Friday, June 27, 2014

The man in the window
and the new moon


There is a window ... that opens every year from June 28-July 4 ... part of our Masonic program. This year we find a New Moon 5° Cancer, the start of Ramadan, and the final days of Mercury Retrograde which can cause chaos.

If the man in the window is Z, what do you think he is writing? Put your cursor anywhere over the image, close your eyes, and let him take you through the window.

You can also circle the image slowly, close your eyes, stop, then see where you were guided and its symbology. Also note which the direction of your circles. I am right handed and intuitively went clockwise, finding myself on Z's heart.

If your hold the palms of your hands facing your monitor, then slowly start to make circles, your right-hand should go clockwise - and the left counterclockwise.




June 27, 2014

New Moon 5° Cancer


Thursday, June 26, 2014

World Cup

U.S.-Germany World Cup Rivalry Heats Up Aboard Space Station   NBC - June 26, 2014





If the world is a computer, life is an algorithm   Science News - June 26, 2014

Today a fair number of scientists regard nature as a computer. Describing the universe as a computer does make a certain amount of sense. Laws governing how the universe works are expressed in mathematical formulas. You use those formulas to compute what nature will do, such as when the moon will position itself for the next solar eclipse. Just as you do a digital computation to figure out where the moon will be, nature simply conducts a real-time analog computation of its own that puts the moon where it is supposed to be.


Sacred Geometry 101




Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Sundogs


Spaceweather posted an amazing image today. Looking at the sun can be a wincing, painful experience. Yesterday in Finland it was a rare delight. "On June 24th, multiple arcs and rings of light appeared around the sun," reports Ville Miettinen of Kuopio. "What a spectacular view!" He dashed inside and grabbed his camera to record the amazing vista. "They lingered in the sky for three whole hours, only disappearing when thick clouds intervened. These were very, very impressive halos - some of them quite rare," he said.

The variety of halos they witnessed was caused by a corresponding variety of ice crystals with rare gem-like perfection and unusually precise crystal-to-crystal alignment. What are the odds? No one knows but, apparently, they're higher in Finland. Another place to look for rare halos is in the realtime gallery: These luminous forms are called ice halos, because they caused by sunlight shining through icy crystals in cirrus clouds. Usually their forms are rather simple, like a solitary pillar or an uncomplicated ring. In this case, however, a complex assortment of halos criss-crossed the sky. In Miettinen's photo, we see a complete parhelic circle, a circumscribed halo, a supralateral arc, a 22-degree halo, and a pair of sundogs.




Tuesday, June 24, 2014

There is a window ...


... that opens every year from June 28-July 4 ... part of our Masonic program. This year we find a New Moon 5° Cancer, the start of Ramadan, and the final days of Mercury Retrograde which can cause chaos.

If the man in the window is Z, what do you think he is writing? Put your cursor anywhere over the image, close your eyes, and let him take you through the window.

You can also circle the image slowly, close your eyes, stop, then see where you were guided and its symbology. Also note which the direction of your circles. I am right handed and intuitively went clockwise, finding myself on Z's heart.

If your hold the palms of your hands facing your monitor, then slowly start to make circles, your right-hand should go clockwise - and the left counterclockwise.




ISIS - Iraq


Great video ... we never belonged in Iraq ... this is a game changer
  'We are facing a new reality and a new Iraq,' Iraqi Kurdish leader says   CNN - June 24, 2014


ISIS: 5 things to know about the Iraqi jihadist group   CBC - June 24, 2014




IRIS - The Pacific Plate is Broken




Current Earthquake Activity IRIS

Check the Mid-Atlantic Ridge


  Tsunami Warning for Aleutians After 8.0 Quake   ABC - June 23, 2014
A magnitude-8.0 earthquake was widely felt in communities along Alaska's sparsely populated Aleutian Islands on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Quakes hits near New Zealand; no immediate reports of damage   CNN - June 23, 2014
A trio of earthquakes struck in the South Pacific Ocean Tuesday morning southeast of Raoul Island, New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage. Two quakes, with magnitudes of 6.9 and 6.3, hit within minutes of each other, according to USGS data. The larger of the two was originally reported by the USGS to be a 7.2-magnitude, but that measure was later downgraded to 6.9.




Monday, June 23, 2014

Free Will

Free Will is an illusion, but then again so is everything else.
If Free Will existed in physical reality - we would all be free.
Humans are programmed to believe they have free will,
to bring hope, but it is all part of the illusion.
You are your programmed DNA codes.





Free Will May Just Be the Brain's 'Background Noise,' Scientists Say  
Live Science - June 20, 2014

It's a question that has plagued philosophers and scientists for thousands of years: Is free will an illusion? Now, a new study suggests that free will may arise from a hidden signal buried in the "background noise" of chaotic electrical activity in the brain, and that this activity occurs almost a second before people consciously decide to do something.

Though "purposeful intentions, desires and goals drive our decisions in a linear cause-and-effect kind of way, our finding shows that our decisions are also influenced by neural noise within any given moment," study co-author Jesse Bengson, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. This random firing, or noise, may even be the carrier upon which our consciousness rides, in the same way that radio static is used to carry a radio station. This background noise may allow people to respond creatively to novel situations, and it may even give human behavior the "flavor of free will," Bengson said.

But if free will is an illusion, why does it feel so real? Though that's still a mystery, one theory is that life would be too depressing without the illusion of choice, making it hard for humans to survive and reproduce. "The idea is that you have the illusion of free will as an artifact to be able to get through life," Mazaheri told Live Science.




Free will is an illusion, biologist says   PhysOrg - March 3, 2010

Three different models explain the causal mechanism of free will and the flow of information between unconscious neural activity and conscious thought (GES = genes, environment, stochasticism). In A, the intuitive model, there is no causal component for will. Will influences conscious thought, which in turn influences unconscious neural activity to direct behavior. In B, a causal component of will is introduced: unconscious neural activity and GES. But now will loses its freedom. In C, the model that Cashmore advocates, will is dispensed with. Conscious thought is simply a reflection of, rather than an influence on, unconscious neural activity, which directs behavior. The dotted arrow 2 in C indicates a subservient role of conscious thought in directing behavior.

When biologist Anthony Cashmore claims that the concept of free will is an illusion, he's not breaking any new ground. At least as far back as the ancient Greeks, people have wondered how humans seem to have the ability to make their own personal decisions in a manner lacking any causal component other than their desire to "will" something. But Cashmore, Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, says that many biologists today still cling to the idea of free will, and reject the idea that we are simply conscious machines, completely controlled by a combination of our chemistry and external environmental forces.

Cashmore's argument is that free will is an illusion derived from consciousness, but consciousness has an evolutionary advantage of conferring the illusion of responsibility. So what is the point of publicizing the fact that we have no free will, and letting everyone off the hook of individual responsibility? Cashmore says that, as researchers deepen their understanding of the molecular basis of human behavior, it will become increasingly difficult to entertain the fallacy of free will.

In a recent study, Cashmore has argued that a belief in free will is akin to religious beliefs, since neither complies with the laws of the physical world. One of the basic premises of biology and biochemistry is that biological systems are nothing more than a bag of chemicals that obey chemical and physical laws. Generally, we have no problem with the "bag of chemicals" notion when it comes to bacteria, plants, and similar entities. So why is it so difficult to say the same about humans or other "higher level" species, when we're all governed by the same laws?

No causal mechanism

As Cashmore explains, the human brain acts at both the conscious level as well as the unconscious. It's our consciousness that makes us aware of our actions, giving us the sense that we control them, as well. But even without this awareness, our brains can still induce our bodies to act, and studies have indicated that consciousness is something that follows unconscious neural activity. Just because we are often aware of multiple paths to take, that doesn't mean we actually get to choose one of them based on our own free will. As the ancient Greeks asked, by what mechanism would we be choosing? The physical world is made of causes and effects - "nothing comes from nothing" - but free will, by its very definition, has no physical cause. The Roman philosopher and poet Lucretius, in reference to this problem of free will, noted that the Greek philosophers concluded that atoms "randomly swerve" - the likely source of this movement being the numerous Greek gods.

Today, as researchers gain a better understanding of the molecular details underlying consciousness, some people think that we may discover a molecular mechanism responsible for free will - but Cashmore doesn't think so. Such a discovery, he says, would require a new physical law that breaks the causal laws of nature. As it is, the only "wild card" that allows any room for maneuvering outside of genetics and one's environment is the inherent uncertainty of the physical properties of matter, and even this stochastic element is beyond our conscious control. (However, it can help explain why identical twins growing up in the same environment are unique individuals.)

To put it simply, free will just doesn't fit with how the physical world works. Cashmore compares a belief in free will to an earlier belief in vitalism - the belief that there are forces governing the biological world that are distinct from those governing the physical world. Vitalism was discarded more than 100 years ago, being replaced with evidence that biological systems obey the laws of chemistry and physics, not special biological laws for living things. I would like to convince biologists that a belief in free will is nothing other than a continuing belief in vitalism (or, as I say, a belief in magic), Cashmore told PhysOrg.com.

Conscious Deception

It all seems quite rational, so why is our lack of free will so difficult to accept for many people? Cashmore explains that there are several compelling reasons that people have for believing in free will, not the least of which is that we have a constant awareness of making decisions that seem to be driven by our own volition. In addition, free will is a very useful concept when it comes to the justice system; we take responsibility for our criminal actions and accordingly, are eligible for personal punishment, which is deemed to be necessary for protecting society.

However, Cashmore argues that there are deeper explanations for why we think we have free will. He thinks that there must be a genetic basis for consciousness and the associated belief in free will. Consciousness has an evolutionary selective advantage: it provides us with the illusion of responsibility, which is beneficial for society, if not for individuals as well. In this sense, consciousness is our 'preview function' that comforts us into thinking that we are in control of what we will (or at least may) do ahead of time. As Cashmore notes, the irony is that the very existence of these 'free will genes' is predicated on their ability to con us into believing in free will and responsibility. However, in reality, all behavioral decisions are nothing more than a reflection of our genetic and environmental history.

"Whereas the impressions are that we are making 'free' conscious decisions, the reality is that consciousness is simply a state of awareness that reflects the input signals, and these are an unavoidable consequence of GES [genes, environment, and stochasticism]," Cashmore explained.

Few neurobiologists would argue with the notion that consciousness influences behavior by acting through unconscious neural activity, he said. More controversial is the notion that consciousness plays a relatively minor role in governing our behavior. The conscious mind is conceivably more a mechanism of following unconscious neural activity than it is one of directing such activity. I find it interesting to compare this line of thinking with that of Freud, who created a controversy by suggesting that the unconscious mind played a role in our behavior. The way of thinking regarding these matters now has moved to the extent that some are questioning what role, if any, the conscious mind plays in directing behavior. Namely, Freud was right to an extent that was much greater than he realized.

Can't Be Held Responsible

Perhaps the most obvious impact of this paradigm shift will be on our judicial system, in which the notions of free will and responsibility form an integral component. Currently, in order to be found guilty, a criminal must be considered responsible for his actions; otherwise, he can be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Cashmore disagrees with these rules, noting that psychiatric research is finding its way more and more into the courts and causing time-wasting debates. (For example, is alcoholism a disease? Are sex crimes an addiction?) "Where is the logic in debating an individual's level of responsibility, when the reality is that none of us are biologically responsible for our actions?" he said.

Cashmore proposes a change, based on "the elimination of the illogical concept that individuals are in control of their behavior in a manner that is something other than a reflection of their genetic makeup and their environmental history."

He says that psychiatrists and other experts on human behavior should not be involved in initial judicial proceedings. The jury should simply determine whether or not a defendant is guilty of committing a crime, and not be concerned with mental issues. Then, if the defendant is found guilty, a court-appointed panel of experts would advise on the most appropriate punishment and treatment.

Cashmore argues that, even though individuals are not biologically responsible for their actions, in order to minimize criminal activity, people should still be held accountable, and be punished when necessary. Such punishment is rationalized on the grounds that it will serve as an incentive (an environmental influence) not to participate in criminal behavior.

"Here I introduce the practice of 'I am sorry about this but I am going to have to beat you,'" Cashmore said. "This punishment is rationalized in the sense that it serves as a lesson to individuals not to break the law. So people would be held accountable for their actions, even though they are not biologically responsible for such actions. This punishment may involve fines or placing people in prison.

Such punishment should not reflect any sense of retribution, and given this I do not personally see how one could continue to impose the death penalty - the alleged effectiveness of such a penalty presumably being far outweighed by its unfairness. The exact way in which one balances the presumptive requirement for punishment, and the lack of biological responsibility, would indeed be difficult, and would require much discussion within the legal system and society as a whole."

He said that tailoring punishment on an individual basis is presently done, at least to some extent.

"Why is it important to make a change? Because increasingly the legal system is being forced to confront the reality that people's behavior is governed by nothing other than their biological history: their genes, their environment and a degree of stochasticism (if you wish, a degree of chance).

The legal system is increasingly seen to be a farce, with lawyers spending endless time and money debating this nonsensical question of how responsible or not their clients are. Why nonsensical? Because no one is biologically responsible for their actions. As Francis Crick said, 'Dream as we may, reality knocks relentlessly at the door.' And as a result of the rapid and ongoing progress in neuroscience, the reality that individual behavior is governed by one's genetic and environmental history is becoming increasingly apparent."



Gaming

Sunday's World Cup game between the US and Portugal had a dramatic ending - with a 2-2 tie in the final seconds. On we go in a game against Germany Thursday 12:00 pm EDT. Once upon a time, in another reality game, the Germans were our enemies whose leaders fled to Argentina. Now they will our opponents in Brazil - It's all a game.

  Team USA: We'll do everything we can to beat Germany   NBC - June 23, 2014
Jermaine Jones, Team USA's new soccer star, joins TODAY to talk about Sunday night's exciting game against Portugal, and the moments leading up to that first game-tying goal.


As for the rest of the global game board today ... war games continue in Iraq and other countries as we allow the political gamers to make the final decisions and we play the "games of survival" we call our lives.


Video game culture is a form of new media culture that has been influenced by video games. As computer and video games have increased exponentially in popularity over time, they have caused a significant influence upon popular culture. This form of entertainment has spawned many fads. Video game culture has evolved in time, particularly in connection with internet culture. Today, the impact of computer and video games can be seen in politics, television, popular music, and film. Read more ...




Friday, June 20, 2014

SummerTime Tomorrow

June 21, 2014


Summer Solstice -- Summer Solstice at Stonehenge -- Astronomical Observatories


Sun in Cancer

Happy Birthday to the Crystalinks readers born in Cancer.

Cancer is a water sign ruled by the Moon.




US in the World Cup

Monday the US defeated Ghana in an incredible finish.



Rio at Night   NASA - June 20, 2014

In this night skyscape setting stars trail above the western horizon over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a venue for the 2014 World Cup. Gentle arcs from the bright, colorful stars of Orion are near the center of the frame, while the starfield itself straddles planet Earth's celestial equator during the long exposure. Of course, trails from more local lights seem to create the strident paths through the scene. Air traffic smears an intense glow over an airport at the far right, while helicopters fly above the city and boats cruise near the coast. Striping the waterfront are tantalizing reflections of bright lights along the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Near the horizon, the brightest fixed light is the famous Cristo statue overlooking Rio at night.


Sunday at 6:00 PM the US plays Portugal

  2014 FIFA World Cup   BBC
Live coverage and other news ...




Thursday, June 19, 2014

Visual Learning
vs.
Reading Text


The adage A picture is worth a thousand words refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly. It's the reason most files on Crystalinks have at least one photo and often video. From information received from a photo or image we move to digital learning ... the next step.

I'm a visual learner who has found that a surprising number of other people have similar programming. Along the way I also discovered that people want to see the message quickly, in the first 30 seconds, then move on. The human race is in a hurry to ... learn, heal, find purpose and the things that sit in our subconscious minds which we quest to understand and remember.

I love augmented reality as it takes consciousness one step closer to understanding the acceleration of the hologram. Watching a video of someone explaining the illusion of our hologram is far more effective than reading about it. We are moving to the next level ... observing the grids directly and how quickly they change. It's part of the accelerating progression of consciousness. This encompasses the way we teach.

  Augmented Reality's Next Frontier Is Real-World Search   Wired - June 19, 2014
Social networks and platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Facebook have all driven a cultural shift in the way we exchange information. An NYU study found that people retain close to 80 percent of information they consume through images versus just 10 percent of what they read. If we regularly consume rich content from the real world through our devices, we could learn, retain, and express our ideas and information more effectively.




5 years later

5 years later




Utah Adventures


Michelle, my friend and a UFO researcher, recently returned to Virginia from a trip to Utah where she climbed mountains, collected interesting stones one with hieroglyphs on it, experienced amazing energies, and met fascinating people. She is currently involved in the film production of Stranger at the Pentagon. Michelle and I go back to the 1990's - meeting at the inception of Crystalinks and acting as catalysts for each other's consciousness evolution. Last night we returned to those energies as if we hadn't skipped a beat in the illusion of time. The photo of me below has a reptilian Anunnaki feel about it - the Giants in ancient alien mythology - who manifested into physical reality to create one or more root races in which they could experience. We are all part of that energy.

July 2003 - Behind the Saltair Pavilion owned at the time by my friend David

It was intended from the beginning as the western counterpart to Coney Island.

We visited when no one was around - danced on the stage then took photos outside.

Photo inverted

Slight (light) of hand ...

It's all science and math ...

When the working day is done ... Girls just want to have fun ...




Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Con Edison and
Mercury Retrograde

Con Ed Voltage Dip Causes Subway Delays   NBC - June 18, 2014
This was a citywide event - and no one knows what happened. It affected electricity around the city with a slight flicker. This doesn't relate to a CME, but it is curious.

In another Con Ed story today ...

Con Edison Named Top U.S. Utility in Newsweek Green Rankings   Market Watch - June 18, 2014




June 20, 2014 - World Refugee Day

People are being displaced at home and abroad due to war, natural disasters, climate changes, and more. All we can do is help them find new homes to begin again. Can you image your life if suddenly everything was gone? Today we look at the critical situations in the Middle East and Africa where thousands of people are being displaced every day.

They say that everything happens for reason, but that's something humans tell themselves when life makes no sense. It is all programmed, and though you may think you're shifting your own programming, that isn't the case. Hope is an important ingredient that keeps the human experience moving forward in the timelines of this reality. It can be the biggest blessing or the greatest deception.




Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Tips to Overcome Work Fears


June 17, 2014

Humans are a crazy race guided by their emotions -- the need for success, failure, acceptance, and just about anything else they are programmed to experience, often in the workplace. Work can bury you in more ways than one. In today's world many people are not emotionally and physically able to work. When they do work - no matter what age group - they want their job to have meaning and purpose or they sabotage so they don't have to work at all. In the old days, people worked to survive, pay bills, etc. Today consciousness is shifting that as the nature of reality guides humanity's destiny on a more evolved course.

No matter what their situation, most people feel stressed upon returning to work after a break, usually a weekend. Some are organized leaving everything in readiness be they stressed about it or not. Others do not prepare. When they return, it's like a scene from a sitcom - chaos, unfinished business, and all the issues that go with it. Read more ...




Tuesday

There's lots going on in the news today - highlighted with the twin twisters in the US - and the civil war in Iraq spreading globally.

See Ezine for stories, videos, and images.

If you just want a good laugh ... Monday night The Tonight Show featured another Brian Williams rap -' "I like big butts".


Monday, June 16, 2014

ISIS

ISIS is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant ... Read more .... This takes us back to the beginning and Mesopotamian adventures ... which went to Egypt and the you know the rest of the stories ...

  Iraq crisis pulls in U.S. and Iran as violent militants capture more cities   CNN - June 16, 2014
One by one, Iraqi cities seem to be falling to a militant group bent on continuing its march forward. What's happening in Iraq now has all the makings of a civil war -- and a full-blown foreign policy crisis. The United States is mulling direct talks with Iran while it boosts security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with military personnel.




Isis is also an Egyptian Goddess and a feminine archetype for creation.

She has gone by many names and played many roles in history and mythology.

She carries a Was or Scepter used for communication and teleportation.




Father's Day Magic - June 15, 2014


Below is a scene from the 2014 TV series Believe about a
10-year-old girl named Bo, with special powers, who finds her father, Tate and
connected with the spirit of her deceased mom Nina in the series finale last night.




I spent Father's Day with my family in Westport, Connecticut.


My 10-year-old grandson, Matthew, loves "Believe". I gave him two crystals yesterday - my rose quartz crystal wizard to take on his first adventure at sleep-away camp and a small pyramid made from shungite. I gave Noah a blue quartz crystal and a tumbled stone that displays the universe. Noah, 8, told me he spoke to the crystal before he left for his soccer game and told it he wants his team to beat the undefeated champions ... and they did. Matthew used his crystal wizard - named Z - to create magic as well. Luckily their parents Believe.


We took these photos in the backyard as part of the magic of the day. None were photoshopped.

The Connecticut River runs through the back of the property and is wider than pictured here.




The Footbridge



The old wooden footbridge is a magical stargate.





There is an unusual tree near the stargate.


Ellie and the Tree ..




Sunday, June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day

June 15, 2014 ... I'm spending Father's Day with my family in Connecticut.

After I return, I look forward to watching the series finale of Believe about a 10-year-old girl named Bo, with special powers, who finds her father, Tate. My 10-year-old grandson, Matthew, also loves the show. I'm giving Matthew my rose quartz crystal wizard to take with him on his first adventure at sleep-away camp this month.


Happy Father's Day Birthday to ...

Neil Patrick Harris June 15, 1973

  Neil Patrick Harris Google Videos

Neil Patrick Harris is an award winning American
actor, singer, and magician. Filmography


Suits are full of joy. They're the sartorial equivalent of a baby's smile.

Neil Patrick Harris Quotes




Friday, June 13, 2014

Full Moon on
Friday, the 13th

Full Moon 22° Sagittarius

Hold the Moon Images

2014 FIFA World Cup Website




June 13, 2014

Friday the 13th




June 13, 1945

Whitley Strieber

  Whitley Strieber Google Videos

Whitley Strieber is an American science fiction writer.


The 'visitors' tell me there is an organic quality in our
brains that dampens telepathy - but it is going to fade.

Whitley Strieber Quotes




June 13, 1865 - January 28, 1939

William Butler Yeats

  William Butler Yeats Google Videos

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist,
and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature.
He did automatic writing with his wife and wrote about ...


Gyres and Sacred Geometry


I know that I shall meet my fate somewhere among the clouds above.
Those that I fight I do not hate and those that I guard I do not love.


William Butler Yeats Quotes




June 13, 1831 - November 5, 1879

James Clerk Maxwell

  James Clerk Maxwell Google Videos

James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish mathematician
and theoretical physicist. Maxwell's Equations


In every branch of knowledge, the progress is proportional to the amount

of facts on which to build, and therefore to the facility of obtaining data.

James Clerk Maxwell Quotes



The special theory of relativity owes its origins to
Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field.
Albert Einstein

Maxwell's Equations have had a greater impact
on human history than any ten presidents.
Carl Sagan




What is the best advice you ever received from your father?

June 15, 2014 - Father's Day


It is a wise child that knows its own father,
and an unusual one that unreservedly approves of him.

Mark Twain

Father's Day Quotes




World Science Festival