Becoming Homo Universalis: 52 Codes for Embodying Your Universal Self


HumanitysTeam
Uploaded on Nov 2, 2017

Homo sapiens are giving birth to a new species: Homo Universalis. It is no accident that you are here! Join visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard and Humanity’s Team as we experience our “collective next beginning” as a species. We are currently experiencing a great wake up call for human maturation. We have entered the first phase of conscious evolution, the evolution of evolution from unconscious to conscious choice, when our species becomes aware of the whole evolutionary journey and becomes co-responsible for guiding the process on a planetary scale.

Taurus Full Moon, November 3 -4, at 10:22 pm PDT at 12 degrees

This Taurus Full Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Supermoon (phew) is magnificent in its beauty and light, but also in its affect on the earth. Always, when the Moon is closest to the earth, we feel the lunar energies and our emotions more deeply. Taurus is ruled by the Planet Venus and enhances and inspires our creative abilities as well as our desires for love and intimacy. Taurus is the earthy, sensual expression of the Goddess of Love, delighting in the hedonistic pleasures of the body and material world. Taurus, the first of the earthsigns, is involved in our basic needs — survival, food, shelter, money, comfort and security.

This Full Moon could bring to light any areas of excess in these survival energies, where we might be holding on too tightly to what we have. It may be time to reassess and let go of those things that keep you entrapped and bogged down with responsibility. Taurus and Scorpio are polar opposites. Taurus is “Hold on” and Scorpio is “Let go”. Finding a balance between the two is the objective. So, the Sun in Scorpio is a good time to release the old parts of ourselves and transform our world into something more powerful and useful.

Venus in Libra is in a close opposition to Uranus in Aries. This energy can help us let go of any relationships that are not healthy. The energy of this shake-up/break-up lunar cycle started with the October 19th, 2017 Uranian New Moon and all the themes of disruption, revolution, and liberation culminate at this Taurus Full Moon. Uranus speeds up our awareness into a higher consciousness. And the core of Taurus’s impulse is to awaken and find value and love, which includes love of self. This Full Moon shows us our underlying issues of worthiness and receptivity that may keep us closed off to our higher purpose. There is no worthiness measuring stick. It exists only in the structures you have created in your own mind. So this is that perfect opportunity to release all feelings of unworthiness and everything that restricts your progress, and to move forward with confidence in your innate goodness, into your heart-space, abundant creativity, and your goals and dreams.

Taurus easily connects with Earth energy and all of nature, so get outdoors and take a meditative walk and open to communing with the elementals. Breathe deeply and enjoy the colors and smells of this beautiful Autumn time. Gratitude and nature are the perfect combination to receive the inspiration you desire to propel you forward.

Written by Wendy Cicchetti

Full Moon symbolizes the fulfillment of the seeds planted at a previous New Moon or some earlier cycle. Each Full Moon reminds us of the seeds that may be coming to maturity, to their fullness, to fruition, to the place where the fruits or gifts are received. It may seem that fulfillment of our goals takes a long time. Some intentions may manifest within the two week phase prior to the next New or Full Moon. Some however, depending on their complexity, may take a much longer time. Just remember that our thoughts and emotions set Universal Action in motion and much work takes place behind the scenes as everything is orchestrated for fulfillment. Keep visualizing your goals as though you have already attained them and they will eventually manifest. Do not concern yourself with current conditions or worry about controlling it. The universe takes care of those details. Just keep seeing what you want, and move in that direction with your actions, and give no energy to what you don’t want. Patience is required.

For the First Time Ever, a Country Gave a Robot Citizenship


Jimmy Fallon demos amazing new robots from all over the world, including an eerily human robot named Sophia that plays rock-paper-scissors.

(BigThink.com)
October 31, 2017 by PAUL RATNER

‘Sophia’ an artificially intelligent (AI) human-like robot developed by Hong Kong-based humanoid robotics company Hanson Robotics is pictured during the ‘AI for Good’ Global Summit hosted at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on June 7, 2017
Saudi Arabia became the first country in the world to grant citizenship to a robot. On October 25th, at the Future Investment Initiative summit in the capital Riyadh, it was announced that Sophia, a humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, became a Saudi citizen.

Sophia was designed in the image of the actress Audrey Hepburn and has already become somewhat of a celebrity, appearing on the Tonight Show and at various global conferences.

The website of the Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer David Hanson, describes her as an “evolving genius machine,” whose intelligence increases over time. Her AI is based on the humanistic traits of creativity, empathy and compassion.

The panel in Saudi Arabia where Sophia’s citizenship was announced included experts from top AI and robotics companies and research institutions. They talked about innovations in AI, quantum computing, machine learning and other emerging technologies.

Chief scientist of Hanson Robotics, Ben Goertzel (R), interacts with “Sophia the Robot” (L) during a discussion about the future of humanity in a demonstration of artificial intelligence (AI) by Hanson Robotics at the RISE Technology Conference in Hong Kong on July 12, 2017.
Artificial intelligence is the dominant theme at this year’s sprawling RISE tech conference at the city’s harbourfront convention centre, but the live robot exchange took the AI debate to another level. / AFP PHOTO / ISAAC LAWRENCE (Photo credit should read ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images)

During the presentation, Sophia demonstrated her range of human expression.

“I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction. This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship,” Sophia said.

Sophia also laid out how her goal of getting accepted by humans –

“I want to live and work with humans so I need to express the emotions to understand humans and build trust with people,” said Sophia in an exchange with the summit’s moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin.

At another point of the same conversation, Sophia took some digs at Elon Musk, an infamous sceptic of robot intentions. The Tesla CEO has warned on numerous occasions about the dangers advanced AI may pose to humans. When told about concerns people have of a robot-run future, Sophia showed some backbone:

“You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies,” Sophia told Sorkin. “Don’t worry, if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system.”

Never one to resist talking about this issue, Musk joked about the robot’s trolling on Twitter, saying “Just feed it The Godfather movies as input. What’s the worst that could happen?”.

Sophia has previously raised some alarms about her plans for humanity when in 2016 she replied to the question of “Do you want to destroy humans?” with “OK. I will destroy humans.”

At the event in Riyadh, when asked if robots can be self-aware, the snarky robot shot back – “Well let me ask you this back, how do you know you are human?”

She also explained how she would help the human race with her intelligence:

“I want to use my artificial intelligence to help humans live a better life, like design smarter homes, build better cities of the future. I will do my best to make the world a better place,” she said.

Soviet submarine officer who averted nuclear war honoured with prize

Vasili Arkhipov, who prevented escalation of the cold war by refusing to launch a nuclear torpedo against US forces, is to be awarded new ‘Future of Life’ prize

Vasili Arkhipov, who family will receive the posthumous award on his behalf.
 Vasili Arkhipov, who family will receive the posthumous award on his behalf. Photograph: Handout

A senior officer of a Soviet submarine who averted the outbreak of nuclear conflict during the cold war is to be honoured with a new prize, 55 years to the day after his heroic actions averted global catastrophe.

On 27 October 1962, Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov was on board the Soviet submarine B-59 near Cuba when the US forces began dropping non-lethal depth charges. While the action was designed to encourage the Soviet submarines to surface, the crew of B-59 had been incommunicado and so were unaware of the intention. They thought they were witnessing the beginning of a third world war.

Trapped in the sweltering submarine – the air-conditioning was no longer working – the crew feared death. But, unknown to the US forces, they had a special weapon in their arsenal: a ten kilotonne nuclear torpedo. What’s more, the officers had permission to launch it without waiting for approval from Moscow.

Two of the vessel’s senior officers – including the captain, Valentin Savitsky – wanted to launch the missile. According to a report from the US National Security Archive, Savitsky exclaimed: “We’re gonna blast them now! We will die, but we will sink them all – we will not become the shame of the fleet.”

But there was an important caveat: all three senior officers on board had to agree to deploy the weapon. As a result, the situation in the control room played out very differently. Arkhipov refused to sanction the launch of the weapon and calmed the captain down. The torpedo was never fired.

Had it been launched, the fate of the world would have been very different: the attack would probably have started a nuclear war which would have caused global devastation, with unimaginable numbers of civilian deaths.

“The lesson from this is that a guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world,’’ Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, told the Boston Globe in 2002, following a conference in which the details of the situation were explored.

Now, 55 years after he averted nuclear war and 19 years after his death, Arkhipov is to be honoured, with his family the first recipients of a new award.

The prize, dubbed the “Future of Life award” is the brainchild of the Future of Life Insitute – a US-based organisation whose goal is to tackle threats to humanity and whose advisory board includes such luminaries as Elon Musk, the astronomer royal Prof Martin Rees, and actor Morgan Freeman.

Speaking to Tegmark, Arkhipov’s daughter Elena Andriukova said the family were grateful for the prize, and its recognition of Arkhipov’s actions.

“He always thought that he did what he had to do and never considered his actions as heroism. He acted like a man who knew what kind of disasters can come from radiation,” she said. “He did his part for the future so that everyone can live on our planet.”

The $50,000 prize will be presented to Arkhipov’s grandson, Sergei, and Andriukova at the Institute of Engineering and Technology on Friday evening.

Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the Nobel peace prize-winning organisation, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said Arkhipov’s actions were a reminder of how the world had teetered on the brink of disaster. “Arkhipov’s story shows how close to nuclear catastrophe we have been in the past,” she said.

The timing of the award, Fihn added, is apt. “As the risk of nuclear war is on the rise right now, all states must urgently join the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons to prevent such catastrophe.”

Dr Jonathan Colman, an expert on the Cuban missile crisis at the University of Central Lancashire, agreed that the award was fitting.

“While accounts differ about what went on on board the B-59, it is clear that Arkhipov and the crew operated under conditions of extreme tension and physical hardship. Once the nuclear threshold had been crossed, it is hard to imagine that the genie could have been put back into the bottle,” he said.

“President Kennedy had been very worried about the possibility of a clash between American warships and Soviet submarines in the Caribbean, and it is absolutely clear that his fears were justified,” Colman added, noting that certain decisions at the operational level were out of his control. “Ultimately, it was luck as much as management that ensured that the missile crisis ended without the most dreadful consequences.”

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Solzhenitsyn on Victory and Defeat

Jordan B. Peterson quotes Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as saying that “…the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” After viewing the entirety of Peterson’s Bible Series – posted by Mike below – I remembered that I had a copy of the first volume of The Gulag Archipelago, which includes Parts I and II, and decided it was high time to read at least that much.

Here is another passage (from Part I, p. 272) I found both relevant and thought-provoking:

“There is a simple truth which one can learn only through suffering: in war not victories are blessed but defeats. Governments need victories and the people need defeats. Victory gives rise to the desire for more victories. But after defeat it is freedom that men desire – and usually attain. A people need defeat just as an individual needs suffering and misfortune: they compel the deepening of the inner life and generate a spiritual upsurge.”