Ursi's Eso Garden

Icaros are medicine songs, used as part of the toolkit of Shamans and Curanderos in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. They claim the spirits of the plants communicate with them through Icaros. Every being in the rainforest has an Icaro and its melody alone is believed to possess curative powers. These songs have been described as the "quintessence of shamanic power".

Typically, but not always, they are used in Ayahuasca ceremonies to fulfill such purposes as removing bad spirits from an afflicted person. Typically, icaros are sung with the accompaniment of a Chakapa.




Below is a great article found at Ross Heaven's Blog (Check out this amazing site about Shamanism. You really must have a look at that!).

Plant Spirit Shamanism: Icaros, the sacred songs

Integral to any ayahausca ceremony are sacred chants sung by the shamans to call the protective jungle spirits, summon the essence of nature, and to provoke the mareacion or effects of the ayahuasca by making a plea to the spirit of the vine. In the words of Javier Aravelo, quoted in my book, Plant Spirit Shamanism, icaros “render the mind susceptible for visions; then the curtains can open for the start of the theatre”.

Icaros may be magical chants or a melody that is whistled, sung, or whispered into the ayahuasca brew. They may also be sung directly into the energy field of a person who is to be healed during a ceremony.

An icaro can be regarded as an energetic force charged with positive or healing intent that the shaman stores inside his body and is able to transmit to another person or to the brew itself so that this positive energy is ingested when the mixture is drunk.

These songs are taught to the shaman by the spirit of the plant allies he has an affinity with, and the longer his relationship with the plants, the more icaros he may learn and the more potent they will be.

The power and knowledge of an ayahuascero (ayahuasca shaman) is therefore measured in part by the number of icaros he possesses. Javier, for example, has worked with many different plants for 15 years and now knows the spirit songs of some 1,500 ‘jungle doctors’, including the icaro del tabaco (the song of tobacco – one of the most sacred of Amazonian plants), the icaro del ajo sacha (the song of ajo sacha) and the icaro del chiric sanango, amongst many others.

There are precise and specific icaros for many different purposes - to cure snake bites, for example, or to clarify the vision during ayahuasca ceremonies, to communicate with the spirit world, or even to win the love of a woman. Huarmi icaros - from the Quechua word ‘huarmi’ (which, loosely, means “woman”) are of this latter category.

There are also icaros (called icaros de la piedra) which are taught to the shaman by encantos (special healing stones which offer spiritual protection), and icaros to the spirits of the elements, such as icaro del viento, which calls upon the spirit of the wind.

Other icaros, such as the ayaruna - from the Quechua words ‘aya’ (“spirit” or “dead”) and ‘runa’ (“people”) - are sung to invoke the “spirit people” – the souls of dead shamans who live in the underwater world - so they may help during a healing or an ayahuasca ceremony.

Icaros can also be transmitted from a master shaman to his disciple but, once again, it is nature that is regarded as the greatest teacher and the most powerful songs are those learnt directly from the plants themselves. To learn these songs the shaman must fast or follow a special diet for many weeks as he treks deep into the rainforest to find the appropriate plants and places of power where the magical music of nature can be heard.


Art by Ross Heaven

The words of the chants he then learns are symbolic stories telling of the ability of nature to heal itself: how the crystalline waters from a stream will wash clean and purify a person who is unwell, for example; or how bright-coloured flowers attract hummingbirds whose delicate wings fan healing energies. You might also see such things in your ayahuasca visions as a response to these icaros, but what actually heals you is more likely to be the insights that arise from the experience and which allow inner feelings to unblock so that bitterness and anger can change to ecstasy and love.

A few verses from the icaro madre naturaleza (‘song of mother nature’), which was taught by the jungle to Javier Arevalo, demonstrate the deep bond between the shaman and the natural world, and the healing that is available to us all.

In English:

Don't leave me, don't leave me
My mother nature
Don't leave me, don't leave me
My mother nature
For if you will leave me
I would die or of the pain
My tears of desperation
My mother nature
Yes you have the gift of life
Sacred purification in you hands
Blessed mother nature

Don't leave me don't leave me
My mother nature
Don't leave me, don't leave me
My mother nature
For if you will leave me
I would die or of the pain
Tears of desperation
The white veil that your you have
As it covers this child
Clean my body and spirit
With the breath or of your lips
Dearest miraculous Mother.

Don't leave me, don't leave me
My mother nature
Don't leave me, don't leave me
My mother nature
For if you will leave me
I will die of the sorrow
My tears of desperation
In the mountains or upper jungle
Where you give me peace and prosperity
Without regrets neither bitterness
Dearest pure Mother

Don't leave me , don't leave me
My mother nature
Don't leave me , don't leave me
My mother nature
For if you will leave me
I would die or of the pain
My tears of desperation
Where you Take a bath with the plants
Blessed Child put onto me
Your crown of health
Eternally in my heart

Komuso were Zen Buddhist Priests who used to travel about playing the Shakuhachi for meditation and alms. Komuso means "Priest of Nothingness."




While I was in Nagoya last month, I was walking to my temporary home for the night (an internet cafe) when I encountered a vision out of Japan's past -- a Buddhist priest playing a Japanese flute known as a shakuhachi.

The shakuhachi player was dressed as a komuso, a type of Zen Buddhist priest who once wandered throughout old Japan playing their flutes for alms and meditation. Like some kind of ghost, the komuso just stood there playing his flute while people walked around him practically ignoring him as he ignored them. It seemed a thing unreal.

Centuries ago in old Japan people in cities and villages were accustomed to the sight of a Buddhist priest playing a bamboo flute with his head completely covered by a straw hat. This was the komuso.

Komuso wore straw hats, which hid their ego and their identity. ©2008 D. Weber

Komuso were Zen Buddhist priests who wandered about Japan playing the shakuhachi for both meditation and alms. Komuso belonged to the Fuke sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Fuke Zen comes from the teachings of Linji Yixuan, a Zen teacher from China in the 9th century. Fuke, however, is the Japanese name for Pahua, one of Linji's peers and co-founders of his sect. Pahua would walk around ringing a bell to summon others to enlightenment. In Japan, it was thought the shakuhachi could serve this purpose. Fuke Zen came to Japan in the 13th century. The priests were known first as komoso, which means "straw-mat monk." Later they became known as komuso, which means "priest of nothingness" or "monk of emptiness." Fuke Zen emphasized pilgrimage and so the sight of wandering komuso was a familiar one in old Japan.

Komuso practiced saizen, which is meditation through blowing on the shakuhachi, as opposed to the sazen, which is meditation through sitting as practiced by most Zen followers.

The shakuhachi flute was the instrument used to achieve this desired state. Shakuhachi derives its name from its size. Shaku is an old unit of measure close to an American measurement of a foot. Hachi is eight, which in this case represents the measurement of eight-tenths of a shaku. True shakuhachi are made of bamboo and can be quite expensive going upwards to $5,000 in modern times.


Old and new Japan blending together. ©2008 D. Weber

Komuso wore a woven straw hat, which covered their head completely looking like an overturned basket. The concept was that by wearing such a hat they removed their ego. What the hat also did was remove their identity from prying eyes. It's no wonder that komuso was a popular disguise for spies and supposedly the deadly ninja.

When the Tokugawa Shogunate came into power over a unified Japan at the beginning of the 17th century, the komuso came under the government's wary eyes. Many komuso had formerly been samurai during the Sengoku (Warring States) period (16th century) and were now lay clergy. The potential for trouble was there because many of them had turned ronin when their masters were defeated -- most likely by the Shogunate and their allies.

The Shogunate instead of destroying this potential menace instead turned the komuso into a positive force, at least from their perspective. Therefore, komuso were granted the rare privilege of traveling through the country without hindrance. The reason for this special permission was that many komuso had been co-opted into becoming spies for the Shogunate. And some were outright spies in komuso disguise. Only true komuso, though, could play the honkyoku, which were musical pieces of such complexity that only those adept with the shakuhachi could perform them. Sometimes komuso were asked to perform these pieces to see if they were true komuso or the Shogun's spies in disguise. However, it mattered little as some of the true komuso were also on the Shogunate's payroll.

Many komuso were former samurai. ©2008 D. Weber

In 1868, when power was relinquished by the Shogunate to the emperor, the komuso bore a significant brunt of the animosity from imperial forces. Komuso were so synonymous with spies for the Shogunate that the komuso were utterly abolished in 1871 and even the playing of the shakuhachi as a solo instrument was prohibited for several years.

The komuso had meddled in the affairs of the secular world and ultimately paid the price for it. The practice of the komuso did not die out entirely though and shakuhachi continues to be played for both entertainment and meditation.


Source:
A chance encounter with a vision from Japan's past by David Michael Weber, Ohmy News.

This Gilchrist Mandala combines geometric and representational symbolism. This is a classical Mandala in the sense that it emphasizes the four directions and the squared circle. The major geometric element is a Solar Cross with four rays at each of the cardinal directions. This form is an ancient icon appearing all over the world. The Solar Cross is a tremendously powerful meditational archetype.


Journey To The Sacred Mountain

In this Mandala we look through the Solar Cross. The outer corners the Mandala make abstracted reference to the four elements, Earth and Fire below, Water and Air above. These abstracted outer sections blend into a stylized landscape inspired by the Reo Grand gorge located in northern New Mexico.

This Mandala was created in 1992, requiring hundreds of hours of open-eyed meditation.



Through his own studies, spanning three decades, Gilchrist discovered the classical concepts of open-eyed meditation and began to create Mandalas as a path to self-discovery. This led him to create hundreds of fine art Mandalas over the past 25 years.

Charles Gilchrist: Sacred Geometry


This video is about 10 minutes long but worth the viewing.
Charles Gilchrist: Introduction to Sacred Geometry:



More clips at his YouTube Channel.

Do you remember my post at Bloodline in April? New documentary film takes Da Vinci Code conspiracy theories and shaky evidence to new heights.

Of course, hype and controversy surrounding the documentary film, which premiers May 9th in New York a week later in Los Angeles.

The Internet hype is that Mr. Hammott has solved Saunière's riddles -- that the Holy Grail has been found and is now held at a secure location by Hollywood producers -- but Mr. Gough said Mr. Hammott's behaviour after finding the bottles suggests a stronger interest in publicity than discovery.

"If you or I discovered a bottle that we thought contained great secret parchments and messages and codes, wouldn't you open it? But no, they bring it back to London and take it to a symposium in Glastonbury, and open it in public, and everyone says, 'Oh, that's red felt-tip pen. I didn't know they had soluble ink at the turn of the last century.' It looked totally implausible. Then, all of a sudden, there's three or four more bottles. And there's spelling errors. The priest [Sauniere] spells his [own] name wrong. It goes from bad to worse ... It's like an Easter egg hunt," Mr. Gough said.

Read more: The Hollywood Holy Grail by The Nation.

Well!
Over a three day stretch, ABC devoted almost 15 minutes of air-time to the documentary filmmaker who asserts in his movie "Bloodline" that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a massive hoax perpetrated on humanity. Additionally, on Friday's "Nightline," reporter Elizabeth Vargas left out any mention of the bizarre interests of the film's director, Bruce Burgess. He's directed and written documentaries on Bigfoot, the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51 and a secretive look at a U.S. government's supposed cover-up of the alien landings at Roswell.

Wouldn't it be relevant to know that Burgess seems to be fascinated with every weird conspiracy imaginable? (How serious is Bigfoot and the the subject of the Bermuda Triangle?) On Sunday's "Good Morning America," Burgess's second stop on his ABC tour, co-host Bill Weir at least asked about his extravagant interests: "I do have to point out the fact that some of your other documentary work includes the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, looking for Bigfoot in Oklahoma."

See the clips below.


From Nightline - Behind 'Bloodline':




From Good Morning America - The Blood Line of Jesus:



You may also like:
The Arcadia Forum - evolving discussion with input from some of the protagonists and antagonists.

Also enjoy this essay by Mariano Tomatis Antoniono:
ARG as a new model for Rennes-le-Château phenomenon: Alternate Reality Game and the theories about the treasure of Bérenger Saunière.

And The Rennes-le-Château Research Resource website has a detailed list of concerns about the discoveries presented in "Bloodline": Bloodline fiction

Of course, I am highly skeptical of anything Priory of Sion or Rennes-le-Château related. But nonetheless I would like to know more about their findings.
So or so - Bloodline, don't take it for fact - but you decide.

It was only a matter of time before someone tried to cross-pollinate hand weights with yoga poses. After all, people love the stretched artistry of yoga, but they want to be toned, too. The result is not yoga in the deep spiritual tradition, but it is a great way to exercise: slow, gentle, and challenging.

A nationally ranked triathlete, Anthony Carillo was drawn to yoga's calming and centering benefits to complement his grueling ironman regimen.
[see also this interview: In His Own Words]

He found a natural synergy between yoga and weights. "I was standing in Warrior II and could feel my legs burning as I got deeper into the lunge," he says. "I wondered how I could get a workout for my arms and shoulders at the same time." The answer: small hand weights. "Combining the two can completely integrate your mind, body, and breath," he says. "Yoga helps you reduce stress, increase flexibility, and improve range of motion, while strength training fires up your metabolism, increases lean muscle mass, and builds strong bones." Carillo created the following routine from his book, "Iron Yoga."

Iron-Yoga Tips

• Use Light Weights
  A pair of 2- to 5-pound dumbbells is fine.
  
• Practice Yogic Breathing
  Breathe through your nose, inhaling slowly for four to five counts, allowing your belly and chest to expand. Exhale for five counts. "The goal is to coordinate your breath with each movement. The deeper you breathe, the more you are able to engage and stabilize your core" says Bonnie Herbert, Iron Yoga instructor and model for this story.
  
• Challenge Yourself
  On the last repetition of each move, hold the position for a complete inhalation and exhalation while squeezing and contracting the muscles you're using. This "static contraction" helps tone and firm your muscles faster.
  
• Listen to Your Joints
  Although it's normal to feel the burn of muscles working hard, you should never feel pain or discomfort in your joints. If you do, stop.
  
• Ask Your Doctor
  Always talk with your health-care practitioner before beginning this or any new exercise regimen.

Learn some Iron Yoga poses: Read more ...

Secret Garden is an Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Age Music or New Instrumental Music, also understood by some as Neo-classical music.

It features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland. Secret Garden has sold over 3 million albums and won the Eurovision Song Contest for Norway's second time in 1995 with the composition "Nocturne".

Their success at Eurovision spearheaded the success of their first album Songs from a Secret Garden. It sold a million copies around the world going platinum in Norway and Korea, gold in Ireland, Hong Kong and New Zealand and spending two years in the Billboard New Age charts in 1996 and 1997. Barbra Streisand adapted "Heartstrings" from this album as the song "I've Dreamed Of You" on her A Love Like Ours album. She also used "Heartstrings" in her wedding to James Brolin.

Their latest CD "Inside I'm Singing" presents an amazing circle of different artists who perform different songs of Secret Garden.

For further information, traks and videos go to the Secret Garden website.

Note: Secret Garden are on world tour, started in Asia. Right now they are in Korea ...


They perform directly from their inner beings,
inviting you to visit your own secret garden.

Close your eyes, listen and you'll hear what I mean.

Secret Garden: Nocturne (03:10)
Secret Garden: Songs From A Secret Garden live (02:24)
Secret Garden: Dreamcatcher live (04:39)
Secret Garden: Sona live (04:48)
Secret Garden: Children of The River live (03:57)

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A painter as well as a messenger of light, Mario Duguay shares with you his universe where dream worlds encounter the magic of being. His magical works of art are rich in color and universal symbols; they are the fruit of his ongoing inner discoveries. Let yourself be charmed by the magic of his images. Journey through the luminosity of his paintings and let some of your life's essence be lit up.



I hear



Witness



The Door to the Heart

Mario Duguay's creations are both heart-warming and comforting. They have the power to transport you into the enchantment of the eternal. They are an invitation to travel deep inside yourself through the magic of imagination. Let yourself be soothed by the marvel of colors, a source of peace. By tapping into his inner self, this artist finds the creative energy to transmit his messages of love and hope. His canvases are created for us to share his inspiration and the vision of his dreams. From deep within the image, let your heart marvel at all this beauty and capture your share of the Light...

Visionary Art by Mario Duguay

An advanced Connection with Crystals

The previous article Learning to "dance" with Crystals - Connecting to Crystals dealt with the, introductory, physical and spiritual connection to or dancing with gems. Here we will explore an advanced process, the deep passionate tango that allows you to connect to the healing frequency of crystals. It is a profound experience and one that leaves you feeling empowered and energized.

We are all uniquely individual and therefore we do not experience things the same way. It is imperative that you trust your own experience and that you allow yourself to flow with your own feelings and perceptions. Always remember the only two rules as far as gemstones / crystals are concerned:

1. There are no rules.
2. If in doubt and for all other rules refer to rule nr. 1.

You do not need a specific crystal for this process as you will be connecting to the Crystal Consciousness, the big boss of the Mineral Kingdom.

Find a comfortable position where you will not be disturbed for a while.

• Close your eyes, take 3 slow deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, centring yourself and go into a state of deep relaxation or meditation.
  
• In your mind's eye and in any way that makes sense and works for you, see yourself entering a cave that takes you deep under the surface of the planet.
  
• As you move along should you feel uncomfortable or doubt yourself in any way, return to this time and open your eyes and rather try again later or perhaps another day since you don't want to spoil this experience but you want it to be profound and lasting.
  
• Permit yourself to move freely, deep into the cave. Experience the cave completely, using all your senses, listen to the sounds of the earth, hear water dripping, hear the wind in distant chambers, the sounds of silence.
  
• Listen to your steps echo as you walk along.
  
• Smell the earth, the rock and stone, the dampness. Smell the cool air and allow your sense of smell to expand.
  
• Become aware of changes in the temperature, feel the coolness of your surroundings, feel texture of the earth beneath your feet.
  
• As you breathe in and out taste the earth on you tongue.
  
• Stand still and allow your senses to develop and expand, move between sight and sound, between feel, smell, and taste experiencing the cave totally and completely.
  
• In your stillness stretch your senses to their fullest, hear the inner silence, feel the inner spaces and just be still in this moment.
  
• As this process depends largely on your ability to connect to the cave, the surroundings and the experience of being within the earth, take your time.
  
• In the vast stillness of the cave and your own being, you become aware of a presence. As this presence slowly takes shape, you feel entirely comfortable, safe and secure.
  
• Allow this being to materialize completely in shape and in Essence; this is The Keeper Crystals, The Keeper of the Mineral Kingdom and The Keeper of this Consciousness.
  
• Your inner wisdom will guide you as you experience this Presence hearing the sound of the Mineral Kingdom.
  
• A tone, the healing frequency of the Mineral Kingdom.
  
• Feel the tone vibrate through and around you.
  
• Know that once you leave this place you will carry the tone within your being.
  
• When you are ready slowly disconnect from this space and place, by thanking the Keeper of Crystals, bringing your energy back and returning to the surroundings of your reality.

As you have experienced the tone of the Mineral Kingdom and you carry it around within your being, you can use it during your healing sessions or for your own healing process. You can channel the frequency of the tone through your hands, by hearing it with your inner ear and transferring that energy through your hands.

This healing tone encompasses all the minerals, known and unknown and is the universal sound of the Mineral Kingdom. You are able to use this tone by thinking about it or hearing it within your minds as it is now part of you.

Source: Dancing the Tango with your Crystals by Elmarie Swartz.
Her website Healing Journeys - Energy is a place where you will find a lot more information on healing as well.

The Shire is not a place with emphasis on particular spiritual practices but is in our own way respectful and supportive of the Earth and all living beings on it; cultural and artistic enrichment and expression and spiritual diversity. Cultural and spiritual vitality means: • Shared creativity, artistic expression, cultural activities, rituals and celebrations. • Sense of community unity and mutual support. • Respect and support for spirituality manifesting in many ways. • Shared vision and agreements that express commitments, cultural heritage and the uniqueness of our community. • Flexibility and successful responsiveness to difficulties that arise. • Understanding of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all the elements of life on Earth and the community's place in relation to the whole. • Creation of a peaceful, loving, sustainable world.

If you like hobbits for neighbours, then consider buying a house in the Shire of Bend, Oregon. Nice! A little piece of Middle Earth ... southeast Bend? Not exactly. But The Lord of the Rings did provide at least part of the inspiration – as well as the name for “The Shire,” a radically different small residential development now in the planning stages. Locate on a bit over six acres on the west side of Benham Road near Tillicum Village; The Shire will include about 30 homes ranging in size from roughly 1,500 to 2,100 square feet.

Die im berühmten Goldmuseum von Bogota (Kolumbien) aufbewahrten rund 33.000 Goldobjekte spiegeln nicht nur die tiefe Gläubigkeit ihrer indianischen Schöpfer und damit ihre Vorstellung von dieser und einer „jenseitigen Welt“ wider, sie zeigen ebenso Anhaltspunkte die als missverstandene oder missgedeutete Technologie aufgefasst werden können.

Hierzu liefern spektakuläre Miniaturen von „Goldflugzeugen“ die wichtigsten Indizien. Offiziell gelten die Kleinode als „religiöse Zierart“, die als „zoomorph“, „biomorph“ oder schlicht als „Insekten“, „Vögel“ und „Fliegende Krokodile“ benannt werden.
Luft- und Raumfahrtingenieure besahen sich die kuriosen Artefakte und bescheinigen ihnen eindeutig hochmoderne aerodynamische Konstruktionselemente zu, die in der Natur nicht vorkommen. Untersuchungen im Windströmungskanal am Aeronautical Institute, New York, haben das bestätigt.

Unsolved Mysteries – Die Welt des Unerklärlichen (German version) Unbedingt auch die Englische Version anschauen, denn dort hat es (warum auch immer) noch mehr Stoff.

For decades, the "gold aircraft" from Colombia have been considered as some of the most spectacular archaeological finds. The small gold objects are often referred to as "religious decorations" and "animal figurines", but like comparable burial objects from ancient Egypt they display features otherwise known only from modern aviation technology. Such as the delta geometry of the low set wings, the exactly dimensioned tail with the rising rectangular tail fin and the horizontal elevator. Wind tunnel studies at the Aeronautical Institute in New York have confirmed this impressively.

Now, airworthy reconstructions of the miniature models have again confirmed what open-minded researchers had long suspected – that these objects could be models of giant airplanes that really did exist once upon a time! Unsolved Mysteries (English version)

Deep in the jungles of Cambodia, the ruins of Angkor consist of ancient temples and palaces that are shrouded in mystery. This second episode of the three-part Discovery Channel series "Mysteries of Asia" takes an in-depth look at the many mysteries.

Interviewed experts explain that back in 1860, when the first European explorer discovered the ruins in northwestern Cambodia, he was told by local residents that the huge structures had either been built by giants or had built themselves. Others would later come up with more practical theories, including those who believed that the temples were built by Jews who migrated to China or by Alexander the Great. In fact, these 100 or so temples were actually constructed during the reign of the Khmer Empire, between the ninth and 14th centuries.

Modern footage and maps provide viewers with additional information about these large temples.


'Mysteries of Asia - Jewels in the Jungle'
by Discovery Channel, 2006
Runtime: 52 minutes

As always - "For Dummies" is written in an easy-to-read and entertaining style.

A comprehensive guide to what’s what and what works in complementary medicine, this expert guide cuts through the jargon and gives you the facts about the alternatives. Whether you are interested in maintaining your general well-being or relieving the symptoms of a specific complaint, this book outlines all of the therapies available to you – from acupuncture through healing foods to yoga and massage - and tells you what each treatment is most effective for, how to go about finding a practitioner and what to expect from a consultation.

Complementary Medicine For Dummies by Jacqueline Young.
John Wiley & Sons, 2007 | 448 Pages | PDF | 4.2 MB

Introduction by Emily Dorothy Scarborough "The Imperishable Ghost":

Ghosts are the true immortals, and the dead grow more alive all the time. Wraiths have a greater vitality to-day than ever before.

They are far more numerous than at any time in the past, and people are more interested in them. There are persons that claim to be acquainted with specific spirits, to speak with them, to carry on correspondence with them, and even some who insist that they are private secretaries to the dead. Others of us mortals, more reserved, are content to keep such distance as we may from even the shadow of a shade. But there's no getting away from ghosts nowadays, for even if you shut your eyes to them in actual life, you stumble over them in the books you read, you see them on the stage and on the screen, and you hear them on the lecture platform ...

Contents:

• The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
  
• The Shadows On The Wall by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
  
• The Messenger by Robert W. Chambers
  
• Lazarus by Leonid Andreyev
  
• The Beast With Five Fingers by W. F. Harvey
  
• The Mass Of Shadows by Anatole France
  
• What Was It? by Fitz-James O'Brien
  
• The Middle Toe Of The Right Foot by Ambrose Bierce
  
• The Shell Of Sense by Olivia Howard Dunbar
  
• The Woman At Seven Brothers by Wilbur Daniel Steele
  
• At The Gate by Myla Jo Closser
  
• Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
  
• The Haunted Orchard by Richard Le Gallienne
  
• The Bowmen by Arthur Machen
  
• A Ghost by Guy De Maupassant

Famous Modern Ghost Stories by Various, edited by Emily Dorothy Scarborough.
First Published 1921 | 303 pages | PDF | 1.0 MB

Also available at Project Gutenberg.

Spiritual reality is a video on meditation on which are revealed spiritual secrets from Spiritual Masters of India. This video is really unique. It speaks about meditation, cosmic energy, third eye and enlightenment as well as life after death.

The way it teaches meditation without any mantra and only with observation of the breath is really powerful and every one can do it no matter what religion he/she believes. Spent the first 10 minutes to watch the movie and you will understand the uniqueness of this movie. And I'm very sure that you will stay for the other parts ...

Just sit back - relax and enjoy this wonderful meditation video!

Spiritual Reality - Journey Within: Part 1 (10:00)
Spiritual Reality - Journey Within: Part 2 (10:00)
Spiritual Reality - Journey Within: Part 3 (10:00)
Spiritual Reality - Journey Within: Part 4 (10:00)
Spiritual Reality - Journey Within: Part 5 (10:00)

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Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self.

Sleep is unconscious Meditation
Meditation is conscious sleep.

We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence.
We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation.

Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from:
Body to Mind,
Mind to Intellect,
Intellect to Self
And beyond.

To do Meditation, the first thing is Posture.
We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable.
We may sit either on the floor or on a chair.
Cross your legs clasp the fingers
Close your eyes gently
Relax relax

Then,
Observe your normal Breath
Do not chant any Mantra do not think of any God
Just witness the Breath

If any thoughts come,
Do not go behind the thoughts do not negate the thoughts
Just come back observe the Breath
Witness the Breath
Be the Breath
Just Be.

More @ Spiritual Reality

The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia Press. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and it was completed in April 1914.



The Catholic Encyclopedia, as its name implies, proposes to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle ofCatholic interests, action and doctrine. What the Church teaches and has taught; what she has done and is still doing for the highest welfare of mankind; her methods, past and present; her struggles, her triumphs, and the achievements of her members, not only for her own immediate benefit, but for the broadening and deepening of all truescience, literature and art -- all come within the scope of the Catholic Encyclopedia. It differs from the general encyclopedia in omitting facts and information which have no relation to the Church. On the other hand, it is not exclusively a church encyclopedia, nor is it limited to the ecclesiastical sciences and the doings of churchmen. It records all that Catholics have done, not only in behalf of charity and morals, but also for the intellectual and artistic development of mankind. It chronicles what Catholic artists, educators, poets, scientists and men of action have achieved in their several provinces.

The Original Catholic Encyclopedia - Over 11000 articles, plus full-scale page scans, Map Gallery (color images) and Art Gallery (including full-page color plates, photos, illustrations, etc.).

See also:
The Catholic Encyclopedia on New Advent.
The easy-to-search version on Catholicity.