In Pure Spirit

The 5 things you should know about dementia

Andrew — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:06:49 +0000

A new video from the Alzheimer’s Society uses some famous faces to help teach us 5 things we should know about dementia. The society, which looks after people and their families cope with dementia, is asking that people share the video. You can do that by clicking on the video or simply by sharing this post in Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or anywhere you hangout.

So, what are the 5 things you should know about dementia?

Dementia is not a natural part of aging
Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain (often Alzheimer’s)
It’s not just about losing your memory
It’s possible to live well with dementia
There’s more to a person than the dementia

If you would like to know more than you can call the Alzheimer’s Society helpline.

The ghostly photgraph from The George & Pilgrim, 1 High Street, Glastonbury

Andrew — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:53:08 +0000

Down the road from the Church of St John the Baptist, on the corner of the High Street and Madgalene Street that passes by Glastonbury Tor is The George and Pilgrim. 1 High Street, just a stone throw from Abbey Park, has the reputation of being haunted.

The building dates from at least 1475 as a pre-Reformation inn. It was used by people visiting Glastonbury Abbey and, perhaps, even by some monks.

One of the reported ghosts in the building is that of a monk which, back in the 70s, is said to have sat on the bed of a guest and talked about Queen Elizabeth. It’s not common for reported ghost sightings to include dialogue.

Another reported ghost is that of “hanging judge” George Jeffreys. Baron Jeffreys (15 May 1645 to 18 April 1689) was Lord Chancellor and Lord High Steward under the reign of King James II of England.

It’s not unusually for hotels and pubs to circulate ghost stories as way of bringing in tourists. If you want to stay at The George & Pilgrim you can book at sites like Hotels.com and although no mention of ghosts are mentioned there the subject is brought up by customer reviews on Tripadvisor. The George & Pilgrim gets mixed reviews.

However, most hotels and pubs with a ghost story do not have a photograph to fuel the speculation – 1 High Street on Glastonbury does. If people ask, “Is The George & Pilgrim really haunted?” the owners can show this picture.

The photograph was taken by a customer. The owners, Cathy Breakwell and Andy White, told local press that they’re used to seeing orbs on the CCTV the pub uses.

“At night you can clearly see orbs on the CCTV in the bar, and I have had things put into a glass of water when there was nobody in the room – but we couldn’t believe it when we saw the photograph – it was amazing.

“He took it right in front of me, in a bar full of customers, and every photograph he took afterwards didn’t have the shape in it.”

Cathy does not believe the spirit is that of a monk. She suggests that the ghost may be that of a woman who fell in love with one of the Glastonbury monks.

“They fell in love, but because of his vows, they couldn’t be together,”

“He ended up being walled up in one of the tunnels that led between the pub and the abbey, and while they couldn’t be together in life, they are together in death.”

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of the picture? If this just a blur, a smudge on the lens or a digital distortion – or is this a paranormal occurance caught on camera?

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The danger of our oil economy

Andrew — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:09:42 +0000

This is an interesting video – after all, it’s not pro “tree” or green and even takes a bash at “treehuggers”. However it presents a factual look at how oil is so interwoven in our economy that we’ve created a system the planet cannot support.

The result? We need a third industrial revolution if we want to continue to live comfortably in the developed world and bring the rest of the globe up to standard.

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Earth Day music: made by nature by Burt’s Bees

The 2012 Supermoon may wash out the Eta Aquarid meteors – but when?

Andrew — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:41:16 +0000

This weekend will see a “super” moon. A supermoon happens when the moon is full and in perigee. This means the moon is at it’s closest approach point to the Earth. The moon and Earth have elliptical orbits and so are different distances apart at different times of the year.

The moon may appear to be full from May the 4th through to May the 6th this year. When will the UK see the supermoon? The moment of the supermoon will be brief; starting at 03:34 GMT and finishing at 03:36 GMT on Sunday the 6th of May.

Some mainstream press have given out the incorrect time for the supermoon. The Daily Mail is suggesting it will occur at 3:35pm on Saturday. Unless they know about cosmos shaking events – this will be wrong.

There was a supermoon in 2011 – which resulted in some amazing photographs and even a tide of World War II bombs washing onto a beach in Southampton.

At nearly the exact same time the Eta Aquarid meteor shower should be hitting peak. However, there’s the concern that the extra brightness from the super moon may make the meteor shower, which is in a different part of the sky, harder to see.

NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com that;

““Its light will wash out the fainter Eta Aquarid meteors,”

In Pure Spirit

Will you be doing anything for the supermoon this year? And if you had to pick only one to watch – would you watch the meteor shower or the super moon?

Picture credit: Phil Ostroff

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Samsara

Andrew — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:36:12 +0000

This is a trailer for Samsara – a documentary shot entirely on 70mm film and five years in the making.

Samsara (or Sansara) means “continuous flow”. It is teh cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Although, today it is more often used to refer to possessios or a place.

The documentary uses powerful images to show the journey of the soul, linking humanity with nature.

In Pure Spirit

What does Samara mean to you?

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Last Call at the Oasis

Planet Under Pressure: The Anthropocene

Andrew — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:04:26 +0000

You should watch this video and learn about the “Anthropocene”. This is a new era for the world – one in which the growth of mankind is a force equivalent in scale to a major geological process.

Or perhaps you don’t care – if that’s the case then the animation is still worth watching. It’s fantastic.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think we have what it takes to manage the Earth safely and correctly? Or need we not worry?

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What is the meaning of Self?

Andrew — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:30:57 +0000

What if each one of us where trillions of semi-independent functions each with their own evolutionary agenda?

What if? That’s exactly what biological science is suggesting is true.

This could be startling and thought provoking news to many people. It raises lots of questions – a key one being “What is Self?”. Where does your sense of “self” come from if there’s no part of your brain that generates it. This is the headline question at the Science & Nonduality conference running first in The Netherlands and then later in California this year.

This video is well worth a watch.

In Pure Spirit

What does “self” mean to you?

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Funny video gives us a crash course in Islam and the Five Pillars

Andrew — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:13:37 +0000

This video is from a series of crash-course history lessons. It starts by making the case that in the West the history of Islam is not well known. It’s hard to debate that.

John Green is charismatic and funny in this video – and yet it quickly covers the history of Islam without religious bias and judgement. Topics include the Rightly Guided Caliphs, hadiths, Abu Bakr and the differences between the Sunni and Shia.

It’s well worth watching this video, all 12 minutes of it, especially if you wish to have an opinion on Islam.

In Pure Spirit

What did you think of the video? Does it cover Islam accurately – if rather quickly? This blogger certainly learnt about Islam by watching. Did you?

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10 amazing pictures of Earth for Earth Day

Andrew — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:29:18 +0000

Today is Earth Day. It is a time to recognise the planet we live on and the challenges we face with it.

To celebrate Earth Day this blog, In Pure Spirit, has collected 10 amazing pictures of nature which have surfaced on LiveJournal communties. None of these pictures were shared originally with a photographer attribution – if you know who deserves the thanks, please say so below.

In Pure Spirit

Which is your favouriate photograph? Are you doing anything for Earth Day?

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Earth Day music: made by nature by Burt’s Bees

Andrew — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:05:02 +0000

Burt’s Bees is a brand behind natural skin care, hair care, soaps, baby productions and natural lotions.

The brand, which is active in the States and the UK, makes sure they have a community focus and you can read about their effort for Earth Day in their forum.

It’s also worth checking out this video created by Burt’s Bees with composer Diego Stocco. The music is created from Mother Nature herself – with the aid of some hi-tech recording devices and a little human wisdom.

In Pure Spirit

If you’ve any opnions on Burt’s Bees please let us know below. Have they been good to you?

What do you make of the music video? A good way to support Earth Day?

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