Self-Judgment – Our Excuses Not to Live


 
Pretty amazing!


This is the Most Detailed Map of the Universe to Date


This map of the universe spans more than 500 million light-years and contains more than 100,000 galaxies.



 
Pretty amazing!


This is the Most Detailed Map of the Universe to Date


This map of the universe spans more than 500 million light-years and contains more than 100,000 galaxies.



But how? How did they build the map?
 
But how? How did they build the map?
Many many years of looking through telescopes and now with computers to aid in the location of stars and galaxies...it’s like when they decided to aim the Hubble Telescope at a supposed empty patch of space only to reveal more stars and galaxies than they new were out there.
They called it the “Deep Field” and those are not stars but whole galaxies it has taken a picture of...simple amazing!

 
"You don't have a Soul.
You are a Soul.
You have a body."

~ C.S.Lewis​
 
13077073_1252665638084882_5875924013087058000_n.jpg

Who are those "guys"?
 
Many many years of looking through telescopes and now with computers to aid in the location of stars and galaxies...it’s like when they decided to aim the Hubble Telescope at a supposed empty patch of space only to reveal more stars and galaxies than they new were out there.
They called it the “Deep Field” and those are not stars but whole galaxies it has taken a picture of...simple amazing!

I'm wowed! :D
Thank you for replying. I had no idea honestly that IT was so big! Grasping the concept is a bit overwhelming to me because the question of 'How long before we know if there are folks like us in those galaxies, or are those galaxies us in different life"? This is why I find it overwhelming. Trying to align all of the thought sparks of 'what IT is, and what is its meaning for me'.

I heard in a documentary about space once, at the time they were referencing Startrack and Stargate, that many folks in the science field and general laymen say "Does life dictate Hollywood or does Hollywood dictate life?" I imagine the creative minds that come up with the story lines for much of our treky movies and such...my question always comes back to where did that idea come from? Are they new ideas or memory recall? Stuff like that intrigues me beyond limit. ;)
 
Who are those "guys"?
One of many 80’s hair band glam rock bands.
I think this is Motley Crew if I’m not mistaken.
 
I'm wowed! :D
Thank you for replying. I had no idea honestly that IT was so big! Grasping the concept is a bit overwhelming to me because the question of 'How long before we know if there are folks like us in those galaxies, or are those galaxies us in different life"? This is why I find it overwhelming. Trying to align all of the thought sparks of 'what IT is, and what is its meaning for me'.

I heard in a documentary about space once, at the time they were referencing Startrack and Stargate, that many folks in the science field and general laymen say "Does life dictate Hollywood or does Hollywood dictate life?" I imagine the creative minds that come up with the story lines for much of our treky movies and such...my question always comes back to where did that idea come from? Are they new ideas or memory recall? Stuff like that intrigues me beyond limit. ;)

It’s pretty amazing the distances...it’s also amazing how patterns emerge even from the most gigantic of structures....Laniakea looks amazingly like the neurons in our brain.
There has to be other life out there....we can’t be the lone accident in the universe.
If it happened here, then with all the endless worlds in the universe, we have to make the assumption that there are others out there...maybe some that have millions of years more worth of scientific knowledge, I’m sure they are out there.
Now being here is another question...I personally lean more toward the UFOs and “aliens” we see here on Earth or more inter dimensional in nature than from a specific planet....but, idk.
Maybe one day we will find out!
 
29 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

Thich Nhat Hạnh, born October 11, 1926, is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist.

He lives in Plum Village in the south of France, and regularly travels over the world, for retreats and speaking events.

In 2005, Thich was given permission to make his first return trip to Vietnam, after a long exile.

Nhat Hạnh has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English.
He is active in the peace movement, promoting nonviolent solutions to conflict and he also lives a vegan lifestyle, banning all animal product consumption from his life, as a means of nonviolence towards non-human animals.
_______________________________________________________________________________

1. “We have to learn to live our life as a human being deeply.
We need to live each breath deeply so that we have peace, joy and freedom as we breathe.”

2. “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

3. “Because you are alive, everything is possible.”

4. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear.
If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

5. “Breathing in, I calm body and mind.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

6. “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society will benefit from our peace.”

7. “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

8. “Yesterday is already gone.
Tomorrow is not yet here.
Today is the only day available to us; it is the most important day of our lives.”

9. “If we take steps without anxiety, in peace and joy, then we will cause a flower to bloom on the Earth with every step.”

10. “There are thousands of channels in our consciousness; it is up to us to choose the channel.”

11. “Patience is the mark of true love.
If you truly love someone, you will be more patient with that person.”

12. “Life is available only in the present moment.”

13. “Look at flowers, butterflies, trees, and children with the eyes of compassion.
Compassion will change your life and make it wonderful.”

14. “To be beautiful means to be yourself.
You don’t need to be accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself.”

15. “Many people think excitement is happiness….
But when you are excited you are not peaceful.
True happiness is based on peace.”

16. “When we practice smiling peacefully and calmly, our peace can permeate the entire universe.
The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.”

17. “You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.”

18. “We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.
We need to awaken ourselves.”

19. “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over.
He does not need punishment; he needs help.
That’s the message he is sending.”

20. “The energies of mindfulness, concentration and insight can liberate us from our anxiety and worries.
We let go of the past and the future, and come in touch with the wonders of the present.”

21. “While you are walking, smile and be in the here and now, and you will transform that place into paradise.”

22. “When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence.
How can you love if you are not there? “

23. “Meditation can help us embrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing.
We let our own natural capacity of healing do the work.”

24. “You carry Mother Earth within you.
She is not outside of you.
Mother Earth is not just your environment.
In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer.”

25. “No one can be successful in the art of meditation without having passed the gate of breathing.”

26. “Every one of us already has the seed of mindfulness.
The practice is to cultivate it.”

27. “We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves.
And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.”

28. “Your body is your first home.
Breathing in, I arrive in my body.
Breathing out, I am home.”

29. “Life is not about getting to a certain place.
Life is a path.
Walking meditation is a way to practice walking without a goal or intention”
 

by Rupert Sheldrake
November 9, 2012




Like many mothers who feared for their family’s safety during World War II, Mona Miller was evacuated from London to the peaceful seaside town of Babbacombe in Devon.

It seemed like a wise precaution but, shortly after her arrival there with her young children, Mrs Miller became increasingly uneasy.

‘I had a feeling that I must leave Devon and return home,’ she told me.

‘At first I dismissed the idea; why leave when I was so happy and contented despite the war going on around me?

I’ve long believed that presentiments, premonitions and other psychic phenomena such as telepathy should be taken more seriously by my scientific colleagues.

‘But the feeling increased.
The walls of my room seemed to speak to me: “Go home to London.”
I resisted the call for about four months then, one day, like a flash of light, I knew we must leave.

‘On a Saturday in late 1942, we travelled back to London and a few days later I received a letter from a friend in Devon.

‘“Thank God you took the children on Saturday,” she wrote. “Early Sunday morning, Jerry dropped three bombs and one fell on the house where you were living, demolishing it, and killing all the neighbors on either side.”’

Mrs Miller was far from the only person to experience such forebodings during the war.

Three years later, in the spring of 1945, U.S. serviceman Charles Bernuth took part in the invasion of Germany and, shortly after crossing the Rhine, found himself driving along the autobahn one night with two officers.

He described how a ‘still, small voice’ within him told him there was something wrong with the road ahead.

‘I stopped, amid the groans and jeers of the other two. I started walking along the road.

‘About 50 yards from where I had left the jeep, I found out what was wrong.

‘We were about to go over a bridge - only the bridge wasn’t there. It had been blown up and there was a sheer drop of about 75ft.’

Both Mrs Miller and Charles Bernuth had experienced presentiments - feelings that something was going to happen without knowing what it would be.

These differ from premonitions, where the person involved has an insight into what lies ahead, as when 16-year-old Carole Davies visited a London amusement arcade during the Seventies.

‘While standing looking out into the night, I had a sense of danger,’ she recalled.

‘Then I saw what looked like a picture in front of me showing people on the floor with tiles and metal girders on them. I realized that this was to happen here. I began to shout at people to get out. No one listened.’

Together with her friends, Carole hurried out and went to a nearby cafe.

As they sat inside, they heard sirens in the street outside. A weakness in the arcade building’s structure had brought its roof and walls crashing down on those within.

‘We all ran down the road to see what had happened,’ Carole remembered.

‘It was just as I had seen. A man I had shouted at was being pulled from under the debris.’

Like Mona Miller and Charles Bernuth before her, Carole was convinced she owed her life to her mysterious sixth sense, a notion which you might expect a scientist of my background to dismiss out of hand.

I am a biologist who has studied, researched and taught at both Cambridge and Harvard, and held senior academic posts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Yet I’ve long believed that presentiments, premonitions and other psychic phenomena such as telepathy should be taken more seriously by my scientific colleagues.

My fascination with this subject began during the Sixties when I was a graduate student in the biochemistry department at Cambridge University.

This was not long after the South African writer Laurens van der Post had published his accounts of life with the Bushmen of the Kalahari desert.

Like most traditional societies, theirs was one in which telepathy was not only taken for granted, but put to practical use, as van der Post saw when his hosts hunted down and killed an eland antelope many miles from camp.

As they were driving back in a Land Rover laden with meat, he asked one of the Bushmen how those back at camp would react when they learned of this success.

‘They already know - we Bushmen have a wire here,’ he replied, tapping his chest. ‘It brings us news.’

He was comparing their method of communication with the white man’s telegram or ‘wire’.

Sure enough, when they approached the camp, the people were singing the ‘Eland Song’ and preparing to give the hunters the greatest of welcomes.

Many other travelers in Africa have reported that people seemed to know when loved ones were coming home.
The same would occur in rural Norway, where the inhabitants developed a special word - vardoger - for the anticipation of arrivals.

Similarly, accounts I read of the ‘second sight’ of some inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands included visions of arrivals before the person in question appeared.

But none of this convinced me, converted as I was to the dogma of ‘materialism’ which has dominated scientific thought since the late 19th century, and still does so today.

According to materialists, science will eventually explain everything in terms of physics and chemistry.

And anything that cannot be thus explained can be dismissed as illusory.

Educated in this tradition, I adopted the standard dismissive attitude when the subject of telepathy came up in the laboratory tearoom one day.

I was gently taken to task by Sir Rudolph Peters, one of the doyens of British biochemistry.
He was a kindly man with twinkly eyes and more curiosity than most people half his age.

He told me of an ophthalmologist friend who had a severely disabled and mentally retarded young boy as a patient.

Although he was almost blind, he seemed able to read the letters on the optician’s chart very well, but only when his mother was looking at them.

The only explanation appeared to be some form of telepathic communication between the two, and in 1968 Sir Rudolph conducted an experiment in which the boy correctly guessed many of the written numbers or words shown to his mother, even though they were sitting on either side of a screen which prevented him from picking up any visual or auditory cues.

Sir Rudolph concluded that this telepathy had developed to an unusual degree because of the boy’s extreme needs and his mother’s desire to help him.

But, as I discovered, even laboratory experiments involving strangers had produced results which, if less marked, were still compelling.

For example, the years between 1880 and 1939 saw something of a boom in early psychical research, with the publication of more than 186 studies involving trials in which subjects guessed which randomly selected cards a ‘sender’ was looking at.

When the four million individual results were combined in a statistical procedure called meta-analysis, the overall results were hugely significant because they were considerably more accurate than would have been expected from random chance.

Later experiments during the Seventies involved subjects sleeping in a soundproofed laboratory while a ‘sender’ in another room, and in some cases another building, opened a sealed package containing a randomly selected picture and concentrated on it, trying to influence the subject’s dream.

Sometimes the thought transference was very clear: one subject described having dreamed about buying tickets for a prize fight while the sender was looking at a picture of a boxing match.

Occasionally, it was more symbolic, as when the subject dreamed of a dead rat in a cigar box while the sender was looking at a picture of a dead gangster in a coffin.

But in 450 such trials the overall results were very significantly above the chance level.

My research has included more than 4,000 cases of psychic phenomena.
Many, like Mona Miller’s near-miss in the Blitz, involve mothers.

Hundreds told me that during the months they were breastfeeding, they’d know when their baby needed them, even from miles away, because they began secreting breast milk.

With the help of a midwife, I studied nine nursing mothers in North London during a two-month period, and found that their unexpected ‘let-downs’ of milk when they were separated from their babies very often coincided with their infants experiencing distress.

The odds against this occurring by chance as often as it did were a billion to one, and this telepathic connection makes good evolutionary sense.

Mothers who could tell at a distance when their babies were unhappy would tend to have babies that survived better than those of insensitive mothers.

Such connections often seem to continue even when the children have grown up, with many stories on my database concerning mothers who had an urge to get in touch with their children when they could not have known by any conventional means that they were in trouble.

Many would do so by telephone, the method of communication most commonly mentioned in reports of telepathic experiences in general.

Many people told me they had thought of someone for no apparent reason, and then that person rang in a way that seemed uncanny.
Or they knew who was calling when the phone rang, even before they picked up the receiver.

I designed an experiment to test this, a simplified version of which you can try through my website.

This involved asking subjects for the names and phone numbers of four friends or family members before placing them alone in a room with a landline telephone with no caller ID.

I then selected one of the four callers at random and asked them to phone the subject, who had to say who was on the line before answering.

By guessing at random, subjects would have been right about one time in four, or 25 per cent.

In fact, the average hit rate was 45 per cent, very significantly above the level of chance, and these results have been replicated independently at universities in Germany and Holland.

In attempting to explain such phenomena, we need to look far beyond the traditional scientific view that everything is essentially material or physical, including the human mind.

That materialist approach was summed up by Francis Crick, who in 1962 shared a Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA.

‘You, your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules,’ he wrote.

Crick spoke for the scientific mainstream, as did influential neuroscientist Susan Greenfield when she described seeing an exposed brain in an operating theatre.

‘This is all there was to (the patient) Sarah, or indeed to any of us,’ she reflected in a paper published in 2000.

‘We are but sludgy brains and somehow a character and mind are generated in this soupy mess.’

Yet this idea that our minds are fixed physically inside our heads, and that consciousness is nothing but a by-product of the activity of the brain, runs contrary to our everyday experience.

When we look around us, the images of the things we see are outside us, not in our heads.
The feelings in my fingers are in my fingers, not in my head.

The human intuitions I have described fit better with the ‘field theory’ of minds.

We are used to the fact that fields exist both within and outside material objects such as magnets and mobile phones, and there is reason to believe that our minds have similar fields which have their roots within our brains, but also extend beyond them.

Extraordinary though this sounds, it’s supported by studies of another remarkable psychic phenomenon - the sense of being stared at.

Most people have felt someone looking at them from behind, turned around and met the person’s eyes.
And most people have experienced the converse: making someone turn around by staring at them.

In extensive surveys in Europe and North America, between 70 and 97 per cent of adults and children reported such experiences.

In a series of interviews with police officers, surveillance personnel and soldiers, I discovered most felt that some people seemed to know they were being observed, even though the watchers were well hidden.

‘A lot of times the crook will just get a feeling that things aren’t right,’ I was told by one narcotics officer.

‘We often have someone look right in our direction even though he can’t see us. A lot of times we’re inside a vehicle.’

Surprisingly, laboratory tests have shown that the sense of being stared at works even when people are looked at on screens, rather than directly.

Our emotional response can be measured by the activity of our sweat glands and this increases in many subjects being watched on CCTV, even though they are unaware of their response.

All this suggests that, whether through direct staring or CCTV, we are capable of ‘touching’ each other with our sight - further evidence that our minds are not confined to the inside of our brains.

With telepathic communication, it seems that these fields somehow interact at a distance, picking up feelings, needs or thoughts across space.

As for presentiments and premonitions, these imply links across time, as we tune into our future mental states.
That such links are real was suggested by a series of experiments in the U.S. and Holland over the past 20 years.

These measured responses to a series of noxious smells, mild electric shocks, emotive words and provocative photographs, interspersed with calming stimuli which had no physiological effect on subjects at all.

No one, not even the experimenters, knew what kind of stimuli the computer involved would produce next, but in a significant number of cases the subjects reacted to the unpleasant stimuli some three or four seconds in advance, somehow connecting with their future selves who would be experiencing the stimuli for real.

These findings are fascinating in themselves but, as I will explain in Monday’s Mail, psychic phenomena are not restricted to human beings.

There are amazing stories of telepathy and premonitions of disaster in many other species, including pet dogs.

As for exactly how such phenomena operate, it may be years before we understand them, but an important first step is for scientists to acknowledge that they exist, and that the minds of both animals and humans interact in as yet unexplained ways.
 
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Top video "how the universe is way bigger than you think." I had no idea how enormous it is (and still don't). Mind boggling! It seems people are beginning to understand what a very small party of it we are actually able to see, and how much further it actually extends! Like a whole lot further than anyone could have ever imagined.
 
Thank you for sharing this. Conceptually, this takes a minute to digest the size differences. ;)

It’s really hard for our minds to grasp such distances...I think this video does a pretty good job to illustrate the enormity of what could actually continue on for who knows how long and far?


Watched the first few mins, will watch the rest in a bit...seems very good and interesting so far.
I watched the documentary “The Substance” yesterday, about Albert Hoffman’s discovery of LSD and how many benefits it had for so many people when used in psychotherapy. Then how it was abused and demonized thus taking away a huge tool to help people.
Anyhow...thanks!

Top video "how the universe is way bigger than you think." I had no idea how enormous it is (and still don't). Mind boggling! It seems people are beginning to understand what a very small party of it we are actually able to see, and how much further it actually extends! Like a whole lot further than anyone could have ever imagined.

From the accounts I have read or watched, many have spoken of traveling around the universe almost instantaneously, but also going outside of our universe as well...both are also correlative experiences of near death experiencers.
If we don’t just blink out when we die....I look forward to the adventure of what comes next!
 
Listen with headphones for binaural effects.
4.5 Hz - Shamanic consciousness trance inducing...though it’s turned down quite low compared to the vocals.
Good for an hour of meditation.
Found it enjoyable.

THETA BINAURAL BEAT (4.5Hz) LAW OF ATTRACTION ENHANCED MEDITATION WITH
AS A MAN THINKETH
BY J. ALLEN


 
@Serenity
Has inspired me to post about spirit animals as she has on her own thread.
What are your own, how do they effect your life, or how have they come to be considered a spirit animal by you?
My own are: Raven, Salamander, and Octopus.

Here are their properties:

Raven

You are more powerful than you think you are.
Believe and have faith!
-Raven​

If Raven comes to you:
If Raven has come visiting you it can mean any number of things.
Most powerful of all is the synchronicity that Raven assures you is pending.

He is a master of bending and folding time and space so that you are exactly in the right moment at the right time.

As a messenger you are reminded that those around you are reflecting back at you the things you most have to learn about yourself.

Know that when Raven appears that magic is imminent.
Raven is about rebirth, recovery, renewal recycling and certainly reflection and healing.

He signifies moving through transitions smoothly by casting light into the darkness.

Raven as Your Totem
If Raven is your Totem animal you are very playful and creative.
You have no fear of the dark, or the underworld and understand that there is a divine balance between the light and the dark.

You find comfort in solitude and enjoy your own company.
Raven seeks stillness and quiet, and prefer it to the constant onslaught of chatter and noise in our daily lives.

You are wise and often are used as a messenger for others.
The spirit world uses you as a bridge to the physical world to bring forth its messages.

Raven in Your Dreams;
When Raven comes flying in your dreams he is letting you know that a change of consciousness is imminent.

This omen signals you to watch for the clues and that new heights are possible.
When Raven is still and silent looking at you he is invoking magic.

Raven’s loudly raucous calling at you he is insistent that you take heed – you are missing something important or have forgotten a lesson learned.

A Raven flying loops and upside down playfully is telling you to fasten your seat belt because everything has gone into hyper drive.

Absolute magic is afoot.

Occasionally Raven can signify an impending death.
This is usually signaled by feeding on carrion or preening of its feathers to show rebirth.

Additional Associations for Raven;

Salamander

Living purely with a connection to the earth is all that is asked of you at this time.
-Salamander​

If Salamander has crept across your path;
Salamander is asking you if your are using your time wisely.
It is important to make the best use of your time and to balance the opportunities that are available to us.

Know that you have the ability to make the adjustments necessary in order to seize the moment.

Alternatively the appearance of this amphibian heralds transformation.
It also announces assistance with this change from a source somewhere outside of ourselves.

This could be either through an unexpected person or unique resource.
This assistanceis temporary and will only stay as long as needed.

Occasionally when this animal appears to you the message is about the need for detoxification.
There is something in your life that is poisoning your system that should be addressed.

Purification is necessary on all levels.

If Salamander is your Animal Totem;
You have a very close connection with the environment and often tend to be somewhat of an activist in that regard.

You recognize the need for stewardship in all things “Gia” and often speak out against mismanagement of our resources.

You are will to take action where action is needed in order to protect the environment.

You are always willing to help others transform their lives into something more balanced and promising.

If Salamander has come into your Dream;
To see this creature in your dream symbolizes your ability to survive through shame, misfortune, and/or embarrassment.

You will persevere through some sort of adversity.
Alternatively, the dream could be emphasizing your ability to resist temptations.

Additional Associations for Salamander…

Animal Symbolism:
Meaning of the Octopus
xOctopusMeaning1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.jRDWXb2EWo.jpg

Meaning of Octopus in the Animal Realm

Diverse and impressive, octopus animal symbolism requires years of exploration and demands innumerable pages of symbolic explanation.

Truth be known, I've got a soft spot for the octopus.
She's come to me on several occasions, imparting much needed and (to me) sacred insight.

The following bulletpoints and paragraphs detail some of these insights on a symbolic, spiritual, energetic level.

Because of her endless attributes, I've provided only a few areas of contemplation here (I was serious about the octopus deserving a book for all her implications in my blog post on the octopus here).

A quick-list of octopus animal symbolism includes attributes such as...

Symbolic Meaning of Octopus
  • Will
  • Focus
  • Magic
  • Reason
  • Illusion
  • Defense
  • Mystery
  • Strategic
  • Potential
  • Knowing
  • Diversity
  • Creativity
  • Flexibility
  • Expansion
  • Complexity
  • Intelligence
  • Adaptability
  • Insatiability
  • Unpredictability
If you are drawn to the octopus, I encourage you to begin your own personal journey to tap into the secret knowledge this amazing creature provides.

You can do this through research, meditation, and by directly inquiring into the energetic depths of the octopus.

You will find the more you slip into the energetic realm of the octopus, the more secrets she will offer up to your consciousness.

As a creature of the water, the octopus holds animal symbolism pertaining to...

Water Symbolism of Octopus
  • Purity
  • Psyche
  • Motion
  • Emotion
  • Fluidity
  • Intuition
  • Creativity
  • Flexibility
Water carries these attributes for several reasons.
It is influenced by the wax and wane of the moon, and the moon is associated with psyche, intuition and emotion.

The moon and water are also feminine or yin attributes water takes the form in which it is held - this makes it symbolic of flexibility, adaptability and creativity.

Creation is born from a balance between expansive freedom and working within an established parameter.

Water perfectly illustrates this balance.

xOctopusMeaning3.jpg.pagespeed.ic.0w1fSYoP1k.jpg

"The world’s finest wilderness lies beneath the waves"
– Wyland​

The octopus moves skillfully in a realm that is in constant motion.
Ever changing, shifting, and wafting in accordance with the pull of the moon, the octopus' depth of mystery is enhanced by it own environmental aura.

Although vastly mobile and quite the traveler, the octopus is primarily a bottom dweller.
In symbolic (totem) terms this is analogous of being grounded while still having the ability to exist in the watery world of the psyche.

Those with the octopus as their totem would do well to recognize this analogy.
It reminds us that we may be spiritual and intuitively gifted; nonetheless we are physical beings and must temper our psychic gifts with strong foundational grounding.

We derive more animal symbolism of the octopus by observing her physically too.

From eyesight, to the ability to regenerate, the octopus' physicality is a feast for our symbolic interpretations.

Octopi are invertebrates, meaning they do not have a structured spinal column.
This is symbolic of agility, grace and flexibility.

She is able to slip out of the tightest places, and ambulate as if she is the embodiment of water itself.
Take the time to observe the way the octopus moves - it's hypnotic.

As a totem, the octopus reminds us to loosen up - relax.
She reminds us that we may move towards our goals in unorthodox ways and still achieve the same (if not better) results.

The octopus can detach a limb at will to serve as a distraction against would-be predators.
From a totem perspective we could translate this to mean that we ourselves have the ability to cut loose excess baggage in our lives in order to achieve our desire.

Here the octopus asks us: What can we cut loose from our lives to lighten our load?
Furthermore, what part of ourselves can we leave behind in order to bring us closer to our highest good?

Often these parts serve as distractions (i.e., addictions, TV, unhealthy relationships).

xOctopusAnimalSymbolismOctopusMeaning.jpg.pagespeed.ic.FcqhAgt3Vp.jpg

Added elements of symbolic diversity enter the stage when we learn the octopus can regenerate these limbs.

The ability to grow back a part of the body that has been removed is symbolic of...

Regenerative Symbolism of Octopus
  • Time
  • Unity
  • Cycles
  • Evolution
  • Regeneration
This ability reminds us that our essence is never lost to us.
Even the parts of ourselves we give up (such as our addictions as mentioned above) are never permanently removed.

We are the sum of our parts (for better or worse) and even those parts we set aside shape our personality upon our path in life.

This is a lesson in acceptance, forgiveness, diversity, and embracing all of our facets.

The octopus is extremely intelligent with the ability to reason, strategize, and recall information.
The octopus reminds us to use our logic to our highest advantage.

She urges us to be the master of our intelligence, not the slave.
By using our reasoning skills the way the octopus does we are utilizing a tool.

Another tool worth mentioning is the octopus' use of camouflage.
She is the master of disguises, further emphasizing her animal symbolism of mystery, secretiveness, and esoteric knowledge.

As if this isn't impressive on its own merit, the octopus pulls a secondary veil over reality by ejecting a thick, black ink into the waters as a method of escape.

Dark clouds left in her wake leave the octopus' attackers lost and confused.

This is a metaphor for illusion.
The octopus reminds us that nothing is as it seems.

Behind our physicality there is a vast reality imbued with subtle wonder and shimmery brilliance.
By observing the mystery of the octopus, we are encouraged to peek behind this veil of reality for ourselves.

This peeking about is the opening of consciousness.
This process is also seen in the animal symbolism of the octopus by her spiraling limbs.

In symbolism, myth and legend the spiral is a representation of expanding consciousness and the ongoing creative process of the universe.

Take a moment to observe this spiraling motion of the octopus (you can really see this in the reverse portion of the film above).

Now we see why the Celts, Minoans, Greeks and other cultures associated the evolutionary spiral symbolism with the octopus.

It should be clear the octopus has expansive worlds of knowledge, experience and vision to offer us. Indeed, those who have been touched by her wonder are left with an insatiable desire to know more - as evident in the commentary of my blog post here.

Once touched by the octopus, this awe can never be slaked, and this is a very good thing for us.
This thirst predicts that we will forever be on the path of learning more about this amazing creature and ourselves, because the animal symbolism of the octopus is synonymous with "expansion."

Connect with the octopus through conscious thought, meditation, invocation, and any other path that you deem beneficial to your growth.

How do we do this?
Here are some suggestions:

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Connecting With Octopus Totem

  • Ask the octopus for its guidance
  • Respectfully ask to enter its immense energy system just prior to meditation
  • Make up and sing songs about the octopus
  • Write about her, with free-association writing, poems, epics, blogging - whatever - just start writing your impressions of the octopus
  • Create dance moves in her honor that mimic the octopus' movements
  • Paint her, draw her, pin up images of her on your corkboards or walls
Do whatever moves you in order to draw yourself more closely into her spiraling depths.
The octopus will see your voracious tenacity to connect and she will reward your genuine intent in equal portion.

I hope you enjoyed this article on octopus animal symbolism.
Be sure to check out the links on this page for more animal symbolism articles.

May all your octopus encounters entangle you in wisdom.
 
From the accounts I have read or watched, many have spoken of traveling around the universe almost instantaneously, but also going outside of our universe as well...both are also correlative experiences of near death experiencers.

It's a great visualisation to do, to travel out from our body and into the Universe (it was also something I was taught to do as a part of a particular healing). Good feeling stuff!
 
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