[UUPoly-L] The Circle of Life, Obama, the US Army, and Community Foundaion
The Mariposa Group Newsletter
Hello All,
It's always an interesting process compiling this newsletter.
Easily at times the flow of information into me is complex, often
intertwining, and/or synchronistic. As such it can be hard to decide
which item goes into the newsletter and if now or later. This time
there is one particular note which is so important that I am going to
insert it right here at the top, out of the normal index below.
This is about the very foundation of both our personal and
social support/existence's success.... or not! It is about that without
which dreams, desires, higher aspirations and indeed often that which we
call 'spirituality' .... can not be followed or made manifest. It is
about safety & security .... and in our culture that safety & security
being inexorably tied into "Money". The following link takes your to a
47 minute web video presentation, introducing us to the origins of
"money" and what has happened to our so called "money" now in society.
I am sure you are aware of the Wall Street, various banks, AIG,
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc. etc. "bailouts" which has gone on along
with the continuing current concerns about "saving" the big 3 American
auto manufactors. Actually all of this is essentially "child's play"
compared with the fundamental economic / money issue which has resided
in our country for approximately 90 years now, and is now racing (along
with everything else in the "rapids of change") towards a disastrous
conclusion. Strong words?! Yes, absolutely yes and completely
justified.
Regardless of your gender, employment, political leanings,
spiritual affiliations, or even if you have a huge amount of savings in
a bank account right now (It won't stave off the 'stock market' losses);
let me suggest you owe it to yourself, your children, your friends and
loved ones... not to mention yourself, to take the 47 minutes necessary
and watch this video.
In Love, Eric
*Money as Debt*
"There are two ways to conquer & enslave a nation.
One is by the sword. The other is by debt."
John
Adams 1735 - 1826
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279
INDEX
Tidbits Sexual Commentary The Circle of Life
Sage & Zeitgeist Obama: Alice's Obama: Eric's
letter to letter to
U.S. Army &
Community Rosoto .... again ! Castle's in the Sky
Physicians talk about Health & Community
TIDBITS
Return to Index
A High Intelligence caustic comment on our standard lifestyle
Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational, which once again asked readers to take any word
from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new
definition. Here is one of the winners:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an
indefinite period of time
*** The 'cure' for "Cashtration"? Participation in a conscious community building effort with a
"Pay It Forward" financial philosophy as opposed to "Pay it back to me." The latter is based upon
greed, a step child of fear. The former is based upon a trust in human nature and a desire to
support it.
Also.... see "Sage & Zeitgeist".
Meditation, Enlightenment & Fears
"Enlightenment is an accident.
Meditation makes you accident prone."
Baker Roshi
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realized.
"There is a subtle, but oh so important distinction between protecting someone from something
that might harm them... and from protecting them from their fears."
"Your greatest friend is the greatest enemy of your fears and self deceptions."
INSIGHTS
"Sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as subversive activities."
Erica Jong
"Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea."
John
Gunther
(Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness)
"I lived in solitude in the country and noticed
how the monotony of quiet life stimulates the creative mind."
-- Albert
Einstein
"My country is the world and my religion is to do good."
Thomas Paine
1737 -1809
A Reference to Roseto again....
Can we learn something here?
[Lynne McTaggart]
Last week, when I wrote about the power of a group of 10 friends, we had a
large
group of comments from readers - many wanting to know more about the power of 10 and also how to
create such a tribe. This week I want to share with you that creating this small tribe can prove
more powerful as a preventative than any diet or drug from dying from heart disease - which is almost
always, metaphorically speaking, caused by dying from a broken heart.
The power of a coherent community As those of you who have read my books know, one of my favorite
examples of the power of community is a small town in Pennsylvania called Roseto. This tiny town was
entirely populated with immigrants from the same area of Italy. Along with the people themselves,
their culture had been transplanted in its entirety. The town shared a very cohesive sense of
community; rich lived cheek by jowl with poor, but such was the sense of interrelation that jealousy
seemed to be minimized.
Lynne McTaggart
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return to Index
Sexual Commentary
Here's an interesting commentary on our sexuality via a medical research
report.
Once a week versus twice a month .... is this the real
standard as we age !! ??
Almost Half of Women Have Sexual Problems - washingtonpost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/31/AR2008103101138.html
Some medical commentary/treatment approaches for all of this.
Postmenopausal women who have lost interest in sex may be able to bring their
libidos back to life with a testosterone patch, according to new research published
this week in The New England Journal of Medicine. Even though results were modest,
one expert called them meaningful.
Susan R. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., of Monash University in Australia, and colleagues in
the United States, Canada, and Sweden, evaluated two different doses of testosterone
delivered by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals' Intrinsa patch. In 2004, a U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) panel gave Intrinsa the thumbs down and called for
larger, longer studies to ensure that the medication was safe, in addition to
proving that it actually helped women's sex lives.
As the new findings show, it did. Wearing the higher-dose testosterone patch boosted
a woman's "satisfying sexual experiences" by an average of 2.1 times every four
weeks, compared to an increase of just 0.7 such experiences for women taking a
placebo. Both testosterone doses used in the study seemed to increase desire and
decrease distress.
"Although the change in activity is modest, that's something that is appropriate and
I think most women would be more than happy with it," says study co-author Sheryl A.
Kingsberg, Ph.D., chief of behavioral medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical
Center in Cleveland, Ohio. "They wanted to return to the level of desire they had in
their premenopausal years, and that's what they got." Before starting treatment, the
women in the study had been having satisfying sex about twice a month on average,
Kingsberg points out; the higher-dose patch increased that to once a week.
4 Medical Reasons Why Some Women Don't Want Sex
When a woman's not interested in sex?and would like to be?it may have something to
do with her relationship, her upbringing, or something else in her experience, but
there could also be a medical explanation. For instance:
[Image] 1. Reduced blood flow - Diabetes and high blood pressure are among
the health problems that can restrict genital
blood flow.
2. Hormonal issues - Menopause, breast-feeding, birth control pills,
and thyroid problems can dampen
sexual desire.
3. Medication side effects - Antidepressants and chemotherapy agents
such as tamoxifen are
frequently to blame.
4. Nerve damage - Pelvic surgery can cause nerve damage, as can
diseases such as multiple sclerosis or
Parkinson's.
Other reasons for low desire might include lack of sleep or depression.
Talk to a doctor or sex therapist
If you have low desire, get checked out by your primary care doctor.
Whether or not he or she finds a physical problem, a consultation with a certified
sex therapist can be helpful, because physical sex problems usually create a
psychological or relationship issue, as well. "It's usually not just one thing,"
says Marjorie Green, MD, director of the Mount Auburn Female Sexual Medicine Center
in Cambridge, Mass., and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School.
On the other hand, if you feel your lack of desire is a physical issue and your
primary care doctor is not able or willing to help, you may want to consult a sexual
medicine specialist.
Treatments
These vary depending on the source of the problem, but may include
switching prescription medication, taking estrogen or testosterone, taking a drug
that increases dopamine levels, or trying products such as Eros Therapy, an
FDA-approved prescription-only device that uses gentle suction to increase blood
flow to the clitoris and vulva. Some women may also see improvement with regular
exercise, sex therapy, or relationship counseling.
Return to Index
The Circle of Life
Lynne is someone who runs her own blog and presents her own
seminars. Jeanie B. has been instrumental in introducing some of
Lynne's work & thoughts here. Thanks Jeanie!
What I notice is this idea of "Community" and its value, is not
limited to a few of us. There are many, many folks out there who are
presenting about it, often in various ways .. with various
orientations; yet, nonetheless bringing attention to that which the
modern dispersed lifestyle has taken away from us..... IF we let it.
For your consideration, here are more of Lynne's thoughts. --- Eric
The Circle of Life
November 28th, 2008 by Lynne McTaggart
I was struck by a tiny item in the newspaper the other day
that seems to speak to these hard economic and political times and
also this special Thanksgiving weekend. It concerned Dr. Richard
Tunney, a psychologist at the University of Nottingham, in Great
Britain, who?d carried out a study for the UK?s National Lottery
examining levels of happiness and overall satisfaction with life among
those who?d won the lottery, compared with a sampling of non-winners
across the nation.
Approximately 1800 people participated in the survey, which
examined how satisfied they were with their lives and achievements and
also the kinds of relationships they had with friends, including when
they met, how often they speak, which activities they participate in
together and the number of new friends they made in the last two
years.
Tunney discovered that achievements and even money mattered a
good deal less than friendship. Those with five friends or fewer had a
60 per cent chance of being unhappy, irrespective of their economic
status or of whether they had won the lottery. Those with five close
friends had a 50 per cent chance of being happy, but by far the
happiest were those with at least 10 friends, who had about a 55 per
cent of being happy and satisfied with their lot in life.
Furthermore, those people who counted themselves as ?extremely
satisfied? with their lives had twice as many friends as those who
were ?extremely dissatisfied? with their lives.
The critical mass of friends required to ensure happiness
appeared to be 10; adding on more friends didn?t significantly
increase the participants? levels of happiness.
Furthermore, those who were happiest of all were part of a
small close-knit social circle that had existed for a long time.
Dying of a broken heart
Dr Dean Ornish, assistant clinical professor of medicine at
the School for Medicine, University of California at San Francisco,
has collected copious research on the various causes of heart disease.
He has discovered that while smoking, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle
and high-fat diet are important risk factors, they only account for
half of all heart disease. No one risk factor appears more important
than isolation ?from other people, from our own feelings and from a
higher source.
In studies in San Francisco and in Eastern Finland among the
nearly 20,000 people observed for up to nine years, those who were
lonely and isolated socially were two to three times more likely to
die from heart disease and other causes than those who felt connected
to others. The results occurred independently of risk factors such as
high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure, smoking and family
history.
Every so-called lifestyle risk factor had less to do with
someone having a heart attack than loneliness. How much you smoke or
what you eat doesn?t seem to have as much bearing on your health as a
lack of connection.
Tribe of ten
For a number of years, I have supported the creation of micro
communities of eight or more on my Intention Experiment website, who
correspond solely through the website but nevertheless develop close
and supportive relationships. After regularly communicating and
forming strong, cohesive bonds, these small groups have demonstrated
effects that are nothing short of miraculous.
This bonding can occur in a single weekend. During our Living
with Intention weekend workshops, we divide the audience of attendees
into small groups of 10 or more teach them techniques of group
intention and have them practice healing intention on members of their
group with health challenges. On the final day of the workshop, we ask
both healers and healees to share any physical or psychological
changes, for better or worse, that they?ve experienced over the
weekend.
We are often witness to stories of seemingly extraordinary
healings. To cite one example, Marsha, I?ll call her, had developed an
opacity in one cornea, largely blocking the vision of one eye. The
following day, after her group?s healing intention, she claimed that
her sight in that eye had been 80 per cent restored.
On this Thanksgiving weekend, may I suggest that you gather
around and connect with your own tribe of 10 closest and dearest. By
doing so, you will remind yourself in these hard times of what you
have to be most thankful for.
Return to Index
ZEITGEIST the movie(s) - Original & Addendum
I watched Zeitgeist - Addendum" last night. I had ordered the
dvd (cost all of $7 for a physical dvd, but if you are in a hurry and
want it for free, simply watch it on the net or download there for
free. These people are really committed to getting the word out. Not
making a profit.) because I wanted a hardcopy to keep and send to
others. The movie(s) is/are excellent. It's challenging for sure...
when it comes to our 'comfortable', pablum feed conditioning of various
thoughts & beliefs; but it points and leads .... like conscious "Real"
community.... to a better way. The drastically needed 'next step'
forward in human evolution. I give you my word on this. BUT....
don't take my word for it. Watch the movies, ponder deeply and
honestly on what they present, and then decide for yourself. --- In
Love of Life & it's ongoing, natural evolution, Eric
From Sage Linden -
I think these are really important films to watch and are free online:
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com
(both of them are very informative - the Zeitgeist Addendum is all
about the monetary system)
*** Zeitgeist, the Movie is a 2007 documentary film exposé on
contemporary religion, government, and global economics. Focal points
of the film are the Jesus myth, the attacks of 9/11, and the US
Federal Reserve Bank. This first film focuses on suppressed historical
& modern information about currently dominant social institutions,
while also exploring what could be in store for humanity if the power
structures at large continue their patterns of self-interest,
corruption, and consolidation.
The second film, *Zeitgeist: Addendum*, attempts to locate the root
causes of this pervasive social corruption, while offering a solution.
This solution is not based on politics, morality, laws, or any other
"establishment" notions of human affairs, but rather on a modern,
non-superstitious based understanding of what we are and how we align
with nature, to which we are a part. The work advocates a new social
system which is updated to present day knowledge, highly influenced by
the life long work of Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project.
*Money as Debt*
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279
Paul Grignon's 47-minute animated presentation of "Money as Debt"
tells in very simple and effective graphic terms what money is and how
it is being created. It is an entertaining way to get the message out.
It is a painless but hard-hitting educational tool and encourage the
widest distribution and use by all groups concerned with the present
unsustainable monetary system
in Canada and the United States
Return to Index
Thanks to Katherine Forrest for this piece by Alice Walker.
Letter from Alice Walker to Obama
Born in the deep south in 1944, Walker was a confident girl
until 1952, when a freak accident involving a BB gun left her blinded
her in one eye. She then became somewhat of recluse and turned to
writing as a way to interact with the world. She eventually ended up
writing the hugely successful "The Color Purple" novel, chronicling the
life of a black African American girl called Celie, growing up in the
Deep South.
Often it seems that adversity strengthens and brings out more in
depth attributes & insights of the soul. Alice Walker shares some of
that here with us. ---- Eric
[Image]Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for
us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think
you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our
history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you
carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century,
only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of
law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation
is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and,
indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is
a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew,
through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of
the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would
actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take
your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and
character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only
sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the
disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not
responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary
responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in
your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest
and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One
gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the
White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building;
we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They
soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors.
This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One
way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no
excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model
real success, which is all that so many people in the world really
want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all
the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is
because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside
job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's
enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation
and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us
who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn
actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are
ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander
in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved
country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to
say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but
love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities,
no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's
spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people,
women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
[Image]
A good model of how to "work with the enemy"
internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking
of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.
Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to
remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul
dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to
mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with
which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations,
distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit
and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering
smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
"We are the ones we have been waiting for."
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
Return to Index
My letter / suggestion to Obama:
Alice Walker's letter above lead me to the link for sending in our
own personal suggestion to Obama for the changes we believe America
needs. What an extraordinary invitation and my response (as you'll see
below) was right in alignment with it and extended it. So, for your
consideration here it is. --- Eric
"STAND UP FOR AMERICA - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD" as a theme for
a Presidential web site which collects and then presents various ideas
for say the top ten issues and/or changes which the public believes
are the most important for our country. Promote participation as a
way to further true participatory democracy and connection between the
people and the directions the country takes. Create an iterative form
of collecting rank orderings of important issues - not just yes or no
responses - and then feed this information back to the public (and
press) on the web site as both an empowering and educational process,
likely evoking deeper dialogue and involvement.
Present the various rank orderings on subjects of interest (i.e.
balance the budget, end the war, what is the most effective form of
education for our children, etc.) which are sent in as a function of
region, state or perhaps even county. It would be both a tremendous
educational/feedback learning cycle for the country as a whole to be
able to see what are the most important issues and desired results
from whom and where in the country. AND it also create clear "home
voter" sentiments to be publicly demonstrated for members of congress
as the administration presents its programs there.
Very best regards,
Eric N. Best, Ph.D.
I encourage you to send in your own suggestion to Obama. Here
is the appropriate web site address: http://www.change.gov/yourvision
Return to Index
The Army & Community.... no less?
Is the Army moving ahead of us now?
What an idea !!
>From the New York Times:
"Mr. Davis said that the Army is also discussing increased
carpooling and is experimenting with sustainable community designs on
its bases that would make greater use of walking and integrated bike
paths."
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/army-green-not-just-a-color-anymore/?hp
Return to Index
A Reference to Roseto again....
Can we learn something here?
[Lynne McTaggart]
Last week, when I wrote about the power of a
group of 10 friends, we had a large
group of comments from readers - many wanting to know more about the
power of 10 and also how to create such a tribe. his week I want to
share with you that creating this small tribe can prove more powerful
as a preventative than any diet or drug from dying from heart disease
- which is almost always, metaphorically speaking, caused by dying
from a broken heart.
The power of a coherent community As those of you who have read my
books know, one of my favorite examples of the power of community is a
small town in Pennsylvania called Roseto. This tiny town was entirely
populated with immigrants from the same area of Italy. Along with the
people themselves, their culture had been transplanted in its
entirety. The town shared a very cohesive sense of community; rich
lived cheek by jowl with poor, but such was the sense of interrelation
that jealousy seemed to be minimized.
Lynne McTaggart
Return to Index
Physcians talk about Health & Community
Thanks to Jeannie Brosius for reviewing this link below for us. She
does personal coaching and has been a long term reader & contributor to
this newsletter. I recommend her. --- Eric
Hi Eric -
First...you need to watch this interaction..it's powerful.
Next, it's a group of physicians sitting around a kitchen table
talking about the need for us to move from "Me to We" and how if we
were to create a loving community between people and help cultivate a
new relationship of US with our own bodies... the industries of Soda
pop, Sugar, McDonald's and PharmaMafia would shrink to 15-20% of their
size and precipitate a Depression that surpasses the Great Depression of
1929.
The breakdown in boundaries that keeps us isolated demands we
have a new sense of love and community in order to thrive.
The medical community cannot offer Gastric bypass to a full 1/3
of our citizens...who if they would change their behavior and habits,
could become healthy. It's easier to get surgey...to medicate our kids
to control behavior and so on. People who do not change behavior, even
after G.Bypass, in 5-7 years are back to old ways. We must "touch their
heart and soul,"
Doctors are disconnected with patients and spend 3-4 minutes
with them...how can we expect patients to trust us with their lives?
Dr. Gladys said, "Medicine as it is taught today is all about death. We
speak of killing bacteria, AIDS vurysm, killing cancer, diabetes...it's
not about life at all."
Anyway, Eric...I just made some quick notes and may not have
gotten the quotes "exactly" as they said them but it's pretty close.
---- JB
Carl shares his thoughts on the detriments of cultural isolation as well
as the importance of community. Dr. Gladys McGarey MD, Mother of
Holistic Medicine, also shares her thoughts.
Return to Index
"Don't be afraid to build castles in the sky. That is where they
belong. But once the dream is in place, your job is to build the
foundation under them."
................ Thoreau
We are building a foundation... and much more than that...
for ourselves and our children.
[Image]
True Financial Security, Deep Interpersonal Friendship & Comfort,
A Pleasing Inquiry into Life, along with Fun & Play !
I invite you to explore this with us.
[Image]
GateWay to Community
If you would like to receive If you would like to be
this free community removed
newsletter, or to send it to from this mailing list,
a friend, please click here. please click here.
Return to Top Return to Index
This archive was generated by a fusion of
Pipermail (Mailman edition) and
MHonArc.