Eccentric Musings

Reznor

2011-12-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' soundtrack for David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, is out now digitally. It features a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O. The creepy, mysterious video for the song features a collage created by Fincher for the title sequence of the film.

Northern lights seen farther south than usual

2011-10-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Northern lights seen farther south than usual

Atlanta (CNN) -- The northern lights came to the Deep South on Monday night, making them visible hundreds of miles farther south than they normally would be.Scientists call it a coronal mass ejection. To the rest of us, the brilliant shades of green, orange and red that danced across the night sky might simply be called beautiful or eerie.The northern tier of the United States -- places like Seattle, Minneapolis or Boston -- is normally the southern limit for the solar flares, meteorologist Jim Branda at the National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tennessee, said. But on Monday night, the display -- also known as the aurora borealis -- could be seen as far south as Oklahoma City, Memphis and Atlanta.The light show was caused by a solar outburst."A storm on the sun's surface was blown off, and the solar wind scattered it," Branda said, explaining what created the natural light show. "The energy and magnetism interact with the earth's atmosphere and the magnetic field."The Twitter universe lit up with comments.Some said the display was "stunning," while others called it "wonderful."Enjoy it while you can, Branda said.The southern light show normally only happens once every three or four years. If the sky is cloudy, it might be seen only once every 10 years in southern states, according to Branda

Historical Revolutions and Sun Spot Cycles

2011-10-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Remark on the Occurrence of Revolutions

FOREWORD TO "A REMARK ON THE THE OCCURRENCE OF REVOLUTIONS"

BORIS SIDIS

The following paper is timely and interesting from a scientific point of view in general and from a psychological standpoint in particular. The present European war is well termed a world war, the greatest war of nations on the records of history, a war shaking social organizations with their conflicting instincts and passions to the very foundations. This world maelstrom in which nations, large and small, are caught unawares is fraught with events no one can foresee, with consequences no contemporary can conceive. We have the good fortune of living in one of the greatest epochs in the history of mankind. Revolutionary changes are taking place on a gigantic scale under our very eyes without our realization of their trend and significance. We are in the midst of the mad whirl of this raging world hurricane so that our mental vision is obscured, our mind is paralyzed by the very magnitude of the furious struggle of frenzied social and psychic forces. No scientist, no statesman can forecast any of the consequences, or estimate the meaning of the profound and extensive transformations rapidly taking place in the nature of society and man. This much we seem to feel and know, that humanity is in labor with big events which are far beyond our ken, that society is in the throes of a new social order the character or even the outlines of which cannot be discerned in this infernal confusion of supreme struggle of social elements and human passions. Man and society are now being forged into new forms, hammered by Vulcan blows of war and revolt.

2011-10-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

Helioviewer application

Helioviewer.org is a web-based visualization tool for solar physics data based on the JPEG 2000 image compression standard. JPEG 2000 offers many useful new features and has the potential to revolutionize the way high-resolution image data are disseminated and analyzed. Using JPEG 2000, we can serve data to a client in highly compressed, quality progressive, and region-of-interest based form. These features make it possible to minimize the data transmitted while maximizing the use of the data that is transmitted. This is especially relevant for solar physics since NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is currently generating more than a terabyte of image data per day. Providing efficient access to such large data volumes at both high spatial and high time resolution is of paramount importance to support scientific discovery.

Tchijevsky’s Theory of Sunspot Activity and Human Activity

2011-10-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

To test his hypothesis that sunspot cycle influenced human activity, Tchijevsky constructed an Index of Mass Human Excitability covering each year form 500 BC to 1922 AD. He then investigated the histories of 72 countries during that period, noting signs of human unrest such as wars, revolutions, riots, expeditions and migrations, plus the numbers of humans involved. Tchijevsky found that fully 80% of the most significant events occurred during the 5 years of maximum sunspot activity.

Tchijevsky, a Russian scientist, who presented a paper to the American Meteorological Society at Philadelphia in the late 19th century. He prepared a study of the history of mass human movement compared to the solar cycle, beginning with the division of the Solar cycle into four parts: 1) Minimum sunspot activity; 2) increasing sunspot activity; 3) maximum sunspot activity; 4) Decreasing sunspot activity. He then divided up the agitation of mass human movements into five phases:

provoking influence of leaders upon masses
the “exciting” effect of emphasized ideas upon the masses
the velocity of incitability due to the presence of a single psychic center
the extensive areas covered by mass movements
Integration and individualization of the masses

By these comparisons he constructed an “Index of Mass Human Excitability” covering each year from 500 B.C. to 1922 A.D. He investigated the histories of 72 countries in that period, noting signs of human unrest such as wars, revolutions, riots, expeditions and migrations, plus the number of humans involved. Tchijevsky found that fully 80% of the most significant events occurred during the years of maximum sunspot activity. He maintained that the “exciting” period may be explained by an acute change in the nervous and psychic character of humanity, which takes place at sunspot maxima.

Tchijevsky discovered that the solar minimum is the lag period when repression is tolerated by the masses, as if they lacked the vital energy to make the needed changes. He found that during the sunspot maximum, the movement of humans is also at its peak. Tchijevsky’s study is the foundation of sunspot theory on human behavior, and as Harlan True Stetson, in his book Sunspots and Their Effects (available from BSRF), stated, “Until, however, someone can arrive at a more convincing excitability quotient for mass movements than professor Tchijevsky appears yet to have done, scientists will be reluctant to subscribe to all the conclusions which he sets forth.” Stetson did acknowledge that the mechanism by which ultraviolet radiation is absorbed was still a puzzle biologists had to solve.

The mechanism behind the stimulation of human behavior is still a mystery, but the theories of Georges Lakhovsky may shed some light. He considered his book, “The Secret of Life” (reprinted by BSRF), the extension of a scientific hypothesis of a new theory of life. The Sun is one of Earth’s primary sources of cosmic radiation. While the Sun does produce its own radiations, solar winds actually capture passing cosmic dust and radiation and blow it into the earth’s atmosphere. While it may seem frightening to some, this can actually be considered the Primal Vibration that sets the cells vibrating with Vital Force. This is the Prana, that Cosmic Breath, which is meant to vitalize man, and is the source for our evolution.

Sunspots and Human Behavior

Summer Mailaise

2011-10-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

After the sun reaches its furthest point from the sun, sometime after July 4th there is a gradual momentum shift for the planet as a whole. The relative slowness of the orbit of the earth around the sun at this furthest point, begins to shift as the earth will quicken its velocity through the ether of space with increasing rapidity.

But this transition is not as abrupt as the turning of the season around the perihelion. Unlike the frenzy of winter holidays* and subsequent depressive fall off

There is a moment of rest in the eco-pyscho-system system as earth slowly gathers momentum. This period is a specific period in the summer from the end of July on through the dog days.

Traditionally Dog Days and the psycho-physical shift attributed to them has been related to the heat of summer, and the obvious effects that heat has on slowing things down in their blooming glory.

But if you reconsider this in terms orbital variations, it seems obvious that he elliptical quality of the orbit also accounts for the seasonal variations in the collective consciousness.

Its is easy to confuse the obvious causes with the more subtile mechanisms. One can not readily determine the relative distance to the sun from personal observations. However temperature, the angle of the sun, the length of days, these are easy to grasp as being the cause of most notables seasonal things. However the million mile difference and a substantial velocity difference seem equally as likely sources for some of these affects.

Who has studied the elements of chronobiology which have to do with orbital, as opposed to axial dynamics?

*northern hemisphere winter

SOLAR ACTIVITY UPDATE: Sunspot 1319 will effect earth

2011-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Do Sunspots cause global warming?

2011-10-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

The Solar Diety

The other weather theory

2011-09-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sunspots and geoengenring

2011-08-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

my panoramio photos

2011-06-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

I recently learned how to widgetize my photos from Panoramio as a stream on the blog. The best feature of Panoramio is that it integrates with Google Earth.

Plasma Changes in the Solar System

2009-11-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

The increasing amount of plasma that has been entering our solar system over the last couple of decades has been receiving a lot of attention in the run up to 2012. A Russian team of scientists, headed by the planet physicist Dr. Alexey Dmitriev, has been following this phenomenon. Their research suggests that this influx of plasma may be responsible for some of the recent dramatic climate changes

http://www.realitysandwich.com/polar_reversals

Jevons and solar cycles

2009-07-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

In 1875 and 1878, Jevons read two papers before the British Association which expounded his famous "sunspot theory" of the business cycle. Digging through mountains of statistics of economic and meteorological data, Jevons argued that there was a connection between the timing of commercial crises and the solar cycle. The basic chain of events was that variations in sunspots affect the power of the sun's rays, influencing the bountifulness of harvests and thus the price of corn which, in turn, affected business confidence and gave rise to commercial crises. Jevons changed his story several times (e.g. he replaced his European harvest-price-crisis logic with an Indian harvest-imports-crisis channel). However flimsy his explanations, Jevons believed that the periodicity of the solar cycle and commercial crises -- approximately 10.5 years, by his calculations -- was too coincidental to be dismissed. Needless to say, all this was a bit on the cranky end...

TERENCE MCKENNA - The Shamen Re-Evolution

2009-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Shamen Re-Evolution
terrence mckenna with future sounds of london

The New Yorker Magazine - How Medical Marijuana is Transforming the Pot industry

2008-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times - Marijuana's damaging effects

2008-08-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Marijuana's damaging effects
Scientists say pot's health-related risks are real but small in some instances

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the country -- an estimated 25 million Americans smoked it within the last year and close to 100 million have smoked it at least once in their life, according to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Rates and severity of marijuana addiction pale in comparison to that of legal addictive drugs, alcohol and nicotine, according to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, a panel of independent experts advising the British government, in a rare head-to-head, scientific comparison.

(more)

Alan Watts & The 4 Kalpas

2008-07-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Alan Watts (1915-1973) who held both a master's degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and Indian and Chinese philosophy in general. He authored more than 20 excellent books on the philosophy and psychology of religion, and lectured extensively, leaving behind a vast audio archive. With characteristic lucidity and humor Watts unravels the most obscure ontological and epistemological knots with the greatest of ease

Rembrandt's Self-Portraits

2008-07-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

A selection of morphed Rembrandt self-portraits.

Quantum Mysticism

2008-06-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

The New York Times - California Marijuana Issues

2008-06-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Marijuana Hotbed Retreats on Medicinal Use

By JESSE McKINLEY -NYTIMES Published: June 9, 2008

Medical marijuana was legalized under state law by California voters in 1996, and since then 11 other states have followed, even though federal law still bans the sale of any marijuana. But some frustrated residents and law enforcement officials say the California law has increasingly and unintentionally provided legal cover for large-scale marijuana growers — and the problems such big-money operations can attract.

Read full coverage at the link below

*eccentric item of note* - The multi-media sidebar items are especially interesting.
NYTIMES Medicial Marijuana Issue Page

Van Gogh Self Portrait Morph

2008-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Fantastic morphing montage of the most famous self-portratists of all time (along with Rembrandt)

wall-painted animation by Blu

2008-05-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

walking from blu on Vimeo.

www.urbandictionary.com define term= avatart

2008-05-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

avatart

A graphical representation of a person that is overtly sexual or over revealing.

"Lindsey's avatart generated a great deal of interest in her postings."

Zeitgeist

2008-05-18T13:37:00.001-07:00

his Masters Voice

2008-04-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Fred has the most personality per pound of any dog I know. And he's a husky little dog so that's a lot of personality.

Here's his version of the classic RCA Victrola add

CBS 60 Minutes TV - Medical Marijuana

2008-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dr Rupert Sheldrake attacked with knife

2008-04-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Biologist Attacked with Knife by Japanese Assailant at conference in Santa Fe

Bunnies, Rabbits & Art from bunnylicious.org

2008-03-20T11:54:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER

Bunnysicious serves up rabbits, bunnies and hares of every grotesque configuration fill to form a kind of compendium of modern riffs on the bunny in this

brilliant site

Star Wars vs. Saul Bass

2008-03-04T19:08:00.001-08:00

Yet another mash-up

Blade Runner - The Final Cut

2008-02-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

The latest incarnation of Riddley Scott's epic "Blade Runner" has been given another editing treatment, and this is the best version by far. YouTube Trailer

The original Blade Runner (1982) was the most visionary re- imagining of the SF film, a film noir exploration of a dirty, morally ambigious future of human vs replicant, master vs slave. Unlike the utopian clean corridors of Star Wars and Logan's Run, we were presented with a future which seemed possible, if all to near if it was only forty years in the future.

The film itself had a profound impact on the direction, the look, and the vibe of science fiction. Even though 'cyber-punk'-ish stories and visiuals had been in Heavy Metal in the late 70s, the aesthetic was made real in 1980 by Blade Runner. Neuromancer by William Gibson added the element of the cyber-space and we were off to the races.

However the film had a few glaring inconsistencies, due to the sketchy production deal between the creatives and the distributers - a story that is brilliantly laid out in the documentary, Dangerous Days-The Making of Blade Runner. These movie making problems, translated to the equivalent of a splinter in the finger: small but annoying and impossible to get your mind off of once discovered.

So its better now. All the technical and story telling elements are now consistant. You can like any version that you choose * there are four including the original work-print! *. But this one is the undoubtably the best because now we can focus on the more crucial issue:

Why is Blade Runner important? What does it mean? And why is it worth spending so much time and effort to get it right?

Rolling Stone's Top 25 South Park Moments

2008-01-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

When its funny, nothing is funnier than South Park. The most consistently subversive content on tv.

My Favorite YouTube Clips

2008-01-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

A glorious Accident Part 2

2008-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Part 2 from a set of interviews and philosophical questions with six scientists and thinkers-about-science, this volume culminates in a long round table discussion among the six: Oliver Sacks, Daniel Dennett, Stephen Jay Gould, Freeman Dyson, Rupert Sheldrake and Stephen Toulmin.

Directed by Wim Kayzer, a popular Dutch journalist, specializing in cultural and scientific topics. A Glorious Accident, the series was shown in 1993 on Dutch television and in the United States on WNET TV in 1994.

A glorious Accident Part 1

2008-01-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

A set of interviews and philosophical questions with six scientists and thinkers-about-science, this volume culminates in a long round table discussion among the six: Oliver Sacks, Daniel Dennett, Stephen Jay Gould, Freeman Dyson, Rupert Sheldrake and Stephen Toulmin.

Directed by Wim Kayzer, a popular Dutch journalist, specializing in cultural and scientific topics. A Glorious Accident, the series was shown in 1993 on Dutch television and in the United States on WNET TV in 1994.

new portfolio examples

2007-12-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Digital Mystic is my latest flash example This is part of the portfolio I've been putting together highlighting some of my projects. In many cases I've also created the imagery.

10 best moments from Family Guy & Robot Chicken Star Wars

2007-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

10 best moments

I happen to like Robot Chicken version more. But I especially love the argument between Family Guy characters Peter and Chris about the merits of each show. The inside joke is that Seth Green is the producer of RC and also the voice of Chris on FG, and Seth McFarland is the creative force behind FG as well as the voice of Peter.

Its more obvious than ever that Star Wars is the epicenter of American Post-Modernism.

Eliptical Orbit

2007-10-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Earth’s velocity around the sun is not constant throughout the year, what is the affect of this asymmetrical orbit on organisms on the planet?

Are there measurable events which indicate evidence for shifts in seasonal cycles based on orbital variations? For example, is there a worldwide psycho-energetic rise and fall of earth’s energy?

Could the earth’s elliptical orbit be the cause of various mood psycho-energetic phenomena experienced throughout the year?

What is the mechanism? Is there a way to test this theory? Is there evidence let alone proof? Is this pseudo-science or paradigm revision in process. As consciousness embraces the idea of cyclical eras ending / beginning should we not also explore how the ordinary solar cycles are mirrored in the internal microcosm

Seasonality and Disease

2007-09-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

New Research confirms that birth month has a marked effect on which diseases an individual may be predisposed to though out life.

It seems that fetal development is somehow affected by the time of conception. Demonstrable clusters of disease are associated with certain months and seasons.

People who are born in December are quite possibly healthier than the rest of us--and a lot healthier than those born in March. Medical experts from a variety of prestigious research institutions, including Stanford University, Southwest Missouri State University, and Stanley Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Md., have independently found a link between the month in which you were born and a predisposition to certain illnesses, reports ABC News. If there is any explanation between birth month and disease it is most likely environmental, although no study has been able to prove a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. For example, fetal exposure to a virus in the second trimester of pregnancy when neurodevelopment begins may be linked to schizophrenia.

What diseases and disorders are most common for each birth month?

ABC News compiled this list:

JANUARY Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, respiratory syncytial virus
FEBRUARY Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, epilepsy
MARCH Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, narcolepsy, Hodgkin's disease, multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, epilepsy
APRIL Leukemia, dyslexia, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, ALS
MAY Dyslexia, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson's disease
JUNE Anorexia, diabetes, dyslexia, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson's disease, and celiac disease
JULY Diabetes, celiac disease, dyslexia, learning disabilities
AUGUST Diabetes, celiac disease, autism, Crohn's disease
SEPTEMBER ADHD, asthma
OCTOBER Asthma, eczema
NOVEMBER Asthma, eczema, respiratory syncytial virus
DECEMBER Respiratory syncytial virus

The medical experts agree that while there appears to be a pattern between birth month and disease, none of this is a prediction for what will happen to specific individuals. In addition, more research is needed to figure out how a person's birth month actually influences his or her health.

----------

Seasonal rhythms in physical and mental health have been observed to exist since at least 400 BC, when Hippocrates stated

“Whoever wishes to investigate medicine properly should proceed thus: In the first place to consider the seasons of the year and what effect each of them produces“.

A variety of rhythms are affecting a human’s everyday life. For example, human life is greatly influenced by environmental cycles, such as day and night oscillations, tides, calendar months, lunar periodicity, and seasons of the year (Hyman 1990). The word “rhythm“ is defined in many ways depending on, whether it is used to describe music, speech, rhymes, dance, and mathematical or biological functions. In all cases a rhythm may be defined to be a flow, movement or procedure characterised by a basically regular recurrence of elements or features (Pauly 1980).

There is a broad spectrum of rhythms that operates simultaneously within a human’s biological processes, for example the heart rate and the menstrual cycle. These rhythms are called endogenous, because they arise from within the human organism. Simultaneously, there is a broad spectrum of external rhythms in the natural environment of a human. These rhythms are called exogenous, because they arise from outside the human organism. Many of these rhythms have specific phase relationships with each other, which means that they interact and synchronise each other (Haus et al. 1980, Pauly 1980).

The studies on the seasonal and other rhythmic patterns in mental disorders and their associated features are mainly based on the methodology of two scientific disciplines – psychiatric epidemiology and chronobiology. Psychiatric epidemiology has applied a variety of methods and designs of epidemiology to examine causal hypotheses relevant to the aetiology of mental disorders, whether they are social, psychological or biological (Tango 1984, Pickles 1998). Epidemiologists have been interested in cyclical clusterings of an illness over time such as a seasonal variation, because it may suggest causality due to specific factors, usually with emphasis on environmental factors, as for example with the occurrence of certain infectious diseases (Smolensky 1987). On the other hand, biological rhythms and their mechanisms are the main topic of the science of chronobiology (Halberg 1980). To chronobiologists, the cyclical clustering of illnesses points to the possible contribution of biorhythmic phenomena in the occurrence of human diseases and/or the contribution of both exogenous and endogenous cyclic phenomena (Smolensky 1987).

Although epidemiologist have studied rhythmic patterns in human diseases, mostly in terms of the prevalence or incidence, they have been criticised for not having sufficiently well enough considered relevant biorhythmic phenomena in their pursuits (Smolensky 1987, Smolensky & D’Alonzo 1988). However, recent studies have shown that there is an increasing tendency to highlight the role of seasonally regulated environmental factors on internal biological processes in seasonality studies of mental disorders (Fossey & Shapiro 1992).

The most popular method to examine seasonal or other cyclic patterns of events has been to investigate them with data aggregates of monthly or seasonal values of events (see, for example, Kevan 1980, Chew & McCleary 1997). In addition, seasonal trends have been analysed, for example, according to the days of a week (Massing & Angermeyer 1985, Nakamura et al. 1994, Joukamaa 1995), times of a day (O’Donnell et al. 1992, Schmidtke 1994, Joukamaa 1995, Joukamaa 1997), phases of the lunar cycle (Martin et al. 1992), dates of birth (Baker & Lester 1986, Lester 1986) and daylight saving time changes (Shapiro et al. 1990). Some investigators have compared suicide rates between weekdays and weekends (Zung & Green 1974, Pirkola et al. 1999b) and the days of major national holidays or a period around them (Zung & Green 1974, Jones & Jones 1977, Lester 1979, Phillips & Wills 1987, Nakamura et al. 1994, Jessen et al. 1999b). Birthdays associated with the timing of an event, like a suicide, has also been examined (Nakamura et al. 1994). Phillips et al. (1999) compared the number of deaths of the first week of a month with the number of deaths in the last week of the preceding month.

"Solstice"

2007-07-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

"Solstice" is a Latin word, and originally derived from sol sun + status, the past participle of sistere to come to a stop, cause to stand.

This makes sense if you think about the solstice as the sun's path reaching an endpoint and then turning around and going the other way. During the few days during which this direction change is occurring, it will appear that there is actually no movement at all.

Much can be said about the sensation of perihelion. There is a huge revving up leading to that time and then a pause (silent night et al.) and then a strong falling away feeling as the acceleration reverses itself and moves away from the sun.

Its just another way of attributing the coincidental closeness of the winter solstice and the perihelion. And it is certainly debateable which is the cause, or to what degree the interaction of these 2 events influences any behavior.

But the evidence that holidays in ancient cultures from around the world coincide and celebrate similar memes (light vs darkness) then it is arguable that the winter holiday

Persia and Babylon

2007-07-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

In Persia and Babylon, the festival was called Sacaea. This appears to be the original tradition in which masters and slaves traded roles and in which one of the slaves was appointed head of the household.

As played out in ancient Babylon, in proper season the king would repair to the temple dedicated to Marduk, be stripped of his insignia by the chief priest and swear that in the past year he had done nothing wrong. The chief priest then would speak for Marduk and re-invest the king with his kingdom. We can see how the priestly class simultaneously protected its power and provided an explanation for terrifying, unexplainable natural events.

Epiphany (holiday)

2007-07-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Epiphany (Greek for "to manifest" or "to show"), is a Christian feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. The feast falls on January 6. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus on this day, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, his manifestation as the Son of God to the world.

Compitalia – Late December or Early January

2007-07-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Compitalia – Late December or Early January Originally the Compitalia was a movable feast, one of the most important of the Feriae Conceptivae, whose dates were fixed by various presiding authorities including the consuls, praetor, priestly colleges or minor religious or political dignitaries. During the early Empire, its dates were fixed at Januarius 3rd to 5th. The president of each insula would sacrifice a hen on a temporary altar at the local crossroads. This signaled the beginning of three days of celebration.

But it was in the country, where the festival probably had its origin, that each landowner would build a small shrine with altar at the boundary with his neighbor. There he placed a plough and a wooden doll for each person in his household. The festival the next day was inaugurated by a sacrifice which purified the farm for the coming year. As part of the celebration, slaves were given extra rations including wine and the foreman in charge of the estate (the vilicus) and his wife deigned to dine with them. In this it shared characteristics with the Saturnalia and it may be that originally the landowner would celebrate Saturnalia with his slaves in Rome and then Compitalia with the slaves on his estate. Later the vilicus probably came to represent the master.

That the Compitalia was one of the most important festivals can be seen from the fact that it was one of the few that Macrobius reported as still being observed in the fourth century AD. It may have a more modern successor in ceremonial blessings of the fields.

Saturnalia - The Ancient Winter Celebration

2007-07-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

What Day is the Earth Farthest from the Sun?

2007-07-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself what day of the year the Earth is farthest from the Sun?

a) December 21st

b) July 4th
c) March 21
d) It changes every year
e) None of the Above

The answer is (b) - July 4th

July 4th is in fact the day the earth is furthest from the sun in its yearly eccentric elliptical orbit. This most distant point is called aphelion. As you are celebrating the rocket's red glare and the bombs bursting in air as a show of your patriotism, shift your consciousness for a brief moment. Celebrate that you are at the furthest point you'll be this year from the sun, the giver and sustainer of all life on our precious planet. That we are all together in this endless journey.

HAPPY JULY 4th. HAPPY APHELION!

If you pass this astronomical tidbit on to your friends over a cold beer you may also take note that you are one of the few people who knows what day the earth is furthest from the sun. But you may find yourself asking how July the fourth could be the farthest from the sun? The Fourth of July? Its a summer holiday! Do you think that's the wrong answer? It is counter-intuitive but its most certainly not wrong. And if you are like most people, you've never really given it any thought before. In the northern hemisphere it seems even more confusing, since the hot summer climate seems to contradict the obvious heat and light changes that must be associated with being closer or further from a star, right?

Most people are surprised to learn that the distance of the sun in its orbit around the sun changes throughout the year. [Actually answer (d) above is also somewhat true, since the actual day does fluctuate a few hours year to year] The solstices and equinox are on the 21st of March, June, September and December. These are caused by 23º tilt of the earth on its axis. This is the cycle of the equinoxes, revered by druids and shaman is observable as the sun seems to rises and sets in patterns moving along the horizon. Days and nights growing longer and shorter with the seasons is the usual association made between the seasons and the solar cycle.

However this has nothing whatsoever to do with Earth's distance to the sun.

Dates and times of aphelion and perihelion* of Earth:
*Perihelion is the time of year when the earth is closest -- January 4th.

2008-Jan-03 00:00 Earth at perihelion .983280065957433 AU (91,421,133 miles or 147,096,604 km)

2008-Jul-04 08:00 Earth at aphelion 1.01675351039063 AU (94,533,350 miles or 152,104,160 km)

Notice that this is a difference of about 3,000,000 miles. That is a big number, and one which is usually not taken into account when people think about the seasons and cycles of the year. In fact sunlight is about 7% less intense in July than it is in January.

The earth is also moving with its slowest velocity at this time of year. From July 4th and for the rest of the year the earth will increase its acceleration towards its closest pass around the planet - right after the holiday season.

You now know that July 4th is the slowest and farthest point our planet extends from the sun. Next consider the perihelion the closest and fastest point, four days after the Gregorian New Year.

Some of you may have heard before my extensive speculations regarding the relationships between the earth's eccentric orbit, the mind-body relationship, seasonality, cognitive sciences, Quantum Mysticism, archeoastronomy, alchemy, chronobiology, shamanism, ayurveda , conventional western medicine, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter depression & holiday stress, the collective unconscious and mass consciousness. My inquiries are somewhat eccentric in and of themselves and this is admittedly terra incognita - largely unexplored material within the confines of rationalistic science. I am reminded that all orbits are eccentric, some faster, some more uniform in motion. Kepler's Law states that eccentricity is the nature of an orbit around a source. Some orbits are just more off-center than others.

If this subject interests you please see my other postings under the Kepler tag

State Dependent Learning

2007-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ritucharya: Ayurvedic Seasonal Regimen

2007-07-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ritucharya: Ayurvedic Seasonal Regimen

Weather changes according to season. These changes in the atmosphere affect all living beings. Some changes are beneficial, while others are detrimental. In order to achieve maximum benefits from the good qualities of the atmosphere and protection from the bad effects, Ayurveda has prescribed certain guidelines about diet and life style called seasonal regimen i.e Ritucharya.

Two energy principals, Hot and Cold (ie, Yang and Yin), govern all activities in the universe. Based on this, the entire time span of the year has been divided in to two parts, Accumulation (Adana) and Release (Visarga)

During accumulation period (Adana), between Winter Solstice and Summer solstice, there is a dominance of “Sun or heating” principle (Pitta Energy). Due to increasing heat, hot and dry qualities increase. So Dhatus deplete and physical strength becomes less and the incidence of disease is high.
During the release period (Visarga), between Summer solstice and Winter solstice, there is a dominance of “moon or cool” principle (Kapha energy). The strength of all living beings increases. Immunity becomes strong so the disease incidence is low.

We can neither control Mother Nature nor the changes in it. To balance the seasonal changes Ayurveda has described some guidelines called seasonal regimen or Ritucharya.
Due to changes in the season, doshas have the cycle of Sanchaya (accumulation), Prakopa (aggravation), Prashama (palliation). These changes reflect in our bodies so we need to adjust our routine i.e diet and life style to prevent the imbalance.

Dosha cycle in a year:

Kapha is aggravated in Spring (mid February to mid June), Pitta in Summer (mid June to mid October) and Vata in Fall and Winter (mid October to mid February).

It is not really the calendar, but nature itself that tells us when the Dosha will be influenced. Therefore one should not indulge in things like food and acts, which are likely to increase or provoke the respective doshas.

On the other hand one should resort to Vamana or herb induced emesis in early winter, Virechana or herb induced purgation in summer and Basti or herb induced enema in fall and winter. To eliminate Kapha, Vata and Pitta by carrying out this measures one can prevent seasonal diseases.

In India, the whole year is divided into 6 seasons.

In the US, there is a vast difference in the weather pattern in different states.

In Ritucharya, the same Dinacharya should be followed. Ritucharya fine-tunes it, depending upon the individual Constitution.

(many thanks to James Bailey for this excellent information. visit his excellent website for more information regarding Ayurveda and Oriental Medicine )

2007-06-13T13:41:00.001-07:00

Kepler’s second law states that the radius vector describes equal areas in equal times. In other words, for a circular orbit the motion of the planet is uniform, but in order for an object along an elliptical orbit to sweep out the areas at a uniform rate, the object moves quickly when the radius vector is short and the object moves slowly when the radius vector is long.

More simply stated: planets sweep out equal areas in equal times and move fastest when closest to the focus of the orbit.

Therefore when a planet is at it furthest point (aphelion) it is also moving slowest. When it is at its closest point (perihelion) it is moving fastest. The velocity of the object in orbit is constantly changing depending upon the eccentricity of the orbit. The more circular the object, the more regular the speed variations. The more eccentric the orbit the greater the change in angular momentum from closest to farthest point.

2007-06-13T13:40:00.001-07:00

Traditionally the seasons were marked out as the planet runs through its yearly orbit around the sun. The seasons were on a continual cycle that reflects, the recognition of this psyco-energic shift. The axial tilt causes one half of the Earth and then the other to point more directly toward the sun. This is the reason that the day to night ratio is constantly changing from the longest day on the summer solstice (June 21st) to the shortest on the winter solstice - December 21st. It seems logical that dividing the year into two equal parts (four if we include the vernal and autumnal equinoxes) is the best means to account for seasonal phenomena and the affects associated with them.

The length of the day obviously influences the processes on our planet. However there is also another process which strongly influences the yearly cycle. It is the fact that the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is asymmetrical. This observation was first made in the fifteenth century by the astronomer Johannes Kepler (right) who stated in his first law that planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus. Circular orbits are a special case where both foci are in the same place. (Such perfectly circular orbits are almost non-existent in nature)

23.5 degree tilt of the earth.

2007-06-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

It is well known that the seasons are due to the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth on its axis. This accounts for the most obvious feature of the year; that days and nights are longer and shorter depending on the season.

But this is not the only thing which distinguishes the year and the seasons

2007-06-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Many seasonal conditions ranging from seasonal affected disorder [SAD], to winter holiday stress, summer malaise, bipolar mood cycles, and perhaps other heretofore unaccounted for recurrent seasonal phenomena, have faulty or flawed current explanations for their relationship to the solar year. A number of disciplines openly acknowledge that the mechanism for seasonality is not well understood.

As of yet this area of chronobiology has not as been thoroughly studied. But it is entirely possible that the change in proximity to the Sun is a perceptible feeling, and even exagerated within certain populations.

What’s more, these internal ‘bio-rhythms’ are furthermore evidenced throughout human history. The timing of certain modern celebrations of traditional seasonal holidays, demonstrates further evidence of a connection between perihelion effect and the internal human alchemy. Holidays are clues as to ancient methods of paying homage to the source of holiday rituals and legends since ancient times. By a deconstruction of the pattern of holiday celebrations another deeper understanding of the seasonal cycle is demonstrated.

Self Study and the Cosmos

2007-03-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

I think that the ancients realized the alchemical relationship between the solar cycle and the human being the through somatic yoga and self study.

By observing the body's cycle superimposed over the calendar's these sages and shamen made predictions based on their understanding of the celestial dynamics. As records and observations improved, the calendar has changed significantly and holidays moved to suit these observations. The heliocentric understanding of universe seemed absurd until Galileo re-interpreted the existing data into a new paradigm. The world remained unchanged, but our understanding of it was forever transformed.

If you look at holidays (most of which pre-date our present calendar systems) they all acknowledge the winter solstice as a significant date. I think that this is because the winter solstice is the most basic astronomical marker that pre-industrial peoples had for the perihelion (the point that earth is closest to the sun) -- Think Stonehenge. That's why Christmas, Diwali, Hanukah, New Years are all celebrations of the 'holiday spirit' . That's why people are all hyped up around the holidays. Not only because they are being affected by social pressures like family, but because the earth is moving fast and close to the sun. The earth is in fact 2.3 million miles closer to the sun in January than in July. Orbital mechanics require that the length of the seasons be proportional to the areas of the seasonal quadrants, so when the eccentricity is extreme, the seasons on the far side of the orbit can be substantially longer in duration. When autumn and winter occur at closest approach, as is the case currently in the northern hemisphere, the earth is moving at its maximum velocity and therefore autumn and winter are slightly shorter than spring and summer. Thus, summer in the northern hemisphere is 4.66 days longer than winter and spring is 2.9 days longer than autumn.

This explains the autumn agitation (a time of fasting a reflection i.e Ramadan and Jewish high holidays which require repentance) The creepy feelings of Halloween and Day of the Dead, In fact this holiday is ancient. The ancient Romans celebrated November 1 as the day when dead ancestors walked the earth. The autumn feast as the body takes on more and more energy from the sun, the frenzy of the holiday build up, then a brief moment of calm as we round the bend (christmas, new years, etc) followed a quick change of direction and a fall off into depression, weight gain, seasonal affected disorder. The balance returns around early spring, (although this recovery is itself augmented by the natural human hormonal mating cycles of springtime). Lastly are the torpor of the dog days which I guess are not caused by summer heat but the maximal distance and minimal orbital velocity of the earth in July and August.

In sum; the traditional winter holidays, astrology, calendar are all memorializing the seasonal feelings of change within the person rather than the relative position of the sun to the horizon. Not the other way around.

This is akin to the mistake that people commit when they think that the rationale for astrology is that the stars lining up in some cyclical patterns, effects events on the planet and within the individual. Objectively is seems ludicrous to think that the gravitation of far off bodies like planets and stars can affect the individual here on earth. But what if the stars are not the cause of the effect, but rather just the yardstick we measure the effect by. In prehistory the stars were seen as the keepers of time. From the perspective of a clock there is more truth to the positions of stars ruling the goings on her on planet earth. If the eccentric orbit of the earth creates some inherent cycle, then charting the positions of stars is a legitimate way to express that cycle. The sun is a much more likely candidate for influencing happenings on earth. Science now indicates that birth month influences the illnesses that we will have during life. Is this not also similar to the assertions of astrology and systems of internal alchemy which ascribe personality templates depending on when the person is born?

As I say this theory is a work in progress, however the more I read the more it seems to ring true. Possible paradigm shift?

Post - perihelion phenomena

2007-01-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

If this hypothesis is correct there should be a rapid and markedly difference in mood after January 4th.

Indeed there is. Right after new year we start to hear about the need to fight depression and start dieting . The assumption being that over-consumption at the holiday feast was the cause rather than a symptom of some more general somatic response.

Depression peaks at this period of rapid recession from the closest point 2 weeks before.

There was an statistician who calculated that January 21 is the worst day of the year.

After that February depression is augmented by hormonal spring mating drives. Suicides increase in March. School shootings seem to peak at this time of year as well.

Winter Holiday Stress

2007-01-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Many people seem to be noticeably affected by the winter holidays. I know I am. I also observed that this energetic cycle is not an isolated event but rather part of a continual process which is year long, but most noticeable from the Autumnal equinox to the Vernal equinox.

Beginning around Halloween I begin to feel an increased agitation, high energy but dysphoric. This Is marked by rising anxiety. It is common. You hear many people at that time of year complain of their increased stress. Most attribute it to the pressures of having to deal with family and buy gifts. Many of us just put on a strong face and hope that the season passes as quickly as possible.

However what if this is a backwards assumption. What if the holiday is not the source of the stress but the means by which people in days of yore tried to cope with this ubiquitous shift in energy.

Winter holidays exist in almost every culture regardless of their religious orientation. Winter holidays are associated with symbols of light. Most people feel that this is due to the diminished length of winter days.

However there is another possible explanation. What if this winter holiday pattern and somatic stress patterns are due to the proximal velocity of the earth as it approaches the closest point to the sun. The earth is not only moving closest but also fastest at this point. What is the affect on the mind-body by this shift in 3 million miles?

Is it possible that solar fields or other energetic phenomena are responsible for the pattern which seems to peek and pass at the time the earth is closest to the sun?

Chi Master does 1 fingerstand

2006-12-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

swordfish

2006-11-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

You got the password?

Baravelli: [through speakeasy's door] Who are you?
Professor Wagstaff: I'm fine, thanks, who are you?
Baravelli: I'm fine too, but you can't come in unless you give the password.
Professor Wagstaff: Well, what is the password?
Baravelli: Aw, no. You gotta tell me. Hey, I tell what I do. I give you three guesses. It's the name of a fish.
Professor Wagstaff: Is it Mary?
Baravelli: Ha-ha. That's-a no fish.
Professor Wagstaff: She isn't? Well, she drinks like one. Let me see: Is it sturgeon?
Baravelli: Hey, you crazy. Sturgeon, he's a doctor cuts you open when-a you sick. Now I give you one more chance.
Professor Wagstaff: I got it. Haddock.
Baravelli: That's-a funny. I gotta haddock, too.
Professor Wagstaff: What do you take for a haddock?
Baravelli: Well-a, sometimes I take-a aspirin, sometimes I take-a Calamel.
Professor Wagstaff: Say, I'd walk a mile for a Calamel.
Baravelli: You mean chocolate calamel. I like that too, but you no guess it. Hey, what's-a matter, you no understand English? You can't come in here unless you say, "Swordfish." Now I'll give you one more guess.
Professor Wagstaff: ...swordfish, swordfish... I think I got it. Is it "swordfish"?
Baravelli: Hah. That's-a it. You guess it.
Professor Wagstaff: Pretty good, eh?

the analemma

2006-06-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen this figure-8 on a globe and wondered what it is? It is simply this: if you could record the position of the sun in the sky at the same time every day, let’s say sometime around noon and subtracting one hour if you are observing daylight saving time, you would notice that the sun takes a rather strange path. You might notice that at certain times throughout the year the sun's position not only varies higher and lower (North and South) as you would expect with the change of the seasons, but also slightly east and west. This figure-8 path that the sun makes in the sky is called the analemma. On some days you might notice that the sun is not in the sky where, according to the time on your watch, you would expect it to be.

The difference in time between what your watch reads and the position of the sun (clock time vs. sun time) is called the Equation-of-Time. If you are in the northern hemisphere and the sun’s position is to the east of where your watch indicates it would be, the Equation-of-Time is negative. If the sun is to the west, the Equation-of-Time is positive.

There is an easier way to see this effect. Find a place where the sun shines on the ground at noon all year long - winter, spring, summer, and fall. Place a rod about 3 feet tall into the ground, being very careful not to bump the end of it during the year. If you were constructing a sundial, this rod would be called a gnomon.

On the first day of each month, at the same time every day, (subtracting one hour if you are observing daylight saving time) place a mark with another shorter rod (you will need 12 of these) where the sun makes a shadow with the tip of the longer original rod. At the end of 12 months, you will see that the short rods make a figure-8 pattern on the ground.

Why does the sun take this strange path? There are two reasons and they are completely independent from each other.

1. The Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5° in relation to the plane of its orbit around the sun.

2. The Earth does not orbit the sun in a circle, but in an ellipse.

It is simply the sum of these two effects that causes the analemma.

HYPOTHESIS 1 - Southern hemispheric variations

2006-02-14T22:10:00.000-08:00

If the eccentric orbit of the earth around the sun is the cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder rather than the varying amount of sunlight per day, then the yearly cycle of SAD in the southern hemisphere should be affected by the calendar month of the year rather than the shortest day of the year. Remember, the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere is on June 21st, a date that is fairly near the aphelion. This would explain the great deal of conflicting data regarding the efficacy of Light Therapy, the standard treatment.

However this is a somewhat anti-intuitive treatment since SAD peaks in February and March when the Darkest Day is all the way back in December.

The current SAD theory has it that the hormonal balance regulated by the pineal gland causes disruptions in the normal circadian rhythms. Light therapy is thought to address this daylight deficit by supplementing artificial bright light which stimulates the production of melatonin. However numerous studies now contradict this premise.

The model I propose is more straightforward. It predicts a rising energy toward crescendo peaking around January 4th, followed by a rapid shifting of energy until springtime.

The current model insists that the seasonal shift in mood and health is primarily due to the length of daylight and the angle of the sun in the sky.

If this were true then winter-time depression would increase with higher latitudes. It does not. Also the winter depression rates in the Southern Hemisphere would mirror those of the North. They do not. They seem to conform to another (here-to-fore unexplained) seasonal pattern.

Jan. 24 worst day of year, says professor

2006-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Last Updated: Friday, January 21, 2005 | 7:01 PM ET CBC News

Jan. 24 is the worst day of the year, with bad weather, debt, fading Christmas memories, failed resolutions and a lack of motivation combining to depress people.
This is the contention of Cliff Arnalls, a part-time university tutor in Wales.

The Cardiff university instructor has come up with a formula to measure the winter-time blues, the BBC reported.

According to Dr. Arnalls' equation, 1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA, misery peaks next Monday, Jan. 24, a month after Christmas.

JANUARY BLUES DAY FORMULA

1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA.

Where: W: Weather D: Debt d: Money due in January pay T: Time since Christmas Q: Time since failed quit attempt M: General motivational levels NA: The need to take action

Arnalls calculated the effects of cold, wet – in the case of Britain – and dark January weather after the cosiness of Christmas coupled with extra spending in the sales.
Any energy from the holidays had worn off by the third week of January, he said.

By Monday, most people will have fallen off the wagon or abandoned the nicotine patches as they fail to keep New Year's resolutions.

That compounded a sense of failure and knocked confidence needed to get through January.

The fact that the most depressing day fell on a Monday was not planned but a coincidence, Arnalls said.