ENERGY MATTER GRAVITY FORCE

According to Einstein's famous equation, e = mc2, energy is converted into matter and vice versa.  They are one in the same.  Since I'm studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, I look at energy as yang, and matter as yin.  When we look at the the taiji symbol, yin and yang are transforming into one another, and there is a part of yin within yang, and a part of yang within yin.  They are essentially the same, yet take on different forms.  To take it a step further, within the medicine, qi is energy and blood is matter.  Blood is the mother of qi, and qi commands blood.  

In order of weakest to strongest force, gravity comes first, then the weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, and finally the strong nuclear force.  What's fascinating here is that gravity, the weakest force is what we feel from the Earth, we can jump against it with just our muscles, and build crafts that can fly away from it.  In opposition of that, the strongest force, the strong nuclear force, works by keeping the smallest of particles together on a subatomic level.  The little pieces that form the foundation of everything have the strongest force.  Cool.  Electromagnetism, well, we see that all the time, literally and metaphorically.  Opposites attract.  And if the weak nuclear force, got its act together it would out-muscle electromagnetism.

I'm not sure my opinion of gravity has changed much now that I've studied it.  Gravity's smallest particle that's never been found is the graviton.  Reminds me of this ride at the county fair I used to love when I was younger, the Gravitron.  You could go inside and stand along the walls of a large circle.  At the start of the ride, loud music would blast, lights would dim and flash, and the ride would start to spin.  Fast.  As the velocity picked up, the standing "seats" would start to slide to the ceiling of the ride.  At this point, my friends and I would turn upside down and if there was room even lie sideways.  Exhilarating! 

Musings on synchronicity and connection

"A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart."  ~ Goethe

Synchronicity.  I'm not sure I can provide evidence for it, but I can say that it seems to be tied into the law of attraction and karma.  What you choose to focus on is what will surround you.  I have no idea how or why this works, but my hypothesis has something to do with a game I heard about years ago.  It's called "Mindball" and it utilizes the players' theta brainwaves to move a ball to opposite ends of the table.  The more focused player will be able to push her ball to the opposite side and win the game.  It works through electrodes attached to the players' heads which are then attached to a computer, the table, and the ball.  So what does this mean?

Thoughts are physically charged masses, and thus, thoughts have power to attract, repel, and blend.

I think synchronicity and connectivity are easily explained through this imagery.  Our thoughts are traveling along invisible wires...maybe strings or something smaller that conduct instantaneously...and the stronger someone feels or transmits a thought, the more likely it is to be "picked up" in the current of matching thoughts or "vibrations".  This can be positive or negative.  

In my life, I've had a lot of  psychic type friends and experiences.  I know that we all have psychic antennae, but our antennae can sometimes be better at receiving information or sending it.  For instance, I am a decent receiver, and a very good sender of information.  I also know that the more I meditate, the better at both sending and receiving I become.  Meditation increases my "connectivity" which tells me that I'm exercising a psychic muscle that puts me into having more synchronous experiences. 

There is a Chinese proverb called the Red String of Fate that says "An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.  The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."  I love this as it describes what we know in Western thought as soul mates or kindred spirits.  Only a handful of people in my life I can say I've been absolutely destined to know, however, I feel that almost everyone I meet has something to teach me.  I think there is something deeper at play here in the realm of connectivity, and the next level of human development will evolve into understanding and embracing the beauty swimming in our collective unconscious.

Uncertainty and causality in a wildly weird universe

Pertaining to the Uncertainty Principle:  It is fascinating to me that, based on our own life experiences, cultural backgrounds, sex, age, and all other unlimited variables that shape our viewpoint, we are able to exist in this world together.  The world changes depending on our vantage point, and I think it's what makes things spicy!  That difference of opinions is the catalyst for change and growth.  Heisenberg suggested that the universe reveals itself through the questions we ask.  I find this to be intensely true, that my experience in this life would have been drastically different if I didn't choose to become an avid observer of the human experience, take notes, and ask questions.  In this way, my own reality changes everyday in my search for a deeper understanding of my created reality and ultimately, the truth.

On Causality:  Due to all of the variables that create what we know as the Uncertainty Principle, it can be difficult to nail down specific causes to events...that said, it is part of human nature to speculate and try to discover the cause.  Because we love mysteries.  It's in our DNA to ask why did something happen or where did we come from.  A conversation comes to mind that many of us have probably had with others about their mutts..."well, we don't really know, but we think Fido is 1/2 german shephard, 1/4 chihuahua, and 1/4 cocker spaniel...don't you see it?" We don't really know what the dog is, but it is fun to try and figure it out.

The Universe is definitely weird.  I only know this because I have an affinity for weird things and people and since I like the Universe, it must be weird. 

How I got here

How I got here, to be an acupuncture/herbal student at ACCHS is a looooong story, but to abbreviate, I will say that it started with a love of all things East, derived from a serious dissatisfaction with most things West.  And organized religion.  Around 20 years ago, there were several synchronous events that happened in that time, it seemed that all of the people I met were part of this other philosophy, I was handed the Tao Te Ching and never looked back.  Here was a reasonable and poetic way to make sense of the world.  I suddenly found so much beauty in my hardships.  I studied marketing and multinational business in my undergrad, moved to Atlanta and became an outside sales rep for a telecommunications company.  I hated it.  I hated marketing and corporate America.  I was too sensitive for that world.  So I did my work, but the beauty was that I had my days "free" to do cold calls in the field.  This was great because I was able to do a couple of hours of work, and then go see movies, go to bookstores, have lunch with friends.  It wasn't until one day, I was in a bookstore walking around and literally, a book flew off the shelf in front of me and fell to the floor with the pages down and butterflied open to somewhere in the center of the book.  I carefully picked it up and saw the book was something like Professions in Healing, and the page open was "Acupuncturist".  Well, I had just been reading about acupuncture as I was engrossed in this book called "The Tao of Health, Sex, And Longevity".  My boyfriend at the time had passed it on to me, he was a martial artist, we did Tai Chi and Qi Gong together.  Next thing I know, I'm trying acupuncture, and it changed my life.  I was immediately tapped into a deeper awareness of everything.  That was 14 years ago, and I did go to a school in Seattle for 2 years that went bankrupt.  I chose not to continue until now.  

the paradox of time

Why does time drag on when things are dull, or fly by when things are exciting?  A conversation with a friend that seems likes minutes and then a quick pause that prompts a glance at the clock shows that hours have gone by.  When time passes quickly, I associate this with positive experience.  When I actually notice time, it's generally when an experience is unpleasant or my mindstate is that of impatience.  Lately, I've expanded my mindfulness practice into doing a 20 minute meditation every morning and evening.  At first, it was difficult, my mind would race with thoughts and worries and I had to keep refocusing on my breath.  Sometimes (and it still happens now too, just not as often) I would feel so defeated because the time would pass so quickly while my mind was lost in a maze of useless thoughts.  But the sessions when I'm able to truly let my mind take a break, the time passes slowly, yet this time, instead of feeling like I'm waiting for water to boil, the slowness and stillness is precious and sweet.  And when it's over, I feel like it passed too quickly.  huh.