Deep Dark Secrets

Deep Dark Secrets:

The blue holes of the Bahamas yield a scientific trove that may even shed light on life beyond Earth. If only they weren’t so dangerous to explore...

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/08/bahamas-caves/skiles-photography

check out this amazing photographic footage of incredible dives to unreal underground caves

Inspired by Conflict

This is a copy of a message i sent to Youtube user "benfaust" in response to his video: Science and Atheism vs. Psychic Phenomena.

Hello there.

Thanks for the add and the follow.

I understand your gripes with the western scientocracy; i have been to the far reaches of human consciousness and experienced things and emotions that simply cannot be explained within the confines of a double-blind experiment. You seem to grasp this, so it is more a rhetorical question but.... i must ask, do you understand what true science has to offer us? To me science has light and dark aspects: it shows us the importance of critical thinking and doubting the obvious, it encourages us to be both observant and creative, and it warns us of those who would use collected evidence or "statements of fact" to influence the masses how they see fit. It attempts to safeguard our race from mindful manipulation and blind faith while science itself at large seems to be the greatest tool for just those things. So... there is fundamental hypocrisy in what we know as science today, just as there is hypocrisy in what we know and have known as religion.

What i encourage is the melding of what we know, with the unlimited expanse and potential of what we don't know: to reject fear and promote curiosity.

I am now a student of (Integrative but chiefly) Oriental Medicine: i actively learn about that which is well established within the limited scope of science as well as that which is not, of which the concept of 气 (or "qi" as it is transliterated in pinyin) is a fantastic example. As a student of Integrative Medicine i see the body as composed of atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems, as well as 气, 血，精，and 津液。Investigate for yourself (www.orientalmedicine.com), the Chinese knew more about the human 5,000 years ago before any of our western forefathers.

I admire your tandem belief in god and dedication to free thought. It is hard to be both spiritual and rational in today's world. It seems that one must be crammed into either this box or that.

Keep up the good work.

peace and respect,

aloefire

On I Ching: Understanding the Layers

In my recently initiated study of the I Ching, i found myself struggling with the terms "Opposite Gua," "Inverse Gua," and "Mutual Gua."

(For those who don't know) A "gua" is a binary image composed of 6 either yin (broken, yielding; 0) or yang (unbroken, strong; 1) yao (lines), read from the bottom up. Its code describes the state of an event or situation and how that situation is able to progress and/or change. Below are the first 3 Accomplished Gua (6-line gua vs. the 3-line "Primary Gua") contained in the I Ching.

(1)Qian Initiating

(2)Kun Responding

(3)Zhun Beginning

Looking at (3)Zhun, allow me to explain the structures of what are known as the Opposite Gua, the Inverse Gua, and the Mutual Gua. The Opposite Gua is obtained by changing each yin into a yang, and each yang into a yin; as such, the Initial (or Original) gua of (3)Zhun is read: yang, yin, yin, yin, yang, yin and its Opposite gua is (50)Ding, which is read: yin, yang, yang, yang, yin, yang (shown below).

(50)Ding Establishing the New

The Inverse gua of an accomplished gua is obtained by reflecting the image over a horizontal axis. Reading the Initial gua from top to bottom, the Inverse gua of (3)Zhun then is (4)Meng, which is read: yin, yang, yin, yin, yin, yang (shown below).

(4)Meng Childhood

The Mutual gua of an accomplished gua is obtained by constructing two new primary gua, using lines 2, 3, 4, and 5, and arranging them into a "nuclear hexagram" or Mutual gua: the lower primary gua of the Mutual gua is constructed from lines 2, 3, and 4; the upper primary gua of the Mutual gua is constructed from lines 3, 4, and 5. So, looking at (3)Zhun, the lower primary gua of the Mutual gua is: yin, yin, yin; the upper primary gua of the mutual gua is: yin, yin, yang. By combining the new lower and upper primary guas, one obtains the Mutual gua (23)Bo, which is read: yin, yin, yin, yin, yin, yang (shown below)

(23)Bo Falling Away

Now that you know what an Accomplished gua is, what Primary gua are, and what the Initial, Opposite, Inverse, and Mutual gua are, allow me to expound on what i believe each represents through the use of analogy.

Consider the Initial gua as a black & white photograph. The Opposite gua would be the negative image of the photograph, trading the places of highlights and shadows. The Inverse gua would be a mirror image of the photograph reflected over an axis . The Mutual gua would be any and all images arising due to permutation that are present within the Initial photograph (any shapes or images within the original photograph that recombine to construct "hidden images").

As the analogy follows, the Opposite gua will show the situation in a different light and thus will provide perspective on forces classified as generative (initiative) and receptive (responsive). The Inverse gua will show the situation from a different angle and thus will provide perspective on matters/forces classified as inner and outer. The Mutual gua reveals otherwise hidden patterns and information within the situation and thus will provide perspective on what one considers to be obvious or subtle.

I am sure that my understanding of these aspects of the I Ching will change over time, but i believe this to be a helpful summary for those looking to deepen their understanding of the many hidden layers of the I Ching.

Scholarship Essays

So, i applied for two scholarships today: one involved a personal statement of goals and why you deserve the money and the other was about the Green movement and recycling. Here they are respectively:

Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship Essay:

Medicine is the art of humanity.

I have chosen to attend graduate school for Oriental Medicine. I have no desires to be rich or famous; I neither wish to live a luxurious life nor live a life without work. I have always found it important to give back to my community, even when I have a busy schedule and have little time for myself. To study medicine and to make it affordable to the public is one of the greatest ways that one can give back to one’s community. By studying the art and science of Oriental Medicine, with a rigorous background in Biomaterial Engineering, I hope to apply my intellectual ability to switch between Oriental and Western medical paradigms towards the integration of these great systems of medicine. I see, with a rapidly growing world population, that the medicine of the future cannot afford to merely apply bandaids and simply hope that the patient will stop complaining. The medicine of the future must be robust, it must focus on prevention, and no disease, syndrome, or condition must lie outside its scope. It is my mission, my duty, and my destiny to help bring this medicine into the world. As such, I need as much scholarship money as I can get so I can stop taking out loans; this will allow me to amass savings that will in the future be invested in my practice of medicine and thus in the community that is the world around us.


Castle Ink Green Scholarship:

I designed a videogame controller that could be made from post-consumer, recycled polypropylene and high-density polyethylene along with SBS. Only the SBS, making up a mere 3.2% of the controller’s mass, would need to be purchased as newly synthesized. I have yet to get a patent.

I clean and recycle everything that can be recycled; I also take all of my old computer and electronic parts to proper recycling locations, as well as batteries and empty printer cartridges. We are not the only beings that inhabit this planet; environmental consciousness must be at the top of humanity’s list of priorities.

11 Creations That Prove "Mario Bros" Was The Most Important Video Game Ever (PHOTOS)

Sooooo sweeeet.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Poetic Justice

Today i fought through my last engineering exam ever in the story of my life. I needed to get at least a 50% to pass the class... i'm pretty confident that i'll pass, and in 4 day's time i'll be walking the good walk for good.

then... out of the time of my life where i do what i have to do, and i start doing what i want to do... excellentness. victory is mine!

Jinsei Shinkendo!

My latest test for progression in rank (last night) went extremely well; i looked and felt amazing. apparently everyone was blown away by my consistent level of force, never shying away, never showing a hint of tiredness nor weakness...

I tested simultaneously for 3 separate ranks:

Goho = 6th of 7 student ranks

Shidoin = 2nd degree in instructorship

Gokkyu = 3rd degree in Japanese Military swordsmanship

Only 3 weeks left at Iwanami Dojo then off to Chicago where i'll continue my studies at Sojokan Dojo under the direction of the great sensei Trevis Crane.

word up y'all, nothin' can stop me now...

djd