All of life is now

"To find ourselves in a situation in which the gravity of the moment -- the weight of the now -- is so powerful that we find ourselves outside ourselves.... So that our neurotic inner-critic, the voice in our head that is nagging us -- anxious our future or saddened by the past [and] paralyzed by the past -- instead goes silent. And there is a grace in this moment [that] the weight of the now... can serve to purge you of your angst." -- Jason Silva, Shots of Awe (watch the full video and the bottom of this article)


Image Source: The Times of India

Life is a series of moments. Every moment is gone as quickly as it occurs. Neurologically, the moment you perceive as “now” is actually fractions of seconds in the past. Your perception of the present moment extends further into the past through the contextualization of memories and instinct. By the time you are cognitively aware of what is happening, your mind has already analyzed, categorized, and organized your experience.

Our minds are bound by our biology and our perception of time. However, there is power within the boundaries of our perception of time. We can harness the metaphysics of perception to free our minds from dwelling on the loss of the past and from a future limited to routine and repetition.

Last month, on Groundhog Day, I wrote about time and growth and my opinion that one should “never do nothing”. Consider the impact of the intention and focus I wrote about in that article. That intention and focus can be applied not only on growth and self-definition, but also into the perception and experience of time.

Albert Einstein colloquially explained our perception of time and relativity by saying, “When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.” The reality of relativity is proven within physics. The reality of relativity within perception can be altered within our minds.

If you find yourself lost in a whirlwind of life, where every day speeds by you, try observing the details surrounding yourself and especially the details of the experience you wish to treasure. If your treasured moment is the one described by Einstein, acknowledge and intentionally remember every detail of that girl’s face. Pay attention to the way her lips move as she speaks, watch her eyes as you listen and respond, observe the way her hair and skin move in the wind or appear in the light. Make every moment an eternity of memory.

If you find yourself bound in boredom or suffering, feeling every second arduously pass within your mind, consider “zoning out”. Release your mind from the constraint of what’s at hand. If your suffering is the suffering described by Einstein, look into the distance (literally or in your mind), detach yourself from the feelings and pain of each moment. Perhaps allow yourself the space to think of your small consequence in the whole of human existence and time’s passing. Find a thought which quickens time’s passing, such as a familiar song, a memory of a slow movie scene, or the slow rolling of waves on to a beach.

Despite today being the equinox, all of time is not equal. Our minds are our perception. The power of thought allows us the power over perception and, therefore, experience. I opened this article with the rousing words of Jason Silva on the power of the present moment. You can use intention and focus to embrace that power and free your mind from the boundaries of the past and future. It all begins (and ends) within your mind.


URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWrHCCYgGSQ

The Wolf Festival

What's black, white, and red all over?

If it's two goats and a dog, then the answer is "The Wolf Festival", the ancient tradition which gave way to Valentine's Day. ["Lupercalia" - Wikipedia]

Mid-February is Lupercalia, the Wolf Festival, an ancient Roman festival of purification and fertility. During the festival, the Luperci -- the "brothers of the wolf" -- would sacrifice two male goats and a dog. They would then smear the blood of that sacrifice on the faces of new initiates into the Luperci. The initiates would then cut lashes of goat flesh and run through the city. Young women would present themselves along their route in order to be whipped by these lashes, which tradition held would ensure fertility.

Eventually, Lupercalia was banned (along with other out-of-fashion rituals) by Pope Gelasius, but we'll come back to that. Before we move forward into what Lupercalia became (spoiler: Valentine's Day), let's learn about where it may have had its origins.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:She-wolf_suckles_Romulus_and_Remus.jpg

Legend has it that Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus, suckled as infants by a she-wolf. Much of Roman culture was of Greek origin, Lupercalia is no exception. The Luperci formed in honor of this she-wolf (lupa) and Lupercalia was born atop the rituals of a Greek festival of wolf lore called "Lykaia" [Wikipedia]¹.

Back to the future, Christianity eventually became the popular religion, so public displays of the old religions were banned. Many of the festivals and holidays of antiquity were replaced with new Christian equivalents. Winter solstice became Christmas. Spring equinox was replaced by Easter. Harvest festivals, celebrated with the cornucopia of Zeus or the wheat of Ceres, gave way to All Saints Day (and its All Saints Eve, aka Halloween).

When you're supplanting traditions with a multitude of deities and demigods with monotheistic beliefs, it is -- by definition -- easy to get out-numbered. That is, until you throw in your own versions of the divine on Earth: saints. So, Gelasius replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day, in recognition of a few early Christians (name Valentine) who were martyred for their then-unpopular beliefs.

Valentine's Day (and the other "new" holidays) anchored well into society and was largely untouched for almost a thousand years, at least until Chaucer put the spin of chivalry and courtly romance into it.

"For this was Seynt Valentyne's Day. When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate."

The popularity of this idea spread faster than the brief second it actually takes for avian insemination, Valentine's Day became a day of courting and affection.

Over the centuries to follow, Valentine's Day went through a slow metamorphosis into something "new": a ritual of fertility. Now, at the least, I hope that ritual doesn't involve the bloody flesh of a goat. Please let me remain blissfully ignorant, if that is not the case.

---

¹ The Lykaia festival of ancient Greece is part of the legendary heritage of the origin of werewolves. I'm sure it was no coincidence that Anne Rice released her newest novel "The Wolf Gift" yesterday during Lupercalia.

Groundhog Day 2012

"Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today." -- Radio DJ, Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day! My favorite holiday's favorite rodent prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow and foretold six more weeks of Winter. If you've been a long-time reader, you'll remember a previous Groundhog Day article in which I explained the significance of cross-quarter days. While Phil may tell us that Winter will stick around until the equinox this year, we know that today really is the seasonal (not astronomical) start of Spring.

Having recently written an article on "Silly Superstition", you may find it odd that I enjoy the foolhardy festivities of Groundhog Day. However, as I said in that in that very same article, "so long as we recognize a superstition as silliness and not seriousness, we can continue on a path toward understanding".

So, in my usual practice of Groundhog Day reflections, I hope to look forward to these next seasons with a smile. Embrace the fun and adventure of each day and strive not to take things too seriously. Otherwise, some may find themselves caught in an infinite time-loop of Winter until Punxsutawney Phil is satisfied that they've "chilled out".

Perhaps C.G.P. Grey explains things better in his YouTube about Groundhog Day:

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Nl4JFDLOU

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!

Full Moon during lunar perigee

Tomorrow night (March 19th), the full Moon will rise and appear a little larger than usual; that's because it will be about 30,000 km (approx. 18,600 mi) closer to Earth during what's called the lunar perigee [Wikipedia: "Orbit of the Moon"].

The Moon's average distance from our lovely blue marble is about 385,000 km. The Moon's perigee tomorrow night will put it only 356,577 km (221,567 mi) away. While this is really only 7% nearer, the Moon will appear 12-14% larger as it passes across the night sky. Making it the perfect night to gaze upwards at our lonely natural satellite.

When the Moon's perigee coincides with a Full Moon or New Moon, it is sometimes called a "Supermoon" [wikipedia]; though that title appears more often in astrology and mass media than it does in scientific discussions.

Tomorrow's event is even more rare as it is the nearest approach of the Moon during its perigee since March 1993. More still, the Spring equinox occurs on Sunday; making this lunar affair almost as much fun as the "Winter solstice lunar eclipse" which happened last December.

So, as you enjoy the night, be sure to look up and appreciate the beauty of another unique astronomical experience.

Groundhog Day 2008

Another Groundhog Day is drawing to a close. As is tradition, I have again watched the "Groundhog Day" film to remind myself to value and consider the impact I might have on the lives of others.

The fact is that Groundhog Day is celebrated on the Celtic holiday Imbolic. Feburary 2nd, in fact, is one of the cross-quarter days. Meaning, this is when a season actually begin. You see, solstices and equinoxes (quarter days) are actually the mid-points of the seasons. (Hence the reason days begin to get longer after the winter solstice and shorter after the summer solstice.)

What's interesting is that cross-quarter days and quarter days are still recognized - though somewhat obscurely - here in the United States of America. See if you can think of the well-know holidays that happen to fall on or around these dates....

2-7 February
25 March
4-10 May
24 June
3-10 August
29 September
5-10 November
25 December

Pretty cool, huh? Well, no matter what your reason is for celebrating during those times, remember to cherish the people around you.

As I know I have mentioned before, Groundhog Day holds a special place in my heart. Thought of very little at the beginning of February, it reminds me that Life can be treated like a time-bomb counting down toward the inevitable detonation of death, or it can be thought of as an exciting journey of shared and exchanged with the world around us. For Time is not our enemy, it is the essential part of Life that gives thrill to each and every moment.

Good night!