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Activating A State of Flow ~ Part II
November 9, 2014 § 4 Comments
"You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and sense of time disappears. You forget yourself. You feel part of something larger." ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
"May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
"The river is everywhere." ~ Hermann Hesse, "Siddhartha"
Flow is an optimal state of consciousness where we both feel & perform our best. We all know & love the experience of being "in the zone." As we examined in PART I, flow is a neurochemically measurable phenomenon, which can be broken down into four distinct stages (see Part 1).
But what creates this state & can we induce it?
Studies have identified multiple triggers for flow.
1. Intensely focused attention.
Producing flow requires long periods of uninterrupted concentration. Flow demands singular tasks & (except in cases where group flow is the goal) solitude. Multi-tasking is out. As psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the pioneering "Flow," says: "It is impossible to enjoy a tennis game, a book, or a conversation unless attention is fully concentrated on the activity."
2. Clear goals.
Knowing what you're doing & why you're doing it. For example, a basketball player knows the rules of the game. The artist has some kind of vision, or idea of what she wants to express, before setting out on the journey of creation.
When goals are clear, the mind doesn't waste energy wondering what it has to do next, allowing focus to stay pinned to the present moment.
3. Immediate feedback.
Where clear goals tell us what we are doing, immediate feedback tells us how to do it better. Real time consequences to our choices—whether it's the rock-climber stumbling, or the drummer missing a beat—provides guidance to refine our attention & technique.
4. Balanced challenge/skills ration.
Csikszentmihalyi famously asserted: "Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person's capacity to act."
Steven Kotler, author of "The Rise of Superman," adds: "If the task is too dull, attention disengages & action & awareness can not merge. If the task is too hard, fear starts to spike & we begin looking for ways to extricate ourselves from the situation."
Ideally, the requirements of the task at hand should be slightly greater than the skills we bring to the table, but not too much greater.
5. High Consequences/Risk
Elevated risk levels—whether physical, social, creative or emotional—drive us home to the moment. As the body readies for fight or flight, it releases performance enhancing endorphins which are key ingredients in the neurochemical cocktail of flow.
The lives of extreme sports athletes, like rock-climbers & snowboarders, literally depend on being "in the zone." "When pushing the limits of human performance," Kotler notes, "the choice is stark: flow or die." Because of this extreme demand for flow, action/adventure sports athletes have become prime test subjects for studies on flow.
However, high consequences don't need to take the form of physical danger to trigger flow. The risk can also be social, such as public speaking, or creative, such as taking an artistic risk.
6. Rich environment.
An environment with lots of novelty, unpredictability & complexity captures our attention, inducing focus, which in turn stimulates flow.
7. Physical excercise.
In physical exercise, our body produces endorphins that contribute to the neurochemical cocktail we experience as flow. Excercise helps us get out of our heads (the second stage of flow, see part 1) & experience deep embodiment.
Steven Kotler tells the story of struggling with writer's block for months, then clicking into a flow state while skiing. Afterwards, he went straight to his office, sat down at his chair, and proceeded to write for two weeks, finishing the book.
Mankind is hardwired to identify meaningful correspondences. So much so that we can be subject to false pattern recognition, or apophenia—the impression of a pattern or meaning where there is none, such as seeing faces in the clouds. This tendency serves us well for creativity! Seeing new patterns & connections releases pleasure-enhancing neurochemicals.
9. Caffein.
Caffeine's effect on the brain causes increased neuron firing & facilitates dopamine flow.
10. Altrusim.
Psychologists have coined the term "helper's high" to describe the euphoric feeling—followed by a longer period of calmness—experienced after performing a kind act.
There's evidence in brain studies of a "compassion-altruism axis." Studies show high levels of the "bonding" hormone oxytocin in people who are very generous toward others. Kindness triggers the brain's reward circuitry, releasing "feel-good" chemicals like dopamine & endorphins, which, when combined with a handful of the above triggers, facilitate flow.
There are also noteworthy parallels between the flow state & the mystical experience.
The disappearance of a sense of self & time, the emergence of sudden, deep insight; a feeling of becoming one with the task at hand, of being part of something larger; these are all hallmarks of the satori experience. (See Parallax's "Beyond Division: Studies in Bliss.")
So don't be afraid to take a risk!
And remember: if you're struggling at the onset of a project, you're not failing, you're just in the first stage of flow!
**Watch a fascinating interview with flow expert Steven Kotler here.
**Get your "flow profile" here for tips on your flow type. (Mine was very accurate!)
Activating A State Of Flow
October 25, 2014 § 1 Comment
"In flow, concentration becomes so laser-focused that everything else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Our sense of self and our sense of self-consciousness completely disappear. Time dilates." ~Steven Kotler
"When a person invests all her psychic energy into an interaction—whether it is with another person, a boat, a mountain, or a piece of music—she in effect becomes part of a system of action greater than what the individual self had been before. " ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow is that feeling of being in "the zone," when every choice you make lands perfectly, gaining momentum & feeding itself. The musician in the groove, the surfer united with the wave. The great conversation in which you lose track of time.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—who first pioneered the concept of "flow" as a study—has observed the commonality between all these states of optimal performance. Steven Kotler, author of "The Rise of Superman," summarizes flow as a state of "near-perfect decision-making."
Csikszentmihalyi performed the largest global happiness survey to date. "He talked to everybody that he could possibly imagine," relays Kotler.
"From Detroit assembly line workers to Japanese teenage motorcycle gang members, elderly Korean women, Navajo sheep herders, expert dancers, expert neurosurgeons. Everybody agreed that when they felt their best and were at their best, they felt flowy. Every decision, every action led perfectly, seamlessly, fluidly to the next. That's where the term comes from."
Neurobiolgically, it is possible to pinpoint exactly what is happening during flow states: the prefrontal cortex temporarily deactivates. This is the area responsible for executive functioning or self-monitering. Management of cognitive processes like the judgement of good & bad/better & best, as well a social control—like the ability to regulate urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable outcomes. We become less self-critical & more courageous.
The brain—taking up just 2% of our body weight & using 20% of our energy—is required to be extremely energy efficient. When resources are needed for concentration & attention, it performs an efficiency exchange & switches to subconscious processes, which bypass the inner critic & draws on a larger reservoir of knowledge.
Neil Craver, from the "OmniPhantasmic" series
During flow the brain releases a cascade of pleasure-inducing, performance-enhancing neurochemistry. Large quantities of norepinephrine, dopamine, endorphins, anandamide & serotonin flood our system. These chemicals—the most addictive cocktail the brain can produce—have considerable impact on creativity.
"Both norepinephrine and dopamine amp up focus, boosting imaginative possibilities by helping us gather more information," details Kotler. "They also lower signal-to-noise ratios, increasing pattern recognition or our ability to link ideas together in new ways. Anandamide, meanwhile, increases lateral thinking—meaning it expands the size of the database searched by the pattern recognition system."
When the brain encounters the overwhelming complexity of a starry sky or a grand canyon, "reality seems to pause, if only for a second," relates Kotler. "The conscious mind—what's technically called the 'explicit system'—can only hold about seven bits of information at once. This is why phone numbers are only seven digits long.
"But the subconscious mind—the 'implicit system'—has no such limit. Thus, when we encounter overwhelming complexity, we trade conscious processing for subconscious processing." ("The Rise of Superman.")
'Man Juggling His Own Head. Saint Thomas D'Aquin. 1880
Flow state can be broken down into a four stage cycle.
The first is struggle. Though it feels like the opposite of flow, this is the brainstorming stage, the period of pushing, reaching, training. Overloading the brain with information or taxing the body with new challenges.
"Most people never push this first stage far enough," notes Kotler, "which is why they constantly miss the doorway to the flow experience."
Relaxation is the second stage.
"This is when you take your mind off the problem entirely, taking a break, going for a walk or doing something physical," remarks Kotler. He notes that it's not the same as watching television or some other distraction that keeps your brain busy. "It's about relaxing the brain so the conscious mind lets the subconscious mind take over. Many people miss this break and as a result are constantly in overload and burnout, missing flow altogether."
Neil Craver, from the "OmniPhantasmic" series
The third stage is Flow—that blissful, much-sought state of being. This is the experience of optimal performance. Self & time disappear. The inner critic takes a break. Action & awareness become one. Preparation meets relaxation & expresses itself almost magically. Inspiration takes over.
Consolidation concludes the cycle. Learning & memory are amplified, synthesizing the experience of flow & folding it back into your subconscious in preparation for returning to stage one. As the feel-good neurochemicals of flow recede, it can be easy to "go on a down," Kotler notes, which leads to an emotional reaction—& often self-sabatoge—in an attempt to regain the flow state.
"The key here is not to let this stress block the learning or reverse the results of being in flow, but to move smoothly back to the next phase of struggle and repeat the cycle."
Part Two Coming Soon!
*I'd like to thank my dear friend & fellow blogger Alisha Westerman (check out her blog!) for brining my attention to Steven Kotler's very interesting podcast: Steven Kotler & The Rise of Superman.
Beyond Division: Studies in Bliss
August 13, 2014 § 13 Comments
"Nepenthe, Goddess of Bliss" by: Emily Balivet
"I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sight and sound around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once, like an atmosphere, sustaining me […] Every little pine-needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me. I was so distinctly made aware of the presence of something kindred to me, that I thought no place could ever be strange to me again.'
As Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell returned from the moon, he beheld Earth from the spacecraft window. In that moment he had a life-changing experience for which his scientific background had not prepared him.
"I realized that the molecules of my body and the molecules of the spacecraft had been manufactured in an ancient generation of stars. It wasn't just intellectual knowledge—it was a subjective visceral experience accompanied by ecstasy—a transformational experience."
The experience was so powerful that when he got back to Earth, Mitchell started digging into various literatures to try to understand his experience.
"I found nothing in science literature but eventually discovered it in the Sanskrit of ancient India. The descriptions of samadhi, Savikalpa samadhi, were exactly what I felt: it is described as seeing things in their separateness, but experiencing them viscerally as a unity, as oneness, accompanied by ecstasy." ("Samadhi In Space.")
Mitchell went on to found "The Institute for Noetic Sciences" to study consciousness-related experiences, such as his, through a scientific lens.
While terms like "bliss" & "ecstasy" sound vague & faraway to most of us, these states are actually quite natural, glimpses of which need not follow years of dedicated medication.
In a study, 3000 people who claimed to have had spontaneous mystical experiences were asked what had triggered them. The four major triggers were:
1. Depression/despair 2. Prayer/meditation, 3. Natural beauty 4. Participation in religious worship. (I would imagine psychedelics are also high on the list! Though perhaps not in the demographic sampled.)
Metaphysical author Eckhart Tolle famously described an experience of intense despair proceeding a monumental shift in consciousness, which would become, for him, an awakening.
During a sleepless night of "almost unbearable" depression, a thought came to Tolle: "I can not live with myself." The answering thought became like a kōan: "Who is the "I" who can not live with the "self?"
In Zen, the koan—a seemingly answerless riddle with profound implications, designed to break down ordinary ways of thinking & stun the analytic mind into awakening—is a traditional technique to induce satori.
Savikalpa samadhi is a Hindu term for the temporary, exalted state of consciousness wherein the subject retains his or her sense of self, but at the same time, awareness expands into an experience of divine cosmic consciousness, or universal oneness. The Hindu tradition calls this Brahman: "the ineffable unchanging reality amidst & beyond the world," translating directly as "being-consciousness-bliss."
East Indian poet & mystic Sri Chinmoy observes: "Nature's dance stops. There is no movement. Everything is tranquil. The Knower and the Known have become totally One. The lover and the Beloved have become One. The Yogi enjoys a supremely divine, all-pervading, self-amorous ecstasy."
In Zen Buddhism, this euphoric state of peace is known as satori, which literally means "to understand." It is the goal of meditation practice. A brief but clear glimpse into the awakened state of satori is known as kenshō, which translates as "seeing into one's true nature or essence."
20th century Zen master Keido Fukushima describes his first kensho experience, a glimpse into satori:
"At Nanzenji there is a small hill. I used to walk near there, look at it, and often smile at the high school students who walked by there as well. One day as I walked by, I looked at the hill and it was truly amazing. I was totally lost as if there was no 'me'. I stood gazing at the hill. Some students walked by and one of them said something like 'look at that crazy monk'. Finally I came out of it. Life was never the same for me. I was free."
British novelist Forrest Reid describes a beautiful experience of classic Kensho:
"It was as if I had never realized before how lovely the world was. I lay down on my back in the warm, dry moss and listened to the skylark singing as it mounted up from the fields near the sea into the dark clear sky. No other music ever gave me the same pleasure as that passionately joyous singing. It was a kind of leaping, exultant ecstasy, a bright, flame-like sound, rejoicing in itself. And then a curious experience befell me.
"It was as if everything that had seemed to be external and around me were suddenly within me. The whole world seemed to be within me. It was within me that the trees waved their green branches, it was within me that the skylark was singing, it was within me that the hot sun shone, and that the shade was cool.
"A cloud rose in the sky, and passed in a light shower that pattered on the leaves, and I felt its freshness dropping into my soul, and I felt in all my being the delicious fragrance of the earth and the grass and the plants and the rich brown soil. I could have sobbed with joy."
In the West, a typical kensho experience is more likely to be called a "mystical experience." Pioneering American psychologist William James identified four key characteristics common to the mystical experience:
1) Ineffability (elusive to capture in language; hard or impossible to describe the subtle nuances to another in all their import & grandeur.)
2) Noetic quality (a sense of timelessness & unity with all things, illumination or knowing beyond the grasp of intellect.)
3) Transiency (It is rare to sustain a transcendent mystical experience for more than half an hour; though time appears to stand still, in linear time the mystical experience usually lasts for only a few minutes…a few hours at best. Though longer periods have been reported.)
4) Passivity (the individual feels swept up & buoyed by a force greater than themselves.)
I came across the word "kensho" in my internet search to find a term that described my own experiences of euphoric, peaceful interconnectivity. Mine came about as a result of intentional vision questing, with the help of some earthly substances. Psychedelic mushrooms are probably the fastest rout to experiencing kensho…and once you've experienced it, it becomes easier to access during regular meditative moments. These experiences are deeply meaningful touchstones of my path. I will do my best to share what it felt like to inhabit this beautiful state:
For one, there was a sense of timelessness. And completion. Nothing needed doing. There was nothing I wanted, nowhere to go, nothing more to be or say…I was just perfectly content & blissfully peaceful. Yet the experience was not static or dull; it was intensely alive.
I was in nature, as one always should be for these things….
"One With Nature" by Allison Bickle
The moment was all; my awareness expanded outward to include every tree branch, bird & hill. Everything felt deliciously divine & I wondered how it was that I did not always feel this way. A sense of tremendous kinship towards everything surged through me & in return the environment itself replied in silent, sentient, visceral, ecstatic kinship.
The very air around me felt loving, a supportive, nourishing substance. Reality itself felt feathery, forgiving. All of nature felt conspiring, intimate, friendly. I recall looking at some lovely pine trees, their tops dancing in a light breeze, and feeling that their branches were as intimate-feeling to me as a strand of my own hair.
What folly to think ourselves so separate & divided from our environment! We were of course like living threads in a living tapestry, which made up a whole picture, each crossing over the other, each contributing to a whole picture of the world; absolutely intertwined.
I describe my experiences now from memory, because I remember the metaphors that came to mind at the time, yet during these kensho moments, my intrinsic connectivity with all living things & my surrounding environment was entirely visceral, entirely known beyond intellectual questioning.
I felt entirely safe; buoyed by a tangible presence within myself & everything; it flowed within me & those dancing pine tree tops, as well as between us, connecting us; it was in the wind & the grass & my own hands, breath, hair….
A blissful sense of remembrance & reunion flooded through me…I had forgotten this state, the true state—the way we are naturally, minus mental over-activity, compartmentalization & contractive doubt. The feeling was hyper-real; a revelation of truth. As if illusion had fallen away to reveal our natural state; one that some part of me remembered. My whole being rejoiced.
One of my most profound experiences of kensho was with three other women, good friends of mine. First, I saw their beauty, radiant, as if before I had seen them only through a fog—so distracted by my own thoughts. I perceived them unmediated by the analytic mind, beautifully pure, and for the first time I understood why the new agey phrase "goddess" has come into circulation as a superlative. It was simply accurate: they were divine beings & it was as clear as the sky is blue.
From this perception, I moved on to a deep & beautiful sense of empathy. I could feel my own spirit, somehow, my own awareness, within them. It wasn't that I was not me & they were not them—but I viscerally knew that the same spirit lived in them that lived in me. As if a telepathic link had been activated, which allowed me to be sensitive to their spirit, presence & feelings, in a way to which I was usually closed off, drowned in the workings of my own mind.
It was as if we had been fingers on the same hand all along, thinking ourselves isolated digits floating through space…we were still our own unique fingers (one a thumb, another a pinky) but there was a broader connection at the root level that made us at once unique, yet unified.
As the classic Beatles line goes: "I am she and she is me as you are me & we are all together."
"Of all the boundaries we construct," notes American philosopher & author Ken Wilber, "the one between self and not-self is the most fundamental. It is the boundary we are most reluctant to surrender. It was after all the first boundary we ever drew. It is our most cherished boundary.
"In unity consciousness, in no-boundary consciousness, the sense of self expands to totally include everything once thought to be not-self…And obviously this cannot occur as long as the primary boundary, which seperates the self from the universe, is mistaken as real. But once the primary boundary is understood to be illusory, one's sense of self envelops the All." ("No Boundary.")
I am so grateful I had the kensho experience I did with my three friends, because otherwise this talk of non-boundary consciousness would seem dangerous to me, as I'm sure it does to many; and perhaps, misunderstood, it is.
After all, boundaries in the traditional sense of the word, are important. The question naturally arises: couldn't someone use this philosophy as an excuse for self-indulgent force, projecting one's own desires onto another? In it's most extreme form, one could imagine a rapist excusing his crime to himself with the rationale: "Well, there is no difference between us, so what does it matter?"
This could not be further from the meaning of unity consciousness. For one, unity does not mean we don't possess individual consciousness; it simply means we are connected at a deep level, the way mushrooms are individual yet share the same root system.
Also, once you have experienced the kind of non-divisive awareness Wilber is describing, which I experienced, the concept of harming another, whether physically or emotionally, becomes inconceivable. Because what ever you did to another, however you made them feel, you would instantly feel yourself.
For this reason, it is no stretch to say that world peace & the hope of humanity lies in the ability for more people to tap into the "being-consciousness-bliss" of Kensho.
We are already connected in this way, we simply need to unwind the intense mental constructs of division in which we have, as a society, become ensnared. You can start simply enough, by just connecting with nature & the energies around you…extending your awareness to include the surrounding life forms & environment. We are born with this inherent sense of connectivity, conditioned into a divisive worldview that inflicts separateness & isolation onto what in fact is a continuum.
After all, as the great British Zen writer & philosopher Alan Watts beautifully said: "We do not 'come into' this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean 'waves,' the universe 'peoples.'"
"Sunshine On My Mind by Amamak Photography"
In his fascinating book, "Wholeness and the Implicate Order," theoretical physicist David Bohm asserts:
"The process of division is a way of thinking about things that is convenient and useful mainly in the domain of practical, technical and functional activities (e.g., to divide up an area of land into different fields where various crops are to be grown). However, when this mode of thought is applied more broadly to man's notion of himself and the whole world in which he lives (i.e. to his self-world view), then man ceases to regard the resulting divisions as merely useful or convenient and begins to see and experience himself and his world as actually constituted of separately existent fragments.
"Being guided by a fragmentary self-world view, man then acts in such a way as to try to break himself and the world up, so that all seems to correspond to his way of thinking. Man thus obtains an apparent proof of the correctness of his fragmentary self-world view, though, of course, he overlooks the fact that it is he himself, acting according to his mode of thought, who has brought about the fragmentation that now seems to have an autonomous existence, independent of his will and of his desire."
I would love to hear about your mystical/kensho/samadhi experiences in the comments section (located above, under the post title). Though of course, any and all feedback & sharing is welcome & encouraged. Please join the conversation….!
*For more on KENSHO check out this awesome page!
*Edgar Mitchell's exploration of his samadhi experience in space lead to the development of a new theory called "The Over-View Effect;" many astronauts had experienced similar reactions upon beholding the Earth. The subject was made into a fantastic short film of the same name, which you can view by clicking here.
Inward Bound: Exploring The Fractal Matrix
June 17, 2014 § 12 Comments
"So alienated from ourselves are we that when we encounter our own souls in the psychedelic dimension, we mistake it for a UFO. This is serious alienation folks, I think we have to get back into the inner jeweled realm and make ourselves at home there." ~ Terence McKenna
"In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe." ~ David Bohm
In "The Art Of Seeing: Third Eye Perception & The Mystical Gaze," I explored the phenomenon of inner visions experienced in meditation, such as mandalas and other "third eye" phenomena. The "third" or "inner" eye has been called a gateway to other dimensions, a personal portal leading into esoteric visionary realms.
"The Art of Seeing" received one of our largest, most in-depth reader responses. The comments section is filled with shared accounts from readers of their adventures in inner space.
There were a lot of fascinating similarities. The most common reports were of geometric patterns, and of perceiving blue, purple or magenta swirls—often taking the form of tunnels, passageways, vortexes or, as one reader described it, a golden hallway. There was a common theme of sensing it to be some kind of inner portal.
[Fractal Universe by CSuck-1T]
While Eastern mystical traditions have described the existence of the third eye, the energy body & chakra system for ages, the direct perception of these fields is a pioneering study. At this point, anecdotal sharing affirms that ours are not isolated experiences, but contact with a genuine dimension of reality.
Which raises the question: what is the nature of that reality?
Quantum physicists, philosophers, cosmologists & psychonauts alike have all observed a holographic potential to the nature of reality.
A hologram contains the whole within the part. Not only is this true of our bodies—one cell, of course, contains our whole genetic blueprint—but the natural world is made up of recurring patterns, which repeat on every scale, from micro to macro, known as fractals. We observe the same formations, such as the Fibonacci Spiral, shown below, in both the macro universe & on the micro (sub-atomic) level.
Below, a microscopic image of a bacterial colony structure demonstrates fractal qualities:
In one experiment, or "chaos game," numbers are randomly generated & then placed on a grid.
Within a few dozen repetitions, the shape we would recognize as a perfect fern will emerge from the abstract math. This is because Nature, in Her elegance, follows the simplest & most efficient possible path.
"Many things previously called chaos are now known to follow subtle fractal laws of behavior.
"So many things turned out to be fractal, that the word "chaos" itself (in operational science) has been redefined as 'following inherently unpredictable yet generally deterministic rules, based on nonlinear iterative equations.' Fractals are unpredictable in specific details, yet deterministic when viewed as a total pattern…" (Fractal Patterns in Nature)
Fractal-like formations are often reported during both mediative visions and psychedelic journeying.
In an interview for "New Realities," Alan Steinfeld asks visionary artist Alex Grey about his use of grids in his inter-dimensional, metaphysically themed paintings. "It comes from seeing the grid work in meditation and on psychedelic voyages," replies Grey, "and it seems to be related to one's perceptions and projections. 'Theologue' [shown below] is a recounting, an experience of witnessing a grid work that was emanating from my own awareness.
Continues Grey: "I was a node in the sourcing of the web and felt so expansive I was beyond my sourcing it. I could see it projecting from my awareness. Since we are all projecting it, it is a part of all of us. It is an aspect of our being.
"The grid is not a manifestation of the conceptual mind, but of transcendental wisdom mind."
The ancient Avatamsaka Sutra describes the universe as a giant web, known as "Indra's Net":
"Far away in the heavenly abode of the great God there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out indefinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel at the net's every node, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number.
"There hang the jewels, glittering like stars of the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. If we now arbitrarily select one of the these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in it's polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that the process of reflection is infinite."
The jeweled net is an excellent description of a hologram, as each jewel contains an image of all the others.
In 1982, a team of researchers lead by Alain Aspect, discovered that subatomic particles, such as electrons, are able to instantaneously communicate with one another, regardless of how much space separated them.
This discovery, known as quantum entanglement, violates Einstein's long-held tenant that no communication can travel faster than the speed of life, and is tantamount to breaking the time barrier.
Physicist David Bohm suggested this discovery implied an inherently illusory, interconnected & holographic nature to reality (detailed in his book, "Wholeness & The Implicate Order.")
[Poster for "Thirteenth Floor"]
The fact that grid work, geometric forms & fractal imagery is regularly experienced by psychonauts from varying backgrounds suggests a Matrix-like possibility to the nature of reality.
After all, nothing is solid, the micro contains the macro & mathematics makes up the fundamental expressions of our world.
"We live in a fractal world of extraordinary beauty, full of information" notes metaphysical author & clairvoyant Stuarte Wilde. "But the sight of it is denied to us, at first anyway. To see is to be able to perceive the geometric reality that makes up your body and all of nature, and to see the angelic and the celestial heavens, as well as be more aware of the dangers of the hell worlds and the dark fractals people fire.
"We are inside complex geometric formula that describe our health, abundance, moods, creativity, our psychology…but mostly they describe our energy and vitality, or a lack of it. This sea of energy around us dictates what happens to us in 3-D; it shapes our fate, just as fractals dictate the shape of a fern leaf."
[The Doors of Perception, Stuart Wilde]
What are your pieces to the puzzle?
Self-Renewal & The Art Of Transformation
May 10, 2014 § 15 Comments
"Whenever there is a strong lock used there is something extremely precious hidden. The thicker the Veil, the more valuable the jewel. A hoard of treasure is guarded by a large snake; do not dwell on the hideousness of the snake, contemplate the dazzling and the priceless things you'll discover in the treasure." ~ Rumi
"Men may rise on stepping-stones of their dead selves to higher things." ~Alfred Lord Tennyson
"Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." ~ Romans 12:2
Just like a snake, we must periodically shed our outgrown psychic skins.
During a time when this need is pressing, the snake becomes uncomfortable. From the outside he may appear sick—his skin dull & ragged. He feels— he knows!—something is wrong & has to change. Something must be done! Intuitively, he begins the shedding process by rubbing his deadened dermis against rough surfaces. It is painful, but he feels compelled. When he is finally free of the outdated layer, he is more luminous & vital than ever!
This natural process reflects our own need to periodically embark upon an inner journey of self-renewal.
[Taylor James, "Human Metamorphosis"]
When it's time for a sloughing off of psychic weight—outmoded belief systems, behaviors, situations—we are alerted by a sense of palpable emotional discomfort.
Unfortunately, we live in a culture of distraction, where the numbing of emotional pain is par for the course.
[Mary Crimmins, "Our Ways of Numbing"]
Television, comfort food & alcohol are some popular forms of socially acceptable self-numbing. However, those modalities are at least straightforward, in that they are acknowledged as being distractions.
More insidious, because it is rewarded & ennobled, is the "busyness" phenomenon. Because productivity has tangible positive results in one's life, it's also an extremely good cover story for not doing much needed inner work.
If we feel emotionally uncomfortable within ourselves & dive headlong into (outer) work, we may feel temporarily better because we are not engaging with the difficult emotions pressing at our awareness. When we come home, we've worked hard & are, understandably, tired. The last thing we want to do is engage with challenging questions & uncomfortable emotions. So the "I-worked-hard-I-deserve-it" syndrome sets in—we flip on the TV or the computer, grab a beer—& maintain a vicious cycle of almost unrecognizable escapism that can go on for years.
"For many years," relates blogger Gabby, in her post "Escapism As A Lifestyle." "I worked two and three jobs at a time to make ends meet. A few weeks ago, I quit my regular weekend job. It was such a relief to know I wouldn't be working weekends anymore. I did not expect the panic that would invite itself to my table and have coffee with me in the morning. For me [it had been] a means of escaping. Being so busy I didn't have the time to look at myself and think about what I really want out of this 'one wild precious life'.
"I panicked and started filling up my life with other things, just to keep me busy. It took only about two weekends of this before I realized what I was doing. Which is good, because not all that long ago, it may have taken me years to figure out what I was doing."
Unshed psychic skins begin to take their toll. We feel a vague sense of discomfort that may be hard to name. Perhaps we feel anxious or disconnected from a certain aliveness we recall having once felt, but we're not sure how to get it back.
"Numbing vulnerability is especially debilitating," notes Brene Brown, "because it doesn't just deaden the pain of our difficult experiences; numbing vulnerability also dulls our experiences of love, joy, belonging, creativity and empathy. We can't selectively numb emotion. Numb the dark and you numb the light." ("Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live.")
Everything living requires renewal. Our cells shed automatically, but our emotional life requires more intentionality. If we don't consciously process our feelings & old wounds, address our pain & pressing questions, we begin to suffocate under the weigh of old, dead layers.
Unfortunately, the signs of needing self-renewal mimic the symptoms of depression & anxiety—human experiences which modern psychiatry is all too eager to label a condition, prescribe pills & call it a day.
The blogger of "Spiritual Emergency" writes about her experience of what a traditional western worldview would categorize as schizophrenia, which she processed through a mystical-transformative-shamanic lens. Noting that this approach empowered her to find her true self & center, she observes:
"Mainstream reductionist psychiatrists […] by and large presume that if an experience (such as chronic depression) is unpleasant, it must be stopped or band-aided, but because an experience is painful or difficult, it doesn't necessarily follow that's it's not valuable, or therapeutically worthwhile as a 'wound which heals'."
[Till Gerhard, "Solar System"]
There are many times in my own journey when, if I had regarded my feelings of emotional discomfort—or "anxiety & depression" as we commonly define them—as simply a chemical imbalance & not the voice of a buried aspect of myself trying to come through & tell me what was untended in my life, I would never have found that next "trapdoor" into a deepened, expanded level of being.
In our lives, we periodically come across what appear to be ceilings in our personal-growth & sense of wellbeing. They always, however, contain trapdoors. You just have to keep feeling around for where the door to the next level is hidden…
Releasing old pain is an essential aspect of the art of self-renewal.
For me, finding that trap door has involved radically honest self-reflection & the willingness to face & experience my unresolved emotional pain head-on. We have to keep in mind that having emotional pain does not make us defective, it makes us human (at least, humans of this current un-enlightened age of Earth).
"Grieving is an intrinsic part of the healing process," notes psychotherapist Daniel Mackler in "Grieving The Ultimate Loss: Your Imperfect Parents." "Everybody suffers loss, right from the beginning. The primary loss is the fact that no parent, at least no parent who is not fully enlightened, is perfect. Grieving is long, painful, and confusing, but richly rewarding. Life is not complete unless all traumas are unearthed, grieved, and thus resolved. Those who fail to complete this process live forever in a limbo of partial misery, stuck unconsciously in the past and unable to escape […]
"Most believe that a healthy life feels no pain. This is why the majority are insane. Avoiding all pain is not healthy. Grieving is horribly painful, and totally necessary. Grieving is beautiful."
A heart-healing excercise I've found helpful is to, in a manner of speaking, go to my heart & "knock there" to see what needs processing. This involves first finding/creating a peaceful, meditative & relaxed state, then putting one's attention on the area of the heart.
How does it feel? Often, our first response is that we feel nothing. Don't let this deter you. We live mostly with protectively blocked heart chakras, because our world is harsh & our culture does not encourage inner excavation as the essential part of life's journey that it is. Keep inquiring. Meditate on the heart & eventually you will begin to receive impressions. What psychic swords are still stuck there?
Using symbolic imagery like this is useful. Just as our subconscious communicates with our conscious mind in symbols, so, too, the heart speaks.
Try mentally pulling a psychic sword out of your energetic heart. Who, or what experience, put it there? Asking yourself these kinds of questions can be very useful in identifying the areas of one's emotional life which need attention. By attention, I mean simply confrontation (identifying & feeling the emotion). This alone will start the process of release & consequently, healing.
[Małgorzata Wielek-Mandrela, "Heart In Hand."]
The idea of the heart as the locus of man's emotional life is not accidental. Mystical traditions of both East & West have long embraced the idea of a heart chakra. In today's climate of materialist cynicism, it's all too easy to see the heart as simply an organ whose function is to pump blood to the rest of the body.
As with everything, there is an exoteric function to the heart & an esoteric one. The invisible life of the heart is a very real thing. It is truly the compass for our life's direction. And too often unhealed emotional pain—like a snake's unshed skin—blocks our connection to our greatest resource.
[From "6 Steps to Personal Transformation"]
Clearing the emotional cobwebs, which block connection with our internal compass, is a key step in self-renewal.
I am also a strong advocate of art therapy & the cathartic value of creativity. It's a myth that some people are creative, while others are not. Creativity is inherent in human nature. Some people may have nurtured specific modalities & refined their skills for particular crafts, but everyone can self-express if they simply allow themselves the space to play.
Creating a painting, song, collage, poem, short personal essay, etc. expressing the feelings you've unearthed in your heart work is richly rewarding. It's as though one has coughed up one's pain & caught it in the butterfly net of art, wherein it is transmuted into something positive. Transmutation is a powerful act.
It can be particularly rewarding if you continue to craft a piece from a rough, private catharsis to a polished, artistic offering. My book of poems, "Pollen," is largely a result of processing my father's untimely death & the consequent existential crisis that ensued. When readers write to tell me that the work has moved them & helped them with their own process it is doubly rewarding. Like oysters, we can transform our painful sand grains into luminous pearls. Thus is the redemption of art.
Once the initial malaise has begun to clear through processing, intentional visioning—identifying meaningful goals—is a helpful step to continue momentum.
Vision boards are popular these days for a reason…They're fun! Compiling representative images of your goals in an inspirational collage is a greatly constructive form of play. More tangible & exciting than a list.
Another method is to work "backwards" by writing down the ways you wish to feel, and then making note of what actions & activities promote this feeling.
So if you're feeling stuck, don't worry! It's simply time for an internal house cleaning. And Spring is a natural season for it.
If you're feeling lost, do not lose heart. While it's true life does not, as is commonly bemoaned, come with instructions, you come with a compass—your own inner guidance system, the heart. The connection has just likely been muted & clogged with unprocessed emotion. A little catharsis & honest self-reflection, followed by constructive action, will do wonders.
If you're feeling depressed, don't buy the hype; our society is so afraid of unpleasant feelings, it has instilled in us an unhealthy fear of challenging emotions. Depression, like physical pain, is just our system alerting us that something requires attention. Modern culture is pathologically fixated on happiness, with an equally pathological rejection of unhappy feelings. This is a recipe for disaster! Ironically, the only way to reach true inner peace & wellbeing is to traverse the psychological labyrinth surrounding the proverbial treasure.
These are all simply symptoms of the need for self-renewal, rejoice! And enjoy the journey.
*Psychologist Daniel Mackler's website of insightful essays on self-healing is a great self-therapy resource.
Related articles:
"Navigating the Dark Night Of The Soul,"
Adventures in Aboriginal Dreamtime
April 27, 2014 § 5 Comments
[Colleen Wallace Nungari, "Dreamtime Sisters"]
"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. " ~ Aboriginal Proverb
"'The Dreaming' or 'the Dreamtime' indicates a psychic state in which or during which contact is made with the ancestral spirits, or the Law, or that special period of the beginning." ~ Mudrooroo
"Those who lose Dreaming are lost." ~ Aboriginal Proverb
Dreamtime, or "The Dreaming," is a spiritual concept of the Australian Aboriginal tribal peoples. To define Dreamtime is a bit tricky, as there are several ways in which the word is used. Meanings vary from tribe to tribe, but the basic concepts appear consistent.
The Dreamtime refers to a source dimension beyond time & space, which exists alongside the linear world of humans, where the ancestors & creator spirits dwell. The Aborigines call it the "all-at-once" time—referring to the mundane world as the "one-thing-after-another" time. People emerge from the Dreaming into physical reality when they are born, visit in dreams & visionary states, & return after physical death. An essential part of each person exists eternally in Dreamtime. Aboriginal cosmology includes transmigration of the soul, otherwise known as reincarnation. A human might return again into the family of man, or as an animal. "The Eora/Dharawal Aborigines believed in transmigration…For example during the 1830s Quaker James Backhouse toured the Illawarra district and recorded that some Aboriginal men were mortified when some Europeans shot and killed some dolphins. The Aborigines of the area believed that after death, their warriors became dolphins. This belief was bolstered by the habit of dolphins to herd fish and to protect people from shark attacks." (Australian Aboriginals.)
[Dolphins with Jellyfish by Peggy Quinlan]
According to Aboriginal mythology, our world (physical life on earth) was "dreamed" by the ancestor spirits who dwell in Dreamtime. The Dreaming or Dreamtime also refers to a sacred era of creation. "Ancestor beings rose and roamed the initially barren land, fought and loved, and created the land's features as we see them today. After creating the 'sacred world' the spiritual beings turned into rocks or trees or a part of the landscape. These became sacred places, to be seen only by initiated men." (Aboriginal Art.) "The landscape is almost an externalisation of the individual's inner world. Each tribe had a traditional area of the land which was theirs alone," notes dream scholar Tony Crisp in his article "Australian Aboriginal Dream Beliefs." Additionally, an individual's Dreaming can refer to their cultural identity & spiritual allegiance. "Each Aboriginal person identifies with a specific Dreaming," relates Aboriginal artist Paddy Japaljarri Stewart. "It gives them identity, dictates how they express their spirituality and tells them which other Aboriginal people are related to them in a close family, because those share the same Dreaming. One person can have multiple Dreamings." (What Is the Dreamtime?) For example, an Aboriginal person might identify as having "Wallaby Dreaming." As I understand it, this concept is similar to the Native American relationship to spirit animals or totemic allies in that it may have been received in a vision, although it also may have been inherited as a family totem. One having Wallaby Dreaming will draw upon the Wallaby's spirit for guidance.
"Studies have shown that ancient people experienced what is called an undifferentiated state of mind," relates Tony Crisp. "Their sense of being a separate and independent person was much less than is commonly experienced in modern life. They did not separate their religious life, their social life, their economic life, their artistic life and their sexual life from each other."
This oneness-oriented or pantheistic worldview is held by most ancient peoples—it is only the Western world & modern man who has increasingly cut himself off from his surroundings, other creatures & his fellow man, feeling so separate as to breed an epidemic of disconnection. Yet, we strain against this isolation, reaching for what we sense we once knew in what psychonaut-writer Terence McKenna has called "The Archaic Revival"….Modern man's resurrected interest in the wisdom of ancient cultures.
As highly respected Dhungutti Elder Rueben Kelly states, "Centuries ago you white people chose the path of science and technology. That path will destroy the planet. Our role is to protect the planet. We are hoping you will discover that before it's too late." "The experience of Dreamtime, whether through ritual or from dreams, flowed through [into life] in practical ways," adds Tony Crisp. "The individual who enters the Dreamtime feels no separation between themselves and their ancestors. The strengths and resources of the timeless enter into what is needed in the life of the present. The future is less uncertain because the individual feels their life as a continuum linking past and future in unbroken connection. "Through Dreamtime the limitations of time and space are overcome. It is a much observed feature of aboriginal life that knowledge of distant relatives and their condition is frequently displayed. Therefore if a relative is ill, a distant family member knows this and hurries to them. Often the intuitive knowledge of herbal medicine is gained also." "For the aborigine tribes," notes Crisp, "there is no ending of life at 'death'. Dead relatives are very much a part of continuing life. It is believed that in dreams dead relatives communicate their presence. At times they may bring healing if the dreamer is in pain. Death is seen as part of a cycle of life in which one emerges from Dreamtime through birth, and eventually returns to the timeless, only to emerge again. It is also a common belief that a person leaves their body during sleep, and temporarily enters the Dreamtime. (Australian Aboriginal Dream Beliefs.) A person is also thought to enter the Dreamtime during ceremonies & while listening to or playing ancestral music. "The melodies, tunes, harmonies and rhythms of Aboriginal music included traditional ceremonial songs that were handed down from generation to generation," notes researcher & author Ellie Crystal. "It was very important in Aboriginal thinking, to replicate the songs that had been first played and sung by the ancestors in the Dreamtime. When the traditional music and songs were used, living men considered themselves to be in the Dreamtime. Particularly during initiation ceremonies." The idea of this world as a dream is an ancient & fascinating concept, echoed by the Hindu idea of Maya, or "world as illusion," and the Buddhist concept of Samsara. But unlike these Eastern perspectives, for the Aborigines, there appears no negative connotation to this world being a dream. It is no delusion to be escaped, but rather a sacred experience to be honored & celebrated. It's simply not the ultimate reality…and everything is connected & related beyond visible boundaries & lines, being all within the same dream.
I've had experiences during sacred vision questing where the serendipity & related connectivity of people, animals & events struck me as mind-bendingly improbable when set against the yardstick of our rational materialist worldview; beyond coincidence. If this world is dreamed into existence by timeless primal beings, as the Aborigines—most ancient of peoples—believe, then all our laws of science can still co-exist alongside a larger mystical fluidity. Within the dream, there are laws. Gravity, for instance. Cause & effect. Yet if all exists within the same dream, reality is like a tapestry; there may be an image here of a horse, there of a man, beside him a tree—but their threads interconnect. They are all part of the same living tapestry.
['Deer Hunt' (detail), Netherlands, Circa 1440]
This is scientifically more accurate than our concept of rigid separation & division, as the molecules composing my hand touching a tree are no different than the molecules that make up its rough bark. Though they appear vastly so to the perceiving eye. And the brain categorizes them as worlds apart: tree, man.
But if we are all Dream Beings interacting in the same evolving dream, all players portraying separate roles that yet exist in the same interwoven living tapestry, with common threads, it stands to reason that things are not so fixed as they may feel. While the laws of science remain within the dream, there is no reason why a greater coherence can not express itself at the same time, manifesting as serendipity, connectivity; mystery.
[Peter Muraay Djeripi Mulcahy, Wayamba the Turtle]
The great Sufi Mystic poet, Rumi, wrote a timeless piece on the world-as-dream theme:
The Dream That Must By Interpreted
This place is a dream.
Only a sleeper considers it real.
Then death comes like dawn,
and you wake up laughing
at what you thought was your grief.
But there's a difference with this dream.
Everything cruel & unconscious
done in the illusion of the present world,
all that does not fade away at the death-waking.
It stays,
and it must be interpreted.
All the mean laughing,
all the quick, sexual wanting,
those torn coats of Joseph,
they change into powerful wolves
that you must face…
And this groggy time we live,
this is what it's like:
A man goes to sleep in the town
where he has always lived, and he dreams he's living
in another town.
In the dream, he doesn't remember
the town he's sleeping in his bed in. He believes
the reality of the dream town.
The world is that kind of sleep.
The dust of many crumbled cities
settles over us like a forgetful doze,
but we are older than those cities.
We began
as a mineral. We emerged into plant life
and into the animal state, and then into being human,
and always we have forgotten our former states,
except in early spring when we slightly recall
being green again.
That's how a young person turns
toward a teacher. That's how a baby leans
toward the breast, without knowing the secret
of its desire, yet turning instinctively.
Humankind is being led along an evolving course,
through this migration of intelligences,
and though we seem to be sleeping,
there is an inner wakefulness
that directs the dream,
and will eventually startle us back
to the truth of who we are.
"Traveler, there are no paths. Paths are made by walking."
*It would be irresponsible to offer these beautiful cultural gems without acknowledging that, despite this rich & sacred heritage, the conditions of modern urban Aborigines are despairingly dystopian—their stigmatization & mistreatment, at the hands of first the British invaders & then the Australian government, echoe the tragic dynamic so often seen when the new world meets the old. Visit Survival International to see how you can help.


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Incorrect Number: In the Original Contribution entitled "Association Between Smoking and Risk of Bladder Cancer Among Men and Women," published in the August 17, 2011, issue of JAMA (2011;306[7]:737-745), an incorrect number was reported in Table 2. Under the column for Women, Person-Years and in the row Former smoker (overall), the number should be 705 925 (not 70 595). This article was corrected online.
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|DATA COLLECTION DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND STORING PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANCE DATA RELATED TO A COMPONENT OF AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - The present invention provides systems and methods for testing and storage of information related to a component. A data collection device having a memory is fixedly connected to the component. A test device communicates with the data collection device to store test data concerning the component in the data collection device. The test device also performs analysis of the test data and provides information concerning the health and maintenance history of the component. The present invention also provides systems and methods for determining the current drawn or supplied by electrical components connected in parallel in an electrical system. A current sensor located between the electrical components determines the current supply or draw of one of the electrical components, while a current sensor between the electrical components and the remainder of the electrical system determine a cumulative current draw or supply by both the electrical components.


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Reviewed By Jeremy J (WEST VALLEY CITY, UT) —5/17/2016 8:31 PM
If you are looking for towing mirrors that are only used when you tow bigger trailers, these are the mirrors for you. I love the ease of putting them on and off. Definitely a must buy for towing large trailers. Then they can be quickly removed for washing your truck.


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Today: Mostly{}sunny, breezy and mildHighs: 49-55 Wind: W 10-15+ mph
Overnight: Partly{}cloudyLows: 32-38 Wind: Light W
Tomorrow:{}Cloudy with pm rain that may mix/change to snow at nightHighs: 42-47Wind: NW 5-10 mph
Skies cleared during the pre-dawn hours and has set us up for a very pleasant day. It will be partly to mostly sunny and mild. Highs will reach 50 degrees in most areas and could reach the lower 50s south of Washington. A few clouds will return tonight and temperatures will fall into the 30s.
During the day tomorrow, look for a steady increase in cloudiness beginning early in the morning. Areas of rain will move into the area during the afternoon. By tomorrow night, enough cold air may arrive in the lower levels of the atmosphere to change the rain to snow but this is most likely north and west of the metropolitan area. There is a chance for some accumulation in the order of a couple inches. Right now, those chances seem restricted to areas west of the Blue Ridge and Catoctins.But since temperatures will be so critical to what type of precipitation falls, we will keep our forecast options open should conditions change.
Sunshine returns for Thursday and Friday with highs in the 40s. But much colder air will arrive Friday night and produce below average temperatures over the weekend. Snow showers could develop Saturday in the flow of cold and unstable air.


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- CambodiaAgricultureFunding via KREDIT Microfinance Institution Plc.
Khom GroupCambodiaAgricultureFunding via KREDIT Microfinance Institution Plc.
Nay GroupCambodiaAgricultureFunding via KREDIT Microfinance Institution Plc.
Lout's Group
Lout received her first loan with VisionFund and has finished the past three loans already with success. She has managed to repay the entire loans, which have helped her to manage her daily expenses, especially decent food.
To continue better support for her business, she formed a group of two members to request a new loan. As the leader, she will use her loan portion to buy fertilizer, seed and insecticide for her farm. She hopes to receive more yields and sell it for a good price in order to double her income and make her living better.
Additional Information
About VisionFund CambodiaVisionFund Cambodia is a Christian organization and microfinance institution that provides small loans and other financial services to improve the lives of children, empower poor women and their families, and grow successful businesses. The organization works primarily in rural parts of Cambodia and has distinguished itself by targeting the very poor who require smaller loan sizes, regardless of religious beliefs, gender or ethnic background.
Kiva lenders' funds will help the organization to expand into the northeastern provinces of the country, which have historically been underserved and difficult to reach with financial services.
This is a Group Loan
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.
Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.
About Cambodia
88View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 14 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- At end of term
- Pre-Disbursed:
- Jul 25, 2012
- Listed
- Aug 25, 2012
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Possible
- Ended:
- Mar 15, 2013


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Unknown State now publicly available online!
Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates and lack of info concerning the short, a lot has been happening and not a lot at the same time. Since we... Read more
Principal Photography WRAPPED!
Hey everyone we just wrapped shooting this past weekend! Thank so much for your support, you can check out some production photos on our tumblr site http://unknownstate.tumblr.com/
I'll keep you updated... Read more
One week till shooting starts!
Hey everyone just to give you a quick update on our progress: We have secured most everything for our shoot, equipment is rented, locations locked in, cast in place, props... Read more
Casting Session
We are holding a casting session this Thursday, March 24th. We have about 10-15 people vying for the role of our lead, Samuel Bennet as well as a few auditioning... Read more
Poster Design for $50 Pledge Reward
Check it out, here's the poster you could receive if you donate $50 or more. (That also gets you a DVD and T-shirt from the lower level rewards). Want it... Read more
new test image
Check out this new test image from my post supervisor Ryan Haines. This is not from any footage for the film but from of the scouting footage Charles and I... Read more
Check out this music video...
Check out this music video, The Gym Is All She Has, directed by Matt Leach who's working on the film with us. I worked Assistant Camera and my DP Charles... Read more
Who's Involved?
We have a great crew already in place with a few other spots looking to be filled out. All of these people have been working in film and production over... Read more
Visual Inspiration
Check out this video from the guys at Prologue, it really inspired me in terms of what I want visually in parts of the short. From the locations, costumes, atmosphere... Read more
Passion and Drive
This short has been a pet project of mine off and on for close to a year now. I had the idea last year while attending SXSW during one of... Read more


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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
7 Comments | Copyright: India-Forums.com / TellyBuzz
The festive season ca. already be felt in the air; How could our Gokuldham members leap behind. Yes, the members of Gokuldham Society in SAB TV's Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (produced by Neela Telefilms) are in a festive mood with the joyful festival of Navratri having knocked their doors. The members of the society will be seen overjoyed with the festive mood setting in. However there is something which will make them forget about the festival for a while and leaving them scared.
The members of Gokuldham will be seen terrified because Jethalal has received a lot of unidentified, unmarked and unusual boxes via courier. All the members of the society were unknown about the contents of these boxes. A little panic with a mixed blend of laughter in it will be seen amongst the members when one of them will suspect the boxes to have Bomb. Police will be called for further investigation on the same.
"This is really very dreadful however the episode has TMKOC's flavor of humor and funny acts. I don't know who has sent me these boxes, and what is in it but nobody is taking any chances. So the police is called and they will solve this mystery. We are just extending our cooperation to them," says Dilip Joshi.
According to our source we have heard that the boxes will be having dresses for Navratri. So, who is the person behind sending the gifts? It will be fun to watch this exciting episode of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
Reporter and Author: Anwesha Kamal
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This USB to Serial Port Adapter provides a bi-directional bridge between USB bus and RS-232C serial port peripherial device. Best for PDAs, digital cameras, GPS units, barcode scanners, and other equipment offer only serial connections, and PC's don't have a serial port.
Filter Results
Driver problems
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: Works once you finally get the right driver.
Cons: Syba has the wrong driver for this product on their website. I found through booting linux that my device is an MCS 7703 chip, which you can easily find drivers for with a quick google search. Syba's site lists drivers for a PL-2303, which is a completely different chip and won't work with this device.
Other Thoughts: To find this information, I booted linux and ran lsusb while it was connected. It will tell you which chip you have.
Manufacturer Response:
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Junk Period Customer Service Lip Service
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: The Packages looked Good, nothing else
Cons: Where do I start? SYBA sells this junk and knows they do. They have not updated this package, still selling in 2013, knowing it is Junk, but clear their shelves. After all, most people will not spend the time to send it back, costing as much as the cost.
Other Thoughts: I purchased 10 of these a couple years back. Opened one in 2011, as my computer store (then) customers do not run out like many of us and update everything they own. So for those, once they have a USB, they need their older Serial Devices (Printers and the like, Older modems and...)
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Great Linux support
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: Cheap. Flexible with external USB cable. PL2303 devices work perfectly in Linux. I've been using a couple of these with laptops (and newer desktops) running Linux to connect to serial consoles on embedded systems for years with nary an issue. I always keep one in my tool bag.
Cons: Finding working PL2303 Windows drivers took some googling. One star off for lame drivers on bundled CD. Try http://edvoncken.net/2010/08/pl-2303-usb-to-serial-driver/
Other Thoughts: What's this I hear about counterfeit PL2303 chips?
Did you find this review helpful?
Terrible driver support.
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: Low price
Cons: Driver support is terrible. The driver was last updated in 2007. It has had install problems on some machines and caused blue screens on others.
Other Thoughts: Without good driver support, what value does a piece of hardware have?
Manufacturer Response:
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Give it a wide berth
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: None - since I can't get it to work.. but I guess the packaging was pretty
Cons: Just like the other review.. this device is a nightmare to install!! To the point that I have had this for almost 2 months now and I can not get it working. Tech supports response was 'Oh the device must be defective'.. problem is that I have two of them so what are the chances that both of them are defective? Stay away from this device unless you want to pull your hair out in frustration at installing it!
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not worth the money
This review is from: SYBA Model SY-USB-S USB 1.1 to Serial Port Adapter
Pros: NOT APPLIACABLE
Cons: The mini CD-rom which has the installation drivers has 11 different folders for other different manufacturers. The drivers are for everything but the adapter i.e. SATA driveres. I went to the company's website had 2 different driver packages to download. One of the two was clearly designated for the MAC OS & the other wasn't
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tiny model Enjoys GANGBANG!
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text: The 2015 Honda CR-Z hybrid is now available at dealerships, for slightly more money. The CR-Z starts at an MSRP of $20,145 (plus $790 in destination charges), up from the $19,995 price of the 2014 model. For those who don't want to row their own gears with the six-speed manual transmission, the available CVT adds an extra $650 to the price, but also offers better fuel economy, especially in the city. The manual-equipped CR-Z gets 31 mpg city/38 highway/34 combined, while the CVT version is rated


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Clinton police shoot armed man in Burger King parking lot
DMV error costs thousands of NC drivers their licenses
iControl Interactive Doppler Radar
NOAA: Atlantic hurricane season will be near normal; 10 to 16 named storms forecast
Duke earns 1st NCAA bid since 1961; UNC left out
Tudor: Hotshot ACC recruits unlikely to upstage '93-'94 group
Who's most active venture investor in North Carolina? (WTW Insider)
Lenovo struggles to keep pace with data center disruption (WTW Insider)
NC coast sees little impact from HB2 on holiday tourism
Fast money: Banks making it easier to split the tab
Boys vs girls: Who's more expensive to raise?
Diets don't work, but here's what does
Cellphone radiation study raises concerns despite low risk
Web only: 360 video in a hot air balloon
Photos: Animazement 2016
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Animal lovers question, mourn gorilla's killing


text:
In anticipation of the arrival of our new Co-Motion Speedster Co-Pilot (shipped today!), we are getting ready to sell our old Burley Duet. I've gathered many of its specs by reading the numbers off the bike, but there are some things I just don't know. The following are the specs I'd like some help sleuthing:
1) Serial Number--I've searched high and low and can't find it anywhere.
2) Model Year--I believe it to be pre-1998 because it has a quill stem (Tanger Avenger, I think), and Suntour XC brakes. I may be completely wrong, but I believe these components suggest something around 1996.
Here are the specs I know in case they are useful:
1) Shimano Deore LX derailleurs (front and rear)
2) Sugino crankset (front and rear) with 54/43/28 chainrings
3) 7 sp 28-9 cassette
4) 145mm rear spacing
5) Sansin hubs w/48 spokes
...and in case you haven't already noticed, this is all just nervous anticipation behavior. Have to do something to burn off the adrenalin caused by the excited anticipation of the new ride!
Brewer & Malkin


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Gajaraju is an upcoming Telugu Movie. Directed by Solmon and Produced by Bellamkonda Suresh and Bellamkonda Ganesh Babu. Music Composed by Imaam. Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi Menon are in the lead roles.
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HOME MLB Chicago White Sox Gear Chicago White Sox Ladies Chicago White Sox Ladies T-Shirts (241 items) Product ID: 594420
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- 3/4 Length contrast raglan sleeves
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text:
here are some pics of creepy crypts. hey, if they weren't creepy what would
be the point of 'em?
this is denver's riverside cemetery, est. 1890.
the evans one- this is just toooooo creepy- you can see through the grilled door down into the crypt. it goes a ways back, evidently someone was looking to have a group home. i think the bods have been re-interred.
jones- broken into several times, so bods also probably re-interred.
hollister- looks to be more secure, but who knows?
years back some kids dug up an army general and cut his head off. caught, prosecuted for grave robbing, desecration of a corpse, criminal trespass.
there're tours at night during halloween. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
group of white headstones is the pre-ww1 veteran's section, some marked 'soldier unknown'.
note bike to the right
no idea what the hoss is about. something i heard about hoss statues: if a horse is rearing w/rider it means a battlefield victory, if merely walking/standing it means a battle lost. an unaccompanied hoss means dead rider. ???????
blue/white thing is a monument in the russian orthodox section. attached to it are three plaques commemorating individuals lost during 3 wars. the others don't have pictures. a pic actually forces you to recognise the loss of that person. i saw a lot of these in germany- whole cemetery boundary walls covered with pics of soldiers whose final resting place was not recorded. not just one war, either. many had 'gefallen in osten'- fallen in the east (russia).


text:
Democrat lashes cuts to disabled kids' therapy
AUSTIN — A House Democrat renowned for his mastery of parliamentary rules has vowed to "use every legislative strategy I can find" to block planned cuts to disabled children's Medicaid therapy payments — or if need be, roll them back in two years.
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said the $100 million in reductions of state funding of therapists' pay over the next two years only would compound the problems of children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and autism.
He highlighted the struggles faced by the mother and aunt of one such Medicaid patient — 16 year-old Miranda Hernandez, a constituent who has a rare, autism-like genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome.
Martinez Fischer, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said Texas Medicaid already has denied coverage of swallowing tests and nutritional assistance that Miranda needs. He said that if the state proceeds with proposed Medicaid rate reductions for physical, occupational, and speech therapy provided by rehabilitation clinics, home health agencies and independent therapists, her speech and physical therapists could pull out of the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.
Martinez Fischer said he's "taking Miranda's message" to high-ranking state officials. He met Thursday with state social services czar Chris Traylor, who oversees the Health and Human Services Commission, and Ursula Parks, director of the Legislative Budget Board.
Martinez Fischer said he showed Traylor a 1-minute video of Miranda and her aunt, Joann Dockery. (See it above.)
Traylor, an appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, is trying to obey a provision lawmakers this year inserted in the state budget provision. It orders the commission to save $50 million a year in state funds by reducing therapy rates and $25 million a year in state funds through policy changes designed to reduce any excess usage of therapy. Not spending the money would reduce federal matching funds by $200 million.
Martinez Fischer, who voted against the budget, said he wants colleagues and Abbott administration officials to know Miranda's story. They should see "how fragile her life is," and then decide if risking her access to therapies is wise.


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Meal Type
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Prepare as directed, using A.1. Bold & Spicy Steak Sauce.
Warm up with this low-calorie, low-fat meal that is rich in vitamin A from the vegetables.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Makes for a hearty meal. I added some leftover green beans and some fresh mushroom. Had enough leftover another 4 servings.
This was ok. It needs some changes. The vegtables were mushy by the time it all cooked. Next time, I will add fresh vegtables and will add atleast a cup of water with the broth. Has a good flavor.
K:3666 v0:56463


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Earrings, a jewelry worn on the ear. Most of the Earrings are made of metal, some may be stone, wood, or othera. Both men and women can wear earrings, but nowadays women worn more. The earrings are divided into Hoop, Dangle, Stud. Stud earrings is he most popular, the most common one. Hoop earring, a 360-degree circle in the middle to open a port, a pierced ear. Dangle earring, also with a fall.
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Fashion earrings very modern and beautiful
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Regional Connections Before Local Connections #2
That is the thing that we feel. Almost 2 years since we battled for on-road bike foundation in Arlington, to make the city more secure, and more available by its occupants, the city has yet to introduce any of the arranged bicycle courses.
To add to the mistake is the finger-in-the-eye declaration that the city is subsidizing a multi-year transport test case program at the expense of $350,000 a year i.e. Pilot transport venture could start coming in Arlington by August, and Passengers would pay $5 to $8 passage on Arlington transport administration to Center Port. As far as bicycle framework, that is the whole on-road part of the Hike & Bike Plan ($291,000) in addition to an additional $50,000. In the event that the city put that sort of cash into on-road framework on a yearly premise, we would as of now have the on-road foundation authorized by the affirmed arrangement, in addition to the base in the first arrangement that was remove as a false compromise with Tea Party individuals and U.N. connivance scholars Buddy Saunders and Zack Maxwell.
While associating the city's inhabitants to the TRE line (after they went on having their very own station) is praiseworthy however to some degree past due, by the day's end it's simply one more test case program that can vanish when the political will vanishes, or cash is tight i.e. as per an online journal article at the Dallas Morning News about the most up to date experimental run program:
"Arlington has attempted commuter transport lines some time recently, banding together with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, known as The T, in 2008 to run an expedited administration to and from downtown Fort Worth. That stop and-ride exertion collapsed in 2011 on account of low ridership and deficient financing." (Benning, DMN)
Paint on the ground, keeps focused ground. What's more, courses put set up become better known and more utilized after some time. In the event that the city is not kidding about better transportation choices for its inhabitants, they'd do well to finish on the Plan they went in August of 2011 as opposed to frilling endlessly dollars on another transport test case program which, if past execution is any sign, will be another wellspring of frustration for Arlington transportation advocates.
On the off chance that you feel like bike framework is not getting it's expected acknowledgment, or you need to express your failure with the present course the city's transportation arrangement is going, please compose the city board and let them realize that you bolster the Hike & Bike Plan's execution.
You can keep in touch with the whole gathering by duplicating & gluing their email delivers underneath to your email project of decision:
To: email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com
CC: firstname.lastname@example.com
Subject: I bolster actualizing the Hike & Bike Plan


text:
Syrian parliament approves new election law
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's parliament unanimously approved a new election law Thursday allowing multiple candidates to run for president, opening the door — at least in theory — to other potential contenders besides President Bashar Assad.
The vote comes nearly four months before Assad's seven-year term as president officially expires. Syrian officials say the presidential elections will be held on time and Assad has suggested he would run again, though he hasn't confirmed whether he'll seek re-election.
The poll must be held between 60 and 90 days before Assad's term ends on July 17.
Syria has been ruled by the Baath party since it seized power in a 1963 coup. Past presidential elections under Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, had them as the sole candidate.
Under their rule, previous elections asked voters to cast "yes" or "no" ballots on whether they supported parliament's nomination of them for the presidency.
The country held a referendum in March 2012 on a new constitution that allowed for a multiparty political system in Syria and multiple presidential candidates.
That referendum, held amid an escalating civil war, was part of gestures of reform meant to defuse the unrest. The opposition dismissed it as an attempt at superficial reforms that do nothing to break the president's hold on power.
The bill adopted Thursday says only candidates who lived in Syria for 10 consecutive years prior to nomination can run for president. It also stipulates that candidates should be born to Syrian parents and must not have any other nationality.
State television broadcast the vote live, but the parliament speaker did not say how many lawmakers voted for the bill.
Khalid Saleh, a member of the main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said any notion that Assad may run for re-election demonstrates "the uttermost disregard for the blood" of the thousands of Syrians killed.
He said in a statement that the election law adopted by parliament was "illegitimate" and said the group "strongly rejects participation of opposition members as candidates against Assad in the presidential elections, as this would imply recognition by us of the legitimacy of his presence in the elections."
The opposition has categorically refused the notion of presidential elections being held in Syria under the current circumstances. The coalition has called on Assad to step down in favor of a transitional governing body that would administer the country until free presidential and parliament elections can be held.
The Syrian conflict, now entering its fourth year, has killed more than 140,000 people, sent more than 2.5 million fleeing for neighboring countries and destroyed entire blocks in opposition-held areas of the country.
Issam Khalil, a member of the parliament, dismissed the idea that the law was tailored for Assad.
"The parliament doesn't accept that but what has been tailored to fit is the will of Syrians alone," he said at Thursday's parliament session.
At the United Nations, the U.N.-Arab League mediator for Syria warned that if the government in Damascus goes ahead with presidential elections, the opposition will probably refuse to participate in a new round of peace talks.
The Syrian government and the main Western-backed opposition group met twice in Switzerland earlier this year for peace talks, although the sessions ended without making any significant progress.
The U.N.-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, told reporters Thursday after briefing the Security Council that he asked members for their help in making sure that if and when there is a third round of talks in Geneva, "it will be a little bit more productive than the second one."
At the latest round of negotiations last month, Brahimi wanted both sides to hold parallel talks on terrorism, which is a major concern for the government, and the establishment of a transitional governing body for Syria.


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Ermenegildo Zegna
Regular Fit Dress Shirt
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Textured stripes dart down an elegant spread-collar short finished with a crisp French placket and rounded, single-button cuffs.
- Removable collar stays.
- Back yoke.
- Cotton; machine wash.
- By Ermenegildo Zegna; imported.
- Men's Furnishings.
Regular Fit Dress Shirt
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