Fractals are the beautiful natural phenomena which are present all around us, if only you care to observe your surroundings. Nature is the perfect place to find fractal patterns, the self-repeating ones that appear the same even when zoomed into.
Fractals in nature – from flowers, mountains, vegetables, clouds, insects, fields – continue to amaze us. Here is a small collection of fractals from nature’s basket.
Permaculture is a design system that is based on understanding ecosystems, it takes a look at the interactions between the trees, plants, fungi, bacteria, birds, animals and all other natural elements to create a sustainable ecosystem.
In the first video we go through a slideshow with Josh Robinson a permaculturist gives us a detailed insight into Permaculture, the functioning and how it works as a sustainable solution in creating a food forest.
He talks about the flaws in the tradition orchard system, where the same trees are planted together, thus making the soil deficient of the same nutrients, the need for fertilization and also susceptible to diseases.
The alternative to this method is a permaculture food forest, a perennial polyculture of multi-purposed plants. This design not only produce lots of food, but provide other services such as pest control, auto fertilization, mulch, pollination and much more.
Food forests are designed to be highly productive with the least amount of labor, this video will explain how to create a sustainable orchard that is patterned after nature.
What can you expect when you have a Food Forest based on permaculture? Take a look at the video below, that takes you through a 30 year old Food forest based on permaculture, with a huge variety of fruits.
https://youtu.be/NzhSFT-lqi0
The 1000-year old Hindu sect that challenges traditional religious beliefs and follows an unconventional, radical path to enlightenment, the Aghoris. Death, their spiritual teacher; the cremation grounds their home and Shiva, their God, the destroyer and the embodiment of death.
Aghoris believe that Shiva induced the best and worst of the world and nothing is profane, everything is sacred for them. Hence, what other Hindu sects regard as unacceptable or taboo, the Aghoris embrace it – the ‘dark forces’ or ‘impurities’ – leads them to a level of higher consciousness. Let’s delve more into their world…
They clothe themselves with the shroud of a corpse or clothes left by family of the dead, smear themselves with the ashes of corpses as a protection from diseases, meditate on a dead body and consume everything from human or animal flesh to excreta, urine, alcohol – all part of the Aghora ritual, which literally means non-terrifying, and Aghoris are its practitioners.
The aghoris have to eliminate thoughts of duality between pure and impure, good and bad; denying perfection of anything would be like disrespecting sacredness of life in its full manifestation.
Robert Svoboda, an American author and ayurvedic doctor in his book – Aghora II: Kundalini, explained – “The Aghori sets out to overcome human limitations by shattering internally every restraint, no matter how ancient or powerful the taboo, and also by creating a body/mind that is able to contain emotional, sensory and other experiences which would consume anyone not properly prepared.”
Once initiated, the Aghori goes in search of a human skull or ‘kapala’, which is a real sign of an Aghori, to be used as a bowl. It is believed that after death, the prana or life force of the deceased clings in the top of the skull.
Using mantras and certain offerings, especially alcohol, an aghori sadhna summons the spirit to return to the body, and gaining control over it, harnesses its services. Aghori sadhana includes tantric practice, various forms of Yoga and meditation.
Svoboda explained in his book, Aghora: At the Left Hand of God: “Aghora is the apotheosis of Tantra…whose supreme deity is the mother goddess….Tantra has thus far been glimpsed in the West only in its most vulgar and debased forms, promulgated by unscrupulous scoundrels who equate sex with super consciousness. Sex is indeed central to Tantra, the cosmic sexual union of universal dualities. The aim of Tantra is Laya, return of the seeker to the state of undifferentiated existence.”
The 48-mins documentary ‘Living with the dead’ shows the life of Aghori Ramnath, who is initiated by tantric master, and lives in the cremation grounds and follows the path of Aghora to be one with Shiva, an insightful video on this sect.
Each Aghori follows different practices depending on his capability; the only common factor is their degree of intensity and determination.
For 12 years he meditates in the name of Lord Shiva in cremation grounds, considered an ideal place to worship Shiva. They eat human flesh, which serves as a reminder to the Aghori that there exists no distinction between good or bad, human or animal flesh.
Such distinctions are only delusive, and seldom serve any purpose in the spiritual development of the human soul. It symbolises the transcendence of his lower self and a realisation of the greater.
The documentary below talks about aghoris and their rituals and powers which are beyond human imagination.
Another video shows an aghori eating human flesh, I’m posting a link, watch the video at your own discretion.
Aghoris perform a ritual known as Shava (fresh corpse) sadhana which means to meditate on top of a corpse, chant mantras to invoke the Smashan Tara (goddess of the cremation grounds), who will bless the Aghori with supernatural powers if the ritual is done in the right manner.
Aghoris do not fear death, they use intoxicants like alcohol or ganja, before performing a ritual that helps them to overcome their fears and go beyond their body.
The mentor of author Svoboda, Aghori Vimalananda, whose spiritual practices awakened his Kundalini and Svoboda’s Aghora trilogy is based on him, said, “Meat, fish, wine, parched grain and sex are all intoxicants, and the purpose of intoxicants is to stimulate your nerves to be able to withstand the force of the Kundalini Shakti. You can use alcohol and the rest to make fast spiritual progress only if you know how to use them properly, otherwise you just bind yourself down more tightly to the wheel of existence.”
Aghoris were a powerful group among the sadhus in India, today a handful remain who lead this unusual life. The ultimate motive for an Aghori is to seek liberation from this endless cycle of reincarnation and achieve salvation.
While in an urban setting, people see Aghoris as sadist who engage in black magic or are mentally ill, but they actually have a mystical way to transform the mind into one that connects with the universal soul, its a path not meant for all! Would you be able to take an Aghori’s path to enlightenment?
Benares is the home and birth place of the Aghoris. This sect is an offshoot of the famous Kapaliks of Kashmir Saivism who carried human skull as a symbol of sect. In its present form the origins of the sect can be traced to Baba Kinaram, an Aghori ascetic who lived for 150 years, and believed to be the incarnation of lord Shiva. There is a Kinaram temple in Varanasi, where he was buried, which is the most sacred for Aghoris. Dattatreya who is believed to be the initiator of Aghor tradition.
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Living in the midst of nature gives the opportunity to experience its divine beauty in various forms, and photography is the ideal way to capture that beauty.
Today’s subject of awe are caterpillars, who undergo dramatic transformation from being tiny insects into beautiful butterflies or moths. We’ve found different types of caterpillars – one completely camouflaged with the plant, and another one stung Clyde while he was passing by a mango tree and accidentally touched it. Here’s a short collection of caterpillar pictures.
The use of hallucinogens in religion is an ancient practice, where sacred plants are ingested to either connect/communicate with the spiritual world, for healing purpose or divination.
One such visionary and medicinal shrub lying deep in the heart of West-Central Africa in the jungles of Gabon, is Tabernanthe Iboga.
The Bwiticult, a religion followed by the tribes in Gabon, worship
Iboga tree as the source of spiritual knowledge.
They have been using Iboga in their initiation ceremonies for spiritual or personal development, for hundreds of years, since they believe that Iboga frees the soul to go on a higher dimension, to speak with the spirits of animals and plants.
The root bark of the Iboga plant is consumed in large doses by initiates, under the supervision of the Bwiti father. It induces complex visions and an introspective mindset in which the person often recounts past experiences and sees his true self.
Known for its naturally occurring psychoactive properties, Iboga extracts as well as the purified alkaloid, Ibogaine, are used in treating several conditions like opiate addiction, alcohol abuse, depression and other mental or psychosomatic diseases.
Its widely used for drug addiction because of the strong combination of alkaloids that affect many of the neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, so it stops the physical addiction without causing withdrawal symptoms.
However, Ibogaine is classified as a Schedule I-controlled substance in the United States and few other countries like Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Switzerland have banned the sale and possession of Ibogaine.
The documentary above shows the use of Ibogaine in curing physical ailments, opiate addiction, etc. It shows the life of a heroin addict who was cured after a Ibogaine session. Several former addicts, Ibogaine facilitators, and other experts talk about the effectiveness of Iboga for treating a long-time addiction.
An interesting film that raises questions about the controversial ban of Ibogaine, is it due to economics or to its hallucinogenic effects?
Ancient medicines like Iboga or Ayahuasca is a gateway to higher or altered state of consciousness, above the realms of reality, and it helps us connect with oneself and the spiritual world. Its strange that such conciousness expanding substances are labeled illegal when it can make a significant difference to lives.
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