“If the highest state of spiritual development is attained, the spirit, endowed with the highest spiritual activity of the soul, attracts the truth, and perceives and knows at once the conditions, causes, and effects of all external and internal, natural and divine things. It sees them within the eternal truth like a mirror of Eternity. By this process Man, while he remains in eternal nature, may know all that exists in the internal and external world, and see all things, not merely those which are, but also those which have been, or which will exist in the future, and, moreover, by being and identified with the divine power (the Logos), he obtains the power to change things by the power of his (spiritual) word.” ~Franz Hartmann

Highest State of Spiritual Development

“At the highest state of spiritual development, the soul doesn’t just “attract” the truth, it knows the truth. We may have the truth around us right now, but we often can’t distinguish it from the clever lies of the manipulators. The fully developed spirit and soul have no such problem.”

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on JANUARY 27, 2018

Many of the newly discovered Nasca lines are too faint to be seen by the human eye, yet visible when captured in low altitude by a drone camera.
PHOTO: Luis Jaime Castillo, PALPA NASCA PROJECT

Armed with satellites and drones, archaeologists discover new Nasca lines and dozens of other enigmatic geoglyphs carved into the earth.

“More than a thousand of these geoglyphs (literally, “ground drawings”) sprawl across the sandy soil of the Nasca province.

“Now, Peruvian archaeologists armed with drones have discovered more than 50 new examples of these mysterious desert monuments in adjacent Palpa province, traced onto the earth’s surface in lines almost too fine to see with the human eye. In addition, archaeologists surveyed locally known geoglyphs with drones for the first time—mapping them in never-before-seen detail.”

Watch the video posted online April 5, 2018 at nationalgeographic.com. (1:59)

Ancient Peruvians created geoglyphs like the Nasca lines by moving stones to define edges of the lines, and then scraping the top layer of earth between the edges to reveal lighter soil beneath.
ART BY FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA/NGM STAFF
SOURCE: MARKUS REINDEL, GERMAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

Read the entire article posted online April 5, 2018 at nationalgrogrpahic.com.

links submitted by Michael McIntyre

“If the highest state of spiritual development is attained, the spirit, endowed with the highest spiritual activity of the soul, attracts the truth, and perceives and knows at once the conditions, causes, and effects of all external and internal, natural and divine things. It sees them within the eternal truth like a mirror of Eternity. By this process Man, while he still remains in eternal nature, may know all that exists in the internal and external world, and see all things, not merely those which are, but also those which have been, or which will exist in the future, and, moreover, by being united with the Divine power (the Logos), he obtains the power to change things by the power of his (spiritual) word.” `Franz Hartmann

Highest State

In talking about the highest state of spiritual development, we really have to think of two. There is the highest state that can be attained while still in a material body and living in as material world. There is an even higher state that can only be reached after shedding the physical body.

The level Mr. Hartmann refers to is rarely reached while still on the material plane. We can, however, get very close to it.

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on MARCH 3, 2018

“New papers in peer-reviewed astrophysical journals propose that powerful electric currents flow in extra-galactic jets and that the jets themselves are ‘fundamentally electromagnetic structures.’ However, if you follow science media, it’s likely that you’ve not noticed any attempt to contextualize the development as significant for astrophysics. One person who has noticed this disconnect is Thunderbolts colleague Chris Reeve, who has spent many years documenting online discourse on scientific controversies. Recently, Chris published a commentary exploring why the recognition of vast, cosmic electric currents has apparently yet to register either with science journalists or most online commentators.”

Watch the entire talk posted online April 2, 2018 on YouTube (17:15).

link submitted by Robert Petrovich

“So, with Dante, the first terrace of the Mount of Purgatory is devoted to the cleansing of pride and the production of humility. …

“The first thing that the self observes, when it turns back upon itself in that awful moment of lucidity … is the horrible contrast between its clouded contours and the pure sharp radiance of the real; … and the clear, onward sweep of that Becoming in which it is immersed. It is then that the outlook of rapture and awe receives the countersign of repentance. The harbinger of that new self which must be born appears under the aspect of a desire; a passionate longing to escape from the suddenly perceived hatefulness of selfhood, and to conform to reality, the Perfect which it has seen.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Pride and Hubris

Sometimes we have good reason to be proud of our accomplishments. For most of us, however, those accomplishments pale when faced with the realities of the spiritual world and the true purpose of Man. Winning a baseball championship, a spelling bee, or even an elected office may puff us up with pride, but such things are of no significance to God and His Great Plan. Those who think that God cares who won a football game are only fooling themselves. God doesn’t care who won the big game any more than he cares which necktie you wear today. Those who continue to think that such things as winning a ball game are matters of great importance are only filling themselves with Hubris, a false pride of accomplishment when the thing accomplished doesn’t matter. Most of us don’t realize this until, as Ms. Underwood says, we face our inner self while engaging in spiritual practices.

Sharp Radiance

Underhill is using metaphor when she talks of clouded contours and sharp radiance. But it is not by coincidence that so may spiritual writers equate materialism with darkness, shadows, or clouds, and enlightenment and truth with bright, white light.

Thanks to the modern science of quantum physics, we know that the material universe is actually a hologram. And a hologram must have a source of light. There must also be a reality from which the hologram is projected. That place of sharp radiance is the spiritual world.

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on APRIL 17, 2018

“Here then stands the newly awakened self: aware, for the first time, of reality, responding to that reality by deep movements of love and of awe. She sees herself, however, not merely by the thrust into a new world, but set at the beginning of a new road. Activity is now to be her watchword, pilgrimage the business of her life. ‘That a quest there is, and an end, is the single secret spoken.’ Under one symbol or another, the need of that long slow process of transcendence, of character building, whereby she is to attain freedom, becomes capable of living upon high levels of reality, is present in her consciousness. Those in whom this growth is not set going are no mystics, in the exact sense in which the word is here used; however great their temporary illumination may have been.

“What must be the first step of the self upon this road to perfect union with the absolute? Clearly, a getting rid of all those elements of normal experience which are not in harmony with reality.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Awakening is Just the First Step

“To truly have a spiritual awakening is a wonderful experience and a great leap forward. But it is no more the end of the journey of spiritual enlightenment and consciousness expansion than is waking from a night’s sleep the end of the day. One awake, you need to get out of bed and start moving.”

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on FEBRUARY 7, 2018

“According to the secret doctrine, man, through the gradual refinement of his vehicle and the ever-increasing sensitiveness resulting from that refinement, is gradually overcoming the limitations of matter and is disentangling himself from his mortal coil. When humanity has completed its physical evolution, the empty shell of materiality left behind will be used by other life waves as stepping stones to their own liberation. … At the point of deepest materialism, therefore, man is at his greatest distance from himself. According to the mystery teaching not all the spiritual nature incarnates in matter. The spirit of man is diagrammatically shown as an equilateral triangle with one point downward. This lower point … descends into the illusion of material existence for a brief space of time. That which never clothes itself n the sheath of matter is … the Overman.” ~Manly P. Hall

Limitations of Matter

Many don’t think there are limitations to matter, but there are. There are, in fact, many things that cannot be done with the physical body or the associated brain-mind, but can be done by the spirit and soul. The physical body can travel within the material realm, but with restrictions. It can only travel so fast. It cannot travel off the planet without some kind of protective vehicle. And no matter how hard material science tries, it can never make the physical body immortal. The planets and stars die and so must our physical body. The spirit is a different matter.

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on APRIL 14, 2018

In this excerpt from his new book Taming the Sun, Varun Sivaram follows the research paths of two rival scientists determined to find a way to wring fuel out of thin air.
by Varun Sivaram February 21, 2018

“Since the early 1970s, scientists have been on a quest to develop a technology that could create liquid fuels out of carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight far more efficiently than photosynthesis, the process by which plants harness sunlight to produce carbohydrates and store energy. They call it the artificial leaf.

“A commercially viable artificial leaf would solve several of the trickiest challenges in clean energy. It would create a way to directly and affordably store solar energy while producing a carbon-neutral fuel that could transform the transportation sector, even offering a way to make long-distance air travel environmentally sustainable.

“Scientists have made slow but considerable progress on the two crucial steps in the process: developing catalysts that use solar energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, and creating others that can convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into an energy-dense fuel. The remaining trick is to combine these tasks in an affordable and scalable way, using cheap and abundant materials.”

Read the entire article posted February 21, 2018 online at technologyreview.com

link submitted by Robert Petrovich

“Ordinarily unconscious of his higher life, the esoteric student renders himself conscious of it, and thereby his whole life becomes transformed. As long as the soul remains unseeing in the higher sense it is guided by superior cosmic beings. And just as the life of a person born blind is changed, through a successful operation, from its previous dependence on a guide, so too is the life of a person changed through esoteric training. He outgrows the principle of being guided by a master and must henceforward undertake to be his own guide.

The moment this occurs he is, of course, liable to commit errors. … It is for this reason that so much is found in books dealing with these matters concerning the dangers connected with the ascent into higher worlds. … Yet the fact is that dangers only arise when the necessary precautions are ignored.” ~Rudolf Steiner

Transformed Student

A lot is said in spiritual schools about transformation. Some expect some sudden and drastic change similar to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It isn’t like that. Nor is it something that can happen instantly like Henry Hart blowing a bubble to Become Kid Danger. It is a gradual and ongoing type of change. A lot like aging, but usually more pleasant.

Guidance From Above

Some schools will tell you that students are guided by ascended masters. Others say it is angels who do the guiding. Some claim it is our own inner self. Which it is doesn’t really matter,and it may be all three of those at different times.

It is true, however that the transformed student who has a fully awakened and functioning soul no longer needs such guides. But this doesn’t mean that such students are now on their own, as Mr. Steiner believes. It means that they are now guided by the Divine Consciousness which is God. Angels and other Light Beings may still act as intermediaries, however.

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on APRIL 13, 2018

Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet (MIT Press, 2018) Hardcover by Varun Sivaram (A Council on Foreign Relations Book)

How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation — creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems.

“Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What’s more, its potential is nearly limitless — every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in Taming the Sun, energy expert Varun Sivaram warns that the world is not yet equipped to harness erratic sunshine to meet most of its energy needs. And if solar’s current surge peters out, prospects for replacing fossil fuels and averting catastrophic climate change will dim.

“Innovation can brighten those prospects, Sivaram explains, drawing on firsthand experience and original research spanning science, business, and government. Financial innovation is already enticing deep-pocketed investors to fund solar projects around the world, from the sunniest deserts to the poorest villages. Technological innovation could replace today’s solar panels with coatings as cheap as paint and employ artificial photosynthesis to store intermittent sunshine as convenient fuels. And systemic innovation could add flexibility to the world’s power grids and other energy systems so they can dependably channel the sun’s unreliable energy.

“Unleashing all this innovation will require visionary public policy: funding researchers developing next-generation solar technologies, refashioning energy systems and economic markets, and putting together a diverse clean energy portfolio. Although solar can’t power the planet by itself, it can be the centerpiece of a global clean energy revolution.”

Take a look inside the book at amazon.com

link submitted by Robert Petrovich