Across the empty pool (which not "the Pond" that is the Atlantic but rather the flyover states that are the heart of the country) in Bay County, Florida, they're trying to shut down Spring Break 2025.
Sunday will be super special for all the fans of the now defunct Brokechella (LA's alternative to Coachella). Hollywood superstar Woody Harrelson, owner of The Woods, is hailing the haoma (soma) of today in a 4:20-friendly festival he calls "Woodchella."
The Sperm Races are also going on in Hollywood, thanks to a startup that is making the content of seminal fluid respectable. And, of course, it being spring, The Renaissance Pleasure Faire (Ren Faire: California, Wisconsin, New York) is back in L.A. over by the lake (Santa Fe Dam) in Irwindale on the way east on the freeway to Coachella.
Beginning meditators are babies in white, so go easy. Meditation may make one sleepy at first.
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An outfit just for practice helps.
It's spring. This is a good time, maybe the best time, to begin a regular meditation practice,. Well, actually the best time would have been seven years ago, but the second-best time is right now. Sitting can graduate to walking meditation, mindfulness in nature, then deep stillness and clarity to see things (vipassana) as they truly are.
Do the basics: Put on all white. Find a quiet spot apart from distractions. Use this spot over and over again. It becomes powerful. Set down a mat and cushion (a bundle of leaves or grass is enough to get the tailbone higher than the knees). Sit. Inhale deeply. Release. Do it again a few times, without forcing the air out. It's just about letting go completely, so completely that the body hangs as if held up by a clothing hanger, not stiff, not slack.
Straighter is more comfortable, even though it doesn't seem like it at first. Posture is important to attention. Bring (advert) the attention to the present moment, this moment, and to stay in just this moment, remain aware of the breath. Which breath? This breath, just the one happening now all by itself. Become the watcher (not the commenter, fixer, improver, slowdowner, or anything else), just the watcher. This is mindfulness -- clear awareness of the present without evaluation.
Whoa, what a trip! What was that? I want that again!
Set a time limit in advance and keep it. Even if it would be nice to go longer because it is going so well, know the time of rising. Even if it is going horribly with raving lunatic thoughts of a psychopath with lurid fantasies and wrath, lust and revenge, delusion and a lightshow, know the time of rising. The mind will thank you later.
Ten minutes is a good start time, slowly working up to an hourlong sit. That seems impossible now, but in time, whaddyaknow, it suddenly is possible. What changed? I'dunno. This practice is about persistence. It does itself and then there is no effort. The enemies of that are expectations, unsettled greed or desire for achieving something, and the Five Hindrances. They will come to hinder. They are already present. They can be overcome. But whether or not they have been overcome, persist. This is spring. This is the beginning. Have "beginner's mind" in place of the "monkey mind" that usually rules the cage. Smile. It helps.
Instructions are confusing because it's so simple.
It is easy to say that "meditation is NOT about thinking." That's clear. That's easy to see. Don't indulge thought; just let them be by turning your attention to this subtle breath that keeps changing. What is difficult to grasp is that "meditation is NOT about not-thinking." Not-thinking may happen. It doesn't matter. As that is not the goal, if it doesn't happen, it's okay. Giving attention to one object and bringing attention back and back again and again ("Begin again" as Sharon Salzberg says) is what is important.
The mind like a petulant and insolent child will resist. Let it. Bring it back. Do not scold it or become upset. Let it be. Surrender completely to this moment, whatever is in this moment, not being moved to do anything no matter what the mind says it must do. See what happens. Could the mind be wrong no matter what it feels or demands or insists is true?
How did Siddhartha Gautama do it?
We'll never see things as they really are so long as we keep believing that we already are seeing them that way. We have never been seeing them that way. If we had, we'd awaken. We'd be enlightened, which is to say, Dependent Origination would make sense. And it doesn't, does it? (Hint: It's a practice, not a theory). That's a whole different kind of meditation called insight (vipassana) after getting good at this kind, which is called serenity (samatha). Don't jump ahead. Let it go. (If all else fails, sign up for a free 10-day Goenka retreat. Everyone should do at least one in life).
No one seems to have told the rest of the country, but where the sun sets (West Coast), the sun rose this morning to a new spring. Everything is green and sunny, cool and moist, and a person's thoughts lilt towards thoughts of
The Spring Equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is one of the four solar festivals of the year. The equinox — which translates roughly in Latin to “equal night” — is when the sun sits vertically above the equator, making day and night equal across the planet.
The Spring Equinox officially marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and there are celebrations around the world to usher in longer days and springtime. [This is the real traditional New Year's Day, when the Earth (Tierra, Gaia, Bhumi) renews herself in preparation for another cycle.]
In some cultures, this day also marks the beginning of the new year, which in Iranian (original Aryan) culture is called Nowruz. The Spring Equinox is a brilliant time for new beginnings [like maybe a nice spring cleaning], no matter how one celebrates on March 20th.
This is the best time to begin a regular meditation practice, graduating to walking meditation, mindfulness in nature, and deep stillness to see things as they really are.
An outfit just for practice helps.
Do the basics: Put on all white. Find a quiet spot apart from distractions. Use this spot over and over again. It becomes powerful. Set down a mat and cushion (a bundle of leaves or grass is enough to get the tailbone higher than the knees). Sit. Inhale deeply. Release. Do it again a few times, without forcing the air out. It's just about letting go completely, so completely that the body hangs as if held up by a clothing hanger, not stiff, not slack.
You're a baby in white, so go easy.
Straighter is more comfortable, even though it doesn't seem like it at first. Posture is important to attention. Bring (advert) the attention to the present moment, this moment, and to stay in just this moment, remain aware of the breath. Which breath? This breath, just the one happening now all by itself. Become the watcher (not the commenter, fixer, improver, slowdowner, or anything else), just the watcher. This is mindfulness -- clear awareness of the present without evaluation.
Whoa, what a trip! What was that? I want that again!
Set a time limit in advance and keep it. Even if it would be nice to go longer because it is going so well, know the time of rising. Even if it is going horribly with raving lunatic thoughts of a psychopath with lurid fantasies and wrath, lust and revenge, delusion and a lightshow, know the time of rising. The mind will thank you later.
Ten minutes is a good start time, slowly working up to an hourlong sit. That seems impossible now, but in time, whaddyaknow, it suddenly is possible. What changed? I'dunno. This practice is about persistence. It does itself and then there is no effort. The enemies of that are expectations, unsettled greed or desire for achieving something, and the Five Hindrances. They will come to hinder. They are already present. They can be overcome. But whether or not they have been overcome, persist. This is spring. This is the beginning. Have "beginner's mind" in place of the "monkey mind" that usually rules the cage. Smile. It helps.
Instructions are confusing because it's so simple.
It is easy to say that "meditation is NOT about thinking." That's clear. That's easy to see. Don't indulge thought; just let them be by turning your attention to this subtle breath that keeps changing. What is difficult to grasp is that "meditation is NOT about not-thinking." Not-thinking may happen. It doesn't matter. As that is not the goal, if it doesn't happen, it's okay. Giving attention to one object and bringing attention back and back again and again ("Begin again" as Sharon Salzberg says) is what is important.
Feed me, Phone-Momma! Feed me more!!
The mind like a petulant and insolent child will resist. Let it. Bring it back. Do not scold it or become upset. Let it be. Surrender completely to this moment, whatever is in this moment, not being moved to do anything no matter what the mind says it must do. See what happens. Could the mind be wrong no matter what it feels or demands or insists is true?
How did Siddhartha Gautama do it?
We'll never see things as they really are so long as we keep believing that we already are seeing them that way. We have never been seeing them that way. If we had, we'd awaken. We'd be enlightened, which is to say, Dependent Origination would make sense. And it doesn't, does it? (Hint: It's a practice, not a theory). That's a whole different kind of meditation called insight (vipassana) after getting good at this kind, which is called serenity (samatha). Don't jump ahead. Let it go. (If all else fails, sign up for a free 10-day Goenka retreat. Everyone should do at least one in life).
There’s something magical about April: It’s not too hot, not too cold, and everything feels like it’s waking up from a long sleep (including megafauna after a long winter of indoor hibernation).
It’s the absolute sweet spot for getting outside and soaking in some stunning landscapes without freezing toes off or melting into a puddle of sweat.
Where better to do that than in some of the most awe-inspiring national parks the US has to offer?
From vibrant blooms to wild adventures, this is the season when these national treasures really show off their best sides.
Let’s skip the tourist brochure chatter and get right into the good stuff. More
Sports War: Ronny & Kosta on medaling with Covid and the B-Girl who broke breaking
(The Daily Show) Aug. 14, 2024: On an Olympics edition of Sports War — the show where the hosts are legally not allowed to agree with each other — Ronny Chieng and Michael Kosta recap the biggest stories from the 2024 Paris Games, including Lebron James’s flex against France, Noah Lyles's attempt to outrun Covid, and why Australian breaker Raygun is sure to be this year’s hottest Halloween costume. #DailyShow #Olympics #Breakdancing #LebronJames
In 1934, Disney made movie called The Goddess of Spring with bunnies, shroom gnomes
Pagan Origins of Easter: Forbidden Truth
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Jewish superiority? (Rabbi Chaim Rich man)
(Our World History Channel) March 24, 2024: Easter transcends its religious origins to embody themes of rebirth, fertility, spring, renewal, and the cyclical nature of life on this plane.
God made me and sent me to kill. Mwah ha ha!
Easter draws from the Hebrew (Jewish) term Pesach, meaning "Passover" [as in, "Pass over this house, God, and send your Angel of Death elsewhere, so that your killer does not kill the blood-sealed Jews inside"] commemorating the freeing of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery.
This ancient festival, which is much older than Judaism, marked by the horrific Jewish slaughter ("sacrifice") of an innocent lamb and the black magic practice of smearing its blood on doorposts for protection and as a covenant to their tribal god, laying the groundwork for what would become a pivotal moment in later Christian observance.
[Who was God's only begotten "Angel of Death"? Azrael, Mot (the god), Marduk; the Buddhist "angel" (deva) personifying Death, the ogre (yakkha chief), the Tempter, the Cupid/Eros/Kama-deva figure called Mara?]
Roman psyops (Joseph Atwill)
The transformation of these blood rituals in 325 A.D., under Roman Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicaea, merged Judaic and Christian traditions in alignment with imperial Roman practices, adapting "Easter" into a pagan-friendly celebration of Caesar's Messiah, Jewish Jesus Christ, his [attempted] murder, magical resurrection, a cornerstone of faith that symbolizes triumph over his imperial death sentence and the carrot promising eternal life if subjects obey the emperor, the Roman pope ("father," infallible king), as if he were their all-seeing and all-powerful sky god king.
Let's honor the Goddess of Spring
Hindu of gods and goddesses and one rebel anti-Veda wandering ascetic (Creative Market)
However, the origins of Easter go back much further, as they meander through the verdant fields of pagan mythology, particularly in the tales of Ostara(Ä’ostre, Esther, Estrous from Latin oestrus or sexual "frenzy"), the Norse and Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.
Associated with renewal, vitality, and the harmonious balance of day and night, Ostara's legends breathe life into the Easter symbols of bunnies and eggs.
Persephone is the Goddess of Spring
One enchanting myth recounts Ostara transforming a bird into a hare (bunny rabbit) that could lay colorful eggs [spring mushrooms in the grass], blending themes of transformation, generosity, and the celebratory essence of spring.
This intertwining of pagan and Christian symbols enriches Easter's tapestry, illustrating the shared human longing for reincarnation, youthful renewal, and the rebirth of the Earth after the dormant dead of winter.
The mysterious Moon (Luna) grows bigger and brighter and affects all on Earth.
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Rabbits and hares carry profound symbolic meanings across cultures.
[In Buddhist countries the Moon is a rabbit or hare because of the Rabbit on the Moon, that large eared shadow on its wheel turning face as it rolls across the sky.]
Mysterious cycle of the Moon (Chandra, Soma)
Viewed as embodiments of fertility, lunar mystique, and the duality of existence, these creatures represent the fertile embrace of the Earth, the mysterious cycles of the Moon, and the delicate balance between life and death.
The biblical flat earth with firmament dome
Their depiction in mythology and folklore as emissaries of the divine, bridging earthly and celestial realms, underscores the universal reverence for life's regenerative powers.
Easter, therefore, stands as a testament to humanity's enduring fascination with the [samsaric] cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
I'm going to roll on this egg in the grass, Eostre
It invites reflection on the spiritual and natural world's interconnectedness, urging individuals and communities to embrace renewal's promise.
Whether through solemn remembrance of one rebel godman's escape from the Roman cross after bribes were paid after too few hours to kill anybody or keeping the Goddess in mind Easter encapsulates the profound cycles of transformation that define our human experience.
Spring's rich tapestry of pagan and Judeo-Christian traditions offers a multi-dimensional perspective on this time of reflection and renaissance (rebirth, re-nascent) renewal, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the intricate dance of existence that continues to inspire and uplift the human spirit.
The Roman cross torture, known as "crucifixion," was a slow, humiliating display reserved for high political crimes like insurrection and rabble rousing, as one does when claiming to be a messiah or rebel leader to throw Roman imperial forces out of insignificant Judea (Dr. Reza Aslan, Zealot). It took between 3 to 9 hours, according to contradictory gospels of the Bible, for the "king of the Jews" to die, when it actually usually takes at least 72 hours to succumb to Death by crucifixion. This is not a way to kill someone but rather a way to publicly torture and dissuade others from such acts. In the end the victim will die of suffocation as his lungs fill with fluid, unless someone is bribed to spear him on the side to drain that fluid so as to prevent death or discomfort from those fluids. Jesus did not die on the cross, according to Russian Christian scholar Nicolas Notovitch. He was taken down, after bribes were paid, and quietly rushed out of Judea by back to India (Leh, Ladakh). The "resurrection" story was a cover so people who saw him tortured by the imposition of this penalty could realize he was still around, somewhere, trying to finish the work of a Jewish Messiah or kind of Buddhist Maitreya. The Buddha lived to the age of 80, and so did Jesus/St. Issa, passing away and being buried in Kashmir, in the Himalayas. His gravesite is well known to locals and can be visited by anyone. A Christian psychic should go there to confirm it, not that anyone will believe or take that as "evidence").
Goddess Lakshmi/Laxmi, 1896
After just a few token hours on a Roman symbol of imperial power, the gospel writers -- who were not the illiterate apostles credited who might have witnessed the events -- writing much later spun a way to promote a message, the conquest of death, when in fact everyone conquers death in this way: spring comes again in a natural cycle, and rebirth happens whether we like it or not. A cross, which might kill a person in three days or a week, did not fell the great Jesus of Nazareth. He did not suffocate but was spared by a corrupt and greedy centurion on the take. He endured 3 or at most 9 hours, according to the Bible, and for it, billions celebrate spring as Easter with its pagan roots as a conquest of death when, in fact, it's the same old astrotheology (Jordan Maxwell). Even the Romans followed when they worship Mithra on the Vatican grounds previously devoted to his worship (because he was born of a virgin on Dec. 25 and many more shocking similarities to the current Roman poster boy for the empire, Caeser's Messiah). "We all have our cross to bear," everyone is not told in Christendom. See the work of Joseph Atwill.
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