Download copy from here jason-silva-the-power-of-awe.mp4

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRPYwxuH9bI

Exponential technological and cultural progress have given us the opportunity to more fully realize our potential.


Speech by Jason Silva

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPAUVeBe8Hg

Download copy from here alan-watts-the-eternal-now.mp4

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVVk67UZMJ0

"If the universe began in the past, when that happened it was Now. And it trails off like the wake of a ship from Now and just as the wake fades out, so does the past. Things aren't explained by what happened in the past. They're explained by what happens Now"
-Alan Watts

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Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDkshlpok-4

Download: https://www.consciousevolution.tv/videos/Leo-Gura-Building-a-Passionate-Life.mp4

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTml_isM6c

Leo Gura, founder of Actualized.org, shows what is necessary to get the most out of life. Through discipline, self mastery, and a compelling vision, you can unleash your full potential through your life purpose.

The full speech can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey3x1...

Edited by Focus Shift Media: https://www.facebook.com/TheFocusShift

Music by PBO: https://soundcloud.com/pbo25

Produced by Conscious Evolution: http://www.consciousevolution.tv/

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/focusshiftmedia

Download: https://www.consciousevolution.tv/videos/Is-Spirituality-Worthwhile-XVmFwbOlCYU.mp4

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVmFwbOlCYU

Today we examine quantum mechanics, the existence of god, and near death experiences to see the truth of spirituality.

We invited a chorus of artists, writers, musicians, broadcasters, sports stars, and more to contribute to Now Were Talking, a mental health campaign, run in partnership with Lyons Tea and Pieta House.

As the late great writer Toni Morrison said, "Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined." So how do you define 'Mental Health'? Is it a spectrum so broad that there can be a multitude of interpretations and reactions to it? Is it just a buzz phrase we see everywhere now? That a magazine can build an issue around?! (I jest).

While this era is known for its individualism, I also believe mental health is an individual thing. So for me, I'll define it as kindness. You can and obviously should be kind to yourself. I know this can be easier said than done, sometimes. Also, the beauty in being kind to ourselves is, we'll learn to help others. Kindness requires empathy, patience and forgiveness. I'm learning to forgive myself all the time (not that I do awful things all the time!). I know now I've learnt the most in my aloneness: in a sense, facing into my darkness has allowed me to be more empathetic towards others.

However I must admit, I fail at this all the time! I need to relearn, re-remember - it can be one step forward, two steps back. So maybe you shouldn't listen to my faux-sage counsel... While I'm a great guru for others, sometimes practising what you preach can be the hardest. I've been tested a few times along the way: 2007 and 2015 were particularly hard years for me. I had to relearn how to be kind to myself again; there is a vulnerability in even having to admit to yourself in the first place, to know you are being untrue to yourself, that fucked me up a bit.

Firstly what I needed to do was to take more control over my life, So I gave up alcohol and meat, and I started to do some simple yoga/meditation each day. After a month, I'd lost weight, was in less debt and felt much healthier. I then set myself a goal to run the Dublin marathon in 2016, which I did just about (so now I'll boast about it! I should also have learnt to temper my ego a bit more as you can see). I've learnt if I don't have a goal, I lack focus and I'll go inwards. Now, however, one of the struggles I find is getting balance right - sometimes I might have too much on and I can be overwhelmed. If something doesn't make you feel alive, it's too small for you - the irony being that the smallest things are often the most worthwhile.

I've learnt how to be OK with feelings of disappointment, hurt and anger, to hold it and to know it'll pass. I say this safe in the knowledge I'll fail with these feelings again, then I'll remind myself about needing to forgive myself. Knowing feelings pass is so apparent, yet it certainly can be a comforting realisation. The transience of life is humbling.

Yet all this learning requires patience - not a virtue I'm blessed with in truth. But I'm far more self-reflexive and happier with who I am now than I was three years ago. There are probably a lot of musicians/creatives reading this issue, and something I see amongst my peers is an inadequate feeling artists can have. We can be pitted against each other in our own minds and we strive for 'success', but as the saying goes "comparison is the thief of joy." Nobody truly knows what anyone has gone through to create what they have. I wish we could all be less quick to judge. Don't define others by an action without knowing the context, then hopefully that kindness can be extended to you. We have all made mistakes, and will again. Don't be the crab in the bucket, focus on amplifying art you like instead of bitching about what you don't. It can be easy to get lost in paranoia, but you're only hurting yourself.

Then there are the cliches; it's OK not to be OK, don't be afraid to ask for help, talk to someone, find solace in friendship, etc... And you know what? Most cliches are fuckin' true! Bowie said that, so I'm not going to argue with him!

Go and create, it's cathartic. For me personally, it helps me to find meaning in this 'crazy' world of ours. If you don't feel like being creative, volunteer your time with a cause you believe in. I've been volunteering with First Fortnight for almost 10 years now. This gives me a sense of meaning and helps me to feel part of a caring community. Ask courageous questions of yourself, wait, listen to your heart's answer - and know these truths are how you connect to the deepest you. In finding your deepest self a healing can begin.

Lastly, I am convinced that reading David Whyte's book Consolations and listening to Alan Watts saved my life in 2015, so they might be worth checking out. Also, all of what I've said above can be summed up far more eloquently in Mary Oliver's poem 'Wild Geese' - go and read it immediately!

Now We're Talking 2019A partnership between Lyons Tea, Pieta House & Hot Press.Lets break the stigma and take the dialogue about mental health issues onto a new level#NowWe'reTalkinghotpress.com/now-we're-talking

To apply for tickets to Now We're Talking: Live!

Please fill in your detail below.

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Voices for Mental Health: Stephen James Smith, on being kind to yourself - hotpress.com

WeWork logos are seen at a WeWork office in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Kate Munsch

NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - The We Companys prospectus for its flotation said its mission was to elevate the worlds consciousness. Having now abandoned its stock offering and its shamanic leader, the parent of shared-office provider WeWork has at least understood that self-realization is integral to that calling. But it needs more than greater awareness to ensure its survival.

The New York-based outfits investors, including Japans SoftBank and its Saudi Arabia-funded Vision Fund, have also cut loose the once revered chief executive, Adam Neumann. His barefoot, weed- and tequila-fueled charisma made him the kind of figure venture-capital investors love to back until they dont. In private funding rounds, WeWorks value ballooned to $47 billion.

Some investment banks involved in the initial public offering pitched possible valuations that were much higher. It wasnt to be: Investors balked at the companys private-market worth, half of that figure, and half again, before the operation was formally aborted just this week.

Aside from the increasing frequency of reports about Neumanns weird behavior and self-dealing, they may have taken the unimaginative but realistic view that WeWork was a heavily money-losing real-estate company a trendier version of IWG, the profitable but mundane Regus operator rather than a consciousness-elevating technology play.

Newly named Co-CEOs Artie Minson, the former finance chief, and Sebastian Gunningham, previously vice-chairman, have already decided to offload some sideline businesses, dramatically slow WeWorks previously headlong growth, and get rid of Neumanns top acolytes. Their challenge will be to show that the company can, in time, turn a profit.

Thats more than a nice-to-have. A Breakingviews calculator showed that even using generous assumptions, WeWork could burn through another $15 billion within a few years. The IPO was supposed to raise at least $3 billion, and that would have unlocked another $6 billion in debt. Minson and Gunningham will still need to raise billions, even on a less aggressive trajectory.

A new Breakingviews e-book recaps how they got here and some of the consequences. Only future chapters will conclude whether The We Company really managed to change the future of work or became the poster child for the private-market boom and bust.

Reuters Breakingviews is the world's leading source of agenda-setting financial insight. As the Reuters brand for financial commentary, we dissect the big business and economic stories as they break around the world every day. A global team of about 30 correspondents in New York, London, Hong Kong and other major cities provides expert analysis in real time.

Sign up for a free trial of our full service at https://www.breakingviews.com/trial and follow us on Twitter @Breakingviews and at http://www.breakingviews.com. All opinions expressed are those of the authors.

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Breakingviews - All The We Company needs now is enlightenment - Reuters

Looking for answers? In need of advice from a Taurus-sun, Virgo-moon, Gemini-rising? Think you can stump me? Email Simone at simone.a.levy@lawrence.edu with your own questions and you just might be featured in next weeks column.

Dear Simone,

I have been with my partner for four and a half years, and we are, for all intents and purposes, very happy together. I recently revealed to her my interest in cuckolding, and to my surprise, she was extremely respectful and even eager to fulfill my needs. I worry that she may be too eager. Within an hour of telling her, she posted a Craigslist ad seeking out men for the whole scheme. So long story short, some guy named Brandon is coming over to our apartment later today, and Ill watch him fornicate with my partner. And I will obviously have a good time, because that is what I am into, but I am worried that this is all leading up to her leaving me. What should I do?

Signed, Scaredy Cuck

Dear Scaredy,

The situation that you are in definitely is a tough one and one that many people in relationships have to suffer through. I definitely think you should confront her, but not in a way that at all goes back on your initial conversation with her. Just tell her your expectations and ask her for her own expectations. Hopefully, the initial thrill of this for her is what led to her enthusiasm, but if not, be honest. And if this one encounter with Brandon is what leads her spiraling into an adulterous spree, then its better you know now than later on down the road, perhaps when you are married and with kids. The truth is, this is kind of what you signed up for. Is this not the life of a cuck? And if your partner does not get it, then that is a shame. All of that being said, I wish you luck with your relationship, and I hope you figure things out.

Signed, Simone

Dear Simone,

I am looking for advice regarding my relationship. I have been in a polyamorous relationship with two men for about three months now. For background, I, myself, am a woman. The first two months with the boys was great, but the last month has brought many new problems. I found myself not getting enough attention. Both guys initially identified as straight, but were willing to try a poly relationship. And now, our thruple looks a lot more like a gay couple and their surrogate or something. They go out to dinner together without inviting me, they are constantly touching each other and they have even relegated me to the living room couch from time to time when they want to get sexy in the bedroom. I have no problem with homosexuality, do not get me wrong. But I am wondering what I can do to get them to be more interested in me.

Signed, Thruple Third Wheel

Dear Thruple,

Oh honey. Take a deep breath. I hate to tell you, but the verdict is exactly what you think it is: your two guys fell in love with each other and are no longer invested in the polyamorous lifestyle, meaning you. There is no way to get them to be more interested in you if they have already decided for themselves that they go together. I suggest you break things off with them before things get too dicey. It is also important to keep in mind that, from my understanding, polyamorous relationships should not be like moons orbiting a planet: you are not the center of the relationship. It should be a fully fleshed out love triangle with the two others loving each other as much as they love you. But it does seem like they love each other more than they love you, so in this case, I would just call it quits. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Signed, Simone

Read more:
On the Cusp of Enlightenment - Lawrentian

By Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter

Raleigh, N.C. For 50, years, Project Enlightenment has prepared young kids to learn, guided parents on how to raise them and instructed teachers on how to guide them.

Saturday was a celebration of the impact the organization has made on generations in Wake County.

Phoebe and Effie Fitzgerald have great memories of this place.

I remember we had a class pet, Phoebe said.

If it is your birthday, you get to sit in a birthday chair, Effie recalled.

Amy Fitzgerald cant say enough good things about it.

It is just a treasure in the community, she said.

All three are even featured on a brochure, letting other families know all Project Enlightenment has to offer.

Such a great start to their educational journey and just a warm, loving, therapeutic environment, Amy Fitzgerald said.

Louise Taff has worked with the program for 48 of its 50 years. Children she worked with decades ago are now grown and bringing their own kids.

It is very rewarding, but it makes me feel kind of old, she said.

Taff is assistant director of Project Enlightenment, which is a Wake County School district program that provides early childhood education.

Helping a child learn to regulate their emotions, learn to regulate their behaviors, learn to cooperate, learn to share helps them be ready for school, Taff said.

The program also offers support to parents and teachers.

Fifty years is a long time. Project Enlightenment has moved locations, fought for funding in economically tough times and changed as families have changed particularly with new technologies.

Its these kids that keep Taff coming back.

It still warms my heart to get up every morning and come to work in a place that values young children and families, she said.

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Project Enlightenment celebrates 50 years of helping kids, parents, teachers - WRAL.com