Michele Knight's Blog, page 224

Did the Higgs boson create everything from the universe to love?

You’d have to have been stranded on a desert island for the past week or so to have missed the news that the elusive Higgs boson – what some have dubbed the ‘God particle’, appears to have been discovered at last by the team at CERN using the Large Hadron Collider. For those of you who are trying to understand just what a Higgs boson is (aside from something really, really small!), the Higgs boson may explain why everything exists not only in this universe, but in parallel ones but where did it come from?

Eric Nelson in his Washington Post article talks about how some physicists and spiritual protagonists believe that consciousness and thought create reality. I believe our one consciousness or collective consciousness (which we all are part of but living a seperate ‘cells’ unique souls within the whole.) creates reality which brings up interesting philosophical questions about this discovery. But what exactly is the ‘God Particle’?

Imagine the universe BEFORE the Big Bang. We don’t know what existed but any elementary particles of matter would have zoomed around like the speed of light, flowing through our hands (if they existed) like moonbeams. There wouldn’t be any atoms and without atoms there could be no life. Enter the Higgs boson which gives these particles ‘mass’. In other words, the Higgs boson forms an invisible force field which permeates space and ‘glues’ everything together. The discovery of the Higgs boson therefore points to the theory that there is one unified field holding everything together.

Professor Michio Kaku of the City University of New York, explains that the Higgs boson is the match which lit the fuse that triggered the Big Bang and the creation of the universe we see today. He likens the universe before the Big Bang to a crystal. The crystal may have been beautiful but it was useless. He explains: ‘The explosion of the particle broke the original perfect symmetry of this crystal, giving us the broken world we see today of planets, stars, galaxies, you, me – even love.’

Its discovery may only raise more questions than it’s answered as to the nature of reality. Scientists are now hoping this will pave the way to discovering more new forms of matter such as dark matter, higher dimensions and even evidence that the multiverse exists.

‘The Higgs boson takes us to the instant of creation itself. And we can run the video tape before the Big Bang. We can talk about the universe before the creation of the universe itself. If our universe is a soap bubble and that bubble is expanding, there could be other soap bubbles out there, other universes. We’re going to be looking for evidence of a pre-Big Bang universe and other universes.’

The Higgs boson marks the end of a 30 year old search and is the beginning of a new branch of physics which appears to echo what spirituality has taught us for thousands of years – that everything is connected. If science thinks this is the last ‘missing piece’ history tells us otherwise. We are only just starting to unearth the mysteries of the Universe but the answers may well be in the sages of the past who got there first.

 

Creativity – the Doorway to Your Soul

Do you consider yourself a creative person? If you work in what is traditionally thought of as a ‘creative’ profession – perhaps as a writer, artist, musician or actor, or if you have a creative hobby, chances are you answered ‘yes’. But many of you may be sitting reading this and thinking ‘I’m just not the creative type.’ But is that really the case? Perhaps what is needed is a fresh look at how we define creativity.

People have always been aware of the link between creativity and spirituality. When we express ourselves via a creative act we are exploring not only our human potential but our soul potential too. However, to assume that anyone who is expressing themselves creatively via art, music or writing has to be on a more ‘spiritual’ path is incorrect. After all – the term ‘inspiration’ literally means in-spirit. Those ‘Eureka!’ moments that literally seem to come out-of-the-blue that have lead to some of our greatest achievements in science, medicine and the arts. Albert Einstein was travelling to work when he came up with E=MC2. Chemist August Kekule received his inspiration for solving the riddle of the benzene molecule in a dream. Flashes of inspiration which lead to creative breakthroughs yet physics and chemistry would not usually be defined as ‘creative’ professions.

When we come up with a new management system or way to do a project at work we are using our creativity. When we change our thoughts or views on a subject we have used our creativity. When we prepare a meal, play with our children, garden, sew, write in our journals, do a DIY project or re-arrange our wardrobe we are using our creativity. When we prepare a financial plan we are using our creativity. When we find a new route to work that avoids traffic jams we are using our creativity. When we visualise we are most definitely using our creativity! We exercise our creativity in thousands of ways every single day without realising it or thinking of ourselves as creative. So, if we were to ask the question, do you consider yourself a creative person – what would your answer be now?

When we think creatively we are using the right or intuitive side of our brains. Research into neuroplasticity tells us that the brain can grow new neural pathways as a result of us thinking differently. By first thinking of ordinary things we do that we take for granted as creative acts, we open up the way for us to be more creative in our thinking. This encourages the neural growth which in turn leads to not only the ability to come up with more creative solutions but as this is the hemisphere of the brain which is associated with intuition, we therefore increase our capacity for spiritual connection and soul growth. Hence – the long association between creativity and spirituality now makes logical sense.

The fact is – we are all creative beings capable of creating change in our world and the world around us. And creativity is like any other skill – the more we practice – the more creative we will become.

Your free weekly Astrology video 16th July 2012 with Michele Knight

Mercury is retrograde this week and we all have a bit of a test and challenge as a cardinal grand cross brings us a message about any imbalance in our lives.

Should you have sex on the first date?

A friend of mine called me up excited about a first date and asked me if I thought it was OK to have sex on a first date. If you are familiar with my spiritual musings  you’ll know that I always say that each of us has our own unique moral compass and these days what we might consider right or wrong is a lot different to the way people thought a few years ago. We all have to make our own choices for our own spiritual growth and the evolution of our soul.

So in a nutshell, whether you jump into bed with someone on the first date or whether you wait is up to you.  Having said that, I do think that there can be some things to think about before you leap in;

It’s probably a bad idea to have sex with someone on the first date if

- You think you ‘have’ to.  Your body is a sacred vessel and is something to be treated with reverence by you in the first instance and by everyone else wherever you get a say on the subject.  Having sex with someone because you think that’s all you’re worth, or that’s all they want can be a short cut to sadness rather than satisfaction.  You are sacred and loved.

- You’re drunk.  Chucking down a few glasses of wine to help with your shyness can result in you making decisions that you might not make were you sober.

- You think that’s the way to make them call.  It’s never a good idea to bargain with your body. If you’re hopping into bed in the hope that they will fall in love with you, chances are that you’ll end up disappointed and hurt.

- You both want different things.  You want a relationship.  They want a one night stand.  Or visa versa.  And neither of you has checked in with what the other is after.  You don’t want to open yourself to being hurt and nor do you want to hurt anyone else.

- You’re trying to get back at someone else.  It’s important to operate with spiritual integrity and be present to the person you are with, not doing it to take revenge on an ex.

It’s probably okay if

- You both want the same thing.  A night of passion or the start of something amazing – there’s nothing wrong with leaping into bed if you both know where it will take you.

- You’ve taken precautions of all kinds. Please play safely.

- You’re doing it with a clear mind and a clear heart.  And so are they.

Why am I saying all of this?  Because on a psychic level, when we sleep with someone, apart from all of the obvious things that are or could be going on, we are literally weave our psychic energy with theirs in a most profound way.  As I’ve said before, when you leap into bed with someone, you’re in their psychic energy system plus the psychic energy system of anyone else they’ve ever slept with.  That’s what can leave you with a psychic hangover if you aren’t careful.

loads of love,

Michele x

Finding and Freeing the Dream Behind Your Dream

You’ve got a dream. Your dream can be anything from setting up your own business, writing a novel, winning that ‘dream’ job or sailing solo around the world. When we’re looking at goals that involve us achieving something that fuels our soul purpose as opposed to acquiring something material such as say, owning a house or expensive car then very often we need to look at just what is the driving force behind our dream. Of course, that is not to say that owning a home or having a nice car are not worthy goals, but the thing about them is that material goals are usually bi-products of our BIG dream – the success of your business, your ideal job or the sale of your manuscript or the rights to your world-beating adventure mean you can then afford them. What I am talking about here is the dream that ignites your passion and fires up your soul and those dreams usually have a dream that powers them. In other words – a dream behind the dream. So, what’s yours?

Recently on MK, we’ve looked at ‘chunking down’ – reducing the steps we need to take to reach our goals down into small, manageable ones we can tackle right away rather than letting ourselves become overwhelmed and stalled as a result. Chunking down is a powerful tool that can be used in a variety of ways and not just for reducing problems down to size. Chunking down can also be used to discover what drives our dreams by literally cutting them down to size to discover the dream that lurks behind the dream because the secret of successful manifesting is always – go directly to your dream.

It works like this. Say your dream is to have your own business. Write your goal down in the usual way: ‘I have my own successful business’ it is usually better not to limit what the universe can send through . Once you have stated your goal then you can begin the process of discovering what the dream behind it is by chunking it down. You then write ‘So that . . .’

‘I have my own successful business generating an abundant and continuously increasing source of income. So that . . .  I can set and work my own hours’.

Now keep going. Add more ‘so that’s’. Keep adding them until you can’t add any more. For example, you may end up with something like this: ‘I have my own successful business generating an abundant and continuously increasing source of income. So that I can quit my present job which I hate. So that I can buy my own home. So that I can set and work my own hours. So that I can travel more without having to worry about holiday allowances or getting time off.’

When we look at these two examples what we see is one is about experience and the other is about validation. The first ‘dream behind the dream’ of setting up a successful business is to be able to travel more. So, setting up a business that involves travel would be the answer. The second ‘dream behind the dream’ involves recognition and requires a more holistic approach. First, critics are everywhere and unless we believe in ourselves, nobody else will. Secondly – what is this dream really about? It’s not actually about being a movie star. Winning an Academy Award, being on the cover of a glossy magazine –if that’s your dream then there are easier ways to accomplish those goals than landing the lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster. This dream is actually about getting more love.

 

Your ‘So that . . .’ exercise may involve more steps than the examples I’ve used here but you may be amazed to discover what the dream behind your dream actually is. And once you know it – then go directly to it. That’s it. Fill the need BEHIND your dream and then – you’re free to succeed at your dream anyway but until then – you can only succeed in spite of it and why put obstacles in your path?

 

Remember – dreams are usually about more life and you have them for a reason. To live the best life you possibly can. So don’t just dream it – go directly to it!

July and August Spiritual Astrology video overview

2012 is a powerful year for our souls evolution and the evolution of our one consciousness.

Your weekly Astrology video week starting 9th July 2012

This week has some cracking astrology! OK Mercury is retrograde but it is softened by all the sextiles.

9th – Jupiter and Venus conjunct in Gemini trine Mars in Libra

13th – Uranus Retrograde in Aries

15th – Mercury Retrograde in Leo trine Uranus in Aries

15th – Moon, Jupiter and Venus conjunct in Gemini sextile Mercury in Leo sextile

Uranus in Aries

Revise, review, re-think = evolve
Balance your inner energy
Reflect what you are out into the world

For more go to ASTROLOGY KNIGHT (www.astrologyknight.com)

 

 

 

 

Wide Awake and Dreaming – Using Lucid Dreaming to Problem Solve

Recent studies indicate that we can not only manipulate our dreams in a way that goes far beyond sci-fi stories like Inception but we can use our dreams for insight and problems solving as well.

Many of us have experienced what is known as ‘lucid’ dreaming. We become aware we are dreaming within the dream and at that point interact with it – becoming active participants instead of observers. We may tell people we encounter in the dream we know we are dreaming. Or else we may make decisions in the dream as to where we will go or what we will do next. In the film Inception Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team use a combination of drugs and psychological profiling to trigger specific dreams in people which they enter in order to gain information. While nobody yet can enter anybody’s dreamscape, new research points to the fact we can not only design our dreams to order, but use them to access information and problem solve.

Perhaps the most famous example of this in the scientific community is that of German theoretical chemist August Kekule. Searching for the structure of benzene he realized that the atoms did not line up side-by-side as in other molecules. However, it was only when he dreamed of a snake eating its own tail that he came up with the answer – that the atoms were arranged in a circle.

Deirdre Barrett, assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and author of the book The Committee of Sleep: How Artists, Scientists and Athletes Use Dreams for Creative Problem-Solving – and How Your Can Too, has proved that much like the Dom Cobb character in Inception – we can control what we dream. She tells us that if you want to solve a specific problem – first of all think about it before you go to bed. If it lends itself to an image, hold that image in your mind like you do when visualising and let it be the last thing in your mind before falling asleep. If you want to take it one step further, put something next to your bed that visually represents the problem. If you’re looking to solve a problem with a person then try to have a photo of them. If you’re a creative person and blocked then this could be a blank canvas or sheet or paper. If it’s a technical or scientific problem then make it plans or notes.

Dr. Barrett recommends that we don’t immediately jump out of bed when we wake up as we can lose the dream content. If you don’t recall the dream immediately see if you feel a particular emotion. By latching on to this often the whole dream will come flooding back! In a weeklong study 50% of people dreamed of their problems and a fourth solved them via their dreams!

In the 1970’s psycho-physiologist Stephen LaBerge ran a series of experiments at Stamford University which demonstrated the reality of lucid dreaming. He discovered that events that take place in lucid dreams unfold in the same time as they would in real life – contrary to the premise in Inception where dream time was compressed.

Want to dream more lucidly tonight? Dr. LaBerge has the following tips:

Think about dreaming while you are awake.

Keep asking yourself, “Is this a dream?” and also watch out for the unusual. If you’re flying or shoe shopping with Lady Gaga – you’re probably dreaming.

Watch out for text or writing of any kind. In dreams written words will appear different every time you try to read them.

He also recommends a technique called mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). Wake up an hour earlier than usual and recall your last dream. Before going back to sleep think: “The next time I dream, I want to remember I’m dreaming.” Lucid dreams occur most often in the morning just before awakening.

The Buddhists believe life is a dream – we shuttle from one dream to the next. We merely need to wake up and realise we are dreaming.

 

 

How the Internet is Fuelling the New Soul Evolution

Is connectivity our path to the next stage in our soul evolution?  Many believe it may be. When we back look at the massive leaps that have occurred in our consciousness throughout history, these milestones have coincided with an expansion in our ability to communicate and connect with one another. The abolition of slavery and child labour. Women’s suffrage. When we look back in history we see that these movements were all preceded by an expansion of knowledge and communication. As we moved into the industrial age we not only saw the start of mass communication in the form of newspapers appearing thus making more people aware of key issues, but with education becoming available to all, literacy was not just confined to the upper echelons of society. We can therefore say that information like the wheel, has played a key role in our evolution – and continues to do so.

There’s no doubt technology and the internet has changed our lives. But I believe the most exciting thing about the new connectivity that is emerging is its potential to fuel a new phase of our soul evolution. In the same way early newspapers highlighted social issues of the time bringing them to the attention of society, today’s internet and social media performs the same function – but on a global scale. No matter who you are or what you are doing – you now have no place to hide as individuals become their own global media networks thanks to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and the devices that fuel them such as smart phones and tablets.

Scientists are now discovering that while all this technology can be addictive, this in fact may not be as negative as previously thought. For example, Professor Robert E. Kraut who originally conducted tests with internet users which pointed to the internet fuelling addiction and social isolation has reviewed his findings in light of his latest research which links the hormones oxytocin and dopamine to internet use. These are the hormones which the brain produces when we are in love. In other words, connecting with people on-line actually boosts these levels in our brains making us more empathic, sympathetic and open!

We are now moving away from inter-connected networks to ‘environments’ hosted by Cloud technologies where there will be a greater emphasis not on how we connect to others but how we co-create with them. How we are all individual transmitters which has its own unique contribution to make co-creating a system that connects them to every other being – in other words a paradigm shift in our entire consciousness on a planetary level.

If we begin to see ourselves as co-creators – rather than just passive victims of fate, then we become true warriors for evolution and change. The great thing is all of us now have the ability to start to make those changes with the click of a mouse every time we share a story of injustice on the timeline of our Facebook page.

To take it one step further, theoretical physicist Professor Michio Kaku has put forward a theory that human consciousness may be nothing more than information – we may be our own supercomputers which can be downloaded into these portable data storage devices known as human bodies! It seems metaphysics and physics are meeting – not just on-line but at the forefront of human consciousness and our soul evolution.

So do something positive and beautiful online today and know that we are all a virus that spreads!

Your Free Astrology Videos For The Week Starting 2nd July 2012 With Michele Knight