Wild Cub Scouts Nature Walk

My wife & I have involved our son in Cub Scout activities because we all love the outdoors & want him to truly appreciate nature. I recently went with him on a group hike through Rancocas Woods, NJ.

 We saw some pretty wild sights, even for a nature walk through the woods. It was a valuable set of lessons for the kids (& adults) on the marvels of the natural world.

 The first thing we encountered was a giant mushroom near a road at a break in the trail:

 Then we came across a turtle that one of the moms pointed out. As I got closer, I observed, "Um.. there actually two turtles here!" We told the kids that the turtles were "snuggling."

Finally, one of my son's friends kept saying that we were gonna see a snake... & we sure did! The snake was wrapped around a small rodent and devouring it. It was hard to tell exactly what was going on, but the kids knew it was eating something. You can see the little paw at the base of the rodent's tail.

 So yeah, it was an action-packed trip, in addition to the usual shenanigans that result from a bunch of children walking through the woods. Here is a more scenic pic I took at a break in the trail overlooking a lake:

  

  

Hidden Mantis

Amongst the plant growth surrounding my backyard, the movement of this praying mantis caught my eye. Otherwise, it would have been hidden against the greenery of the plant leaves it was crawling on.

 

 

The Vibrational Nature of Physical Reality

I saw this image posted by r/raminnazer & thought it was a pretty cool representation of the truth that everything, as Nikola Tesla famously said, is essentially energy & vibrational patterns- "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."

 I like that this design uses the sacred geometry pattern know as The Flower of Life in the illustration. I'm intrigued by Nassim Haramein's theories about this symmetry of organization at the quantum and Planck scales. It just makes my mind melt away trying to imagine & intuitively understand it. The idea of "everything being energy" might sound New-Ageish, but it's just the way things are. Meditation, art, and even science can all be methods to uncover this insight.

The Galaxy's Eye

"The Galaxy's Eye"
Stable Diffusion/Paul Micarelli 

A brief journey into Eternity...

 

The Stoned Ape Theory

 

I came across this image titled "The Stoned Ape Theory" by Jim Figora, & thought it was pretty awesome.

 It's a great visual of the Stoned Ape idea, popularized by one of my favorite minds & voices, Terence McKenna. Regardless of how accurate his specific theory is, there is no denying that mind-altering substances had a role to play in the development of humanity & culture, as abundantly evident in the archaeological record.

The painting also conveys the future- of both the individual mind & the species as a whole. At the end of this life, the mental & spiritual essence of a person unfolds back into the infinite energy matrix (represented by The Flower of Life symbol), but the entire human race is on a path to continue connecting with, and perhaps traveling to, the larger Universe.

The Growth Stages of an AT-AT

 

I’ve been wanting to take this photo ever since I noticed that my son has Star Wars AT-AT walker toys of all different sizes. 

I passed down the big vintage toy & Micro Machines to him, and he received the white Micro Galaxy Squadron toy for Christmas.

Having snow on the ground gave me the perfect backdrop for showing the AT-AT growth cycle. They’re so cute when they’re little… until they become full-grown war machines!

Here's the link to my r/starwars post 

My last post here was me & my son's Ultimate Star Wars Hoth Setup. Since it snowed, he wanted to take his Hoth toys outside. Once he got his setup together, I took some pics. They did look pretty cool in the snow!

 

 

 

 

 

A Moment of Serenity

 A Moment of Serenity

 A metaphor for parenthood (...& life, in general).

 

Video by Paul M. Micarelli 
Starring Paul G. Micarelli

 

Playground Mushrooms

Nature Photography

by Paul Micarelli 

I was at the park with my kids, and saw these mushrooms popping up through the mulch. 

Recently I was listening to an epsisode of the Psychedelic Salon with Paul Stamets, and the information about the biology and environmental chemistry of fungi was amazing. The mushroom is just fruiting part of the fungus that produces the spores. The underground mycelia is a huge part of the organism that we don't even usually see. There are all kinds of complex signals and activity going on in the soil, spurred by the fungi's subterranean bionet.

Trump Takes a Trip with the Mushroom Tip

So, I decided to convey the unthinkable... Donald Trump tripping on magic mushrooms. 

It seems more likely that the Moon would spontaneously turn into a giant mass of Swiss cheese before Trump would willingly partake in any psychedelic substance. However, I've predicted such completely ridiculous things as the Trump Bible™ & even the Trump Presidency™ itself, so there's a non-zero chance that I'm now spawning this into reality.

Anyway, let's take a hypothetical journey through Donnie's dome, as he experiences the mind-altering magic of the sacred shroom, & confronts all of his inner insanity...

God-Tier Narcissist

 

TRUMP: God-Tier Narcissist
by The Monkey Buddha

This past December, I posted 2024 Election (& American Democracy?) Post-Mortem and I mentioned how Trump "has become basically a God-tier malignant narcissist, demanding the attention of every human consciousness on the planet."

I started thinking it would be funny to portray Trump as a malevolent cosmic deity, so I made the above image. TRUMP has achieved his final form! As his absurdly inflated sense of self-importance transcends time & space, his chaos energy lights the world aflame.

It really is a phenomenon to behold - an ego so out of control that it envelopes the entire worldwide social collective. Trump is the pure manifestation of greed, a hungry ghost with the insatiable need for more... money, power, admiration, and worldly status. This is bad enough when it's the President of the United States we're talking about, but when you combine his bottomless narcissism with the fact that he's an idiotic ASSHOLE, it results in the absolute shit-show that is currently unfolding.

The craziest thing to me about Trump having any influence at all is that he's always been a total doofus. Especially now that he's a demented old man who just rambles on & bitches & whines, what's the appeal? He is just cluelessly doing the bidding of anti-democratic forces, and clearly has no clue what he is talking about whenever pressed for more than his usual, "Best ever" or "Nobody's seen anything like it" bullshit. Why do so many people act like this guy is respectable, when he is truly irredeemable?

His incomprehensible, god-like powers of personal aggrandizement admittedly leave me in awe... a dreadful, horrified awe. At the end of the day, though, he is still just a man who will pass into dust like the rest of us. However, it is difficult to look at this ultimate 'alpha male' & not be left in awe of his god-tier existence.

1st Spring Bloom

 

I'm so glad Spring is coming & nature is coming alive again!

I've been explaining to my 4 yr. old son the concept of the seasons, and trying to instill the wonder of the rhythms of nature.

The daffodils outside my house are the first flowers to bloom, and their distinctive yellow blossoms instantly brighten up the world.

Macro Photos of "Kyber" Crystals

 

Recently my son received a crystal-growing kit as a gift. It turned out to be a fun science experiment, and we pretended that they were the fictional "kyber crystals" that power a Jedi/Sith lightsaber in Star Wars.

The fractal nature of the crystals is very interesting, and using macro photography I was able to show the self-similar features at smaller scales.

 

I also found a cool little display case to keep on his desk, so he can look at them with his magnifying glass:

Experience "Actual Reality"!

One of the reasons why the human race seems to be sliding deeper into a collective psychosis is because our individual minds have been hijacked by digital technology. Our devices and media have been designed to trigger all the addictive tendencies in our brains, and the result is an agitation on some level when this sensory input is removed. We feel the urge to open our phone back up, or go back to scrolling whatever feed had demanded our attention.

I am as big a fan of digital technology as anyone, but I also recognize the dangers & downfalls of its use. My remedy is to make sure that I devote time to putting the phone aside, and being present in whatever I am doing or experiencing at the moment. I've had the benefit of practicing mindfulness for many years through Zen meditation, yoga, and even my artwork. So, I am quite comfortable with just being, without the need for external distraction. Despite my desire to check my email or social media feeds, I'm able to put it aside and be sure to "stop & smell the roses". However, for people without that ability for a level of introspection or awareness, it can be so easy to just get continually sucked into the constant, never-ending stream of info & entertainment that's now at our fingertips.

This is why this video is so on point, reminding us that we have to utilize & appreciate our original sensory inputs, with the infinite universe of "Actual Reality" around us to experience:

Poconos 2024

 Micarelli Family Nature Photo
Paul, Neonna, Paulie, Loretta

This summer, we had our annual family vacation in the Poconos, Pa. We have been going there to one lake house or another for many, many years. As a kid, it was my parents, my brothers, sister, & me going on vacation asva family. As we got older, spouses & kids have also joined in the week of vacation relaxation. My son Paulie has been there once before, and this was my 1 yr. old daughter Neonna's first big trip. 

It's a whole new dimension now, going on family trips as a dad. It is such an amazing and utterly exhausting experience. Despite Loretta & I never feeling like we are able to truly relax & unwind, it is still a lot of fun. It's great to see my kids playing with their cousins, and everyone still enjoying time together. This year was special because Neonna had just begun to walk! She was taking a few steps in the week before we left, & she really starting getting around while up in the mountains. My son also first started walking during a week in the Poconos, so I was joking that "it must be the high altitude!"

Anyway, we spend a few days hanging out by the lake, boating, swimming, and sitting by campfires. We took Paulie & Neonna's first real hike, seen above. It's nice to be in nature and forget about responsibilities (besides the kids) for a bit. I'm glad we are exposing my kids to the beauty of the natural world & giving them that appreciation. Here's the photo album from the trip, & I'll post some below:

Micarelli Pocono Vacation 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Clematis Vine Flowering Cycle

My wife & I have a trellis in front of a cinder block wall shed, and several years ago I began trying to get clematis vines to grow on it.

We also planted a rose bush, so now it is a colorful Spring display of pinks & purples. 

Nature Photography
by Paul Micarelli

 

I love just looking at the infinite details of these beautiful plants. It's a wonderful feeling to take a deep breath, be present, & truly smell the roses.

 

This year I took some photos of the clematis flowers at different stages of blossoming. 

 It is kind of freaky about halfway through- the flower resembles a strange alien creature as it opens...

 

 

Springtime Bees

 One of the awesome signs of Spring is the bees buzzing around the flowering plants & collecting pollen. 

 We have a lot of plants & flowers at our house, so there are bees everywhere. Here are some pics I took of honeybees & bumblebees getting that sweet, sweet pollen.

Everything You Need to Know About the Brain

(click to enlarge)

 

These simple, easy-to-follow charts are fun, comprehensive visual guides to the complex physical, biological structure of the brain, as well as the resulting emergent phenomena that we internally experience as sensory input and mental activity.

The functioning & processes of the brain are utterly fascinating to my brain.

I saw these infographics on r/197, but upon downloading the hi-res images & looking closely among the dense layers of information (conveyed through increasingly smaller text sizes), I was able to find the source:

http://thehighestofthemountains.com/

So, the website is very passionate about the details & facts of science, but scientific understanding is used as a means to prove the divine engineering of God, whatever that is. 

I personally feel that deeply understanding scientific ideas and discoveries should absolutely lead to a revelatory insight into the mystical nature of this endlessly intricate reality. However, I feel like biblical justifications and personifications of the deity "God the Architect/Engineer" miss the fundamental nature of existence completely. 

It's interesting that levels of genius that can create such insanely detailed displays of scientific & technical information can still look at a spiritual work such as the Bible as something that scientific endeavors exist to somehow qualify. To be fair, I have read through the site and think there's a lot of valid moral & spiritual wisdom to go along with the scientific details. I just think that the personification of God in any aspect doesn't jive with the reality of the situation- which is that Source, The-All-In-One, The Universe, Infinite Energies of Creation, Quantum Field, God, Unity just IS- there is NO motivation, purpose, nor plan behind the Universe in any sense as we humans know it... and that is the breathtaking truth that can be truly terrifying to most people. 

 There is clearly a wholly incomprehensible hierarchical pattern of fractal & holographic organization that underlies our world. My issue is with giving this Infinity attributes of our human psyche.

 "Nature is not human-hearted."
-Lao-Tzu

Speaking of incomprehensible, the first chart was just a warm-up... here is the second graphic showing the mind-bogglingly numerous pathways and processes in the brain. My brain apologizes to your brain in advance, for exposing it to this visual labyrinth of information about itself:

(click to enlarge)