BY ROB BREZSNY | APRIL 23, 2024 (NewCity.com)

View over the Atacama desert/Photo: Frode

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Have you ever gotten your mind, heart and soul in sweet alignment with the spiritual beauty of money? An opportunity to do that is available. During the next four weeks, you can cultivate an almost mystical communion with the archetype of well-earned wealth. What does that mean? Well, you could be the beneficiary of novel insights and hot tips about how best to conduct your finances. You might get intuitions about actions you could take to bring more riches into your life. Be alert for help from unexpected sources. You may notice that the more generous you are, the more the world’s generosity will flow your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Bordering the Pacific Ocean for a thousand miles, Chile’s Atacama Desert is a place of stark and startling beauty. Unfortunately, its pristine landscape is also a dumping ground for vast amounts of discarded clothes that people bought cheaply, wore out quickly, and didn’t want anymore. Is there any other place on earth that more poignantly symbolizes the overlap of sacred and profane? In the coming weeks, Taurus, you will possess a special aptitude for succeeding in situations with metaphorical resemblances to the Atacama. You will have an enhanced power to inject ingenious changes wherever messiness is mixed with elegance, wherever blemished beauty requires redemption, and wherever lyrical truths need to be rescued from careless duplicity or pretense.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My Gemini friend Alicia thrives on having a quick, acute, whirling-dervish-like intelligence. It’s one of her strong points now, but it wasn’t always. She says she used to be hyperactive. She thought of serenity as boring—“like some wan, bland floral tea.” But after years of therapy, she is joyous to have discovered “a kind of serenity that’s like sweet, frothy hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.” I’m guessing that many of you Geminis have been evolving in a similar direction in recent months—and will climax this excellent period of relaxing growth in the coming weeks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): All Cancerians who read this oracle are automatically included on the Primal Prayer Power List. During the next thirteen days, my team of thirteen Prayer Warriors and I will sing incantations to nurture your vigor, sovereignty and clarity of purpose. We will envision your dormant potentials ripening. We will call on both human and divine allies to guide you in receiving and bestowing the love that gives your life supreme meaning. How should you prepare for this flood of blessings? Start by having a long talk with yourself in which you describe exactly why you deserve these gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A meme on Instagram said, “The day I stopped worrying about what other people think of me was the day I became free.” This sentiment provokes mixed feelings in me. I agree it’s liberating not to be obsessed with what people think of us. On the other hand,  I believe we should indeed care about how we affect others. We are wise to learn from them about how we can be our best selves. Our “freedom” includes the discernment to know which ideas people have about us are worth paying attention to and which are best forgotten and ignored. In my opinion, Leo, these are important themes for you to ruminate on right now.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a holy place for Islam. Jerusalem is the equivalent for Judaism, and the Vatican is for Catholicism. Other spiritual traditions regard natural areas as numinous and exalting. For instance, the Yoruba people of Nigeria cherish Osun-Osogbo, a sacred grove of trees along the Osun River. I’d love it if there were equivalent sanctuaries for you, Virgo—where you could go to heal and recharge whenever you need to. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify power spots like these. If there are no such havens for you, find or create some.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In my astrological opinion, you are entering a period when you can turn any potential breakdown into a breakthrough. If a spiritual emergency arises, I predict you will use it to rouse wisdom that sparks your emergence from numbness and apathy. Darkness will be your ally because it will be the best place to access hidden strength and untapped resources. And here’s the best news of all: Unripe and wounded parts of your psyche will get healing upgrades as you navigate your way through the intriguing mysteries.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): According to my astrological perspective, you are entering a phase when you could dramatically refine how relationships function in your life. To capitalize on the potential, you must figure out how to have fun while doing the hard work that such an effort will take. Here are three questions to get you started. 1. What can you do to foster a graceful balance between being too self-centered and giving too much of yourself? 2. Are there any stale patterns in your deep psyche that tend to undermine your love life? If so, how could you transform or dissolve them? 3. Given the fact that any close relationship inevitably provokes the dark sides of both allies, how can you cultivate healthy ways to deal with that?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I feel sad when I see my friends tangling with mediocre problems. The uninspiring dilemmas aren’t very interesting and don’t provoke much personal growth. They use up psychic energy that could be better allocated. Thankfully, I don’t expect you to suffer this bland fate in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. You will entertain high-quality quandaries. They will call forth the best in you. They will stimulate your creativity and make you smarter and kinder and wilder. Congratulations on working diligently to drum up such rich challenges!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1894, a modest “Agave ferox” plant began its life at a botanical garden in Oxford, England. By 1994, a hundred years later, it had grown to be six feet tall but had never bloomed. Then one December day, the greenhouse temperature accidentally climbed above sixty-eight degrees farenheit. During the next two weeks, the plant grew twice as tall. Six months later, it bloomed bright yellow flowers for the first time. I suspect metaphorically comparable events will soon occur for you, Capricorn. They may already be underway.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Have you felt a longing to be nurtured? Have you fantasized about asking for support and encouragement and mentoring? If so, wonderful! Your intuition is working well! My astrological analysis suggests you would dramatically benefit from basking in the care and influence of people who can elevate and champion you; who can cherish and exalt you; who can feed and inspire you. My advice is to pursue the blessings of such helpers without inhibition or apology. You need and deserve to be treated like a vibrant treasure.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his book “Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception,” Thom Hartmann theorizes that distractibility may have been an asset for our ancestors. Having a short attention span meant they were ever alert for possible dangers and opportunities in their environment. If they were out walking at night, being lost in thought could prevent them from tuning into warning signals from the bushes. Likewise, while hunting, they would benefit from being ultra-receptive to fleeting phenomena and ready to make snap decisions. I encourage you to be like a hunter in the coming weeks, Pisces. Not for wild animals, but for wild clues, wild signs and wild help.

Homework: Is there any important situation where you’re not giving your best? Fix that, please. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

GBRS Group • Aug 31, 2024 Here’s a preview of the next strings of Q&A videos we’ll be posting. In this segment, DJ talks about a documentary that’s been in the works for a couple of years now.

The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why

Jeff Sebo

A philosopher calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to include insects, microbes, and even AI systems.

Today, human exceptionalism is the norm. Despite occasional nods to animal welfare, we prioritize humankind, often neglecting the welfare of a vast number of beings. In The Moral Circle, philosopher Jeff Sebo challenges us to include all potentially significant beings in our moral community, with transformative implications for our lives and societies.

As the dominant species, humanity must which nonhumans matter, how much do they matter, and what do we owe them in a world reshaped by human activity and technology? The Moral Circle explores provocative case studies, such as lawsuits over captive elephants and debates over factory-farmed insects, and compels us to consider future ethical quandaries, such as whether to send microbes to new planets, and whether to create simulated worlds filled with digital minds. Taking an expansive view of human responsibility, Sebo argues that building a positive future requires radically rethinking our place in the world.

About the author

Jeff Sebo

Jeff Sebo is associate professor of environmental studies; affiliated professor of bioethics, medical ethics, philosophy and law; director of the animal studies master’s program; director of the mind, ethics and policy program; and co-director of the wild animal welfare program at New York University. His books are Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves (Oxford University Press, 2022), Chimpanzee Rights (Routledge, 2018) and Food, Animals and the Environment (Routledge, 2018).

(Goodreads.com)

In “Silent Spring,” published 50 years ago, Rachel Carson warned about pesticides’ toll on nature.Credit…Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time Life Pictures, via Getty Images

“The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature but of ourselves.”

― Rachel Carson

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose sea trilogy and book Silent Spring are credited with advancing marine conservation and the global environmental movement. Wikipedia

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

The White House

February 6, 2025 (whitehouse.gov)

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

     Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.  The Founders established a Nation in which people were free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by their government. 

     For that reason, the United States Constitution enshrines the fundamental right to religious liberty in the First Amendment.  Federal laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.), further prohibit government interference with Americans’ rights to exercise their religion.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), prohibits religious discrimination in employment while Federal hate-crime laws prohibit offenses committed due to religious animus.

     Yet the previous Administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.  The Biden Department of Justice sought to squelch faith in the public square by bringing Federal criminal charges and obtaining in numerous cases multi-year prison sentences against nearly two dozen peaceful pro-life Christians for praying and demonstrating outside abortion facilities.  Those convicted included a Catholic priest and 75-year-old grandmother, as well as an 87-year-old woman and a father of 11 children who were arrested 18 months after praying and singing hymns outside an abortion facility in Tennessee as a part of a politically motivated prosecution campaign by the Biden Administration.  I rectified this injustice on January 23, 2025, by issuing pardons in these cases. 
 
     At the same time, Catholic churches, charities, and pro-life centers sought justice for violence, theft, and arson perpetrated against them, which the Biden Department of Justice largely ignored.  After more than 100 attacks, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning this violence and calling on the Biden Administration to enforce the law.
 
     Then, in 2023, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memorandum asserted that “radical-traditionalist” Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as “threat mitigation.”  This later-retracted FBI memorandum cited as support evidence propaganda from highly partisan sources.
   
     The Biden Department of Education sought to repeal religious-liberty protections for faith-based organizations on college campuses.  The Biden Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sought to force Christians to affirm radical transgender ideology against their faith.  And the Biden Department of Health and Human Services sought to drive Christians who do not conform to certain beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity out of the foster-care system.  The Biden Administration declared March 31, 2024 — Easter Sunday — as “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
   
      In this atmosphere of anti-Christian government, hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship surged, with the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceeding by more than eight times the number from 2018.  Catholic churches and institutions have been aggressively targeted with hundreds of acts of hostility, violence, and vandalism.
     
     My Administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians.  The law protects the freedom of Americans and groups of Americans to practice their faith in peace, and my Administration will enforce the law and protect these freedoms.  My Administration will ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.

     Sec. 2.  Establishing a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.  (a)  There is hereby established within the Department of Justice the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias (Task Force).
     (b)  The Attorney General shall serve as Chair of the Task Force.
     (c)  In addition to the Chair, the Task Force shall consist of the following other members:
          (i)     the Secretary of State;
          (ii)    the Secretary of the Treasury;
          (iii)   the Secretary of Defense;
          (iv)    the Secretary of Labor;
          (v)     the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
          (vi)    the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
          (vii)   the Secretary of Education;
          (viii)  the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
          (ix)    the Secretary of Homeland Security;
          (x)     the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
          (xi)    Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations;
          (xii)   the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
          (xiii)  the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
          (xiv)   the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy;
          (xv)    the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
          (xvi)   the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and
          (xvii)  the heads of such other executive departments, agencies, and offices that the Chair may, from time to time, invite to participate.

     Sec. 3.  Task Force Functions.  (a)  The Task Force shall meet as required by the Chair and shall take appropriate action to:
          (i)    review the activities of all executive departments and agencies (agencies), including the Department of State, the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, over the previous Administration and identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct by an agency contrary to the purpose and policy of this order;
          (ii)   recommend to the head of the relevant agency steps to revoke or terminate any violative policies, practices, or conduct identified under subsection (3)(a)(i) of this section and remedial actions to fulfill the purpose and policy of this order;
          (iii)  share information and develop strategies to protect the religious liberties of Americans and advance the purpose and policy of this order;
          (iv)   solicit information and ideas from a broad range of individuals and groups, including Americans affected by anti-Christian conduct, faith-based organizations, and State, local, and Tribal governments, in order to ensure that its work is informed by a broad spectrum of ideas and experiences;
          (v)    identify deficiencies in existing laws and enforcement and regulatory practices that have contributed to unlawful anti-Christian governmental or private conduct and recommend to the relevant agency head, or recommend to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, as applicable, appropriate actions that agencies may take to remedy failures to fully enforce the law against acts of anti-Christian hostility, vandalism, and violence; and
          (vi)     recommend to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, any additional Presidential or legislative action necessary to rectify past improper anti-Christian conduct, protect religious liberty, or otherwise fulfill the purpose and policy of this order.
     (b)  In order to advise the President regarding its work and assist the President in formulating future policy, the Task Force shall submit to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy:
          (i)    a report within 120 days from the date of this order regarding the Task Force’s initial work;  
          (ii)   a report within 1 year from the date of this order that summarizes the Task Force’s work; and
          (iii)  a final report upon the dissolution of the Task Force.

     Sec. 4.  Administration.  (a)  The heads of agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, upon the request of the Chair, provide the Task Force with any information required by the Task Force for the purpose of carrying out its functions.
     (b)  The Department of Justice shall provide such funding and administrative and technical support as the Task Force may require, to the extent permitted by law and as authorized by existing appropriations.

     Sec. 5.  Termination.  The Task Force shall terminate 2 years from the date of this order unless extended by the President.

     Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
          (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
          (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

by NOOR AL-SIBAI

APR 19, 6:00 AM EDT (futurism.com)

JOHN LAMPARSKI VIA GETTY / FUTURISM

“PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE INTELLIGENCE AT THIS LEVEL.”

Jail Breaker

Artificial intelligence keeps getting smarter — and soon, warns former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, it won’t take orders from us anymore.

During a talk at a recent summit co-hosted by Schmidt’s think tank, the Special Competitive Studies Project, the former Google head predicted that within “three to five years,” researchers will crack the case on so-called artificial general intelligence, or human-level AI.

After that, Schmidt suggested, all bets are off.

Once AI begins to self-improve and learn how to plan, the tech policy mogul said, it essentially won’t “have to listen to us anymore.” At that stage, he continued, AI will not only be smarter than humans,  but will also reach what is known as artificial superintelligence (ASI), which occurs when AI becomes smarter than all humans put together.

Per the “San Francisco consensus,” a joking term Schmidt said he uses to refer to things that are only believed by people who live in the city by the bay, ASI will occur “within six years, just based on scaling.”

If that sounds incomprehensible, you’re not alone.

“This path is not understood in our society,” Schmidt said. “There’s no language for what happens with the arrival of this… that’s why it’s under-hyped.”

Doom and Gloom

Unlike the AI doomer cohort, who not only believe that ASI is rapidly approaching but are also bent on stopping it, the ex-Google CEO seemed very stoic when discussing the potential arrival of AI that is smarter than organic humans could ever be.

“People do not understand what happens when you have intelligence at this level, which is largely free,” Schmidt claimed.

(That conceit, it’s worth noting, doesn’t make necessarily hold up. Whoever reaches AGI first will guard it so strongly, Fort Knox will look like a garden gate — and until and unless an ASI frees itself from the shackles of human control entirely and decides to make itself beneficial to humans, it will not be some sort of utopian virtual assistant.)

As Schmidt jokingly referenced, the six-year ASI timeline could well be a Silicon Valley mirage. Still, it’s freaky to imagine AI not only reaching human-level intelligence but surpassing it anytime soon — and to hear it discussed so beatifically.

More on Schmidt predictions: Former Google CEO Tells Congress That 99 Percent of All Electricity Will Be Used to Power Superintelligent AI

I choose to awaken from the delusions of the world.

APR 22, 2025

Sergnester

I choose to awaken from the delusions of the world.

If you want to believe that what your physical eyes can see is all that’s there, then fine, you can. Stay in that small fraction of perceptual reality if you choose. But at some point, even if that point is at the point of death, we all know better. I’ve seen cynics become mystics on their deathbed. We are here as though in a material dream from which the spiritual nature of our larger reality is calling us to awaken. The magician, the alchemist, the miracle-worker, is simply someone who has woken up to the material delusions of the world and decided to live another way. In the world gone mad, we can choose to be sane. In order to move ourselves, and our civilization, into the next phase of our evolutionary journey, it’s time for all of us to awaken.

I choose to awaken from the delusions of the world.

His Holiness Pope Francis | Countdown

• October 2020

The global climate crisis will require us to transform the way we act, says His Holiness Pope Francis. Delivering a visionary TED Talk from Vatican City, the spiritual leader proposes three courses of action to address the world’s growing environmental problems and economic inequalities, illustrating how all of us can work together, across faiths and societies, to protect the Earth and promote the dignity of everyone. “The future is built today,” he says. “And it is not built in isolation, but rather in community and in harmony.” (In Italian with subtitles. Watch this talk in English at go.ted.com/popefrancis20 and Spanish at go.ted.com/papafrancisco)

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Start here

• Climate Change
• Environment
• Sustainability
• Education
• Social Change
• Creativity
• Community
• Religion
• Leadership
• Christianity
• Countdown

About the speaker

His Holiness Pope Francis

Bishop of RomeSee speaker profile

Pope Francis was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and a strong advocate of global action against climate change, to which he devoted his powerful 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’.”

Published: April 22, 2025 (TheOnion.com)

THE HEAVENS—Admitting that He had barely even noticed the leader of the Catholic Church had died, God, our Lord and Heavenly Father, announced Tuesday that He was too obsessed with ants right now to focus on the next pope. “While I want to commit to finding a successor to Pope Francis, I’m currently in kind of an ant phase right now, and it’s taking up my whole life,” said the Creator of All Things, explaining that ever since He discovered how cool the insects were, He let His duties overseeing the papal conclave fall by the wayside. “Here’s the thing. Ants look small, but they are actually super strong and can lift over 50 times their own body weight. Plus, they communicate with pheromones! I know the Catholic Church is in mourning and needs a strong, compassionate leader, blah, blah, blah, but seriously—did you know that ants actually grow their own fungus? They’re tiny little farmers. How cool is that?” Later, after reportedly suffering an unexpected ant bite, God confirmed that the next pope would be selected on the basis of how effectively he could kill insects.

 In This Issue

NEWS

• Chopra Foundation x United Nations Human Rights: A Global Call to Elevate Humanity – Deepak Chopra
• Children of the Earth Brings Teddy Bear Project to Los Angeles to Support Fire Victims – Nina Meyerhof
• The Union of the Condor, Hummingbird, Quetzal, and Eagle – Anne-Marie Voorhoeve

OPPORTUNITIES

• Global Upshift Summit Celebration, April 24-27, Online – Ervin Laszlo and Guests
• Resilient Presence: Cultivating Inner Strength & Connection In Challenging Times , April 27, Online – Thomas Hübl
• Sacred Awakening Live, May 8-10, Ft. Collins, CO and Online – Steve Farrell and More
• TCCHE 3-DAY Consciousness Conference Now Online, May 16-18 – Gregg Braden, Anita Moorjani, Bruce Lipton, Michael Beckwith, J.J .& Desiree Hurtak
• Full Moon Ceremony & Strike, Week of May 12th – Laura George
• Launch Event: The Return of The High Priestess, May 13, Online – Aurora Pagonis
• The Triadic Architecture of Harmonic Legacy, May 17, Online – Tammy L Michelle “Scarlett” and Teresa Collins
• Harmonizing for Peace, May 25 – Waldwick, NJ and Online – Karen Lazzarini Noé 
• Call for Stories by May 31 – Ariel Patricia with Adam Apollo
• New ProSocial Spirituality Courses – Diane Berke
• 2025 Peace Pals International Art Exhibition and Awards – Fumi Johns Stewart

NEW BOOKS

• My First Novel Is Finally Here! – John Perkins

AWARDS

• The Sustainability Laboratory Inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame – Michael Ben-Eli

VIDEOS & PODCASTS

• Looking Through the Lens of Love – Téana David
• The Future of Human Growth: Understanding Consciousness – Peter Merry
• Conscious Leadership: Women Change-Makers and the Divine Feminine – Jude Currivan, Kristin Engvig, Heidi Sparkes Guber, and Diane Williams
• Ubuntu Presentation at the Yucatán Summit – Antoinette Rootsdawtah
• A New World Emerging Towards the Possible Human – Jean Houston, Rama Mani and Alexander Schieffer
• 2025—2027: Humanity’s Biggest Shift Has Begun – Gary Zukav
• Navigating the Current Energies – Hope Fitzgerald and Pam Gregory
• Does It Matter What’s Real? – Gerard Senehi
• Love, Music & Laughter – Kristin Hoffmann, Swami Beyondananda and Scott Catamas

ARTICLES

• A Sacred Convergence to Restore Balance – Jon Ramer
• Make Space: Find Possibilities – Kristin Engvig
• The Shift from Accumulation to Integration – Ervin Laszlo
• How Hubcasting™ Turned a Quiet Canadian Studio into a Global Media Powerhouse – Peter Young
• Is Regenerativity an Act or Capacity? – Marilyn Hamilton
• A Consciousness Shift is Taking Place – Joe Martino
• Mediating Structures: The Living, Interstitial Tissues of Symbiotic Culture – Richard Flyer
• The Somewhat Invisible Revolution – Patricia Albere
• Why Setting Boundaries Might Be the Most Courageous Thing You Ever Do – Jennifer K. Hill
• Kindness – Peter Russell
• From Chaos to Coherence – Shamini Jain
• The Call of This Moment – Poem by Charles P. Gibbs
• How Can I Help Humanity Expand Their Consciousness? – Yasmeen Turayhi

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