Serendipity

I spent a lot of time listening to podcasts and videos on the topics for this post and I'm afraid I only succeeded in confusing myself.  Searching for uncertainty and causality led to some fun discussions of free will, which I didn't realize was such a debated topic! I learned that Einstein was a Determinist. His position was the everything has a cause, and therefore all actions are determined by a previous event. Looking at it this way, we have little to no free will but instead are palying... But the Uncertainty Principle threw a wrench in that too.  If we can change a particle by observing it, there must be a multitude of possibilities before us.  We then must be able to exert our own choice... Determinism = everything is a series of actions and reactions dependent on the last and within its set of circumstances.  There is no free will - everything lies withhin a set range. Causality = the principal that everything has a cause. There must be a reason. I lo...

I live in a dome.  It's not geodesic - it's made of laminate wood beams and plywood, shingles and sheet rock on a foundation of steel and concrete. The dome has 8 units. Its like an orange cut in half, cut in half again and then quartered. My apartment is a cocktail squeeze.  It's a mirror image of my neighbors place. I supposed when they designed it, it was perfectly symmetrical, but in reality, our apartments are quite different.  The angle of the walls varies from unit to unit, and our fireplaces are at oddly different distances from the door. In construction it's imperfect - asymmetrical. We live in an infinite universe that is constantly changing. **** CP Violation - The symmetry between matter and antimatter is imperfect.  Asymmetring being way more matter left than antimatter?  Ok so if every particle has its anti particle where did the anti particles go? c= charge conjugation (matter into anti-matter) p = parity transformation creates a mirror i...

When asked if I would support the development of a bionic person I am reminded of several movies in which the cyborg went rogue.  I am absolutely opposed to the development of a bionic human for military purposes, and have watched too much scifi to be comfortable with the its development otherwise.  AI always gets too smart and turn on humanity.   On the flip side, I am inclined to support the development of bionic parts.  I like to follow news coming out of the Transhumanist movement, the goal of which is the enhance human intellect, physical and psychological capabilities through technology.  Transhumanists are enthusiastic supported of developments in personal modification.    A list of top 10 transhumanist technologies includes cryogenics, gene therapy, virtual reality and cybernetics to name a few.  The cochlear implant and visual feedback devices that we read about are prime examples of the latter, as is the chip the vet placed in my cat...

As acupuncture students were introduced to the Huan du Nei Jing which defines qi as "life energy." As a student of TCM I have been experiencing the discovery of what acupuncture as energy medicine can be. In foundations were taught that qi flows through pathways in the body called meridians, and that disease can be the result of imbalances or blockages in this energy flow. We learn to identify the signs and symptoms of imbalances and disruptions along the meridian pathways, and to use specific points to influence the flow of qi so that we may restore balance in the body. We focus on the emotional correspondences as well as the physical manifestations. We're taught that we can use our own qi and intention to influence our patients outcomes. In these ways I experience acupuncture as an energy medicine. Kirlian photography is one imaging technique being used to try to demonstrate the presence and actions of this energetic body. Using high voltage contact print photography,...

I know a living system because it reacts, it changes and it grows.  In elementary school we learn that all living things also require water.      Last week we discussed research into states of consciousness, and the work of Matsuro Emoto was mentioned.  I was familiar with the work of Dr. Emoto, who discovered what they call structured water or energized water.  In this phenomena, crystals of water form differently based on the words used with it.  For example, a glass of water that is prayed to results in a beautiful and complex crystalline structure, while a glass of water that is cursed at results in unstructured dirty looking blobs instead of crystals.  Emoto’s work suggests that we can alter the state of vitality of water through the intention we apply to it with our words.  It also suggests that water has memory, which is also described as storing consciousness.     Another scientist who is looking at water ...

A dream came true on Saturday. I slept in.   At 11am a text message woke me.  "Dragonwell Jam at the Jack of All Trades Fair. Come fly with us!"  It was an invitation from Madamn Burnz sent to the FlyHive Aerial Crew... and I actually had the afternoon free!  Even better - my best friend agreed to come with me. We arrived in Jack London Square at 12:30pm, super hungry.  As we approached one of the food trucks a friendly couple spoke up. "Look at all this food! Ask for the chefs special."  We jumped at the chance.  The halal schwarma truck proprietor greeted us with enthusiasm and two little salads - street side amuse-bouche! We asked for the chefs special, with meat and mildly spiced. Then the chef left the truck to show us to a table. I couldn't believe our luck: dine-in restaurant service on the street.  After a short wait he started bringing food to the table: pasta salad and roasted peppers, lamb gyros and BBQ chick...

Are all vibrations good? They certainly have the potential to be.  A warning sense can be a very good thing, just as a warm and welcoming one is. Even earthquakes have their role to play in shaping things.  I love the idea that everything has a unique vibrational frequency. Weather we are aware of it or not, I think that we are often sensing subtle changes based on these vibrations... We're like human seismometers. Resonance is an important concept for me.  As I've mentioned before, I am most sensitive to audio cues. I was a musician as a young woman, and find the metaphors of harmony, frequency, vibration and resonance apply to my relationships with everything and everyone.  These words from music are the ones that I naturally choose to understand and describe interpersonal interactions especially.  It's very logical to me to think that a given system will be driven by the oscillations of another; that they naturally fall or ar forced into frequencies similar...

I went to a Christian college where there was a requirement that every student earn a minimum # of credits in religious studies.  I completed mine on a semester abroad, meeting with religious leaders in Malta, Greece, Italy, Israel and Tunisia.  That semester was about learning by exploring, engaging, interviewing and experiencing, and then writing about the region and culture of the places we visited.  These were the sites where Judaism, Christianity and Islam had their roots.  Our fearless leader was a scientist.  She kept our conversations going, but didn’t share her own opinion until the very end.  That day she declared: “God is Gravity.”   Minds. Blown. God. Force. Photons. Quarks. All. That. Is. The videos I watched this week refer to “the four fundamental forces in physics.”  From strongest to weakest, they are Strong Nuclear, Weak Nuclear, Electromagnetic and Gravitational.  Together they are responsible for holding every...

What evidence can you find for synchronicity? I like to joke that the radio is divine.  I often find that the lyrics pouring out of the stereo confirm or deny a recent thought, or trigger a memory or remind me of something I’ve been meaning to do.  These are the audible coincidences that set the course of my day, and occasionally ignite a radical trajectory change.  I personally notice synchronicities like these all over the place.  When I do, I try to express some gratitude for the spark and move on.  The skeptic in me would be embarrassed to take such a thing too seriously.  After our discussion on Tuesday, I realized that this was going to be a fun week!  As an audiophile, I naturally turned to podcasts to look for evidence of synchronicity.  This week, two of my favorites came into play.  As episode of Invisibilia was mentioned in class.  Titled “Entanglement” and dated January 29, 2015, it examined some of the concept we di...

Hello everyone, I'm Heather and I'm really happy to be here. I fell in love with Chinese Medicine over several years of receiving treatment.  At first it was for little things like abdominal pain, issues with digestion, colds and flu.  And then serendipity struck -  I found ACCHS when a "pinched nerve" was diagnosed by my MD, but the meds she gave didn't help.  It was an insidious pain that I couldn't tolerate. I needed an appointment immediately, and found the school clinic.  I came in for treatment twice a week for over a month and experienced many of the aspects that attract me to this medicine: its effectiveness, focus on the individual rather than a diagnosis and the search for and treatment of the root cause as well as current symptoms.  I also love the wide variety of hands on techniques available to us with needles, tuina, moxa and herbs, and the deep restful state that an acupuncture treatment allows me. I honestly like physics.  I'm looki...