The Geminid Meteor shower ~ Winter's Fireworks!

Geminid Meteor shower will be visible December 14~15th 2012!

The radiant of the Geminid meteor shower above the northern horizon as seen from Adelaide on the morning of December 14 at 3:00 pm ACDST, similar views will be seen from other sites at equivalent local times. The radiant is marked with a cross (click to embiggen).

The Geminid Meteor shower will be at its peak from the point of view of Australian's on the mornings of Friday 14 December (the actual peak is 13 December 23h30m UT ) and Saturday 15 December but significant numbers should be also be seen on the morning of the 13th.

The best time to observe is between 1 and 4 am (daylight saving time, 12-3 am non-daylight saving time), with the highest rates between 2-3 am daylight saving time.

The Moon will be out of the picture, being just off New (New Moon is on the 13th) so this is an excellent year to observe. In Australia we should see roughly a meteor every 2 minutes between 2-3 am daylight saving time under dark sky conditions. The more light pollution (the closer you are to the city) , the fewer meteors you see, but it is still worth while to look even if you are near the city or in the suburbs.

To observer the radiant, look to the north or north-east (depending on the time, the later you look the closer to north you should look). The radiant, where the meteors appear to come from, is just below Castor, the lower of the two bright, close stars that form the "twins" of Gemini.

When looking, be sure to let your eyes adjust for at least 5 minutes so your eyes can be properly adapted to the dark. Don't look directly at the radiant site, because the meteors will often start their "burn" some distance from it, but around a handspan up or to the side. Be patient, although you should see an average of a meteor every two minutes, a whole stretch of time can go by without a meteor, then a whole bunch turn up one after the other. 

Make yourself comfortable, choose an observing site that has little to obstruct the northern horizon, have a comfortable chair to sit in (abanana lounger is best), or blankets and pillows. A hot Thermos of something to drink and plenty of mosquito protection will complete your observing preparations.

As well as meteors, keep an eye out for satellites (see Heavens Above for predictions from your site). The sky will also be particularly beautiful, with the constellations of Orion and Taurus gracing the north-western sky, Jupiter setting in the west and Saturn and Venus rising in the east.

You can check meteor rate predictions for you local site with the NASA meteor flux estimator (scroll down to 4 Geminids in the SHOWER box, make sure you have your location and date correct as well). You can follow world wide Geminid counts at the IMO live Geminid site.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2012/12/geminid-meteor-shower-14-15-december.html

At 8:00 on Dec 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

Just before 8 on the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii.

The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States, and again Congress reciprocated. More than two years into the conflict, America had finally joined World War II.

Pearl Harbor and the Road to War
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades. The United States was particularly unhappy with Japan’s increasingly belligerent attitude toward China. The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor’s territory and take over its import market; to this end, Japan had declared war on China in 1937. American officials responded to this aggression with a battery of economic sanctions and trade embargoes.

They reasoned that without access to money and goods, and especially essential supplies like oil, Japan would have to rein in its expansionism. Instead, the sanctions made the Japanese more determined to stand their ground. During months of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington, D.C., neither side would budge. It seemed that war was inevitable.

But no one believed that the Japanese would start that war with an attack on American territory. For one thing, it would be terribly inconvenient: Hawaii and Japan were about 4,000 miles apart. For another, American intelligence officials were confident that any Japanese attack would take place in one of the (relatively) nearby European colonies in the South Pacific: the Dutch East Indies, for instance, or Singapore or Indochina. Because American military leaders were not expecting an attack so close to home, the naval facilities at Pearl Harbor were relatively undefended. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields. To the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was an irresistible target.

"A Date Which Will Live in Infamy"
The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack.

At about 8 a.m., Japanese planes filled the sky over Pearl Harbor. Bombs and bullets rained onto the vessels moored below. At 8:10, a 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship USS Arizona and landed in her forward ammunition magazine. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside. Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater. By the time the attack was over, every battleship in Pearl Harbor–USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada–had sustained significant damage. (All but USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired.)

In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed 18 American ships and nearly 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, almost 2,500 men were killed and another 1,000 were wounded.

But the Japanese had failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet. By the 1940s, battleships were no longer the most important naval vessel: Aircraft carriers were, and as it happened, all of the Pacific Fleet’s carriers were away from the base on December 7. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.) Moreover, the Pearl Harbor assault had left the base’s most vital onshore facilities–oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks–intact. As a result, the U.S. Navy was able to rebound relatively quickly from the attack.
Pearl Harbor Awakens the "Sleeping Giant"

“Yesterday,” President Roosevelt said on December 8, “the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.” He went on to say, “No matter now long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.” After the Pearl Harbor attack, and for the first time after years of discussion and debate, the American people were united in their determination to go to war. The Japanese had wanted to goad the United States into an agreement to lift the economic sanctions against them; instead, they had pushed their adversary into a global conflict that ultimately resulted in Japan’s first occupation by a foreign power.

On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. For the second time, Congress reciprocated. More than two years after the start of the conflict, the United States had entered World War II.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor

Balancing the Chakra System to promote healing & energy!

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHAKRAS ARE OUT OF BALANCE?
Most of us have one or more of our chakras out of balance at any given point in time. In fact subtle differences may be the very reason for each of our individual personalities. However, more obvious imbalances or blockages can have a huge effect on both our physical and mental well-being.

PHYSICAL SIGNS: Sometimes the body itself will give us clues: a sore throat can be a indication that the 5th (Throat) chakra needs balancing; headaches can hint that we need to work on our 6th (Third Eye) chakra; constipation may nudge us into looking at our base.

BEHAVIOURAL CLUES: Alternatively you can draw from your behaviour. Are you often fearful, lacking in confidence and self-esteem? Work with your 3rd (solar plexus) chakra. Do you find you have sexual relationships but can’t connect on an emotional level? You may well need to focus on both the 1st (base) and 4th (heart) chakras. If you’re feeling too spacey and drifting away from the “real world” you may need to ground yourself with your 1st (base) chakra.

HOW DOES CHAKRA HEALING WORK?

Our chakras--like any aspect of our selves--are energetic patterns. These patterns can be disrupted--blocked, skewed, distorted, etc. Restoring harmony and order to the energy of the chakra will return it to a state of health--i.e., will heal it.

Anything that has a harmonious, orderly energy pattern can help to entrain our energy back to a harmonious state. (Kind of like a tuning fork.)

Crystals and gemstones have that inherent harmony and order in their energy pattern. Like anything with harmonious energy, they can be used to heal.

Each type of stone resonates with a slightly different energy pattern. The energy patterns of the different stones will relate more closely to the ideal energy pattern of one of your chakras, and its pure resonance can be used to help that chakra return to its ideal vibration or energy pattern.

Like any method of healing, the user's intention is critical. A pure healing intention makes the healing work.

WHAT CRYSTALS CAN BE USED ON EACH CHAKRA?

The colour of a stone is the key to it's healing qualities. Each colour of a stone works best on a specific chakra. Listed below are some of the stones that may be used on each Chakra.

1st: Red Jasper, Garnet, Onyx, Rubies, Apache Tear, Red Tiger's Eye, Smokey
Quartz, Obsidian, Black Tourmaline & Hematite.
2nd: Carnelian, Orange Calcite, Tiger Eye, Moonstone.
3rd: Citrine, Amber, Topaz, Yellow Calcite, Yellow Jasper.
4th: Rose quartz, Aventurine, Rhodonite, Unakite, Jade & Malachite.
5th: Aquamarine, Turquoise, Blue Lace Agate, Sodalite & Lapis Lazuli.
6th: Sapphire, Turquoise, Amethyst, Flourite, Zunzite, Labradorite, Sugilite & Sodalite.
7th: Clear Quartz, Amethyst, Moonstone, Zircon & Diamond.

The Seven Gemstone Chakra Meditation Technique 

by Eileen Nauman, DHM(UK)

Chakras are a Far East concept. Those familiar with Chinese acupuncture, meridians and nadi's, will have a good feel for what they are. To put chakras into a basic understanding, there are seven of them (what we call major chakras). You can consider them like a power station of sorts. They pull in "prana" (energy/food) from the surrounding universe, suck it in, transform it, and then "feed" not only our physical body to keep us healthy, but also feed our aura, which is composed of many fields.

The chakras are deposited in our etheric body, the auric field that is closest to our physical body. They then extend out like the cone of an ice cream cone, through the front and back of us. The chakras on the front of us are fueled by desire. The one's in the back are our will. The major chakras are positioned over major endocrine glands in our body

Each chakra has a symbolic area that it rules. Through stimulation, the opening and closing of this chakra, it draws in the energy to help us learn the lesson(s) we want to educate ourselves about this lifetime.

Not all chakras are open. Usually, the lower three, the root, navel and solar plexus, are open. As a race, we are endeavoring to open the heart chakra (universal love and compassion for all things on Mother Earth). The other chakras, known as the upper ones, the throat, brow and crown, open and close as need be.

No one has all seven chakras up and running; if you do, you are an ascended master! We may have all seven of them open and closing, however, all the time, depending upon what we've come into this body and time to learn.

One important part is keeping these chakras clean. They get 'gunked up' with our emotions, our mental perspective, for starters. Or, we get off track on our spiritual path we wanted to take. Or, we get an injury to that particular part of the body

When a chakra has debris in it (positive ions), is blocked or has been injured (spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically), then cleaning it or them out, can help us process through the experience sooner rather than later.

I'm of the mind of: why suffer more than we need to? We don't.

I'd like to introduce the chakras. And also share what I call the 7-stone chakra meditation that I was taught many years ago, and use to this day when I'm feeling particularly "constipated" energetically in one of my chakras

I use seven gemstones; a color that will denote or symbolize each chakra. Let me introduce the chakras, and then I'll put the meditation at the end of this article:1st Chakra (Root): RED

Organs: physical body support; base of spine; legs, bones, feet, rectum, and the immune system.

Mental/Emotional Issues: Safety and security; ability to provide for life's necessities; ability to stand up for one-self; feeling at home (here on earth), and emotional support. Grounds a person; keeps them common sensed. Practical. Logical. Rational. If this chakra is damaged, the person is spacy, out-of-the-body, undisciplined, disorganized and unable to finish what they start.

Physical Dysfunctions: Chronic lower back pain, sciatica, varicose veins, rectal tumors/cancer, depression, and immune disorders.

Gemstone: Red Jasper

2nd Chakra (Navel/Spleen): ORANGE

Organs: Sexual organs, large intestine, lower vertebrae (lumbar/coccyx), pelvis, appendix, bladder, and hip area.

Mental/Emotional Issues: blame and guilt, money and sex, power and control, creativity, ethics and honor in relationships. Victim attitude. Codependence. "Poor me" attitude. 

Physical Dysfunctions: Chronic lower back pain, sciatica, ob-gyn problems, pelvic/low back pain, sexual potency, and urinary problems.

Gemstone: Carnelian

3rd Chakra (Solar Plexus): YELLOW

Organs: Abdomen, stomach, upper intestines, liver, gall bladder, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, and middle spine (thoracic vertebrae).

Mental/Emotional Issues: Trust, fear and intimidation, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, care of others, responsibility for making decisions, sensitivity to criticism, and personal honor. Panic attacks, anxiety attacks, and known or unknown fear, are symbolic of this chakra.

Physical Dysfunctions: Arthritis, gastric or duodenal ulcers, pancreatitis/diabetes, indigestion, chronic or acute, anorexia or bulimia, liver dysfunction, hepatitis, and adrenal dysfunction.

Gemstone: Amber (fossilized tree pitch)

4th Chakra (Heart): GREEN

Organs: heart and circulatory system, lungs, shoulders and arms, ribs/breasts, diaphragm, and the thymus gland.

Mental/Emotional Issues: love and hatred, resentment and bitterness, grief, self-centeredness, loneliness and commitment, forgiveness and compassion, hope and trust.

Physical Dysfunctions: congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction (heart attack), mitral valve prolapse, cardiomegaly, asthma/allergy, lung cancer, bronchial pneumonia, upper back, shoulder and breast cancer.

Gemstone: Green Quartz

5th Chakra (throat): BLUE

Organs: throat, thyroid, trachea, neck vertebrae (cervical), mouth, teeth and gums, esophagus, parathyroid and hypothalamus.

Mental/Emotional Issues: choice and strength of will, personal expression, following one's dream, using personal power to create, addiction, judgment and criticism, faith and knowledge, and the capacity to make decisions. The ability to speak up for one's self. To speak our personal truth, no matter what the cost to us. Faith. To believe without having to see it. Blind-faith-knowing.

Physical Dysfunctions: raspy throat, chronic sore throats, mouth ulcers, gum difficulties, tempromandibular joint problems (TMJ), scoliosis, laryngitis, swollen glands and thyroid problems.

Gemstone: Sodalite or Lapis Lazuli

6th Chakra (Brow): INDIGO/PURPLE

Organs: Brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, nose, pineal gland, and the pituitary gland.

Mental/Emotional Issues: Self-evaluation, truth, intellectual abilities, feelings of adequacy, openness to ideas of others, ability to learn from experiences and emotional intelligence. Our ability to perceive and see this reality. The ability to see the macrocosm vs. microcosm. The "big picture". 

Physical Dysfunctions: brain tumor/hemorrhage/stroke, neurological disturbances, blindness/deafness, full spinal difficulties, learning disabilities, and seizures.

Gemstone: Charoite or Amethyst

7th Chakra (Crown): WHITE/GOLD

Organs: Muscular system, skeletal system and skin.

Mental/Emotional Issues: Ability to trust life, values, ethics and courage, humanitarianism, selflessness, ability to see larger pattern, faith and inspiration, spirituality and devotion.

Physical Dysfunctions: paralysis, genetic disorders, bone cancer, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Gemstone: single terminated, small quartz crystal (may be 1" or 2" long....length doesn't matter).

7-Chakra Gemstone Meditation:

1. Always have your tumbled gemstones, with the exception of the single terminated quartz crystal, in their own bowl, abalone shell, cup or pouch. That way, you know where they all are, and none of them will get lost.

2. Choose a time and place where there are no interruptions. Shut the door. Tell your family you are not to be disturbed. Take the phone off the hook or shut off the ringer.

3. I use sage to 'smudge' myself (sage emits negative ions and cleanses the aura like a dust mop would dust a wood floor), and I also pass my stones, which I have in my hand, through the smoke. Or, I may set the stones out on the altar or table, and waft the sage smoke across them with a feather.

4. Wear loose, comfortable clothes. Keep your shoes off. Lay down on the floor or lay down on your bed. Or lay prone on your favorite chair that unfolds for you.

5. Place the RED stone just above where your legs are attached to your body, near your crotch. 

6. Place the ORANGE stone on your abdomen (about 2-3 inches below your belly button).

7. Place the YELLOW stone over your stomach region (about 2-3 inches above your belly button).

8. Place the GREEN stone in the center of your chest where your heart rests.

9. Place the BLUE stone in the middle of your throat.

10. Place the PURPLE stone in the center of your forehead, just above the root of your nose.

11. Place the single terminated quartz crystal, point TOWARD the center or top of your head. (You're lying down, so place the tip of it toward your head, about 1-2 inches away from your skull).

12. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths in your nose and out your mouth. 

13. Visualize silver tree roots wrapping gently around your ankles and going down through each foot into Mother Earth (about 100 to 200 feet). This grounds you.

14. Lay quietly for 20 minutes like this. If thoughts come into your head, let them come and go without any attachment.

15. When you're done, pick up the stones in REVERSE ORDER, starting with the quartz crystal, then the PURPLE stone, the BLUE stone, and so on.

16. Put your stone friends into a salt bath for 1 hour. This means placing them gently in a bowl of tepid water that has 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, sea salt in it. This cleanses them off. After an hour, pour off the salt water, wash them with fresh, tepid water, dry them off and put them back into your pouch.

I do this meditation every day when I'm under a lot more stress than usual. It can take a headache away in 20 minutes; and that's pretty impressive. It can take pain away, at least for awhile,too. More than anything, it allows the stones, which are sitting over each major chakra, to absorb any positive ions or other debris, energetically speaking, so that your chakras are getting a minor "tune-up."

If you will do this 2-3 times a week, for a month, you'll find you have more energy, your mind is clearer, sharper, more focused, and not as forgetful. It aids everyone. So, give it a try!

REFERENCE:

Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

Warmly, Eileen 

Moderator - Athena List, http://www.medicinegarden.com

Good night to a bad black Friday in Placerville, Ca.

K-Mart may be a better choice than Walmart for local Placerville Christmas shopping!

At the end of the Black Friday madness day in the Placerville, California area many shoppers are rethinking their Christmas shopping plans. Today at the Placerville Walmart there was more excitement outside the store than inside. Unbelievable protesters stood with picket signs and armed with negative words aimed at shoppers. The obvious "grinch" attitude did not make for an inviting atmosphere for shoppers nor did it ring in the holiday spirit to inspire shoppers.

It is bad enough that Walmart has tried to monopolize the corporate market for discount and affordable products that millions of consumers depend on for the bare necessities in life, add in the decline in quality of their generic brand items and now striking employees on the biggest shopping day of the year. All this just combined only leaves one impression on the customer - Walmart is not worth the hassle anymore. 

It has always been a hassle to go to Walmart, crowded narrow isles, overstocked shelves and displays, products being moved around making it difficult to find what you need and even more difficult to find an associate to help. If you are lucky enough to find an associate they usually do not work in the department you need assistance in and do not hesitate to inform you of that as they continue to walk by. 

Even with the hassle a few years ago it was worth going through the major ordeal of a trip to Walmart because you did in fact save on your over all purchase. As years have gone by the hassle has become more apparent and less appealing for the worth of the minimal savings.

Below is a story from a local news station on today's events at the Placerville, California Walmart:

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Crowds took over local malls and retail stores looking for the best Black Friday deals. All the while, some workers at Walmart stores staged a walkout.

It’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but that didn’t stop hundreds of Walmart workers across the country from striking.

Protesters outside a Placerville Walmart heckled a company spokesperson as she tried to give an interview.

“You only care about yourself. That’s all you care about,” yelled one protester. “You corporate people with all your looks and all your money.”

“This is a made-for-TV publicity stunt, designed to mislead our customers and our associates,” said Amelia McLear, Walmart senior public affairs manager.

The outrage over Walmart wages took front and center stage at stores across the country this Black Friday.

“We don’t want to come out and waste our time when it’s not calculated. We want to try and make the biggest impact,” said Carlo Tarantola, California School Employees Association.

However, customers, inside and out, still seemed to go about their business.

“The thing that I wonder about is how many of these people actually are employees,” customer Phil Abbott said.

His curiosity was correct, not all protesters were Walmart employees. Outside union organizers were also on hand.

“We have to come out and support them because Walmart can’t retaliate against us,” said Tarantola. “So they have to know that they do have support.”

While bullhorns and picket signs were present on this Black Friday, the focus at Walmart was not only on holiday shopping.

Walmart employee Margaret Hooten says she’s protesting the poor working conditions.

“We’ve become more and more verbal. They’ve become more and more aware of us, who we are in the store,” said Hooten.

She says her store has hired 40 temporary workers and began cutting regular employees’ hours.

“I’ve gone from 32 hours a week to just 18,” Hooten said.

Hooten, who has worked at Walmart for a year-and-a-half, has a message to those that say she is lucky to have a job.

“Try living on $870 a month with no health benefits,” she said.

Placerville Walmart was not the only Walmart to have problems today. Walmarts across the country had issues due to the striking employees on Black Friday many of which were so serious that police had to be called to control the crowds. Is this what you want to see as you are arriving at Walmart to do your Christmas shopping? 

No, this is not how Christmas shopping should be. Do yourself and your family a great favor and shop at K-Mart this year for all your Christmas needs!

K-Mart is a wonderful discount department store that is well planned with an open shopping area making it easy to get through the busy isles and find exactly what you are looking for. Their products are high quality and displayed very nicely with the sale items at eye level and within reach. There is no overstocked shelves or displays to take up time in finding that perfect gift. The employees are very friendly and grateful to have their jobs, even the part time employees. 

I recommend K-Mart for all of your Christmas shopping as well as necessities for daily living all year long. You will be completely satisfied and very happy you chose K-Mart when you get home from a long day of shopping feeling relaxed and stress free making the rest of your holiday season much more enjoyable.

News article source:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/11/23/black-friday-shoppers-not-thwarted-by-walmart-employee-strike/