wakingtimes--2020-05-22--Australian Man Facing Fine After Rescuing Whale Trapped in Government Shark Nets

In a world where we ’ re told to be concerned about the environment and be mindful of the impact of our actions on wildlife , one would expect that saving an animal would hardly be a cause for punishment .
But for one Australian man who decided to do the right thing and save a whale that was caught in shark nets off the Gold Coast , he learned instead that the government frowns on individuals who act on their own initiative to rescue a helpless animal .
The man , who goes by the name of “ Django @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was out free-diving on Tuesday morning before he saw the young humpback whale struggling in sea nets .
Local officials had received phone calls notifying them that a whale was in crisis .
However , hours passed without authorities lifting a finger to take action , Eventually , the diver ’ s “ adrenaline just sort of kicked in ” and he took his boat to the scene to rescue the creature , he told the ABC .
The man said : “ Basically I just tried to untangle him .
I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really need to use the knife though .
He just had his pectoral fin sort of wrapped up and he was about eight to nine meters deep.
” In the meantime , a crowd of spectators watched as he rescued the ocean mammal .
According to the BBC , spectator confirmed that hours had passed since authorities were notified before the man took action .
He added : When the whale was finally freed , Django returned to the shore .
As he was about to leave the area , however , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he told local media .
Django hasn ’ t explained how much the fine levied by fisheries inspectors was .
It also remains unclear what exactly his offense was , but Queensland state does have penalties meant to dissuade people from tampering with government property , or moving too close to whales .
However , the fee has convinced the man that his selfless act of rescuing the whale may not have been worth the cost .
State officials dispute Django ’ s claim that he had been fined .
Queensland Fisheries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is currently an investigation into the matter to determine whether a fine is justified , locals should still leave certain matters to the authorities .
The use of shark nets around Australian beaches has come under criticism from conservationists due to their negative impact on coastal wildlife .
Just last year , five whales were found caught in the nets , leading to demands by advocates that other forms of shark deterrent be deployed in their place .
The state government has committed $ 1 million to investigating alternatives to the nets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who tamper with council equipment such as shark nets face fines of up to $ 26,690 .
Django , who professes to be a lifelong diver , described the nets as “ a waste of time ” because “ sharks just swim around them .
”

Australian Man Facing Fine After Rescuing Whale Trapped in Government Shark Nets
Elias Marat, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
In a world where we’re told to be concerned about the environment and be mindful of the impact of our actions on wildlife, one would expect that saving an animal would hardly be a cause for punishment.
But for one Australian man who decided to do the right thing and save a whale that was caught in shark nets off the Gold Coast, he learned instead that the government frowns on individuals who act on their own initiative to rescue a helpless animal.
The man, who goes by the name of “Django,” is a recreational diver who was out free-diving on Tuesday morning before he saw the young humpback whale struggling in sea nets.
Local officials had received phone calls notifying them that a whale was in crisis. However, hours passed without authorities lifting a finger to take action,
Eventually, the diver’s “adrenaline just sort of kicked in” and he took his boat to the scene to rescue the creature, he told the ABC. The man said: “Basically I just tried to untangle him. I had a knife, I didn’t really need to use the knife though. He just had his pectoral fin sort of wrapped up and he was about eight to nine meters deep.”
In the meantime, a crowd of spectators watched as he rescued the ocean mammal.
According to the BBC, spectator confirmed that hours had passed since authorities were notified before the man took action. He added:
“Luckily a good Samaritan came up and did fisheries’ [officials] jobs for them.”
When the whale was finally freed, Django returned to the shore. As he was about to leave the area, however, officials caught up with him and fined him, he told local media.
http://www.facebook.com/ABCGoldCoast/videos/1539911479500387/?t=0
Django hasn’t explained how much the fine levied by fisheries inspectors was.
It also remains unclear what exactly his offense was, but Queensland state does have penalties meant to dissuade people from tampering with government property, or moving too close to whales. However, the fee has convinced the man that his selfless act of rescuing the whale may not have been worth the cost.
He told ABC:
“Yeah, I’m trouble, it was fair enough. I just saw it and thought, ‘What are you going to do?’ It was an expensive day, but whatever.”
State officials dispute Django’s claim that he had been fined. Queensland Fisheries Minister Mark Furner explained that while there is currently an investigation into the matter to determine whether a fine is justified, locals should still leave certain matters to the authorities.
“It is important that people allow the professionals to do their jobs in circumstances like this,” the minister said.
The use of shark nets around Australian beaches has come under criticism from conservationists due to their negative impact on coastal wildlife.
Just last year, five whales were found caught in the nets, leading to demands by advocates that other forms of shark deterrent be deployed in their place. The state government has committed $1 million to investigating alternatives to the nets.
In the meantime, however, people who tamper with council equipment such as shark nets face fines of up to $26,690.
Django, who professes to be a lifelong diver, described the nets as “a waste of time” because “sharks just swim around them.”
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com


wakingtimes--2020-05-22--Hemp Is Economically And Environmentally Sustainable

As the world continues to reel from the economic impact from the widespread lockdown , people are trying to come to grips with what a “ new normal ” economy could look like .
So far , massive money printing and centralized solutions are proving to be the flimsiest of temporary band-aids for what is looking to be a very long-term upheaval .
It ’ s not only job losses and stunted business growth across nearly every sector , we are also learning about threats to the entire food and agricultural supply chain .
It ’ s becoming clearer by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encompass a broad range of considerations to offer any type of sustainable economic future .
Enter hemp — the oft-forgotten crop that was foundational to America ’ s early success .
While many people have been introduced to hemp through the growing popularity of natural CBD products such as Cibdol , hemp ’ s multitude of beneficial uses was recognized as early as 10,000 years ago in China and Mesopotamia !
But it wasn ’ t until the 1600s that hemp found its way to North America and eventually became a staple crop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s now known that the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper , and at various times it was legally required for farmers to grow hemp and pay taxes with it .
How times have changed .
Strangely , the federal government began to take a stand against hemp in 1937 when they made the tenuous connection to “ marihuana ” and its been an uphill battle ever since .
However , a growing number of states have rebelled through nullification , as the Tenth Amendment Center has extensively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best example .
Given the magnitude of what we are facing economically and environmentally , it would be wise to use some of this momentum that hemp was experiencing prior to the corona-crisis and once again look to its benefits for a chance at both national and global revival .
Save the bees and save our food supply For decades , our key pollinators have been under assault from a variety of toxins and stressors , with some experts warning of their near-total collapse and the subsequent human disaster that could unfold in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortages .
Fortunately , studies have shown that bees are heavily attracted to hemp .
As the team of researchers at Colorado State University wrote , “ Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained nutritional options for bees during the cropping season.
” Rep. Thomas Massie ( R-KY ) has long been championing the economic benefits that could manifest by farming hemp .
As we are seeing a cataclysm of unemployment from the corona-crisis , what better way to encourage the type of employment that will result in many local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As a self-sufficient homesteader himself , Massie is well positioned to give his expert opinion not only on the mechanics of farming , but on the legislation that can help free up hemp farming and industry for the masses .
Remember , it ’ s not only the farming , but the entire economic apparatus of accountants , lawyers , marketers , etc .
that are needed throughout any industry .
The key difference is that this industry gives back to communities as well as the environment .
This quick interview with Massie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government , but why it is so important to ultimately win this battle .
You ’ ll also hear the ridiculous arguments made by the forces in opposition to natural hemp production .
Concrete is one of the most environmentally disastrous forms of construction on the planet .
The widespread use of cement has actually created a global shortage of sand , in addition to being linked as a contributing factor to climate change .
Regardless of one ’ s position on that hot-button topic , hemp is simply a more sustainable and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are beginning to recognize this .
Hemp concrete – “ hempcrete ” – can be used in all areas of construction , including insulation .
It has been shown to inhibit mold growth as it is naturally more breathable , making it ideal for use in humid locations .
There has been some debate about whether the widespread use of hemp in construction will wind up being cheaper , but another innovation might help hemp win the argument : 3D printing .
One company in Australia used 3D printing to build hemp panels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , easy to produce , and provide superior thermal performance.
” Hemp also has been explored for use as a steel replacement ; its properties can result in material 10 times stronger than steel , with greater flexibility .
One aviation company even produced the world ’ s first 100 % hemp plane .
In addition to the greater strength , lower weight and overall lower cost , there is the added benefit of reducing the many other toxic materials that result from mining and appear throughout the interior and exterior of aircraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being pursued as studies have shown they might even be more powerful than graphene and lithium .
Replacing plastics has been a long-term goal across a variety of industries as a new information constantly reveals the damaging effects of petrochemical use and subsequent pollution of the planet .
The idea of a material that would be as functional as plastic , but also biodegrade is a literal panacea .
Fortunately , here too we are seeing an increasing number of products meant to reduce this harmful waste through “ bioplastics.
” Even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industrial hemp could hold the answer to most of the world ’ s ills .
Hemp has also been pursued as a cotton replacement by clothing companies as large as Levi ’ s .
The company cited benefits like water reduction in the cultivation process by up to two-thirds as being both economically and environmentally more sustainable .
However , the benefits are also transferred to consumers as properly produced garments are lighter , more absorbent , stronger and even UV and mold resistant .
Hemp seeds , in particular , are now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources on the planet .
During a time where we should be doing everything in our power to boost our immune system , hemp offers yet another solution .
As Amanda Froelich writes , It ’ s well past time that we throw off any stigma surrounding hemp and return to the pages of history where hemp was openly recognized as not only beneficial to health , agriculture , the environment and economies – but essential .
This article ( Hemp Is Economically And Environmentally Sustainable ) was originally created and published by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Creative Commons license with attribution .
It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution , author bio , and this copyright statement .
Disclaimer : This article is not intended to provide medical advice , diagnosis or treatment .
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff .

Hemp Is Economically And Environmentally Sustainable
Steven Maxwell, Contributor
Waking Times
As the world continues to reel from the economic impact from the widespread lockdown, people are trying to come to grips with what a “new normal” economy could look like. So far, massive money printing and centralized solutions are proving to be the flimsiest of temporary band-aids for what is looking to be a very long-term upheaval.
It’s not only job losses and stunted business growth across nearly every sector, we are also learning about threats to the entire food and agricultural supply chain. It’s becoming clearer by the day that any long-lasting solution must encompass a broad range of considerations to offer any type of sustainable economic future.
Enter hemp — the oft-forgotten crop that was foundational to America’s early success.
While many people have been introduced to hemp through the growing popularity of natural CBD products such as Cibdol, hemp’s multitude of beneficial uses was recognized as early as 10,000 years ago in China and Mesopotamia! But it wasn’t until the 1600s that hemp found its way to North America and eventually became a staple crop in the United States during the 1700s. It’s now known that the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper, and at various times it was legally required for farmers to grow hemp and pay taxes with it. How times have changed.
Strangely, the federal government began to take a stand against hemp in 1937 when they made the tenuous connection to “marihuana” and its been an uphill battle ever since. However, a growing number of states have rebelled through nullification, as the Tenth Amendment Center has extensively reported, with Colorado perhaps being the best example.
Given the magnitude of what we are facing economically and environmentally, it would be wise to use some of this momentum that hemp was experiencing prior to the corona-crisis and once again look to its benefits for a chance at both national and global revival.
Save the bees and save our food supply
For decades, our key pollinators have been under assault from a variety of toxins and stressors, with some experts warning of their near-total collapse and the subsequent human disaster that could unfold in the form of crop failures and food shortages. Fortunately, studies have shown that bees are heavily attracted to hemp. As the team of researchers at Colorado State University wrote, “Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained nutritional options for bees during the cropping season.”
Agriculture and the economy
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has long been championing the economic benefits that could manifest by farming hemp. As we are seeing a cataclysm of unemployment from the corona-crisis, what better way to encourage the type of employment that will result in many local and large-scale efforts at regenerating economies?
As a self-sufficient homesteader himself, Massie is well positioned to give his expert opinion not only on the mechanics of farming, but on the legislation that can help free up hemp farming and industry for the masses. Remember, it’s not only the farming, but the entire economic apparatus of accountants, lawyers, marketers, etc. that are needed throughout any industry. The key difference is that this industry gives back to communities as well as the environment.
This quick interview with Massie chronicles his legislative hurdles with the federal government, but why it is so important to ultimately win this battle. You’ll also hear the ridiculous arguments made by the forces in opposition to natural hemp production.
Housing and Manufacturing
Concrete is one of the most environmentally disastrous forms of construction on the planet. The widespread use of cement has actually created a global shortage of sand, in addition to being linked as a contributing factor to climate change. Regardless of one’s position on that hot-button topic, hemp is simply a more sustainable and economically viable alternative … and many architects are beginning to recognize this.
Hemp concrete – “hempcrete” – can be used in all areas of construction, including insulation. It has been shown to inhibit mold growth as it is naturally more breathable, making it ideal for use in humid locations. There has been some debate about whether the widespread use of hemp in construction will wind up being cheaper, but another innovation might help hemp win the argument: 3D printing. One company in Australia used 3D printing to build hemp panels which they say are “structurally sound, easy to produce, and provide superior thermal performance.”
Hemp also has been explored for use as a steel replacement; its properties can result in material 10 times stronger than steel, with greater flexibility. One aviation company even produced the world’s first 100% hemp plane. In addition to the greater strength, lower weight and overall lower cost, there is the added benefit of reducing the many other toxic materials that result from mining and appear throughout the interior and exterior of aircraft.
Lastly, hemp batteries are even being pursued as studies have shown they might even be more powerful than graphene and lithium.
Petrochemical reduction
Replacing plastics has been a long-term goal across a variety of industries as a new information constantly reveals the damaging effects of petrochemical use and subsequent pollution of the planet. The idea of a material that would be as functional as plastic, but also biodegrade is a literal panacea. Fortunately, here too we are seeing an increasing number of products meant to reduce this harmful waste through “bioplastics.” Even the establishment magazine Forbes had to admit that industrial hemp could hold the answer to most of the world’s ills.
Clothing
Hemp has also been pursued as a cotton replacement by clothing companies as large as Levi’s. The company cited benefits like water reduction in the cultivation process by up to two-thirds as being both economically and environmentally more sustainable. However, the benefits are also transferred to consumers as properly produced garments are lighter, more absorbent, stronger and even UV and mold resistant.
Nutrition
Hemp seeds, in particular, are now recognized as one of the healthiest food sources on the planet. During a time where we should be doing everything in our power to boost our immune system, hemp offers yet another solution. As Amanda Froelich writes,
Hemp seeds contain the globular proteins edestin and albumin. This is important because enzymes, antibodies, hormones, and fibrinogen are all made from globular proteins. Furthermore, edestin and albumin make up the fluid in a portion of the blood plasma. As a result, these proteins are essential to build a healthy immune system.
Other key health benefits include boosting energy, improving digestion and building muscle.
It’s well past time that we throw off any stigma surrounding hemp and return to the pages of history where hemp was openly recognized as not only beneficial to health, agriculture, the environment and economies – but essential.
About the Author
Steven Maxwell writes for ActivistPost.com.
This article (Hemp Is Economically And Environmentally Sustainable) was originally created and published by Activist Post and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.


wakingtimes--2020-05-22--Battered Souls #008 – Higher Consciousness in Dense Times with Stephen Parato

Writer , educator , meditator and conscious leader , Stephen Parato joins me in this conversation , bringing an evolved @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 and how it impacts the personal and global awakening .
We talk a bit @ @ @ @ @ , higher consciousness and how individuals can use this opportunity to evolve and grow .
@ @ @ @ @ the online course , Heart Centered Leadership , and through his blog and his contributions @ @ @ @ @ articles have reached and inspired millions of people around the world .
Visit us on @ @ @ @ @

Battered Souls #008 – Higher Consciousness in Dense Times with Stephen Parato
Writer, educator, meditator and conscious leader, Stephen Parato joins me in this conversation, bringing an evolved perspective to the conversation about Covid-19 and how it impacts the personal and global awakening.
We talk a bit about civil disobedience, freedom, higher consciousness and how individuals can use this opportunity to evolve and grow.
Stephen is the creator of the online course, Heart Centered Leadership, and through his blog and his contributions to other websites, his articles have reached and inspired millions of people around the world.
————————————
Visit Stephen here:
Feelin’ Good, Feelin’ Great
Heart Centered Leadership
————————————
Visit us on the web – Battered Souls
Stop by Dylan’s site – Waking Times
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Support Battered Souls with Cryptos!
BITCOIN – 1PgkuMTxVwVEhgbKuXQQ1Qi8kYzsX2fn68
ETHEREUM – 0xaec9c156C492d964Ad6C8bD1377152b85Be230F6
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wakingtimes--2020-05-23--Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘Hemp House’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels

Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘ Hemp House ’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels A team of students in Morocco have successfully developed an environmentally sustainable home made almost exclusively from hemp and solar panels .
The building was erected as an entry into the SUNIMPLANT project ’ s ‘ Solar Decathlon ’ , a competition organized by the United States Department of Energy and Morocco ’ s Centre de recherche en Energie solaire et Energies nouvelles to encourage construction of solar-powered buildings .
This design is unique and was built from only locally sourced hemp , vegetable-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the region .
“ This ‘ spaceship ’ is advanced in time and reflects a turn not only in North Africa but in hemp construction , which doesn ’ t have comparable prototypes anywhere in the world.
” — Monika Brümmer , German Architect and Project Leader Monika is also the co-founder of Adrar Nouh , a Spain-based NGO with a focus on using hemp to build environmentally sustainable homes in Morocco ’ s poor and rural High Rif region .
The spherical home spans 90 square meters ( approximately 969 square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panels with a total price tag of only $ 120,000 .
The structure actually costs less than half of the most expensive entries in the competition .
According to Brümmer , the building could be optimized even further if hemp-clay boards were installed as internal partitioning walls and floors .
Although funding restrictions did partially obstruct their original goal , the home features some interesting innovations such as hemp wool-derived panels which protect the underside of the solar panels against extreme weather conditions , an important inclusion for a region which reaches up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and September .
Other contestants included students from Morocco ’ s National School of Architecture and National School of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics , located in Germany .
Monika ’ s building offers the opportunity of an entirely off-grid experience , unencumbered by the need for outside electricity while maintaining the comfort of a modern lifestyle .
“ The cylindrical envelope of the circular building , with minimal exposure of the 24 exterior panels , gives interior comfort through optimal damping and thermal phase shift , and osmosis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Monika Brümmer , as reported by Hemp Today .
Demand for hemp-based building materials has been high lately , especially as more people learn that ‘ hempcrete ’ can replace traditional fiberglass , sheetrock , and drywall and offers superior temperature control , flame resistance , and noise reduction .
The product also has the potential to be carbon-neutral , but US-based growers tend to focus on growing hemp for CBD and other compounds instead of hempcrete , which requires taller and more fibrous hemp stalks .
Despite technical difficulties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows the world that environmentally sustainable construction is possible .
Phillip Schneider is a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times .
If you would like to see more of his work , you can visit his website , or follow him on the free speech social network Minds .
This article ( Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘ Hemp House ’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels ) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution , author bio , and this copyright statement .

Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘Hemp House’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels
Phillip Schneider, Staff Writer
Waking Times
A team of students in Morocco have successfully developed an environmentally sustainable home made almost exclusively from hemp and solar panels.
The building was erected as an entry into the SUNIMPLANT project’s ‘Solar Decathlon’, a competition organized by the United States Department of Energy and Morocco’s Centre de recherche en Energie solaire et Energies nouvelles to encourage construction of solar-powered buildings.
This design is unique and was built from only locally sourced hemp, vegetable-based bio-resins, and other non-synthetic materials found in the region.
“This ‘spaceship’ is advanced in time and reflects a turn not only in North Africa but in hemp construction, which doesn’t have comparable prototypes anywhere in the world.” — Monika Brümmer, German Architect and Project Leader
Monika is also the co-founder of Adrar Nouh, a Spain-based NGO with a focus on using hemp to build environmentally sustainable homes in Morocco’s poor and rural High Rif region.
The spherical home spans 90 square meters (approximately 969 square feet) and features 24 photovoltaic solar panels with a total price tag of only $120,000. The structure actually costs less than half of the most expensive entries in the competition.
According to Brümmer, the building could be optimized even further if hemp-clay boards were installed as internal partitioning walls and floors. Although funding restrictions did partially obstruct their original goal, the home features some interesting innovations such as hemp wool-derived panels which protect the underside of the solar panels against extreme weather conditions, an important inclusion for a region which reaches up to 114°F in the shade during August and September.
Other contestants included students from Morocco’s National School of Architecture and National School of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics, located in Germany.
Monika’s building offers the opportunity of an entirely off-grid experience, unencumbered by the need for outside electricity while maintaining the comfort of a modern lifestyle.
“The cylindrical envelope of the circular building, with minimal exposure of the 24 exterior panels, gives interior comfort through optimal damping and thermal phase shift, and osmosis of the components in the hempcrete formulation,” said Monika Brümmer, as reported by Hemp Today.
Demand for hemp-based building materials has been high lately, especially as more people learn that ‘hempcrete’ can replace traditional fiberglass, sheetrock, and drywall and offers superior temperature control, flame resistance, and noise reduction.
The product also has the potential to be carbon-neutral, but US-based growers tend to focus on growing hemp for CBD and other compounds instead of hempcrete, which requires taller and more fibrous hemp stalks.
Despite technical difficulties, this Moroccan ‘hemp house’ shows the world that environmentally sustainable construction is possible.
About the Author
Phillip Schneider is a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times. If you would like to see more of his work, you can visit his website, or follow him on the free speech social network Minds.
This article (Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘Hemp House’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.


wakingtimes--2020-05-23--Questions of Our Time – To Have or To Be?

Questions of Our Time – To Have or To Be ?
The German-born humanistic philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm spent most of his working life trying to understand the human condition – and its predicament .
He came to the conclusion that only a fundamental change in our character , in the way we do things , will save us from a psychological and economic disaster .
He saw clearly what was on the cards if human nature was to continue along the same lines , and without making a change in its current course .
In the several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he died on March 18th , 1980 – we have seen how our human trajectory has taken us on a course toward these converging lines of breakdown .
In Fromm ’ s thinking , it is necessary , in fact critical , that human civilization makes a shift from a ‘ having ’ mode to a ‘ being ’ mode .
Fromm recognized that the more a person has , the less they are attracted to making active and constructive efforts .
He saw a clear relation between the ‘ having ’ of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of goods – and inner laziness .
And it was this inner laziness that would ultimately form a vicious circle , reinforcing the need to stay in the ‘ having ’ mode .
He stated that , The modern person , suggested Fromm , is afraid to lose their sense of identity .
Any form of drastic social change spells a break-up of many incumbent social norms upon which their social persona – i.e.
, identity – is constructed .
What many people have yet failed to grasp is that the social persona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social construct formed out of a sophisticated and complex array of cultural conditioning and programming .
What the average person fears to lose is the artificial ‘ sense of self ’ which has been grafted onto them through years of socialization .
It is thus a false fear – yet a fear all the same .
This distinction , between a person ’ s social persona and their genuine self , forms a site of contradiction and contestation that is at the base of much social fragmentation .
We need to free life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a map that corresponds to a more wholesome and balanced form of reality .
Fromm ’ s book Fear of Freedom ( 1941 – published in US as Escape from Freedom ) put forth the idea that a struggle for freedom had been created between the interior world of an individual and their external institutions .
The personal fear of social isolation and uncertainty is thus eliminated by seeking an outside power to give their power and dependency to .
Eventually , a person becomes an instrument in the hands of structures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them .
The only other alternative is to seek a form of self-independence based on personal trust and belief .
Yet such self-beliefs are constantly undermined by authoritative institutions in the modern world .
As Fromm says – ‘ the structure of modern society affects man in two ways simultaneously : he becomes more independent , self-reliant , and critical , and he becomes more isolated , alone , and afraid.
’ [ ii ] The majority of people have not fully reconciled themselves to be at peace with a state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now as people are forced to experience ‘ self-isolation ’ and to stay indoors as precautions against the 2020 pandemic .
This is causing great personal unrest and psychological discomfort as so many people have been conditioned to a life of exterior distraction and attention .
We are fascinated , noted Fromm , by the wielding of powers outside ourselves yet are blinded to the condition of our own inner restraints in the form of compulsions and fears .
It is these individual and social conditions that make for the suppression of human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction .
In his Fear of Freedom , Fromm proposed that our inherent – and often unrecognized – fear of personal freedom and self-independence , resulted in the following escape mechanisms : • Automaton conformity : changing one ’ s ideal self to conform to a perception of society ’ s preferred type of personality , losing one ’ s true self in the process ; Automaton conformitydisplaces the burden of choice from self to society ; • Authoritarianism : giving control of oneself to another .
By submitting one ’ s freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the freedom of choice almost entirely .
• Destructiveness : any process which attempts to eliminate others or the world as a whole , all to escape freedom .
[ iii ] Fromm saw that a collective form of ‘ destruction of the world ’ was a last , desperate attempt by people as a way to save themselves being crushed by their unprocessed fears .
In a stark yet highly prescient observation he wrote – ‘ Because we have freed ourselves of the older overt forms of authority , we do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new kind of authority .
We have become automatons who live under the illusion of being self-willing individuals.
’ [ iv ] The solution to this crisis , according to Fromm , is a shift from the materialist-capitalism ‘ Having ’ society to a humanist-centred form of ‘ Being ’ society .
To Have or To Be ?
The growth of a humanistic society that places value on the agency of human beings requires the dramatic shift from a possession-centric lifestyle to a lifestyle where the value of individual and collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a shift from the values of selfishness and egotism to those of compassion , collaboration , connection , and conscious communication .
And yet we must admit that until now mostly ‘ merchants of salvation ’ have profited from satisfying the demands of people for sensations of well-being .
The danger here is that the superficial satiations of well-being only serve to strengthen the inner chains within us .
Again , Fromm perceptively remarked that , The outer chains have simply been put inside of man .
The desires and thoughts that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain him more thoroughly than outer chains .
This is so because man can at least be aware of outer chains but be unaware of inner chains , carrying them with the illusion that he is free .
He can try to overthrow the outer chains , but how can he rid himself of chains of whose existence he is unaware ?
[ v ] The ultimate question remains – how could such a large-scale shift in our way of life and attitude be made possible ?
Fromm suggests the following conditions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamental shift in human nature : • We are suffering and are aware that we are .
• We recognize the origin of our ill-being .
• We recognize that there is a way of overcoming our ill-being .
• We accept that in order to overcome our ill-being we must follow certain norms for living and change our present practice of life .
[ vi ] These may appear to be simplistic conditions , yet clear recognition of the human predicament is paramount .
Fromm initially calls on a need to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ which , on first reading , sounds naïve .
Yet Fromm was not blind to the difficulties of the situation and the obstructions people would likely place as excuses to refrain from such a course of action .
He noted that – ‘ yet another explanation for the deadening of our survival instinct is that the changes in living that would be required are so drastic that people prefer the future catastrophe to the sacrifice they would have to make now.
’ [ vii ] Fromm was insistent that insight separated from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we don ’ t put into action the thoughts and ideas that we have , we shall attain nothing .
The two must correspond and be in relation to form the third force of actualization – thought ( passive ) with action ( active ) forms a manifested result ( integral whole ) .
The problem that faces people today is that their passage to radical , yet necessary , social change lies blocked by a pervasive infrastructure of authoritarian control dictated by advanced forms of technological surveillance and data-management .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the rapid rise of a modern political establishment increasingly close to a technocracy .
Still , the power of the incumbent system did not stop Fromm , in his time , from discussing the need for a new society to be formed that would itself encourage the emergence of the new human being .
He outlined the following traits as being the qualities of this new human : • A willingness to give up forms of ‘ having ’ in order to truly ‘ be ’ • A sense of identity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s self – what one ‘ is ’ – and with a need for relation with the world around instead of a desire to possess and control the world around oneself .
• An acceptance of the fact that nobody and nothing outside of oneself can give meaning to life – yet this independence in turn creates a full responsibility to care and share with others .
• Being fully present where one is .
• Joy and happiness come from giving and sharing rather than greed , hoarding , and exploitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all its manifestations – in the recognition that things and power do not bring satisfaction and meaning but rather those things which are part of a living ecology .
• The need to reduce greed , hate , and delusions – to liberate oneself from these traps .
• To live in a state where illusions have no power over oneself – no need to worship external idols .
• Developing a heightened capacity for love , compassion , and understanding – without falling into sentimentalized emotions .
• Letting go of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – to recognize one ’ s fallibility as a human being .
• Making the full growth of oneself and of one ’ s fellow beings as the supreme goal of living – and knowing that to reach this goal requires discipline and respect .
• To develop one ’ s imagination not as an escape from circumstances but as a means to create a vision of the real possibilities inherent within humankind .
• To not deceive others as well as not allowing oneself to be deceived by others – better to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to know the full depth of oneself , including the darker , shadow side .
• To develop a sense of the interrelatedness of all life – and to give up on the idea of wishing to conquer , control , and manipulate the environment .
• To develop a sense and meaning of freedom that is not random but a real possibility , consciously directed and within a responsible framework that is free from greed and selfish desire .
• To recognize that decay and destructiveness are the consequences that come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• To recognize that perfection can be an ambition based in greed , and to allow a state of beingness that has imperfections .
• To accept that happiness is forever in the process of ‘ ever-growing aliveness ’ – and that living as fully as one can is a pleasant satisfaction as part of this journey .
These are high ideals indeed , yet not beyond the capacity of the human being .
Until now , many instances of human freedom have , in the words of Fromm , been more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than the freedom of will .
That is , where ‘ whim ’ responds to the question of ‘ why not ?
’ – implying that a person does something simply because there is no reason for not doing it .
Yet the active aspect of ‘ will ’ is a constructive response to the need for doing something .
Reasons must have meaning , and through exercising our will we give ourselves meaning .
Through human will , we can exercise our concentration , focus , and directed intention .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and give force to our actions .
This in turn helps us to be centred , grounded , and balanced .
However , a person can not be a force for change in their lives if they remain chained to the conditioned perceptions that propagate the mainstream consensus narrative .
First , we are required to cleanse our lens of personal perception .
I shall turn to this subject in my next series of essays .
For now , we are left with the question that begs for our attention – is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ i ] Fromm , E. ( 1993 ) .
The Art of Being .
London , Constable , p96 [ v ] Fromm , E. ( 1993 ) .
The Art of Being .
London , Constable , p7 [ vi ] Fromm , E. ( 1978 ) .
To Have or To Be .
London , Abacus , p165 [ vii ] Fromm , E. ( 1978 ) .
To Have or To Be .
London , Abacus , p20 Kingsley L. Dennis is the author of Bardo Times : hyperreality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutation – a hoax ?
, The Phoenix Generation : A New Era of Connection , Compassion , and Consciousness , and The Sacred Revival : Magic , Mind & Meaning in a Technological Age , available at Amazon .
Visit him on the web at http : //www.kingsleydennis.com/ .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

Questions of Our Time – To Have or To Be?
Kingsley L. Dennis, Contributor
Waking Times
‘the physical survival of the human race depends on a radical change of the human heart.‘ Erich Fromm
The German-born humanistic philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm spent most of his working life trying to understand the human condition – and its predicament. He came to the conclusion that only a fundamental change in our character, in the way we do things, will save us from a psychological and economic disaster. He saw clearly what was on the cards if human nature was to continue along the same lines, and without making a change in its current course. In the several decades since Fromm’s writings – he died on March 18th, 1980 – we have seen how our human trajectory has taken us on a course toward these converging lines of breakdown. In Fromm’s thinking, it is necessary, in fact critical, that human civilization makes a shift from a ‘having’ mode to a ‘being’ mode.
Fromm recognized that the more a person has, the less they are attracted to making active and constructive efforts. He saw a clear relation between the ‘having’ of possessions – the contentment of the accumulation of goods – and inner laziness. And it was this inner laziness that would ultimately form a vicious circle, reinforcing the need to stay in the ‘having’ mode. He stated that,
…modern man has many things and uses many things, but he is very little. His feelings and thinking processes are atrophied like unused muscles. He is afraid of any crucial social change because any disturbance in the social balance to him spells chaos or death – if not physical death, the death of his identity. [i]
The modern person, suggested Fromm, is afraid to lose their sense of identity. Any form of drastic social change spells a break-up of many incumbent social norms upon which their social persona – i.e., identity – is constructed. What many people have yet failed to grasp is that the social persona, their much-beloved character, is a social construct formed out of a sophisticated and complex array of cultural conditioning and programming. What the average person fears to lose is the artificial ‘sense of self’ which has been grafted onto them through years of socialization. It is thus a false fear – yet a fear all the same. This distinction, between a person’s social persona and their genuine self, forms a site of contradiction and contestation that is at the base of much social fragmentation. We need to free life from its contradictions before we can form a map that corresponds to a more wholesome and balanced form of reality.
Fromm’s book Fear of Freedom (1941 – published in US as Escape from Freedom) put forth the idea that a struggle for freedom had been created between the interior world of an individual and their external institutions. The personal fear of social isolation and uncertainty is thus eliminated by seeking an outside power to give their power and dependency to. Eventually, a person becomes an instrument in the hands of structures, institutions, and forms of power external to them. The only other alternative is to seek a form of self-independence based on personal trust and belief. Yet such self-beliefs are constantly undermined by authoritative institutions in the modern world. As Fromm says – ‘the structure of modern society affects man in two ways simultaneously: he becomes more independent, self-reliant, and critical, and he becomes more isolated, alone, and afraid.’[ii]
The majority of people have not fully reconciled themselves to be at peace with a state of being. This is becoming more evident now as people are forced to experience ‘self-isolation’ and to stay indoors as precautions against the 2020 pandemic. This is causing great personal unrest and psychological discomfort as so many people have been conditioned to a life of exterior distraction and attention. We are fascinated, noted Fromm, by the wielding of powers outside ourselves yet are blinded to the condition of our own inner restraints in the form of compulsions and fears. It is these individual and social conditions that make for the suppression of human life and its proclivity for control and destruction.
In his Fear of Freedom, Fromm proposed that our inherent – and often unrecognized – fear of personal freedom and self-independence, resulted in the following escape mechanisms:
Automaton conformity: changing one’s ideal self to conform to a perception of society’s preferred type of personality, losing one’s true self in the process; Automaton conformitydisplaces the burden of choice from self to society;
Authoritarianism: giving control of oneself to another. By submitting one’s freedom to someone else, this act removes the freedom of choice almost entirely.
Destructiveness: any process which attempts to eliminate others or the world as a whole, all to escape freedom.[iii]
Fromm saw that a collective form of ‘destruction of the world’ was a last, desperate attempt by people as a way to save themselves being crushed by their unprocessed fears. In a stark yet highly prescient observation he wrote – ‘Because we have freed ourselves of the older overt forms of authority, we do not see that we have become the prey of a new kind of authority. We have become automatons who live under the illusion of being self-willing individuals.’[iv]
The solution to this crisis, according to Fromm, is a shift from the materialist-capitalism ‘Having’ society to a humanist-centred form of ‘Being’ society.
To Have or To Be?
The growth of a humanistic society that places value on the agency of human beings requires the dramatic shift from a possession-centric lifestyle to a lifestyle where the value of individual and collective well-being is central. That is, a shift from the values of selfishness and egotism to those of compassion, collaboration, connection, and conscious communication. And yet we must admit that until now mostly ‘merchants of salvation’ have profited from satisfying the demands of people for sensations of well-being. The danger here is that the superficial satiations of well-being only serve to strengthen the inner chains within us. Again, Fromm perceptively remarked that,
The outer chains have simply been put inside of man. The desires and thoughts that the suggestion-apparatus of society fills him with, chain him more thoroughly than outer chains. This is so because man can at least be aware of outer chains but be unaware of inner chains, carrying them with the illusion that he is free. He can try to overthrow the outer chains, but how can he rid himself of chains of whose existence he is unaware?[v]
The ultimate question remains – how could such a large-scale shift in our way of life and attitude be made possible?
Fromm suggests the following conditions that would be necessary to stimulate such a fundamental shift in human nature:
We are suffering and are aware that we are. We recognize the origin of our ill-being. We recognize that there is a way of overcoming our ill-being. We accept that in order to overcome our ill-being we must follow certain norms for living and change our present practice of life.[vi]
These may appear to be simplistic conditions, yet clear recognition of the human predicament is paramount. Fromm initially calls on a need to ‘change our present practice of life,’ which, on first reading, sounds naïve. Yet Fromm was not blind to the difficulties of the situation and the obstructions people would likely place as excuses to refrain from such a course of action. He noted that – ‘yet another explanation for the deadening of our survival instinct is that the changes in living that would be required are so drastic that people prefer the future catastrophe to the sacrifice they would have to make now.’[vii]
Fromm was insistent that insight separated from practice remains ineffective. That is, if we don’t put into action the thoughts and ideas that we have, we shall attain nothing. The two must correspond and be in relation to form the third force of actualization – thought (passive) with action (active) forms a manifested result (integral whole). The problem that faces people today is that their passage to radical, yet necessary, social change lies blocked by a pervasive infrastructure of authoritarian control dictated by advanced forms of technological surveillance and data-management. The path to a Being society is obstructed by the rapid rise of a modern political establishment increasingly close to a technocracy.
Still, the power of the incumbent system did not stop Fromm, in his time, from discussing the need for a new society to be formed that would itself encourage the emergence of the new human being. He outlined the following traits as being the qualities of this new human:
A willingness to give up forms of ‘having’ in order to truly ‘be’
A sense of identity, security, and confidence based on one’s self – what one ‘is’ – and with a need for relation with the world around instead of a desire to possess and control the world around oneself.
An acceptance of the fact that nobody and nothing outside of oneself can give meaning to life – yet this independence in turn creates a full responsibility to care and share with others.
Being fully present where one is.
Joy and happiness come from giving and sharing rather than greed, hoarding, and exploitation.
Love and respect for life in all its manifestations – in the recognition that things and power do not bring satisfaction and meaning but rather those things which are part of a living ecology.
The need to reduce greed, hate, and delusions – to liberate oneself from these traps.
To live in a state where illusions have no power over oneself – no need to worship external idols.
Developing a heightened capacity for love, compassion, and understanding – without falling into sentimentalized emotions.
Letting go of one’s narcissism and ego-centric ideals – to recognize one’s fallibility as a human being.
Making the full growth of oneself and of one’s fellow beings as the supreme goal of living – and knowing that to reach this goal requires discipline and respect.
To develop one’s imagination not as an escape from circumstances but as a means to create a vision of the real possibilities inherent within humankind.
To not deceive others as well as not allowing oneself to be deceived by others – better to be innocent than naïve.
To get to know the full depth of oneself, including the darker, shadow side.
To develop a sense of the interrelatedness of all life – and to give up on the idea of wishing to conquer, control, and manipulate the environment.
To develop a sense and meaning of freedom that is not random but a real possibility, consciously directed and within a responsible framework that is free from greed and selfish desire.
To recognize that decay and destructiveness are the consequences that come from anti-growth and artificial forms of control.
To recognize that perfection can be an ambition based in greed, and to allow a state of beingness that has imperfections.
To accept that happiness is forever in the process of ‘ever-growing aliveness’ – and that living as fully as one can is a pleasant satisfaction as part of this journey.
These are high ideals indeed, yet not beyond the capacity of the human being. Until now, many instances of human freedom have, in the words of Fromm, been more successful in establishing the freedom of whim rather than the freedom of will. That is, where ‘whim’ responds to the question of ‘why not?’ – implying that a person does something simply because there is no reason for not doing it. Yet the active aspect of ‘will’ is a constructive response to the need for doing something. Reasons must have meaning, and through exercising our will we give ourselves meaning. Through human will, we can exercise our concentration, focus, and directed intention. We can provide our activities with conscious attention and give force to our actions. This in turn helps us to be centred, grounded, and balanced.
However, a person cannot be a force for change in their lives if they remain chained to the conditioned perceptions that propagate the mainstream consensus narrative. First, we are required to cleanse our lens of personal perception. I shall turn to this subject in my next series of essays.
For now, we are left with the question that begs for our attention – is it time to have or to be?
[i] Fromm, E. (1993). The Art of Being. London, Constable, p96
[ii] Fromm, E. (1960). The Fear of Freedom. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, p90
[iii] Fromm, E. (1960). The Fear of Freedom. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul.
[iv] Fromm, E. (1960). The Fear of Freedom. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, p177
[v] Fromm, E. (1993). The Art of Being. London, Constable, p7
[vi] Fromm, E. (1978). To Have or To Be. London, Abacus, p165
[vii] Fromm, E. (1978). To Have or To Be. London, Abacus, p20
About the Author
Kingsley L. Dennis is the author of Bardo Times: hyperreality, high-velocity, simulation, automation, mutation – a hoax?, The Phoenix Generation: A New Era of Connection, Compassion, and Consciousness, and The Sacred Revival: Magic, Mind & Meaning in a Technological Age, available at Amazon. Visit him on the web at http://www.kingsleydennis.com/.


wakingtimes--2020-05-23--Psychedelic Experiences Disrupt Routine Thinking — And so has the Coronavirus Pandemic

Psychedelic Experiences Disrupt Routine Thinking — And so has the Coronavirus Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the widespread disruption of our usual routines .
The ambiguity of when it will end , how things will unfold and what will happen in the future has resulted in a collective liminal state , a kind of a waiting area on the threshold of change .
COVID-19 has undermined our usual expectations and assumptions .
Evidence from my work on how our brains react to psychedelics tell me the transient anxiety — which occurs when expectations collapse — may yield benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be intentional in the viewing of this era as a transformational opportunity .
I have looked at how medium-to-high doses of psychedelics can help reset the brain , shaking it out of old patterns .
I wonder if our current state of uncertainty could have similar impacts on the brain — a metaphorical psychedelic dose — for new insights , values clarification and a collective reset .
A recent study shows experiences with psychedelics such as psilocybin ( also known as magic mushrooms ) can have disruptive impacts on our brains .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed a state of chaos , or entropy and a loss of synchronization of brain waves .
Entropy is a measure of uncertainty and randomness or disorder .
British neuroscientist Karl Friston defines entropy as a measure of uncertainty , the “ average surprise.
” Low entropy means , on average , that outcomes are relatively predictable .
In Friston ’ s view , the brain is a prediction machine .
We construct the future from the past .
We make predictive inferences ( conscious and unconscious ) to conserve energy and simplify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimuli .
We gain mastery , but at the expense of novelty .
Poor mental health often revolves around excessive rumination and repetition .
Rumination is rigid , repetitive and negative thinking characterized by low entropy .
In 1949 , McGill University psychologist Donald Hebb predicted much of what modern neuroscience would go on to prove with neuroimaging technologies .
Hebbs ’ postulate — that the neurons that fire together , wire together — provides a summary of the way synaptic pathways bond and are reinforced by repetition .
his repetition and rumination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when attached to memories with heightened ( positive or negative ) emotional resonance .
Repetition-habituated brains marinate in a soup of low novelty and lack of surprise , forecasting tomorrow to be much the same as today .
Psychedelics disrupt our repetitive or ruminative ways of thinking and rewire brain communication patterns .
The result is often an altered state of consciousness marked by transient confusion , followed by a high probability of novel , meaningful and possibly even mystical experiences .
When the rigid , top-down control of the ego is loosened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blooms .
How psychedelics can help Our research group at Queen ’ s University recently completed a review of existing studies on psilocybin-assisted therapy .
From over 2,000 records , we found nine completed clinical trials with a total of 169 participants .
Overall , the trials showed that most subjects safely tolerated these interventions and showed improved mental health .
However , some experienced transient distress and post-treatment headaches .
The trend suggests positive outcomes in various conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder , addiction , depression , psychological distress associated with life-threatening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In short , although psychedelics can be accompanied by known adverse experiences , trials seem to indicate that psilocybin is relatively safe ( with the right supports and in a supportive setting ) and has a marked ability to interrupt psychopathologies .
To ensure safety and support , the majority of psilocybin trials used the PSI model ( preparation , session , integration ) with multiple moderate-to-high-doses sessions happening in the company of trained therapists .
Participants report experiences of transient anxiety , distress and confusion , states of joy , interconnectedness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In contrast to talk therapy , psychedelic sessions are experiential , meaning that we experience changed ways of both seeing and being in the world .
Being OK with uncertainty Mystical experiences have been reported both by clinical trial subjects and by recreational psilocybin users .
Mysticism can be thought of as an experience of absorption , a dissolution of separateness and a sense of deep connection .
Absorption is the opposite of rumination .
Rumination carries you away on an eddy of self-referential and self-containing thoughts , while when experiencing absorption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of self , experiencing something greater that is both inside and outside of you .
The psychedelic experience is a classic hero ’ s journey .
The hero leaves the comforts of home , faces disruption and challenges to their previous way of thinking and being , has profound and transformative experiences , and returns a changed person .
Leaving predictability and entering into uncertainty is a threshold to transformation .
In one study , psilocybin trial subjects reported feeling more deeply connected , open and relational as a result of their entropic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In another study , they have been found to hold less authoritarian political views and be more in touch with nature .
Participants in collective psychedelic rituals commonly experience feelings of deep bond , kinship and even telepathy with other participants .
I believe we may be in a similar moment during COVID-19 .
COVID-19 has disrupted the normative habits of society .
It has forced the economic machine to pause .
It has forced many to reevaluate practices and priorities .
In some cases , I believe it is dissolving our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though we are physically distanced ) .
Perhaps , like the liminal psychedelic state , the uncertainty in which we find ourselves in this moment will lead to more visions of what can be .
The future does not have to remain in the past .
Those of us with the luxury of space and time have an opportunity to reset , unbind our minds , quit repeating old patterns , experience anew what life can hold and to do better .
Ron Shore is a PhD Student & Teaching Fellow , School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s University , Ontario .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

Psychedelic Experiences Disrupt Routine Thinking — And so has the Coronavirus Pandemic
Ron Shore, Guest
Waking Times
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the widespread disruption of our usual routines. The ambiguity of when it will end, how things will unfold and what will happen in the future has resulted in a collective liminal state, a kind of a waiting area on the threshold of change.
COVID-19 has undermined our usual expectations and assumptions. Evidence from my work on how our brains react to psychedelics tell me the transient anxiety — which occurs when expectations collapse — may yield benefits. To gain the benefits, we must be intentional in the viewing of this era as a transformational opportunity.
I have looked at how medium-to-high doses of psychedelics can help reset the brain, shaking it out of old patterns. I wonder if our current state of uncertainty could have similar impacts on the brain — a metaphorical psychedelic dose — for new insights, values clarification and a collective reset.
The brain is a prediction machine
A recent study shows experiences with psychedelics such as psilocybin (also known as magic mushrooms) can have disruptive impacts on our brains. Neuroimaging of the brain on psychedelics have revealed a state of chaos, or entropy and a loss of synchronization of brain waves.
Entropy is a measure of uncertainty and randomness or disorder. British neuroscientist Karl Friston defines entropy as a measure of uncertainty, the “average surprise.” Low entropy means, on average, that outcomes are relatively predictable.
In Friston’s view, the brain is a prediction machine. We construct the future from the past. We make predictive inferences (conscious and unconscious) to conserve energy and simplify the interpretation of a continuous input of stimuli.
We gain mastery, but at the expense of novelty.
Disrupting the patterns
Poor mental health often revolves around excessive rumination and repetition. Rumination is rigid, repetitive and negative thinking characterized by low entropy.
In 1949, McGill University psychologist Donald Hebb predicted much of what modern neuroscience would go on to prove with neuroimaging technologies. Hebbs’ postulate — that the neurons that fire together, wire together — provides a summary of the way synaptic pathways bond and are reinforced by repetition.
his repetition and rumination robs the mind of flexibility, especially when attached to memories with heightened (positive or negative) emotional resonance. Repetition-habituated brains marinate in a soup of low novelty and lack of surprise, forecasting tomorrow to be much the same as today.
Psychedelics disrupt our repetitive or ruminative ways of thinking and rewire brain communication patterns. The result is often an altered state of consciousness marked by transient confusion, followed by a high probability of novel, meaningful and possibly even mystical experiences.
When the rigid, top-down control of the ego is loosened, the anarchy of the creative unconscious blooms.
How psychedelics can help
Our research group at Queen’s University recently completed a review of existing studies on psilocybin-assisted therapy. From over 2,000 records, we found nine completed clinical trials with a total of 169 participants.
Overall, the trials showed that most subjects safely tolerated these interventions and showed improved mental health. However, some experienced transient distress and post-treatment headaches. The trend suggests positive outcomes in various conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, depression, psychological distress associated with life-threatening cancers and demoralization among long-term AIDS survivors.
In short, although psychedelics can be accompanied by known adverse experiences, trials seem to indicate that psilocybin is relatively safe (with the right supports and in a supportive setting) and has a marked ability to interrupt psychopathologies.
To ensure safety and support, the majority of psilocybin trials used the PSI model (preparation, session, integration) with multiple moderate-to-high-doses sessions happening in the company of trained therapists.
Participants report experiences of transient anxiety, distress and confusion, states of joy, interconnectedness, catharsis, forgiveness and wisdom experiences. In contrast to talk therapy, psychedelic sessions are experiential, meaning that we experience changed ways of both seeing and being in the world.
Being OK with uncertainty
Mystical experiences have been reported both by clinical trial subjects and by recreational psilocybin users. Mysticism can be thought of as an experience of absorption, a dissolution of separateness and a sense of deep connection. Absorption is the opposite of rumination.
Rumination carries you away on an eddy of self-referential and self-containing thoughts, while when experiencing absorption, you leave behind your narrow sense of self, experiencing something greater that is both inside and outside of you.
The psychedelic experience is a classic hero’s journey. The hero leaves the comforts of home, faces disruption and challenges to their previous way of thinking and being, has profound and transformative experiences, and returns a changed person.
Leaving predictability and entering into uncertainty is a threshold to transformation.
When predictions fail, opportunities are born
In one study, psilocybin trial subjects reported feeling more deeply connected, open and relational as a result of their entropic, and often difficult, psychedelic experiences. In another study, they have been found to hold less authoritarian political views and be more in touch with nature.
Participants in collective psychedelic rituals commonly experience feelings of deep bond, kinship and even telepathy with other participants. I believe we may be in a similar moment during COVID-19.
COVID-19 has disrupted the normative habits of society. It has forced the economic machine to pause. It has forced many to reevaluate practices and priorities. In some cases, I believe it is dissolving our normal sense of human separateness (even though we are physically distanced).
Perhaps, like the liminal psychedelic state, the uncertainty in which we find ourselves in this moment will lead to more visions of what can be.
The future does not have to remain in the past.
Those of us with the luxury of space and time have an opportunity to reset, unbind our minds, quit repeating old patterns, experience anew what life can hold and to do better.
About the Author
Ron Shore is a PhD Student & Teaching Fellow, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University, Ontario.


wakingtimes--2020-05-23--Who Pushes the Idea of an Epidemic; What are their Crimes?

Who Pushes the Idea of an Epidemic ; What are their Crimes ?
With my coverage of the so-called pandemic , we are seeing many new readers showing up and paying attention .
So I want to expose a few facts about the modern medical system—facts I ’ ve presented many times over the past 10 years .
I do this because of a little thing called REPUTATION .
If the track record of major medical officials were really understood , people would ignore their current pronouncements with barely a glance .
Pronouncements like : THE VIRUS IS SPREADING ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ RE TESTING A NEW PROTECTIVE VACCINE AND EVERYONE MUST TAKE IT .
I also expose facts because MEDICALLY CAUSED DEATH is routinely swept under the carpet by the mainstream press .
Actually , as a result of media silence , the subject of medical harm is where the subject of grossly poisoned food was in the 19th and early 20th centuries .
At that time , giant food processors had created their own Wild West , where they could sell lethal poison ( eat , fall down dead ) hidden in products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and transfix the public , which led to partial reforms .
Now , in the medical arena , the press is a partner in capital crimes .
Major medical officials have been sitting on a time bomb .
The range of medical maiming and killing is astonishing .
Imagine a Congressional hearing held before media cameras , with reporters all over the world ready with shocking facts about one of the leading causes of death— I know major media won ’ t investigate medically-caused death numbers , because I ’ ve published reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacted news people with the facts ; and nothing happens .
So we begin with a few citations .
Starfield reported that the US medical system kills 225,000 Americans a year .
106,000 as a result of FDA-approved medical drugs , and 119,000 as a result of mistreatment and errors in hospitals .
Extrapolate the numbers to a decade : that ’ s 2.25 million deaths .
You might want to read that last number again .
I interviewed Starfield in 2009 .
I asked her whether she was aware of any overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this holocaust , and whether she had ever been contacted by any government agency to consult on such an effort .
She answered a resounding NO to both questions .
She also said her estimate of medically caused deaths in America was on the conservative side .
The report was compiled by outside researchers who went into the FDA ’ s own database of “ serious adverse [ medical-drug ] events.
” Therefore , to say the FDA isn ’ t aware of this finding would be absurd .
The FDA knows .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t saying anything about it , because the FDA certifies , as safe and effective , all the medical drugs that are routinely maiming and killing Americans .
Every public health agency knows the truth .
Here is another citation : The article is , “ The Epidemic of Sickness and Death from Prescription Drugs.
” The author is Donald Light , who teaches at Rowan University , and was the 2013 recipient of ASA ’ s [ American Sociological Association ’ s ] Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania .
In 2013 , he was a fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard .
He is a Lokey Visiting Professor at Stanford University .
—Another study , published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on April 15 , 1998 : “ Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients.
” It , too , is mind-boggling .
The authors , led by Jason Lazarou , culled 39 previous studies on patients in hospitals .
These patients , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted to hospitals because they were suffering from the drugs doctors had given them , met the following fate : Every year , in the US , between 76,000 and 137,000 hospitalized patients die as a direct result of the drugs .
Beyond that , every year 2.2 million hospitalized patients experience serious adverse reactions to the drugs .
So this study had nothing to do with doctor errors , nurse errors , or improper combining of drugs .
And it only counted people killed who were admitted to hospitals .
It didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people taking pharmaceuticals who died as consequence of the drugs , without being admitted to hospitals .
( Note : none of the studies and reviews I ’ m citing in this article include damage and death as a result of vaccines . )
The statistics I ’ m quoting reveal a human problem on the level of a tsunami sweeping across the whole of America and Europe .
Why won ’ t major media outlets report these facts and pound on their significance ?
The obvious reason : their big-spending pharmaceutical advertisers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But there are other reasons .
Every medical bureaucrat or medical shill or medical expert who jumps aboard the media train , to assure the public that drugs and vaccines are remarkably safe , is sitting on the time bomb I have described above .
If this bomb were widely recognized , who would continue to believe these professional pundits ?
Who would accept anything they say ?
How could they possibly sustain their credibility ?
Every single pronouncement , on any subject , issued via the medical cartel ’ s Ministry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall on disbelieving ears , and only increase general outrage .
Mainstream reporters and editors and publishers are well aware that telling the truth would undermine a basic institution of society .
The media are there to give credibility to society and its structures .
That ’ s why they ’ re called “ major ” instead of “ minor.
” When hard rains fall , the media are there with an umbrella to hold over organized society ’ s head .
To walk away in the middle of a downpour would leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Crown ” is another way to put it .
The King may make mistakes , he may commit heinous offenses , but he is the King , and therefore his position must remain secure .
Young journalists learn this point quickly .
If in their zeal , they cross the threshold and attempt to expose a central myth , fairy tale , legend , they ’ re put back in their place .
They absorb the message .
Journalism has limits .
Certain truths are silent truths .
Over the years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are solidly addicted to obfuscations .
Like any addict , they have an army of excuses to rationalize their behavior .
The medical experts are worse .
Their pretense of idealism knows no limits , and is matched only by their fatuous claim to bullet-proof knowledge .
When you peel the veneer away , they are enablers , persons of interest , co-conspirators .
There is nothing quite like a high-minded , socially-positioned , card-carrying member of the King ’ s circle of protectors .
The arrogance is titanic .
Because what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the duty of the Crown to make his subjects feel safe and protected and even loved .
No wonder he needs such a large army of trained helpers in and around the press .
He has them .
But their monopoly is breaking down .
We ’ re in a new breakout level of truth .
It ’ s called independent media .
So…on the subject of epidemics , when public health officials , and their government enablers , and the compliant press , and doctors tell us that a new virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will stop it , and we must take that vaccine…why should anyone fall in line and accept their words ?
Professional liars , professional criminals may pretend they are spouting science , but they are merely relying on the ignorance of the public .
It may interest you to know that the US system of reporting severe adverse effects of vaccines is broken .
There are no reliable numbers .
Barbara Loe Fisher , of the private National Vaccine Information Center , has put together a reasonable estimate : “ But how many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every year ?
Is it really only one in 110,000 or one in a million who are left permanently disabled after vaccination ?
Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler observed in 1993 that less than 1 percent of doctors report adverse events following prescription drug use .
[ See DA Kessler , ‘ Introducing MEDWatch , ’ JAMA , June 2 , 1993 : 2765-2768 ] ” “ There have been estimates that perhaps less than 5 or 10 percent of doctors report hospitalizations , injuries , deaths , or other serious health problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act contained no legal sanctions for not reporting ; doctors can refuse to report and suffer no consequences.
” “ Even so , each year about 12,000 reports are made to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System [ VAERS ] ; parents as well as doctors can make those reports .
[ See RT Chen , B. Hibbs , ‘ Vaccine safety , ’ Pediatric Annals , July 1998 : 445-458 ] ” “ However , if that number represents only 10 percent of what is actually occurring , then the actual number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ] .
If doctors report vaccine reactions as infrequently as Dr. Kessler said they report prescription-drug reactions , and the number 12,000 is only 1 percent of the actual total , then the real number may be 1.2 million vaccine-adverse events annually.
” Medical illiteracy in the population—the public health experts and the pharmaceutical titans feast on it .
It allows them to get away with mass murder every day .
For those who think murder is too strong a word , I ’ ll close with this : it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that keeps killing and maiming people at a tragic and astonishing rate , and you know it and do nothing about it , you ’ re guilty .
Period .
No amount of evasion or excuse changes the fact .
THESE are the people telling you to believe their story about a pandemic .
THESE are the people claiming the village has to be blasted in order to save it .
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections , THE MATRIX REVEALED , EXIT FROM THE MATRIX , and POWER OUTSIDE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California .
He maintains a consulting practice for private clients , the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power .
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize , he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years , writing articles on politics , medicine , and health for CBS Healthwatch , LA Weekly , Spin Magazine , Stern , and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe .
Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics , health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world .
You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

Who Pushes the Idea of an Epidemic; What are their Crimes?
Jon Rappoport, Guest
Waking Times
“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.” –Marcia Angell, MD (“Drug Companies and Doctors: A story of Corruption.” NY Review of Books, Jan. 15, 2009.)
With my coverage of the so-called pandemic, we are seeing many new readers showing up and paying attention. So I want to expose a few facts about the modern medical system—facts I’ve presented many times over the past 10 years.
I do this because of a little thing called REPUTATION. If the track record of major medical officials were really understood, people would ignore their current pronouncements with barely a glance. Pronouncements like: THE VIRUS IS SPREADING; THIS IS A MAJOR EPIDEMIC; WE’RE TESTING A NEW PROTECTIVE VACCINE AND EVERYONE MUST TAKE IT.
I also expose facts because MEDICALLY CAUSED DEATH is routinely swept under the carpet by the mainstream press. Actually, as a result of media silence, the subject of medical harm is where the subject of grossly poisoned food was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, giant food processors had created their own Wild West, where they could sell lethal poison (eat, fall down dead) hidden in products. The press helped expose these crimes and transfix the public, which led to partial reforms. Now, in the medical arena, the press is a partner in capital crimes.
Major medical officials have been sitting on a time bomb. The range of medical maiming and killing is astonishing.
Imagine a Congressional hearing held before media cameras, with reporters all over the world ready with shocking facts about one of the leading causes of death—
SENATOR: Sir, I have the mainstream medical death numbers in front of me. How can you keep this secret from the public? FDA COMMISSIONER: It’s not a secret, sir. Many experts know about it. SENATOR: I’m looking through the trillion-dollar federal budget. I’m looking for the money allocated to fix this horrible situation. Where are those funds? FDA COMMISSIONER: Nowhere. Don’t blame us. SENATOR: Why not? FDA COMMISSIONER: Because we can never be dismantled. We’re eternal. God created the FDA. God created the CDC.
I know major media won’t investigate medically-caused death numbers, because I’ve published reports for years, and I’ve contacted news people with the facts; and nothing happens.
So we begin with a few citations.
July 26, 2000, Journal of the American Medical Association; author, Dr. Barbara Starfield, revered public health expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; “Is US health really the best in the world?”
Starfield reported that the US medical system kills 225,000 Americans a year. 106,000 as a result of FDA-approved medical drugs, and 119,000 as a result of mistreatment and errors in hospitals. Extrapolate the numbers to a decade: that’s 2.25 million deaths. You might want to read that last number again.
I interviewed Starfield in 2009. I asked her whether she was aware of any overall effort by the US government to eliminate this holocaust, and whether she had ever been contacted by any government agency to consult on such an effort. She answered a resounding NO to both questions. She also said her estimate of medically caused deaths in America was on the conservative side.
Here is another citation: BMJ June 7, 2012 (BMJ 2012:344:e3989). Author, Jeanne Lenzer. Lenzer refers to a report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices: “It [the Institute] calculated that in 2011 prescription drugs were associated with two to four million people in the US experiencing ‘serious, disabling, or fatal injuries, including 128,000 deaths.’” The report called this “one of the most significant perils to humans resulting from human activity.”
The report was compiled by outside researchers who went into the FDA’s own database of “serious adverse [medical-drug] events.”
Therefore, to say the FDA isn’t aware of this finding would be absurd. The FDA knows. The FDA knows and it isn’t saying anything about it, because the FDA certifies, as safe and effective, all the medical drugs that are routinely maiming and killing Americans. Every public health agency knows the truth.
Here is another citation: The article is, “The Epidemic of Sickness and Death from Prescription Drugs.” The author is Donald Light, who teaches at Rowan University, and was the 2013 recipient of ASA’s [American Sociological Association’s] Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology. Light is a founding fellow of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2013, he was a fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard. He is a Lokey Visiting Professor at Stanford University.
Donald Light: “Epidemiologically, appropriately prescribed, prescription drugs are the fourth leading cause of death, tied with stroke at about 2,460 deaths each week in the United States. About 330,000 patients die each year from prescription drugs in the United States and Europe. They [the drugs] cause an epidemic of about 20 times more hospitalizations [6.6 million annually], as well as falls, road accidents, and [annually] about 80 million medically minor problems such as pains, discomforts, and dysfunctions that hobble productivity or the ability to care for others. Deaths and adverse effects from overmedication, errors, and self-medication would increase these figures.” (ASA publication, “Footnotes,” November 2014)
—Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on April 15, 1998: “Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients.” It, too, is mind-boggling.
The authors, led by Jason Lazarou, culled 39 previous studies on patients in hospitals. These patients, who received drugs in hospitals, or were admitted to hospitals because they were suffering from the drugs doctors had given them, met the following fate:
Every year, in the US, between 76,000 and 137,000 hospitalized patients die as a direct result of the drugs.
Beyond that, every year 2.2 million hospitalized patients experience serious adverse reactions to the drugs.
The authors write: “…Our study on ADRs [Adverse Drug Reactions], which excludes medication errors, had a different objective: to show that there are a large number of ADRs even when the drugs are properly prescribed and administered.”
So this study had nothing to do with doctor errors, nurse errors, or improper combining of drugs. And it only counted people killed who were admitted to hospitals. It didn’t begin to tally all the people taking pharmaceuticals who died as consequence of the drugs, without being admitted to hospitals. (Note: none of the studies and reviews I’m citing in this article include damage and death as a result of vaccines.)
The statistics I’m quoting reveal a human problem on the level of a tsunami sweeping across the whole of America and Europe.
Why won’t major media outlets report these facts and pound on their significance?
The obvious reason: their big-spending pharmaceutical advertisers would drop them like hot potatoes.
But there are other reasons.
Every medical bureaucrat or medical shill or medical expert who jumps aboard the media train, to assure the public that drugs and vaccines are remarkably safe, is sitting on the time bomb I have described above.
If this bomb were widely recognized, who would continue to believe these professional pundits? Who would accept anything they say? How could they possibly sustain their credibility?
“Well, the system I represent kills 2.25 million people per decade, and maims between 20 and 40 million more people per decade, but I want to assure you this vaccine presents no problems at all. It’s incredibly safe.”
Every single pronouncement, on any subject, issued via the medical cartel’s Ministry of Truth (major media), would fall on disbelieving ears, and only increase general outrage.
Mainstream reporters and editors and publishers are well aware that telling the truth would undermine a basic institution of society.
The media are there to give credibility to society and its structures. That’s why they’re called “major” instead of “minor.”
When hard rains fall, the media are there with an umbrella to hold over organized society’s head. To walk away in the middle of a downpour would leave the status quo unprotected.
“Defending the Crown” is another way to put it. The King may make mistakes, he may commit heinous offenses, but he is the King, and therefore his position must remain secure.
Young journalists learn this point quickly. If in their zeal, they cross the threshold and attempt to expose a central myth, fairy tale, legend, they’re put back in their place. They absorb the message. Journalism has limits. Certain truths are silent truths.
Over the years, I’ve talked to reporters who are solidly addicted to obfuscations. Like any addict, they have an army of excuses to rationalize their behavior.
The medical experts are worse. Their pretense of idealism knows no limits, and is matched only by their fatuous claim to bullet-proof knowledge.
When you peel the veneer away, they are enablers, persons of interest, co-conspirators.
There is nothing quite like a high-minded, socially-positioned, card-carrying member of the King’s circle of protectors. The arrogance is titanic. Because what is being hidden is so explosive.
It is the duty of the Crown to make his subjects feel safe and protected and even loved.
No wonder he needs such a large army of trained helpers in and around the press.
He has them.
But their monopoly is breaking down.
We’re in a new breakout level of truth. It’s called independent media.
So…on the subject of epidemics, when public health officials, and their government enablers, and the compliant press, and doctors tell us that a new virus is sweeping the world, a vaccine will stop it, and we must take that vaccine…why should anyone fall in line and accept their words?
Professional liars, professional criminals may pretend they are spouting science, but they are merely relying on the ignorance of the public.
It may interest you to know that the US system of reporting severe adverse effects of vaccines is broken. There are no reliable numbers.
Barbara Loe Fisher, of the private National Vaccine Information Center, has put together a reasonable estimate:
“But how many children have [adverse] vaccine reactions every year? Is it really only one in 110,000 or one in a million who are left permanently disabled after vaccination? Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler observed in 1993 that less than 1 percent of doctors report adverse events following prescription drug use. [See DA Kessler, ‘Introducing MEDWatch,’ JAMA, June 2, 1993: 2765-2768]” “There have been estimates that perhaps less than 5 or 10 percent of doctors report hospitalizations, injuries, deaths, or other serious health problems following vaccination. The 1986 Vaccine Injury Act contained no legal sanctions for not reporting; doctors can refuse to report and suffer no consequences.” “Even so, each year about 12,000 reports are made to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System [VAERS]; parents as well as doctors can make those reports. [See RT Chen, B. Hibbs, ‘Vaccine safety,’ Pediatric Annals, July 1998: 445-458]” “However, if that number represents only 10 percent of what is actually occurring, then the actual number may be 120,000 vaccine-adverse events [per year]. If doctors report vaccine reactions as infrequently as Dr. Kessler said they report prescription-drug reactions, and the number 12,000 is only 1 percent of the actual total, then the real number may be 1.2 million vaccine-adverse events annually.”
Medical illiteracy in the population—the public health experts and the pharmaceutical titans feast on it. It allows them to get away with mass murder every day.
For those who think murder is too strong a word, I’ll close with this: it’s simple—when you’re in a profession that keeps killing and maiming people at a tragic and astonishing rate, and you know it and do nothing about it, you’re guilty. Period. No amount of evasion or excuse changes the fact.
THESE are the people telling you to believe their story about a pandemic. THESE are the people claiming the village has to be blasted in order to save it.
About the Author
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit From The Matrix, click here.)