Would the Bard Have Survived the Web?

By SCOTT TUROW, PAUL AIKEN, and JAMES SHAPIRO of the Authors Guild

Archaeologists finished a remarkable dig last summer in East London. Among their finds were seven earthenware knobs, physical evidence of a near perfect 16th-century experiment into the link between commerce and culture.

When William Shakespeare was growing up in rural Stratford-upon-Avon, carpenters at that East London site were erecting the walls of what some consider the first theater built in Europe since antiquity. Other playhouses soon rose around the city. Those who paid could enter and see the play; those who didn’t, couldn’t.

By the time Shakespeare turned to writing, these “cultural paywalls” were abundant in London: workers holding moneyboxes (bearing the distinctive knobs found by the archaeologists) stood at the entrances of a growing number of outdoor playhouses, collecting a penny for admission.

At day’s end, actors and theater owners smashed open the earthenware moneyboxes and divided the daily take. From those proceeds dramatists were paid to write new plays. For the first time ever, it was possible to earn a living writing for the public. Money changed everything. Almost overnight, a wave of brilliant dramatists emerged, including Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, Ben Jonson and Shakespeare. READ MORE

Astrology Intensity from Stephanie Austen

Important alignments:
February 17: Sun conjunct Neptune

February 18: Full Moon; Venus square Saturn; Sun enters Pisces
February 19: Sun conjunct Chiron
February 20: Mercury and Mars conjunct Neptune
February 21: Mercury enters Pisces
February 22: Mercury conjunct Chiron; Mars enters Pisces
February 24: Mars conjunct Chiron
February 25: Jupiter square Pluto

We are experiencing profoundly transformative effects from several recent solar flares, the strongest in 4 years, with more to come. According to Phil Chamberlin at NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory: "This is the first of probably many more X-class flare to occur over the next 2 to 4 years, as we reach the peak and then descend back down from solar cycle 24 maximum."

From the Hathors, via Tom Kenyon: "Your Sun, the solar star of your planetary system, is increasing its energetic potential and is entering a period of increased volatility, solar flares and magnetic storms. While these actions will create real problems for you in terms of your telecommunications and weather patterns, there is also an immense evolutionary potential within this solar activity..."

And from The Group, via Steve Rothers: "We tell you that just recently the critical mass of humanity has now shifted in favor of love over fear...anytime you see a solar flare, it will be felt in your own magnetic, emotional structure on planet Earth roughly 76 hours later...let this energy come in and go through you, leaving you cleansed instead of upset or in drama..." Spend extra time in nature, meditation, creativity, and rest if you are feeling unusually tired, out of sorts, and/or stressed; this is a significant evolutionary 'rewire'.

The next full moon peaks on Friday, February 18 at 12:36 AM PST at 29º Leo-Aquarius. This is the fifth of five full moons in a row occurring at the end of a sign, catalyzing important revelations and breakthroughs, major endings and beginnings, for everyone. This is also the first of six SuperMoons this year, when the Moon is both at perigee, its closest approach to the Earth, and at syzygy, in line with the Sun and Earth. Gravitational tugs and the morphing of the Earth’s electromagnetic field are intensified, facilitating greater shifts in consciousness as well. (Other SuperMoons will be March 19, April 17, September 27, October 26, and November 24, 2011.)

Aquarius is the sign of the individualist and the inventor, the rebel and the reformer. The archetype of Aquarius dares us to question authority, to remember that we are part of a larger whole. The 11th sign in an archetypal cycle of 12 is innovative, democratic, and synergistic; no one person has the answer, but each person has and is part of the solution. Aquarius reminds us we are never alone, that there are many other like-minded souls who share our ideals, and that together, we can and will change the world.

Leo is the sign most concerned with the discovery and expression of one’s authentic self. Leo is associated with the Sun, the star at the center of our solar system, as well as our own solar plexus, the center of the body, and with the heart, the central pump of our life force. The spiritual task of Leo is to act from one's center, from the heart, from the Light within. This full moon illuminates what needs to be center stage now in our lives, and what we were born to do at this amazing time on Earth.

Mercury, Mars, Ceres, Neptune, and the Sun are all in Aquarius during the peak of this full moon, emphasizing the need for progress, equality, and teamwork. The Sun’s placement between the ongoing Neptune–Chiron conjunction signals a spiritual revolution — a change of heart, as well as a change of mind. Einstein noted that a problem cannot be solved at the level at which it was created. Our current social, economic, and environmental crises cannot be resolved from the mindset that generated them. We are being forced to think and live out of the box, as the centuries-old structures supporting patriarchy, materialism, and “might makes right” topple around us. There is no going back. We have passed the 11th hour, and this Full Moon with five planets in the 11th sign illuminates where each of us is being called to make a difference.

Bright ideas and joint efforts flow, as both Mercury and Mars conjunct Neptune on February 20 (29º Aquarius), and as the mythic Messenger of the Gods and the God of Passion move on to rendezvous with Chiron at 1º Pisces on February 22 and 24 respectively. Venus squares Saturn (17° Capricorn–Libra) just a few hours after the peak of this Full Moon, urging us to re-evaluate our strategies and priorities, especially in relationship to the Earth and each other. The fact that Venus and Saturn are also in mutual reception (when each planet of a pair is in the sign the other rules) strengthens the cosmic imperative to love and respect each other and our planet. Jupiter makes its third square to Pluto on February 25 (7° Aries–Capricorn), heralding another wave of far-reaching developments and disclosures. A square marks a turning point; this alignment, along with everything else, confirms that we are poised for yet another quantum leap, individually and collectively.

Stephanie Asten is at www.EcoAstrology.com

The Power of Why

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk from TedxPuget Sound (Sept 2009) is awesome. He starts with the question Why is Apple so innovative? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement? and Why were the Wright Brothers able to figure out controlled power manned flight?

http://www.innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/top-articles-of-2010/9912-the-power-of-why

Art: Bird Kachina by Tom Perkinson

What Sony played at its annual shareholder meeting this year

This is an amazing little video! Gives you a good idea why innovation is SO important now.

http://www.innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/2024-what-sony-played-at-its-annual-shareholder-meeting-this-year

Art: Shaman by Tom Perkinson

One Voice in Many: Part 6

I've been posting bits of an old manuscript I wrote in 1980 or so. . .and it's interesting to see that in my attempts then to merge into the collective consciousness and speak from that unified voice, so much of what was said is so simple and true today. The "We" voice could as easily be a divine voice inside anyone and everyone. Previous parts can be found on Jul 12, Aug 19, Aug 26, and Nov 4, 2010 and Jan 15, 2011.

There is no way to know yourself but through love in action. Being is synonymous with love. If you can be, you can love. And you cannot not be, therefore you are love. Come to love any way you can. Will your parts to come together cooperatively, in love. The desire for love is really the desire to know yourself and the Divine. And no matter what desires people have, it is always for more, which is the evolutionary path.

Don't be confused by the dictates of the limited, linear mind. Finding your level of achievement on the spiritual path means nothing and has no effect on your actions because in each moment there is always the same choice: Act from the Divine will, which is your own inner voice of deep pleasure. Cooperate and be as loving as you can. Be your true self as totally as possible. Do not seek to understand before you be loving. Be loving and you will understand.

So it is not stories of soul evolution or grand accomplishments that are important, but the living of love that both radiates and creates a quiet dignity within. This allows others access to their own reservoirs of love and makes it safe for more love to be expressed in the world. "Love thyself," even if you don't know the fullness of who you really are yet, others know and support you in finding that fullness. By you being an example of one who chooses love, in difficult times as well as easy ones, others will learn so much more than a book can show. By being willing to share your process and vulnerability with people, they may be encouraged to risk revealing their own caring side. Courage and beauty touch others when words cannot.

Do not worry over lack of expertise. Be brave, be persistent, be patient. Remain open to new possibilities and keep experimenting. Don't be afraid to fail, because even in this there is a wealth of useful information for everyone involved. Even if you feel you are not succeeding, others may be learning something of great value from you that you had not envisioned.

Copyright by Penney Peirce

How Great Entrepreneurs Think

This is a fascinating article, from Inc. Magazine (February 2011) about the differences between entrepreneurial thinking and CEO/Managerial thinking. The author calls the first one "effectual reasoning" and the second "causal reasoning." It's interesting that the entrepreneurial way of approaching things is focused strongly in the present moment, on the feelings of doability, on living visions that become real to the body, and on an enjoyment of surprise and adaptability. These are all traits that promote the flow of soul and intuition.

Here's a quote: "(The author) likes to compare expert entrepreneurs to Iron Chefs: at their best when presented with an assortment of motley ingredients and challenged to whip up whatever dish expediency and imagination suggest. Corporate leaders, by contrast, decide they are going to make Swedish meatballs. They then proceed to shop, measure, mix, and cook Swedish meatballs in the most efficient, cost-effective manner possible. That is not to say entrepreneurs don't have goals, only that those goals are broad and—like luggage—may shift during flight."

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/how-great-entrepreneurs-think.html

FUTUREdition from The Arlington Institute

PUNCTUATIONS
An editorial by John L. Petersen, founder of The Arlington Institute

Something strange is happening. UFOs are showing up over major global cities — on schedule.

Of course, UFOs show up all the time all over the place. If you're not aware of that, then you're really not keeping track of what's going on in that space. YouTube is full of amateur videos. One guy put up a compilation of snips of NASA footage from over the years that certainly show lots of anomalies. Almost six million people have looked at that one already.

A year ago there was a very large pyramidal "thing" over the Kremlin. In China, the government shut down major airports in the last few of months because of "craft?" in their airspace which were witnessed by hundreds if not thousands of people. In March there were strange shapes hovering over London.

Then Stanley A. Fulham, a former Canadian Air Force officer said he had information that UFOs would show up over the sky of New York on the 13h of October. They showed up. Then there was one near Washington, DC's Dulles airport in November.

Fulham said that the "objects" would be over Moscow and London again in early January of this year. Here's video footage from the 16th from Moscow. And just a couple of days ago something was flying over Jerusalem.

Looks like a trend to me.

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You can subscribe to The Arlington Institute's FUTUREdition newsletter, which keeps track of global trends, at: www.arlingtoninstitute.org