“But a sanguine temper, though forever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression. It soon flies over the present failure, and begins to hope again.”
– Jane Austen, Emma, ch.18
“The Four Agreements” teaches that, at the root of it all, self-limiting beliefs rob us of joy and create needless suffering. A Look At Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements By Leigh Burton At our best we humans strive to serve others, be there for loved ones and make a lot of what we do about making our world a better place. We do so because it feels good and for the most part, we know that we should. However, we fall into the trap of believing that the world begins where we start and ends where we lay our head at night. It’s entirely human and for the most part acceptable because we are conditioned to do just that. We are conditioned from birth to react to external stimuli in a way that shapes the dream we have of how we each fit into society. As society evolves, so does what stimulate a reaction, and so do our ideas of what our lives should look like. In that, we become the center of our universe searching for evidence that others share our worldview. It’s not hard to find a group of people that have the same perspective or point of view on what matters most. Is it equality, a political point of view, a shared mission or passion for something creative that nudges us closer to a closed knit group of people that we can identify with? Whatever it is, we move deeper into our beliefs as time passes and, it becomes a part of what defines who each of us is and what separates us from another. All the while empowering the beat of our drum that confirms we are right in our choices and actions. Like the branches of a tree, the path is further…
No one can experience second-rate with out your approval Are you affected by lower self confidence or inferiority difficult? I will write about some self-help suggestions about the way to overcome might acquire your assurance. You might have inferiority difficult due to the fact he / she believes that you’ve a need to make an…
American Jews, including prominent figures like Naomi Klein, have signed an open letter in support of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
The letter states that she has been “falsely accused of antisemitism” and that there was nothing anti-Semitic about calling out the “noxious” role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in American politics.
It went on to say that “The pro-Israel lobby has played an outsized role in producing nearly unanimous congressional support for Israel”, and slammed AIPAC and other lobby groups including the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the fossil fuel lobby for its “anti-democratic” legislative influence on US politics.
The letter finished by saying “We thank Ilhan Omar for having the bravery to shake up the congressional taboo against criticizing Israel. As Jews with a long tradition of social justice and anti-racism, AIPAC does not represent us.” and called on other Jews to sign the letter.
Omar has faced huge backlash after calling out AIPAC, including facing accusations of anti-Semitism from both Democrats and Republicans, floor action against her by Nancy Pelosi, and disturbing posters at a Republican event, linking her to the 9/11 attacks.
The charge of anti-Semitism comes after Omar said that the Republican Party’s threats against her and Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for criticising Israel was “all about the Benjamins, baby!” in reference to money allegedly paid to the party and its members to support Tel Aviv.
When she was asked to clarify who is paying members, she cited AIPAC, which has previously boasted about its financial influence in US politics.
Creative Commons / Middle East Monitor
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Before we begin this simple mindfulness practice, allow yourself to find a comfortable resting position, either lying on the floor or sitting in a chair.
1)Bring your attention to the sensations in the body and breath in this moment. Begin by closing or lowering your eyes, and become aware of the condition of your body in this moment. Notice the feeling of your body at rest. Also, notice any sensations of contact between your body and what supports you. Begin to bring your attention to the breath as it enters and leaves your body, letting the breath breathe itself, witnessing this, not having to make it happen.
2) Expand awareness to include the entire body, from the tips of the toes to the crown of the head. You may notice all kinds of sensations, including uncomfortable or even painful ones. You may also be aware of the absence of sensation in some parts of the body. Stay curious and present to whatever sensations are arising, and notice that you may enjoy some of them and disapprove of others.
Stay curious and present to whatever sensations are arising, and notice that you may enjoy some of them and disapprove of others.
3) See if you can bring a soft, curious, and even friendly awareness to these feelings of liking and disliking. Begin to expand awareness to sounds, smells, all of the senses, continuing to notice what is present. Notice any qualities of liking or disliking, of moving toward some experiences and away from others. You can even do this with any thoughts or emotions that may be coming and going in the mind and body from moment to moment, whether these thoughts and emotions are pleasant or unpleasant.
4) Do your best to be fully present to your experience of the moment. Notice whatever is here in terms of sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Notice especially the strong or subtle sense of wanting things to be different than the way they are. You may notice feelings of grief, irritation, or amusement arise as you watch this play of judgments and opinions about what is happening inside and outside you.
5) Continue to stay present to whatever is here. When you feel ready, open or raise your eyes, stretch your body, and move on to your next activity, perhaps bringing this gentle, curious, and friendly attention to whatever you may find yourself doing next.
When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives: We lower our stress levels, we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we’re kinder to ourselves. Let us walk you through the basics in our new mindful guide on how to meditate.
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Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Here’s the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.
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The post Becoming Mindful: A Practice appeared first on Mindful.
By Deepak Chopra, MD
I’d like to explain one of the great mysteries faced by spiritual seekers. On the surface this mystery sounds simple. The most basic statement of it is this: You don’t have to go anywhere to reach higher consciousness. At some level you are already enlightened. All you have to do is to uncover this level within yourself.
There are countless versions of the same teaching. “Be still and know that I am God” is a religious version. So is “The kingdom of Heaven is within.” Outside religion a version from India is called “the pathless path.” However different, all these teachings imply the same thing: The seeker’s goal is here and now. There is nowhere to go, no journey to take, no distance between the beginning and the end of the seeker’s path.
The reason for the mystery is that this teaching hasn’t worked for thousands of people who genuinely want the experience of higher consciousness. Inevitably, they wind up struggling inside themselves trying to locate this mysterious place where enlightenment—you can also call it God, Nirvana, liberation, or self-realization—supposedly lies. Instead of being here and now, the goal remains elusive, far away, and invisible, even after years of meditation, prayer, reflection, contemplation, and other spiritual practices. It’s all very frustrating.
We can unravel the mystery, however, with a simple fact. There is only one reality. There is no division between reality “in here” (subjective) and reality “out there.” The beauty of this simple fact is that you no longer have to struggle within yourself. You only have to unveil reality. So how has reality been disguised from us all these years?
Whatever feels real to you is always filtered through your personal experience. The filter can have any source, usually a worldview you believe in: religion, myth, science, your own personal story. In every case the mind has created a viewpoint that gives you an interpretation of reality, making everything personal. As we each become accustomed to our personal filters, we buy into personal reality totally. If there is a reality independent of the mind, we cannot know it.
Every experience is mind-made, whether the experience happens “in here’ or “out there.” What we call a person is a conditioned identity. What we call the outside world is a conditioned projection. We participate every day in a process that took centuries to develop as human awareness fashioned reality to suit human needs.
Conditioning serves a purpose: to make experience seem continuous. Objects look stable; the mind is constantly active; time flows along. In reality, however, experiences are fleeting and evanescent. They rise and fall instantaneously and cannot be grasped or held on to. Holding on to your last thought is as impossible as holding on to a dream. Stitching reality together through a series of perceptual snapshots, which is what we all do, is very useful, but reality frozen into a series of snapshots isn’t truly real.
If you look at it directly, every experience happens here and now. Now is immediate and present. Once you notice the present moment, another now has taken its place. So now has no duration on its own. It cannot be measured on the clock. In reality, now is outside clock time; therefore it is timeless: the so-called eternal now. We experience anything outside the here and now as a mental projection. The past is a mental construct, including the history of the universe. Mental models created the Big Bang, giving time a beginning when in reality time has no beginning or end.
Only one thing is continuous, staying with us no matter what is happening: Consciousness. By its very nature consciousness is here and now. Consciousness has no divisions, units, or dimensions. We mentally create the dimensions of time and space. Into this matrix we mentally insert matter and energy. Once any of these things is reduced to the here and now, it reveals itself as consciousness. By analogy, physics reduces all of time, space, matter, and energy to ripples in the quantum field. When the ripples subside, the field is unveiled as timeless, without beginning or end, where infinite possibilities emerge.
Since this is the true continuity of life and the true source of everything in existence, it is your true self. By finding a common source in consciousness, we arrive at the one reality. No other experience is necessary.
What keeps this experience far away is that we go around with models of reality in our heads, the current model being materialist and scientific. Models are useful maps and convenient fictions. But reality, being a field of infinite possibilities, cannot be modeled. These infinite possibilities are available here and now. Otherwise, the only possibilities are the ones your mental model accepts. The most damaging flaw in any model is to exclude the infinite, timeless, dimensionless state that is reality–consciousness.
When mind-made veils are removed, reality transcends anything the mind experiences, anything bound by space, time, birth and death, concepts, and models. The eternal now, when we connect with it, is our access to reality. Reality is infinite potential entering creation as endless manifestation.
The unveiling process eliminates everything that is conditioned, illusory, mind-made, the product of the ego, etc. Once these veils no longer color your experience, the mind gets a fresh start. We know ourselves in a new way. We are consciousness. We live with a foot in two camps; one foot in the everyday world, the other foot in pure, undisturbed awareness.
Yet both feet rest on the same ground: consciousness. In one mode consciousness is pure, unmoving, and silent. In another mode consciousness is endlessly creative. On the active side, the play of consciousness is our purpose and our joy. On the side of pure awareness, our purpose is to be, which is absolute freedom.
The only teaching anyone needs is this: Once you remove everything that is unreal, what remains must be reality itself. In the next post we’ll discuss the practicality of removing the veils that block us from living in the reality of here and now.
(To be continued.)
Deepak Chopra MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Chopra is the author of more than 85 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His latest books are The Healing Self co-authored with Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D. and Quantum Healing (Revised and Updated): Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. www.deepakchopra.com
Across the automotive and transportation industry, executives are hoping to render drivers a thing of the past. Not only are autonomous or self-driving taxi cabs, private cars and commercial trucks considered to be cheaper in terms of labor costs, but they are also expected to be far safer than vehicles that require actual human operators.
Yet what if driverless cars also carry a racial bias that makes them more likely to crash into black and darker-skinned people?
At a glance, the idea may sound strange–these are machines, after all, tools which should, by definition, be blind to skin color and neutral in matters of race.
But according to a new study from the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers found that the high-tech visualization and detection systems rely on the same sensors and cameras that have previously made mistakes due to skin tone when applied to other automated technologies.
In practical terms, this means that cars are less likely to detect black people and hit the brakes before crashing into them as opposed to those with lighter skin tones.
The study’s authors questioned how accurately current state-of-the-art object detection algorithms can detect people from various demographic groups. The group set about categorizing image of pedestrians based on the Fitzpatrick scale, the system used to categorize human skin tones.
The object detection models were then put to the test, and results revealed that those with dark skin were detected at a rate of five percent less than those with lighter skin–a disparity that held true even when factors such as time of day or obstructed view of pedestrians was taken into account.
The study concluded:
“We hope this study provides compelling evidence of the real problem that may arise if this source of capture bias is not considered before deploying these sort of recognition models.”
AI researcher Kate Crawford, who wasn’t involved with the study, commented that these issues have long been known by critics. “Guess what? Study shows that self-driving cars are better at detecting pedestrians with lighter skin tones. Translation: Pedestrian deaths by self-driving cars are already here – but they’re not evenly distributed,” she tweeted.
Guess what? Study shows that self-driving cars are better at detecting pedestrians with lighter skin tones.
Translation: Pedestrian deaths by self-driving cars are already here – but they're not evenly distributed. https://t.co/4LIwTRJKJQ— Kate Crawford (@katecrawford) February 28, 2019
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Technologists have long warned that the current crop of automated machine-learning and facial recognition algorithms reflect the systemic racial and skin color-based biases that prevail in society.
In past tests, facial-recognition software such as Amazon’s notorious “Rekognition” algorithm have mistaken darker-skinned members of Congress for criminal suspects and also had a high error rate in determining gender in cases of females and darker-skinned people.
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Accio Cupcakes! Look at these Butterbeer Cupcakes! The Harry Potter geek in me is freaking out! I haven’t had this much fun making, styling, and photographing a recipe probably ever. I recently went to Universal Studios Hollywood to check out the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was like a kid in a candy store, literally, because I went to Honeydukes. I got a Chocolate Frog, a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans (and they mean every flavor!), and some pumpkin juice to wash it all down.
While I was there I also got to taste Butterbeer for the first time. It was so fun! It tasted surprisingly good. Very sweet, but hello, it’s me, I love dessert so much I wrote a book about it. The butterbeer liquid part tasted like a rich cream soda and then on top there was butterscotch flavored whipped cream. Yum. It came in frozen and regular, I only tried the regular.
My favorite part (why do I feel like I’m writing a 3rd grade report on my summer vacation? Ha!) was Ollivander’s wand shop. It was soooo freaking cool! I want to start a wand collection now. Is that lame? I don’t even care. The staff that works in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, are so awesome. This super nice lady sat there and asked me all these questions like, what my top 3 qualities are, what house I was sorted into (Griffindor, duh), and then walked around the shop showing me which wands would best be suited to me. You can tell the staff is super into Harry Potter. They get so excited seeing you excited. I got a season pass so I could go back. What?
I was also very excited to buy some legit Griffindor robes. I got a new scarf, and tie as well. These are so real looking, they could be from the movies. They were pricey, but I justified it by telling myself I would dress up as Harry Potter for Halloween this year…and probably forever. I spent dumb money in Harry Potter land, but you know what, #yolo.
In prep for my visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (can I just abbreviate it to TWWOHP yet?) I re-read all the books from start to finish and then watched each corresponding movie after I finished the book. I started before I left for my caribbean vacation because I needed reading material for the plane and finished right before I went, a few weeks ago. Perfect timing. All of the magic was still fresh in my mind. It made the experience that much better!
So if you don’t like Harry Potter, sorry not sorry. You should still try these cupcakes because they are pretty legit. I prefer them made with almond flour, but then again, I don’t have nut allergies. If you do, then these are for you because I used Otto’s Cassava Flour. If you want to use almond flour I found a great deal at Costco in the baking aisle. If you aren’t a Costco member, I’ve been seeing this Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour in regular grocery stores, which is exciting, because it’s way better than their Almond Meal, which isn’t fine enough for baked goods.
So what else has been up besides Caribbeaning and Harry Pottering? Are you actually still reading this? I thought I lost you at wand shop. Well I’ve been dealing with a skin condition. I’ve been to 2 doctors already, my general practitioner and an allergist. I see the dermatologist on Tuesday, but I think what I have is atopic dermatitis.
At first I thought it was hives. I changed my laundry detergent even though I’ve been using it for years and it didn’t improve. The allergist gave me steroid pills, antibiotics, a steroid cream, anti-histamines, and a new inhaler because my asthma started acting up along with my skin issue. Nothing has helped. I have to take cold showers and scratch myself with a boar hair brush because my nails end up scratching then scarring me. It’s been awful. Most nights I wake up itching for at least an hour before I can fall back asleep.
It started out as a small patch on my leg. I thought it was a reaction from tanning (I had to get my pre-caribbean glow on, don’t judge and yell at me). Then as I scratched it started to spread. It started to clear up, and then a few days after my birthday it got really bad and it’s been really bad ever since. Part of me thinks it’s because I ate real gluten donuts and real gluten pizza. Oops. It was a dumb idea, I know. Trust me, I learned my lesson. No more Evil Kenevil stunts for me. I’ve been reading articles that say people with atopic dermatitis should stay away from gluten because it causes so much inflammation. Ugh. Good thing I don’t normally eat it anyway I guess.
Anyway sorry to bring this Butterbeer Cupcake Harry Potter party down! Just catching you up on some health stuff since I kind of write like a food blog about how cleaner food makes you feel better. Just so you guys know I have my health issues too and have to eliminate food from my diet sometimes too even when I don’t want to. I’ve also been doing a Sober October! I know, can you believe it! I feel SO good. It makes me never want to start drinking again, but then that would be so unfair to all the gluten-free beer, wine, vodka, gin and craft cocktails of the world. Oh and we can’t forget Moscow Mules. My fave.
I also started doing hot yoga. I’m obsessed. Not like Harry Potter obsessed, but like I started doing it 3-4 times a week. They heat the room to 115 degrees and each class you do different poses. I leave each class feeling like ten-thousand million dollars. It’s my new jam.
My Mom came to visit. That was fun. We made some Rocky Road ice cream from my cookbook, using the Best Chocolate Ice Cream recipe as the base, then adding mini-marshmallows and chopped almonds. It’s her favorite flavor so we had to! We went to church at my favorite place, The Rock, no, not like Dwayne Johnson, like The Rock Church. We went out to eat, got facials at the day spa and laid out by the pool. It was such a great time.
Okay so I think that’s a pretty good recap on like the last 2 months. Did you see how cute these Harry Potter baking supplies are! I got them on Etsy! I just did an Etsy search for Harry Potter Cupcakes and all this cool stuff came up! I may have also bought some HP shirts and HP jewelry too to wear on my next trip to Universal Studios.
Now go butterbeer! Do it!
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Many people experience delay. It maintains them from existing happy day-to-day lives and hitting their whole probable. There are numerous practices driving why people delay doing things and the way to quit, but couple of hit the nail within the brain and present the purpose, and that is: Find Your Passion While you are fervent,…
How drool-worthy do these Carrot Cake Bars look?! I want to shove them in my face! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you because it’s from my friend Lexi’s brand new book, Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: 150 Delicious Paleo-Friendly Recipes to Nourish Your Life! For those of you who don’t know Lexi, she’s awesome. She’s like this pint sized ball of fire with a strong East Coast accent. She drinks like a fish, which is great for people like me, because she’s that friend that makes you feel like it’s acceptable to drink anytime of day because she’ll have one with you. Lexi is so business savvy it’s scary. She literately knows how to do everything. Everything! She’s like, “Oh you’ll just take that .jpg put it into Photoshop, size it, change the font, plug in the picture, code it, read it a bedtime story, put it on Instagram, Snapchat it, use this plug-in on your blog and then you’re done. Easy!” and the whole time I’m like…wait…what? Who are you?!?
I learned more from Lexi about blogging and running a business in 30 seconds, than I have from anyone in 3 years. True story. You know what else I like about Lexi, she is so down to share something with you at a restaurant! I’m totally that person who would rather order like 3 things off the menu so I can try everything and Lexi is always totally down to share it with me so I don’t look like a fat ass.
That’s a good friend and everyone needs a good friend.
So, Lexi’s book hit’s shelves November 8th! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you early! It’s like a teaser and who doesn’t like a teaser?! I sure do. So besides these Carrot Cake Bars, can we also talk about the fact that she has a recipe for French Toast Sticks in her book. Yes, you read that right. The 7-year old in me just jumped for joy and needs to make these in time for Saturday Morning Cartoons. They are French Toast that is in the shape of sticks, that you dip into warm syrup. Are you getting this?! I feel like you aren’t understanding the magnitude of this revelation. You NEED this book!
Here’s some other featured recipes from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen that will get you going: Thai Meatballs, Classic Chili, One-Pan Arroz con Pollo, Maple-Glazed Salmon, and Sriracha Lime Chopped Chicken Salad, with healthier options of your favorite indulgent foods, like Perfect Waffles, Birthday Cake, Easy Sandwich Bread, and more. Lexi is a very talented little chef and photographer. I call her little, because she’s tiny! She’s like 4’11” and 95 pounds soaking wet. When you see her you want to just put her in your pocket! I seriously love Lexi and I’m so excited for her new book!
It’s been such a great season for new cookbooks! My fave’s right now besides Lexi’s are Cassy Joy’s Fed & Fit, Simone Miller’s aka Zenbelly’s Paleo Soups and Stews, which I’ll be sharing a recipe from next. It’s a great time to eat great! In my next blog post, I promise I’ll give you and update on what’s going on with my show (my life) hint: SO MUCH! I just don’t want to steal the spotlight from my homie Lexi and her Carrot Cake Bars! Yes, I just used the word homie, because the 90’s ruled and we must pay homage to that which hath ruled.
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