The Collective Evolution III: The Shift (Documentary)

The Collective Evolution III is a powerful documentary that explores a revolutionary shift affecting every aspect of our planet. As the shift hits the fan, people are becoming more aware of the control structures that prevent us from experiencing our full potential.

CE3 uses a different level of consciousness and scientific facts to bring clarity about the shift while dispelling myths about our true nature. It offers practical steps that we can implement right now to transition out of survival mode and into our more natural state of peace and co-operation.

CE3 includes fascinating interviews with revolutionary speakers and people who are already opting out of the current socioeconomic system.

The film examines hidden technologies and exciting alternatives for a bright limitless future. This is the most exciting time in the history of our world.

Read More: http://www.knowledgeoftoday.org/2014/03/the-collective-evolution-iii-shift-documentary.html

The Inevitability of Peaceful Revolution

The victory drums, to the tune of Maurice Ravel’s  “Bolero,” are now commencing with the crescendo as this writing goes to press. Everywhere in  our world we are now seeing the awakening of humanity speed up. We are  seeing massive rallies against corruption and rallies for peace spread. We are seeing tyranny, cover-ups and false flags  exposed. And more importantly, we are seeing movements converging that offer solutions to these issues the world faces.

Since the Occupy Wall Street protests in late 2011, the world has seen continued cries for justice, peace and equality. We have seen continued protests against Monsanto over the past several years as well as the hacker group Anonymous’ rallies for justice, transparency and peace. In 2012 it was synchronized anti-austerity protests throughout all of Europe. In 2013, it was in the form of millions taking to the streets in Brazil. Also in 2013, we saw over 8 million flood the streets of Cairo, Egypt as the military supported the people’s birthright to freedom by removing the corrupt regime. In 2014 in Catalonia, Spain we saw Europe’s largest peaceful rally as over 2 million Catalans took to the streets for independence from Spain. 2014 also saw the world’s largest march on climate change as well as Wal-Mart’s biggest strike in history on Black Friday. In early 2015 we then saw over 3 million unify for peace in Paris after an alleged terror attack.

Though the mainstream media desperately tries to continue the facade that all is well among the status quo and banking elite, reality has cracked open the egg of illusion and has spread everywhere it’s seeds of truth, freedom, equality and peace. What we are now living through and witnessing is the sprouting of a new world.

People are rethinking and questioning the way things are done. We are seeing many people’s hearts and minds shifting from programmed thinking and acting due to elitist propaganda into ways of self-direction, freedom and abundance. People’s inner worlds of heart and mind are breaking free and we are seeing this have direct and positive impacts in our outer world. This inner drive for every single one of us to feel and be free in every way is causing the conditioned past to be transcended and is creating a convergence of hearts, minds, projects, ideas and visions now manifesting for the highest good of all.

Fortunately, we are not alone in this endeavor of creating inner and outer freedom.

Something Big and Positive is Happening

Over the past 3 years we here on Earth have been experiencing increased solar activity with an increased number of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) being received by our Earth’s magnetic field. CMEs are explosions of electricity and energy in the form of electrons and protons, according to NASA. This ejected, self-organizing and coherent plasma usually takes between 3-4 days to reach our Earth’s magnetosphere which, if large enough, can create disturbances in radio signals and navigation systems. Interestingly, these CMEs also affect humans down to the level of our DNA.

In 1984-1985, Dr. Peter Gariaev and his team of Russian linguists were studying DNA and the ways light, sound and frequencies interact with DNA. Their research led to many groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting discoveries with one of them showing that DNA is able to absorb and emit light (photons), which spirals along the double helix in sacred geometrical form. They found that DNA has properties of a scalar/torsion field, which is:

“a self-sustaining vortex in the aether/time-space which is innately non-electromagnetic…By spinning, a vortex can excite photons or [pull] virtual photons out of the fabric of space/aether—and static torsion/scalar fields can harness and store light within them. ” 

Literally, DNA creates magnetized wormholes in the time-space fabric. DNA acts as: 

“tunnel connections between entirely different areas in the universe through which information can be transmitted outside of space and time. The DNA attracts these bits of information and passes them on to our consciousness.” 

They found that with the presence of  light (photons), DNA activation and and thus evolution can occur. New neuro-pathways can be created. Our thought patterns can be reshaped to ways that better serve us. We can change how we deal with a situation. We can change who we are. With the presence of photons always amidst us via our Sun, our DNA is constantly pulling in this light and continuing to change and evolve. We can think of a solar flare as a boost of light from our Sun. This extra light equates to a higher upgrade in the evolution of our DNA and thus, who we are.

In fact, pioneering physicist Nassim Haramein’s holofractographic universe theory says that the “fundamental structure and dynamics of space-time are those of the black hole.” In this view, any change to a part, in effect, changes the whole. This is true of any hologram. Every part contains the whole, and when something changes in a part of the object, the whole object then changes as well. So we see that every time someone in our world thinks, does or says something to improve themselves, a situation or another, the entirety of humanity benefits. We upgrade. We shift. We evolve. We also see that with the help from our Sun, our DNA and our consciousness is continuing to shift to higher octaves. And as our DNA continues to shift, the entire human race is impacted and benefited.  In other words, the deck is stacked in favor of humanity to continue growing and changing in ways that serve the whole. Peaceful revolution of the systems that suppress and no longer serve the humanity is inevitable.

 

Reflection in Our Outer World

“Where are these things being reflected in our outer world,” some might ask. Are there those “in the know” talking of this revolution? The answer is an unshakable yes. A notable figure is Benjamin Fulford.  Benjamin is the former Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief for Forbes Magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a professional writer and journalist, along with several other accolades. He resigned from his position in 2005 as he was disturbed by the “corporate censorship” and has for the past few years been writing a weekly geopolitical article, which has been exposing corruption between various government and banking representatives, and more importantly has been discussing the positive developments in the growing BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) alliance, which has now reportedly swelled to over 190 countries with governmental, banking and military influence. On July 18, 2014, the same day the Contingent Reserve Arrangement and the BRICS Development Bank were announced and implemented, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the BRICS is an alliance that will “reform the international financial system.” 

Many economists believe this alliance, because of the amount of gold and silver several of these countries have been importing, are planning to reset the global financial system, which will be based on gold, silver and other metals and resources. (Something John F. Kennedy was reportedly very close to initiating with President Sukarno of Indonesia, via the Global Collateral Accounts.)
It is believed that in time, this reset will allow our world’s entire socioeconomic system to shift into a resource-based economy, a term coined by social engineer Jacque Fresco of The Venus Project. In this revolutionary, yet very practical system, technologies will be implemented that help improve the quality of life for every person on our planet by allowing food, shelter, clothing and social activities to be met necessities. This will also shift our world away from oil and other destructive energy practices and will help transform the health of our earth.

Creating the World We Want

As famous author, speaker and physicist Gregg Braden has said:

“Our beliefs have the power to change the flow of events in the universe – literally to interrupt and redirect time, matter, and space, and then events that occur within them.”

We have the power to change our world and we are receiving help from many known and quiet sources. The change can begin with a thought. It can follow with an action. Inspire someone. Eat more organic fruits and vegetables and less meat and dairy. Soak up the sunlight as much as possible. Spark a movement. Transform negative thoughts into positive ones. Use words carefully and specifically. Plant a garden. Participate in synchronized global meditations for peace every Saturday at 6 A.M. eastern time (New York City) or every Sunday at 11 A.M. eastern time. Above all, dream big and continue to be you. Continue visualizing and feeling the changes you want in your personal live as well as for our world. We each have a vital role to play in the creation of a better world. The only thing that is certain is change. 

With this world view and universal truth in mind, peaceful revolution is truly inevitable.

About the Author

Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Science and is Director of Creative Health Non-Profits for Personable Media. He is passionate about holistic and naturopathic medicine as well as helping to bring awareness to an efficient, sustainable and health-promoting transition that our world’s current socio-economic model is rapidly undergoing.
Featured image credits: Copyright Jessica Perlstein of Dreamstreamart.com

http://themindunleashed.org/2015/04/the-inevitability-of-peaceful-revolution.html

 

 

 

How to Approach Religion in the 21st Century: Lessons from India’s Traditions

India’s religious traditions bear incredible relevance for contemporary approaches to religion and religious diversity.

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

This article is a follow-up to my previous article,The Emergence of a New Hinduism, as well as a reflection inspired by a piece that appeared in The Diplomat last week, Can Atheistic China Play Conflict Mediator in ‘God’s Century’?

India and India’s religious traditions provide the model for how humanity can approach religion in the present era. And while India’s religious traditions are primarily Hindu, I also speak more generally of the subcontinent’s traditional approach to religion, which is inevitably linked to a viewpoint that originated in ancient India and continues to this day. This approach is characterized — more so socially than legally — by religious pluralism, which while described as “secularism” in Indian jargon is different from American secularism or French style laïcité. While the freedom to worship in any way is guaranteed in the United States, a narrow set of assumptions about religion and the nature of divinity dominate discourse at the public level, as the whole worthless debate about whether or not President Barack Obama is a Christian demonstrates.

From the perspective of Indian thought, such an issue would never be a problem. India’s approach to religion embraces the multiplicity of religions in the public sphere and it is common for individuals and the state to celebrate all religions; not just theoretically, but as active participants in the rituals, worship, and festivals of multiple faiths. And despite the formal move towards a more streamlined Hinduism described in my previous article, at its essence, Hinduism and its approach, which has rubbed off onto other religions in South Asia (for example, a Muslim cleric in India recently declared that Shiva, a Hindu god, was the first prophet of Islam), will remain broadly pluralistic in understanding religions.

The roots of this approach originate in ancient India. Hinduism’s oldest collection of hymns, the Rig Veda argues:

They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān.
To what is One, sages call by many names — they call it Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan.
(Rig Veda 1.164.46)

This perspective established the long-standing Indian tradition that, despite their differences, the ancient Hindu devas or gods, were permeated with an underlying unity. As Hinduism encountered or gave rise to other religions, this perspective was expanded to include those faiths. A modern version of the above passage from the Rig Veda could read “They call him Bhagavan, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, and he is heavenly, shining Krishna. To what is One, sages give many a title — Ohrmazd, Ishtar, Zeus, Osiris, Amaterasu.”

Since all religious paths are considered valid ways of achieving the same goal, from this perspective, no religion is false (contrary to the view expressed by some Idaho state lawmakers in response to a Hindu prayer on the floor of the Idaho Senate). The tendency in the West and the Middle East has been towards the idea of a universal truth, one that is either some form of Abrahamic religion or alternatively the disbelief or ridicule of all religious experience (or liberalism, communism, and so on). Monotheistic Abrahamic ideas of religion are taken somewhat seriously, or are considered “rational” or plausible by non-religious Westerners while all other forms of religion are derided as “mythology” or vague “mysticism.” The intention here is not to question the spiritual experiences of members of Abrahamic religions, which are certainly valid, but their universal claims.

Yet, in the Indian belief, no one religion can have a monopoly on truth. A common Indian metaphor, about blind men and an elephant, tells of how some blind men touch different parts of an elephant, and then compare notes to find that they are in complete disagreement about the shape of the elephant. The analogy, which is with religion, argues that only by putting together the experiences of all the blind men (individual religions) will gain us an approximate understanding of the whole (truth). A similar viewpoint in the West can be found in the Allegory of the Cave. This is not to say that “anything goes.” Anthropologists, mystics, and religious scholars have noticed several commonalities that run throughout nearly all religions. Hinduism itself, despite its diversity, multiple schools, and multiple perspectives on theology, has some ideas found in every perspective, including karma, dharma, which is like the idea of natural law, and Brahman, the reality which lies at the basis of the universe.

Without getting too much into obscure discussions on metaphysics, it is Hinduism’s belief in polytheism (multiple gods) along with panentheism and monism, ideas that hold that the divine interpenetrates every part of the world that allows for an open, pluralistic, tolerant attitude towards religious pluralism. While a polytheistic understanding would see an analogy to how the gods operate in the multiple governments with separate spheres and  numerous ministers of humanity, a monistic understanding envisions a prism that breaks white light into its many constituent colors, each of which is an aspect of the whole. Either perspective embraces pluralism and allows multiple religious understandings to be reconciled, and even the concept of belief in a single God with multiple gods or angels or spirits.

All this matters because religious pluralism is a characteristic of the globalized 21st century, so these perspectives will help shape the international approach to religion more than simple monotheism and atheism. This is true both in philosophical terms, as well as from a utilitarian social perspective. Societies and individuals from different religious backgrounds increasingly mix and interact, so it becomes harder to publicly hold to the belief that only one’s religion is true or alternatively to contemptuously dismiss all religions. And no religion has to change its fundamental beliefs to acknowledge that the divine spirituality found in their faith is found in other faiths in a different manner.

India can lead the way in this new understanding at the global level, since this understanding is necessary to reconcile different viewpoints on the issue of religion. Indians of all faiths and non-religious Indians generally share an understanding of pluralism in the spiritual sphere that is quite different than the understanding found in countries like China or the United States. Whether or not true, religion is here to stay and will not be fading away anytime soon, though its form and organization may change. It is likely that just as religion, or ritual and belief in something metaphysical was around 10,000 years ago, something will be around 10,000 years from now. The tendencies to worship (whether a god or a celebrity in modern times), to create rituals, to attribute meaning to events, and to organize beliefs into systems are all deeply rooted in human nature, and could very likely be evolutionarily built into human psychology. Therefore, religion is a reality of the human experience, and one that needs to be approached with nuance and understanding. In this, the traditions and experience of India can lead the way.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/how-to-approach-religion-in-the-21st-century-lessons-from-indias-traditions/

15 Uncanny Examples of the Golden Ratio in Nature

The famous Fibonacci sequence has captivated mathematicians, artists, designers, and scientists for centuries. Also known as the Golden Ratio, its ubiquity and astounding functionality in nature suggests its importance as a fundamental characteristic of the Universe.

We've talked about the Fibonacci series and the Golden ratio before, but it's worth a quick review. The Fibonacci sequence starts like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and so on forever. Each number is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. It's a simple pattern, but it appears to be a kind of built-in numbering system to the cosmos. Here are 15 astounding examples of phi in nature. 

Leonardo Fibonacci came up with the sequence when calculating the ideal expansion pairs of rabbits over the course of one year. Today, its emergent patterns and ratios (phi = 1.61803...) can be seen from the microscale to the macroscale, and right through to biological systems and inanimate objects. While the Golden Ratio doesn't account for every structure or pattern in the universe, it's certainly a major player. Here are some examples.

1. Flower petals

The number of petals in a flower consistently follows the Fibonacci sequence. Famous examples include the lily, which has three petals, buttercups, which have five (pictured at left), the chicory's 21, the daisy's 34, and so on. Phi appears in petals on account of the ideal packing arrangement as selected by Darwinian processes; each petal is placed at 0.618034 per turn (out of a 360° circle) allowing for the best possible exposure to sunlight and other factors.

2. Seed heads

The head of a flower is also subject to Fibonaccian processes. Typically, seeds are produced at the center, and then migrate towards the outside to fill all the space. Sunflowers provide a great example of these spiraling patterns.

In some cases, the seed heads are so tightly packed that total number can get quite high — as many as 144 or more. And when counting these spirals, the total tends to match a Fibonacci number. Interestingly, a highly irrational number is required to optimize filling (namely one that will not be well represented by a fraction). Phi fits the bill rather nicely.

3. Pinecones

Similarly, the seed pods on a pinecone are arranged in a spiral pattern. Each cone consists of a pair of spirals, each one spiraling upwards in opposing directions. The number of steps will almost always match a pair of consecutive Fibonacci numbers. For example, a 3-5 cone is a cone which meets at the back after three steps along the left spiral, and five steps along the right.

4. Fruits and Vegetables

Likewise, similar spiraling patterns can be found on pineapples and cauliflower.

5. Tree Branches

The Fibonacci sequence can also be seen in the way tree branches form or split. A main trunk will grow until it produces a branch, which creates two growth points. Then, one of the new stems branches into two, while the other one lies dormant. This pattern of branching is repeated for each of the new stems. A good example is the sneezewort. Root systems and even algae exhibit this pattern.

6. Shells

The unique properties of the Golden Rectangle provides another example. This shape, a rectangle in which the ratio of the sides a/b is equal to the golden mean (phi), can result in a nesting process that can be repeated into infinity — and which takes on the form of a spiral. It's call the logarithmic spiral, and it abounds in nature.

Snail shells and nautilus shells follow the logarithmic spiral, as does the cochlea of the inner ear. It can also be seen in the horns of certain goats, and the shape of certain spider's webs.

7. Spiral Galaxies

Not surprisingly, spiral galaxies also follow the familiar Fibonacci pattern. The Milky Way has several spiral arms, each of them a logarithmic spiral of about 12 degrees. As an interesting aside, spiral galaxies appear to defy Newtonian physics. As early as 1925, astronomers realized that, since the angular speed of rotation of the galactic disk varies with distance from the center, the radial arms should become curved as galaxies rotate. 

Subsequently, after a few rotations, spiral arms should start to wind around a galaxy. But they don't — hence the so-called winding problem. The stars on the outside, it would seem, move at a velocity higher than expected — a unique trait of the cosmos that helps preserve its shape.

8. Hurricanes

 

9. Faces

 

Faces, both human and nonhuman, abound with examples of the Golden Ratio. The mouth and nose are each positioned at golden sections of the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin. Similar proportions can been seen from the side, and even the eye and ear itself (which follows along a spiral).

It's worth noting that every person's body is different, but that averages across populations tend towards phi. It has also been said that the more closely our proportions adhere to phi, the more "attractive" those traits are perceived. As an example, the most "beautiful" smiles are those in which central incisors are 1.618 wider than the lateral incisors, which are 1.618 wider than canines, and so on. It's quite possible that, from an evo-psych perspective, that we are primed to like physical forms that adhere to the golden ratio — a potential indicator of reproductive fitness and health.

  

10. Fingers

Looking at the length of our fingers, each section — from the tip of the base to the wrist — is larger than the preceding one by roughly the ratio of phi.

11. Animal bodies

Even our bodies exhibit proportions that are consistent with Fibonacci numbers. For example, the measurement from the navel to the floor and the top of the head to the navel is the golden ratio. Animal bodies exhibit similar tendencies, including dolphins (the eye, fins and tail all fall at Golden Sections), starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins, ants, and honey bees.

12. Reproductive dynamics

Speaking of honey bees, they follow Fibonacci in other interesting ways. The most profound example is by dividing the number of females in a colony by the number of males (females always outnumber males). The answer is typically something very close to 1.618. In addition, the family tree of honey bees also follows the familiar pattern. Males have one parent (a female), whereas females have two (a female and male). Thus, when it comes to the family tree, males have 2, 3, 5, and 8 grandparents, great-grandparents, gr-gr-grandparents, and gr-gr-gr-grandparents respectively. Following the same pattern, females have 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on. And as noted, bee physiology also follows along the Golden Curve rather nicely.

13. Animal fight patterns

When a hawk approaches its prey, its sharpest view is at an angle to their direction of flight — an angle that's the same as the spiral's pitch.

14. The uterus

According to Jasper Veguts, a gynaecologist at the University Hospital Leuven in Belgium, doctors can tell whether a uterus looks normal and healthy based on its relative dimensions — dimensions that approximate the golden ratio. 

From the Guardian:

Over the last few months he has measured the uteruses of 5,000 women using ultrasound and drawn up a table of the average ratio of a uterus's length to its width for different age bands.

The data shows that this ratio is about 2 at birth and then it steadily decreases through a woman's life to 1.46 when she is in old age.

Dr Verguts was thrilled to discover that when women are at their most fertile, between the ages of 16 and 20, the ratio of length to width of a uterus is 1.6 – a very good approximation to the golden ratio

"This is the first time anyone has looked at this, so I am pleased it turned out so nicely," he said.

15. DNA molecules

Even the microscopic realm is not immune to Fibonacci. The DNA molecule measures 34 angstroms long by 21 angstroms wide for each full cycle of its double helix spiral. These numbers, 34 and 21, are numbers in the Fibonacci series, and their ratio 1.6190476 closely approximates Phi, 1.6180339.

Thanks to Calvin Dvorsky for helping with the article!


Source: http://io9.com/5985588/15-uncanny-examples-of-the-golden-ratio-in-nature

Signs of Alien Life by 2025, Says NASA Chief Scientist

Some argue that Extraterrestrial/Extradimensional life is, and has already been, present on this Earth. Megalithic sites like the Pyramids and Puma Punku certainly suggest that some form of advanced technology was used to construct them. Or the countless traditions by indigenous cultures teaching about visitors from the stars. Also the extremely elaborate crop circle formations around the world that no human could construct with ropes and boards in a single night. 

But no matter the case, if "they" are already here or not, it seems disclosure may not come as a presidential announcement. It may come much slower than that, through the mainstream. Starting with the news that there are hundreds of billions of  habitable planets in our galaxy alone, then on to the discovery microbial life, eventually leading us to the "official" contact of intelligent species.

As much as I would like it to happen overnight, many people still need to be eased into this new reality. We have been asleep for millennia. As a collective consciousness, it takes time to shift into a completely different paradigm. The best thing to do is embrace the eternal now moment, find our peace within. That way we will be in a much better place mentally and spiritually to finally meet somebody from another world.

- Planet Awakening

Recent observations by planetary probes and telescopes on the ground and in space have shown that water is common throughout our solar system and the broader Milky Way galaxy. -NASA

APR 8, 2015 09:10 AM ET // BY MIKE WALL, SPACE.COM

Humanity is on the verge of discovering alien life, high-ranking NASA scientists say.

"I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years," NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan said Tuesday (April 7) during a panel discussion that focused on the space agency's efforts to search for habitable worlds and alien life.

"We know where to look. We know how to look," Stofan added during the event, which was webcast live. "In most cases we have the technology, and we're on a path to implementing it. And so I think we're definitely on the road." [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life]

How Aliens Can Find Us (and Vice Versa): Photos

Former astronaut John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, shared Stofan's optimism, predicting that signs of life will be found relatively soon both in our own solar system and beyond.

"I think we're one generation away in our solar system, whether it's on an icy moon or on Mars, and one generation on a planet around a nearby star," Grunsfeld said during Tuesday's event.

Recent discoveries suggest that the solar system and broader Milky Way galaxy teem with environments that could support life as we know it, Grunsfeld said.

For example, oceans of liquid water slosh beneath the icy shells of the Jupiter moons Europa and Ganymede, as well as that of the Saturn satellite Enceladus. Oceans covered much of Mars in the ancient past, and seasonal dark streaks observed on the Red Planet's surface today may be caused by salty flowing water.

Further, NASA's Curiosity rover has found carbon-containing organic molecules and "fixed" nitrogen, basic ingredients necessary for Earth-like life, on the Martian surface.

Farther afield, observations by NASA's Kepler space telescopesuggest that nearly every star in the sky hosts planets — and many of these worlds may be habitable. Indeed, Kepler's work has shown that rocky worlds like Earth and Mars are probably more common throughout the galaxy than gas giants such as Saturn and Jupiter.

And just as the solar system is awash in water, so is the greater galaxy, said Paul Hertz, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division.

PLAY VIDEO

Alien Life Could Exist Outside 'Habitable Zones'

New research suggests we might want to widen our search for Earth-like exoplanets.

DCI

The Milky Way is "a soggy place," Hertz said during Tuesday's event. "We can see water in the interstellar clouds from which planetary systems and stellar systems form. We can see water in the disks of debris that are going to become planetary systems around other stars, and we can even see comets being dissipated in other solar systems as star evaporates them." [6 Most Likely Places for Alien Life in the Solar System]

The Most Horrific Alien Planets In Our Galaxy: Photos

Hunting for evidence of alien life is a much trickier proposition than identifying potentially habitable environments. But researchers are working steadily toward that more involved and ambitious goal, Stofan and others said.

For example, the agency's next Mars rover, scheduled to launch in 2020, will search for signs of past life and cache samples for a possible return to Earth for analysis. NASA also aims to land astronauts on Mars in the 2030s — a step Stofan regards as key to the search for Mars life.

"I'm a field geologist; I go out and break open rocks and look for fossils," Stofan said. "Those are hard to find. So I have a bias that it's eventually going to take humans on the surface of Mars — field geologists, astrobiologists, chemists — actually out there looking for that good evidence of life that we can bring back to Earth for all the scientists to argue about."

NASA is also planning out a mission to Europa, which may launch as early as 2022. The main goal of this $2.1 billion mission will be to shed light on the icy moon's potential habitability, but it could also search for signs of alien life: Agency officials are considering ways to sample and study the plumes of water vapor that apparently erupt from Europa's south polar region.

Could This Alien Cell Thrive on Titan?

In the exoplanet realm, the agency's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an $8.8 billion instrument scheduled to launch in 2018, will scope out the atmospheres of nearby "super-Earth" alien planets, looking for gases that may have been produced by life.

JWST will scan the starlight that passes through the air of super-Earths, which are more massive than our own planet but significantly less so than gaseous worlds such as Uranus and Neptune. This method, called transit spectroscopy, will likely not work for potentially habitable Earth-size worlds, Hertz said.

Searching for biosignature gases on small, rocky exoplanets will instead probably require direct imaging of these worlds, using a "coronagraph" to block out the overwhelming glare of their parent stars, Hertz added.

NASA's potential Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, which may launch in the mid-2020s if given the official go-ahead, would include a coronagraph for exoplanet observations.

Lifting the Veil, Defining Your Spiritual Awakening

What is a spiritual awakening? It can mean different things to different people. Some describe an intense feeling of love and connectedness with the universe. It doesn't necessarily have to involve a religion, but it can. There is no absolute answer. 

Share your story with us in the comments section below.

Eckhart Tolle: 

"For many years I had been deeply identified with thinking and the painful, heavy emotions that had accumulated inside. My thought activity was mostly negative, and my sense of identity was also mostly negative, although I tried hard to prove to myself and to the world that I was good enough by working very hard academically. But even after I had achieved academic success, I was happy for two weeks or three and then the depression and anxiety came back.

On that night there was a disidentification from this unpleasant dream of thinking and the painful emotions. The nightmare became unbearable and that triggered the separation of consciousness from its identification with form. I woke up and suddenly realized myself as the I Am and that was deeply peaceful."

Jim Carrey:

"I understood suddenly how thought was just an illusory thing. And how thought is responsible for, if not all, most of the suffering we experience. And then I suddenly felt like I was looking at the thought from another perspective and I wondered who is it that’s aware that I am thinking and suddenly I was thrown into this expansive amazing feeling of freedom from myself from my problems."

Russell Brand:

“It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No one really feels self-confident deep down because it's an artificial idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.”

Former Legislator Henry W. McElroy, Jr - Eisenhower met with Extraterrestrials

Former US Legislator, Henry W. McElroy Jr., a whistleblower regarding the ET presence here on Earth.  In a testimony filmed on May 8th, 2010, Henry mentions an unreleased brief indicating that a meeting between President Eisenhower and these visitors can be arranged. Transcript is as follows:

"Hello, I’m speaking with you from Fort Monroe, Virginia. We’re also known as The Gateway to Freedom. We sit right next to a little town called Phoebus, Virginia. Interestingly, they call themselves The Gateway to the New World.

Phoebus sits inside of Hampton, Virginia whose motto is First from the Sea, First to the Stars. My name is Henry McElroy, Jr. a retiring, former State Representative from New Hampshire. Thank you for your attention to this brief message concerning the world’s interaction with both earth-based, and off-world astronauts. The reason I am making this announcement is in the hopes of encouraging better perspective to all who explore the universe. Therefore, as a result, making a more valuable contribution to humanity, for the benefit of all faiths, all races and all nations.

Another reason I am here today is because I believe in the foundational wisdom of our nation, which was laid down by our founding fathers and because we know that highly advanced knowledge and information can assist human beings in solving various problems both in current times, and in our future. When I was in the New Hampshire State Legislature, I served on the State Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs committee. It was, apparently, important that as a Representative of the Sovereign People who had elected me to this Honorable Office, that I be updated on a large number of topics related to the affairs of our People, and our Nation.

As I understood it, some of those ongoing topics had been examined and categorized as Federal, State, Local development, and security matters. These documents related to various topics some of which spanned decades of our nation’s history. One of those recurring topics is the reason I am addressing you this evening. I would like to submit to our nation my personal testimony of one document related to one of these ongoing topics which I saw while in office, serving on the State Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee. The document I saw was an official brief to President Eisenhower. To the best of my memory this brief was pervaded with a sense of hope, and it informed President Eisenhower of the continued presence of extraterrestrial beings here in the United States of America.

The brief seemed to indicate that a meeting between the President and some of these visitors could be arranged as appropriate if desired.

The tone of the brief indicated to me that there was no need for concern, since these visitors were in no way, causing any harm, or had any intentions, whatsoever, of causing any disruption then, or in the future. While I can’t verify the times or places or that any meeting or meetings occurred directly between Eisenhower and these visitors – – because of his optimism in his farewell address in 1961, I personally believe that Eisenhower did, indeed, meet with these extraterrestrial, off world astronauts.

I hope my personal testimony will aid the nation in its quest for continued enlightenment. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of those who have come forward with their personal testimonies – those who deserve the admiration of the American people for sharing their accounts publicly, in an effort to elevate our knowledge to a higher understanding of our existence.

People such as:

Former Astronauts - John Glenn, Edgar Mitchell, Gordon Cooper, and Buzz Aldrin.

Former Presidents - Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter

Captain Bill Uhouse of the United States Marine Corps

Lt. Col John Williams of the United States Air Force

Co Phillip Corso Sr. of the United States Army Commander Graham Bethune of the United States Navy 

Along with: 

David Hamilton of the Department of Energy, Donna Hare of NASA and James Kopf of the National Security Agency 

I would also like to thank the countries of: France, Brazil, Britain, Russia, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, and our neighbor to the north Canada, Uruguay, and Australia, for also opening their files to the citizens of their countries, and allowing them access to information that is so very important to the evolution of humanity.

I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to have a small part in doing the same, by sharing the information I have given you today. Thank you very much and I’d like to thank our communications crew for helping us make this happen today.

And, I’d also like to authorize distribution of this video for anyone who wants to use it for educational purposes. Thank you."