Scott GK MacLeod's Blog, page 99

Applegate's Indian Paintbrush: MIT Technology Review @techreview "Ten Democratic senators have asked Google to turn its army of 121,000 temporary workers into full-time employees," .... @WorldUnivAndSch & @WUaSPress seek to hire ~2.2 million workers in

In what ways could
@WorldUnivAndSch
 best plan to be on Honor Rolls for best hospitals in 2030 re (link: https://twitter.com/HeartBobH/status/1156297885815910400) twitter.com/HeartBobH/stat…
with ONLINE WUaS teaching hospitals
(link: https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Hospital) wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wik... & online medical schools in #RealisticVirtualEarthForRobotics in all 200 (link: https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nation_States) wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wik...…?

In what ways could @WorldUnivAndSch best plan to be on Honor Rolls for best hospitals in 2030 re https://t.co/MBKOBhoSX4
with ONLINE WUaS teaching hospitals https://t.co/E54F0S11Y6 & online medical schools in #RealisticVirtualEarthForRobotics in all 200 https://t.co/tl6R7zDv9H?— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 10, 2019

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1159981433860976640

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1159980950291275776

https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1159981339321356289

https://twitter.com/HarbinBook/status/1159981609333870592

https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1159981696734777344

https://twitter.com/WUaSPress/status/1159981234828656640



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Great to be on this list.  Working hard with
@StanfordMed
@StanfordHealth
 colleagues to advance care, make discoveries, implement science and educate/train the next generation of biomedical leaders. More to do!
@StanfordDeptMed

Great to be on this list. Working hard with @StanfordMed @StanfordHealth colleagues to advance care, make discoveries, implement science and educate/train the next generation of biomedical leaders. More to do! @StanfordDeptMed https://t.co/B9Kdq8Sxj6— Robert Harrington (@HeartBobH) July 30, 2019

https://twitter.com/HeartBobH/status/1156297885815910400





* * * MIT Tech Review: Re these 10 Democratic Senators who have asked Google to turn its 121,000 temporary workers into full time workers
(link: https://twitter.com/techreview/status/1159275705064185856) twitter.com/techreview/sta…,
@WorldUnivAndSch
 &
@WUaSPress
 seek to hire ~2.2 million workers in ~ 200 countries
(link: https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nation_States) wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wik...… & 7k /Languages

MIT Tech Review: Re these 10 Democratic Senators who have asked Google to turn its 121,000 temporary workers into full time workers https://t.co/fK2XOxLgYc, @WorldUnivAndSch & @WUaSPress seek to hire ~2.2 million workers in ~ 200 countrieshttps://t.co/TMmgrpD6mP & 7k /Languages— Open Band (Berkeley) (@TheOpenBand) August 10, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1159983914363961346

https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1159984173219581952

https://twitter.com/HarbinBook/status...

https://twitter.com/WUaSPress/status/...

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/stat...

https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status...





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MIT Technology Review
@techreview
Ten Democratic senators have asked Google to turn its army of 121,000 temporary workers into full-time employees.

Ten Democratic senators have asked Google to turn its army of 121,000 temporary workers into full-time employees. https://t.co/VwyRV4kQ0D— MIT Technology Review (@techreview) August 8, 2019

https://twitter.com/techreview/status/1159275705064185856









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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_applegatei

...

Trout lily (Erythronium dens-canis): re #Wikidata Q item numbers for all 7.5 billion people+ & how #SingleCryptocurrency with blockchain ledger on bank cards, smartphones, paper & coin money might be coded re #UniversalBasicIncomeExperiments #UBI for both

re Wikidata Q item number ... for all 7.5 billion people ... and how a SINGLE cryptocurrency with blockchain ledger on bank cards, smartphones and on paper and coin money might be coded ... and with regard to Universal Basic Income experiments as a way of both alleviating poverty worldwide, as well as distributing a single cryptocurrency backed by some number of ~200 countries' central banks (think European Union - Euro Zone in 19 / 28 nation states writ on 150? of 200 countries), see -

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Identifiers

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Glossary




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re #Wikidata Q item numbers & how #SingleCryptocurrency with blockchain ledger on bank cards, smartphones, paper & coin money might be coded re #UniversalBasicIncomeExperiments #UBI for both #AlleviatingPoverty worldwide for all 7.5 billion people+ see: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidat... ~

re #Wikidata Q item numbers & how #SingleCryptocurrency with blockchain ledger on bank cards, smartphones, paper & coin money might be coded re #UniversalBasicIncomeExperiments #UBI for both #AlleviatingPoverty worldwide for all 7.5 billion people+ see: https://t.co/SNIY54FuO3 ~— WorldUnivandSch (@WorldUnivAndSch) August 9, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1159893181963460608




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All 7.5 billion people on planet a Wikidata Q-item number? And re You at World Univ & Sch - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/You_at_World_University - for matriculated WUaS students in all 200 countries (& re SINGLE cryptocurrency in same) & re wiki learners & teachers in all 7,111 living Languages for #UBI experiments?

All 7.5 billion people on planet a Wikidata Q item number? And re You at World Univ & Sch https://t.co/ClkQ3zjRcL for matriculated WUaS students in all 200 countries (& re SINGLE cryptocurrency in same) & re wiki learners & teachers in all 7,111 living Languages for #UBI experim?— WorldUnivandSch (@WorldUnivAndSch) August 8, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1159573341675479040



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Hi Ma,
Hoping you've had a good week on Cuttyhunk.
Thanks for your 'sending love' email 2 days ago, and by extension your 'sending love' return phone call soon thereafter. In the new subject heading of this thread - communicating & connecting - is embedded the idea of community (and the words, idea-wise too, re-arranged are only missing the letter 'y'), an idea and experience I've long been interested in cultivating and generating (at least since high school and college years with my interest in hippy communes, for example). Cuttyhunk island in the 1970s forward has been a prime example of this unfolding lived & living experience of community (and with a kind of great political envisioning as well - progressively & contributing to creating a better world).
So why write about this, and even from a kind of experience of its lack in my 'bodymind' (early this morning, and now and then), somehow psychologically too? Having woken up early while it's still dark, and gotten a haircut (a kind of mainstreaming thing) yesterday, would writing about this, consciousness-wise, and with language, give rise or generate aspects of 'communicating & connecting' that I experience as lacking, in this moment? (Realism & George Alexander MD's thinking come to mind here - e.g. that "love and $2.25 will get you a cup of coffee," i.e. that love, and possibly too re 'communicating & connecting' this, could be a bit unreal; and further, that love is not in the material world - of money and exchange, that is, or the 'real' world for that matter. (I'd rather go to evolutionary biology' logically, than say to modern societies - eg big cities, eg in France, America etc.) (And as a correlate, depressingly or not for me, "money makes the world go around,' said naively - and so not love or caring). Remembering this logic and George's thinking, I learned from this (his deeply cynical view? even seemingly craven and worse at times to me - "amoral" in his own logical, philosophical, psychoanalytic, MD language - i.e. expressing a kind 'truth'), while I railed inside too against its lack of idealism, or lack of 'love' even. How could G think these ways?). 
So I appreciate your recent 'sending love' email from Cuttyhunk a lot -  thank you. Because in communicating this in words as you (and I have done with each other - and for much of my life as well), I think we generate a bit of loving or caring neurophysiology even where and when it might have been missing or absent or lacking. Perhaps women and men 'communicate & connect' differently around the idea experiences of love and caring anyway (and culturally too - ie Japanese men care and communicate differently about this than American men, and similarly Japanese women care and communicate differently about this than American women). You as mother love perhaps like many other mothers love ... wonderfully so for me (you're wonderful, Ma!) ... but why this my ongoing seeking of communicating & connecting and love and caring (giving & receiving), now in language (I ask myself in writing these words)? Am reminded of the spiritual 'Sometimes I feel like a motherless child' (https://youtu.be/ZXg9UFUXFXU - Odetta) - and wonder too how to communicate & connect with many who might seek love and caring too, and share love and care with them (would this be possible digitally and virtually as well - there's a lot of love lacking in the world, on some accounts) ... (And re & via World University & School's loving & caring wiki subject - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Caring_and_Loving - as well as /Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and /Counseling wiki subjects, planned in many languages) and with the clear thinking of a George A (where his realism and unique ability to think - and his readings of and in history and psychiatry - might have isolated him even. As a Lacanian MD psychoanalyst, his own childhood and upbringing and partnering may have contributed to this too, I write in a psychoanalytic vein).
If I were seeing a -.-. or beginning a family, with these ideas of 'communicating & connecting' care and love with regard to community generation - as conscious envisioning - in American society, in the 2020s, what might emerge in language and words about this? More words?
Re George A, caring, and a kind of moral ethic (which he thought about too explicitly, both re his Lacanian psychiatric realism, and in many other ways I think), I recall him talking about -"Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you" as a version of the 'Golden Rule' that George A once shared with me, and which he didn't want me to repeat or somehow ascribe to him (as I recall). Not sure why. Maybe he recognized this version of the Golden Rule's superior logic as a rule (and that such thinking and words have significance - even for amoral George, for ex.), and possibly that he broke it (in relation to me too?), felt guilty, and was using language in a Lacanian sense to converse with me about this - total speculation here. 
And yet philosophically is this 'golden rule' a better logic, philosophically compared with the familiar moral trope, expressed in language? (George was philosophy and logically inclined - as am I a little (in contra-distinction to religion too) - and George was also a learner in these regards, whereas Dad wasn't so much in these regards too, by way of comparison; Dad operated somehow more instinctually, although he was an amazing learner re medicine too, for ex.). Not sure whether George 'broke' his version of the golden rule or not, or why he didn't want me to ascribe this to him. 
But re 'communicating & connecting' and 'sending love' - re both men & women differentially - & re realism and 'rocking' wondrous community over a unfolding lifetime, re clear thinking and logic esp., I think my experiences of a lack of love come and go. Yet this experience of a lack of love for me, and also of seeking to generate community and thus love and care for people in the communities, is a golden band of opportunities to explore and to generate caring & loving further.
In celebrating Barbara Salisbury's birthday yesterday morning for 20 minutes! in Berkeley, I did experience a culturally (she's English / British) familiar kind of caring and community that was connecting & great albeit brief. It was a kind of 'sending care' but in a face to face meeting and visit, and communication-wise it was received. And we generated this by meeting and visiting around her birthday. (Something positive male and female-wise here and communication-wise).
And re George A's realism above, and re lack of monies in the world for many - billions of people even (called poverty) - I think universal basic income experiments  thanks to information technologies could change this, as expressions of caring and loving, - and especially NEWLY I.T.-wise with regards to communicating and connecting (e.g. if people could get free money as UBI to many cups of coffee for $2.25). 
But I continue to wonder about 'sending love' (Barbara is one ex. here) re other non-pecuniary non-monetary ways and expressions of caring ... and emotionally too ... 
Musings about love and daring caring here in this email, Ma ...
But it's the emotional qualities I know and associate with 'sending love' & 'receiving love' in communicating with you, Ma, - that are primarily the focus of this email. How to generate these (and share them too - with others, as far-reaching expressions of caring too) is a fascinating ongoing exploration of mine. (See for example these 2 wiki subjects at World Univ & Sch even ... https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Caring_and_Loving and https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Loving_Bliss_(eliciting_this_neurophysiology) where 'loving bliss - eliciting this neurophysiology' is much more about the emotions and feelings of qualities of this emotional experience of care and love too in the brain and bodymind even.  
... which is all to say, Ma, thank you for your wonderful love! Communicating and connecting with regard to caring and loving, and which exploration can be fascinatingly further generative too ... 
Hoping it is so for you further somehow on Cuttyhunk in wondreful ways this summer.
Love, Scott






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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_dens-canis
https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_dens-canis

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кандык_европейский

...

Zygopetalum: Appreciating the very varied Non-theist Friends' logics we're all sharing in writing, Community too is something that Quakers have focused on creating in Friends' own peculiar ways through centuries ... and this unfolds as I see it in new ways

Jeanne, JonathanS, Barbara, Anita, Diggitt, JohnM, and JohnH, & NtFs,

Appreciating the very varied Non-theist Friends' logics we're all sharing in writing (where logic isn't religion's strong suit, some including Dawkins' would argue).
I do too, JeanneW and JonathanS ...

Re this NtF email list, I have some UU background too Diggitt ... Appreciating in these regards these 7 principles - https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles - which have bearing on UU translation of religion into non-theism, I'd suggest ... 
“The Principles are not dogma or doctrine, but rather a guide for those of us who choose to join and participate in Unitarian Universalist religious communities.”1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.... partly because they don't posit a concept of the divine etc, for example.


Thanks so much too, Barbara re:
"Glad Friends, now NtF, have historically/culturally and practice-wise focused on direct experience (with it be silent meeting, or in the activism of caring for the poor at midnight in NYC) re
“Appreciating the experiential & PRACTICE aspects of non-theistically Friendly explorations & creations.”
This is exactly why I joined the Nontheist Friends group.  I find practical/day-to-day living as a Friend discussions extremely helpful.
Diggitt wrote:
“Perhaps it's my UU upbringing, but I have never felt a need, or a call, to explain my messages to Christians or theists.”
It is definitely your UU upbringing.  My JW upbringing was the exact opposite – it was all about being required to explain (justify/defend/you get the idea), well, everything – every word that came out of my mouth, everything I did, everything I thought."         

What I find potentially salutary about Quakerly (and NtF as well) community (conversation / discourse too) in its ethical ways is its friendliness (where religion to say the least hasn't always been very friendly:). Community too is something that Quakers have focused on creating in Friends' own peculiar ways through centuries (e.g. the Peaceable Kingdom idea) ... and this unfolds as I see it in new ways with NtFs on the internet and at FGC too ... 
What I wonder about further with regard to NtF translating religion into non-theism is the role of identity in religion, in many many ways. This can include the very positive identity of Friends doing the right thing - ie conscientious objection-wise in war tax resistance, for example, and re a myriad of approaches to doing the right thing via activism (walking the talk some have called this too) - and in creating, living and shaping positive change. But religious identity and thus religion has down-sides to my way of thinking, which both Dawkins explains in the concerns he writes about, but also re what psychologists / psychiatrists, might and have called narcissism, for example, as another expression of identity. (I'm an anthropologist, sociologist and social scientist in these regards). Yet I affirm too that NtFs' identity by developing this multi-faceted reasoning conversation via writing and thus becoming aware of (learning about) a wide variety of aspects of 'religion' in new ways, and thus potentially translating them into non-theism with a kind of reasoning consciousness (which I find sensible and beneficial). The power of identity as religion (re social theory, anthropology-wise & sociology too - as in Manuel Castells' book "The Power of Identity," which is the middle book in his "Information Age" trilogy, now in its 2nd edition - where Castells' successfully has 'theorized' the information technology revolution (some would suggest), comparably with both of the great sociologists' Weber and Marx's works - with a focus on social change and justice via the internet) ... often seems to be overlooked by the non-theist friends such as Richard Dawkins, for example, in his critiques of religion in a debating-reasoning informed way. Identity, and religious identity are mixed-bags both historically and re religion, and reasoned conversation is one way through this mixed-up-ness. 
Quakers < > NtFs differentially raise interesting identity questions for me too ... and yet still seem to get mingled up together with regard to religion as identity questions in this group writing discernment process ... And yet perhaps we can make some further headway in focusing on 'translating religion into non-theism' re A) un-programmed Quakers as identity (per Diggitt's observation that historically Quakers in their independent religious thinking have defended a kind of implicit non-theism), and B) re (un-programmed) Non-theist Friends / NtFs as an identity ... while affirming the many positive aspects of what these (religious?) identities give rise to, in terms of community, and re discernment conversations about aspects of life we deem of some vital significance in each of our ways. 
But I come back too - re all of this NtF reasoning - to explorations of positive eliciting of loving bliss neurophysiology, which I think can emerge from writing as well as NtF conversation ... and all re 'translating religion into non-theism' and not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
NtF cheers, Scott


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As a bit more mumbo jumbo (confusing or meaningless language), linguistically that is, - and re the emergent UU conversation in this thread about "[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs," emerging from a culture or identity or religion, am very appreciative of some UU groups, and individuals too, foci on singing and music-making, and support of music-making, as an expression of a kind of this envisioning vision even. Interesting to me to see what comes out of the soup of religion-into-non-theism time (since sermons might have had a much bigger role historically among Unitarians than among Friends, non-theistic ones or un-programmed Quaker ones).

NtF warm regards, Scott



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https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zygopetalum
can't seem to find "Angel orchid (Zygopetalum rhein)" mentioned here in Wikipedia / Wiki commons https://boingboing.net/2015/02/26/40-of-the-worlds-weirdest-fl.htmlAll of are interesting orchids!
...

Monotropa uniflora (Indian pipe): All re learning, life-long learning ... :) ... Hi Finlay MacDonald, Thanks so much for our good Scottish small pipes' lesson today, and your helpful and knowledge-able listening and sharing ideas/instruction especially, Go

All re learning, life-long learning ... :) ...


Hi Finlay (MacDonald, head of Piping Studies at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland),

Thanks so much for our good lesson today, and your helpful and knowledge-able listening and sharing ideas/instruction especially. Thanks too for your positive feedback about my playing of "My Home" (from the CoP Blue Tutor's setting). Appreciating in particular the learning conversation you make possible via these online lessons.

Re my bellows' blowing ( /'breathing'), I'll seek to attach the chest strap higher around my rib cage for solid foundation, and to tighten the arm strap around my arm with a hole punch - both for "no wiggle room" :) -  and to play the scale-to-high-A exercise you suggested with a tuner many times, in order to learn to blow more steadily and consistently and re note expression.

Lesson 2:
Wed., August 28th possibly?

Goals (re items 2&3 here - http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm)
To have completed recording on the A & D chanters the second half of the CoP Blue Tutor's tunes as "Tune Tutorials" (as free and open online resources).

(Here are the ebeginnings of these experimental SSP "Tune Tutorials" - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/07/cape-cod-national-seashore-video-tune.html & https://soundcloud.com/scottmacleod-com - for my own learning, and for a hypothetical Rees Parker - for GHB student of mine - for example).

Lessons 3 - 10 (per "Guidelines for Practicing a Musical Instrument") -
focus on developing and recording for learning the tunes I think I'll play on my "Honey in the Bag" album in 2020 -
https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/gobies-scott-macleods-honey-in-bag-cd.html

Possibly 1-4 Piobaireachd lessons with Roddy MacLeod toward the end, as I begin to play and record for my own learning the 4 tunes on the Scottish Small Pipes for learners from the CoP "Gold" Tutor - and now with my new B flat mixolydian Walsh SSP chanter? (This chanter will allow me to learn too from all kinds of online GHB piping music:)

I think that in all of the CoP Tutors are embedded many guidelines for playing the GHB as well, which I'll seek to synthesize further, but am finding the focus on the Guidelines for "Practicing a Musical Instrument" very helpful additionally. (I think about all of the above in my blog too - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/bagpiping - FYI:).

Thanks again so much, Finlay!

Cheers, Scott
- http://scottmacleod.com/piping.htm



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Hi David
(friend from Cuttyhunk island growing up there in the summers),

How are you? Just had my first 1/10 good piping lesson with Finlay MacDonald in Glasgow at the National Piping Centre (which 'merged' with the College of Piping in 2018). All toward my "Honey in the Bag" first Scottish small pipes' album in 2020. (Potentially with blockchain ledger, and possibly with Google Bach Doodle for writing harmonies with AI). I have three chanters now with SSP - in A mixolydian (flatted 7th), D myx, and newly B flat myx (which key the Great Highland Bagpipe is in). Are you playing your guitar at all these days?

Am curious how my lessons will add to these WUaS wiki bagpipe subjects too -

https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Bagpipe_Tutorials

https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scottish_smallpipes_and_borderpipes

In the process of preparing for these lessons with Finlay, I've begun creating "Tune Tutorials" myself (https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/07/cape-cod-national-seashore-video-tune.html & https://soundcloud.com/scottmacleod-com), on the Scottish Small Pipes, by playing and recording the tunes from the College of Piping's Green (vol. 1) and Blue (vol. 3) Tutor books. These recordings are free and open resources for anyone learning the SSP, and using the CoP Tutors to do so, and who are seeking to play along on their SSP A, D (or possibly B flat chanters). Also, with my new B flat chanter, I can newly play with GHB bagpipe practice chanters (also in B flat) allowing me to play in tune with a great range of GHB music (on Youtube, for ex.)

If you were to teach the blues on guitar (as a way of learning for yourself too), here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Guitar (since you said you were playing in a band last time we talked) and https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Blues - do any Tutorials or similar approaches come to mind to experiment and explore with?

Brainstorming in the name of creativity :) Glad to connect here with Finlay MacDonald (as well as with Lorne MacDougall whom I've taken Skype lessons with before under the auspices of the CoP at the time actually, as well as Roddy MacDonald, the principal at the National Piping Centre, in some ways).

How are you and what are you up to?

Cheers, Scott



In the "Links' section, from the old World Univ & Sch wiki, but these pages will also work in the new wiki, beginning with - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Blues

World University and School Links
1960s: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Blues: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Blues Piano: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Blues Singing: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Counterculture: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Folk rock music: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Grateful Dead: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Music: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Musical Jamming: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

Rock and Roll: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki...

World University Music School :

(..http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki... )
> https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/World_University_Music_School




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Hi Ma,

Appreciating your 'sending love' email yesterday, Ma, and writing-wise too. I think I email you regularly as a further expression of your great 'sending love' for so many decades now, and am sending you love as well, even while generating a kind of caring conversation re the 'use it or lose it' idea (posted on Carol Creedon's Reed College professor of psychology's door in the early 1980s, where Reed College psychology had / has a significant experimentalist, and animal behaviorist focus - so science-wise) of keeping our minds' active and engaged through language (both writing and talking) exchange (and re neural firing even:).

Re sending love and the above - 'In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology' - am also exploring this in NEW ways ... and by writing about this ... https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/aconitum-blue-rocket-sending-love.htm ...

Guidelines for practicing a musical instrument
http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm

Guidelines for practicing loving bliss vis-à-vis practicing a musical instrument
http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingLovingBlissvavMusicalInstrument.htm

Good 1st lesson this morning with Finlay in Glasgow. Will work on my bellows' arm blowing for steadiness, as well as develop goals for the next 9 lessons - http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm items #2 & #3 (and toward my "Honey in the Bag" album in 2020) - the next one being about 3 weeks from now. Nice to have met him, and to have connected.

Do you listen to this Boston Baroque station very much, Ma - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio. It's good. Appreciating too newly Baroque music, and very well played as well as its enormous variety ... interesting journey. Excellent Boston music station too :)

And again, more about 'sending love' and all of this in quite innovative ways here - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/aconitum-blue-rocket-sending-love.html - and writing-wise esp. :)

Sending love, Scott
scottmacleod.comworlduniversityandschool.org
- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/learning

- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/care

- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/bagpiping -






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https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/mycotrophic/images/monotropa_uniflora/Monotropa_uniflora_Gary_Monroe3_lg.jpg



https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/mycotrophic/images/monotropa_uniflora/Monotropa_uniflora_Gary_Monroe2_lg.jpg




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotropa_uniflora
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Aconitum (blue rocket): Sending Love ... Re sending love and - 'In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology' - am also exploring in new ways ... * * * Scottish Small Piping learning developments, 'HONEY IN THE BAG' first Scottish smal

In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology, I've recently found the Boston Baroque live stream channel - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-b... & am observing subtle #lovingbliss #NeuralCascadesOfPleasure while listening to this very varied music https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/20... ~

In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology, I've recently found the Boston Baroque live stream channel - https://t.co/aG4amCoR8L & am observing subtle #lovingbliss #NeuralCascadesOfPleasure while listening to this very varied music https://t.co/sZSeU1Tqcp ~— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 7, 2019

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1158967425108328448


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Re sending love and the above - 'In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology' - am also exploring in NEW ways ... and by writing about this ....

Guidelines for practicing a musical instrument
http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm


Guidelines for practicing loving bliss vis-à-vis practicing a musical instrument
http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingLovingBlissvavMusicalInstrument.htm



See, too, especially:

Loving bliss and practices to elicit this
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ...




* * * 
Hi Scott,

Nice to hear about your small pipes challenges and progress.  I liked your demonstration (of Scottish small pipes) when you were here.  I learned a lot.  Nice to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth.

Things are fine here.  The weather has held, hot in the daytimes, and cool at night.  Peg left this morning.  Next visitors are Trish Sylvester and Teresa later in the week.  The birds are a delight.

Reading a book ‘Where the Crawdad’s Sing’ on someone’s recommendation. The back deck is cool and quiet.

Glad to hear from you.

Sending love,

Ma



*
Scott MacLeod
9:03 AM (55 minutes ago)
to Janie

Hi Ma,

Thanks for this nice piping email from you. As I focus on my 'HONEY IN THE BAG' first Scottish small pipes' album in 2020 - a "compilation of mp3s' " idea in the internet age - I think I want to lower expectations re my own perfectionism (which inhibits or binds), play with the beauty of simplicity in mind (and tunes which are 'favorites'), - and yet with jigs hornpipes and reels, pipe with lyrical, and play great fast fingering very well executed, to create far-reaching kinds of 'flow' experiences for listeners (a kind of beauty that could lead to 'loving bliss neurophysiology' elicitation). D combo drone - newly opened - is cutting out some ... will keep playing it in. Am seeking too some sweet spots for the chord drone sound, and with which tunes .... on both A & D chanters (but not yet on new B flat chanter). Liking newly the 'tenor' voice of the D chanter ... looking for some harmony making possibilities - re composing too (in MuseScore on digital sheet music perhaps) - opportunities, with recording, for both chanters at same time.

Just saw 1956 film "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck, Ray Bradbury as screenplay writer, Orson Welles as Father Mapple delivering sermon in the Seamen's Bethel in New Bedford, MA, and produced by John Huston

(See, too, about Ray Bradbury -

Ray Bradbury concerning 'Moby Dick' script (2007)

https://youtu.be/3b2X2Q5wINA

and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury)

Definitely worth seeing re life in New Bedford and on whaling ships, and re Melville's great writing as well ...

Did the old Quaker Meeting House on Spring St in NB reopen recently? (See below).

Click here for great music - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio :)

Glad you're having more friends come soon to visit on Cuttyhunk! (Meeting a 28 yo MD as partner would be wonderful re connecting, who could be from a different country too ... and re my bringing a friend to Cuttyhunk ... still circulating).

Was drawing a blank re what food to serve on Saturday at 5, but Gazpacho and Mint tea just came to mind

Sending love, Scott



More about the Moby Dick film which I shared with non-theism Friends recently ... http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html?m=0 ... :

Missed a good sermon recently -
"The sermon on Jonah from Moby Dick" -

https://youtu.be/qb-g4O2QDZg ? Was just watching yesterday the film "Moby Dick" (1956) with Gregory Peck, directed by John Huston, where Orson Welles is the minister - and in the Seaman's Bethel (which I know fairly well personally from having grown up in SE Massachusetts in summers) in New Bedford Massachusetts, which sent many a crew in the name of religion to the south Pacific on a bloody lucrative quest. The film also portrays Herman Melville's ship owners of the Pequod (which means "Destruction") who are Quakers ... newly represented in this film compared with the book "Moby Dick." (This film is worth seeing in many ways:). Film offers great insight into a very different culture, which included Quakers significantly (NB in the 1700 and 1800s) and which has changed religion-organization-wise.

The old Quaker Meeting House in New Bedford, long closed but still in decent shape, is interesting because it has male and female entrances.

Glad we're having this "[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" conversation partly about "change" via the creation anew of non-theist Friendly discourse / culture ... beliefs as neurophysiology even :)

NtF cheers, Scott


*
Actually the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House may have been opened again fairly recently
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Quaker+Meetings/@41.633507,-70.928128,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3ed3f3f7ab73bc53!8m2!3d41.633507!4d-70.928128 - https://neym.org/meetings/new-bedford

I think I last visited its outside 2-3 years ago, and it was in dilapidated condition.

For your interest, here's more information the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House and Quakers in New England
http://www.whalingcity.net/picture_1906_quaker_meeting_house.html
http://www.dvvarchitects.com/newbedfordfriendsmeetinghousepage.html
https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19990722/news/307229970


* *
http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html?m=0
* *



* * *
Re the following NtF (Non-theist Friends) conversation, see -
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheist Friends / Atheist Quakers- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html -


(I have some UU background as well, although I didn't grow up as a Unitarian per se ... )




On Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 4:45:29 AM UTC-5, John Moorman wrote:

Religion has some valuable spiritual beliefs often lost when theistism is rejected. Howi do you prevent the baby from going out with the bath water?  Anyone interested can follow this thread.  I will give examples in my next post.  

Waiting for your next post.  I note that you are speaking of "theism rejected" as though theism is the default, and I'm not sure what group I am in where that is so.  I am also puzzled by your certainty re those flying babies--really? Nontheists reject "valuable spiritual beliefs"?  Perhaps they are not valuable! Consider the Golden Rule, as the Judeo-Christian tradition calls it, which has more or less exact duplicates in dozens of other faiths--which to me indicates that millions of people do and have found the concept valuable.  Many monotheistic traditions have important spiritual beliefs which many many nontheists AND theists find simply untenable on ethical or scientific grounds.
I am struck by comments in some of the older (by one or two days!) messages.  Perhaps it's my UU upbringing, but I have never felt a need, or a call, to explain my messages to Christians or theists. Other people stand in meeting and speak without footnotes or parentheses--why should I do otherwise?  We are a creedless religion; Quakers long dead defended their and your right to be a nontheist Quaker.  
I've had a long life on this side of the reformation--the one where people's beliefs are allowed to change and still be welcome. I have noticed in myself and others that as your theological center shifts, so do your expectations and needs.  Now that you have answered many old questions for yourself and are comfortable calling yourself nontheist, you can learn to be comfortable speaking out from the heart of your new self without excuses or explanations.  It's important to practice that right; practice will help you be more certain of who you have become.
Diggitt McLaughlinTwin Cities Friends Meeting
St Paul, MN


*
Diggitt and NtFs, 
Thanks for your email questioning "theism as the default" - & re the conclusion of your email "practice will help you be more certain of who you have become."
Diggitt - is this you? ... "Diggitt revised sermon Midnight Ride and Transformation" (in 'digital' video format too - and as practice as well!) - https://vimeo.com/user10566917
Am liking your sermon here ... and re Father Mapple's sermon in the 1956 film Moby Dick representing the year 1841 or so in Quaker New Bedford, Massachusetts ... (re email post "Missed a good sermon recently - "The sermon on Jonah from Moby Dick" - https://youtu.be/qb-g4O2QDZg ?)
Here are some Non-theist Friends' #hashtags as another form of practice, this time digitally - https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtheistQuakers?src=hashtag_click... https://twitter.com/hashtag/NontheistFriends?src=hashtag_click ... 
Cheers, Scott

*
Appreciating the experiential & PRACTICE aspects of non-theistically Friendly explorations & creations. Have blogged about some aspects of this thoughtful '[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs' NtF thread here (link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-g… #NontheistFriends #AtheistQuakers ~

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1158117547209662464


*
Re bathwater ...

And with regard to #RealisticVirtualHarbin
@HarbinBook
 >(link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/porcupine-needlegrass-sunheart-scott.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/porcup… re "Stanford Mapping Global Imaginary" conf, how best to animate photos into avatar bots (link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/marram-grass-california.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/marram… - #RealisticVirtualEarth #RealisticVirtualEarthForArt #RealisticVirtualEarthForHistory?

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1097245283996467201?s=20

P.P.S.
Actually the New Bedford Quaker Meeting may have been opened again fairly recentlyhttps://www.google.com/maps/place/Quaker+Meetings/@41.633507,-70.928128,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3ed3f3f7ab73bc53!8m2!3d41.633507!4d-70.928128 - https://neym.org/meetings/new-bedford
I think I last visited its outside 2-3 years ago, and it was in dilapidated condition. 
For your interest, here's more information the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House and Quakers in New England
http://www.whalingcity.net/picture_1906_quaker_meeting_house.html
http://www.dvvarchitects.com/newbedfordfriendsmeetinghousepage.htmlhttps://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19990722/news/307229970


*
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheist Friends / Atheist Quakers- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html -




* * *

Hi Ma, just created a Tweet about 'best online classical music streaming' ...

'best online classical music streaming'
http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio
-https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3
-https://www.king.org/ (Seattle)
-https://theclassicalstation.org/ (NorthCarolina)
-https://www.classicfm.com/ (London)
-https://www.wguc.org/listen (Cincinnati)
-http://www.favorite-classical-composers.com/classical-music-radio.html @WorldUnivAndSch~

'best online classical music streaming' https://t.co/aG4amCoR8L
-https://t.co/WVPhUGYOpo
-https://t.co/9jg4tNXhuA (Seattle)
-https://t.co/1Bnxlsa2HP (NorthCarolina)
-https://t.co/ihKJQw33zQ (London)
-https://t.co/XKWhMubpwP (Cincinnati)
-https://t.co/pIbebJAVwV @WorldUnivAndSch~— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1157720735147683840

> https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Classical_Western_Music 
Scott

*
In this process of exploring some of these streaming internet 'radio' stations, have observed some new aspects / approaches to exploring or eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology. Am interested in connecting this with playing and practicing and re developing my "Honey in the Bag" album for 2020.



* * * *
In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology (see blog entry above too), I've recently found the Boston Baroque live stream channel - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio - and am observing subtle loving bliss neural cascades of pleasure while listening to this very varied music, with some opera and much J.S. Bach.



*

So, how and in what ways might it be possible to send love through making music, for example? :)





*







https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_napellus
...

Aconitum (blue rocket): Sending Love * * * Scottish Small Piping learning developments, 'HONEY IN THE BAG' first Scottish small pipes' album in 2020 - a "compilation of mp3s' " idea in the internet age * * * Non-theist Friends' / Atheist Quakers' thinking

Hi Scott,

Nice to hear about your small pipes challenges and progress.  I liked your demonstration when you were here.  I learned a lot.  Nice to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth.

Things are fine here.  The weather has held, hot in the daytimes, and cool at night.  Peg left this morning.  Next visitors are Trish Sylvester and Teresa later in the week.  The birds are a delight.

Reading a book ‘Where the Crawdad’s Sing’ on someone’s recommendation. The back deck is cool and quiet.

Glad to hear from you.

Sending love,

Ma



*
Scott MacLeod
9:03 AM (55 minutes ago)
to Janie

Hi Ma,

Thanks for this nice piping email from you. As I focus on my 'HONEY IN THE BAG' first Scottish small pipes' album in 2020 - a "compilation of mp3s' " idea in the internet age - I think I want to lower expectations re my own perfectionism (which inhibits or binds), play with the beauty of simplicity in mind (and tunes which are 'favorites'), - and yet with jigs hornpipes and reels, pipe with lyrical, play great fast fingering very well executed, to create far-reaching kinds of 'flow' experiences. D combo drone - newly opened - is cutting out some ... will keep playing it in. Am seeking too some sweet spots for the chord drone sound, and with which tunes .... on both A & D chanters (but not yet on new B flat chanter). Liking newly the 'tenor' voice of the D chanter ... looking for some harmony making possibilities - re composing too (in MuseScore on digital sheet music perhaps) - opportunities, with recording, for both chanters at same time.

Just saw 1956 film "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck, Ray Bradbury as screenplay writer, Orson Welles as Father Mapple delivering sermon in the Seamen's Bethel in New Bedford, MA, and produced by John Huston

(See, too, about Ray Bradbury -

Ray Bradbury concerning 'Moby Dick' script (2007)

https://youtu.be/3b2X2Q5wINA

and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury)

Definitely worth seeing re life in New Bedford and on whaling ships, and re Melville's great writing as well ...

Did the old Quaker Meeting House on Spring St in NB reopen recently? (See below).

Click here for great music - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio :)

Glad you're having more friends come soon to visit on Cuttyhunk! (Meeting a 28 yo MD as partner would be wonderful re connecting, who could be from a different country too ... and re my bringing a friend to Cuttyhunk ... still circulating ).

Was drawing a blank re what food to serve on Saturday at 5, but Gazpacho and Mint tea just came to mind

Sending love, Scott



More about the Moby Dick film which I shared with non-theism Friends recently ... http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html?m=0 ... :

Missed a good sermon recently -
"The sermon on Jonah from Moby Dick" -

https://youtu.be/qb-g4O2QDZg ? Was just watching yesterday the film "Moby Dick" (1956) with Gregory Peck, directed by John Huston, where Orson Welles is the minister - and in the Seaman's Bethel (which I know fairly well personally from having grown up in SE Massachusetts in summers) in New Bedford Massachusetts, which sent many a crew in the name of religion to the south Pacific on a bloody lucrative quest. The film also portrays Herman Melville's ship owners of the Pequod (which means "Destruction") who are Quakers ... newly represented in this film compared with the book "Moby Dick." (This film is worth seeing in many ways:). Film offers great insight into a very different culture, which included Quakers significantly (NB in the 1700 and 1800s) and which has changed religion-organization-wise.

The old Quaker Meeting House in New Bedford, long closed but still in decent shape, is interesting because it has male and female entrances.

Glad we're having this "[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" conversation partly about "change" via the creation anew of non-theist Friendly discourse / culture ... beliefs as neurophysiology even :)

NtF cheers, Scott


*
Actually the New Bedford Quaker Meeting may have been opened again fairly recently
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Quaker+Meetings/@41.633507,-70.928128,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3ed3f3f7ab73bc53!8m2!3d41.633507!4d-70.928128 - https://neym.org/meetings/new-bedford

I think I last visited its outside 2-3 years ago, and it was in dilapidated condition.

For your interest, here's more information the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House and Quakers in New England
http://www.whalingcity.net/picture_1906_quaker_meeting_house.html
http://www.dvvarchitects.com/newbedfordfriendsmeetinghousepage.html
https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19990722/news/307229970


* *
http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html?m=0
* *



* * *
Re the following NtF conversation, see -
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheist Friends / Atheist Quakers- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html -


(I have some UU background as well, although I didn't grow up as a Unitarian per se ... )




On Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 4:45:29 AM UTC-5, John Moorman wrote:

Religion has some valuable spiritual beliefs often lost when theistism is rejected. Howi do you prevent the baby from going out with the bath water?  Anyone interested can follow this thread.  I will give examples in my next post.  

Waiting for your next post.  I note that you are speaking of "theism rejected" as though theism is the default, and I'm not sure what group I am in where that is so.  I am also puzzled by your certainty re those flying babies--really? Nontheists reject "valuable spiritual beliefs"?  Perhaps they are not valuable! Consider the Golden Rule, as the Judeo-Christian tradition calls it, which has more or less exact duplicates in dozens of other faiths--which to me indicates that millions of people do and have found the concept valuable.  Many monotheistic traditions have important spiritual beliefs which many many nontheists AND theists find simply untenable on ethical or scientific grounds.
I am struck by comments in some of the older (by one or two days!) messages.  Perhaps it's my UU upbringing, but I have never felt a need, or a call, to explain my messages to Christians or theists. Other people stand in meeting and speak without footnotes or parentheses--why should I do otherwise?  We are a creedless religion; Quakers long dead defended their and your right to be a nontheist Quaker.  
I've had a long life on this side of the reformation--the one where people's beliefs are allowed to change and still be welcome. I have noticed in myself and others that as your theological center shifts, so do your expectations and needs.  Now that you have answered many old questions for yourself and are comfortable calling yourself nontheist, you can learn to be comfortable speaking out from the heart of your new self without excuses or explanations.  It's important to practice that right; practice will help you be more certain of who you have become.
Diggitt McLaughlinTwin Cities Friends Meeting
St Paul, MN


*
Diggitt and NtFs, 
Thanks for your email questioning "theism as the default" - & re the conclusion of your email "practice will help you be more certain of who you have become."
Diggitt - is this you? ... "Diggitt revised sermon Midnight Ride and Transformation" (in 'digital' video format too - and as practice as well!) - https://vimeo.com/user10566917
Am liking your sermon here ... and re Father Mapple's sermon in the 1956 film Moby Dick representing the year 1841 or so in Quaker New Bedford, Massachusetts ... (re email post "Missed a good sermon recently - "The sermon on Jonah from Moby Dick" - https://youtu.be/qb-g4O2QDZg ?)
Here are some Non-theist Friends' #hashtags as another form of practice, this time digitally - https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtheistQuakers?src=hashtag_click... https://twitter.com/hashtag/NontheistFriends?src=hashtag_click ... 
Cheers, Scott

*
Appreciating the experiential & PRACTICE aspects of non-theistically Friendly explorations & creations. Have blogged about some aspects of this thoughtful '[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs' NtF thread here (link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-g… #NontheistFriends #AtheistQuakers ~

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1158117547209662464


*
Re bathwater ...

And with regard to #RealisticVirtualHarbin
@HarbinBook
 >(link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/porcupine-needlegrass-sunheart-scott.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/porcup… re "Stanford Mapping Global Imaginary" conf, how best to animate photos into avatar bots (link: https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/marram-grass-california.html) scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/02/marram… - #RealisticVirtualEarth #RealisticVirtualEarthForArt #RealisticVirtualEarthForHistory?

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1097245283996467201?s=20

P.P.S.
Actually the New Bedford Quaker Meeting may have been opened again fairly recentlyhttps://www.google.com/maps/place/Quaker+Meetings/@41.633507,-70.928128,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3ed3f3f7ab73bc53!8m2!3d41.633507!4d-70.928128 - https://neym.org/meetings/new-bedford
I think I last visited its outside 2-3 years ago, and it was in dilapidated condition. 
For your interest, here's more information the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House and Quakers in New England
http://www.whalingcity.net/picture_1906_quaker_meeting_house.html
http://www.dvvarchitects.com/newbedfordfriendsmeetinghousepage.htmlhttps://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19990722/news/307229970


*
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheist Friends / Atheist Quakers- https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/08/wild-garlic-allium-ursinum-loving-bliss.html -




* * *

Hi Ma, just created a Tweet about this ...

'best online classical music streaming'
http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio
-https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3
-https://www.king.org/ (Seattle)
-https://theclassicalstation.org/ (NorthCarolina)
-https://www.classicfm.com/ (London)
-https://www.wguc.org/listen (Cincinnati)
-http://www.favorite-classical-composers.com/classical-music-radio.html @WorldUnivAndSch~

'best online classical music streaming' https://t.co/aG4amCoR8L
-https://t.co/WVPhUGYOpo
-https://t.co/9jg4tNXhuA (Seattle)
-https://t.co/1Bnxlsa2HP (NorthCarolina)
-https://t.co/ihKJQw33zQ (London)
-https://t.co/XKWhMubpwP (Cincinnati)
-https://t.co/pIbebJAVwV @WorldUnivAndSch~— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1157720735147683840

> https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Classical_Western_Music 
Scott



* * * *
In ongoing learning about eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology (see blog entry above too), I've recently found the Boston Baroque live stream channel - http://www.bostonbaroque.org/boston-baroque-radio - and am observing subtle loving bliss neural cascades of pleasure while listening to this very varied music, with some opera and much J.S. Bach.







*







https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_napellus
...

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): World Univ & Sch Update - Aug 5 2019 * * * 'My Home' - Scottish Small Piping * * * Tarun, World University and School will offer free-to-students' online accrediting degrees emerging from CC-4 MIT OpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu

Newly in StreamYard this morning, I created a WUaS Update (since Google Hangouts closed on August 2, 2019). 3 of us (Peter, Fritz and Scott) had met for 2 hours newly in Google Meet before this, but WUaS can't record to Youtube from this, while StreamYard allows recording to Youtube ...

World Univ & Sch Update - Aug 5 2019


https://youtu.be/KZ5RfWM8tBA
https://www.youtube.com/user/WorldUnivandSch



* *
Experimenting, also recorded the bagpipe tune "My Home" on a D chanter here.

'My Home' - Scottish Small Piping - August 5, 2019

https://youtu.be/TqLg9PN6iDI
https://www.youtube.com/user/WorldUnivandSch



* * *
Scott MacLeod
Sun, Aug 4, 12:12 PM (1 day ago)
to ts, Jim

Dear Tarun, and Jim,

I'm writing to invite you cordially to a Garden Party on Saturday afternoon August 10th around 5 pm on my porch in Canyon in honor of summer - and we'll have a little baby-welcoming in celebration of Naoki Fujinaga, friends' Koh and Ants' recent beautiful child, as well! Potluck. We’ll have tea and veggies - hopefully from my garden in a box (which the deer got to not too long ago :0 )! Please come and partake in some yummies. And friends may bring their musical instruments .... have invited too some Scottish Country Dance musicians ... who may bring pink and blue Scottish Country Dance sheet music books ... perhaps some of us can explore playing some of these tunes slowly and creatively and in an improvisational way even! Dancing allowed... if we find our way to music-making! )

Tarun, Jim mentioned your visiting the Bay Area, so I'm writing to invite you to this especially. Canyon California 94516 is very beautiful and interesting too!

When using Google Maps for directions, copy and paste "Ridgecrest Road and Redwood Highway, Canyon, 94516" which I just found this address in Google Maps ... https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ridgecrest+%26+Redwood+Hwy,+Canyon,+CA+94516/@37.8328699,-122.164702,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808f881297fc8633:0x5989dabaac0c7fdd!8m2!3d37.8328699!4d-122.162508 ... and park just beyond this intersection in what looks like a "trail head" parking area. I live directly behind the U-shaped shed-like structure behind you (from the parking area) at a U in the Ridgecrest Road too, and where it becomes gravelly. And since Canyon's roads are very very WINDY, and have had a number of house and road numbering systems, please allow me or someone too to meet you at the Canyon Post Office 94516 and guide you up 6/10s of a mile to where I live on the ridge (since getting here the first time can be a challenge), if you would like. Please just let me know.

It would be great to meet you, Tarun. (World Univ & Sch is seeking to facilitate a realistic virtual earth for everything - think Google Street View with TIME SLIDER / Maps / Earth with avatar bots and TensorFlow and Translate + and we might have much to talk about with regard to your amazing https://worldaroundmeapp.com/).

Regards, Scott

- Scott MacLeod - Founder, President & Professor

- World University and School
- http://worlduniversityandschool.org

- 415 480 4577
- http://scottmacleod.com

- CC World University and School - like CC Wikipedia with best STEM-centric CC OpenCourseWare - incorporated as a nonprofit university and school in California, and is a U.S. 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt educational organization.




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Looking forward to meeting and seeing you, Tarun, and Jim (with a 33% probability)!

Tarun, World University and School will offer free-to-students' online accrediting degrees emerging from CC-4 MIT OpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu - where Jim studied as an undergraduate) in its 5 languages, and is also planning to create wiki schools for open teaching and learning in all 7,111 known living languages, emerging from Wikipedia / Wikidata in its ~300 languages. A realistic virtual earth for everything, and at the cellular and atomic levels too - https://twitter.com/hashtag/RealisticVirtualEarth and potentially re World Around Me ...
"Just WAM it!" to discover places on camera intuitively on World Around Me app

https://youtu.be/K8YNbs996bI
(looking forward to talking about these possibilities) - for STEM research and as VR classrooms, will allow scientists and professors to add their simulations and research, and endusers and students to check out these places, and allow WUaS to create VR classrooms in all ~200 countries (where WUaS is planning major online universities in these nation states' main languages) and wiki schools in all 7111 languages with avatar bots as well, plus much more.

Glad you're coming to the Garden Party in Canyon 94516 on Saturday.

Cheers, Scott

World Univ and Sch Twitter - http://twitter.com/WorldUnivandSch

Languages - World Univ - http://twitter.com/sgkmacleod

WUaS Press - https://twitter.com/WUaSPress



Scott MacLeod - https://twitter.com/scottmacleod

“Naked Harbin Ethnography” book (in Academic Press at WUaS) - http://twitter.com/HarbinBook

(OpenBand (Berkeley) - https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand )



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Tarun, and Jim, 
Interesting - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One_(film) ... Will check it out when I can. 
Am curious how World Around Me might 'annotate,' like in the videos on your web page re augmented reality, such a (Stanford) marine biology scene - 

Today in #MontereyBay, an anchovy feast today for the #humpbackWhales and #seaLions pic.twitter.com/P59nIOfnOA— Jennifer Selgrath (@JennySelgrath) August 5, 2019

https://twitter.com/JennySelgrath/status/1158214791657246720?s=19 ?
FYI, World Univ & Sch seeks to build out of 3 platforms, and all of WUaS's web sites are due for a major update, and for professionalization ... hopefully in conjunction with Google Education, which WUaS is in. The 3 platforms are
A) Google platform in general, and its Google Translate in ~100 languages and TensorFlow, and Google Street View / Earth,
B) CC-4 MIT OCW in 5 languages, and
C) in Wikidata / Wikibase's 300 languages and structured knowledge database, and eventually in all 7,111 known living languages - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Languages. 
Can you figure out how to get into virtual Harbin Hot Springs (my actual-virtual ethnographic field site, and starting place for a realistic virtual earth for research) here in Street View~ http://tinyurl.com/p62rpcg (so we can soak from our bath tubs?) ~ https://twitter.com/HarbinBook ~ http://bit.ly/HarbinBook  ~"walk" down the road 4 "miles" to middletown ca and "amble" around the streets there ~ http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2018/12/armeria-maritima-seasons-greetings-2018.html ~ Pegman in the lower left corner grows (a bit in the direction of buildable Second Life avatars, but realistic ones, eventually for tele-robotic surgery, and electronic medical records, fore example).
Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, with Jim having a 33% probability of coming (I've been wondering about the math here:) to the Garden Party. 
Cheers, Scott





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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium
...

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPr... ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheist

Scott MacLeod
5:45 PM (2 hours ago)
to nontheist-friends

Anita, JohnM, NtFs, All,

Re "Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" ...
here's another public broadcasting perspective on religion from Mark Shields on the PBS News Hour (search on "Religion in the text here) -
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/shields-and-brooks-on-trump-and-race-democrats-2020-values -

where Mark Shields says in a conversation format, from one side of the political commentator aisle: "I mean, there is no abolitionist movement in this country without religion. There is no anti-war movement without religion in its ranks. There is no civil rights movement.

And the Democrats can claim in all three of those."

For Quakers - and many Nontheist Friends too I affirm - religion significantly affirms abolitionism, anti-war (eg Quaker Peace Testimony), and civil rights, as religion, and religion is also an important stream in America (and most of the other ~200 countries in the world, I'd suggest too), and for some NtFs in all of the above senses too too ... Anita, I think religion informs "what value religion has for us nontheists" Friends, and atheist Quakers too, in that NtFs continue to come into Friendly conversation with Quakerism.  (The NPR broadcast transcript mentions too Scott Atran's thinking, an evolutionary biologist and atheist who seeks to understand religion from these perspectives, and who has long been in the references of both the Non-theist Quakers' Wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheist_Quakers - in English, and also in the Spanish NtQ entry - https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu%C3%A1quero_no_te%C3%ADsta - as well as in the Non-theist Friends (atheist Quakers?) wiki school https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nontheist_Friends_(atheist_Quakers%3F) in English).

In a very different vein re "Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" re this ...

"Loving bliss and practices to elicit this"
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ...

I seek to explore and share ways to elicit such loving bliss neurophysiology, touching in this letter on departing from the language of religion and spirituality, and with explicit exploration of this re nontheist Friends - "And nontheist F/friends, with the possibility of shaping friendly language that doesn't invoke the supernatural, but where loving bliss arises partly vis-à-vis an emergent language and culture, may also facilitate this." - and also explicitly in the context of Quaker thinking. While I've shared this before with NtFs on this email list, I think, and it's "out of the box" thinking too, this is where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us non-theists."

As George Fox, founder of Quakerism was supposed to have said: "what canst thou say?" ... and I seek to explore this too in wiki conversation  re friendly non-theistic eliciting of I suppose kinds of belief re brain chemistry here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Loving_Bliss_(eliciting_this_neurophysiology) - and potentially with you -  https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nontheist_Friends_(atheist_Quakers%3F) . What music or dance or experiences in Silent Meeting, or otherwise move you in these headings?

Non-theistically f/Friendly cheers, :)
Scott



--
- Scott MacLeod - Founder & President
- World University and School
- http://worlduniversityandschool.org

- 415 480 4577
- http://scottmacleod.com

- CC World University and School - like CC Wikipedia with best STEM-centric CC OpenCourseWare - incorporated as a nonprofit university and school in California, and is a U.S. 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt educational organization.




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Saturday, August 3, 2019
Anita Bower
Sat, Aug 3, 5:25 AM (1 day ago)
to nontheist-friends

I am interested in what value religion has for us nontheists.

Along those  lines, I recently listened to an interesting podcast interview with a social psychologist who thinks religions and gods were cultural evolutionary creations to help keep a large group of people together and functioning well.

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/720656274/where-does-religion-come-from-one-researcher-points-to-cultural-evolution

(Forgive my not erasing the long stuff after John's email.  I'm new to gmail and can't figure out how to erase it.)

Anita

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/nontheist-friends/CA%2B8XWuLSUEJMHEpQtvtSzA0h%2BNxOTi8Ye7g7NaiJ0uUKdMkM-w%40mail.gmail.com.





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Sunday, August 4, 2019 
I want to comment on Scott's latest email.  Scott writes:


"Mark Shields says in a conversation format, from one side of the political commentator aisle: "I mean, there is no abolitionist movement in this country without religion. There is no anti-war movement without religion in its ranks. There is no civil rights movement."
That religion was involved in abolition does not mean that religion is necessary for good to flourish. Religion was also involved in maintaining slavery.  Religion has a purpose and does good, but I don't think it is necessary for nontheists.  There are secular humanist organizations that promote the general good.
Scott also writes:  "... Anita, I think religion inform "what value religion has for us nontheists" Friends, and atheist Quakers too, in that NtFs continuing to come into Friendly conversation with Quakerism."
Quakerism has a set of values that are important to me.  I think those same values exist in liberal Methodism, in which I was raised.  It is the values I am interested in.  The organizations--be they Quaker or Methodist or Democratic Party--are problematic for me.  

Anita


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Thanks, Anita, and NtFs,

Leads me to wonder how NtFs as an 'organization' could become 'increasingly better'? ... and your observations here (and in previous NtF email conversations), and your constructive critical (friendly) engagement writing-wise with NtFs, suggest for me ways to do this. Am also appreciating your implicit 'historicization' of NtFs with regards to Quakerism, Methodism and the Democratic Party re how organizations change, - with relevance for non-theism Friends, and this thread too. (Just noticed in searching on some Google Admin questions, that they consider their various platforms - such as this email list - as 'organizational units').

With regard to the second part of my email re eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology (as a non-theist Friend's exploration in writing) and re the above, am curious whether further 'writing as an expression of 'organizations' ' could lead to more fulsome explorations of a metaphorical on-off switch of these loving bliss neural cascades of pleasure biological experiences (but construed here in the context of religion by leaving religion of spirituality behind - possibly as organizations too - behind. Loving bliss neurophysiology or neural cascades of pleasure to name these in two ways are 'simply divine' - may be something about the specific qualities of 'light within' in the neural firings :). (All a bit wordy, think I'm going to turn on Grateful Dead music from the 1970s - https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead - where the GD as organization as rock and roll band, quasi-nontheistic-'religion' for some, were also about change, - hippy change; am also an appreciator of classical Indian raga, as well as opera at times ... all re my "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists." You?:).

JohnM: Re your "Religion has some valuable spiritual beliefs often lost when theistism is rejected. Howi do you prevent the baby from going out with the bath water?" Change the organization of religion NtF-wise ... and possibly for me in the direction of brain neurophysiology mediated by sociocultural communication processes. Change via communication, NtF-wise? :)

NtF cheers, Scott



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Missed a good sermon recently - "The sermon on Jonah from Moby Dick" -

https://youtu.be/qb-g4O2QDZg ? Was just watching yesterday the film "Moby Dick" (1956) with Gregory Peck, directed by John Huston, where Orson Welles is the minister - and in the Seaman's Bethel (which I know fairly well personally from having grown up in SE Massachusetts in summers) in New Bedford Massachusetts, which sent many a crew in the name of religion to the south Pacific on a bloody lucrative quest. The film also portrays Herman Melville's ship owners of the Pequod (which means "Destruction") who are Quakers ... newly represented in this film compared with the book "Moby Dick." (This film is worth seeing in many ways:). Film offers great insight into a very different culture, which included Quakers significantly (NB in the 1700 and 1800s) and which has changed religion-organization-wise.

The old Quaker Meeting House in New Bedford, long closed but still in decent shape, is interesting because it has male and female entrances.

Glad we're having this "[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" conversation partly about "change" via the creation anew of non-theist Friendly discourse / culture ... beliefs as neurophysiology even :)

NtF cheers, Scott



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Actually the New Bedford Quaker Meeting may have been opened again fairly recently
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Quaker+Meetings/@41.633507,-70.928128,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3ed3f3f7ab73bc53!8m2!3d41.633507!4d-70.928128 - https://neym.org/meetings/new-bedford

I think I last visited its outside 2-3 years ago, and it was in dilapidated condition.

For your interest, here's more information the New Bedford Quaker Meeting House and Quakers in New England
http://www.whalingcity.net/picture_1906_quaker_meeting_house.html
http://www.dvvarchitects.com/newbedfordfriendsmeetinghousepage.html
https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19990722/news/307229970



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Thanks so much, JohnM, and NtFs, 

Appreciating both the "The Cultural Evolution of Religion" article and its engagement with Scott Atran's thinking (they've co-authored papers). Am aware too of the challenges of bringing together biological and cultural, especially re languages, questions of explaining how social processes such as religion emerged. (While I've met Atran around 2003-2004, I come back to Dawkins' meme idea - replicating cultural units (my loose definition) - of sometimes very random and arbitrary cultural processes, paralleling how genes replicate across 3-100 million species, over 3.5 billion years of life; Stephen Jay Gould, which this paper mentions in its first paragraph, used the 'spandrels of San Marcos' in Venice Italy, as metaphor to explore the arbitrary evolution of biological structures of the body which have no function relating to adaptation or passing on genes or otherwise. Evolution has significant random and arbitrary effects - including perhaps religion). Will dip into article further. 
Here's a related very different approach to 'origin stories' (ie re religion and evolutionary biology) re Richard Dawkins - https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1157710130978414593 - in a new NY Times' article - "A Battle Is Raging in the Tree of Life: Which came first, the sponge or the comb jelly?" https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/science/tree-of-life-sponges-jellies.html - which suggests how wide open this field is academically. Am appreciative too of both Dawkins and Anita's perspectives re problems with religion, where Dawkins offers "Good-humoured ridicule of religions" (https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins) - a mature position tempered by many many reasoned debates -  and Anita's view that good can flourish without religion probably organized or otherwise. 
But am an appreciator too of the experiential aspect of non-theistically Friendly explorations and creations especially. Have blogged about some aspects of this NtF email thread here - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/20... (including some further information I didn't share with this list).
('j5pickle@aol.com' - twice in this thread your emails from your aol email address have come through blank - again - Get & add a new gmail address to this NtF email list, like Anita has recently? Might be a solution. Cheers) 
NtF cheers, ScottAppreciating the experiential aspect of non-theistically Friendly explorations & creations. Have blogged about some aspects of this thoughtful '[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs' NtF thread here https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/20... #NontheistFriends #AtheistQuakers ~

Appreciating the experiential aspect of non-theistically Friendly explorations & creations. Have blogged about some aspects of this thoughtful '[NTF-talk] Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs' NtF thread here https://t.co/Q6wUdNIMoQ #NontheistFriends #AtheistQuakers ~— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 4, 2019

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1158117547209662464


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Before I re-write this:

'Loving bliss and practices to elicit this'
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ...





Loving bliss and practices to elicit this
Friends,

Here are some thoughts about loving bliss and practices for this, loosely assembled.I'm curious about loving bliss from the perspective of neurophysiology, after the at least thousands of generations that precede us, and with potentially thousands more ahead, for those who have children. I've had many experiences of this, which I don't associate with either religious or spiritual language.

I'm not sure people want to read about my experiences, but might instead enjoy reading ways in which they might 'access' loving bliss naturally, although, in brief, here are my experiences with it. Roughly from ages 1-6 were very fun years, coming into language with friends, and with my very fun mother - loving bliss was 'in the air' {i.e. in our bodyminds} ... and here too: on the island where I've grown up in summers in Massachusetts, when I was head sailing instructor there some years ago working with kids, and organizing a talent show in the evenings, and also while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for four months in California and Oregon a year later. I've also experienced loving bliss at North Pacific Yearly Meeting (Quaker) in the early 1980s, and in the pools at Harbin Hot Springs - http://harbin.org - as well as in the milieu of Harbin, and sometimes while contra-dancing, and while listening to Mozart's arias in "The Magic Flute," {e.g. 'Queen of the Night' arias ~> neural cascades of pleasure}, and when I've loved some women in the past – a lot. 

Loving bliss doesn't occur for me continually in these examples, and these examples represent a variety of qualities of it, but it is these experiences, thoughts and neurophysiology I enjoy, find fascinating and wish to explore further with friends. I've also had these experiences while caring for others. They are each a kind of 'flow' experience (see Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience").Philosophically and neurophysiologically only, I think ecstasy (MDMA - methylene_dioxy_meth_amphetamine) is a fascinating, reference experience. The above experiences all loosely relate to what I imagine MDMA {ecstasy} experiences to offer. Such neurochemistry suggests that these processes are biological, and not supernatural or spiritual (as some might suggest), and ingesting such a compound suggests also that there is a kind of threshold across which these states emerge. While the following definition doesn't fully explain what loving bliss is for me, it does involve experiences that are deeply, gratefully harmonizing, and reciprocally appreciative and affectionate, both with a friend or friends, and alone, as well as profoundly and naturally high at the same time, and which are ongoing, biological, 'flow' experiences. {What is it for you?} So I think one can access loving bliss, and while I'm a little 'wired' for it - I think it's part of my neurophysiology - I'm interested in exploring the threshold effect idea, where we can think about, create and enter into these fugue-like states, naturally and extensively.

And while it's part of other people's neurophysiologies - - Kenneth Boulding's (Quaker economist and poet) comment, at Olney Friends' School in Barnesville, Ohio, when asked about his cheeriness: "Oh," (he chortled in his English accent – I've met him before) "it's glandular," - I think loving bliss is accentuated also by idealistic and intelligent discourse.

But I haven't had these experiences all the time, and don't have, and I'm curious about accessing this neurophysiology in an almost naturally emergent way, perhaps by doing less - wu wei {non-action in the Taoist writers' Lao Tzu or Chuang Tzu's senses}, - or as if one were surfing a wave, or singing a line of music rapturously and floating on this, or as easily and freely as 'googling' information and surfing the World Wide Web, and how, when, and for as long as one wants. How can one begin to just let loving bliss happen, and then welcome it on and on? {The pacifism, simplicity, integrity, open-endedness and focus on goodness of Quaker, silent meeting, as well as the relaxation response, seems to provide possible bases. How to let loving bliss emerge with awareness, and flower profoundly and profusely as it's beginning to bubble up in one's bodymind are questions, and experiences, I'm exploring. Let's explore this together, over decades.
I'm also interested in thinking out of the box – outside familiar patterns and norms, which is something (nontheist) Friends have explored historically (with conscientious objection to war, fighting and violence, for example) - to explore how to access loving bliss fully. Click on the 'notes' here for further thoughts about this - scottmacleod.com/yoga.htm}.
How to imagine and envision the kind of loving bliss you want, and then realize this? Sometimes loving bliss just bubbles up for me, - especially in beautiful, natural areas, in the Harbin Hot Springs' pools, and in silent meeting, among many places. While a beautiful place can help cultivate bliss, omega-3 fatty acids (1000 mg flax seed oil, 3-4 times per day with food) may also be helpful. And nontheist friends, with the possibility of shaping friendly language that doesn't invoke the supernatural, but where loving bliss arises partly vis-à-vis an emergent language and culture, may also facilitate this. So, for me, both Harbin Hot Springs with its wonderful milieu, as well as the open-ended form of the unprogrammed, nontheist tradition of the Society of Friends (Quaker), offer interesting contexts in which to explore these questions, neurophysiology and language.
I'd love to explore and find ways with you to give rise to the wondrous weather of loving bliss in our bodyminds, whenever we want it, freely and with personal freedom, and in so many ways.
Let's communicate further, directly or indirectly, about loving bliss as friends. :)Warm regards,
Scott

relaxing into the relaxation response (Benson 1972)releasing and breathing practices (especially delicious ones){a healthy bodymind also seems important, - walking, yoga asana, swimming, dancing, a good diet, and flax seed omega-3 fatty acids taken with food, and a daily multivitamin?}

For bliss {each of the following can be a rich kind of flow experience, - especially when cultivating bliss; in some ways these are 'technologies' for bliss}:
listening to music (iTunes)arias in Mozart's "Magic Flute," especially  "O zittre nicht" aria (on youtube.com)"The Queen of the Night" ariaYo-Yo Ma playing J.S. Bach's "Cello Suites" (here's the Prelude)Grateful Dead ~ Going Down the Road Feeling Bad Acoustic Blues channel on Pandora.comThe Belleville A Cappella Choir, recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax (on pandora.com)dancing (especially New England contra-dance for me)singing & improvisational, play singingmaking musicplaying and working with kids eating extraordinary foodmaking love, intimacy, sexuality & coitusconversing (mind-expanding & receptive, intellectual conversation) engaging great music, poetry, literature, art, etc.enjoying incredible nature, natural areas, wildflowers, flowers ..., - richlytravelingopening to bliss while moving back and forth between Harbin Hot Springs' hot (113 F / 60 C) & cold (60 F / 15 C) pools shaping a virtual world to explore practices of loving bliss?smiling ~ beaming :))~ What helps you elicit bliss naturally?

For love:reciprocated, ongoing affection for another, a friendexploring love in art, music, and ideas with a dear friend, and/or friendsnameless, loving understandings between friends who love one anotherreceiving and giving warmth and love with a radiant friend

Practice loving bliss:consider using language that works for you as a kind of art or technology to bring these qualities of bliss to your bodymind in a variety of ways> learn loving bliss through practice
{guidelines for practicing loving bliss vis-à-vis practicing a musical instrument}> rekindle a lovingly blissful memory in your bodymind, and let this flower> explore loving bliss {with friends} ~ dream it ~ write about it~ focus on it ~ create it :)

Knowledge-based resources
(starting approaches for exploring loving bliss)
Benson, Herbert and Miriam Z. Klipper. 2000 [1972]. The Relaxation Response. Expanded updated edition. Harper.
http://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Resp..., Mihalyi. 1997. Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465..., Mihalyi. 1991. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Rider & Company.
http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Mihaly-Csi..., Rick, and Greg Hicks. 2004. How We Choose to Be Happy: The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People--Their Secrets, Their Stories. Perigree.
http://www.choosetobehappy.com/explore/index.htmlOasis, Happy Heavenly. 2004. Bliss Conscious Communication: Transmuting Ordinary Chats Into Extraordinary Conversations. New Zealand: Books for Earthlings. ISBN 0473097664.
http://www.happyoasis.com/HappyBooks.htm 




Print Loving Bliss and Practices for this (.doc)
home: scottmacleod.com
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPr... Scott MacLeod's Arts 1998 - 2014
scott@scottmacleod.com







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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ursinum
...

Syringa (lilac): Creativity-wise re Old Norse and Scots Gaelic esp. ... I seek to head in inspiration-oriented directions ... and seek for World University and School to become wiki inspiring too (with some parallels to the ever growing Wikipedia-movement)

old Norse language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse
-https://www.omniglot.com/writing/oldnorse.htm
-https://norse-mythology.org/learn-old-norse/
-The Sound of the Old Norse Language (Völuspá) https://youtu.be/SHk7wGwPlic
-https://youtu.be/_ASsCH17cbA
-https://youtu.be/J0XGOX_87yg
-http://thehistoryofvikings.com/old-norse-snorri-sturluson-the-realm-of-j%C7%ABtunheimr-with-dr-jackson-crawford/
@Norsebysw > https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Languages ~

old Norse languagehttps://t.co/dWm4fwe0wk
-https://t.co/cGn5UbiWgc
-https://t.co/aVAY21PhGv
-The Sound of the Old Norse Language (Völuspá) https://t.co/ZkmLRw3lgW
-https://t.co/wRbEsPxpAQ
-https://t.co/ij0eXUtxwd
-https://t.co/iHchBK3w9M@Norsebysw > https://t.co/vPfIrX8DnH ~— WorldUnivandSch (@WorldUnivAndSch) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1157706097005699072
https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1157706863451836416
https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1157711325528649729


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Heralding Realistic Virtual Earth For Languages
#RealisticVirtualEarthForLanguages Think Google Street View w TIME SLIDER w group-buildable Second Life w avatar bots (but realistic)
#RealisticVirtualEarthForHistory
#RealisticVirtualEarth Talk in Old Norse https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1157706097005699072?

Heralding Realistic Virtual Earth For Languages#RealisticVirtualEarthForLanguages Think Google Street View w TIME SLIDER w group-buildable Second Life w avatar bots (but realistic)#RealisticVirtualEarthForHistory#RealisticVirtualEarth Talk in Old Norse https://t.co/uJqJpPGXR0?— ScottMacLeod (@scottmacleod) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1157708256799678464
https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1157711409905451008




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Enjoyed the sounds and hints of Old Norse thinking here ...

The Sound of the Old Norse Language (Völuspá)

https://youtu.be/SHk7wGwPlic



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Enjoyed too the hints of Old Norse 'philosophy' embedded in this (even if a bit grim:)

What Old Norse Sounded Like

https://youtu.be/_ASsCH17cbA



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Heralding Realistic Virtual Earth For Old Norse & Scots' Gaelic
#RealisticVirtualEarthForLanguages Think Google Street View w TIME SLIDER w realistic avatar bots
#RealisticVirtualEarth Talk in Old Norse or https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_language @Norsebysw @_morphologist https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1157706097005699072?

Heralding Realistic Virtual Earth For Old Norse & Scots' Gaelic#RealisticVirtualEarthForLanguages Think Google Street View w TIME SLIDER w realistic avatar bots#RealisticVirtualEarth Talk in Old Norse or https://t.co/u1lRulPqZp @Norsebysw @_morphologist https://t.co/0PgLxMekMC?— Languages-World Univ (@sgkmacleod) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1157710790314491904
https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1157711040483692544
https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1157711596262551552


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Hi Tom,
Heralding Realistic Virtual Earth For Scots' Gaelic
#RealisticVirtualEarthForLanguages Think Google Street View w TIME SLIDER w realistic avatar bots. Talk in https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_language Scott (scottmacleod.com https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-w-stewart/
http://lsa2017.uky.edu/users/thomasstewart
http://www.medievalists.net/2013/07/lexical-imposition-old-norse-vocabulary-in-scottish-gaelic/
https://louisville.academia.edu/ThomasStewart/CurriculumVitae
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/dia.21.2.06ste



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Hi Bede,

Thanks so much for your email. Many thoughts here, and partly per what we talked about on Cuttyhunk (esp. re Languages, and old Norse re last 4 letters in my name 'Leod').

Did you ever get into reading Ursula K Le Guin - http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/06/atlantic-cod-appreciating-ursula-k-le.html? ... which blog post mentions too that "Leod in old Norse is Ljótr." (Tolkien, which 4 books I read about 9 times as a teen, draws much on these languages - and creates a new language too "Elvish"!)

Am curious about Old Norse linguistically (and how it might have intermingled with the Gaelics) and how too one might represent this with avatar bots in a realistic virtual earth even - am thinking Google Street View with time slider with Second Life - but with realistic avatars (not cartoon-esque ones) ... and based on evidence, and unfolding academic research iteratively.

See yesterday's Tweets below creativity-wise re Old Norse and Scots Gaelic esp ... I seek to head in inspiration-oriented directions ... and seek for World University and School to become wiki inspiring too (with some parallels to the ever growing Wikipedia-movement).

Dogger Bank archaeology site is fascinating ... and will be more so if and as we can visit in a realistic virtual earth (am thinking Google Street View with time slider, and even with Lego robotics for actual-virtual marine archaeology which will develop). My 2004 M.Sc. dissertation was about virtual St. Kilda re Inishmore, and the outer Hebrides ... http://scottmacleod.com/MacLeod%20Physical%20and%20Online%20St%20Kilda%20A%20%20Comparison%20of%20Senses%20of%20Place%20MSc%20Dissertation%20University%20of%20Edinburgh.pdf ...



Am going to get back into editing World University and School's wiki partly per your this email (since both WUaS wikis' 725 wiki pages, in English only so far, have emerged creatively due to such editing ... ) and here, for example:

https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/English_as_a_Second_Language

So, as examples, I just now added as references these two ESL links I shared with you on July 25gh, but as references using this format -

Alan and Paul. 2019. [https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-english-esl-youtube/ Learn English with YouTube: The 11 Best Channels]. www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-en...

TeachThought Staff. 2018. [https://www.teachthought.com/technology/11-best-youtube-channels-learning-english/ 11 Of The Best YouTube Channels For Learning English]. August 3. www.teachthought.com/technology/11-be...

and in the wiki adding process as a summary wrote: "Added 2 ESL websites each with 11 best ESL Youtube channels"

(How to apply ESL principles to teaching Scots Gaelic as a second language anew - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_language < https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Languages - or old Norse?)

Try just clicking "edit this page' eg https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/w/index.php?title=English_as_a_Second_Language&action=edit - to see how this process works. And then brainstorming-wise, if students of yours were hired by WUaS eventually, and in many of their native languages, how would they be best be able to steward / curate such pages? Again, click an edit link to see how WUaS works ...  https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Subjects ... (planned in Wikipedia's 300 languages, and where adding a reference, and thus teaching, in Wikipedia is more automatic, and WUaS will head in this direction).



 ... And since there've been enough "rocking" online talks from MIT, Harvard and Stanford in recent years (all of which I have NOT added to WUaS by any means, but this is partly the idea of WUaS - "rocking" learning and teaching excellence and as wiki conversations we can all add to), am interested at this point in seeing what can emerge more fully in making World University and School rock.



Just learned from Peter Bothe (https://twitter.com/Peter_Bothe - who's no longer doing German or English language Hangouts) yesterday about StreamYard video streaming which facilitates video conferencing conversation, and which records to Youtube too ...

"Google Meet" video conference software ahead for conversation (and which just replaced Google Hangouts on Air, which closed on August 2, 2019) ... talking heads ... learners talking to one another interactively online ... And if you might be interested sometime, World University and School is now holding weekly video conversations on Mondays at 10 am PT, 1pm ET, and here's the first in Google Meet tomorrow:

Hi Universitians, This is the first World University and School in Google Meet video conferencing on Monday, August 5, 2019 at 10 am PT, for idea sharing, conversation, questions and answers (- since Google Hangouts closed on August 2)

World University & School News and Q & A NEWLY in Google MEET > http://www.youtube.com/WorldUnivandSch
Mon Aug 5 '19 at 10 am PT, 1800 UTC
Topic: Your Questions/ideas @WorldUnivAndSch & @WUaSPress Univs in https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nation_States Hosted by @ScottMacLeod
info @ worlduniversityandschool.org ~

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1157735406743408640

- Scott (worlduniversityandschool.org)


Re Garden Party here in Canyon, CA 94516 on Saturday, October 10th, at 5pm PT / 8pm ET, am thinking of streaming it in Google Meet in an innovative way. It's probably too late for you but will send you an invitation nevertheless. We may play live Scottish music at some point :)

Was great to see you as well, Bede, on Cuttyhunk!

All best,
 Scott



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Hi Universitians, This is the first World University and School in Google Meet video conferencing on Monday, August 5, 2019 at 10 am PT, for idea sharing, conversation, questions and answers (- since Google Hangouts closed on August 2)

World University & School News and Q & A NEWLY in Google MEET >http://www.youtube.com/WorldUnivandSch
Mon Aug 5 '19 at 10 am PT, 1800 UTC
Topic: Your Questions/ideas @WorldUnivAndSch & @WUaSPress Univs in https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool... Hosted by @ScottMacLeod
info @ worlduniversityandschool.org ~

World University & School News and Q & A NEWLY in Google MEET >http: //www.youtube. com/WorldUnivandSch
Mon Aug 5 '19 at 10 am PT, 1800 UTC
Topic: Your Qs/ideas @WorldUnivAndSch & @WUaSPress Univs in https://t.co/LRKdU7cdv4 Hosted by @ScottMacLeod
info @ https://t.co/N22Ucd0wg2~— WorldUnivandSch (@WorldUnivAndSch) August 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1157735406743408640

- Scott (worlduniversityandschool.org)



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August 2, 2019
Hi Scott,

Thank very much for your mails, very interesting reads, I'm glad you found the history of Dogger Bank of interest, it's fascinating to think there's an civilation world waiting to be excavated, and in not-too-deep water!

I have a generalist knowledge of the varieties of Gaelic, but  nothing specific to the Outer Hebrides. I have been to Lewis and Harris, also Inishmore in the Aran Isles off the west coast of Ireland. So gratifying to hear the ancient language continuing to be used, though no monolingual speakers left as far as I know. With your family name, I imagine you have roots in the Hebrides, perhaps you even know the old language? You certainly communicate it through your bagpipes!

I do know about the Lewis Chessman, what great connections they make across cultures and through time. A shame some of them are in private hands, but thankful the majority are on public display, albeit in London... Would be great to represent their history using a slider bar!

Interesting links to ESL Youtube vids. Youtube can help with basic oral skills and vocabulary, but like so many one-way instructional modalities, it's very hard to include two-way interaction which is really at the heart of language use. My own ESL teaching is mostly about academic writing, but I'll have a look around YT and see what I see.

Thank you for the invite to Canyon, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, though, too much going on here in NY.

Was great to see you, have a fantastic rest of the summer on The Rock!

All best,
Bede



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July 26, 2019
Hi Bede,

More about Dogger Bank, which is new to me, here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogger_... ... Blogged a bit about this here ... http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/07/coarse-woody-debris-opportunity-to.html ...

Please come to a Garden Party on August 10, Sat., in Canyon, CA 94516 ... if you by any chance happen to be around (Aiden is welcome too) ...

Am having a Garden Party on Saturday afternoon August 10th around 5 pm on my porch in Canyon in honor of summer - it may be a baby shower too. Potluck. We’ll have tea and veggies - hopefully from my garden in a box! Please come and partake in some yummies. (And put your musical instruments in the car .... have invited too some SCD musicians ... who may bring pink and blue Scottish Country Dance sheet music books ... perhaps some of us can explore playing some of these tunes slowly and creatively and in an improvisational way even! Dancing allowed... if we find our way to music-making! )

Greetings from Cuttyhunk island, MA! :) And welcome home!

Take care,
Scott



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July 25, 2019

Hi Bede,

Nice to see you again this morning, and I hope you had a great sea voyage back to Long Island. Found this about Doggerland Bank - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2012/12/doggerland/ - and will keep looking into it.

Here are some blog posts about marine archaeology (as well as Lego robotics that could be adapted to become marine archaeology robotics) - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/05/witch-hazel-stanford-archaeology-randy.html and https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/04/maritime-archaeology-video-of-rover.html and https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/04/stanford-talk-connectivity-and.html.

And here's my blog label about 'ethno-wiki-virtual-world-graphy' as well - http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/ethno-wiki-virtual-world-graphy - and interwoven in here are some about both.

Did you ever do any linguistic work about the outer Hebrides in Scotland, and the time in particular of the Lewis Chessmen 1100-1200s? Here are the Lewis chessmen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_chessmen - and there's a picture here of a so-called berserker too. (See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker). There would be a lot of Norse linguistic influence into this time and place (and Leod may be old Norse for both 'light' or shining or bright, as well as ugly:

Leod in old Norse is Ljótr - https://www.geni.com/people/Leod-1st-Chief-of-Clan-MacLeod/6000000002188078500 & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leod > https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic (& in modern Norwegian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lj%C3%B3t%C3%B3lfr ?) Could Ljótr also mean light
https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1135243283850915840
https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod/status/1135243997830471680

Am quite active on Twitter. Are you there at all?

Here are World University and School's ESL pages -

https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/English_as_a_Second_Language

https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/English_as_a_Second_Language_for_Kids

(https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Subjects)

Brainstorming-wise, am curious how I or you would add excellent free open interactive and conversation resources to this ESL page, in a way that would be helpful for people, and then to build out toward students interested in matriculating in English at WUaS until their first languages' universities at WUaS are up and running for example. Searched on "Best free ESL on youtube" and found https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-english-esl-youtube/ and https://www.teachthought.com/technology/11-best-youtube-channels-learning-english/ - which I may wiki-add soon.

Greetings to Aidan, and very nice to see you again.

Cheers, Scott









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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa
...

Wild garlic: (Allium ursinum): "Loving bliss and practices to elicit this" http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPr... ... where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" among Nontheis

Scott MacLeod
5:45 PM (2 hours ago)
to nontheist-friends

Anita, JohnM, NtFs, All,

Re "Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" ...
here's another public broadcasting perspective on religion from Mark Shields on the PBS News Hour (search on "Religion in the text here) -
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/shields-and-brooks-on-trump-and-race-democrats-2020-values -

where Mark Shields says in a conversation format, from one side of the political commentator aisle: "I mean, there is no abolitionist movement in this country without religion. There is no anti-war movement without religion in its ranks. There is no civil rights movement.

And the Democrats can claim in all three of those."

For Quakers - and many Nontheist Friends too I affirm - religion significantly affirms abolitionism, anti-war (eg Quaker Peace Testimony), and civil rights, as religion, and religion is also an important stream in America (and most of the other ~200 countries in the world, I'd suggest too), and for some NtFs in all of the above senses too too ... Anita, I think religion inform "what value religion has for us nontheists" Friends, and atheist Quakers too, in that NtFs continuing to come into Friendly conversation with Quakerism.  (The NPR broadcast transcript mentions too Scott Atran's thinking, an evolutionary biologist and atheist who seeks to understand religion from these perspectives, and who has long been in the references of both the Nontheist Quakers' Wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheist_Quakers - in English, and also in the Spanish NtQ entry - https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu%C3%A1quero_no_te%C3%ADsta - as well as in the Nontheist Friends (atheist Quakers?) wiki school https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nontheist_Friends_(atheist_Quakers%3F) in English).

In a very different vein re "Translating Religion Into Nontheistic Beliefs" and "what value religion has for us nontheists" re this ...

"Loving bliss and practices to elicit this"
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ...

I seek to explore and share ways to elicit such loving bliss neurophysiology, touching in this letter on departing from the language of religion and spirituality, and with explicit exploration of this re nontheist Friends - "And nontheist F/friends, with the possibility of shaping friendly language that doesn't invoke the supernatural, but where loving bliss arises partly vis-à-vis an emergent language and culture, may also facilitate this." - and also explicitly in the context of Quaker thinking. While I've shared this before with NtFs on this email list, I think, and it's "out of the box" thinking too, this is where I head with "translating religion Into nontheistic beliefs" and "what value religion has for us non-theists."

As George Fox, founder of Quakerism was supposed to have said: "what canst thou say?" ... and I seek to explore this too in wiki conversation  re friendly non-theistic eliciting of I suppose kinds of belief re brain chemistry here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Loving_Bliss_(eliciting_this_neurophysiology) - and potentially with you l https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nontheist_Friends_(atheist_Quakers%3F) . What music or dance or experiences in Silent Meeting, or otherwise move you in these headings?

NtF Cheers, :)
Scott

--

--
- Scott MacLeod - Founder & President
- World University and School
- http://worlduniversityandschool.org

- 415 480 4577
- http://scottmacleod.com

- CC World University and School - like CC Wikipedia with best STEM-centric CC OpenCourseWare - incorporated as a nonprofit university and school in California, and is a U.S. 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt educational organization.




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Before I re-write this:

'Loving bliss and practices to elicit this'
http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm ...





Loving bliss and practices to elicit this
Friends,Here are some thoughts about loving bliss and practices for this, loosely assembled.I'm curious about loving bliss from the perspective of neurophysiology, after the at least thousands of generations that precede us, and with potentially thousands more ahead, for those who have children. I've had many experiences of this, which I don't associate with either religious or spiritual language.I'm not sure people want to read about my experiences, but might instead enjoy reading ways in which they might 'access' loving bliss naturally, although, in brief, here are my experiences with it. Roughly from ages 1-6 were very fun years, coming into language with friends, and with my very fun mother - loving bliss was 'in the air' {i.e. in our bodyminds} ... and here too: on the island where I've grown up in summers in Massachusetts, when I was head sailing instructor there some years ago working with kids, and organizing a talent show in the evenings, and also while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for four months in California and Oregon a year later. I've also experienced loving bliss at North Pacific Yearly Meeting (Quaker) in the early 1980s, and in the pools at Harbin Hot Springs - http://harbin.org - as well as in the milieu of Harbin, and sometimes while contra-dancing, and while listening to Mozart's arias in "The Magic Flute," {e.g. 'Queen of the Night' arias ~> neural cascades of pleasure}, and when I've loved some women in the past – a lot. Loving bliss doesn't occur for me continually in these examples, and these examples represent a variety of qualities of it, but it is these experiences, thoughts and neurophysiology I enjoy, find fascinating and wish to explore further with friends. I've also had these experiences while caring for others. They are each a kind of 'flow' experience (see Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience").Philosophically and neurophysiologically only, I think ecstasy (MDMA - methylene_dioxy_meth_amphetamine) is a fascinating, reference experience. The above experiences all loosely relate to what I imagine MDMA {ecstasy} experiences to offer. Such neurochemistry suggests that these processes are biological, and not supernatural or spiritual (as some might suggest), and ingesting such a compound suggests also that there is a kind of threshold across which these states emerge. While the following definition doesn't fully explain what loving bliss is for me, it does involve experiences that are deeply, gratefully harmonizing, and reciprocally appreciative and affectionate, both with a friend or friends, and alone, as well as profoundly and naturally high at the same time, and which are ongoing, biological, 'flow' experiences. {What is it for you?} So I think one can access loving bliss, and while I'm a little 'wired' for it - I think it's part of my neurophysiology - I'm interested in exploring the threshold effect idea, where we can think about, create and enter into these fugue-like states, naturally and extensively.And while it's part of other people's neurophysiologies - - Kenneth Boulding's (Quaker economist and poet) comment, at Olney Friends' School in Barnesville, Ohio, when asked about his cheeriness: "Oh," (he chortled in his English accent – I've met him before) "it's glandular," - I think loving bliss is accentuated also by idealistic and intelligent discourse.But I haven't had these experiences all the time, and don't have, and I'm curious about accessing this neurophysiology in an almost naturally emergent way, perhaps by doing less - wu wei {non-action in the Taoist writers' Lao Tzu or Chuang Tzu's senses}, - or as if one were surfing a wave, or singing a line of music rapturously and floating on this, or as easily and freely as 'googling' information and surfing the World Wide Web, and how, when, and for as long as one wants. How can one begin to just let loving bliss happen, and then welcome it on and on? {The pacifism, simplicity, integrity, open-endedness and focus on goodness of Quaker, silent meeting, as well as the relaxation response, seems to provide possible bases. How to let loving bliss emerge with awareness, and flower profoundly and profusely as it's beginning to bubble up in one's bodymind are questions, and experiences, I'm exploring. Let's explore this together, over decades.I'm also interested in thinking out of the box – outside familiar patterns and norms, which is something (nontheist) Friends have explored historically (with conscientious objection to war, fighting and violence, for example) - to explore how to access loving bliss fully. Click on the 'notes' here for further thoughts about this - scottmacleod.com/yoga.htm}.How to imagine and envision the kind of loving bliss you want, and then realize this? Sometimes loving bliss just bubbles up for me, - especially in beautiful, natural areas, in the Harbin Hot Springs' pools, and in silent meeting, among many places. While a beautiful place can help cultivate bliss, omega-3 fatty acids (1000 mg flax seed oil, 3-4 times per day with food) may also be helpful. And nontheist friends, with the possibility of shaping friendly language that doesn't invoke the supernatural, but where loving bliss arises partly vis-à-vis an emergent language and culture, may also facilitate this. So, for me, both Harbin Hot Springs with its wonderful milieu, as well as the open-ended form of the unprogrammed, nontheist tradition of the Society of Friends (Quaker), offer interesting contexts in which to explore these questions, neurophysiology and language.I'd love to explore and find ways with you to give rise to the wondrous weather of loving bliss in our bodyminds, whenever we want it, freely and with personal freedom, and in so many ways.Let's communicate further, directly or indirectly, about loving bliss as friends. :)Warm regards,
Scott
For bliss {each of the following can be a rich kind of flow experience, - especially when cultivating bliss; in some ways these are 'technologies' for bliss}:
listening to music (iTunes)arias in Mozart's "Magic Flute," especially  "O zittre nicht" aria (on youtube.com)"The Queen of the Night" ariaYo-Yo Ma playing J.S. Bach's "Cello Suites" (here's the Prelude)Grateful Dead ~ Going Down the Road Feeling Bad Acoustic Blues channel on Pandora.comThe Belleville A Cappella Choir, recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax (on pandora.com)dancing (especially New England contra-dance for me)singing & improvisational, play singingmaking musicplaying and working with kids eating extraordinary foodmaking love, intimacy, sexuality & coitusconversing (mind-expanding & receptive, intellectual conversation) engaging great music, poetry, literature, art, etc.enjoying incredible nature, natural areas, wildflowers, flowers ..., - richlytravelingopening to bliss while moving back and forth between Harbin Hot Springs' hot (113 F / 60 C) & cold (60 F / 15 C) pools shaping a virtual world to explore practices of loving bliss?smiling ~ beaming :))~ What helps you elicit bliss naturally?

For love:reciprocated, ongoing affection for another, a friendexploring love in art, music, and ideas with a dear friend, and/or friendsnameless, loving understandings between friends who love one anotherreceiving and giving warmth and love with a radiant friend


Practice loving bliss:consider using language that works for you as a kind of art or technology to bring these qualities of bliss to your bodymind in a variety of ways> learn loving bliss through practice
{guidelines for practicing loving bliss vis-à-vis practicing a musical instrument}> rekindle a lovingly blissful memory in your bodymind, and let this flower> explore loving bliss {with friends} ~ dream it ~ write about it~ focus on it ~ create it :)
Knowledge-based resources
(starting approaches for exploring loving bliss)
Benson, Herbert and Miriam Z. Klipper. 2000 [1972]. The Relaxation Response. Expanded updated edition. Harper.
http://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Resp..., Mihalyi. 1997. Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465..., Mihalyi. 1991. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Rider & Company.
http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Mihaly-Csi..., Rick, and Greg Hicks. 2004. How We Choose to Be Happy: The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People--Their Secrets, Their Stories. Perigree.
http://www.choosetobehappy.com/explore/index.htmlOasis, Happy Heavenly. 2004. Bliss Conscious Communication: Transmuting Ordinary Chats Into Extraordinary Conversations. New Zealand: Books for Earthlings. ISBN 0473097664.
http://www.happyoasis.com/HappyBooks.htm 





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