Study: Nature Scenes Can Reduce Stress

   

Newswise — Technology can send a man to the moon, help unlock the secrets of DNA and let people around the world easily communicate through the Internet. But can it substitute for nature? 

Apparently not, according to a new study that measured individuals’ heart recovery rate from minor stress when exposed to a natural scene through a window, the same scene shown on a high-definition plasma screen, or a blank wall. The heart rate of people who looked at the scene through the window dropped more quickly than the others. 

In fact, the high-definition plasma screen had no more effect than the blank wall.

Nectar of the Gods

It appears that Anheuser-Busch will be taken over by a Belgian/Brazilian conglomerate, which is yet another milestone in the dismantling of the illusion of American invulnerability. We're talking about one of the core brands of national identity, especially for a large swathe of Middle American working-class men who treat Budweiser as a near-sacrament.

Astronaut Theology: Unknowable Flying Objects

If we are to believe ancient and Medieval artists, the Heavenly Beam that we've looked at followed Jesus around for his entire life. Here we see Jesus' birth heralded by the Heavenly Beam in almost exactly the same fashion as the covert depiction of the birth of Mithras at Rockefeller Center.

Ritual Olympics: "Making This Magic Begin"

 

Ever wonder what an Olympic ceremony would look like had it been produced by Aleister Crowley? 

Well, neither had I until a Rik Clay turned me onto this unbelievable video from the 1984 Summer Olympics. Now, of course, there's no earthly reason to assume this was some mass-scale occult ritual, but boy, it sure plays out like one. 

MoCCA Takes Manhattan

Passion by Kensuke Okabayashi

Wow, the action just never stops. After returning home from Esalen and blogging my brains out on Saturday, I hit the MoCCA Art Festival in Manhattan on Sunday. It was an electrifying experience- if you're wondering where the creative excitement and energy is today, it's there.

 

Written in the Stars

After discussing the Kirby prophecies during my Esalen presentation, I was asked a lot of questions about Synchronicity and precognition.