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HER STROKE WAS A BLESSING. . . . . . .

Neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor......experienced a rare form of stroke 10 years ago while working as a brain scientist at Harvard. A congenital malformation of the blood vessels in her brain exploded and for four hours she watched her mind deteriorate through the eyes of a curious scientist. She remembers the morning of the stroke vividly. By the end of the morning, she curled up into a fetal position and said goodbye to life. "I was shocked when I awoke later," said Taylor, who now teaches neuroanatomy to medical students studying on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. "I couldn't talk. I couldn't understand language. By anyone's standard, I was completely disabled. I describe myself as an infant in a woman's body." Taylor's new self-published book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, describes in lay terms the anatomy underlying her experience of stroke and her commitment during the next eight years to rebuild the left side of her brain, all from the perspective of an insatiably curious scientist who considers her stroke a blessing.

ORBS: Fact or Fabrication?

There is a shift happening. The ancients told us this time would come . . . the time is here. Things are different in our bodies, our emotions, the very core of our beings seem to be opening to new possibilities.

And so we find ourselves in new territory, needing tools to help us navigate and explore our new paradigm of existence. There are many well-known tools for exploring the nature of existence, such as: shamanism, meditation, yoga, and prayer. Yet I never imagined that my digital camera would become just such a tool. It has done this by allowing me to capture, in a photograph, a glimpse of a greater reality that is peeking through the veil of our three-dimensional limited way of seeing.

What does that mean? It means that cameras (especially digital) are now picking up phenomena that exist in different parts of the light spectrum than are normally seen with the naked eye. These phenomena are manifesting in different forms, but one of the most commonly seen in photographs are round glowing spheres of light called "Orbs".

Orbs have been photographed around sacred sites for many years and are now showing up everywhere. I have seen them swarm in photos when live music is played, children are laughing, or friends are joined together. I have seen them appear en masse while someone meditates or sends them love. I have photographed them in nature as well as inside convention halls. The commonality of their appearances is the presence of strong emotion, be it: joy, love, bliss, and even grief.

Many of us have felt that there is more to existence than what we could readily perceive with our eyes. Yet we live in a "seeing is believing" world that has, for the most part, denied the reality of other worlds and dimensions that are unseen and not easily explained. This is one reason the Orb phenomenon is so exciting . . . We are actually able to "see" the unseen!

My advice for anyone wanting to experience Orbs for themselves is: find a location that feels sacred or joyous to you, a church or a healing spot, an outdoor party or celebration, a special place in nature . . . anywhere that positive energy or vibrations are felt. Get together with a group of people and plan to have fun. Singing or playing instruments works well, as music brings in higher frequencies. Be sure to use your flash as it seems the Orbs are usually seen better with its aid. I suggest starting your Orb questing by photographing at dusk or when it's already dark. Orbs have been photographed in daylight, with or without a flash, but it's rare. Frame the shots so that subjects are toward the bottom of the frame; i.e. more sky than ground. Be prepared to shoot and shoot (which is easy with a digital camera) and to revisit a location several times to cultivate the area.

A small percentage of people see Orbs with the naked eye, yet it is generally through the photographic medium that they are seen. But most importantly, it is through our hearts that they are felt.

~ Hope Mead

THE LAW OF ONE
We are all one.
When one is harmed, all are harmed.
When one is helped, all are healed.
Therefore, in the name of who I AM,
and I am one with all;
I ask that ONLY THAT WHICH IS THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL
CONCERNED happen here and now, and through all time and space.
I give thanks that this is done.
SO BE IT!

Check out this neat anecdote from The David Letterman Show. The guy telling the story is Jay Thomas.