“It is the very error of the moon. She comes more near the earth than she was wont. And makes men mad.”

—William Shakespeare, Othello

All throughout history the moon has been linked to all kinds of human behavior. Especially when it comes to the full moon.

Did you know that the etymology of the word ‘Lunatic’ comes from the Old French word ‘lunatique’, which evolved from the Latin word lunaticus and from the other Latin word luna or ‘moon’? It stemmed from the belief that changes of the moon caused intermittent insanity.

And to some degree, many people still believe it does. Hang out around a hospital or a police station for long enough and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Whenever there’s a full moon, they tend to increase the amount of staff on hand, and for good reason. Things just tend to get a little crazier when the moon is at its fullest.

Most scientists are still quite skeptical since they still haven’t quite figured out how  or why that happens, but you don’t have to spend much time looking around to see that humans are definitely being affected by something.

Regardless of the cause, some people have been able to notice specific patterns in the phases of the moon and human behavior.  Sometimes even closely enough to determine how the majority of people may respond to the specific energies of the upcoming full moon tomorrow night. Continue reading →

We all have a particular style. Some people don’t put much emphasis on appearance, and comfort is what we consider most important. Some people don’t care how comfortable something is so long as they look good in it. To each their own! But what’s interesting, is that regardless of our style and why we like it, we still tend to be drawn to particular colors. 

I shall elaborate. As you’re walking down the road and you see a cute shop selling clothes. What is it that makes your head turn? What will make you stop right in your tracks and walk in that shop? Okay, maybe it’s a 50% off Sale. But regardless, you know the first thing that will really catch your eyes as soon as you walk in that shop will be the colors they have available. You may see a shirt or bathing suit you really like in that shop, but you know you won’t buy it unless they have it in your color.

Why is that?

Well, apparently we humans have a lot of things that influence us subconsciously. We tend to act a certain way or judge things a certain way, based on appearances and our preconceived notions about those appearances.

Most of it is learned through our experiences interacting with society, and society has a whole lot of weird ways that it looks at things.  And, that’s one of many interesting aspects about judgement.

We all do it, whether we realize it or not. Maybe it’s by judging the clerk with the pink hair, or the kid down the road who wears black clothes and nail polish all the time. Even though we may not mean to, and even though we may not do it in a negative way, we are still letting the colors people surround themselves with, influence our thoughts and opinions about that person.

And of course, I’m not going to delve into why people judge others for wearing a particular color. I’m not going to touch that part of the discussion with a 10 foot pole. For now, I’m just going to explain a few colors and how most people tend to react to them on a subconscious level.

The Spectrum Of Our Characters

Red
Red is the color of fire, energy and creative forces. It is a color that grabs the attention, so it is often worn by extroverts and attention seekers.

It can imbue strong passion and a lustful mind, but is also associated with negative emotions such as hate and anger.

People who choose to wear a lot of red are often seen as energetic and imaginative, but they can also be seen as stubborn, domineering or confrontational. Continue reading →

It doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone gets angry from time to time. And when we’re angry, we tend to leave patience, humility and common sense behind, even if only for a moment. Maybe once we realize how we typically respond to things that anger us, we can work on delivering a better response.

So, here are some of the typical things each zodiac sign usually has to work on when it comes to acting out in anger.

Aries-
Arians are definitely one of the quickest to anger. After all, they are one of the fire signs. They have a burning fire within them and at times you may see bouts of that fire bursting forth in anger. This is their dark side.

They don’t usually start arguments with people, but they certainly know how to end them. At times they can be impatient and volatile, especially when pushed past their limits or when they are forced to deal with something before they believe they are ready.

But, as quick as they are to anger, they are usually just as quick to calm down and even forgive those who angered them in the first place. They are one of the signs most capable of ‘forgiving and forgetting’.

Taurus-
Taureans are usually quite fair tempered creatures. They tend to be very slow to anger. But when they do get angry, you had better watch out! Disloyalty, inequality, betrayal, those are the sort of things that really get on their nerves. Other than that, most Taureans don’t want to waste their time and energy on getting angry. Continue reading →

Nikola Tesla, seen here at age 34 in 1890

Did you celebrate Nikola Tesla’s birthday on July 10th? Thousands of people around the world showed their respect and admiration on what was the 160th anniversary of his birth.

He may have died 73 years ago, but he is still loved by millions of people worldwide to this day, for all the achievements and sacrifices he made in order to assist humanity during his lifetime.

For those who may not know, Nikola Tesla was an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, humanitarian and philanthropist, as well as a historian and futurist. He was also highly eccentric, clairvoyant (to a degree) and slightly introverted, among many, many other things.

I think most people following Spirit Science already know about Tesla and his many achievements. I’m sure you’re already pretty aware of what we would be missing today if Tesla hadn’t been born. (x-rays, radios, remotes, lasers, computers, wireless communication, etc).

So, I’m not going to mention the usual Tesla facts that are always floating around. These are 10 more ‘obscure’ yet highly interesting facts pertaining to our favorite inventor!

# 1 –  Tesla had a near-death experience – twice
The first time happened when he was swimming with his friends in a river, near his hometown in Croatia and nearly drowned.

The second time was earlier in his career, while conducting research on one of his first tesla coils. During the experiment, Tesla was hit with a blast of 3.5 million volts of electricity. He was working with 60-foot lightning bolts, got the shock of his life and barely survived.

When he regained consciousness, he claimed to have entered a state of timelessness where he could see the past, the future and the present all at once. Even though he felt analyzed throughout the entire experience, he said he had moved throughout time and space. Continue reading →

The next time you want to show off a little flair in the kitchen, or impress your friends and family with a little extra beauty in your dessert, you may not have to look much further than your own garden at home. 

Humans have always been foragers, so we’ve been eating flowers and using them for medicinal purposes for longer than we’ve been recording our history. Some have been used in herbal medicine and culinary classics that have been eaten for many thousands of years, dating all the way back to ancient Rome, Greece, China, India and the Middle East. Most ancient civilizations used flowers quite commonly in their traditional cooking. such as squash flowers in mediterranean food, and roses in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.

In this article we’re going to show you some examples of the most common edible flowers, the best ways to use them, and even how they can give your health a little boost. Keep in mind, edible flowers can be found all over the world. Some may be found just about everywhere, while some may be endemic (found nowhere else) to your local area.

A good example of this, are the Waterblommetjie Flowers (pronounced “Water-bloom-ekee”) that are only found in the Western Cape region of South African and are cooked in traditional South African stews. (I’ve tried them before and they taste absolutely incredible!) That’s why it’s always good to look around and do a little research.  There are thousands of edible flowers in the world. You never know what rare delicacies you may find growing nearby!

Just a few important things to consider. First, make sure you don’t eat any plants you aren’t 100% sure of. Many plants can look similar, and may actually be poisonous. And also, it’s not a good idea to eat flowers from florists and nurseries, or in parks and other areas where they may have been sprayed with chemicals. It’s always safest to eat flowers you’ve grown yourself.

1 – Marigolds
Marigolds are a great flower for eating in salads.

They are very versatile and can add a bit of spicy-tangy-peppery flavor to just about any dish, raw or cooked. The smell they give off is also a great pest deterrent.

Good to keep in mind for BBQ’s and picnics! Marigolds are also highly prized for their medicinal capabilities. They have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

2 – Carnation Petals
Yep, the same flower you see in those floral arrangements all the time. The petals taste sweet, once you trim them away from the bitterness of their base.

They have a sweet, delicate, perfumed taste, that is almost exactly how they smell. They are often used in candy, cake and wine. Continue reading →

An Amazonian Shaman, an Andean Shaman, and Me

It’s difficult for me to know where to begin explaining what has happened to me this week. I guess that I should start by saying that Ayahuasca is NOT for the faint of heart. It was an amazing experience, but I could never fully express how intense it was. It’s not like LSD, ‘shrooms’ or your usual DMT experience. Ayahuasca is not a recreational drug you take for fun. It is a medicine. A medicine that can heal your mind, body and soul IF you are receptive to it. Sure, it can also make you trip your face off, but there is truly almost nothing pleasurable about the experience. Please keep that in mind.

My friend Tina and I arrived in Cusco, Peru after a 50+ hour journey from South Africa. We were met at our hostel by one of the nurses from Etnikas – Ayahuasca Retreats. She had us drink as many 24 oz glasses of Volcanic water as we possibly could. (I could only bring myself to drink 7 1/2) – The water comes directly from a volcano not far from Cusco. It tastes like you’re drinking sea water, only a little less salty. It was hard to drink, but it purges just about EVERYTHING it possibly can from your body, including all the toxins. Then, we fasted. You want your body to be completely empty of food and toxins when you take the medicine, so you should avoid anything but water for about 12-24 hrs before you take the medicine.

The next morning we were picked up by one of Etnikas’ drivers, who took us straight to the mountainside retreat. We were introduced to the Shamans, nurses and other travelers like ourselves before we got settled in. Then we did a ‘Coca Leaf Ceremony’. The ceremony reminds me of when you see someone read tea leaves. The Andean shaman prays, sings, and does a little dance around you while waving a bell. He then sits down with you, and does 5 readings with the leaves. 1 for Health, 1 for Love, 1 for Family, 1 for Work and 1 for Spirituality. He throws the leaves on the ground one at a time, then, depending on how the leaves fall, tells you about your past, present and future pertaining to each subject.

Continue reading →