Filed under: Articles of Interest, Blogroll, Energy, Hippies, Life, the Universe and Everything, New age, Philosophy, hippie, hippy
Let’s hear it for the Hippies !! Beings of the 60’s; Their legacy is still with us today
Hippies are people too. They are usually defined as someone, esp. of the late 1960s, who rejects the established values of contemporary society, and who demonstrates that rejection through unconventional dress and behavior, and by advocating pacifism and communal living. Other adjectives usually include Flower Child and Non-Conformist. They also are known for ushering in the movement towards being environmentally firendly, being healthful and mindful of our place in the evolution of our planet. By the way, lots of scientists could be considered hippes if they try to educate world governments on the effects of global warming or extinction of species.
Nowadays, the hippie (or hippy) moniker is attributed to anyone who:
Prefers the verdant outdoors with wildlife and wind to indoor office cubicals and recycled air.
Wears jean shorts and a t-shirt and goes barefoot in the grass in their own backyards
Prefers real food to processed (fast) food.
Prefers whole/natural foods to pesticide sprayed foods whenever available.
Watches the Food Network and screams at the tv set “That’s too much butter!”
Prefers green, living fences to chain link fences.
Prefers sustainable living in a smaller home and neighborhood to a neighborhood full of Starter Castles/McMansions.
Prefers Earth Homes and self-sustaining energy efficient homes to corporate energy slave homes.
Uses meditation techniques in conjunction with New age, meditation music for deep relaxation or personal development.
Practices recycling and conservation of renewable resources.
Practices Yoga or TaiChi on a regular basis.
Is informed about and/or uses solar lighting wherever practical and solar panel energy when available and affordable.
Views our visible world as just a smaller part of a larger Universe.
Ponders the possibility that everything in our Universe is connected in a pool of recirculating boundless energy.
Hippies are also determined, but patient -Asya 7/15/06 (thank you)
(I’m sure you can add a line or two to this list)
Hippies also resurrected the idea of communal living known in the 60’s as ‘Communes’. This Utopian back to nature-self sufficiency movement harkens back to an earlier time when people lived in small settlements and depended on everyone’s contribution to the collective unit. Ideally, everyone is considered to be an equal contributor to the society. I found a very good article on Commune living that is a first hand account and a must read for anyone interested in the subject.
They also gave us co-ops, a centralized collective of food and goods that were shared amongst all of the contributors. It’s an idea that seems to have waned a bit but it’s still with us to some extent in the form of food pantries and farm co-ops. A very good idea and one that deserves a major resurrection in my opinion.
As time goes on I’ll be adding more to the hippie legacy and expounding on their contributions to our society.
Some of the topics we will discuss are :
Hippie living quarters [Available self sustaining home technologies, Solar powered everything, energy efficient homes]
Hippie landscaping [Zen yard/garden designs, green screens, rain water systems, viewer examples]
Hippie recycling [Waste material reuse, reducing waste]
Hippie eating habits [homemade gourmet food, whole foods, nutrition]
Hippie here-after [meditation, metaphysics, philosophy]
Filed under: Art, Articles of Interest, Blogroll, Energy, Hippies, New age, Paintings, Philosophy, hippie, meditation
being
Syllables: be-ing
Part of Speech noun
Pronunciation bi Ing
Definition 1. the state or fact of living or existing.
Synonyms life (5) , existence (1) , entity (2) , actuality (1)
Crossref. Syn. living , life
Similar Words reality , living , animateness {animate (adj)} , fact , presence , subsistence
Definition 2. any living creature.
Synonyms creature (1)
Crossref. Syn. animal , life
Similar Words human , earthling , the living {living} , soul , mortal , individual , man , person ,
animal , beast , life
Definition 3. essential or fundamental character; whole self.
Synonyms spirit (4) , core (2) , soul (3) , nature (1)
Crossref. Syn. psyche
Similar Words quiddity , essence , substance , psyche
Related Words identity , thing , party , organism
Noticeable in the definition are the words – ‘human’, ‘animal’, ‘any living creature’, ‘essence’.
This is a great starting point towards being a good terrestrial citizen.
A Creative Alternative to Tossing Broken Solar Lights
I have a beautiful back yard (by my standards) and covered patio which my wife and I have renovated to provide a measure of privacy for reading and eating as well as some greenery to soften the cityscape around us. We have lots of solar lights which illuminate after dark and function as a landing strip for any creature that may get lost in the night. They are very pretty and don’t use a single watt of power line energy.
Recently, I discovered a way to recycle them when the ground spike, usually made of plastic, breaks off and can no longer be used to anchor the light in the ground.
Most people would throw the whole thing away but not us. I drilled four opposing holes in the cover and used twine to string them up on a shepherds hook. It looks very unique now and works just as well if not better than before. At least now I don’t have to worry about running them over with the lawn mower. Lokks kind of like a lighted parachute when it’s hung and when it’s really dark the light just hoversover the flagstone like a UFO.
Here are some pics to illustrate how the project turned out. Pretty well if you ask me!
Pic-1: Gnome on his own.
Pic-2: Solar Light Modified.
Pic-3: Solar light strung up on Shepherd’s Hook before the evening magic.
Pic-4: Viola! Night falls and the gnome is illuminated by a salvaged solar light.
Enjoy Mother Nature even if you’re a 9 to 5 Desk Jockey
I am a fervent outdoor lover and will take my lunch to go at every available opportunity. Wherever I happen to work, I map out all possible parks and forest preserves within 10 minutes of my location. The bigger the better and the greener the better. I keep at least two foldable chairs in my car and use them whenever a shaded picnic bench is not available. I don’t actually have OCD but my chair location habits might suggest otherwise? I have to place my chair as far outside of the tree canopy as possible while still being in the shade of the tree to avoid being pelted by bugs and twigs as I sit and eat my food. The canopy is a very busy place for bugs and whenever they see me they seem to yell ‘bonzai’, then plummet from the canopy to lay claim my to my meal and they really don’t add anything to the flavor of the food. Hence, the chair placement.
As far as food is concerned, I usually brown bag a sandwich and chips or bring heated leftovers in a tupperware container. They both cut down on the amount of garbage I produce and are much better for my arteries than the usual drive thru fare I sometimes resort to on my way to the park. Also, since we watch the Food Network so much at home(especially during meals in the living room) we make some great food to bring as leftovers from the night before. Their web site has some great free recipes to choose from and Rachael Ray never disappoints us with her 30 minute meals. I also have my spartan lunches for workout days that consist of canned chicken or tuna on Ritz crackers and a can of vegetables (usually green beans) heated up in a microwaveable container. That gives me plenty of protein for the evening weight lifting and aerobic routines.
When I’m finished with my lunch I can pull out a good book and commence to chillin’ and maxin’ for the remainder of my lunch hour. Depending on the neighborhood I can either read and watch the passersby or just concentrate on reading. I also love to listen for the calls of my favorite city bird, the cardinal. The high pitched ‘peeps’ indicate that wildlife really does still exist in between the concrete and asphalt and is also capable of thriving if we just let them go about their day.
I’m a voracious reader of art, philosophy, metaphysical and personal development books and articles. The more theories and techniques the better. I prefer to read outdoors where the walls disappear and the birds occupy my left brain with their songs so my right brain can concentrate better on my reading. I learned about the whole left brain – right brain thing when I was taking oil painting classes and we had painting (soothing) music on to facilitate concentration on the tonal painting techniques necessary to complete our portraits or still lifes. It really does work.
The New Age stuff is really great for concentration and I’m a huge fan of the Musical Starstreams radio program which plays a wide variety of new age/jazz music by some really great musicians. It’s usually played at 10pm on Sunday nights on local station WNUA (smooth jazz). More on my favorite concentration/meditation music later. I’ve found some great free music downloads as well for painting/meditation/relaxation I’d love to share.
So, if you want to be a lunchtime Hippie just head out to a local park and commence the chillin’ and maxin’ and enjoy the free nature show or read a good book. It’s great for the heart and soul and re-energizes your human side if only for an hour.
Until next time ………
