Links presented without comment

Biomimicry

A priori

Paul Stamets: TED Talks

Video posted by SKoss

Emika, my current favorite song

Reb Anderson

San Francisco Zen Center

Telepathic TV

download electro future glitch hip hop

Wikipedia of the Day: Consonance and dissonance

In Tantric Buddhism, deity meditation is a method that allows the mind’s
inherent goodness to manifest, to increase constantly, and to never
decline.

Cosmic vibrations in each cell of your body

OM is the sound of the Cosmic Vibration. The entire cosmos vibrates. Every cell vibrates. In fact, the whole universe is nothing but sound vibrations. The basic vibration is a hum, and the sum total of the universal vibration is also a hum. In between, there are fragments. All the words, all the languages, all the various sounds that are created by the human beings or animals or even machines are smaller parts of this cosmic hum. Without that hum, there is nothing. To denote that cosmic hum, there should be a word. OM is the word that comes closest to representing that cosmic hum. The word OM itself is not the hum. It's the name of the hum.

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi

-Swami Satchidananda

RIP Michael Jackson...still so amazing, a $200 million deal with Sony

Quote of the day: "Always keep a book with you." -Dave Bloom

music

http://thefader.cachefly.net/massive-attack-paradise-circus-gui.mp3

right click, save as, for the mp3

also,

http://soundcloud.com/dabloom/dave-bloom-bloomsounds-one

Serve all, Love all

Astronomy happenings: The Leonid Meteor shower is happening until Nov. 21, but it already peaked on the 17th. Mercury joins Jupiter in the evenings on Nov. 22. The phenomenon of the Northern Lights takes place throughout the year, but the lights can be observed only against a night sky. Look for faint vertical bars of light in the northern sky.

One of my new favorite djs, dj mar mar, click to listen to tunes and mixtapes.

Cool website for travelers, Lonely Planet.

One of my new favorite periodicals EnlightenNext. (I may have mentioned this magazine before...but I've been reading it more lately and falling in love.)

An artist performing at the 930 club on Monday, and whom I also read an article about in the Sky magazine on the plane: Bebel Gilberto. The daughter of Joao Gilberto, the "father of Bossa Nova".

Fall!!

Washington Area Bicyclist Association 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride this Saturday Sept 26!

"Venus Music and Arts Festival is a three day, two night camping festival featuring over 100 artists from complimenting genres and mixed media of expression! Festival goers will enjoy fire artist competitions, workshops, graffiti paint exhibition, and art market. Van Hoy Farms, in scenic Harmony, NC, features amenities such as a swimming pool, showers, primitive camping, a general store, and 80 RV hook-ups! Come and be a part of this landmark event for the Carolinas!"

Carl Jung: the Holy Grail of the Unconscious

Autumn Leaves: Walks and hikes an easy drive from Washington with splendid foliage

Another list of Good Outdoor Walks for Fall via the Washingtonian

Don't worry

I hope this blog post gives you a moment of clarity and peace, along with some insightful knowledge. Breathe easy!

http://www.350.org/ : An international day of climate action, a global movement to solve the climate crisis, on my birthday this year! :)

CarbonFreeDC Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover: Home Improvement Volunteer Form Click the link if you're interested in helping volunteer in either Shaw or Deanwood for a weekend in September working with deserving families by installing energy efficient and planet-friendly products! You can indicate your availability to volunteer to install equipment at the homes.

Deep Green Autunm Retreat: The Journey Inward: Accessing Inner Wisdom through Yoga and Plant Medicines. I am planning to attend this retreat October 16-18, which looks to be in an absolutely lovely setting and promises to be transformative. Click on the link to visit the Deep Green Wellness page for a link to their retreats.

Idealist.org grad fair in DC, September 21st, at the Washington Convention Center 801 Mount Vernon Place NW DC

Currently listening to: Issamu's new mix. Legit. Also check out the link to his blog on my favorite links, Third Eye Buisness.

The summer night sky is filled with a multitude of the Milky Way's stars, hundreds of billions of stars making up its flowing river of soft light.

Seasonal recipe: Garden fresh pasta salad, I'd probably add some summer squash too, or maybe tofu.

Listen with your heart. Heart-centered listening, including how the heart communicates with the body and brain, can be used to create greater peace and love not just in your life, but in the world. You can help to gather the information to listen to in your heart by doing an anahata (heart chakra) kundalini meditation. Sitting comfortably on the floor in your meditation posture, place your left hand in front of your heart chakra face down and hold your right arm up, extended in the air at a 60 degree angle from the floor. The right had is collecting the information from the universe, while the left collects information from you lower chakras, and brings it all to the heart.

Thoughts on meditation via the Tricycle weekly newsletter:

Everything changes and all will wither away. There is no permanent and abiding "self." And to top it all off, life is suffering.

Wow, Buddhism can be a real buzz-kill. Sometimes, anyway. But there are many doors to joy. According to Vipassana teacher James Baraz, it's just a question of opening them:

Methods for opening the mind to joy and happiness are found throughout the Buddha’s teachings. One sure way is through skillful practice of meditation. Through seeing clearly, we can free the mind of grasping, aversion, and ignorance, allowing our natural joy to manifest. In fact, research has amply demonstrated that meditation increases activity in areas of the brain associated with positive emotions.

Quotes of the day: "There is great power in patience because it cuts through arrogance and ingratitude. It is the path that lets us move from resistance to acceptance and spontaneous presence. Holding on to our judgments about others and ourselves is a major cause of impatience. Repeating softly to ourselves, “May I be happy just as I am” and “May I be peaceful with whatever is happening” helps us accept our vulnerabilities, imperfections, and losses: everything from chronic physical and emotional pain, to the death of loved ones, the end of a job or relationship—even nightmare traffic jams."

"Life is really generous to those who pursue their destiny." Paulo Coelho
my thoughts: I believe this is true, as long as you have realized your destiny through divine listening.

Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. Once you have determined the spiritual principles you wish to exemplify, abide by these rules as if they were laws, as if it were indeed sinful to compromise them. Don't mind if others don't share your convictions. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.

Epictetus (c. 50-120)


We don’t open our heart and mind because we haven’t experienced the benefit of doing that. Once we have experienced the truth, there isn’t even an issue. There is no worry. The whole question of whether we are ready to open our heart and mind to the truth isn’t even a concern.

Meet two new quantum particles: Spinons and holons

Listening to: Mishka presents Keep Watch volume X

Wiki of the day: Doula

A breathing exercise via the pure prana newsletter:

August has arrived and so has the sweltering summer heat indicative of the DC metro area. This month when you start to feel overheated, take a few moments to breathe and practice Sitali Pranayama.

How it Works

Sit in a comfortable seated position with a straight spine. Curl your tongue and push it slightly past the lips. Inhale deeply through the tongue and mouth. Exhale through the nose. To begin, continue for 10 breaths and work your way up to 5 minutes. Close your eyes, relax, and sit and breathe for a few moments. Repeat this cycle for two more rounds. If you can't curl your tongue, try Sitkari, which is similiar, except that the tongue is flat and the tip is pressed against the two front teeth.

Why it's good for you

Sitali helps to cool the digestive fire as well as the firery pitta dosha. It's a great way to get through hot flashes or triple digit summer day.

89.3 Jazz & Justice

Pick up these natural air allies from your local nursery: philodendrons, spider plants, and ivy.

They are just a few of the green friends that can help scrub harmful compounds from household air. Just one plant per 100 square feet of living space will help absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Also,
RealAge Benefit: Having a good social support system of family and friends can make your RealAge up to 3.5 years younger.

via RealAge.com

Heard this song on the best radio station in DC, 89.3 Jazz & Justice, last night. Summer in the City by Regina Spektor. <3 Check out her myspace page http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor

I also really love their hip hop show at 10pm weeknights. Click here for the full list of programming/DJs. Another one of my favorite shows is the Sunday night "Sounds of Brasil." :)

More or Less at the Hexagon in Bmore tonight.

Word of the Day:

dulcet \DUHL-sit\, adjective:

1. Pleasing to the ear; melodious; harmonious.
2. Generally pleasing, soothing, or agreeable.
3. (Archaic) Sweet to the taste.

Quote of the Day:
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping; For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together; For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow. -Khalil Gibran

Listening to

Dubstep: thanks Dave J

Lung

Decklyn

Filmfest DC

Yesterday afternoon I saw a wonderful Japanese film, Megane (Glasses), part of the International DC Film Festival. I think if I made a movie it would be something like this, lots of ocean views and shots of the water. Exquisite and meditative.

Check out drum n bass and dubstep mixes at Expansion Brodcast and Dirtbox radio, especially good are Encryption and Dave J! :)

Currently listening to this awesome mix by Nature Rage

I've begun subscribing to the GOOP newsletter, I particularly liked this week's, click here to read. Dr. Frank Lipman has a theory about why we are all so tired, exhausted, "spent", most of the time as he calls it. He references the DNA we have from our ancestors, chronobiology, and viewing each human as a microcosm of the macrocosm, all topics I have been interested in the past few years. He basically writes a book about becoming in tune with nature's rhythms again, which is one of the main views of Taoism and Chinese Medicine. I feel like if I had put my thoughts together, I could have written everything that he said! But maybe I will one day. And he has done a good job of explaining it, in the newsletter, I think.

Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind become still.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
-Lao Tzu

February

An excerpt from local yoga studio's monthly email:

Yogic texts remind us that our life circumstances are partly karmic and partly up to our own will. The choice is yours to engage this energy that’s moving us forward. times are changing and shifting to greater horizons and as with any shift, it’s time to let your fears go and have faith. know that you can co-create your reality no matter what the external environment is like and flow with the momentum of change for the better.

Also from the pure prana email, MC Yogi.

Yoga with Rodney Yee, a sample. Recommended by a lovely soul, thanks Jen.

DC This Week, a blog I came across...the "Everyday Reads" list is pretty intense.

EPA and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced an on-line video, “Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In,” that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff. The video highlights green techniques on display in 2008 at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s “One Planet – Ours!” Exhibit" and at the EPA in Washington, D.C., including recently completed cisterns.

To watch the video click here, and then click on the link on the right hand side of the page.

Chill out to this (excellent music)
and
Bay to LA :D so excited about moving to Cali. Just waiting on a start date from the office out there, and if it doesn't work, I'm going to set a date to move and job search when I arrive.

Books on my list to read:
Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan
Ultra Prevention, Mark Hyman
Release your Brilliance, Simon T. Bradley

Also I think that some of my earliest posts were some of my best for links and info..I would recommend checking out some of the earlier months of this blog too if you're a new reader.

More to come on this post..

What I've been listening to:

Wale, a rapper from DC
Duffy, a singer from the U.K.
Lady Gaga, acoustic version of Poker Face.
Amorphous androgynous, I especially love their website's design.
The Best Hip Hop albums of 2008 - thanks Bloom

This link is a great resource for lots of excellent books on various topics, especially spiritually minded topics, the Gaia "Our Favorite Books" page. My favorite book is also the favorite of the Gaia community, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

What I'm currently working on, becoming LEED Accredited.

Secrets of Super-Healthy People, from WebMD.

Astronomical update: The winter sky has some of the brightest stars visible from Earth. Of the twelve brightest stars, seven shine in winter: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, and Pollux.

Quote for the new year:
"The koan can do a miracle, although it is just a device. The question is with what urgency, with what totality you make your whole mind concerned with only the koan, twenty-four hours. It is not something you do for one hour and forget about it." ~Osho

Stories from the Woods

Current Gallery - A contemporary gallery I went to when I was chilling in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore a few weekends ago. The exhibit I saw was titled "Stories from the Woods" and I really enjoyed the beautiful interpretations of nature and storytelling. The image above is from their website. Their website also includes many other good websites under their list of links.

In addition to the Gallery, I really enjoyed visiting the Inner Harbor. There are a ton of restaurants and good places to shop, and it is also home to the National Aquarium. Other things to do in the Baltimore area include the Ladew Topiary Gardens, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Visionary Art Museum, and the Maryland Science Center. Baltimore is a great, interesting city.

More pumpkin info!

Pumpkin Seeds:

Did you know that one-quarter cup of pumpkin seeds will supply 17% of the daily value for zinc? Zinc is a trace mineral that, although only required in very small amounts on a daily basis, is absolutely essential for optimal health. Zinc's relationship to improved immune function has recently been receiving a lot of press. Many types of immune cells require the presence of zinc to perform at their best. Zinc's immune-boosting activities include: upregulating the activity of natural-killer cells that kill tumor and microbial cells; and increasing the production of defensive T-cells, a type of white blood cell that helps reject foreign tissue, regulates immunity and controls the production of antibodies. Some studies have also shown that zinc lozenges may be helpful in reducing the duration of the common cold. Enjoying a satisfying mid-day snack of pumpkin seeds is a great way to be on your way to getting your zinc requirements for the day!

A Pumpkin Party! Complete with pumpkin beer, pumpkin treats, and everything pumpkiny. Next Thursday, in DuPont, Pumpkin Groove at 1633 P St. Click Here for the link to the facebook event page.

Another story from npr, The Many Faces of The Great Pumpkin, including numerous delicious pumpkin recipes.

Inspirational Quotes: "First say to yourself what you would be, then do what you have to do."

"Assess your skills. Plan your goals. Engage a mentor or coach. Build/sustain relationships. Identify opportunities. Take risks."

Channeling all my energy into something positive

Moby, one of my favorites, has a cool new single: Ohh Yeah

Little Bit by Lykke Li, another good song I heard today.

I'm possibly going to loda at Gallery in Silver Spring for my birthday.

The Capital Science Lectures are free and open to the public, and are held at the Carnegie Institute at 1530 P St. NW. Click on the link for the schedule.

The Eastern Market in DC includes a farmers market, an arts and crafts fair, and a flea market. I haven't been yet but am planning to go on one of these fall weekends before the weather gets too terribly chilly. The website has a information about the history of the market and the exhibitors and the schedule.

Buddhist quote of the day: Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. . . . Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. -Buddha

Taoist quote of the day from the Tao Te Ching:
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

note: I am trying to get back to my spiritual side in life with more meditation and metaphysical reading, and hopefully this will be reflected in my blog. The taoist quote reflects my contemplation of duality and non duality lately. I have been seeing this concept in small things in my daily life, that life is always an ebb and flow, like a wave in the ocean, or a sine wave on a graph. Everything yields to its opposite, and without one you could not have the other. Including self and no-self (anatta in Pali). I'm still trying to figure out how to transcend duality (which is one of the goals of enlightenement), if thats possible, or if I already have. And by searching for it maybe I'm actually getting farther from it. Maybe setting a "goal of enlightenment" is all wrong to begin with. Is it already there?

My favorite dnb DJs

Here's a link to a Collegiate Times (VT Newspaper) article about Massive Sound, "the cornerstone of the electronic scene in Blacksburg and a main source of electronic music in the area". :) I <3 Massive Sound and I am so glad that I got to know everyone when I was in Blacksburg. I miss everyone + the parties!

The LHC Rap...this is hilarious!

TED: Ideas worth spreading. Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers. This website is full of enlightening talks and ideas.

Science Friday website! One of my favorite NPR programs, and there are a ton of cool videos on this website.

Buddhist quote of the day: "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become."

What I've been listening to lately

Besides the Bloom mini mix (see "Worry about nothing" post from Aug.22), here are a few songs ive been loving:

Veronicas Untouched

Kraak and Smaak Squeeze Me

Telepopmusik Tuesday

Soleil Fortin-Leveille


Image description (from wiki equinox link): The Earth in its orbit around the Sun causes the Sun to appear on the celestial sphere moving over the ecliptic (red), which is tilted on the equator (blue).

U Street Corridor

I went to U Street last night and I loved it. First to check out Utopia, the live jazz hadn't started yet, but still it was a cool spot. They were playing arabic music and the art was interesting. Then I heard some awesome jazz music at Twins Jazz, and there was also for a fundraiser for Obama! I am looking forward to going back and trying some of the organic restaurants I saw. :)

I have been listening to Rachael Yamagata lately, she is playing at the Birchmere next Tuesday I'm thinking about going.

Also, here's the link for jazz at the Kennedy Center.

Autumnal Equinox

Next Monday, the Sun will be directly over the Earth's equator at 10:44am, EST. The equinox marks a change of season for nature, and this is also an important time for your body and soul. Chinese medicine recommends a check up with every change of the season to see how your body is doing and what, if any, weaknesses need to be addressed to prevent illness or disease. Basically an alignment of energy, through acupuncture if necessary, to make sure you are healthy. This is also a good time to do a detox, no matter how small, even if it is just a day of drinking only water. It is also useful to set a few goals at the change of a season (maybe 1 to 3), to reflect on the past few months, and to get a fresh start on accomplishing your goals. The energy of the change and the start of a new season will be helpful.

It is always good to eat seasonally as well, so visit your local farmer's market or local organic produce section at the grocery store and fill up with different varieties of squash, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, sweet potatoes..

Astronomy in the fall: Saturn can be seen in the morning sky throughout fall. Also look out for the Harvest Moon which can be seen until the end of this week. The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to Autumnal Equinox which rises soon after sunset.

Theme song for this post: Summer's Almost Gone by The Doors -thanks Bloom

Wiki link: Equinox

Greet the new season joyfully on Monday with an open soul and heart. Embrace your goals and amplify the energy of the Earth.