Here (or by clicking picture above) is a current report of the project of digitizing the Aquarius Moon/Napa AP materials. I recently compiled the inventory and will be updating this report as I go along.

I hope this whets your appetite.... The old timers have often also talked about assembing "vintage Steve" so that we can also see how he has changed, wouldn't that be cool?

Suggestions are welcome!
Love,

ALBERT HOFMANN, FATHER OF LSD, DIES IN SWITZERLAND AT 102
Associated Press

GENEVA - Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of the mind-altering drug LSD has died. He was 102.

Hofmann died Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at his home in Burg im Leimental, said Doris Stuker, a municipal clerk in the village near Basel where Hofmann moved following his retirement in 1971.

Hofmann's hallucinogen inspired - and arguably corrupted - millions in the 1960s hippie generation. For decades after LSD was banned in the late 1960s, Hofmann defended his invention.

"I produced the substance as a medicine... It's not my fault if people abused it," he once said.

The Swiss chemist first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide-25 on November 16, 1938 while studying the medicinal uses of a fungus found on wheat and other grains at the Sandoz pharmaceuticals firm in Basel.

Five years later, on April 16, 1943, he became the first human guinea pig of the drug when a tiny amount of the substance seeped onto his finger during a repeat of the laboratory experiment.

"I had to leave work for home because I was suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of unease and mild dizziness," he subsequently wrote in a memo to company bosses.

Hofmann sat down and began experiencing what he called "wonderful visions."

"What I was thinking appeared in colors and in pictures," he told Swiss television network SF DRS for a program marking his 100th birthday two years ago. "It lasted for a couple of hours and then it disappeared."

Three days later, Hofmann experimented with a larger dose. The result was a horror trip.

"Everything I saw was distorted as in a warped mirror," he wrote, describing his bicycle ride home. "I had the impression I was rooted to the spot. But my assistant told me we were actually going very fast."

"The substance which I wanted to experiment with took over me. I was filled with an overwhelming fear that I would go crazy. I was transported to a different world, a different time," he wrote.

Limited edition signed blotter, click to enlarge

Hofmann and his scientific colleagues hoped that LSD would make an important contribution to psychiatric research. The drug exaggerated inner problems and conflicts and thus it was hoped that it might be used to recognize and treat mental illness like schizophrenia.

For a time, Sandoz sold LSD 25 under the name Delysid, encouraging doctors to try it themselves. It was one of the strongest drugs in medicine - with just one gram enough to drug an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people for 12 hours.

Hofmann discovered the drug had a similar chemical structure to psychedelic mushrooms and herbs used in religious ceremonies by Mexican Indians.

LSD was elevated to international fame in the late 1950s and 1960s thanks to Harvard professor Timothy Leary who embraced the drug under the slogan "turn on, tune in, drop out." The film star Cary Grant and numerous rock musicians extolled its virtues in achieving true self-discovery and enlightenment.

Timothy Leary

But away from the psychedelic trips and flower children, horror stories emerged about people going on murder sprees or jumping out of windows while hallucinating. Heavy users suffered permanent psychological damage.

The U.S. government banned LSD in 1966 and other countries followed suit. Hofmann maintained this was unfair, arguing that the drug was not addictive. He repeatedly called for the ban to be lifted to allow LSD to be used in medical research.

Peter Oehen, a psychiatrist in the Swiss town of Biberist, says substances such as LSD and MDMA (also known as ecstasy) can produce results where conventional psychotherapies fail.

"They help overcome the wall of denial that some patients build up," said Oehen, who met Hofmann and has studied his work.

Hofmann welcomed a decision by Swiss authorities last December to allow LSD to be used in a psychotherapy research project.

"For me, this is a very big wish come true. I always wanted to see LSD get its proper place in medicine," he told Swiss TV at the time.

Hofmann himself took the drug - purportedly on an occasional basis and out of scientific interest - for several decades.

"LSD can help open your eyes," he once said. "But there are other ways - meditation, dance, music, fasting."

Even so, the self-described "father" of LSD readily agreed that the drug was dangerous if in the wrong hands. This was reflected by the title of his 1979 book: LSD: My Problem Child.

In it he wrote that, "The history of LSD to date amply demonstrates the catastrophic consequences that can ensue when its profound effect is misjudged and the substance is mistaken for a pleasure drug."

Ruby slippers blotter, click to enlarge

Hofmann retired from Sandoz in 1971. He devoted his time to travel, writing and lectures - which often reflected his growing interest with philosophy and religious questions.

Dieter A. Hagenbach, a friend of 40 years, told The Associated Press that he last spoke to Hofmann on Saturday.

"He was in good spirits and enjoying the springtime," Hagenbach said, adding that Hofmann continued to go for walks in the small picturesque village where he lived in the Swiss Jura mountains, a stone's throw from the French border.

Hofmann's last public appearance was at a Basel ceremony honoring him on his 100th birthday.

"This is really a high point in my advanced age," Hofmann said. "You could say it is a consciousness-raising experience without LSD."

Hofmann is survived by a son and daughter. He was pre-deceased by his wife Anita and two of their four children.

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This is so beautiful, and if you watch a few times, you can sense the sacred relationship between 12 and 13. Love you all!

Who, by Gypsy Soul...
I also think this is a great Virgo song.

I bought this little FlipVideo camera before Thanksgiving, it's the coolest thing, I love it. It takes up to an hour of digital video and is super easy to use.

I am now learning how to convert the video files to Flash so that they can run on my websites. And I got over a hump today, yay! Below is what I filmed on New Years Eve in Pacific Grove. The abundance of the scene was mesmerizing.

The FlipVideo does record audio, but in the scene above it was mainly wind. So now I need to learn to learn the next step of video editing to put a music track onto the files.

I hope you enjoy what you see, and stay tuned for more!

Hi -- This message from Joyce:

---

Our bi-annual Northern California Steven Forrest Apprenticeship Program (AP) is taking place once again at Mountain Home Ranch in Calistoga, California.

The dates are March 7-11, 2008. It is a residential retreat program beginning on Friday evening with dinner served at 7 pm. The retreat ends Tuesday at 5pm (no dinner is served).

The cost of the retreat for a shared room, including three excellent meals per day, lodging, and Steven's incredible teachings, is $775. There are also private rooms available (these are more expensive). Please contact Barbara directly if interested.

The topic is "The Grand Synthesis: The Psychological Interpretation of the Birthchart" Those of you who join us will have the chance to throw your name into the "sorting hat" and have your chart used by Steven as an example in class. (Retreat Prerequisite: Please read "The Changing Sky" by Steven Forrest and "The Inner Sky.")

To reserve your space, a deposit of $150 is required. Please send your checks or money order made out to Open Heart Astrology to
Barbara King, P. O. Box 15081, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. She also accepts
PayPal payments (with a surcharge).

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Barbara via email or phone 707-889-0460. You can also contact Joyce via email or phone 415-441-4776.

This is an incredible, tribal experience, and unique in that it is
residential. There is a feeling of community that carries well beyond the classroom experience, as you have the chance to mingle with other astrologers before and after hours. We have great times and great talks.

Click on each image for a meditation for that day.

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by Paula D'Arcy, Redbird Foundation
from the book: Daybreaks

I think about what it would be like for me to deeply trust the road of my life.

I don't take the long view often enough. Along with everyone else, I can be so easily swept up in the traditions and events of the moment, all of which are heightened at this season leading up to Christmas. House lights are strung earlier each year, and on my own street seasonal displays fill many yards before Thanksgiving. Last year a professional lighting company left a flyer in my door handle offering their services to outline my dark roof. But our traditions, though beautiful, also have the power to distract us from reaching into the heart of the world. Bushmen storytellers speak of our great hunger for meaning. There is something so much greater than the decorations and gaily wrapped gifts, if I'll let myself know it.

The truth is you cannot stay the same, stay busy and overcommitted, and be walking toward that Bethlehem stable in a way that will change you. The manger makes a fierce demand: Will you allow something extraordinary to materialize in your life? Will you take full responsibility for your life? Will you look around you and reach into the world, willing to love more deeply?

I don't want my arms to be so full, my attention so distracted, that I cannot hear that fierce demand. In my better moments, I know the final work of every life is love. All we have is this moment. Right now. The journey to Bethlehem beckons.

For these days of Advent I will slow down, not speed up. I will take more care with people, not less. I will be aware of my own personhood. What am I creating with this life I've been given?

---

Join me in the meditations of Advent, in anticipation of the coming of the Light, and the birth of the Prince of Peace. I will be posting a new meditation daily.

May your blessings be plentiful!



"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
by Gypsy Soul, from their album Sacred.

You all will like this. I especially liked Jung's quote -- he says that ecstatic experience is sought, by humans, as a natural course in our existence -- some more than others obviously. And that contact with the ecstatic is diminished in modern day man's experience. The subsequent 'spirito-cultural' lack (I'm coining a new word here), in our case is producing (among other things):

"....disorders in the brains of politicians and journalists, who unwittingly let loose psychic epidemics on the world..."

Bravo Jung!
I hope you enjoy this.

Jung, Alcoholics Anonymous, And Drug Seeking Behaviour

Cool, huh?

By now, most of you have heard of Masaru Emoto. His work on how attitude and thought affects molecular structure was introduced in the film What The Bleep Do We Know?, and is further detailed in his book Hidden Messages In Water. The film below is a visual tour of his research - beautiful, and straight to the heart.

The following article, called Mindpower, Emotional Addiction, and What The Bleep is also interesting.

The human mind can not only change how things seem, it alone can change how things are. We can even become physically addicted to emotions - to our own detriment. A new documentary film brings science to bear on some spiritual and philosophical mind/body issues.

Mark Vicente is one of the directors of the film What The Bleep Do We Know?. He sees current developments in quantum physics and neurology pushing us very close towards theology, mysticism and ancient texts about oneness.

Our guest gives an example of Buddhist monks who can demonstrably alter the structure of frozen water crystals - using just the mind. This was featured in the book Messages From Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto.

In the example, polluted water was frozen and then photographed. Buddhist monks then focused a particular emotion (love, gratitude, etc.) on the sample. After this, the water crystals were re-photographed and found to be free of impurities.

"How do you teach 21st century people about these ideas when they think they're silly?, asks Mark Vicente rhetorically. "You have to start showing them a science..." is his solution.

Mr. Vicente reckons there are scientific explanations for many of our seemingly illogical perceptions: "We're processing 400 million bits of information per second, and we're only 'aware' of 2000 bits, so there's enormous amounts of information," he explains.

Our filmmaker also explains how we can be innocent victims of our own negative emotions. He talks of neuropeptides released in the brain: "Specific emotions release certain neuropeptides," he says, "...if you're a person who gets angry all the time, you release a certain kind of neuropeptide which then docks with your cells which then produces the chemistry of anger. Now if you keep on doing that, again and again, the cell starts to realise, 'this is my form of nutrition'.

Mark sees this as similar to being addicted to drugs or junk food - you need more and more and end up with a emotional bio-chemical addiction.

There's even a personal anecdote: "My mum wakes up in the morning and she finds something to complain about," volunteers our guest, "...some of us are addicted to victimisation, some are addicted to sorrow... it's almost like you get off on it somehow," says Mark Vicente.

The film director suggests that science is now starting to close in on some of these things that we may have previously considered to be beyond the rational. He suggests that we may be able to slowly break down some of our emotional dependencies and unhelpful behaviour patterns. Unfortunately he doesn't say it'll be easy.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters
compared to what lies within us.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

May you thrive in peace and beauty.

Watch these beautiful women morph into each other.

There was a fascinating article in the New York Times today about how self-talk, in particular the personal narrative of a life story, "creates" our personality. Since astrologers tell stories, and know that by shifting a story even slightly healing can occur, I thought I would share this cool piece. I hope it inspires you!

New York Times, May 22, 2007
THIS IS YOUR LIFE (AND HOW YOU TELL IT)
By Benedict Carey

(click to enlarge)

For more than a century, researchers have been trying to work out the raw ingredients that account for personality, the sweetness and neuroses that make Anna Anna, the sluggishness and sensitivity that make Andrew Andrew. They have largely ignored the first-person explanation — the life story that people themselves tell about who they are, and why.

Stories are stories, after all. The attractive stranger at the airport bar hears one version, the parole officer another, and the P.T.A. board gets something entirely different. Moreover, the tone, the lessons, even the facts in a life story can all shift in the changing light of a person's mood, its major notes turning minor, its depths appearing shallow.

Yet in the past decade or so a handful of psychologists have argued that the quicksilver elements of personal narrative belong in any three-dimensional picture of personality. And a burst of new findings are now helping them make the case. Generous, civic-minded adults from diverse backgrounds tell life stories with very similar and telling features, studies find; so likewise do people who have overcome mental distress through psychotherapy.

Every American may be working on a screenplay, but we are also continually updating a treatment of our own life — and the way in which we visualize each scene not only shapes how we think about ourselves, but how we behave, new studies find. By better understanding how life stories are built, this work suggests, people may be able to alter their own narrative, in small ways and perhaps large ones. (continued....)

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