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The Gaiafield Project links together subtle activists for collective healing and social change. Here is a link to some material about subtle activism from their website:
http://www.gaiafield.net/library
Feel free to post under this discussion thread, any links to organizations, actions, websites that you feel fall within the definition of subtle activism. If you are new to subtle activism, you may want to peruse the info at the above link first. Feel free also to post any questions you may have.
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In the mid 80s, Maharishi School of Management (a fully accredited educational institute offering degrees up to the Ph.D. level in many areas – located in Illinois) decided to test a popular Maharishi’s theory that if people gathered together in groups to meditate, that poverty, crime, violence, illness, psychiatric disorders, traffic accidents, house fires, and more social “ills” would be significantly reduced while at the same time social benefits would grow.
About 1,000 meditators gathered in groups in Israel and Lebanon twice a day to do nothing more than meditate together. Meanwhile, before, during, and after the “test”, data was collected from places like police records, hospital admissions, fire departments, war related deaths, injuries, and bombings, stock market reports, business filings, patent filings, notices of street festivals and public gatherings, and many other areas.
It was shown that during the test, when the most people were meditating, all social ills went down and when fewer were meditation, they went up. At the same time, when meditators were at a maximum, social benefits (called quality of life issues) increased. It was concluded that if one percent of a region’s population meditates in groups 2ce/day, that social ills would be reduced by 16%.
Most people were outraged, but after thorough study of the scientific methods used, there was no disagreement on the integrity of the study, so many more studies were conducted. These studies were conducted by many governments and major educational institutions – like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UCLA, and others around the world. To date, there are nearly 1,000 studies that have been conducted and not a single study has disputed the core claim. Meditation brings health, peace, renewed optimism, enriched creativity, increased prosperity, increased brain capacity (IQ) and thickening of the frontal cortex (the executive center or part of the brain that makes decisions based on long-term consequences) along with full-brain integration – to name only a few benefits. While this is occurring, activity in the amygdala (fear center of the brain) is decreased so anxiety and fear disappear. Fear and anxiety forces us to choose solutions that have short-term effects and come with many unintended consequences.
Group meditation amplifies this like speakers joined together amplify one another. (i.e. two speakers generate four times the noise as one; three speakers generate nine times the noise as one). It is now known that our thoughts to not stop at our brain. Just as radio wave frequencies move through walls, so do the frequencies of consciousness. They join with the consciousnesses of others and become a “oneness”.
It is a proven fact. Humans are far more powerful than they believe that they are. Humans are not bodies. We are much, much more than that. Knowing this, we can access our power, and it begins with something as simple as meditation.
What a statement it would make if the Occupiers would gather in parks to meditate in groups. They would be far more effective than those who picket or jam subways or occupy parks. They would be far less threatening to the world at large, and might even be a better siren call to those who are afraid of the protestors so are unwilling to join in the cause.
When we know our own power, we can release our enemies and make them and their fear-based socio/political/economic/religious systems irrelevant. When we go to war against those same systems, we give those systems more power.
For more information, begin checking out Maharishi University, but that is only the beginning. There are many sites, and if there is a desire, I can look many of them up. There is no need to use the trademarked system called “transcendental meditation” that costs a lot of money for secret mantras. There is no need for mantras – or even special breathing techniques or uncomfortable seating positions. Just simple meditation.
When you envision a world at peace with itself, doesn’t this vision more really comply than the others that depend on fixing the outside out there? To fix the outside, we must fix the inside.
Regular Calls are no longer being held. Below is the schedule that was maintained from the Fall of 2011 through Jan 10, 2013.
Mondays
"Vital Conversations"
8-10a PDT | 11a-1p EDT | 3-5p GMT
Tuesdays (except 10/16)
"Connect 2012"
1-3p PDT | 4-6p EDT | 8-10p GMT
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