Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Dream Interpretation and Greek Mythology

Initially, as I was trying to decipher the mysterious language of the dreams, I examined Greek mythology. I understood how it related to the meaning of our dreams because the stories and themes that comprise the mythological stories are actually archetypes.

Archetypes are dream symbols immensely powerful. We find them in the artistic and religions manifestations of all civilizations across eras, in addition to finding them in dreams of many different people from different places in all historical times.

By translating the symbolic meaning of the archetypes contained in Greek mythology, we decipher the hidden message present in these images and stories, parallel to the meaning that can be understood by our conscious mind.

There are many meanings in a symbol because it simultaneously represents many things, and therefore, the relevant definition depends on how it appears in a dream and in artistic or religious manifestations.

While Homer speaks of only one "Moira" (Destiny), Esiodos mentions three "moires" (destinies). Each part does something in order to change the luck of the human being: one of them weaves life, the other one rolls the yarn, and the last one cuts it.

The three destinies of humans are the symbolic representation of the three destinies one's life has, depending on which of the three parts of the psyche one chooses to follow.

The part that gives one life (weaves one's destiny) is the wise unconscious that produces dreams to protect from the craziness inherent in the anti-conscience and that tries to help one completely develop one's human conscience so that he may live peacefully and happily.

The destiny that rolls the yarn is the conscience, which decides one's actions but frequently makes many mistakes because it is ignorant, selfish and a big victim of the person's ego. The ego is connected with the anti-conscience that wishes to destroy the conscience through craziness.

The destiny that cuts the yarn is the demoniac anti-conscience: one's primitive conscience that never evolved and still exists in one's psyche, provoking many problems with its invasions in the conscious realm. This dangerous part has to be tamed and transformed into a positive part of the conscience; otherwise, it causes depression, neurosis and several worse psychic diseases that cannot be cured when the destruction of the conscience is complete.

Poseidon, the god of the Sea, was one of the most important gods in Greek mythology. He ruled the ocean and had his empire there. His older brother, Addis, possessed the world of the depth and his younger brother Dias was the god of the sky and earth.

The symbolism we find here is similar-Dias is the wise unconscious mind trying to help humans transform their lives on Earth, so that they may forever live happily in the sky, in the perfect world of sanctity, which is paradise.

Poseidon is the god of the sea, which represents craziness. Therefore, Poseidon is in the place of the conscience, which is also absurd, even though it has transformed through consciousness. It has to be completely developed; otherwise, it leads the human being to the labyrinth of craziness because it is dominated by the evil anti-conscience.

Addis represents Satan, the god of hell, since he rules the depths. If the human being doesn't fight the domination of the anti-conscience, one becomes its victim and ends up imprisoned forever in the labyrinth of craziness, which is the worst fate for anyone.

Craziness represents terror and terror brings despair: this is the worst destiny for a human being. This tragic destiny is psychic hell, the most unbearable misfortune that exists.

Only craziness prevention can save humanity from the hell of poverty, prostitution and violence that facilitate the poisonous destruction caused by the anti-conscience. Only through the exact interpretation of dreams according to Carl Jung's method, which I have simplified, can everyone overcome depression and all existent mental illnesses with certainty, acquiring mental, emotional and psychic health for life.

This is how you will control your destiny and never be a victim of the anti-conscience's traps, replacing what could potentially be negative in the future with something that will bring you joy and satisfaction instead.

Bibliography:

Encyclopaedia of Mythology-Gods and Heroes of The Ancient World

Viteh Zamarovski

Editions Tambaki

Athens - 1981

Prevent Depression and Craziness through the scientific method of Dream Interpretation discovered by Carl Jung and simplified by Christina Sponias, a writer who continued Jung's research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com and http://www.booksirecommend.com

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Beating Depression and Craziness

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Top 5 Paranormal Abilities

Paranormal abilities can be described as the capacity of people to perform certain extra-ordinary things that science cannot describe. A person with these abilities is said to have a paranormal ability. One of the well known paranormal abilities is the psychic ability. Psychic ability is the capacity where an individual tends to gather information from another without will or rather information that may be hidden. The procedure of perceiving this hidden information is referred to as ESP or perhaps extrasensory perception. Psychic powers have commercially been used by psychic detectives, psychic archeology and psychic surgery.

In the early 20th century, Edgar Cayce who had a psychic ability made numerous predictions using the ESP that had initially been brought to knowledge by Helena Blavatsky. In the late twentieth century, any person who claimed to possess a psychic ability made use of them to help people. In fact, the use of psychic abilities had taken a greater course of life with the readings being performed even via the phone. The belief in psychic ability or the existence of these ESP abilities has always been a controversial debate which led to a survey to evaluate the thoughts of people on this fact. Unfortunately a greater number of people acknowledged that they believed in ESP which remains a turn around table for most scientists and researchers. Mind powers are connected with those individual who claim to use a portion of their brain to control the will of others.

The issue of mind control was connected with propaganda for war in that people were misleading into taking arms through manipulative techniques. In the paranormal nature of these abilities, mind powers can be associated with the ability to move physical matter by way of focusing and or initiating mind control beyond any scientist's explanation. It has however emerged that some researchers are beginning to believe in the existence of these powers also referred to as psychokinesis. They have added that the condition needs more research before they reach into a conclusion on the source of these abilities. The following are the top most paranormal abilities of all time that people have claimed existed or still function.

  • A psycho-kinesis or mind power is the capacity for an individual to move physical matter without entirely touching it or using the physical body to move it.
  • ESP or extrasensory perception takes place when the person with this ability gathers information without involving the common five senses of touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste.
  • Telepathy is another paranormal ability that tends to describe the issue of communication. This is further evaluated as in the state where one can communicate with another by way of mind without necessarily using any sign language or talking.
  • There is another common paranormal ability referred to as clairvoyance. This is whereby the information is transferred from one subject to another. The differing situation from telepathy is in the fact that the person with these powers uses objects which will communicate to him unlike in telepathy where the communication is done through one person to another.
  • Pyrokenesis is another rare but actual claim of a paranormal ability whereby the person possessing these powers can actually perform something extraordinary. This is whereby the possessor can extinguish fires by the use of the mind ignited powers.

There are other abilities out there like the psychometry where one can tell what objects are saying, precognition that is used by foreseers to tell the coming of future events, Bilocation that differs from astral travel in that it is physical rather than of conscious nature. This is where the individual can be in two places at the same time physically. Post cognition is whereby one can be able to see what happened unlike precognition where one sees what may happen. Let us not forget about astral projection that is characterized by one traveling to another dimension in spirit rather than body. All these abilities and others have always brought about controversial debates as to whether they are true or not. This is because scientists have continually tried with every possible will power to calculate the actual possibility without any luck and thus something that science cannot explain on the source, technically doesn't exists although claims are always there on the existence of the said abilities.

For FREE reports, ebooks, videos, downloads, news and articles on esoteric knowledge, spirituality, the paranormal, conspiracies, new age, 2012 and the new world order come to: http://www.newdawnera.com

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What Is the Work of Edgar Cayce?

As we experience 1998, a year Edgar Cayce identified as a significant mile-post in the long journey from the Piscean to the Aquarian Age, it is important to understand what "the work" is. A.R.E. members have used the term since the organization was founded, but what does it really mean? The term originated in the readings, so that seems a good place to begin.

The Source

Too often the source of this work is identified as Edgar Cayce, which keeps the focus on personality rather than the real transpersonal source. In reading 254-96 we have this clear statement: "...the source is the universal consciousness that must be tapped that thy spirit, thy portion...of that infinite love, may seek to know the heart, the will of thy Maker!"

From the sleeping Cayce's perspective, "tapping" the universal consciousness is the foundation upon which this work was and continues to be built. However, even though the source is the universal consciousness, it is tapped individually. The readings frequently caution to keep the work open to varieties of individual backgrounds and needs, not to make it another "ism" with a set of laws for gaining enlightenment.

A Psychic, Inner Work

By its nature the work is an inner work, "For all psychic work is of the inner man's, and is the exploration of a thought in conjunction with the minds of others..."(254-12) Cayce identifies inner thoughts and attitudes as the cause of much of our outer circumstances. The impact of thought was evident during his psychic readings when he had difficulty discerning a person's thoughts from his or her actions. Reading 254-12 stated: "...thoughts are deeds and may become either miracles or destructive forces, depending upon how they are used by the individual in their inner selves."

Being more aware of our inner thoughts in conjunction with the minds of others - friends, family, co-workers - is a footing upon which this work stands.

A Work on Self

The "tapped-in" Cayce challenges us often; one recurring theme is work on self: "Yet have ye lived it in thine own life day by day? If ye have ye have conquered thyself! And who present may say they have?" (254-96)

Who indeed has conquered self? Who walks the talk? Who lives it? Whether we are dealing with challenging illnesses, relationships, life situations, or personal demons, all are meeting self, according to Cayce. He ties this to the reincarnation and karma tenets.

In dealing with the problems that arise in daily life and analyzing them in meditation, I think we realize that we are often meeting our old selves, old friends, and old enemies. How well we meet them depends upon how well we have mastered and do master self (also see 2174-2). Work on self is another footing upon which the work stands.

A Work of Service

Throughout the readings, "service to others" is a mantra all are encouraged to hold. For example, a new trustee of the A.R.E., upon joining the board of trustees, was asked: "Wilt thou ... let thine mind, thine heart, thine body, be used as a channel of blessings to others?" (257-20) The same reading guides the trustee to apply "self in the ways and manners as has been designated for any officer or trustee, or anyone to whom there is given this opportunity...to be a channel through which others may gain an idea and a manner of closer approach to the thrones of grace - mercy, peace, joy - as come from service to man, and from keeping the precepts of the Creator."

Service to others is the outer flow of our inner work, and an important part of this work.

Peace and Harmony

Finally, reading 254-108 says: "...through the phenomena or work of Edgar Cayce, or the study of same, there are manners presented through which there may be attained greater peace and harmony in the experience of all that seek." This reading also states that before we can hope to bring about peace and harmony in our dealing with others, we must develop those same qualities within self.

The work, then, is about tapping into the universal consciousness, improving our thoughts, conquering self, and serving others. And the result of the work is greater peace and harmony for all.

John Van Auken is a Director at the Association for Research and Enlightenment. He is considered an expert in spirituality [http://edgarcayce.org/personalspirituality/], reincarnation, ancient mysteries, and rejuvenation of the body, dream work, meditation, prophecy, mysticism, and Edgar Cayce [http://www.edgarcayce.org] concepts.

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Edgar Cayce on Soul Development

What if the purpose of life were not simply to be born into a family, go to school, get a job, acquire material goods, create a family of one's own, grow older, and then eventually die, leaving one's descendants and family members to repeat the very same cycle? What if one's life experiences were not simply random chance; instead, some kind of divine purposefulness stood behind the possibilities of every single day for every single individual? What if we suddenly discovered that we were somehow actively responsible for cocreating the substance of our lives? What if we came to realize that our perception of ourselves is extremely limited, for we are, in truth, eternal beings possessing infinitely more than an average of seven to ten decades of life? What if the answer to the question "Who am I?" were much more than we had ever even dared to imagine?

Perhaps more than anything else, humankind is in need of an entire worldview shift - a change in our collective perception that will enable all individuals to look at themselves and one another in a completely new light. This change in perception needs to amount to nothing less than a quantum leap in our understanding of what life is all about, for humanity's previous worldview has been sorely inadequate. Life is not about acquisition. It is not about appeasing one's desires and needs. It is not about lobbying to get one's way. It is not about being victimized or bullying another. It is not about being afraid or causing fear. It is not about seeking pleasure or inflicting pain. It is not about taking control of another or being controlled oneself. It is not about proselytizing personal beliefs. It is not about problems with race or sex or war or governments or culture or territorial borders. Ultimately, it is not even about religion. Simply stated, life is a process of personal growth and development. It is a required transformational process that has been in effect since the dawn of time and will be underway until each soul has passed through every portion of the curriculum.

This change in our collective worldview is not only necessary, but also inevitable. The reason is because the truth about who we are can no longer be contained within the confines of what we once thought about ourselves. With greater and greater frequency, this single fact has repeatedly led individuals from countless backgrounds, cultures, and faiths to sense and to predict "the end of the world." Although it is true that the world as we know it is coming to a close, it is not that the world is literally ending; rather, it is that our perception of the world and ourselves is in the throes of a complete and radical transformation. When this shift arrives, we will no longer think ourselves to be what we never really were.

During this time of transition, we stand at a crossroads, both individually and collectively. We can either fight against the inevitable, becoming all the more focused on our limiting and erroneous beliefs, or we can embrace the change and allow our perception of truth to expand along with us. When this change is complete, we will look back on our previous worldview and see it simply as a step in our collective learning process - a stage that we passed through rather than the reality where we ended up.

As it is now, our limited worldview suggests one of two fundamental possibilities about the nature of humankind for much of the world. The first is that life is accidental and random, implying that there is no God and that we are nothing more than physical bodies. The second is that there is a God and He is all-loving, but for reasons we may not understand, He is conditional in that love. He is also all-forgiving, but only within a certain period of time. Nor does He play favorites, unless one refuses to do things His way. Even now, certain logical assumptions suggest that neither of these possibilities is justifiably defensible.

The structure and harmony of the universe, the cyclic nature of all of life, and the universal laws we can perceive in action tend to indicate that the cosmos follows design more so than accident. In our own lives, the fact that we possess the capacity to dream, the ability to hope, and the capability to inspire others to go beyond their perceived limitations suggests that there is much more to us than a physical body.

In terms of the conflicting nature of God, does it not seem problematic that, if the purpose of life is simply to receive the same eternal reward or punishment, for some unknown reason the Creator has visited upon us very different tests? For some, that test may be like an easy math problem that requires only the ability to add and subtract, but for others that test is like a complex algebraic equation that only the most gifted in mathematical theory and computation could even begin to decipher. One person's life may be filled with minor struggles and pain, while another's seems fraught with tragedy, misfortune, and unspeakable horror. This limited worldview would have us believe that a Creator who designed the intricacies of the galaxies could send a child to a Mahatma Gandhi or a Reverend Billy Graham and hope for the same level of success as a child He sent to a Joseph Stalin or a Reverend Jim Jones. Does this really seem godlike to anyone?

What if the apparent randomness of life weren't random at all, but instead were a purposeful unfolding of experiences, thoughts, desires, and lessons that originated at the level of the soul? What if we were active participants in the creation of every element of our lives rather than simply the recipient of them? What if the Creator were at least as equitable and fair as a loving parent who didn't play favorites with her or his children? What if God were truly all-loving, ever-merciful, and eternally supportive, providing a firm foundation for each of His children to live and grow and become all that they were meant to be?

These premises - that we stand at the brink of a new understanding of the nature of humankind and that there will be an inevitable shift in our worldview - are both explored in much of the Edgar Cayce material. Rather than seeing life as simply a precursor to an inevitable reward or punishment, the Cayce information saw every life experience as a potentially purposeful and necessary stage of development leading to an almost unfathomable realization of one's true connection to God. A reading told one 26-year-old army sergeant: "For you grow to heaven, you don't go to heaven. It is within thine own conscience that ye grow there." (3409-1) With this as his undergirding perspective, Cayce believed that it was through an individual's life experiences and relationships - accruing over a series of lifetimes - that each person was destined to undergo soul development; grow spiritually; overcome shortcomings, weaknesses, and flaws; and eventually reawaken to the true self.

In the Cayce cosmology, the destiny Iof each individual is nothing less than soul growth, transformation, and enlightenment. Essentially, the primary function of the earth is as a testing arena that enables the soul to exercise the dynamics of freedom of choice played out against the influences of cause and effect, and to experience whatever understanding and development have already taken place. Although Cayce definitely saw the prospect of soul retrogression (loss) in any given life, generally each lifetime allows for the possibility of advancement in learning. In fact, the readings contend that wherever a person finds him- or herself in the present, that very situation has the potential to be a purposeful one; whether or not the person decides to use the present as a positive learning experience, however, is always a matter of free will.

Because the nature of the soul is spiritual, not physical, it is erroneous to believe that the earth offers the only learning curriculum undertaken by each soul. Instead, Cayce's cosmology describes "sojourns in consciousness" in which the soul chooses to experience focused lessons in what might be called "awareness development." These lessons do not take place in physicality but in other dimensions of consciousness. With this in mind, Cayce informed a group of approximately 30 people who had gathered for a reading in 1933: "For, the earth is only an atom in the universe of worlds!" (5749-3) Echoing the New Testament (John 14:2), Cayce told another individual, "'... In my Father's house are many mansions' - many consciousnesses, many stages of enfoldment, of unfoldment, of blessings ..." (2879-1)

Cayce advised others that it was also a mistake to believe that our solar system is the only place in the cosmos in which souls are undergoing a developmental process. However, once a soul enters the earth, there is apparently a mandatory lesson that must be attained before the soul is free to continue its curriculum elsewhere. Essentially, that lesson was described as being one of love and service. On other occasions, the readings used biblical terminology to describe that lesson: "For the whole law is to love the Lord with all thy heart and soul and body, and thy neighbor as thyself!" (1603-1)

In Cayce's worldview, the inevitable destiny of every soul is to become cognizant of its true individuality while maintaining an awareness of its oneness with God. For all of humankind, this state of enlightenment is seemingly achievable in one of two ways: either by learning the lesson of love and then moving on to other stages of consciousness development or by literally attaining perfection in the earth. Of the thousands of individuals who received readings from Edgar Cayce, fewer than 20 were told that they had so mastered the lesson of love that another earthly incarnation would not be necessary unless they chose to return. Apparently, there are "many mansions" in which they could continue their individual growth process. In terms of manifesting perfection in the earth, the example repeatedly cited by the readings was that of Jesus.

In 1944, a 53-year-old housewife contacted Edgar Cayce and inquired as to why she had come into life with such a broken physical body. For much of her life, she had suffered from heart, back, hearing, and intestinal problems, that often caused her severe pain. In spite of these problems, she had managed to take care of a home and family and raise two sons. She obtained a life reading and was told that her soul had made tremendous strides in spiritual development for she had "advanced from a low degree to that which may not even necessitate a reincarnation in the earth." Not that she was perfect, for she wasn't; but somehow she had learned how to love.

Her present difficulties were traced to a low point in her earthly sojourns when she had been a companion of Nero and had taken part in the physical persecution of individuals associated with the early Christian church. From that experience, Cayce advised her that she was now "meeting self" in terms of her own pain and suffering. Aside from that one period of soul retrogression, however, she was told that throughout her earthly incarnations, she had generally been of service to others in her attempts to be of service to God. As a result, in spite of her physical pain, she had still managed to love, striving to hold to a high ideal, and frequently assisting others in doing the same. For that reason, when asked to comment on her abilities, Cayce told her: "Who would tell the rose how to be beautiful; who would give to the morning sun, glory; who would tell the stars how to be beautiful? Keep that faith which has prompted thee. Many will gain much from thy patience, thy consistence, thy brotherly love." (5366-1)

In spite of how her life and physical circumstances might have appeared to others, the reading assured her that she had accomplished much.

Within the vast repository of the Cayce material, those factors that lead to a person's soul growth or soul retrogression in any given lifetime are indexed by case history for ease of reference. In addition to service and love, qualities that prompt soul growth include consistent application, establishing spiritual ideals, developing the will, maintaining positive human relationships, personal attunement, selflessness, and cultivating virtuous traits such as patience, forgiveness, understanding, and tolerance. The flaws and weaknesses pointed out as leading to soul retrogression include self-gratification, self-exaltation, selfishness, intolerance, condemnation, indecision, laziness, holding grudges or seeking revenge, being too material minded, and creating contention, oppression, and strife in the lives of others. Negative traits also include such attitudes and emotions as spite, stubbornness, self-pity, and resentment.

Rather than thinking that the soul is somehow separated or disconnected by each of its earthly experiences, the Cayce readings emphasize the ongoing process of life. Because the soul is eternal, life does not begin and end with each physical incarnation. For ease of understanding, imagine for a moment that the soul is like an individual's entire lifetime and that each period of that person's life is like a different incarnation. There may be a period of childhood, of going to school, of being a parent, of having a job or a series of jobs, etc. Although the core individual does not radically change, outward identity frequently changes. It is not that each life begins anew like a blank slate, but rather that the soul takes with it talents, experiences, relationships, and weaknesses from one lifetime to the next. All weaknesses need to be overcome or transformed, while all strengths need to be further cultivated and expressed. This fact is repeatedly illustrated in the case histories of individuals who received readings.

One woman learned that she had lost spiritual ground centuries ago during a lifetime in India because she had often forced others to accept her personal beliefs and religious tenets. However, that same ability to persuade and mold others had been transformed during a Colonial American incarnation in which she had cultivated the talents of a teacher and instructor and had been instrumental in directing the lives of young people (2910-1).

A very small, thin, frail-looking shoe salesman who suffered from a number of physical problems, including anemia, learned that he had abused his physical prowess, beauty, and strength during a Roman incarnation when he had often subjugated others to his own will. Conversely, during that same incarnation, he had often found favor with the opposite sex by his desire to be of service. For that reason, in the present, women often found occasions to be kind to him. At the same time, however, he frequently attempted to be too controlling with members of his own family, including his wife (1629-1).

In another instance, a 35-year-old psychologist learned that his innate talents for counseling and diplomacy were the result of a number of past-life experiences. In a lifetime after the American Revolution, he had acted as a liaison between the United States and Britain. Although a soldier during the Crusades in another lifetime, he had come to appreciate and admire many individuals of the Moslem faith from whom he had learned brotherly love. His appreciation of various cultures and ideologies was enriched during an earlier period in ancient Egypt, when he had made a study of various teachings and tenets of the then-known world. At the same time, however, this psychologist possessed a tendency toward self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement that had arisen during a Persian incarnation, when he had been in a position of leadership. That same tendency remained with him in the present and needed to be overcome. Years later, his third ex-wife - he would eventually have five - filed a follow-up report that confirmed his propensity for self-indulgence. By her account, during their 10 years together, he had repeatedly displayed an incredibly overdeveloped sex drive and a very serious problem with alcohol (1135-1).

Cayce was adamant that the New Testament declaration, " ... for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7), was not simply a quaint saying but was, instead, a statement of fact and a universal law regarding how the universe really works. For example, an unhappy 33-year-old actress inquired about why her life had been filled with a series of broken romances, rejections, and the experience of having a broken heart. A reading suggested that in her most recent incarnation she had been a saloon entertainer and had found occasion to repeatedly toy with men's emotions, frequently making "for sorrow in the hearts and in the experience of many." (1300-1) Her present difficulties were simply a learning experience in response to her having done the same thing to others. As she learned to keep her heart, mind, and soul in alignment with spiritual ideals, learning a lesson where she had once fallen short, Cayce promised her "years of happiness and joy and peace."

In spite of the inevitability of having to meet the consequences of our previous choices, in Cayce's cosmology life is not fixed or destined. Although we constantly draw individuals and circumstances to us as a result of choices from the past, we continually cocreate the experience of our life (and our perceptions) through how we choose to respond in the present. From the readings' perspective, karma is only soul memory; it is not destiny. The way we choose to respond to that memory and our present-life experience actually determines the next probabilities and potentials drawn to the soul's learning agenda. In addition to the will being an irrefutable factor in the process of soul development, Cayce emphasized the importance of establishing spiritual ideals with which an individual could direct and evaluate the course of a life.

In 1944, he told a 51-year-old woman that one of the first priorities she needed in her life was to set an ideal. Apparently the woman had a propensity to gossip and to make slighting comments about others. Obviously that tendency was causing a strain in her personal relationships.

During the course of her reading, Cayce mentioned that the woman had exhibited this same frailty in a previous life, when her motto seemed to be "I'll forgive you but I won't forget it," prompting her to speak unkindly of those with whom she was having difficulties. He told her to remember that any fault she observed in others was actually a reflection of the same problem she possessed within herself - otherwise, she would have been unable to perceive it with such clarity in the first place. Instead, she needed to refocus her perception, learning how to minimize the faults she saw in others while magnifying their virtues. As she established an ideal against which she could measure her own actions, her life would inevitably begin to change:

" But if the entity will take self in hand and just don't say, don't do anything about or to another that you would not like to have others do about you, you will find there will be a change in the outlook, there will come to thee opportunities, possibilities that have been denied. For the law of the Lord is perfect and it converts the soul. And when the soul is converted the mind and body changes and leads in the straight and narrow way." (5255-1)

At the heart of this spiritual transformation process is the necessity for personal application. Frequently, the readings admonished people to simply begin doing what they knew to do or to apply guidance that had previously been given. While reviewing the past lives of an architect, Cayce informed the individual that he had once been a creator and a lover of all kinds of art and sculpture during a Grecian incarnation. The man had gained in that experience for his efforts at presenting ideals to others. His failure had come, however, by not applying those very ideals in his own life (2108-1).

In another instance, a 49-year-old man inquiring about his health and asking how he might be of greater assistance to humankind was told: "It is not how much one knows that counts, but how well one applies that it knows; in just being, doing, thinking, that which is pointed out to self through such constant, consistent, practical dependence upon the Creative Forces that have promised ever to meet one - every one - when sought. And there will come that which is for the greater development in the soul forces of such an one that seeks." (270-33)

The Cayce information on soul development maintains that one of the greatest lessons facing all of humankind is one the readings identified as "cooperation." Amazingly, that lesson is not simply gaining an understanding of how to agree or work with other people; instead, it is a state of being that somehow sets aside personal agendas, beliefs, motives, and desires and enables an individual to become an agent of spirituality in the lives of others. In other words, true cooperation is learning to work with God so that the Creator can work through you.

This notion that the Creator desires to become an active participant in each person's life was no more clearly described than in the case of a small group of individuals from Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia, who began receiving a series of readings from Edgar Cayce starting in 1931. Coming together as a "study club" to explore psychic and personal development, the group was promised by Cayce that they could become "a light to a waiting world" (262-2) if they simply worked at practically applying spiritual principles in everyday life. The group met for years, receiving readings and discussing such topics as soul development, meditation, prayer, and service. In the end, not only had the group members learned how to cooperate with spirit in their everyday lives, but they also ended up compiling a series of essays regarding the lessons they had explored and their personal experiences. That compilation was published in 1942 as A Search for God and is still being studied by small groups around the world, making Cayce's prediction that they could become a light to the world that would be both personally and globally significant.

Rather than implying that a close connection to spirit is somehow dependent upon religion, dogma, or personal beliefs, the readings are adamant in their stance that the Creator's unconditional love is available to everyone without exception. To be sure, even in Cayce's cosmology, it is understood that the more frequently an individual attunes to spirit, the more successfully that person will be able to experience God's presence, but achieving that level of awareness exists in potential within each one. In fact, the readings suggest that every single soul will eventually complete the entire curriculum, achieving soul development and obtaining personal enlightenment in the process. With this destiny in mind, Cayce asked a 35-year-old attorney, "Can the will of man continue to defy its Maker?" (826-8) When one considers our inevitable destiny as children of a loving God, it is sadly ironic that many religious movements preaching the existence of an all-loving Creator continue to be adamantly opposed to the notion that everyone will eventually make it.

Ultimately, only one thing stands Ubetween each individual and a personal awakening: the human will. This thought becomes even more sobering when it is taken into account that in Cayce's cosmology, out of the entire cosmos, humankind stands out for a reason. In exploring how the human creature has set itself apart, the readings suggest that the acorn knows the purpose for which it was created. The oak remembers the reason it has been given expression. The angels on high are in tune with the rationale behind their existence. All the animals and plants of the earth maintain an awareness of what they are to be about - except for one. Only humankind has forgotten the purpose behind its creation. What was that purpose? It was simply to become a companion and a cocreator with God.

Kevin Todeschi [http://www.edgarcayce.org] is the Executive Director and CEO of Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment [http://www.edgarcayce.org], overseeing activities of the Cayce work worldwide. A prolific writer, he is the author of twenty books, including Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records, Edgar Cayce on Soul Mates, and Family Karma: The Hidden Ties that Bind.

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Edgar Cayce - Famous American Psychic

Edgar Cayce was born in 1877 and died in 1945. He is generally remembered as an American psychic who gave trance discourses on subjects like health and cures, astrology, reincarnation, and lost civilizations. While in trance, he could respond to virtually any question asked. His responses have come to be called "readings."

Edgar Cayce gave over 14,000 "readings" between1901 and 1944. These are trance discourses which Cayce revealed while in a hypnotic or "sleeping" state. While "awake" he claimed generally not to remember what he had said while "asleep".

The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E), headquartered in Virginia Beach, is the major organization promoting interest in Cayce. Edgar Cayce Centers are now found in 25 other countries.

The readings are customarily divided into the following categories:

Health Readings 9603

Life Readings 1920

Business Readings 747

Dream Readings 630

Other Readings 954

EDGAR CAYCE ON ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF HUMANITY:

"All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came." The Earth, with all its limitations, was created as a suitable arena for spiritual growth.

EDGAR CAYCE ON DUALITY:

According to Cayce, Atlantean society was divided into two long-lived political factions - a "good" faction called the "Sons of the Law of One," and an "evil" faction called the "Sons of Belial." According to the readings, a major source of turmoil was the Sons of Belial's desire to exploit the Things, sub-humans with animal appendages and low intelligence, and the movements to protect and evolve them by the Sons of the Law of One.

EDGAR CAYCE ON UNIVERSAL LAWS:

Souls incarnated on the earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, he has promised to guide us in our spiritual path.

EDGAR CAYCE ON JESUS AND CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS:

Jesus was a soul like us, who reincarnated through many lifetimes (and made many mistakes). "Christhood" is something which he achieved, and to which we also ought to aspire. Cayce accordingly calls Jesus our "elder brother."

EDGAR CAYCE ON UNKNOWN LIFE OF JESUS:

Cayce presented narratives of Jesus' previous incarnations, including a mysterious Atlantean figure called "Amilius" as well as the more familiar biblical figures of Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Joshua, Asaph, and Jeshua. Cayce describes Jesus as an Essene who traveled to India in his youth in order to study Eastern religions.

EDGAR CAYCE ON REINCARNATION AND PAST LIVES:

Edgar Cayce found that the concept of reincarnation was not incompatible with any religion, and actually merged perfectly with his own beliefs of what it meant to be a Christian. Eventually the subject of reincarnation was examined in extensive detail in over 1,900 Life Readings.

EDGAR CAYCE ON THE ATLANTIS:

The Cayce readings affirm the existence of Atlantis, a vast continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America.

EDGAR CAYCE ON EGYPT:

Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the "life readings" was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an otherwise unknown pharoah named "Ra Ta" who built a spiritually-based healing center (the "Temple of Sacrifice") and educational institution (the "Temple Beautiful"). His diagnostic readings and narratives about the past and future were supposed to be a continuation of his ancient work. This civilization also built monuments on the Giza plateau, including the Great Pyramid, and left records of Atlantis in a "hall of records" located somewhere beneath the Sphinx. These readings bear a close resemblance to books by AMORC founder H. Spencer Lewis.

He prophecized the Sphinx had been built in 10,500 BC and that survivors of Atlantis had concealed beneath it a "Hall of Records" containing all the wisdom of their lost civilization and the true history of the human race. Cayce prophesied that this Hall of Records would be rediscovered and opened between 1996 and 1998.

EDGAR CAYCE ON EARTH CHANGES:

Some Cayce readings allude to massive Earth changes - perhaps in conjunction with a pole shift - in the 1930s, 1960s, or 1990s. Cayce people have developed several creative ways of interpreting such passages, although some were disappointed with the failure of 1998 to bring either the rising of Atlantis, the sinking of California, or the Second Coming of Christ. Other predictions were about dramatic changes in the Earth's surface in the period from 1958 to 1998 due to a tilting in the Earth's rotational axis which would begin in 1936.

Mario is graduated in Biochemistry and Genetic Engineering (University Bachelor degree). He also owns a MBA in Pharmaceutical Affairs. Mario developed an expertise in nutrition and passion towards alternative medicines and ancient civilizations.

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Edgar Cayce Cough Cure

I found this awesome cough cure in one of my mother's old Edgar Cayce books. For those who do not know, Edgar Cayce was a famous psychic who, while in a trance, could make various predictions and diagnose different illnesses in people.

Being a sick kid (and from a family of smokers), I was prone to chest colds, swollen lymph glands and sore throats. While looking for ways to improve my health, I came across this cough cure from one of Edgar Cayce's trance transcripts.

The formula consists of: One whole ripe lemon One egg white One tablespoon of honey Whip the egg white until it stands up on its own. Then mix it in a glass with the juice of the whole lemon and honey. Take one tablespoon every 15 minutes. This will probably cover about 1.5 hours. After about 30 minutes to an hour, I would find myself coughing up some nasty stuff. But, it will usually clear out your throat and remove the pain within a couple of hours. Sometimes if I feel a sore throat coming on, I will mix up a batch of this cure and get fast relief.

Now generally speaking, a cough and sore throat is the result of a toxic system. A good follow up to the Cayce formula is to induce a bowel movement, such as an enema or colonic and generate some sweat. I found that this can remove a sore throat and cough within an hour. A bit extreme for most people. But it beats staying in bed all week. For some people, removing mucus forming foods like, milk, sugar, salt and wheat greatly reduce the occurrence of coughs and sore throats.

Doug Setter holds a Bachelor's of Food and Nutrition. He has served as a paratrooper and U.N. Peacekeeper, has completed 5 full marathons and climbed Mt. Rainier. He held a welterweight kick-boxing title at age 40. He consults clients in alcohol reduction, stomach-flattening, kick-boxing and nutrition. He is the author of Stomach Flattening, Reduce Your Alcohol Craving and One Less Victim. Visit his website: http://www.2ndwindbodyscience.com

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Star Sign Compatibility - Your Guide to Love and Relationship

Are you afraid to love and be in a relationship? Do you feel lost when it comes to love? Do you feel you are not compatible with your partner? Do you feel you need some guidance in choosing the right partner? Star sign compatibility can guide you with all these love and relationship problems. When it comes to love and relationship, almost everyone relies on star sign compatibility for guidance. Star sign compatibility uses the zodiac which represents the 12 months in our calendar. Each month represents a certain zodiac and they are;

• Aries
• Taurus
• Gemini
• Cancer
• Leo
• Virgo
• Libra
• Scorpio
• Sagittarius
• Capricorn
• Aquarius
• Pisces

Men study these signs and they found out that people born under the same sign share the same traits. Many people consult the star when they are in love or in a relationship. Those who strongly believe in the star sign compatibility often choose their partner according to what their star suggests.

According to astrologers, not all signs are compatible when it comes to love and relationship. Although they are not suggesting that you should not be with those who are not compatible with your sign. However, they suggest that it is better if you choose a partner that is according to your star sign compatibility.

Signs are classified into four elements namely the Fire, Earth, Water and Wind. These four elements are the basis for the star sign compatibility. Signs falling under the fire element are known to be passionate and energetic and aggressive. Those people under the air sign are thinkers, and truth seekers. Water sign are people who are emotional and creative. Earth people are hardworking and sincere.

Below are the signs grouped according to their corresponding element:

Air - Aquarius, Gemini and Libra
Earth - Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo
Fire - Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Water - Cancer, Pisces and Scorpio

In reality, everyone is different and no two persons are exactly with the same traits. However, astrology has proven that somehow, people who were born under the same sign have very much similar traits or personality. Try to observe a person the same as your sign and you will see similar traits.

Now, going back to love and relationship, star sign compatibility can help you get the right partner in life.

When it comes to relationship you have to pick the one that you can get along with easily. This is where astrology works well because compatible signs will get along well.

To pick the right partner you have to know which signs are compatible to your sign. In general, Fire is compatible with Air and Earth sign is compatible with Water sign. All signs are also compatible with people of their own sign.

Being in a relationship is not easy, star sign compatibility may be a good guide but not a sure way of getting the right partner. Also, it is not a basis to have a successful relationship. Astrologers also believe that both persons must learn to work hard for their relationship.

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This article is contributed by Tina Jones from the Unforgettable Woman Publishing Team. She works together with founder Alexandra Fox and writes dating/relationship articles for women. You can find more about Unforgettable Woman Publishing by visiting their website.

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How Astrological Sign Compatibility Works

Astrological sign compatibility describes how one person gets along with other people. Compatibility between two people can be expressed in written text or demonstrated graphically so that it is clear how compatible or incompatible these two people are, based on their zodiac sign or natal charts, according to love compatibility astrology specialists.

Astrology by itself is the investigation of how astronomy determines psychology. The position of the Moon, Sun, and other planets during the moment of one's birth are believed to produce an influence on the personality and destiny. The fact that the planets will never be in the same position again can explain the uniqueness of each person and of romantic relationships.

A common application of astrology is towards romantic relationship compatibility. Special compatibility charts are designed to compare the signs and planetary positions of two different people in areas such as attraction, career, goals and other key areas. The charts utilized are geometric representations of each individual's personality attributes and form the foundation of love compatibility astrology. They make it simple to decide at a glance if the relationship will be harmonious or disharmonious.

Although astrological sign compatibility can neither be proven nor disproven, there are people who vow by these charts and will refuse to make significant choices in their life without first consulting with a chart interpreter. One thing is for sure, that astrology love compatibility is a persistent and thriving business without any signs (pun not intended) of declining any time soon.

Experts in astrological sign compatibility show how signs interact with and aspect each other. For example, a person with their Sun in Aries may have a more difficult time getting along with people in Cancer, Libra and Capricorn (the Sun signs which are in square aspect with each other). However, to get a more detailed perspective of how these people would perform in a relationship, it is necessary to compare not just the Sun signs but also the signs of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Some signs are more compatible to your sign than others. This does not mean that you cannot become successful in a relationship with someone astrologically incompatible. It does mean that such a relationship will need additional energy and compromises. Most couples who belong to incompatible zodiac signs say that most of the effort goes into resolving issues.

Love sign compatibility is a much sought-after state because whenever two people are well matched, the experience is positive, raising the quality of life. Keep in mind, however, that additional factors aside from the astrological can impact romantic relationships. For most people, age is one. For other people, it can be religious beliefs and even culture. Having said this, even a small comprehension of someone's personality is preferable to none at all.

Spiritual astrological sign compatibility (also referred to as Synastry) is a specialty area of astrological compatibility that studies human relationships by contrasting the entire horoscope, or natal horoscope. This type of in-depth astrology goes further than personality.

What exactly do astrological compatibility charts, tests, and guides reveal? Hidden aspects in the personality, destiny and higher self of people. Astrology has been used for centuries. In the past, astrological sign compatibility became closely related to other fields such as meteorology, alchemy and medicine. Celestial events were thought to reveal information not only about astrological love between two people but also about social events such as periods of peace and unrest.

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Greek Mythology Behind the Southern Hemisphere Zodiac Signs

"What is your sign?", is the number one question that everyone has been asking. Many may see this question as a pick-up line but some people are really interested in knowing our Zodiac Sign. Maybe because our Zodiac Sign has been said to help us better understand each other's personality and traits. There are 12 Signs in the Greek Zodiac. Zodiac means "circle of animals" in Greek, although the 12 signs are composed of animals and humans, with the exception of Libra. There is an interesting and fun Greek Mythology behind each of our Signs. The Greek Myths behind each of the Southern Hemisphere Zodiac Signs, which include Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, are as follow:

Libra - the Libra Sign is represented by scales, which Egyptians believed were used to weigh the souls of the dead. However, in Greek Mythology, Libra actually represented the golden chariot of Pluto (Hades). Pluto was the brother of Zeus and ruler of the underworld. One day he spotted a beautiful girl named Persephone, while riding into the Upper World with his golden chariot, which was pulled by four jet-black horses, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Pluto was so mesmerized by her beauty that he quickly forced her into his chariot and carried her away to the Underworld and made her, his Queen. Demeter became so depressed about the kidnapping of her daughter that she could not pursue with her godly duties. Zeus demanded that this brother Pluto returned the girl back to the Upper World. Pluto agreed, just as long as his Queen would divide her time between the two worlds, four months of the year.

Scorpio - the Scorpio Sign represents a giant Scorpion. The myth begins with a giant hunter named Orion. He was very handsome and this made him think very highly of himself. He had no respect for the immortals and started to brag about how better of an anchor he was than Artemis and how he would be able to kill every animal he encountered. Artemis was the goddess of the wilderness and she became very angry at Orion and decided to call his bluff. She sent a giant Scorpion to deal with Orion. The fight was pretty intense but the Scorpion was able to defeat Orion. Zeus, the king of the gods, was so impressed with the whole duel that he placed the Scorpion in the high heavens.

Sagittarius - the Sagittarius Sign is represented by a Centaur named Chiron. In Greek Mythology, Centaurs were half-man and half-horse. They were known to cause great trouble, except for a gentle Centaur named Chiron. He was very kind and an excellent anchor and physician. Unfortunately, Hercules had mistaken Chiron for one of the evil Centaurs he was battling and accidently shot Chiron in the heart with a poisoned arrow. The arrow caused Chiron such great pain that he offered to take place of a man named Prometheus and become mortal. Prometheus was a Titan who had stolen fire from Zeus and was punished greatly for it. Prometheus was chained up to a rock by Zeus and every morning an eagle would eat his liver. The liver would grow back the next day and once again be eaten. Chiron decided that a few minutes of pain was much better than a life-time of agony and so he took the place of Prometheus.

Capricorn - the Capricorn Sign is represented by a goat named Pan. In Mythology, Pan was being chased by the god of dangerous winds, Typhoeus. Pan had no choice but to jump into the Nile River. Little did Pan know, the Nile River was very powerful. The Nile River was able to turn Pan's lower half to a fish while his other half remained a goat. Pan was then able to quickly swim away and escape Typhoeus.

Aquarius - the Aquarius Sign is represented by the Cupbearer. There was a young boy named Ganymede. He was son of Tros, the King of Troy. Zeus took a liking for the young boy and decided to kidnap Ganymede and take him to the heavens. One day while Ganymede was attending his father's sheep, Zeus turned into an eagle and swooped the boy away. Ganymede then became the Cupbearer for the gods.

Pisces - the Pisces Sign represents a pair of fish. Typhoeus once again was terrorizing the gods and was trying to scare them away. The gods immediately turned into animals, wanting to escape this evil monster. Aphrodite and her son Euro ran to the river and quickly turned into a pair of fish with cords attached to their tails. The cord kept the two together and they swam away safety.

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How Zeus Came to Power - Greek Mythology

Metis the Goddess of wisdom was pregnant with Athene. Because Zeus felt that Athene would be so wise he felt it would be a threat to his power. He felt that Athena would be stronger than even his bolts. In order to prevent this from happening he tricked Metis and swallowed her whole. However, Metis was still able to conceive Athene and gods gave her birth through the way of his head. This is very important because it symbolically represents the birth of many great things in Greek thought and culture. Athena was a goddess of wisdom, war, and defender of heroes and justice. All the aspects combined create a unique and complex civilization.

There used to be a popular cartoon that would come on television that, Hercules. The cartoon was a series based off of the Disney movie which was the cartoon version of the Greek tale. In this cartoon Hercules had amazing adventures battling Gods and Creatures.

Unsurprisingly the Disney version changes the Greek story, so that Hercules main enemy is Hades (the god of the underworld). Although Disney did a horrible job of telling the story of Hercules, they were able to expose many people to Greek mythology.

I recognize Zeus from the cartoon, he was the most powerful God and he was the father of Hercules. In the cartoon Zeus is portrayed as a humble, loving, and kind father. Some of the other names I recognized were: Athene, Apollo, Artemis, Posedion, and Hera.

In order to rise to power Zeus had to first overthrow the ruler Cronos and the Titans. How he did this was with a clever strategy and with his might. What he did was gather a team of Gods to join his side. Then he made friends with the Cyclopes and other creatures. The combination of the Gods and boulders hurled from the powerful creatures was what led to Zeus becoming the ruler of the Gods. The war was ended with one last bolt that was driven by all of Zeus's fury and might.

The way Zeus came to power was similar to the way humans do things. There was a higher power in which no force at the time could stop. Zeus wanted to take them down and bring himself to the top. His method of doing so was gathering large forces because there is strength in numbers. It was simply a game of politics.

If Cronos had befriended the other Gods before Zeus had a chance to, Zeus would not have been able to fight him. The way the war is described is even similar to that of a war between human forces. Weapons were being hurled back and forth and it was very loud. In order for Zeus to become victorious he had to give every last bit of energy into the fight.
Another important factor was the help from the Cyclopes who were hurling boulders at the opposing Gods. One would think that Rocks, no matter the size would be ineffective in causing damage to the gods.

Athena's creation was symbolizes the birth of a new way of thinking for the Greeks. She represented war, justice, and wisdom. There is an importance placed on the word wisdom throughout the reading. Greeks believed it to be so valuable that they suggested Zeus feared it and that is why he did not want to give birth to Athena. It was a threat to his power. This reading also suggests the importance of being powerful in societies.

What you can gain from this reading, is that cultures from earlier eras reflected their beliefs through mythology. Each god represented an appreciation or an acknowledgment of a certain aspect of life. The way the gods behaved was similar to the way humans behaved in a sense. The way they fought, loved, politicized, and belonged to a ranking system.

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Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World - The Colossus Of Rhodes As A Screen Hero

One of the 7 Wonders in Widescreen, December 11, 2007

This is one transfer to DVD that has been worth the effort. . . and worth the wait. Fortunately, there is still an audience for these Spanish-Italian spectaculars. After the many disappointing transfers of the sword-and-sandal genre -- such as ROME AGAINST ROME, THE TROJAN HORSE, the washed-out color of THE AVENGERS (THE LAST GLORY OF TROY) and the interesting but dismal print of FURY OF ACHILLES -- this is a welcome appearance on a big-screen TV. If only the experts who tackled this transfer would tackle some of the Italian epics, those of us who teach mythology, or just appreciate it for its own sake, would be happier.

We have no GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY score for this pre-spaghetti western effort by Sergio Leone, and we have none of the stylistic flourishes that became a Leone staple in his garlic-flavored shoot-'em-ups, but we do have another misplaced American actor in the grinning persona of Rory Calhoun, who is a long way from his RIVER OF NO RETURN. He seems to know he is out-of-place with his miniskirt and grinning "I'm so handsome so it doesn't matter" countenance; he doesn't even bother to change his hairstyle from the Fonz-fifties greaser look.

Why Leone didn't bother to do anything about his appearance as a Greek hero is a curiosity; perhaps his name in the credits was all he was after at the time. This was, after all, not EL CID or THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, and Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef were undoubtedly not available to wear the toga fashion of 280BC. Some reviewers are looking for hints of the stylized Leone touch, as I was. Perhaps one can count the knife-throwing youth who might be a prototype of the deadly accurate Eastwood with a gun, able to gun down five men from a fence. After all, doesn't Eastwood's zarape resemble a toga? And you thought we were in the southwest with those two follow-ups to A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS.

Anyway, it is fortunate that this transfer was made with the anamorphic vistas clearly visible in sharp, crisp colors -- something that was not always apparent in these Italian epics, some of which appeared as though the prints had been processed at the local drugstore. Exceptions would be the two Hercules film starring British strongman Reg Park. HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD and HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (film in 70mm but relying, in one scene, upon music from 1950s USA sci-fi films) are available in crystal clear color versions on DVD. As clear as the images are in THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES, this DVD belongs on the collector's shelf with those two films.
The colossus itself invites comparisons with the metal creature of Talus in Harryhausen's superb effects epic JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, and the images of the Greek sea (filmed in Spain) remind one of the beautiful images of THE MAGUS. The second male lead in this film is the (bleach) blond-headed Georges Marchal, a veteran of such efforts as SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR. He bears a startling resemblance to American actor Tom Drake (MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and WARLOCK); only John Drew Barrymore is conspicuous by his absence.

So. . . no scenery chewing by Barrymore. . . and no muscle-flexing by Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Mark Forrest and the rest. . . but plenty of the usual intrigue until the deus ex machina of the earthquake (standing in for the volcanic eruption at the finale of THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII and HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN) topples the colossus. If the film makes you run for your classical history texts, great. If you merely enjoy the brilliant colors and action on the widescreen, fine. This is well worth the price of a ticket to the ancient world.

Charles J. Garard is a PhD in literature and film now living in Ningbo, China, where he teaches literature and writing at the Ningbo Institute of Technology. He writes about films and mythology (such as his recent article about creatures in Indonesia published in a paranormal magazine) and works on his novels about time-travel, vampires, and mainstream topics.

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Tradition of the Yule Log - Yuletide Traditions

Of the many Yuletide traditions, the Yule Log stands out as one of the most quaint in antiquity. The tradition of the Yule log began with Germanic tribes in Northern Europe. Marking the beginning of the winter solstice, rather than in celebration of the Christian holiday of Christmas, Yule log traditions have evolved.

In medieval times, a large tree trunk was selected on Candlemas Day. It was then carefully stored over the summer in order to "season" it sufficiently for burning at Yuletide. Thus, on Christmas Eve, the Yule log was dragged into the house and kindled with the unburned parts of the prior year's log, which was saved particularly for that purpose.

Yule Log traditions have remained in European and Scandinavian cultures to this day. Some yule logs are bedecked with pine boughs and cones, which create a "crackling" sound while burning. But, this also help as a form of kindling, after which other logs are placed atop or behind the Yule log depending on its size and length. In certain European households, the youngest child is allowed to carry this special log, which like a showpiece burns brightly. In Gypsy lore, the brighter a Yule log burns, the happier the winter solstice will be.

Yule log traditions are reminiscent of the earlier days of Christmas and the manner in which it was celebrated. In more modern times, people continue this, although they may not chop their own wood to create a Yule log. The symbolism behind this tradition is a reminder of leaner times in which people still maintained a happy outlook during this holiday season.

The bleakness of winter advanced many traditions during Yuletide such as bringing a fir tree indoors, decorating it with candles and other ornaments to add a bit of gaiety and frivolity to dark winter days. The Yule log traditions were a natural emanation of the use of wood to keep warm when heavy snows fell and icy winds blew. Decorating a Yule log gave it significance beyond the ordinary heating log.

It bears remembering that central heating was largely produced by using wood or coals in the days before modern heating with oil, steam or natural gas came into use. The task of cutting, storing and seasoning wood properly for an entire winter season was daunting. Yet, the wood stoves and fireplaces of the earliest homes bring back fond memories of evenings by firelight and the warmth of a place near a hearth. The cozy feeling of watching a Yule log burn on Christmas Eve or Christmas still produces the same feelings of protection from the long winters ahead.

The Yule log will remain among the season's activities looked upon with expectation and a sense of longing for the days of yore when life's simplicities

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The Yule Season

What does the Yule season celebrate?

It is a time of rebirth, a time to renew the old, a time to
celebrate the start of longer, brighter days, as the Sun lights
up our world. At this time, evergreens enhance the magic of
the season.

Winter Solstice marks the start of Yule season.
December 21st is known as the Mother Night of Yule,
this lasts for approximately 12 days.

In the Norse year, this is a very important time.
Yuletide is a Fire Festival, the Yule log being the
focus of sympathetic magic.

The Yule log is a symbol of the idea of the continuation
of light. There are aspects of light in connection with the
festival, from differing cultures, which is very interesting.
In pagan festival of Midwinter, candles are part of the
celebration- its magic ensures the return of the Sun.

Ash is the log of choice for the Norseman, it is considered
the world tree or Yggdsrasil. You want to carry on some
good luck for the next season? Save a piece of the ash
to light the fire of the next Yule, this is considered lucky.
What to do with the ashes? Sprinkle is on the land to
ensure fertility.

For centuries, the Egyptians annually watch and wait for the
Star Sirius to appear in the sky.This is known to announce
the birth of Osiris as Horus from the womb of Isis- yet
another birth story.

Mistletoe

The celebration and decoration of the season is not
complete without the mistletoe. It is sacred to the
Druids and the Scandinavians, though the latter consider
it unruly.

It was banned from churches for being unholy,
perhaps because of the lore that being under the mistletoe
invites an ardent kiss from an admirer or lover.
It's quite romantic, I think.

Have a safe and happy Yule Season.

Bonnie Moss writes to inspire and to motivate her readers to explore the depths of their heart and soul and make a difference in this world. She draws from personal experience and her interest in the New Age Visit her website : goldencupcafe.tripod.com

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Why You Forget Your Dreams - Dream Memorization, Analysis and Therapy

You usually forget the dreams you see when you sleep because you don't give them any importance, you think about the things you have to do during the day as soon as you wake up, or you don't want to see the truth that your dreams are showing you.

Many people deny paying attention to their dreams because they are not pleasant at all, and they are afraid of their meaning.

Other people despise their dreams so much, and deny accepting the possibility of the existence of any meaning in their incomprehensible images and scenes, that they don't remember their dreams exactly because they consider them totally useless.

Most people cannot remember their dreams because when they wake up they are so busy thinking about what they have to do and the problems they have to solve, that they don't give any chance to their conscious memory to memorize any dream image.

The function of the dream images and scenes is to protect your human conscience from the invasion and domination of the wild side of your conscience, which is primitive, violent, immoral and cruel. It must not understand the guidance of the unconscious mind to your human conscience in your dreams, and this is why you have to learn the dream language in order to decipher the dream symbolism.

The huge part of your brain that didn't evolve like the tiny portion of it that passed through a process of consciousness is still alive inside you, and keeps trying to control your behavior.

Most of your dreams are unpleasant and sad, or they are real nightmares, because the wise unconscious mind that produces them is trying to make you pay attention to all the dangers that are threatening your mental health.

If you are afraid of your dreams, this means that you are in danger and you need protection. Your dreams reflect your interior and exterior reality. If they are bad and sad, this means that the unconscious mind is trying to show you the truth you deny seeing.

You could be insisting on having a wrong relationship, you could be too selfish and have unfair plans in your mind, or you could be a victim of other people's selfishness, and this is why the unconscious mind is trying to open your eyes, and show you what you are not paying attention to.

The dream images transport you to places and situations that could be part of your future, exactly in order to help you correct your mistakes, or protect yourself from other people's traps, before it is too late.

Your dreams are not pleasant in the beginning of your occupation with their meaning because the unconscious mind is showing you how much damage your primitive conscience is doing to your human conscience, and how much damage other people are doing to your life, so that you may defend yourself, and be the one who will always control your own behavior, instead of being dominated by your wild side without understanding it, and so that you may escape from suffering as a victim of other people's cruelty.

You'll remember all your dreams as soon as you give them the proper importance, considering their messages a real salvation for you. They do have a meaning, which you'll be able to verify by yourself once you learn at least a little bit of the dream language. The more you learn, the more impressed you'll be with their wisdom, and the more intelligent you'll become.

Tell yourself that you'll remember your dreams when you sleep, and as soon as you wake up, try to remember them without thinking about anything else. First of all, fix them in your conscious memory!

If you have enough time, write them down as soon as you wake up, because when your dreams are still fresh you are able to remember many details, which you usually forget during the day.

However, if you cannot write them down as soon as you wake up, never mind. Keep them in your memory and write them down when you have the chance, even if you forget many details, because everything that you can remember is important. All dream messages enlighten you, showing you various aspects of reality that you didn't examine or that you didn't know.

Dream analysis according to the scientific method that exactly deciphers the hidden meaning of the dream symbols works like therapy, because as you translate the meaning of the unconscious' messages, you learn why you behave the way you do, and how you can evolve and transform your personality, attaining perfection.

If you follow the unconscious' guidance, you'll eliminate the anti-conscience, your primitive conscience, by transforming it into a positive part of your human side, which will help you become more intelligent, and keep your mental health forever. You'll be also protected from other people's bad intentions before they have the chance to mislead you, always knowing what is good or bad for you, and how you should behave in each situation.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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What Do One's Dreams Mean?

The number one method for learning how to interpret dreams, though, is to actually sit and journal your dreams. By writing down what you remember, you commit the lucidity of the dreams to your memory, and you are able to more clearly identify images and symbols that have meaning. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go and either make breakfast or get into the shower, you lose multitudes of precious information that you won't remember again.

Try to remember at the end of the day, though, that in learning how to interpret dreams, it is important to find the knowledge base so that you can interpret. There are many books that help provide insight for the imagery from dreams, so it's all a matter of journaling and finding a resource to interpret the images.

Oftentimes, individuals experiencing psychic experiences often wonder how their waking self and their dreaming self can relate, and whether or not their dreams truly do have an additional meaning. After all, dream interpretation is an ancient form of psychic study, as many societies have attempted to understand the images we see every night for centuries. The concept of dream interpretation relies on the notion that dreams can be a variety of things, such as literal images, lessons about life, symbolic images, or even a concept of a premonition. So, what can we do when faced with dreams? How do we handle and learn how to interpret dreams?

If you're concerned that your dreams fade away too quickly so that you can't remember enough to interpret, or maybe they're just vague enough that you would like more information or imagery, then you can actually work on cultivating this. The trick is in learning how to make yourself realize when you are dreaming. This seems more difficult than it is, and there are a multitude of resources out there that can assist you in training your higher self to be more aware in the future.

Let us first look at the notion of dreams that foretell the future. Precognition is often a concern for others, as individuals find themselves irrationally afraid that any dream can suddenly become a portent for misfortune. The important thing to understand with all dream interpretation, though, is that one cannot always know which dreams are precognitive and which are simply symbolic. You can't always act upon the information gleaned from dreams. There are so many different portents you can face, from the mundane to the world-ending sort of things, and you cannot possibly learn how to prevent or warn others about them all. The best option is to spend the time to analyse one's dreams, but then learn to relinquish control if you need to. If you have dreams that directly involve an event occurring with you, then see if there is anything you can do to avoid being put in the situation that you dreamt. It isn't an exact science, but it's certainly a start.

The online psychic provides articles, insight, tips and opinions on various today's spiritual subjects, including psychic telephone readings and the advances made in tarot readings.

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Dreams About Demons - The Meaning of Dream Warnings

When you see demons in your dreams, this means that the unconscious mind that produces them is sending you many warnings. The demons represent people who are cruel and immoral, and will ruin your life.

You are probably going to feel afraid and irritated with your bad dreams; however, their role is therapeutic. They are in fact opening your eyes, and helping you see hidden dangers that are threatening your life and happiness.

Your dreams show you the bitter truth as it is, so that you may avoid falling into traps, and so that you may prevent all mental illnesses.

The demons you are seeing in your dreams could be unfair business partners, people who will betray you when you have an amorous relationship with them, or people who envy you and want to steal all the privileges you have in life.

Be very cautious when you see demons in your dreams and think carefully before acting.

If you had the intention to get married to someone or to open a store with a business partner for example, you had better give up after seeing a demon in a dream.

You may also see demons in your dreams that will be representing negative parts of your own personality, and not other people of your social environment. In this case they will appear mainly like aliens that came from another planet, or strange human beings that have no blood.

Images where demon faces are seen in dreams represent other people. When they appear somewhat camouflaged they are a part of your own personality.

In any case, you can be protected if you learn the dream language and you translate all your dreams according to the scientific method of dream interpretation, which works like free psychotherapy. The wise unconscious mind that produces your dreams is a natural doctor that keeps trying to protect your mental health through dream messages.

This protection works either because the wild side of your own conscience is constantly trying to destroy your human conscience through absurdity, or you have many enemies in your daily reality.

In order to save your mental health, the unconscious mind has to give you information not only about your psychical world, but also about what is happening in the outside world where you live, because too many dangers are constantly threatening your mental health.

When you care about your dreams, writing them down regularly, and translating them according to the scientific method, you'll discover that the unconscious mind is a very wise counselor and psychologist. By following its guidance, you will get rid of all dangers and nightmares, while learning how to live peacefully and happily for life.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com.

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages)!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Sponias



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A Chilling Insight Into the Extraterrestrial Life

I don't know how many people believe in extraterrestrial creatures. Evidence of aliens and their contact with the human race and life on planet earth can be traced back as far as written history goes. There is evidence in every culture around the world, including those lost millennia ago. Nobody is sure whether their visits indicate a future invasion or just to create a friendly contact.

(Our) History of Aliens:

Several ancient paintings from around the world showcase their bonding with alien culture. There is a photo of Nefertiti, the Goddess who lived in Ancient Egypt, When you notice this Goddess's head, her skull is extremely elongated, which would mean that her brain would be much larger than a normal human's. Therefore making her extremely intelligent. There is actually a statue of her in a museum in Egypt currently. Several pictures in Ancient Egypt portray some of the Gods or Goddesses with extremely large elongated heads.

There was a skull found in Peru, with an elongated back. This is clearly not a human skull, we have been fed a variety of unlogical explanations as to why this skull has this formation. Several like it were found in Peru with small variations

We were told in schools that the great pyramid of Egypt took 40 years to build and it's purpose was to bury 'a' pharoah. Come on guys, are we that dumb and were they? Of course not, who would spend 40 years of hard labor building a pyramid just to stuff a dead body in it after 40 years of hard work. That hardly sounds logical for such an obviously advanced culture as the Ancient Egyptians. They invented their own language for god sakes, are we to think they were dumb enough to spend 40 years sweating their guts out for only burying 1 body. That is one the stupidest thing we've been told of. In Mexico the group of pyramids including the pyramid of the sun are known by people in Mexico by legend as "Place where the gods touch the earth." In all evidence this probably means where the aliens landed. Where they touched the Earth... Think about it, the pyramids are large stone monuments in Mexico with steps going down the sides. What better purpose for the steps than to allow the aliens to climb down the pyramids to the ground. That is the most logical reason for their construction. And to think that a primitive race could build something so incredible is not that logical.

On the eastern side of Puerto Rico there is a place called, "El Yunque" rain forest. It is the only rain forest that United States of America owns. This forest is kind of a controversy to the government and the citizens of Puerto Rico. Problems have arisen between the government of Puerto Rico and the USA involving the ownership of said forest. But what comes to mind is, What is there in "El Yunque" that really interests the USA so much as to prohibit the entrance to the populace at certain hours at night, the strange involvement of military exercises late at night, the seeing of strange alien craft and its occupants?

The island of Puerto Rico was inhabited by Indians who believed this forest to be a sacred mountain where gods set foot from the sky, they believed their good god Yuquiyu lived there and often came down to teach them the ways of life. (Aliens)

Christopher Columbus discovered this island in 1493-1500 AD in his travels near the island at night he saw flashes of light coming from the mountains of the island calling them "Fires from Saint Peter", what today we would call a UFO.

Either the aliens loved the rain forest ambient, or they couldn't find a way to repair their ship and so opted to live inside it (this brings the theory that it was a passenger or colony ship). And so the Indians saw them as gods.

Alien Abduction:

There have been many unknown cases of Alien abduction .About 2500 odd people in the world have experienced missing time (abduction) .One of the most famous of them was the incident that happened on the night of October 10, 1973, wherein there was a UFO sighting by fifteen different witnesses who saw a strange, unknown object fly over a housing project in St. Tammany Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana was a redefining point of their lives. What happened exactly has still been kept under wraps.

The Unknown: (Classified information)

Likewise when a UFO crashed outside Roswell in July 1st, 1947, and was recovered by the military, their presence in our lives was broadcast around the world, only to be covered up the very next day by our government.

Major Philip J. Corso stumbled upon a few alien artifacts sent from Fort Bliss, Texas on 6th July, 1947. He had come across a goods vehicle in a warehouse that was off-limits and was just about to reprimand him, when the driver opened his truck door and showed Major Corso something both would've never even dreamt of. When the major gave a look inside one of the several crates he was dumb struck to see a four-foot, human-shaped creature with...bizarre-looking, four fingered hands...and a light-bulb shaped head. The eye sockets were oversized and almond-shaped and pointed down to its tiny nose, which didn't really protrude from its skull'. Corso found an army intelligence document that described the creature as an inhabitant of a craft that had been retrieved from Roswell, New Mexico As he shone his torch around the warehouse, he noticed that there were over 30 similar crates stacked against the walls. Major Corso quickly covered the crate , gazed at the driver and asked him to forget whatever he saw and that nothing of that kind was ever in his truck. It was later classified as a national secret .This information was recently enclosed by Corso in his book "A day at Roswell".

Later when the spaceship was checked by the authorities the first object that was found was a set of clear, flexible filaments, made of something like glass, wherein each individual strand conducted a beam of light along its length. They then found several wafer-thin squares of material that were about 5cm across and that appeared to be made from a type of plastic. A tiny pattern had been etched into the plastic. It was understood to be some type of advanced circuit board, the likes of which mankind had never seen before. The next item out of the crate was a greyish material, which, could not be bent, cut or torn without the material springing back to its original shape. It was a metal fibre with the physical properties of what we would call today 'supertenacity', relatively common now, but unheard at that time. Next was pair of dark, elliptical eyepieces. These were as thin as human skin and had originally been attached to the eyes of the creature allegedly recovered from the crash. The eyepieces illuminated images in low-light conditions. Although they didn't provide perfect night vision, they allowed the wearer to pick up shapes where previously none could be seen. He also came across a description and sketch of another device. It contained a power source, and looked like a stubby torch. However, the beam from this interstellar 'flashlight' was so intense that it caused objects to burst into flames. Scientists linked cattle mutilations with this device.

In this cattle mutilation, huge oval shaped incisions around the jaw bone and in most cases the exposed jaw is completely removed, and the tongue removed from a precise incision deep in the throat. Also observed is the additional removal of at least one eyeball, the sexual organs on both sexes. All organ removal and incisions are being done with surgical precision. This has led investigators to believe the use of some sort of high heat cutting device, such as this torch like device had been used.

But why cattle? Well the most feasible explanation might be that cattle blood is so similar to humans that it can be used in the lab to create human blood plasma. Indicating the aliens may be studying the cattle, to find out more about us. The investigators came to a conclusion that these alien creatures had just one intent in mind. That they were genetically altering humanoids and that they were harvesting biological specimens on earth for their own experiments.

Based on all these alien abductions scientists predict that crosses of aliens and humans are being made, so that they will be able to live amongst us without our knowing!!

Throughout the 1960s, several companies brought about a number of so-called 'miracle breakthroughs', and nearly all the objects that Corso saw and read about were in the documents or crates he examined that day in 1961. Fibre optics, integrated circuit chips, night-vision goggles, lasers and supertenacity fibres became commonplace. Corso claims that anyone who has used a CD palyer, a modern computer or made a transatlantic phone call has come into contact with alien technology.

If the aliens were hostile, and wanted our planet for its resources, they would have taken it away from us centuries ago when we still thought the earth was the center of the universe, not now when we have nuclear weapons, lasers, and space crafts of our own.

They may just be hiding it from us, I don't want however to go into conspiracy theories. I don't have any proof of that. The following picture and paragraph are in my mind absolute proof that advanced beings were here on Earth in Ancient History. To think that we are the only planet amongs the many billions of other planets in the universe with intelligent life on it is kind of arrogant and misguided. What makes us so special? Life can form in the most inhospitable of places like in the bottom of the oceans where there is no light, and where temperatures are very unfriendly. There is no doubt intelligent life out there somewhere. Someday we will surely meet some of them.

The overwhelming evidence of UFO's from past civilizations on Earth is the most convincing proof I can think of. Giant stone edifices like the Great Pyramid, or the Nazca Lines in Peru are some of the best proof. They still stand today while modern day UFO sightings only last a few minutes. There is no possible logical way found that our ancient cultures could have build such amazing monuments such as Machu Pichu, the Great Pyramid, The Nazca Lines or even Stonehenge. What most likely happened is that after doing many great things on Earth, these aliens took their stuff and left Earth leaving behind many proofs that they were once here.
Whether we choose to see the truth or not is up to us.

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