Big Tech Censorship

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Censorship

Houston, we have a problem.

First off: this is not a political blog. As soon as you open your mouth about one side of the political landscape, you alienate the other half of the population who disagrees with it.

Along that same vein, this is not a political blog post. I am not here to debate who is right or wrong or who won the election, no matter my personal feelings about it.

This post is about censorship and Big Tech. Censorship is being exerted by Big Tech right now and it’s deeply troubling and alarming.

Big Tech

Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey along with the others at Google, Amazon and Apple are in the power game of a lifetime, of several lifetimes actually. Let's be clear, they are not enlightened. I don’t want another person running my life. And even if they were enlightened, I would still not want them running my life. Nor would an enlightened person want to do so!

These unawakened and unenlightened people actually think they can tell us what to think and what to do.

I did not elect, vote for, ask for, nor do I desire Big Tech to decide who or what I can hear or see. We have ego-driven people deciding what is “fact-checked” and then forcing it down our throats. And they know nothing about what is real, about the deeper dimensions, about the Whole.

Learning From History

This type of censorship cannot sustain itself. Communist Russia and Europe could not be sustained. But unfortunately, millions of people were murdered by Stalin along the way. And no, that is not hyperbole, it was literally millions. I don’t have any illusion that I couldn’t be swept up as one of them.

What will happen when it is deemed that people cannot work with energy techniques? When meditation is banned? What makes anyone think that couldn’t happen? We are a hairbreadth away from losing everything and becoming a totalitarian country.

Censorship, suppression and repression do not work. Thoughts and ideas need to bubble up and be exposed to the light of day. They need to be examined and criticized in the full noonday sun and if not honorable, they will eventually fade and lose strength.

No Safe Haven

If we think we’re safe because we’re running with the "in" crowd, because we agree with them, or because we’re mindlessly shuffling along, sure that no one will notice us, we need to carefully clean off our glasses. We need a clearer perspective.

If we think it’s okay to censor The President of the United States because we "don’t like him" – we need to grow up. Not meaning to sound harsh, but honestly, living life only driven by likes and dislikes is a childish approach.

If we expand our awareness to hold simultaneously both our likes and dislikes, we have a greater chance of seeing with expanded vision and wholeness. An even more advanced level is the ability to hold two opposing ideas at the same time. Are you ready to take the leap?

With Or Without Tech

People of my age grew up and lived the majority of their lives without social media and even without the internet. We did just fine. Sure, the internet brought excellent advantages like online banking (along with the disadvantage of identity theft) and the movement and transfer of documents. I’m old enough to remember when sending a fax was an event and in the legal field the debate was, does the signature on a fax have the same validity as a real ink-on-paper signature?

Having the internet to stay in touch with our loved ones during a pandemic, or at any time for that matter, is a blessing. Ordering online is such a convenience. Being able to gather information swiftly, without needing to “go to the library” is a delight.

However, I fall-on-my-knees in gratitude that I did not grow up with social media.

Teen years, and even the 20s, are difficult enough without having it dominated with "likes" and on-line bullying. If I were raising children today, I would not want them on any of the social platforms. Only text messaging to coordinate times to pick them up after class, for example. Fat chance that would be successful, but one can dream.

So, do we remove all technology from our lives? That seems like throwing out the baby with the bath water as they say. Our lives have technology deeply embedded in it now. It would be nearly impossible to eliminate technology in our modern society which is a strange statement when you think about it too much.

Perhaps we do step back from some of the social media. At a minimum, we need to hold Big Tech’s feet to the fire and demand benevolence. We need fewer monopolies. We need other options.

What To Do?

So, what can we do? Here's the difficult part: I don’t know. It’s why I hesitated to write this post. Why present a problem if you don’t have a solution?

However, to start the healing process, we have to have awareness of what is happening. Seeing it is step number one. Students of TRT® can direct energy to a situation to support an alignment in Wholeness for all that is taking place. We can direct energy to clarity – first, within ourselves.

We can hold the process in our hearts, expand our understanding and yes, our universal love for all that is.

In the end, we may not understand everything at the mental level. But, we know that these present-day energies are out of balance and need re-alignment.

Stay aware, stay awake. Keep your lamp filled with oil so that your light may shine brightly.

Namasté.

We Are Living In A 1985 Movie

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Welcome To Dystopia

It's 1985 in a darkened movie theater in San Francisco.

The silver screen flickers as shadows of light and dark play across the uplifted faces of moviegoers. Movie scenes pour into the theatre revealing a retro-futuristic world with clacking machines, commonplace bombings and a controlling government dominated by indeterminate rules, bureaucracy and rampant spying.

It's not easy to discern what's real and what isn't. Is this simply the strange life of a movie character reeling before our eyes or a director's distorted dystopia? Or both?

Welcome to the movie, Brazil. 

Brazil The Movie

Say hello to Sam Lowry. He lives in England in some unspecified future time. 

Sam works in a mind-numbing job and lives in a small apartment. It's set in a consumer-driven world in which there is an over-reliance on poorly maintained (and rather whimsical) machines. One tiny mistake turns Sam's life inside-out and we watch as his world careens out of control. 

In 1985, Brazil was a fantastical movie with a sinister warning of what could befall us if we were not careful. With many scenes stretched to the edge of possibility, none of us thought that it could be a harbinger of what our lives might become.

And yet, here it is.

 
 

The Bombs Go Off

Terrorism is an ongoing problem in Sam's futuristic society. In one scene, the characters are dining in a restaurant. A bomb explodes right next to them. People are wounded and injured, parts of the room are destroyed and on fire.

But, don't fret, the waiters put up a screen to block the view of the carnage. Sam and his dinner guests, along with the other restaurant customers, carry on with their meals.

When I left the movie theatre, I remember saying to myself with the clarity of a cold, clear spring bursting forth from a mountain crevice after a spring thaw:

 
“Well, that could never happen. We would never allow terrorism and bombings to take place and carry on like nothing had happened, putting up a screen so we don’t have to see it.
That’s just not possible.”
 

My firm affirmation provided comfort and certitude that this sort of thing would not come to pass.

Fast forward in time.

Movie Scenes Become Reality

Quoted below is what one news anchor said on BBC after the bombing in Manchester, England in May 2017. 

 
“According to BBC Anchor Katty Kay, Europeans have to get used to terror attacks like the Manchester bombing.

Kay told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday that Europeans have no choice but to get used to terrorists murdering their families because “we are never going to be able to totally wipe this out.”

“Europe is getting used to attacks like this, Mika. They have to, because we are never going to be able to totally wipe this out,” Kay said.

“As ISIS gets squeezed in Syria and Iraq, we’re going to see more of these kinds of attacks taking place in Europe and Europe is starting to get used to that.””
— The Daily Caller
 

No. Just no.

I stand by my first thought back in 1985.

We will never "get used to it" and we must not accept that we have to live side-by-side with terrorism. 

Shoes As Hats

In the movie, Sam's mother makes a fashion statement by wearing an upside-down shoe as a hat when she goes out to dinner. Quite the exaggeration. Surely, this is over the top.

Then, Philip Traecy created a hat that was worn by Princess Beatrice at Kate and William's wedding in 2011. A shoe hat might have been considered tame in comparison. Not so absurd or over the top, after all.

The Traecy hat garnered a lot of attention and press coverage. Enough so, that Princess Beatrice donated the hat to be sold at auction on eBay. The final bid was £ 81,100.01 and the proceeds went to UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

A Bit Of A Complication

Sam's mother and her friends obsess over plastic surgery and debate which surgeon is the best. A singing telegram arrives at Sam's apartment with an invitation to his mother's party  "to celebrate the completion of her recent cosmetic surgery."

One of his mother's friends goes to a different surgeon who uses "acid surgery" and ends up with her face swaddled in bandages oozing bodily fluids. She proclaims in a high-pitched voice, "There's been a little complication with my complication."

In 1985, cosmetic surgery was much less prevalent than it is today. Now, it is ubiquitous and used by young and old alike. Botox, fillers and lifts are available for all parts of our bodies that inherently succumb to earth's gravitational pull. Another bit of foreshadowing in the movie.

 
 

A Carefully Crafted Movie

Filled with twist and turns veering up, down and around, there are delightful comedic moments that will leave you chuckling even after the credits roll past. 

Every vignette is a carefully crafted jewel. Terry Gilliam, the director, didn't compromise with throw-away scenes.

Dream sequences morph into real scenes and back again, except, wait, which parts are real and which are not?

The malfunctioning of omnipresent machines, the frustration of filling out forms and awkward personal interactions spill across the story line. Our lives are messy despite our best intentions to keep the ink from smearing all over our carefully written essay.

Perhaps the real existential battle lies within ourselves and the machinations of outer living are only there to serve as a frame on which to hang our inner struggles.

As the scenes spin past, you'll be surprised at the many parallels reflected in our lives today – in a movie from 1985.

 

We Remember 9/11

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Remembering 9/11

Five years, 15 years, 25 years, or more. It doesn't matter how long ago.

We will remember.

Unimagined Horror

Airplanes, whose purpose is to move us here and there, had that benevolent purpose twisted and perverted. They were used instead as weapons of terror. 

The world watched in horror as airplanes were hijacked and flung into wanton acts of death and destruction.

A photo taken on September 10, 2001

A World Changed Forever

Lives were shattered as evil exploded past barriers of comprehension. There have been a lot of articles that cover the lives lost.

Everyone is familiar with stories of both the fêted and the unsung heroes who selflessly sacrificed for others, for people they didn't even know. We know many stories of loved ones lost.

Sometimes, certain people stand out for us. For me, it's the Hanson family.

A Family Held In Time

The Hanson family is forever frozen in time as a Christmas family from 2010. They were not allowed to live to see their next Christmas.

All three of them were obliterated because they were flying together on United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001. That plane crashed into the World Trade Center's South Tower.

Their little girl, Christine, with her wide smile, red hat and sweater, was only 2 1/2 years old. She was the youngest fatality on the flights. Her parents, Peter and Sue Kim Hanson, hailed from Massachusetts. They were headed for her first adventure in Disneyland and to visit Sue's family in California.

Peter Called His Father From The Plane

Phoning from the plane, Peter Hanson was able to reach his father, C. Lee Hanson. Peter told his father that hijackers appeared to be planning to crash the plane into a building.

"Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it will be quick," Peter said with his Korean-American wife and his little girl, Christine, sitting next to him.

Moments later, Peter's father watched on television as his son's plane burst into a fireball as it hit the World Trade Center building.

Sue Kim Hanson was a doctoral candidate in microbiology-immunology at Boston University. Peter Hanson held an MBA and was vice-president of sales at a software company. Little Christine loved helping her father in the garden.

I didn't know them personally. I have never met any of their family. Yet they remain forever seared upon my heart.

I cannot begin to imagine what they went through in those last moments as their bodies crashed into the building. The grief of their family and friends must be an excruciating pain.

People Work Together

Almost as soon as the World Trade Center’s twin towers fell, thousands of firefighters, police officers, construction workers, search-and-rescue dogs and volunteers headed to Ground Zero to offer their help.

A search-and-rescue dog from 9/11 is comforted and receives subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration. 

The cleanup and recovery efforts at Ground Zero lasted for more than a year, with crews working around the clock.

A Flower At The 9/11 Memorial

We see the hand of Pope Francis as he lays a white rose on the 9/11 Memorial on September 25, 2015.

The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The memorial plaza is an eco-friendly site. There are more than 400 trees surrounding the reflective pools. A drop of healing nature in a big city of concrete.

“The National September 11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.”
— 911memorial.org

The Mission Statement for The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center reads:

 
“May the lives remembered, the deeds recognized, and the spirit reawakened be eternal beacons, which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.”
— 911memorial.org
 

We remember 9/11.

Daylight Saving Time

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Here It Comes Again

That persnickety daylight saving time (DST). It’s here. Already. We barely got a break from it before it's right on top of us again.

Of course, you know the correct term is daylight SAVING (no s) time. But over time, it has been easy for people to add an "s" in their conversations.

I have a theory that we're subconsciously thinking of our monetary "savings" which, heaven knows, is usually too small. Just like the amount of sleep we get in the first days after the time change. That's not very scientific, it’s just a fun idea. 

Benjamin Franklin Invented It

It's likely that Franklin was more joking than serious, when he thought up the idea of daylight saving time many years ago. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the rest of us from enacting it. 

The Verge gave us an article entitled Daylight Saving Time is Hot Garbage from which I quote below :

“Daylight Saving Time wasn’t introduced in America until 1918, when it was meant to conserve energy for World War I.
The thought was, essentially, Franklin’s: that people tend be more active in the evenings, so the extra daylight there would mean fewer hours where people lit their houses at night.
After the war, farmers lobbied to get the law repealed; turns out, it’s easier to do farm work when the rest of the world is also on the sun’s schedule.
In 1942, during World War II, DST was enacted again, but year-round.”

Daylight saving time didn't end after the war. Congress kept enacting and repealing DST until they finally made it law.

“DST was reintroduced by the federal government in 1966, though whether or not it was observed was up to states (Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe DST, for example).
And in 2007, a law passed by President George W. Bush expanded DST by more than a month — it now runs from March to November.”
 

Daylight Saving Time purportedly would save us energy consumption and costs. Studies, in fact, prove just the opposite. We consume more energy with our use of electronics and running our air conditions.

With this evidence in place, you'd think we'd remove DST just as easily as we added it, but somehow, it doesn't work that way.

Daylight Saving Time Studies

Not only does daylight saving time do little to save energy, we now have evidence that it has negative effects on our health and safety.

In the two days after the change to daylight saving time, there is a 24% increase in the number of heart attacks and for people over the age of 65, the risk of stroke increases by 23%. The time change is actually a "shock" to our systems. Blood pressure can also increase, putting people at risk for blood clots. These events are usually found in those who already have pre-existing conditions that increase their risk.

To help you with the time change, experts recommend exercise, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine and sticking to a schedule. Most notably, they advise us to de-stress.

Yay Or Nay For Daylight Saving Time?

Obviously, you can tell I favor elimination of daylight saving time. I trudge through it, like everyone else, but the further we get into fall, the more I long for the return of standard time. 

I'm ready to never have to change my clock again except for those wonderful times when I'm afforded the opportunity to travel to other time zones. 

And you? Where do you stand on the DST debate? Strong feelings on either side? Or maybe just a meh?

Whatever our feelings, we’ll be back to natural time in November when we change our clocks back.

Will It Ever End?

Addendum 2022: In March 2019, the European Parliament voted to eliminate the biannual clock changes and remain on Daylight Standard Time. No more springing forward or falling backward of the clocks.

Naturally, we rejoiced. But, did it actually happen? Sadly, no. Here’s a great article explaining Why Europe Couldn’t Stop Daylight Saving Time.

I suppose if we really want to avoid Daylight Saving Time in the U.S., we could move to Arizona or Hawaii – two states that refuse to change their clocks. Or, worldwide, we could move to Turkey, Russia or Belarus who have already eliminated daylight saving time.

In the meantime, the rest of us slog our way into the time change… yet again. What a wonderful day it will be when I write another addendum that daylight saving time has finally been eliminated in the United States, Europe and worldwide. But, given the glacial speed with which we move, I’m not holding my breath!

 

Casanova And The Lottery

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A Record Powerball

In January 2016 we had the biggest jackpot in U.S. history with the Powerball – $1.5 billion. The games are hard to miss. Everyone talks about it and it’s well covered in the news.

Even if you never play the lottery, your imagination couldn't help but be tickled by the idea of winning millions of dollars. Just what would you do with all that money?

How Will You Spend Your Winnings?

Are you day-dreaming how you'd spend those winning dollars? Who doesn't enjoy a little financial fantasy now and then?

Articles popped up offering advice as to whether you should take the lump sum or the annuity. The annuity pays out your winnings annually over 30 years. Tax consequences were discussed.

Everyone wholeheartedly debated their spending options, never mind that they would likely never face this choice in real life. Forget that depressing detail. It's still fun to contemplate such a weighty decision.

The $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016 was won by three separate ticket holders, all in different states. The jackpot was split equally between them.

Even after paying significant taxes, they each had a sizable amount to spend. Divided among the three tickets, the cash lump sum was $310 million for each.

The First Lottery in France

As you chew on your pencil, bent over your Powerball ticket, deep in thought as to which numbers are going to let you sail away, you may not have considered where this whole idea of choosing six numbers started.

The first lottery in France was created in 1757. We have Casanova to thank for it.

Casanova – Professional Adventurer

Giovanni Giacomo Casanova.

Born in Venice, Italy: 02 April 1725; died in Dux, Bohemia: 04 June 1798.

Casanova is remembered today, thanks to his autobiography. Without it, his life stories would have slipped away with the ebb and flow of history. 

 
“Worthy or not, my life is my subject, and my subject is my life.”
— Giacomo Casanova
 

Casanova traveled and lived throughout Europe. He was well-educated and fluent in several languages. Although he was Italian, he wrote his autobiography entirely in eloquent French.

Most of us know the name Casanova as being associated with his reputation of being the world's greatest lover. Naturally, that is always a matter of opinion.

If his name is evoked in conversation: "He thinks he's a regular Casanova..." it tells us a man is wooing a maid, or many maids, in an overt manner. The definition of a casanova is a man who is passionate about women and has many lovers.

However, like most of us, he was multi-faceted. Not only did he write of his sexual conquests, he also revealed his life as a spy, librarian, gambler, mathematician, and bourgeois businessman. His favorite self-described avocation was that of professional adventurer.

Casanova – Founder Of The French Lottery

As part of his gambler and mathematician activities, Casanova convinced the King of France to sponsor a lottery to help raise money for the construction of a military school in Paris, 

The Loterie de l'École Militaire was decreed on 15 October 1757.

 
“Rather than minimizing the lottery’s potential financial exposure, Casanova suggested that the state flaunt money to whet consumers’ appetites and to garner their confidence in the institution.

He suggested that the Royal Council guarantee the lottery for up to a hundred million livres. Others balked at such a large sum, but Casanova argued that such a measure would reassure consumers.

Moreover, he suggested that just the talk of such large sums of money would fire the imagination of consumers as they would project that money in their own hands.

Casanova offered the cautious men of finance a lesson in consumer psychology. As he told them: the thing is to dazzle.”
 

Quote from The Loterie de l'École Militaire: Making the Lottery Noble and Patriotic
by Robert Kruckeberg

Spinning numbers were chosen, much like today. That very first lottery in France raised the equivalent of 2 million francs in today's terms, an enormous sum for the era. 

The Energy Of Abundance

What is abundance to you? It may not always be in the form of money. Examples of abundance may be the apples in your pie, or the family smiles around your holiday table, or the bird songs in your backyard.

Six Lucky Numbers

Addendum: in October 2018, after a run of no winners, the Mega Millions Lottery jackpot hit $1.6 billion. And with no winners in the Powerball as well, its jackpot is soaring up to $620 million.

The next time you play Powerball, even if you just imagine what you'd do with big winnings from the lottery, you might cast a thought to Casanova.

When we choose six lucky numbers, we evoke his memory.

Ah, Casanova, we do remember you.

 

A Baby Girl, Say Hello To A New Princess

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A Baby Girl, A New Princess Is Born

The world is a-twitter about the birth of a baby girl in England, the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Born 02 may 2015 at 0834, she weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. 

Two footman place the traditional birth notice signed by Kate's medical team on a golden easel outside Buckingham Palace.

Here you see the uptick in Twitter activity after the birth announcement of the little Princess. 

 
“Tweets using the hashtag #RoyalBaby peaked at 4,500 per minute at 11.25am, approximately 10 minutes after the princess’s birth was announced.”
— Credit: Twitter
 


A Labor Of Love – Time To Have A Baby

As a Registered Nurse who worked in Labor and Delivery/Postpartum for 10 years, I was naturally fascinated with the event. Her second delivery was faster, as is to be expected for subsequent deliveries. However, it was so fast, it makes me think she must have also labored at home.

Perhaps Catherine had a midwife or L&D nurse at Kensington Palace to check her progress? Once she reached 4 to 5 centimeters, indicating she was in active labor, they could pop off to the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital. It's not much of a drive to get there from the Palace. And, of course, with a police escort, traffic won't get in the way.

For such a short stay on the Labor Ward, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received a discount on the costs of their hospital stay. I was delighted that Catherine specifically requested the same midwife who delivered Prince George, Jacqui Dunkley-Bent, a Professor of Midwifery.

According to The Telegraph, Professor Dunkley-Bent and fellow midwife Arona Ahmed spent the most time with the Duchess during her labor process. Of course, physicians were standing by should anything go awry that required a quick move into the operating room for a cesarean delivery.

An Easy Delivery

One of the hazards of being medical, my mind immediately started to wonder if she had an epidural or not and to consider all the sundry details we encounter on a Labor and Delivery deck, (episiotomy, pitocin, pain meds, well, I'll spare you).

Fortunately, no emergency maneuvers were required as evidenced by Catherine's glorious appearance on the steps less than 12 hours after delivery. Just my observation after many years of caring for postpartum women – it's uncommon for patients to appear quite so put together, so quickly after delivery.

 

Her breathtaking appearance sets the barre rather high. It doesn't hurt to have a personal assistant and hair stylist to help get you ready along with a beautiful bespoke dress by Jenny Packham. The yellow buttercup flowers on her silk dress sparkled like spring and its ombre effect hinted of falling petals.

Here's a nice look at her dress and its elegant cut in full:

As a second-time mom, Catherine knows what to expect. But even so, with such a quick discharge, I would imagine that nursing will provide some home visits to check up on her and the baby.

 

For Students Of The Radiance Technique®

Students of The Second Degree of The Radiance Technique® can direct supportive energy to the new Princess and any or all of the family members. Directing radiant, universal energy that is already within; it adjusts to the needs of the receiver. It's wonderful to share our loving support across time and space, without outer demands or expectations. 

Students of The First Degree of The Radiance Technique® can participate with their TRT® hands-on – expanding their own joy and mutual celebration of the birth of this baby as well as all babies on the planet.

Hashtag #Welcometothefamily

Catherine and William extended their circle of celebration to embrace the many babies born recently. With the launch of the royal hashtag #Welcometothefamily, they invited others to participate.

This Princess Will Remain In Line Of Succession

Of special intrigue to me is that this royal baby girl will remain in line of succession only due to new laws that came into effect in March 2015. This change of laws governing succession means that as a girl, for the first time, she will remain ahead of any younger brother in the line of succession.

Previously, under the ancient rules of male primogeniture, royal sons took precedence over their female siblings, even jumping ahead of first-born royal daughters. These laws had been in place since 1701.

For an American like me, unfamiliar with lines of royal succession, I turned to this article in The Telegraph that spells out in detail the present line of succession: New Royal baby will change family tree. 

 

Celebrating A Birth – A Chance to Come Together

It's great fun following the British Royals; it's part of being here on Planet Earth. If this sort of event is not your cup of tea, that's okay too. We all have our varied interests that come and go; it's what makes the world go 'round.

The next buzz of excitement will be the naming of this beautiful little girl... and here's our update as of 04 May 2015:

Her name is: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

Her middle names harken to her great grandmother, the current Queen Elizabeth, and her paternal grandmother, Princess Diana. Charlotte is a feminine form of Charles, perhaps acknowledging her grandfather, Prince Charles.

Her title:

Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge 

Wishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all the best in their newly-expanded family.

Congratulations on the birth of the new Princess.

Seattle Seahawks And Super Bowl 2015

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Seahawks And Super Bowl 2015

Super Bowl XLIX.

How exciting for the Seattle Seahawks to make the Super Bowl playoffs.

In the game that qualified them for the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, the final catch was nothing short of miraculous. A thing of beauty, even if you aren't an aficionado of American football.

Personally, I'm not a huge football fan. I don't follow all the games all season long. However, when it comes to the Super Bowl, it's fun to join in with everyone, especially when one of the teams is from my home town. I mean, I have to support my peeps, if nothing else. When you have friends and family who are cheering for a team, it's fun to connect with them about it.

I love Seattle and the Puget Sound area, so it's easy for me to love the Seattle Seahawks. Along the way to the Super Bowl, I also learnt some fun facts.

Such as: the Seahawks were named after a real bird of prey.

Seahawks – A Real Bird Of Prey

Yes, the seahawk is not a mythical football bird. It actually exists and is also known as an osprey. What a fine bird of prey it is.

Seahawks Selfie

Getting ready for the Super Bowl, wonderful photos of seahawks appeared. This photo of a fierce "Seahawks Selfie" from the National Wildlife Federation in preparation for the game was among them.

Super Bowl Ads

Always one of the great topics of discussion from the Super Bowl are the Super Bowl Ads. It even has its own hashtag #SuperBowlAds. The ads were quite good this year. None were terribly offensive. Some didn't hit the mark; some were moving.

Budweiser is noted for its emotional ads that pluck at heart-strings featuring the magnificent, giant-hoof, Clydesdale horses.

For me, their best ad remains the one from Super Bowl 2013, partly because it plays the nostalgic Fleetwood Mac song of my youth, Landslide. The rough voice of Stevie Nicks scratches out the melody of "even children get older and I'm gettin' older too..."

Here's that Budweiser ad:

Super Bowl Ads 2015

Two ads that stood out for me involved women/girls. The first one, created by the advocacy group called No More, touched on domestic violence. It certainly got my attention. It was a call to 911 under the guise of being a call to a pizza place. I was so struck by it, I had to instant rewind to watch it a second time. Of note, it was based on a real 911 call.

The other one was the #LikeAGirl campaign by Always. This little girl responded to the question, "what does it mean to run like a girl?"

Little girl: "It means, run, fast as you can."

Her clear voice rings out. Her truth.

It means, run,  fast as you can.

Directing Energy With The Radiance Technique®

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can direct universal energy to big events like the Super Bowl and include all the participants and all the fans. It is an opportunity for greater service, directing energy to everyone, without attachment to outcome. Of course, this doesn't mean you can't have a favorite team!

These events can be a chance to bring greater light to everyone, in whatever small or big way, from within, without concern for an outcome. In any big event, there is a unity of awareness, a gathering of like-mindedness, and this provides an opportunity for those who have studied The Second Degree of TRT® to direct energy from a deeper point.

You can choose to direct energy to any number of things. You could choose your favorite team, or both teams. To individuals on the teams. To some of the ads. To the fans. You are only limited by your own ideas.

Students of The First Degree of TRT® are able to apply TRT® hands-on while watching the game, or even leading up to the game. This supports your psychological levels concerning the game as well as deeper levels of who you are. We are interconnected with everyone who is participating.

The New England Patriots Win Super Bowl 2015

In the end, the Seahawks lost the game in a harrowing, hide-behind-my-hands, end-of-the game with a bad Seahawks' offensive call. This was exactly the type of thing that was required to lose, since both teams were well-matched. It could have gone the other way just as easily.

There's always next year.

After a loss like that, the Seahawks will be even more hungry for the victory. Since I'm rooting for them, here's hoping they play in Super Bowl 2016.

Do you have a favorite American football team?