Monday, May 14, 2018

Shaken Out Of Comfort: The Transit of Uranus in Taurus


Uranus, the planet of great awakenings and change moved out of Aries to Taurus on May 15, 2018, where it will remain until 2026.

While you might not think of Uranus that much (unless you're making a dirty, astrological joke), this is actually the start of momentous shifts to come. Uranus in Taurus will be guiding your life for the next seven years.

Whenever a slow moving planet like Uranus moves signs, it creates a ripple effect that is felt throughout the entire cosmos, and brings a new energy for all of us to explore.

Uranus is known as "The Great Awakener," because he provides us with situations that help shake us into awareness and realize the truths and lies that we're living. 

Generally speaking, the population is disconnected in a serious way. Uranus will challenge the false ideas of who you are, and free you from them. So, this chapter could be a new beginning for some people as they start to see their true nature, purpose, and place in the greater scheme of things.

Uranus is the planet that rules over innovation, technological advances and humanitarian achievements through the process of disruption and disassembly. The sign associated with Uranus is Aquarius, which rules over the 11th house of global consciousness. This is the human element that breaks apart old paradigms and forces growth in collective thinking, all with awareness and action. 

It is the planetary tipping point. Uranus brings revolutions which ultimately better human conditions and they need to be born from chaos. Chaos naturally inspires Order. With this transit affecting the global masses, a sobering reflection on the condition our lives will be hard to ignore. 

Uranus represents that which drives global radical action through the individual to become authorities over our own lives. It is the voice of the people, rules over humanitarian activities and challenges oppression no matter the cost.

Planet Uranus helps you break the rules, resist conformity, focus on alternative way of living, and rebel against society’s expectations. Uranus is brave and is not afraid to explore the unknown in search for a more fulfilling existence.

However, Uranus is in its “fall” (which means that his power is challenged) in Taurus since the energies are an awkward mismatch. Uranus focuses on the future while Taurus clings to the past.

To understand how this transit is going to effect you personally, think about what was happening for you around May 2010 and then again around March 2011. It was around this time that Uranus entered Aries, and now as Uranus is preparing to leave this sign, you are likely to feel a sense of completion to whatever was occurring.

While in Aries, Uranus would have been challenging you to step into a leadership position. You may have made some bold choices around this time, or there may have been significant life changes that shifted the path you were traveling on.

Uranus in Aries was all about making changes so you could step into your power and into the driver’s seat of your life. Perhaps reflect on this and see where you have stepped up in your life and where you have found more courage.

Celebrate yourself for how far you have come, and celebrate the changes that have occurred in your life so far. Try to see them with a positive mindset and just how they have shaped the person you are today.

While Uranus is all about change, growth, and awakening, Taurus is all about consistency, security, and stability. Uranus longs for change, whereas Taurus longs for things to stay the same.

These two energies are not exactly the perfect match, so there may be a push-pull feeling, and you may find it difficult to make or accept certain changes.

The ways that you seek stability and comfort are also going to be up for review under this energy. You may also find that what you once thought was secure and stable is no longer.

In fact, under this energy you may have to rework and reassess what makes you feel secure and stable. You may also have to let go and release attachments to things that once brought you comfort.

So many of us have been conditioned to receive our security and feelings of stability from material goods such as having a house, a job, money and so on. While these things do provide us with security, perhaps we are being called to dig a little deeper and learn to cultivate these feelings from within, regardless of our circumstances.

In a way, Uranus in Taurus is about letting go of your security blanket and learning to step out into the world with a little more freedom and a little more risk.

In some way, we are all going to be required to make a leap forward and to practice trusting ourselves a little more.

The ground beneath us may be shaking or unstable, or there may not be the security we once felt, but this is how we grow, this is how we learn, and this is how we discover who we really are.


On a global level, Uranus is going to create waves for the tech industry, medical research, and in all things relating to beauty and wellness. 

Taurus’ astrological rulership includes money, work, material objects, security, farming, and the food supply. All of these areas will be radically revamped as we grapple with this new cosmic conundrum.

It's in these highly Taurean areas of life, matters of material value and the natural world, that Uranus will work its magic.

Uranus in Taurus is going to be challenging all of us to pay attention to how we are treating Mother Earth. We are going to be encouraged to really think about environmental issues, and how we can protect the planet.

Some astrologists predict that Earth may rebel more than usual with a few natural disasters possible.

During the seven years of Uranus in Taurus there will be more talk and directed action in topics such as sustainability, local farming, renewable and free energies, organic agriculture, and the eco-friendly revolution that will spread into all areas of life.

More people will prioritize living healthy lifestyles. Taurus will ask you to honestly point out areas in your health that can be improved and to properly address them. You may go through a diet change or win over longtime food addictions.

Startling exposés on genetic modifications using embryos to create human and animal hybrids may horrify the world. The vast majority of world-wide scientific research in this field is keep tightly under wraps from the public. However, Uranus just loves to rip the veil of secrecy off things. The mixing of species with the animal and vegetable kingdoms may also start to have some drastic consequences for our health and the birth of incurable diseases.

Spas and massage businesses should flourish, though they will change dramatically by incorporating new cutting-edge healing modes. 

Money is Taurus' main area of expertise and because Uranus likes to break the rules, our long struggling and outdated monetary systems may go through severe shifts. 

Expect some of the biggest banking houses and financial concerns to crumble from Uranus’s lightning bolt zaps. Enormous fortunes will be lost, but new ones arise from the ashes. 

We can expect some very revolutionary ways of handling and dealing with money, both nationwide and worldwide. Many predict that digital money or cryptocurrencies will win over banks or at least start playing a bigger role in society.

Of course, this has an economic downside, as unskilled human labor will be replaced by robots and algorithms.

Novel ways to earn a living and to invest money will sprout up. Being an entrepreneur and starting up your own company will become fashionable. People will take greater risks to gain their financial independence. 

Profit- driven Taurus can help us monetize our creations in interesting new ways.

Making purchases via the internet will be the norm as opposed to physically shopping in stores.

Interestingly, the last time Uranus visited Taurus brought the invention of the first ATM machine and the physical shopping cart!


Tuesday, May 8, 2018

IKEA asks kids to bully a plant in bizarre social experiment


There's an old saying, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all," and now IKEA are seeking to bring that into 2018 by teaching kids to be nicer to each other… and to plants.

In a bizarre experiment, the Swedish homewares chain asked school students in the United Arab Emirates to bully one of their plants, while complimenting another.

"Plants have feelings, just like people," the company wrote alongside a YouTube video of the project.

"So, what happens when you feed one plant with compliments and another with negative remarks?" they asked.

The company claims that the social experiment was used "to raise awareness on the effects of bullying," and used the hashtag #SayNoToBullying in their media.

Running over the course of a month, the experiment concluded that the plant receiving insults failed to thrive, unlike the plant getting positive attention from students.


Naturally, the video has attracted a lot of criticism online, with many questioning the legitimacy of the astounding outcome, claiming that it was a deceptive, thinly-veiled ad for IKEA.

"There is no way this is sound science. I want this repeated with more plants. This is a hoax," wrote a YouTube commenter.

"Scam ad that's obviously been rigged by the ad agency," said another, adding: "This whole 'experiment' is based on non-existent science. Kudos for doing something for a good cause but this is entirely fake. "

Another viewer wanted to know, "What languages do the plants speak? "

Many argued that because plants lack a nervous system, they do not feel physical or emotional pain like animals and humans do.

Others weren't as sceptical, however, and congratulated IKEA on their positive project, even sharing their own experiences with plant-talk.

"It's true that if you talk to your plants and even sing to them, they grow better and are healthier.  I know so coz I have done the same experiment on my own plants. The deterioration of a 'bullied' plant is the same as that of one that's attacked by pests," said a YouTuber.

"Great work IKEA UAE! Here's to more companies using their influence in positive ways! " responded another.

Another suggested that the "haters" should read the 1973 book The Secret Life of Plants, which proposed the idea that plants do react to sound, claiming that plants respond positively to classical music.

Hence, it could be said that while the insults would obviously not be understood linguistically, it's possible that their verbal delivery could have altered the plant in some way.

"Although they may seem passive, plants have their own complex sensory systems too, designed to respond to dangers or other changes in their environment," Alana Schetzer of the University of Melbourne wrote in an online paper.

"Plants may not have eyes, ears or a tongue, but their skin can perform many of the same functions," she continued, adding that plants have an awareness of their surroundings, and "can respond accordingly."

The "plants can hear us" theory was also tested in an episode of The Discovery Channel's Mythbusters.

A team of sceptics divided 60 pea plants into three greenhouses and left them to grow with identical sun exposure, soil and water.

For the duration of the 60-day project, two of the greenhouses were played recorded soundtracks, one of loving praise and one of cruel insults, while the third remained silent.

At the end of the experiment, it was determined by comparing plant masses from the three groups that there was no difference in plant quality between the nice greenhouse and the mean greenhouse.

In fact, both recorded yielding greater biomass and bigger pods than the third, silent greenhouse.

If the Mythbusters' theory is correct, talking to plants, no matter what you say, is beneficial.


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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Vitamin B6 may help people better recall their dreams, new research suggests


Vitamin B6, which is found in tuna, bananas and chickpeas, may help people better recall their dreams. Taking a strong dose of such supplements for just five days improves people's abilities to remember their dreams by 64 per cent, a study found.

Although unclear exactly why this occurs, one theory is vitamin B6 helps to convert an amino acid to a chemical messenger that influences emotion and sleep. 

Study author Dr Denholm Aspy, from the University of Adelaide, said: 'The average person spends around six years of their lives dreaming.

'It may be possible to use lucid dreaming for overcoming nightmares, treating phobias, creative problem solving, refining motor skills and even helping with rehabilitation from physical trauma.

'In order to have lucid dreams it is very important to first be able to recall dreams on a regular basis.'

Lucid dreaming occurs when people know they are dreaming while asleep. 

'I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream!' 

One study participant said: 'It seems as time went on my dreams were clearer and clearer and easier to remember. 

'I also did not lose fragments as the day went on.'

Another added: 'My dreams were more real, I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream!' 

Results further suggest vitamin B6 supplements do not affect dream vividness, bizareness or colour, as well as having no impact on people's sleep in general.

Dr Aspy adds further research is required to determine if dietary vitamin B6 has the same effects as supplements'.

How does vitamin B6 lead to clearer dreams? 

Additional theories include that vitamin B6 leads to higher levels of chemical messenger that suppress the REM stage of sleep. REM is characterised by rapid-eye movements, faster heart rates and more dreaming.

This suppression may then cause a rebound effect that results in more intense dreams in the last few hours of sleep.

Some also believe vitamin B6 disrupts sleep and causes people to awaken more in the night.

This may allow more opportunities for dreams to be transferred from short to long-term memories.

How the research was carried out    

The researchers analysed 100 people aged between 18 and 40 from across Australia.

At the beginning of the study, the participants claimed to rarely remember their dreams. 

They took 240mg of vitamin B6 before bed for five consecutive days; this is the equivalent of 558 bananas.

The sweet fruit contains around 0.43mg of vitamin B6. Seventy-five grams of tuna and a three-quarter cup of chickpeas both contain 0.84mg.

The findings were published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills. 

What is Vitamin B6? and what foods contain it? 

Vitamin B6, which is also known as pyridoxine, allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.

It is also involved in the formation of blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. Food sources include:
  • Tuna
  • Bananas
  • Potatoes 
  • Pork
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Whole grain cereals, such as brown rice
  • Eggs
Men need around 1.4mg a day and women approximately 1.2mg. People should be able to get all of the vitamin B6 they require from their diets. People should not take more than 10mg a day unless advised by their doctor.

Source: NHS Choices 

Less than eight hours sleep is linked to anxiety and depression 

This comes after research released last January suggested having less than eight hours sleep is linked to anxiety and depression.

Insomniacs are less able to overcome negative thoughts than those who get sufficient shut eye, a study found.

Being unable to nod off also reduces people's ability to disengage from negative emotions, the research adds.

Study author Professor Meredith Coles, from Binghamton University, said: 'We found that people in this study have some tendencies to have thoughts get stuck in their heads, and their elevated negative thinking makes it difficult for them to disengage with the negative stimuli that we exposed them to.

'We realized over time that this might be important - this repetitive negative thinking is relevant to several different disorders like anxiety, depression and many other things.' 



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