN homepage … Continue reading East Germany and the Human Spirit
Author: jjhiii24
Consciousness and the World We Create
David Darling has pressed the matter of consciousness into the moment vividly for me, not simply due to his compelling prose, but also because of the immediacy of consciousness and its relationship to the world we inhabit, which often offers us conflicting priorities based on our personal sensitivity to the events which transpire in the … Continue reading Consciousness and the World We Create
Equations of Eternity
From the book jacket: "David Darling holds a degree in Physics From Sheffield University and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Manchester, in England." In a fascinating and unique treatment of the subject, David Darling prompts the reader to consider the interdependence of both sides of the brain hemispheres. Identifying the left brain … Continue reading Equations of Eternity
New Life Springs From Ancient Wisdom
What we know of ourselves, In the very moment we exist, Though often hidden or somehow obscured, Can be revealed in several ways. We cast our glance to the horizon To pierce the inner world, Only to discover that our world Is here now, already within us. We gaze upon a reflection of ourselves, And … Continue reading New Life Springs From Ancient Wisdom
Ancient Worlds and Modern Consciousness
Egyptian Heads Mummies of the World Exhibition On loan from the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums, Mannheim, Germany Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA Imagine for a moment that you are in Egypt in the latter part of the 26th Dynasty in the Late Period of Egyptian history witnessing the burial rituals of Nespaqashuti, an Egyptian priest in the religious … Continue reading Ancient Worlds and Modern Consciousness
The Placebo Effect
Mario Beauregard's book makes special notice of the placebo effect in chapter six entitled, "Toward a Non-materialist Science of Mind." In that chapter, he details the research being conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and describes what it is and why it is being employed in this kind of research: "A magnetic resonance imaging … Continue reading The Placebo Effect
A Spiritual Neuroscience – Mario Beauregard
Another interesting viewpoint that suggests our understanding of the nature of consciousness would benefit from being more inclusive appears in the book, "The Spiritual Brain," which takes on the purely materialistic view that the brain alone produces the mind and accounts for consciousness. In a methodically reasoned and admirably balanced manner, the book addresses how, … Continue reading A Spiritual Neuroscience – Mario Beauregard
Is Matter a Manifestation of the Spirit?
A current exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, “Mummies of the World,” contains over 40 mummies and a number of artifacts related to these discoveries. In the official exhibition catalog, it states that the goal of the exhibit “is to advance the relevance of anthropology in ancient global cultures, and to provide visitors with … Continue reading Is Matter a Manifestation of the Spirit?
Complexity in Nature – Brain Connections
Tamily Weissman, Jeff Lichtman, and Joshua Sanes (2005) A recent article on the Scientific American website detailed the extraordinary work being undertaken by scientists studying the complex array of connections and neural pathways in the brain. The following link will take you to a brief video explaining the current efforts being made to track these … Continue reading Complexity in Nature – Brain Connections
Jim Morrison – Looking into the mirror he held up to us.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images Whatever else may be true about the life and times of Jim Morrison, formerly of the rock group known as "The Doors," while he may have broken through and trampled on just about every boundary that was ever proposed in civil society, there can be no doubt that what … Continue reading Jim Morrison – Looking into the mirror he held up to us.