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	<title>Paul Vedant &#187; Paul Vedant &#8211; nu-paradigm multi-media</title>
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		<title>The Global Power Elite Are No Longer So Powerful</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/the-global-power-elite-are-no-longer-so-powerful/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/the-global-power-elite-are-no-longer-so-powerful/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:37:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://paulvedant.com/?p=293</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite their world dominance for millenia, the powerful elite - often called the Illuminati - are rapidly losing their power, as global consciousness rises and their structures and systems collapse.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our Earth is a planet of abundant wealth and riches, yet so much of this wealth is controlled by so few people.  The world’s billionaires — just 497 people — are worth over 7% of world Gross Domestic Product. A mere 0.13% of the world’s population control 25% of the world’s financial assets (statistics from <a title="Global Issues Poverty Facts and Stats page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats#src24" target="_blank">Global Issues</a>).   Things have pretty much been that way in most civilisations, according to our recorded history.  Sometimes I find it difficult to imagine a society in which wealth would be distributed more equitably.  Even Communism, the one great political experiment of recent times that in theory attempted to create a more equal society, has been almost universally declared a failure.</p>
<p>It is easy to understand the attraction of conspiracy theories that claim that the planet is controlled by a relatively small group of nameless faceless men, who between them hold enough strings to control their puppets &#8211; the political and business leaders &#8211; to maintain the inequitable status quo, that &#8216;to he who has, more shall be given, and to him that hasn&#8217;t, even the little he has shall be taken away from him&#8217;.   This mysterious group has been called by many different names: the <a title="Wilkipedia's Illuminati page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati" target="_blank">Illuminati</a>, the secret government, and the shadow government just to name a few.  It is claimed that its members are have links with - and possibly control - other organisations such as the <a title="Wikipedia's Bilderberg Group page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group" target="_blank">Bilderberg group</a>, the <a title="Wikipedia's Trilateral Commission page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilateral_Commission" target="_blank">Trilateral Commission</a>, the <a title="Wikipedia's Council on Foreign Relations page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_Foreign_Relations" target="_blank">Council on Foreign Relations</a>, <a title="Wikipedia's Skull &amp; Bones page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_Bones" target="_blank">Skull and Bones</a>, the <a title="Wikipedia's Neoconservatism page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Conservatives" target="_blank">Neo-Conservatives</a>, and the <a title="Wikipedia's Freemasonry page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasons" target="_blank">Freemasons</a>.  Some of the more extreme conspiracy theorists claim that even the <a title="Wikipedia's United Nations page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations" target="_blank">United Nations</a> , the environmental movement and the <a title="Wikipedia's New Age page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age" target="_blank">New Age</a> movement are controlled by this Global Power Elite.</p>
<p>Many theories about this Global Power Elite circulate on the internet.  Some of the more well known conspiracy theorists include <a title="David Icke's website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://davidicke.com" target="_blank">David Icke</a>, <a title="Alex Jones Infowars site - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.infowars.com/" target="_blank">Alex Jones</a>, <a title="William Cooper's website 'Hour of the Time' - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.hourofthetime.com/indexolddec2006.html" target="_blank">William Cooper</a> and <a title="Henry Makow's website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://henrymakow.com/" target="_blank">Henry Makow</a>.  <a title="Illuminati News website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.illuminati-news.com/moriah.htm" target="_blank">Illuminati News</a> lists the 13 families they believe to control the world.  Many of these sites make uncomfortable reading, not least because of their often cluttered layouts, creative grammar and tendency to shout at the reader by their overuse of capital letters.   But also because many of their arguments have an air of plausibility.  Even if only half of what they say is true, they paint a disturbing picture.  Such that they often give the reader an effect similar to one of the Global Power Elite&#8217;s purported methods, that of instilling fear.</p>
<p>Less well known are the views that come from the other side of the veil. Many channellers and spiritual teachers allude to the existence of the GPE, though few go into detail.  Those that do, however, have similar ideas to the conspiracy theorists.  They say that the GPE has held an extrememly powerful position for Earth&#8217;s recorded histroy.  In order to perpetuate the belief that this is simply the natural order of things, they have exerted enough control to wipe out much of the evidence of past egalitarian societies.  What evidence that has not been destroyed has simply been locked away, often for centuries.  Their work has been effective enough that mainstream historians who have no connection with or knowledge of the GPE vigorously defend the version of history that we are taught, and ridicule evidence that might suggest otherwise.</p>
<p>The GPE has a core group of a small number of families who have carefully orchestrated marriages between their members in order to keep their bloodline in power and control. The European royal families would often push their princes and princesses to marry into the royal families of other nations, and despite the reduction in power of monarchies today, this practice continues. Many of the US presidents, for example, <a title="Wikipedia's 'List of US presidents by genealogical relationship' - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidents_by_genealogical_relationship">have been claimed to have been related</a> to each other, as well as to the British royal family.</p>
<p>Many spiritual sources claim that the GPE have links to extra-terrestrial entities, possibly reptilian in nature.  Although they don&#8217;t go as far as David Icke &#8211; probably the world&#8217;s most extreme well-known conspiracy theorist &#8211; who claims that the American Presidents and British royalty are actually reptilian ETs disguised as human beings, and that in some of their secret ceremonies they have revealed their true nature.  It is these more extreme views that generate the most attention for Mr Icke, often overshadowing his more plausible theories.</p>
<p>The GPE &#8211; whoever they may be &#8211; have never completely controlled the world.  Humans have always had free will, even if we have chosen not to exercise it.  But the GPE have always exerted enough influence over society&#8217;s major systems and institutions &#8211; governments, education, science, religion, military, police, judicial, electoral, banking, business and the media &#8211; to keep themselves rich and powerful and their machinations exempt from investigation and prosectution. Their greatest tool these days is the mainstream media, itself a field where a small number of people wield the greatest influence.  Mainstream media hides behind a facade of independence, consistently magnifying and and dramatising local and world events in order to promote confusion, uncertainty and fear.  Investigative journalists who dare to ask the hard questions are few and far between, usually quashed by their editors.</p>
<p>But as the evolution of human consciousness has lately accelerated, the power of the GBE has begun to wane.  They are not immune from the consciousness raising, and significant numbers of them are moving away from their traditional practices.  In recent years they have undergone a schism, and much of their energy and attention has been diverted by their two warring factions.  Although still dwarfed by the mainstream media on the internet, alternative media has been given a voice, and the word is getting out.</p>
<p>Despite the GPE&#8217;s very public influence over the 2000 and 2004 US Election results, this influence was not able to be sustained against the powerful grass-roots campaign of Barack Obama.  He still had to play along with them to a certain extent in order to garner enough of their support to get to the position that he is in.  Some of his choices of his support team have shown to be members of the afore-mentioned organisations, though it is not publically known where they stand in relation to these organisations.  Many politicians from both sides are either members of the GPE or under their influence, and so Obama &#8211; despite his strong mandate &#8211; will need time to reveal his true agenda.  Of course there are also situations that are so highly classified that he did not know of their existence or extensiveness prior to being sworn in as president, so he will be taking steps to learn about all the cancers in the country&#8217;s institutions, before he can begin to change them.<span>  According to many spiritual sources Barack Obama is a highly developed being still yet to come into his full awareness.  As he does so he will be less and less influenced by the GPE.</span></p>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-300" title="cashpoint-slot-machine" src="http://paulvedant.com/wp-content/uploads/cashpoint-slot-machine.jpg" alt="cashpoint-slot-machine" width="270" height="258" />That is not to say that Obama is a messiah who will save us from the GPE. The downfall of their system is inevitable due to its inherent structures that are built on greed and oppression. They simply cannot be sustained in the <a title="Read Paul Vedant's article 'New Energy and the Movement Beyond Duality' - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://paulvedant.com/new-energy-movement-beyond-duality/" target="_blank">new consciousness energy</a>. Although the GPE had a large influence over the creation of the housing bubble and the crash that followed it,  they were very much unprepared for the scale of the financial meltdown.  Many of them have no idea how the orchestrated crash has got so out of hand so quickly, and many of them will not survive it.  Though many around the world will suffer as a consequence, the collapse of the GPE will leave a void.  As their house of cards falls &#8211; this will continue for some time &#8211; their illegal and unethical methods that drive money and power upwards will be exposed.  The global economy will continue to plunge downward until its root causes are eradicated or reformed. <span> New systems, structures and institutions will then be born from truer and fairer democratic processes, along similar lines to the principles of equality and openness embodied in the internet.</span></p>
<p>The important thing here is not to give in to the fear that the GPE are propogating, especially through the media.  It&#8217;s a well-established method that they use &#8211; to orchestrate a situation that frightens a population who seem powerless to stop it, so we call on them to fix it.  In doing so we have given away our power and allowed them to tweak the system a little more in their favour.  The current situation is something that they cannot fix, indeed most of them have no idea what is going on.  They will be just trying whatever they can to hang on to their money and power.  For those of us on a conscious spiritual path who are tuning in to the expanded consciousness, there is no reason for us to give in to fear, even if it seems overwhelming at times.  The shift to higher consciousness now has too much momentum to be stopped or even slowed down by a Global Power Elite, many of whom will not survive the transition to the <a title="read Paul Vedant's article 'New Energy and the Movement Beyond Duality' - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://paulvedant.com/new-energy-movement-beyond-duality/" target="_blank">new energy</a> if they are not prepared to change and relinquish their addiction to power.</p>
<p>Some helpful hints on how to survive this period of transition:  <a title="read Paul Vedant's article 'Conscious Breathing - the Breath of Life' - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://paulvedant.com/conscious-breathing-the-breath-of-life/" target="_blank">Breathe deeply</a> on a regular basis, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed.  Stand back as much as possible from the global picture as painted by mainstream media. Don&#8217;t get caught up in the drama of it all &#8211; that&#8217;s what the GPE wants. Get involved in positive movements in your local community, they will help to sustain us all through the economic difficulties. Take time out for yourself, connect with nature, listen to music that soothes and inspires you.  Get in touch with your true divine nature, develop your spiritual awareness, be gentle with yourself.  It may be the end of the world as we know it, but we can envision a better world based on fairness, integrity and love!</p>
<p>_________________________________________________________</p>
<p>Much of the information in this article was inspired by the teachings of the <a title="Crimson Circle website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://crimsoncircle.com/" target="_blank">Crimson Circle</a>, <a title="The Matthew Books website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.matthewbooks.com/mattsmessage.htm" target="_blank">The Matthew Books</a>, and the <a title="The Pleiadians as channelled by Barbara Marciniak - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.pleiadians.com/" target="_blank">Pleiadians</a>.</p>
<p>Further suggested reading for unconvinced conspiracy theorists: the excellent article <a title="Article 'Why Truthers Need to Vote for Barack Obama', on Opednews - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-Truthers-Need-to-Vote-by-Todd-Putnam-081101-988.html" target="_blank">Why Truthers Need to Vote for Obama</a>, by Todd Putnam on <a title="OpedNews website - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.opednews.com/" target="_blank">OpedNews.com</a></p>
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		<title>14 February 2009 &#8211; the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius?</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/14-feb-2009-the-dawning-of-the-age-of-aquarius/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/14-feb-2009-the-dawning-of-the-age-of-aquarius/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:13:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://paulvedant.com/?p=266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A rare astrological alignment of 6 major astrological bodies in Aquarius on Feb 14 2009 coinciding with a prophecy from the song 'Aquarius' from the rock musical 'Hair' prompts astrologers to call for celebration of the New Age]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://oldschoolmusiclover.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/age-of-aquarius.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="alignright" title="Album cover for Age of Aquarius by the 5th Dimension - click image to go to Old School Music Lover tribute - opens in a new tab/window" src="http://oldschoolmusiclover.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/age-of-aquarius.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="240" /></a>The Age of Aquarius first came to public attention with the release of the rock musical  <a title="Hair - the musical - Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_(musical)" target="_blank">Hair</a>.  The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical was first performed on Broadway over 40 years ago, in April 1968.  Although today is often critically considered to be an example of 60s hippie kitsch, at the time of its release it was controversial, topical and groundbreaking.  It redefined the rock musical genre with its use of nudity, profanity and explorations of race issues, drugs, sexual freedom, pacifism, environmentalism, spirituality and astrology.  Various versions of the musical were performed thousands of times in 20 different countries.  Performers as diverse as Diane Keaton, Keith Carradine, Barry McGuire, Meatloaf, Jennifer Warnes and Tim Curry all began their early careers in Hair.  It&#8217;s use of psychodrama, improvisation and <a title="Esalen Institute's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab /window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esalen_Institute" target="_blank">Esalen Institute</a> techniques to develop confidence and bonding between the performers helped to change many of their lives.  Several of its songs became Top 40 hits, including the song &#8216;<a title="Wikipedia's 'Aquarius' song page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius/Let_the_Sunshine_In" target="_blank">Aquarius</a>&#8216;, with lyrics by the show&#8217;s creators, <a title="James Rado's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab / window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rado" target="_blank">James Rado</a> and <a title="Gerome Ragni's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerome_Ragni" target="_blank">Gerome Ragni</a> and music by <a title="Galt MacDermot's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galt_MacDermot" target="_blank">Galt MacDermot</a>.  The <a title="The 5th Dimension page at ClassicBands.com - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.classicbands.com/Fifth.html" target="_blank">5th Dimension</a> released it as a single in 1969 (<a title="View the original video of 'Aquarius' by the 5th Dimension - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toshchjuXR4&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">view the video</a> on YouTube), and it topped the charts for six weeks.  It went on to sell over 3million copies and was the biggest selling single of 1970.  It won the <a title="Grammy Award for Record of the Year's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Record_of_the_Year" target="_blank">Grammy Award for Record of the Year</a> and <a title="Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Pop_Performance_by_a_Duo_or_Group_with_Vocal" target="_blank">Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group</a> at the <a title="Grammy Awards of 1970's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Awards_of_1970" target="_blank">Grammy Awards of 1970</a>.  The opening lines are:</p>
<p><em><strong>When the moon is in the Seventh House<br />
And Jupiter aligns with Mars<br />
Then peace will guide the planets<br />
And love will steer the stars<br />
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius</strong></em></p>
<p>Apparently the astrological combination of the first two lines  - with Jupiter aligning with Mars in Aquarius &#8211; has actually occured twice since the musical&#8217;s release, in 1973 and 1998.  It occurs again this year along with other alignments &#8211; Neptune, Chiron, the Sun and the North Node are also in Aquarius &#8211; at 7.25am (GMT) on Valentine&#8217;s Day, February 14 2009.  All the other planets are also in astrologically significant positions emphasising change, co-operation and creativity.  This rare alignment inspires the possibility for transcendental breakthrough in seemingly intransigent situations.  Sounds like it might be just what humanity needs at the moment!</p>
<p>There are many differing opinions by astrologers on the <a title="Wikipedia's Astrological Ages page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age#The_Age_of_Aquarius_.28Aquarius-Leo.29" target="_blank">Astrological Age</a>s. Most of them agree however that astrological ages occur based on the rotational cycle of the Earth&#8217;s axis, known as the precession of the equinoxes. One complete period of this precession is called a Great Year of about 25,860 years, and each sign of the zodiac has a corresponding age lasting on average 2160 years.  It is widely believed that we are now in the cusp period, leaving the Age of Pisces and entering the Age of Aquarius.  The Age of Pisces is represented by two fish, and one of its main characteristics has been the dominance of Christianity.  The Age of Aquarius is symbolic of spiritual transformation, computers, flight, democracy, freedom and humanitarianism. This transitional period between two ages is considered to be a process that occurs over many years, not on an exact day or year.  And whether the writers of the &#8216;Aquarius&#8217; song had any astrological knowledge is not clear.  Certainly most of the themes explored in Hair are just as relevant today, if not more so&#8230;</p>
<p>However the alignment 0f 14 February 2009 is very powerful for anyone who believes in the influence of the planets on Earth events and consciousness. And even if you don&#8217;t hold much faith in astrology,  many people around the world will enough attach significance to this date to collectively energize a wave of intention around the globe.  This will surely nudge along human consciousness a little closer to a new age and many believe towards the 5th dimension (coincidentally perhaps?) where we will move beyond war, greed and oppression.</p>
<p>So let love steer the stars, on Valentine&#8217;s Day!</p>
<p>For more information see <a title="Cure Zone - opens in a new tab /window" href="http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1339201" target="_blank">Cure Zone</a>, <a title="Astrological Investing - opens in a new tab /window" href="http://astrologicalinvesting.com/html/articles_pages/articles-Jupiter_Aquarius." target="_blank">Astrological Investing</a> and <a title="Book of Thoth - opens in a new tab /window" href="http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopicp-219195.html" target="_blank">Book of Thoth</a></p>
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		<title>A Brief History of the Rise of Global Consciousness &#8211; Part 1 &#8211; The Pre-Internet Years</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/a-brief-history-of-the-rise-of-global-consciousness-part-1-the-pre-internet-years/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/a-brief-history-of-the-rise-of-global-consciousness-part-1-the-pre-internet-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:04:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Thoughts on Humanity's Coming of Age - Pivotal Events That Increased Planetary Awareness - Part 1 explores the movement from the tribal consciousness of early civilisations through to the beginnings of a true global awareness by the end of the 1980s]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are living in one of the most extraordinary periods of transformation in the history of Planet Earth, the depths of which will probably only begin to be widely recognised with hindsight, possibly many years from now.  In recent years we have seen the emergence of a true global consciousness.  </p>
<p>This planetary awareness has been growing exponentially for most of recorded human history, meaning that up until the 20th century it was growing so slowly that it was barely perceptible.   For much of early recorded history, the awareness level of most of the population was mainly at the tribal level and remained that way until well after the birth of nation states. Even with the early empires such as the Greeks and the Romans, the awareness level of most people barely extended beyond their immediate vicinity.</p>
<p>The growth of consciousness has been strongly linked to the growth in technology.  The invention of the <a title="The Printing Press Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press" target="_blank">printing press</a> in 1440 was a small step, but the work involved in printing was still quite labourious and anyway so few people were literate.  The <a title="The Industrial Revolution page at Wikipedia - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution" target="_blank">Industrial Revolution</a> saw the invention of the first steam powered printing press in 1811, and with the coinciding increases in literacy and travel awareness began to slowly but perceptibly increase throughout the 19th century.</p>
<p>In the early years of the 20th century, World War I and the subsequent Great Depression were the first major global occurences.  It was World War II however that really precipitated the necessity for formal recognition of humanity&#8217;s mutual interdependence, when in 1945 the <a title="The United Nations Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations" target="_blank">United Nations</a> was founded in order to stop wars between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue.   The UN was the first and remains one of the few truly global organisations that represents virtually the whole of humanity.  Like any human organisation it has its flaws, limitations and corruptions, but has mostly been limited in its effectiveness  because it is not an independent organisation but an association of 192 member states who must reach consensus.  The general consciousness level of the member states barely extended beyond the national level for most of the last century.  But whilst its more powerful members states have strutted and postured on the front of the world stage the UN has been quietly working in the background, and with recent events such as the global financial crisis, climate change and the food crisis,  it will increasingly become the main forum in which to address global issues.</p>
<p>The <a title="Wikipedia's 1960s page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s" target="_blank">1960</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s" target="_blank">s</a> was a time of revolutionary ideas and social and spiritual upheaval particularly in the Western world, when the doctrines and motives of ruling establishments were called into question on a large scale.  However despite the decade&#8217;s many advancements in areas such as women&#8217;s rights, civil rights, the Peace Movement, environmental awareness, technology, popular culture, spiritual awareness and social revolution, the subsequent backlash that led to the complacency of the 1970s and materialism of the 1980s has caused some to see the 1960s as a failure.  I believe however that this is only a short-term view that prevails as a result of the era&#8217;s inability to immediately address all of the the high expectations that the idealism of the period brought.  The sheer intensity of the period however was too much for too many to cope with, and a backlash was inevitable at the time, because not enough people &#8211; especially those in positions of power &#8211; had the level of awareness to integrate so many new ideas.  But not all of the old hippies became bankers &#8211; there were many others who continue to quietly pursue some of the ideals first brought to light in the 1960s.  Many of the ideas and movements that are considered part of the New Age movement first came to general awareness in the 1960s.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00111/13-nasasciencelibra_111402t.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="alignright" title="The first photograph of the Earth, taken by Apollo 8 crew from an orbit around the moon - click on the photo to go to The Independent's article 'Forty years since the first picture of earth from space' - opens in a new tab/window" src="http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00111/13-nasasciencelibra_111402t.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="204" /></a>This week brings the 40th anniversary of an important milestone in the advent of global consciousness &#8211; the publishing of the first photo of the Earth from space, taken by the crew of Apollo 8 from an orbit around the moon on Christmas Eve 1968.   The now more commonplace image of the simple blue and green sphere against the vast emptiness of space helped many to grasp humanity&#8217;s essential oneness and the fact that this planet is all that we have.  It has become an icon for environmental awareness.  Click on the photo to go to The Independent&#8217;s commemoration article.  </p>
<p>The 1970s and 80s were a time when the focus of many was more on the physical and material.  But even though not much 60s idealism carried over into mainstream society over these two decades, the growth of consciousness was not stopped.  The focus on the physical body had the effect of raising awareness of health issues such that traditonal medicine&#8217;s focus on curing disease was no longer sufficient, and many opened up to ideas of alternative and holistic health and a focus instead on wellness. Increased knowledge of the debilitating effects of stress and its influence on the development of virtually all illness and disease led to many opening up to the positive effects of more spiritually oriented practices such as meditation, yoga and conscious breathing.  Awareness of the effects of different environments on human health also increased.</p>
<p>The 1980s was the decade that brought us Reaganomics, Thatcherism, business globalisation and economic liberalisation.  Multi-national companies and global conglomerates were no longer so limited by their national borders and collectively became more powerful players on the world stage than the nation states from which they emerged.  Globalisation for many became a dirty word.  But despite the damage done by bringing Western materialism to the people of developing nations, an upside has been a certain kind of stability to the world as a whole.  Business has contributed to the prevention of potential wars by diluting the self-interest of nation states in the name of continued profits.  Of course we are only now beginning to appreciate the long term negative effects though of many of the flaws of allowing markets to have free reign.  And even the capitalist triumph of the fall of communism with the Berlin Wall at the end of the decade will perhaps be seen as being more symbolic of the breaking down of what separates us from each other, and freedom from restrictive ideologies from whatever side of the political fence.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</p>
<p>To be continued</p>
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		<title>Something About Me</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/something-about-me/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2009/something-about-me/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:47:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Paul Vedant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ascension]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consciousness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frequency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soul]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritual]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://paulvedant.com/?p=217</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Paul Vedant ponders his existence and expresses some of his current ideas about his larger identity.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Who Am I?</h2>
<h3>- The Bigger Picture -</h3>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-225" title="Paul Vedant - self posterisation in blue" src="http://paulvedant.com/wp-content/uploads/pv_posterize_blue.jpg" alt="Paul Vedant - self posterisation in blue" width="170" height="193" /></p>
<p>The question &#8216;Who Am I? is possibly humanity&#8217;s number one frequently asked question, a question that probably produces more possible answers than there are stars in the sky.  I have asked myself this question many times in my life so far, and explored many of the recommended methods that are supposed to help one find an answer. These methods have ranged from world travel to travelling the inner worlds, and this website is an attempt to document some of my experiences during this exploration.  But here I offer some of my ideas about who I am now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am a spiritual being having a human experience, as I believe are all of us.</p>
<p>I am a virtual reality computer game avatar in a vast <a title="read the New Scientist article 'Our World May Be A Giant Hologram' . opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html?full=true" target="_blank">holographic</a> 3D virtual world, where the players &#8211; many of whom created the game in the first place &#8211; have handed the remote control to the avatars, so soon after the avatar&#8217;s entrance in the game that most avatars are not aware of the existence of the player.</p>
<p>Although I would lend credence to many of the ideas of the so-called New Age movement, I no longer consider myself purely as a lightworker, having had to learn to work with the darker aspects of my soul in recent years!  But I am not just a darkworker either, I consider that both of the light and dark polarities are different manifestations of what is basically the same energy, so I would rather call myself an energy worker.</p>
<p>Despite some of my lyrics in <a title="The Love Frequency lyrics - opens up in a new tab/window" href="http://paulvedant.com/lyrics/" target="_blank">The Love Frequency</a>, I am not sure that the term ascension &#8211; the idea that one spiritually evolves moving up through the dimensions until one can finally throw off this mortal coil and become purely spirit &#8211; is fully appropriate for the pathways I find myself on.  I certainly believe it has been important in our understanding of the whole process of spiritual evolution, but these days I find myself more aware of a process of <strong><em>descension</em></strong>, that of my soul or higher divine self in the gradual process of &#8216;descending&#8217; into my physical body. Because of the soul&#8217;s inherent multi-dimensionality, I am becoming more aware of the different dimensions but not in the sense of ascending through the various levels so much as being aware &#8211; from my physical centre &#8211; of dimensions intermingling with each other.</p>
<p>I wonder that in some ways the focus of many on ascension is a stepping stone &#8211; or perhaps a hangover &#8211;  from the Christian idea of the rapture. It still has the idea of physical reality being something somehow considered as low consciousness and something that needs to be moved beyond.  It is often suggested in many of the channels of the <a title="The Crimson Circle  - The Classroom of New Spiritual Energy - Channel Library - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.crimsoncircle.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.crimsoncircle.com/ChannelLibrary" target="_blank">Crimson Circle</a> rather that physical existence is in some ways the highest ladder on the rung that existence or All-That-Is has seen so far, and that there are angels and spirits simply clamouring to come here.  In order to evolve, one must enter and master the Earth realms, over may lifetimes.  The soul guides the &#8216;lower&#8217; human ego to gradually evolve its awareness to the point that the soul feels welcomed by the human to merge with it, momentarily at first but gradually increasing to the point where it becomes the norm.</p>
<p>I will continue to add to this as more ideas come to mind&#8230;</p>
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		<title>About This Website</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2008/about-this-website/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2008/about-this-website/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:50:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About this website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consciousness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://paulvedant.com/?p=141</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This site aims to express my ideas, and also be artistically pleasing, functional, quick to load, informative and intuitive.  I have used crop circle images and artwork from Alahuin. Includes some technical details of how the site functions.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_159" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 241px"><a title="Alahuin Graphics - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://nofrillspropertyspain.com/Albums/" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-159    " title="Click image to go to Alahuin Graphics - opens in a new tab window" src="http://paulvedant.com/wp-content/uploads/080etched.jpg" alt="Alahuin Graphics" width="231" height="155" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Alahuin Graphics</p></div>
<p>When I began creating this site I had several aims in mind.  I intended to create a website that is representative of ideas that are important to me, as well as being aesthetically pleasing, functional, quick to load, informative and intuitive to the user &#8211; all on a low budget.  Not all these aims were immediately compatible and some compromises had to be made.  For example, a plain colour background, header and sidebar would load more quickly but I compromised a little speed in order to include images and a more textured finish.</p>
<p>The four background images that sit in the main body of the site are all taken from recent crop circles.  I have long been fascinated by the crop circle phenomenon, as many of the symbols represented give me the feeling that what they are expressing is a form of higher consciousness, much more than just what appears at face value.  The four crop circles I have chosen represent for me the four classical elements.  The top image of an eagle in a South American indigenous style represents the element of Air.  Going in a clockwise direction, the next image of a star represents Fire.  The goddess image at the bottom is Gaia, the spirit of Earth.  The left image of stylized dolphins represents the Water element.</p>
<p>The animated image that changes colour in the top left hand corner is taken from the psychedelic computerized artwork of <a title="Alahuin Graphics and Animations - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://nofrillspropertyspain.com/Albums/" target="_blank">Alahuin</a>.  It is a stylized version of a Mandlebrot Set, a type of <a title="Wikipedia's Fractal page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal" target="_blank">fractal</a>. A fractal is a mathematically generated geometric shape that appears similar at all levels of magnification. Fractals are based on new mathematics that have been developed over the last hundred years or so.  They are considered to be infinitely complex and therefore more accurately describe natural processes than the traditional Euclidean geometry that has dominated mathematics since 300BCE. Natural objects that approximate fractals include clouds, mountain ranges, lightning bolts, coastlines, and snow flakes.  <a title="Ecometry.biz - images of fractals that appear in nature - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.ecometry.biz/" target="_blank">Ecometry</a> has many fascinating images of fractals in nature.</p>
<p><a title="Alahuin Graphics and Animations - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://nofrillspropertyspain.com/Albums/" target="_blank">Alahuin</a>&#8216;s artwork is also represented in the background image of the buttons in the left hand side bar,  and also the image that appears on the left of the footer bar at the bottom of each page.  This image is a stylized version of a <a title="Wikipedia's Vesica Piscis page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesica_piscis" target="_blank">Vesica Piscis</a>, a powerful symbol in sacred geometry, that over milenia has been used as a representation of the divine feminine principle, as well as later being adopted by Christianity and stylized as a fish.</p>
<p>For information on links on this site, hover the cursor over the link.  A description box will appear with some information on the site being linked to, and whether it opens in a new or same tab/window.  All links to other sites normally open in a new tab or window.  The general rule I have followed for internal links &#8211; links to other pages on this site &#8211; is that links within the body of the text open in a new tab or window, and links at the bottom of the page open in the same tab or window.  This is because when I am browsing I often like to read a whole page first, and then afterwards go to the other pages that are linked to in the body of the text.  If this annoys you, just right-click on the link and open it in the same tab or window.</p>
<p>Many of the external links in the site are to <a title="Wikipedia home page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://wikipedia.org/" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.  This is not because I consider Wikipedia to be the ultimate source of knowledge, rather that it is often one of the best places to start when researching a topic.</p>
<p>Most of the images on the site, unless otherwise credited, come from <a title="Royalty-free stock photos, low cost, high quality - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/?refid=dZVa2pEwQN" target="_blank">Big Stock Photos</a>.  This site is built on the <a title="WordPress blog tool and publishing platform - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress</a> blog tool and publishing platform.  It is free to use <a title="OpenSource.org - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.opensource.org/" target="_blank">open source software</a>. If you would like a similar site built, please <a title="Send an email to Paul Vedant - opens in the same tab/window" href="http://paulvedant.com/contact/" target="_self">contact</a> me.</p>
<p>Many thanks to Ricky of <a title="Qubetech.net Internet promotion and web design - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://qubetech.net" target="_blank">qubetech.net</a> for his hard work and patience while building this site.</p>
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		<title>Introduction to Permaculture</title>
		<link>http://www.paulvedant.com/2008/introduction-to-permaculture/</link>
		<comments>http://www.paulvedant.com/2008/introduction-to-permaculture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:42:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Vedant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Permaculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://paulvedant.com/?p=29</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Permaculture is a holistic agricultural ecological design system involving the development of perennial agricultural systems that are based on natural sustainable environments.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title="The Wikipedia Permaculture page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture" target="_blank"></a><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/?refid=dZVa2pEwQN" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-212" title="Cherry tomatoes - image from Big Stock Photos - royalty-free high quality low cost images - click image for further info - opens in a new tab/window" src="http://paulvedant.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstockphoto_cherry_tomatoes_3485553-300x225.jpg" alt="Cherry tomatoes - image from Big Stock Photos - royalty-free high quality low cost images - click image for further info - opens in a new tab/window" width="240" height="180" /></a></span>Permaculture is essentially a holistic agricultural ecological design system.   It involves the development of perennial agricultural systems that are based on natural sustainable environments. The word permaculture was coined by <a title="Bill Mollison's Wikipedia page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mollison" target="_blank">Bill Mollison</a>, an Australian scientist and naturalist, as a combination of <strong>perma</strong>nent and agri<strong>culture</strong>. However as human habitats and their social aspects are an integral part of a truly sustainable system,  it is more accurately a combination of <strong>perma</strong>nent and <strong>culture</strong>.</p>
<p>Permaculture has three guiding ethics or core values.   These have been distilled from both research into community ethics as well as traditional indigenous cultures that have existed in relative balance with their environment for much longer than more recent civilisations.  </p>
<p>These ethics are:</p>
<ol>
<li>Care for the earth</li>
<li>Care for people</li>
<li>Fair share</li>
</ol>
<div>These ethics guide the 12 practical design principles of permaculture:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Observe and interact</li>
<li>Catch and store energy</li>
<li>Obtain a yield</li>
<li>Apply self-regulation and accept feedback</li>
<li>Use and value renewable resources and services</li>
<li>Produce no waste</li>
<li>Design from patterns to details</li>
<li>Integrate rather than segregate</li>
<li>Use small and slow solutions</li>
<li>Use and value diversity</li>
<li>Use edges and value the marginal</li>
<li>Creatively use and respond to change</li>
</ol>
<div>I completed the <a title="The Permaculture Institute's Design Certificate page - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/permaculture_design_course/" target="_blank">Permaculture Design Certificate</a> at <a title="Ecoforest Education for Sustainability, Coin, Spain - opens in a new tab/window" href="http://www.ecoforest.org/" target="_blank">Ecoforest</a> in 2004, and have been applying some of these principles on my land since then.</div>
</div>
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