Jed Shlackman, Contributor
Waking Times

The concept of spiritual energy is as ancient as humanity, with nearly every culture having beliefs and practices related to tapping into a spiritual source for energy and well-being. Spirit refers to the essence of life, the active consciousness that flows throughout all things in the Universe. The Taoists have referred to this prime essence as the Tao, and its expression as the energy of life as qi or chi. Yogis have understood that the energy of life they refer to as prana comes from a spiritual source. Christians engaged in spiritual healing speak of the “holy spirit” and may see the Christ as the conduit or Source of healing power. In Western occult traditions there is the idea of the 5th element or quintessence, the spiritual source from which all the perceived elements of the Universe have arisen. Hollywood producer George Lucas brought these ideas into his epic Star Wars saga as an exploration of the workings of “The Force.”

Nick Parkins, New Dawn
Waking Times

The idea of someone or something controlling our every thought and action is so 1980s. Let’s face it, we live out our modern, technological lives with access to instant communication and information that allows us to enjoy greater control and freedoms of thought and expression than at any point in recorded human history; right?

Each of us draws comfort from the decisions we make, sure in the knowledge that we are individuals, masters of our own destiny. We mock those that aren’t as under the thumb, as easily lead, or weak. Underlying this attitude is the principle that no person or system has the right to influence or determine the free will of another. This may be true, but what if this truth was naive; that even the strong-minded could not trust the direction their thoughts were taking them?

Kingsley L. Dennis, Reality Sandwich Guest
Waking Times

For many of us we have been brought up within a social structure that demands we become a ‘productive member’ of our society; thus much emphasis is placed upon developing individual skills so that we can compete with each other for social betterment. Inherent in this is a residual fear that if we open ourselves too much to others we may lose our ‘competitive edge’ and defined sense of individuality. Much of mainstream media (aka propaganda) has exploited the mythological images, collective stereotypes, and subconscious signifiers that play on our collective vulnerabilities and social fears. Knowledge has more or less trickled down to the average person...

Sharon Kelly, DeSmogBlog
Waking Times

If you want to see the future of the shale industry — what today’s drilling rush will leave behind — come to Bradford, Pennsylvania.

A small city, it was home to one of America’s first energy booms, producing over three quarters of the world’s oil in 1877. A wooden oil rig towering over a local museum commemorates those heady days, marking the first “billion dollar oil field” in the world.

But times have changed dramatically in Bradford. Most of the oil has been pumped out, leaving residents atop an aging oil field that requires complicated upkeep and mounting costs. Since its height in the 1940’s, Bradford’s population has steadily declined, leaving the city now home to only 8,600...

Christina Sarich, Natural Society
Waking Times

There are millions of people in the United States who are still ‘asleep at the wheel’ when it comes to awareness about geo-engineering programs for weather control and chemtrails. While Americas celebrate one of the most important dates for ‘freedom,’ we allow our governments to continue to pollute the planet with chemtrail dumps and aerosol spraying. There is evidence around the world that proves this phenomenon is happening, even if the con-job of the military industrial corporatocracy continues to leave most of us hoodwinked...