beinArt Surreal Art Collective

beinArt.org is an awesome online gallery of some of the work from contemporary surrealist artists. There is a ton of work on here, and it is all wonderfully surreal. There are some artists I'm familiar with, like the great Alex Grey, Mark Ryden, and my long-time favorite H.R. Giger, the designer of 'Aliens'.

BEINART SURREAL ART COLLECTIVE

Lucid Dreaming

I remember dreams pretty regularly, and most of of my dreams are generally realistic settings & situations. There have been several times, though, where I have experienced a very convincing ability to fly. I still remember the dream where I first did it very clearly... even though it was years ago.

I was at my parent's house and there was extended family there. An uncle of mine who was a Jeopardy! champ in real life instructed me on how to rise and control myself in the air. I remember feeling like I was learning to ride a bicycle again. Finally, I began to hover and circle the main rooms of the house before going outside and circling the entire house. It was exciting, but not scary - just like taking off for the first time on 2 wheels. I met the treeline and flew high enough to see the immediate area.

There have been times since where I've dreamed of reaching the upper atmosphere and having clouds below me. The realism of the experience is mind-blowing, but familiar at the same time. The times I remember flying in my dreams, I have always been aware of the dream state and understood it to be what the waking experience is also - a production of the mind.

Damn Interesting.com: 'Silent Lucidity'
Damn Interesting article with links

Sol Invictus, The Invincible Sun

Now that the weather here in Dirty Jersey is finally starting to brighten up, that immense nuclear maelstrom in the sky has been on my mind.

Illustration by Martin Kornmesser

I watch the HD digital cable channels over my parents house & the programming is awesome. Tonight I was watching a Sunrise Earth special about the Sun and its affect on man's livelihood & mythology. Right after that I put on the Digging For the Truth episode about Macchu Picchu, the Peruvian royal estate and temple complex of the Sun-revering Inca.

Deus Sol Invictus, "The Invincible Divine Sun" is the source of the elements that create our world, and the sustainer of life that has thrived within it. It's awesome and incomprehensibe nature inspired the ancient precursors to modern religious existence. The Sun is both creator and destroyer, defying such ultimately meaningless labels. The damage a major solar flare or storm could cause to communications, navigation, and possibly all electromagnetic technology is a humbling thought, to say the least. It would make what I'm writing now and trillions of human creative and productive efforts completely useless. I wouldn't recommend trying to feed human hearts to the Sun God, Ahau-kin, so I guess all we can do is keep our fingers crossed...

NOAA: "11-Year Solar Storm Cycle Will Start in March"

Mystery of the Maya Astronomy


The graphic below is my sun tattoo that I designed in college. This was before I really began to try learning about the mythologies of the world and the astro-religious worldviews of ancient cultures. I'm fortunate to have chosen a tattoo that I appreciate more as time goes on. Looking at it now, I never noticed how much the Chinese symbol resembles a face! Since it's on my chest, I usually see it upside-down.

Silicon Simulations

The most powerful use of computers is as a tool to enhance the human imagination, whether it be imagining artistic or scientific concepts. These silicon extensions of the brain are allowing us to visualize processes and ideas that are impossible to understand otherwise.

This is a video that briefly describes some of the many uses for the processing & visualization power of computers.

Seed Magazine: "Science in Silico"

One of the projects featured is the Millenium Simulation, which I discussed in a post about the fractal nature of reality: Universal Mind.