20211219 SLLLAVERS FOR SUNDAY - NO D-ERA BEGUN (GRRRRR) - 2nd JOURNEY BEGUN

SILENCE

Tried to silence brain; no success today

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love

AFFIRMATIONS

(not done)

VISUALIZATION

196.8 Yesterday's weight

199.0 Today's weight 

+2.2  :(

I visualize weighing less tomorrow

EXERCISE

Did my partial Base-72 routine for Sunday, December 19,2021:

1. ankle/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72
4. shoulder rolls 72
5. ball/wall 12
6. angel/wall 12
7. counter stretches 10

(no more after this)

READING/WRITING

None done

**********

JOURNEYS:  at 8am, did 0.8g & lay down to relax.  Listened to Dennis Kelsch's playlist.  Not much happened; did feel a "lift off" but it was not dramatic; no discernible change in colors; had regular meals; mood remained the same; sounds were a little more distinct; used ear buds.

20211218 SLLLAVERS FOR SATURDAY - NO MM-ERA, NO D-ERA - ONE STEP AT A TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SILENCE

Tried to silence my brain for 70 seconds; not successful.

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
2. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
3. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
4. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
5. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
6. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
7. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
8. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
9. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
10. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.

Also said aloud for 70 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

196.8  Today's weight

197.8  Yesterday's weight

-1.0

I visualize weighing less tomorrow.

EXERCISE

Did my full base-72 routine for Saturday, December 18, 2021:

1. ankel/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72
4. shoulder rolls 72
5. inversion table 1 60-sec set
6. EPLEY MANEUVER 1Ram
7. ball/wall 12
8. angel/wall 12
9. counter stretch 10
10. squats 36
11. push-ups 36 (barely made it - whew!)

READING, WRITING

Read for 60 seconds in SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari.  He says that Christianity adopted the Roman/Greek gods as Christian saints; Harari lists the various parallels.  I had not known that Christians had two Saints - one for toothaches & another for headaches

Read for 1+ pages in A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama.  He recalls visiting both Afghanistan and Iraq, and developing his opinions about each "mission," which would become the roots of his presidential foreign policy.  He already differed with Bush & McCain on Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

 

WRT Iraq, his then thoughtful response/policy was:  a phased withdrawal, to build in the time needed to stand up Iraqi security forces, and thus root out the last of al-Qaeda, to guarantee ongoing military, intelligence and financial support, and to begin bringing US troops home in order to hand Iraq back to its people.

BO used the term "nostrum" to describe the GOP policy - "nostrum" means a pet medical remedy that actually does nothing.

Read for 1+ pages in WORKING WITH ONENESS by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee.  He says that the heart of the world is beginning to sing, after a LONG time of the people not hearing it.  We people must listen to the singing of the heart of the world.

Read for 1+ pages in THE RIGHTEOUS MIND by Jonathan Haidt.  He says the 2nd of his book's divisions uses the "taste bud" metaphore to describe how/where humans' morality came about.  He also refers to the elephant/rider metaphore which he'll also use in his explanations.

Read for 1+ pages in AN AMERICAN FAMILY by Jon and Michael Galluccio 

Read for 1+ pages in THE PERSIAN BOY by Mary Renault

******************

Write something about COMPETENCE/CONFIDENCE

20211217 SLLLAVERS FOR FRIDAY - NO D-DAY or D-ERA - and NO MM TODAY, BUT WHAT THE HECK!

SILENCE

Tried to silence my brain for 70 seconds; mild success.

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
2. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
3. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
4. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
5. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
6. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
7. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
8. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
9. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
10. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.

Also said aloud for 70 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

197.8  Today's weight

197.8  Yesterday's weight

0.0

I visualize weighing less tomorrow.

EXERCISE

Did my full base-72 routine for Friday, December 17, 2021:

1. ankle/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72
4. shoulder rolls 72
5. inversion table 1 60-sec set
6. EPLEY MANEUVER 1Ram
7. ball/wall 12
8. angel wall 12
9. counter stretch 10
10. squats 36
11. push-ups 36 (all in ONE SET!  YAY!)

READING, WRITING

Read for 60 seconds in SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari.  He says that the evolution of religious beliefs (polytheism -- monotheism -- back to polytheism) is marked by periods of attempted conversions and by adjustments to beliefs.  For example, Christian monotheists "converted" polytheists to Christianity, and in the process ejected the polytheistic gods of nature, and then adopted the saints which essentially replaced the gods of nature by whatever saint might be needed to protect the believer (eg, god of travel = saint of travel).

Psychologically, it is more satisfying to relate to the CEO than to a middle-manager.  But since God was so remote and distant, (Christian) believers were reluctantly content with (saints) lesser gods.

Read for 1+ page in A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama.  He remembers his visit to Afghanistan during which he contemplated the situation:  The President (Karzai) made feeble attempts at managing American assistance (military presence, money) while the country went from Russian occupation to American occupation.  The people hardly noticed, except for the bombing.  BO likely wondered how he would handle all this, given the chance to be President.

Read for 1+ page in WORKING WITH ONENESS by Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee.  He says that as the process of unity unfolds, we unaware beings become aware of the love of God; some of us don't even know that God is present.  Mystics are working to "correct" the loss of knowledge of the Face of God.

Read for 1+ page in THE RIGHTEOUS MIND by Jonathan Haidt.  He says (after I read and studied each sentence at length) that FIRST come INTUITIONS, and THEN comes REASONING.  So, he says, the people of the Earth first intuit their beliefs, and MUCH LATER, they might use REASONING to justify their beliefs.  SO....... he says........ we should use or MORAL REASONING as a SKILL to "deal with" those who disagree with us, and not as a means to "prove" something to them, or to find the truth.

I think I get this now.  But...... it's barely 1 page in his lengthy book.  I'm not sure I can assimilate all his messages to the point of being able to discuss them with anyone (George, David, Joe, Lisa).  It's a bit overwhelming to me.

But my approach, when the "time is right," is to disect each sentence and each word to hold the author accountable for what s/he has written.  And then..... if I have the time, energy and mental capacity, I ask what my own view is wrt the concepts presented.  And then...... I might just go have breakfast and forget it all - for now.

Read for 1+ page in AN AMERICAN FAMILY by Jon and Michael Galluccio  (more tears)

Read for 1+ page in THE PERSIAN BOY by Mary Renault  (getting close to the end)

*********************

Regarding the MM - Era, I postponed my intended Thursday trip (due to Chad's staying home for work, and also because I did not hear from DT)

Regarding D-ERA - nothing.  Again.  Not even a call from DT regarding MM, Jeanie's return, or the Mine.

Oh well...... I'm moving on in some ways.

20211216 SLLLAVERS for THURSDAY - NO D-ERA or D-DAY - MILD GRRRRRR - BUT IT IS A NEW MM ERA!

SILENCE

Tried to silence brain for 60 seconds.  Strange ...  I got 7-8 hours of sleep last night, but my brain still wandered at almost every step of my routine, and I actually felt like sleeping more.  Strange.

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
2. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
3. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
4. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
5. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
6. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
7. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
8. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
9. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
10. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.

Also said aloud for 70 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

197.8  Today's weight

197.8  Yesterday's weight

0.0

I visualize weighting less tomorrow.

EXERCISE

I did my full base-72 routine for Thursday, December 16, 2021:

1. ankle/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72
4. shoulder rolls 72
5. inversion table 1 60-sec set
6. EPLEY MANEUVER 1Ram
7. ball/wall 12
8. angel/wall 12
9. counter stretch 10
10. squats 36
11. push-ups 36 (24+12)

READING

Read for 60 seconds in SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari.  He says that today, the "global political order" is built on monotheistic principles.  He describes how & when monotheism "took over" the civilized world between 1000 AD and 1600 AD, during which time monotheists sought to conquer and convert all of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Read for 1+ pages in A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama.  He remembers how is campaign was going 4 months before the election (July 2008), and how he took a trip, first to Afghanistan, with a bipartisan team (Hagel - GOP) and Reed (DEM).  He hoped to signal how he would work with both parties, and how he could handle extra-American issues.

Read for 1+ pages in WORKING WITH ONENESS by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee.  He introduces the concept of the HEART of the world, which is the heart of God.  As we go through this mystic-sponsored awareness/growth process, we come to realize that we do not become God, nor He us.  Rather, we awake to the reality that wherever we turn, there is the Face of God, AND we remain unique within this Oneness  (per Ibn 'Arabi)

Read for 1+ pages in THE RIGHTEOUS MIND by Jonathan Haidt.  He says that human nature is not just intrinsically moral, but is also intrinsically MORALISTIC, CRITICAL, and JUDGMENTAL  (I'm hopeful that he will define & clarify the terms).  Further, Haidt postulates that it's a normal human condition to be righteous.... and also SELF-righteous.  He examines the roots & current meanings of "righteous"..... and I have the new awareness that I should be ready to define what I mean when I use the term.  I can restate what the roots are (Hebrew - whatever and whoever follows the laws of God, and today's religious righteousness, and SELF-righteousness), but what DOES "righteous" mean to me?  I suppose, in a word, it means "good."  Also, how does "right" relate to "good?"  When I say "right" (meaning "not wrong"), do I mean more that "This is the truth"?

Jumbled thoughts.

Read for 1+ pages in AN AMERICAN FAMILY by Jon and Michael Galluccio.  Totally made me weep on behalf of gay dads, sick kids, and relationships.  

Read for 1+ pages in THE PERSIAN BOY by Mary Renault

******************

MM

Today, I was going to go on trip #2, but 2 reasons kept me "home:"  1)  No reply from DT (I had wanted him to "accompany" me again this time), and 2)  Chad is staying home (which is OK when I take a trip, but it's not optimal - I'd rather be here alone.).

So, it's likely I'll take trip #2 on Saturday morning.

20211215 SLLLAVERS FOR WEDNESDAY - NO D-ERA (QUI SAIT?)

SILENCE

Tried to silence brain for 60 seconds; not much success

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
2. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
3. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
4. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
5. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
6. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
7. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
8. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
9. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.
10. I, Ken Taylor, am a loving human being.

Also said aloud for 70 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

198.8  Yesterday's weight

197.8  Today's weight

-1.0

I visualize weighing less tomorrow

EXERCISE

Did my full base-72 routine for Wednesday, December 15, 2021:

1. ankle/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72
4. shoulder rolls 72
5. inversion table 1 60-sec set
6. EPLEY MANEUVER 1Ram
7. Ball/wall - 12
8. angel/wall - 12
9. counter stretch - 10
10. squats 36
11. push-ups 36 (MAJOR STRUGGLE after no exercise for weeks) (but I DID it in 1 set)  (Yay!)

READING, WRITING

Read for 60 seconds in SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari.  He says 2 major religions - Christianity and Islam - were successful in their conquering/missionary efforts, and tried to enforce their idea that their god was the only true one; polytheistic religions, otoh, were content to conclude that their god offered only part of the truth.  Harari calls it a "strange twist" when Christianity succeeded in taking over the entire Roman Empire; similarly, Islam took over vast territories from India to the Atlantic Ocean.

Read for 1+ pages in A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama.  He recalls how John McCain, his 1st rival for the Presidency, changed in 2008 - trying to appeal to a wider section of the GOP; BO was ready for that shift, but he also had to convince voters that he was up to being CIF, internationally savvy, etc.  So he did a 10+ day tour.  His challenge:  he was a young, inexperienced African-American with no executive experience.  Uphill battle!

Read for 1+ pages in WORKING WITH ONENESS by Llewelyn Vaughan-Lee.  He struggles, I think, to summarize clearly how we (as adolescents) strive to define ourselves as individuals (different from everyone else), but later, we are unaware of the unity that has always existed.  I get his message; I'm not convinced that the light is streaming through to all of us, but we don't realize it.  All we have to do is say "Yes," says Vaughan-Lee.  OK, I'm open to that.

Read for 1+ pages in AN AMERICAN FAMILY by Jon and Michael Galluccio.  Jon recalls taking his new son Adam to Catholic mass while Michael was in Las Vegas, and a blizzard was due that day.

Read for 1+ pages in THE PERSIAN BOY by Mary Renault

Read for 1+ pages in THE RIGHTEOUS MIND by Jonathan Haidt.  He says that humanity has become civilized by what he calls "Moral Psychology" and that we SHOULD discuss how that morality plays into both politics and religion.

20211214 SLLLAVERS for TUESDAY - NO D-ERA or D-DAY - BUT 1st MM DAY

SILENCE

Tried to silence brain for 60 seconds; not much luck

LLL

Live.  Laugh.  Love.

AFFIRMATIONS

Not done

VISUALIZATION

Not done

EXERCISE

Did PARTIAL base-72 routine for Tuesday, December 14, 20221:

1. ankle/wrist circles 72
2. toe/finger stretches 72
3. bicycle crunches 72

*******************************

MM observations

After careful preparations with DT and DK, I began my 1st MM trip this morning at around 8:30 am.

1.  I followed DT's instructions while he and I both did a micro-dose (0.08 g) of MM

2.  1 oz of water with 0.08 and 1/4 lemon juice, chased by 2 more shots of water

3.  After arranging everything (notepad, music, pillows), I lay down for a relaxing 2 hours, dozing on and off.

4.  Noticed more intense tones, instruments..... I associated colors with sounds, as if I were "hearing colors" - but not too much, and not for too long.  Each note and each instrument seems more clear, more intense.  But not too overbearing.  

5.  I watched for 

    a.  stomach upset - did not feel any

    b.  headache - I had a slight headache (and wondered if it were a result of the MM, or if I'd have had it anyway..... who knows?)

    c.  hunger - noticed slight increase

    d.  flavors - stonger, more intense

    e.  mood changes - no noticable change

6.  I felt a bit dizzy when I got up from the 2 hours of relaxing, but did not lose balance.

7.  I was able to function normally.

8.  The colors of things in my room are a bit more intense; but not vibrantly brighter.

9.  In general, I noticed the details of things around me more.  And also of things I just thought of (i.e., NOT things in my room; they just popped into my brain)..... I would examine the edges and check out how they were made.... things like that.

I plan to do this again (possibly every 2-3 days), each time increasing 0.01 g, up to 1 g:

Tues 0.08

Thurs 0.09

Sat 0.10

Tues 0.11

Thurs 0.12

Sat 0.13