Jenius

And I am wondering why the letter G sometimes sounds like the letter J. We have G and we have J. So why don’t all the J words start with j, like gem, or gymnasium. The G in gymnasium comes from the Greek letter gamma. You may be familiar with the first 4 or 5 letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon. We usually think of these as corresponding to our own. (Our own? We use the Roman alphabet and Arabic numerals.) But gamma, does not correspond to C. Gamma is a chamelian-like letter which sometimes sounds something like our g, but a little softer. Sometimes it sounds more like the y in yellow. So I guess it is similar to our g, in that the letter following it determines the sound.

Gem comes from Latin I bet.

Note: the letter which corresponds to our c is kappa, and when the Greeks want to hear the same sound as the initial sound in gallop, gorgeous or gill, they put the gamma and kappa together. For example, to spell my name in Greek the first 2 letters are gamma kappa, then the equivalent of l-o-r-i-a.

The British are responsible for the way that we convert Greek letters to Roman. So they are responsible for the PH sounding like F. So we use 2 letters, ph, to denote what they have one letter for, and we have one letter, g for the sound they use 2 letters for, gamma kappa.

And while we are at it, what do we need K for? Why can’t C do the job. Well, I guess it’s because we want to have C sometimes sound like s as in citizen.

So let’s just make all j’s start with J, all k’s start with K and all s start with S?
Kan’t we do that? Don’t be supersillious! Are you some kind of jenius?

Deep Uncertainty

OK. If you want to embrace the wisdom of uncertainty, you will enjoy reading (or listening) to Escape the Prison of the Intellect, A Journey from Here to Here, by Deepak Chopra. And Deepak really outdoes himself in this one, with regard to depth. I like puns and I can appreciate the zen wisdom of saying everything equals its opposite. But it is a bit disorienting! This “skin-encapsulated ego,” (person) is very confused. Fortunately, the journey from here to here takes only about an hour. After decimating the concepts of time and space, he goes on to explain that we are just tiny beings, like the whos in whoville, living on an electron revolving around the sun or nucleus. Wow, where did that come from? Am I reading too much Suess or too much Chopra??!

I read a book about Zen once, well a few pages, anyway. It said that there was reading going on, but no reader. The author said I didn’t exist. I was insulted and discontinued reading.

But I enjoy stuff like this. It makes you think, something which is very unpopular today. But how do you explain in words that words have no meaning?

Up is down and down is up and right and left are the same, or else they don’t exist at all. Being everywhere and nowhere is actually the same according to Deepak and he can prove it!

I’ve always thought that each atom looked like a tiny solar system, so maybe our solar system is just an atom in some huge molecule in some Gargantuan chunk of matter, which is of course made up of space and energy. Maybe we are just a bit of data in some huge datastream. I think “bit” is still the smallest unit of data inside a computer. When I was in college, a “bit” was a binary digit. And there were 2 bits in a byte. Somehow I think I have bitten off more than I can chew. Just a bit!

Happy Easter!

Why is Easter so early this year?
Why does the date for Easter change every year?
And tell me why Greek Orthodox Easter is April 27, 5 weeks away?!

Rev. Bob said that the lunar calendar is used and the first Sunday after the first full moon of Spring is determined to be Easter. So Spring was March 20 and the full moon March 21 and Easter March 23.

I wonder why there are still other calendars in use? I thought we had perfected it and this is the best and most accurate one. Still every thousand years or so we'll be off by 10 minutes...

And someone please tell me when the eggs became plastic? I remember Easter Egg Hunts with pastel-colored hard-boiled eggs...

Creativity

Where does inspiration come from?
You first have to gain knowledge and experience in a field, so you can recognize a good idea when you encounter one. Mozart said, “when I am alone, as in riding in a carriage, that is when inspiration comes. Whence it comes I know not nor can I force it.” So one of the most creative people of all time says he must be relaxed, and that creativity cannot be forced. This is true according to the research I did a few years ago for my presentation, creative hypnosis. I found a list of things that can stimulate creativity, but not force it.
First, Walking. Walking is good for you, especially outside in the fresh air. News Flash: Fresh air is good for your brain! Walking on the beach is best, but an unpaved path will do. According to the Chinese, walking on uneven terrain balances the yin and yang energies of the body. So walking can stimulate creativity by getting oxygen to the blood, circulating your blood, balancing your energy, and hey, you never know what you may trip over or encounter along the way.
They say listening to Bach is good, but I’m sure Mozart would do.
Watch a sunset. Read a book. [Avoid Television. Television does not evoke creativity.] These methods are all stress reducers. Stress is the enemy of creativity. So you have to learn healthy ways to relax, and reduce stress.

And who are the stress reduction experts? Hypnotherapists or hypnotists, of course!

If you experience a creative block and cannot overcome it on your own by any of the previously mentioned methods, consult with your favorite hypnotist. If you need to find a hypnotist, contact the National Guild of Hypnotists, the largest organization of hypnotists in the world, with hypnotists in 65 countries. You’re right, we should change the name to The International Guild of Hypnotists.

Improving relations

Someone asked me yesterday, how hypnosis can help relationships.

I have had several clients who wanted to improve a relationship with a spouse, mother, adult child or other relative (especially an in-law). Hypnosis is useful in this area, because first of all it relieves stress. Stress can make people impatient and irritable. After one hypnosis session, clients always tell me they feel sooo relaxed! Now back to relationships. I cannot change your mother-in-law or spouse. We can work together to change your expectations and reaction to that person, increase patience and tolerance, facilitate forgiveness, and become more assertive and confident. If you can remain calm and patient while dealing with your spouse or relative, you can interrupt the pattern of behavior that you both have fallen into, and make room for a better relationship!

And this is also how hypnosis works to improve your business skills or get a promotion! Reduce stress, increase assertiveness and confidence. I’ve worked with people who wanted to improve their sales ability so they could earn more.

Also with regard to work, I’ve had a few clients who wanted to eliminate fear of public speaking, because presentations were required to perform the job and get promoted. Hypnosis is great for this. Fear of public speaking is the number one fear in the US!

Next time: Increasing creativity or eliminating a block.

Healthy Habits

I’m listening to Andrew Weil on CD, Healthy Aging, Your Guide to Optimum Physical and Spiritual Well-being. As a doctor he is very interested in scientific evidence for all the myths and theories he has investigated regarding aging. He does not believe there is any way to reverse aging while continuing to live. However, there are some things he advocates to optimize your health and live better as you age.

He says that the factors most highly correlated to long life are: physical activity and community involvement (social connectedness). I assert that the mind is the biggest factor, so it makes sense to keep it healthy by physical activity and social interaction. It’s also helpful to look at aging in a positive way and viewing the benefits, not just the disadvantages. There are many things that are considered more valuable as they get older, like antique furniture, cheese, wine and whiskey. We live in a throw-away society now, but in the past, old things were considered better, because they were broken in already and had lasted long enough to prove their superiority over other instruments. Yes, violins are considered more valuable when aged properly. And I have seen carpenters who prefer an old trusted tool to one of the new-fangled electric ones. Shoes are more comfortable when broken in, too. I’m sure I could think of more examples. Any ideas?

Some of the advantages according to Weil are increased smoothness, complexity and depth. As with wine, whiskey and cheese, undesirable qualities are reduced, as taste and texture are enhanced. And don’t forget the old trees. He makes pilgrimages to unheard-of places just to stand in their presence. And he feels a strong presence as he thinks of all the wonders and disasters the tree has survived.

In order to keep your mind in optimum condition, Weil recommends that you continue to learn new things and he thinks the kind of learning that most effectively keeps your brain in condition are learning a new language or learning a new computer operating system. He also thinks it would be advantageous for older people to do these things in order to maintain that social connectedness.

He advocates a healthy diet, full of fruits and vegetables and recommends certain supplements which are not easy to get even in the most rigorous diet.

Hypnosis helps you develop and maintain salubrious habits, like taking vitamins and supplements on a daily basis. See www.shopbgb.com/gloriaEH for a great multi-vitamin, mineral and antoxidant formula which is cheap, easy, and convenient!

Resplendent Sunrise

No one should have this good a time on the way to work! I was listening to some songs by Cat Stevens on a CD that I borrowed from the library, then I glanced left towards the golf course. What did I behold? An astonishingly beautiful panorama. Lavender clouds were scattered around a blue-gray sky and a pink sun was just peeking over one of them. The sun turned coral as it progressed upward and emerged from the cloud as the sky lightened, and I saw palm trees silhouetted in the early light.

I'm finding it difficult to capture the magnificence in mere words!

Reckless Youth vs. Venerable Wisdom

Settle down. From Father and Son by the former Cat Stevens, Yusef Ibrahim. I know I have to go. These are the 2 voices in my head. The father, who says wait, slow down. There’s no hurry. It’s not time to make a change and the other voice, much stronger, From the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen!

There’s a way and I know that I have to go, away. I know, I have to go.

Yet it is a very sad song. I know I have to go. It’s a compulsion. A need. It’s inevitable and something is going to happen even if I resist. I have to change. I have to move forward. Life goes on. There is only one direction. We have to grow up, even if we don’t want to.

I can’t go back now. If I retreat, I’ll regret it. Yet moving forward is filled with grief and remorse for what I leave behind. I leave behind my youth. I leave behind ignorance.

It’s like going away to college. You want to go! You are so excited about the experiences ahead! And so sad about leaving home. You know it will never be the same again. You will go home of course, but it will never be the same, you will never be the same. Like getting married. Or having a child. Or starting a new job. You never know how things will turn out.