What Does Hell Look Like?

There is little doubt that the negative life-review feels like hell and therefore we could say that the NDE hell is proof of hell. Margot Grey says about the experience that, "The hell-like experience is defined as being one which includes all the elements comprehended in the negative phase (extreme fear or panic, emotional and mental anguish), only more so in that feelings are encountered with a far greater intensity."

But what does hell look like? And what exactly is hell?

Let me be quick to say that in the near-death research, these negative experiences do not happen to everyone. Also there seems to be less insight on why exactly they happen. Some researchers find no accounts or very few of hell-like experiences, like Moody who explains that his subjects have been mostly normal and nice people. Other researchers like Fenwick and Grey found that 15 percent and 12 percent had hellish experiences. P. M. H. Atwater in her large sample of over 3,000 near-death experiences found that 18 percent had "unpleasant experiences," and hereof only a third had experiences that were "truly hellish." What is interesting here is that Atwater found the 15 percent with adults, while only 3 percent with children.

The largest estimate made on life-reviews alone, was made by George Gallup and William Proctor in 1982, who estimated out of 8 million Americans, 2.5 million had experienced "the impression of reviewing or re-examining" their life. This is almost a third of the total number of near-death experiencers and this number is confirmed by Dr. Jeffrey Long who in his research also found about 35 percent had a life-review.

The term Hell that we use today can be traced back to the name "Hel" in Norse mythology. Here we find Hel as the goddess of the underworld Helheim. The English root is "Helan" and cross-checking this word, we find that it translates into "Celare" in Latin. Celare in Latin then translates back into "conceal" or "hidden" in English.

What we now have found is that hell is a hidden and concealed place. This fits with the Greek underworld Hades, which has the same meaning, "Unseen." And this brings us back to Plato's cave again where we can use the allegory to explain what hell is. Living inside the cave as our body, we live in a dark world of illusion made from the shadows of our ignorance.

In Saved by the Light Dannion Brinkley tells us that "I had felt the pain and anguish of reflection, but from that I had gained the knowledge that I could use to correct my life." This was also my experience, and it is also a general conclusion of the near-death research: "the sense of judgment and guilt does not exist."[xii] Becoming aware of our negative actions happens within a source of unlimited love. Moody found that there is no accusation or threat because people "feel total love and acceptance coming from the light." And, therefore, the review is more a kind of Socratic questioning to make the person "proceed along the path to the truth by himself."

The positive feelings of peace and joy are the most common emotions in the near-death experience, reported by 88 percent of people who have had near-death experiences. And as I mentioned before, Fenwick also finds that even among those who suffered a negative life-review, 15 percent, the near-death experience as a whole had been positive. This is an important finding that fits perfectly with my own experience. The fundamental nature of reality, our absolute nature of mind, has this quality of peace, joy, and love.

Brinkley explains that this can be compared to the non-judgmental compassion that a grandfather has for a grandchild. This is the same as in Buddhism where the mother meets the child-we are the children and the light is our mother. When we return to our mother, we are greeted with love and compassion. Therefore, in the near-death experience, "most of the individuals interviewed did not experience any reward-punishment crisis."

To make this point clearer, I will look into what it means to sin. Father Laurence Freedman opens the door to a deep understanding of what sin is by saying, "The Greek for sin means to miss the target. Sin is what turns consciousness away form truth. Being the consequence of illusion and selfishness, sin includes its own punishment. God does not do the punishing."

This statement fits very well with another near-death experiencer who explains that, "Nobody judges you; you judge yourself...Nobody says 'you've been bad'...You know better than anyone, because it's your thoughts and your motives...And one gets precisely and exactly what one deserves. It's utterly fair."

The Greek term for sin means that as an archer misses his target with his arrow, so our consciousness misses the target of the truth. The target of our consciousness is to be conscious and aware. If we miss this target, we "go wrong" or "fail to do, neglect." Another old Greek meaning of the word "sin" is that "I should lose my sight by Ulysses' hand." Here, sin means to be blind of the truth, and it is due to our blindness that we sin. This blindness leads a person to "fail of one's purpose," which again matches my experience of the negative life-review perfectly.

This makes us see a sinner as someone who is blind because the person's consciousness is turned away from truth, and, thus, the purpose of this person's life has failed. Now, if we look at the biblical term, "The Fall of Man," this in Greek is translated as "failure" or "error of judgment." Man has fallen by failing the purpose of life due to error in judgment. From this perspective leaving the Garden of Eden means that we have left our essence-the knowledge of who we are. Disconnected from our souls, we live in ignorance of our true nature, and this causes us to suffer.

So where then does this punishment come from? Here again Father Freedman explains that, "Being the consequence of illusion and selfishness, sin includes its own punishment. God does not do the punishing." This statement also makes sense if we look into the interpretation of hell. The Hebrew word for hell is "Sheol," and it takes us in this direction. The root of this word is "Shaal," which means "to ask" or "to inquire." In most religions, we find the Lord, God, or some servant inquires. In many accounts of near-death experiences, we also find that a being of light or an angel leads the person through the life-review.

For me, my experience was different. I was alone with myself, and it was me passing judgment on myself. Another near-death experience describes the inquirer in a way that is very similar to my experience, "It was me judging me, not some heavenly Saint Peter." This is also the view of Moody, who concludes that the judgment comes from within. We also find this perspective on the nature of reality in Buddhism, where Soygal Rinpoche says, "Ultimately all judgments take place within our own mind. We are the judge and the judged."

Rene Jorgensen is a philosopher of religion and member of the International Association of Near-Death Studies http://www.ReneJorgensen.com He is author of the book Awakening After Life in which he reveals the lost knowledge of religion gained from research of Near Death Experiences: http://www.AwakeningAfterLifethebook.com

Various Interpretations of the Swallow Tattoo Designs

There are a lot of swallow tattoo designs that would look great on your body. The good thing about the swallow is it can look great on both male and female. The swallow is a symbol of hope, usually used for its nautical reasons meaning land is near. Sailors use swallow tattoo designs as a symbol that they have travelled five thousand nautical miles. If you have two swallow tattoos then you have travelled ten thousand nautical miles. Ancient Egyptians said that killing a swallow is unlucky. For them, swallows are the ones taking the soul of a dead child to the underworld.

The swallow tattoo designs can be associated with good and bad reasons. Ancient poets use the swallow as a sign of spring and the end of winter. Ancient Chinese and Greek paintings use the swallow for showing hope for the future. Sailors use the swallow to depict that land is near. Usually, swallows are the first signs that there is hope ahead. For Egyptians, the swallow is a sign of new love. Since swallows bring hope, the early Egyptians use the bird as a symbol for hope for a new love. However, in Japan the swallow symbolizes unfaithfulness. The same goes with China since it symbolizes danger and change for things to come.

Blue birds are often mistaken for swallow tattoo designs. It is understandable since both birds have the same blue and orange designs with some red and yellow accents. Most of the modern swallow tattoo designs are associated with love. The famous designs have the bird holding a heart or sometimes two hearts with the names on banners. For guys, they add different designs with the swallow like barb wires or lightning marks to give it a masculine touch. For sailors, it is known that a swallow with a dagger in its heart means that a close friend died.

A tattoo is all about individualism. Take that away and you just have ink. That's why you want a tattoo design that looks amazing now and in the future.

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Black Orpheus - Bert Brandsma Swing trio

Bert Brandsma Swing Trio - Black Orpheus. Winfred Buma - guitar Bert van Erk - bass Bert Brandsma - tenor saxophone This title was a feature saxophone solo for Brandsma while working in the Cologne Opera House in 2006 (Divertissementchen) in a Thomas Guthoff arrangement. Now played in a more informal setting (and another key)at the festival : te Gast in Garnwerd 2007. Before the world heard Astrud Gilberto's whispy voice, before they knew of Stan Getz' velvety sax, they saw Black Orpheus. The film (in Portuguese, Orfeu Negro) put a face on a new style of samba that was fresh, romantic and very accessible to jazz hipsters. It was later called bossa nova (or "new wave" or "new groove"). Only a year before (November 1957), Antonio Carlos Jobim (and Newton Mendonca) had released the album Desafinado, featuring this new style of samba, incorporating it with jazz stylings, poetic lyrics sung by João Gilberto, and a 4 on 3 stammering rhythm. Jobim and Luis Bonfa wrote the soundtrack to the motion picture. This 1959 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner (and Oscar's Best Foreign Film, and a Golden Globe winner) was based on the Orpheus-Eurydice legend but updated and played against the colorful background of Carnival in Brazil, featuring an all-Black cast. French director Marcel Camus created the movie from Vinícius de Moraes musical play Orfeu da Conceição." More than just showcasing samba, Black Orpheus brought this music to life, making Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfa ...

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This comprehensice look at mythology describes central mythical figures, summarize their stories, and highlights the ceremonies, festivals, and customs associated with each figure. Each of the fifteen chapters covers a seperate area of the world. Sidebars encourage children to make connections between cultures by pointing out the similarities of customs and beliefs among them and the influences of myth on literature and language. The fine art reproduced in the book comes from museums

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Don't Know Much About World Myths Overview

Whether it's the adventures of Greek gods and goddesses or Norse trickster tales, we all love to hear a good story. Kenneth C. Davis gives readers a taste of the diverse myths that live on in the cultures and religions around the world today. In his trademark question-and-answer style, peppered with entertaining sidebars and quotes, he also shows how almost every civilization's mythology shares common themes. A wealth of photographs and art reproductions, along with clever black-and-white illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier, helps convey mythology's lasting vitality. This is the perfect young companion to Don't Know Much About® Mythology -- and other titles in Davis's best-selling Don't Know Much About® series.

Fury - Are We Going To Be Punished?

"And we'll pray / That there's no God / To punish us..." - For me, though this quotation does not originate from an epic literary source as per usual, it nonetheless is a powerful statement about the human condition. Every person fears that there is a third party adjudicator who presides over our lives, all the errors, the mistakes and the successes as well. Theologically this concept has been with us practically from the dawn of our existence and an awareness of conscience and responsibility (leading to inevitable retribution or reward) for the actions we take, is inherent in almost every human being. In Marlowe's 'Dr Faustus', the idea is put forward that Hell and punishment may in fact be a psychological state just as much as a spiritual: "Nor is it circumscribed to one self place / For where we are is Hell, and where Hell is; must we ever be" - here Mephistophilis shows that Hell is within himself, an idea Milton later utilised in the legendary Paradise Lost: "He bore a Hell within him..." Either way whether we take it that our punishment is masochistically psychological or literally spiritual, human beings seem to generally accept the idea that unless a moralistic life is lead there is consequence and repercussion. There are few who seem confident in their own absolution, and fewer who accept no moral responsibility. Arguably if the ideas of Darwinism and Evolution are pursued to their utmost extremes the room for morality and love in a world populated by animals desperate for survival becomes limited; if there is no spirit, no God, no divine order, no spiritual law, and our primary purpose is to reproduce and survive, then there is no compunction about me killing a loving husband and taking his wife from him, an act which is abhorrent and unjustified. Society cannot function without a modicum of acknowledging punishment, an idea which was taken to extreme and grotesque levels in the Elizabethan era with people having molten lead poured into open wounds, evisceration by horses, and other such horrific retributions for any crime.

The quotation at the start comes from Muse - Fury, and for me the oxymoron of praying for there to be no God is an ingenious summation of atheism - they cannot deny the need for punishment, and yet equally they are striving to disprove the only consistent moral force in the universe. Similarly it can apply to religious individuals, we are all praying that the God we are certain exists is merciful and benevolent, whilst still hoping he will dole justice to the "wicked". Human beings are constantly caught in this paroxysm and contradiction as we also consider another important idea, the concept of the eternal and the infinite. There is a famous passage from Corinthians which reads: "For what is seen is temporary, and what is unseen is eternal..." - the Greeks encapsulated the idea of a repetitive and inescapable eternity with the myth of Tantalus and Sisyphus who are both doomed to bizarre punishments and 'tasks' that can never be completed. Sisyphus can never get the boulder up the hill; Tantalus can never drink from the water or eat the fruit. In fact their punishments cease only once in the entirety of all Greek literature, and that is when Orpheus descends into Hell and plays for Hades. At this moment the sublime nature of the music actually brings a halt to all the machinations of the Underworld, if only for a brief moment before the trials are resumed. Unfortunately for them, even when broken into, eternity remains and continues on afterwards as if unbroken, and perhaps that is partly the cause of the innate fear that all humans have of eternity and punishment. A punishment that is everlasting and that can see no end even if there is a temporal respite is truly terrifying indeed.

To find out more about the author you can visit his website: http://www.taliesinbooks.com

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History and Origins of Pole Dancing

This has been around a lot longer than many of us would think, but how did pole dancing originate and where did come from? The form of pole dance we know today and its origins can be traced back to exotic performance dance arts.

The first recorded striptease dates back to a myth from ancient Sumerian times involving Inanna, the Goddess of Love, and her descent into the underworld to find her lover Damouz. At each of the seven gates, she removed an article of clothing or a piece of jewellery. As long as Inanna remained in hell, the earth was barren. When she returned, the earth again became abundant and fruitful. Some believe this myth evolved in the 'Dance of the Seven Veils' of Salome from the bible.

The bible records Salome's dance but the first mention of removing veils rises from Oscar Wilde's play of 'Salome' in 1883. Some have claimed this to be the origin of modern striptease, but other influences may have come from Parisian times and the Moulin Rouge striptease through to Middle Eastern belly dancing and American burlesque.

Today many women learn the arts of Belly Dancing and dancing with Veils. Belly Dancing has been carried over from these legendary events. The skill have traveled from ancient Sumeria and into the Asia counties. It is understood to have been picked up by the gypsies who brought Belly Dancing through Europe.

The ancient Middle Eastern belly dance was thought to induce fertility in women and to strengthen their bodies in preparation for childbirth.

Throughout history there have been many forms of dance emerging. Many formed from sensual roots and bringing with them much controversy.

Another sensual form of dance, Rumba, is a dance of enticement and teasing. The tango originated in brothels of ancient Argentina. 'Gouchos' would arrive after working in the fields and the girls would entice them into going upstairs through dancing with their heads turned slightly to avoid the smell.

In the early 1900s the strip tease dance was added to burlesques shows to entice men to return. These featured famous strippers including Gypsy Lee Rose. Traveling tent shows had strip tease acts. The smaller tent dancers started to use the pole in the tent's centre to dance around. These tents became known as the dance pole tents.

Another idea of where pole dance actually started is linked to the Maypole. This Pagan ritual was seen by some as a phallic symbol which may explain why some link it to the pole dancing we know now.

The earliest recorded pole dance was in 1968 with a performance by Belle Jangles at Mugwump strip joint in Oregon.

Today's pole dancing craze is believed to have started in Canada in the 1980's in exotic table dancing and lap dance clubs. Fawnia Mondey, originally from Canada, is one of the worlds first pole dancing champions. During the 1990's Fawnia started teaching pole dancing to every day women. She produced the very first instructional pole dancing DVD.

Pole dancing quickly spread to the US followed by the rest of the world, helped by multi corporations such as Spearmint Rhino. Pole dancing is recognized throughout the world including Europe, Australia and even parts of China.

Lap dancing clubs in the UK grew in 1990's featuring pole dancing on stage. Since 2000 onwards pole dancing has become more acceptable by the general public.

Pole dancing as we know it today involves dancing around a vertical pole. The old ancient strip tease became a forerunner to the modern updated variation. Pole dancing provides a display of acrobatics and strength, combined with a combination of sensual, flowing, feminine dance movements to form the art of pole dancing we now know and recognize.

The modern form of pole dancing has only been documented since the 1980's, yet the origins appear to go back many years prior to this. Only in recent years has pole dancing become more acceptable. The stigma attached to this art may be one of the reasons why the dance appears to have little history documented and appears to have been 'underground' for many years.

Tracey Lloyd has her own pole dancing supplies website IsntShePretty.co.uk offering sexy lingerie, erotic outfits and daring clubwear.

Tracey also manufactures pole delights poles, [http://www.poledelights.com] - lap dancing fitness exercise dance poles, for use at home, clubs or gyms.

You can learn to pole dance in the comfort of your own home, with a dance pole and a full range instructional dance DVDs.

Tracey writes under the pen name of 'Isn't She Pretty'.

To learn more please visit http://www.isntshepretty.co.uk

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WINTER’S CROWN SERIES: The Ancient Eleusinian Mystery Epic

This story comes from a time before time and before history began. A time when Gods lived on Earth. The ancient Greeks referred to this story as "The Myth of Hades and Persephone." It has been long believed that this knowledge is the key to the survival of our culture. For not all is as it seems in the subterranean caverns of the Underworld where this story unfolds. This myth is not fiction. It consists of facts that are continually repeated and can be observed over and over again. Humans have mythical fates just as much as the Greek heroes do.

WINTER’S CROWN SERIES BOOK ONE: Alive in the Underworld

Could it be true that humans once shared the world with a race of god-like beings who were thought to be immortal? “Alive in the Underworld” begins a psychedelic three-volume saga of epic proportions. A battle between good and evil in which primordial forces of masculine and feminine energies are unleashed upon the Earth.

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Craft Elder and author Raven Grimassi has revised and expanded his indispensable reference work, the award-winning Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft. The first book of its kind to be written by a practicing Witch, this guide presents Wicca/Witchcraft as a spiritual path, connecting religious concepts and spirituality to both a historical background and modern practice.
    
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Let's Play God of War Trilogy [HD], Part 18: Indiana Kratos

Don't Forget to Watch in HD! In this episode we traverse flaming boulders, cross the deadly bladed platforms, and kill the deadly snake! Well all minus the snake part! It is Indiana Kratos and he is ready for action.

EXORISTOI - Ronin (25 April 2007), Underworld club

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Myths & Legends retells the stories central to every culture that have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. Coverage extends from the well-known tales of the Ancient Greeks, which hold the key to the origin of such phrases as "Achille's heel," to the lesser-known, but richly colorful, myths of the Americas and the East. Topic spreads explore characters and stories in terms of their cultural, psychological, and religious meanings and show their power, purpose, and influence both in their own time and in today's world. Feature spreads visit the sacred sites that can still be seen today, and underline the importance of themes that appear across cultures and through the centuries. In looking at such universal themes as creation, heroic trials, tricksters' lessons, and death and the afterlife, Myths & Legends investigates how different cultures have addressed questions such as How was the world created? How did man learn to use fire? and Why do we grow old?