Learn How Boarding High Schools Can Help Your Child

By April Johnson

More and more parents are sending the children to boarding high schools, as the aim to best prepare them for life at college, university and beyond. With higher average grades, and a better focus on education too, it is not surprising there is such a shift.

It is not only in the way that boarding high schools prepare students for life at university where their merits lie however. With such an emphasis on commitment to the task, and application in achieving it, a student is far more likely to achieve in their academic standard than at a regular high school.

Boarding at school, helps to create lasting friendships too, and such is the support and relationships that are formed, it helps with building friendships through life. Lessons are also learned in developing a network of contacts too which, as university is graduated from, will help create opportunities along their chosen career path.

It is important however, the right school is selected of course. This is not as easy as it may first appear however; such is the number and range available. A number of boarding high schools have a particular focus on certain areas of study, or have a drive towards sporting pursuits, and others are tailored for study in the arts.

There are also a significant number of schools that can help poorly behaved children and those that suffer certain medical conditions. With these schools, whilst there is an obvious emphasis on care, their especially tailored lessons will allow the very best environment to eke out a child's potential and help them become a valued member of society.

Before deciding upon which school to send your child to, it is important to understand the history of the school, to ensure it will present the right learning environment for your child to excel.

For example, it is advisable to organize meetings with both the head, and the heads of departments of boarding high schools. That way, you will be able to ask how their approach will fit in with your child's needs more appropriately and understand their philosophy to education and where the school is headed in the future.

Such questions need to be raised, as boarding high schools tend to be privately run institutions, and as such do not have to conform to any standards in education. However, being privately funded, they do have access to superior facilities; both in learning, vocational studies and sporting excellence.

Whilst usually excellent, (certainly above average), it also best to take a look at the recent grade history of boarding high schools to ensure they meet you exacting standards. - 31877

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Learn How To Create Abundance, Live Abundantly

By Jak Spinks

To create abundance is a state of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. It is beneficial to think positively and to harness the state of abundance both internally as well as externally. You need to allow yourself to heal by letting go of the past. This is going to be a challenge but you will be able to move on.

There is always a point in your life where you will be unhappy. You become unhappy with your job, your career, your home life, your marriage, your friendships, and more. This unhappiness is caused by the not being able to create abundance in your life. Abundant life is not about material possessions that you can acquire. Look at the rich, no matter how much money they have it seems as though they are always struggling with something. They do not need their riches to be happy. They are missing out on abundant life.

To create abundance, you need to begin evaluating your life values first. You also need to evaluate your thoughts, what you believe in, and your emotions. You need to begin changing what you are not happy with. No matter where you are in life you can always take time to find abundant life. Train your mind to think more positively and more logical even when you are in the middle of troubles. When you do this you will notice a drastic change.

We can find the spirit of abundant life all around us. The world is rich with positivity. Its just sad that not many realize this and choose to live life in negativity. Be open to positive things and receive it with your whole mind and heart. Get rid of all the negative for it only blocks abundance from coming in. Learn to forgive, get rid of shame and anxiety, anger and hatred, bitterness and unforgiveness. Release all negative feelings so you can perceive more and be able to accept abundance in your life.

Learn confront your demons that you have personally collected over the years. Do not allow failure and hurt to continue to rule over you. Instead you can prepare yourself for the worst and you will ultimately experience the happiness. In the future, anything you endure will need to be accepted in a positive way.

Changes are to be welcomed though difficult they may be. Welcome positive changes and aim to make the best out of everything you go through. Live and work in a positive perception of the world and grab every opportunity to make positive changes in your life. As you see each one keep your focus on. This holistic attitude gets you abundance.

Do not be selfish. As you increase in abundant life you will naturally be more generous towards people out there. In being generous, you help people, you help change your neighborhood and you help change your world!

Focus more on developing and pursuing close relationships with people. This should be desired much more than financial gain. Focus on simple happiness and worthwhile activities that make others happy too. By doing these things you will find yourself with a healthy mind and body and achieve all your goals. Develop positive values, pursue them, and you will find yourself living an abundant life. - 31877

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The Wonderful Sport Of Soccer For Your Children

By Ryan Sheen

Every child should grow up physically active. Not only does such activity promote good health, but it leaves our kids happier for it.

Endorphins are the key to happiness and exercise is the key to releasing those endorphins.

As a result, sports are a terrific physical outlet for children. They should get involved in different sports as early as they can growing up. While their favorites will be ultimately up to them, I'd like to suggest that you start out with soccer as early as you can.

Kids love to play soccer and it has a whole host of benefits for the child physically and mentally, which I intend to cover a little in this article.

A good ability to run and balance well is what will develop from playing soccer since it is a game that focuses on the legs more than anything else. It involves so much running around, moving in different ways that your child will grow and develop healthier muscles in their legs, stomach, and back areas. Soccer also helps to attain good hand eye coordination.

Leg strength is another obvious benefit. Through running around and kicking a ball across the field, their leg strength will build very quickly relative to other sports, not to mention the fact that the constant moving around the field does the same.

Playing soccer as with any team sport will promote your child's ability to interact socially. They will learn skills such as cooperation and leadership that will carry over into other areas of their lives and make them better at their jobs or at fitting in with new crowds.

After everything said, soccer is proven to be a great choice for your children and it doesn't matter if you have girls or boys or both, soccer is a game for everyone and a good choice to make. - 31877

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Power Of The Mind - What Can It Really Do?

By Janice Stokes

Not all people realize that mind power can actually help bring positive changes to one's life. You may not realize it but you are actually using it in your everyday life. The power of the mind influences all aspects of your life. While it commands you body to function, it may also command positive energies to bring positive changes in your life.

Whenever you are daydreaming about something, and then it happens, that is the power of your own mind. Ever go to bed and as you fall asleep say to yourself, 'I have to get up and such and such time,' and then end up waking when you wanted too? This also is a perfect example of the subconscious mind at work.

In fact the more scientists research quantum physics it seems that our whole reality is in fact merely a product of our own mind. That our mind power is in fact reality.

Eastern religions have demonstrated the power of meditation and mind power for centuries. With their definition of reality, real things were believed to exist because we have imagined it.

Ironically, in this age of information overload, scientists are still looking for answers on the connection between the thoughts in mind and reality. They go through ancient scrolls and text to conclude the true nature of reality.

Reality is then believed to be a product of our minds. Then it is only logical to think that if we need to make changes with our reality, we needs to start working with our thoughts first. To be able to change things, we need to first appeal to the power of the mind.

One place to start making relevant changes to life is by mental conditioning. Unlocking the power of the mind through meditation can clear out unnecessary thoughts and replace it with positive thoughts and fresh new ideas. There are actually a number of techniques on which you can meditate and effectively develop the power of the mind.

Sit in a darkened room in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes and start deep breathing exercises, breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth. This take a few minutes, and you may feel a little light headed. Don't worry, this is because of an increase of oxygen in your system and completely normal.

Then, paint a picture in your mind. Picture yourself sitting by a tranquil pond with small pebbles. The pebbles represent your daily thoughts and ideas, which constantly go in and out of your head. Imagine yourself removing the pebbles from the pond, one by one. Once the pond is clear out all pebbles, you will be ready to unlock the power of the mind. With that, you will be able to pile up all your random thoughts on one side and your wishes and wants on the other side.

Of course, wishing for causes like world peace and global warming is unreachable with only one person. But you can do your part in saving the planet by doing some recycling and waste segregation. However, wishing for dream jobs and happiness in love is something that you can achieve with the power of your mind. While the mind influences virtually all aspects of your life, it is you that controls your mind and make it work to bring all good things into your life.

If you happen to be experiencing troubles in your relationship, you can hope to be a better communicator so all your issues will be settled. But although mind power can never bring your partner communicate with you, you can use it to influence his thoughts and improve yourself.

But while mind power can bring positive changes into your life, it may not happen right away. Some things take time to happen. For instance, you need time to develop and unlock the power of the mind and overcome all your negativity.

Remember that you still have to do your part. If you wish for better communication with your partner, you have to start talking to them about things that bother you, in a respectful manner. If you wish for that dream job, you still have to look through the classified ads and such. - 31877

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The Unbelievable Power Of Your Subconscious Mind

By Martin J Church

Are you interested in becoming a multi-millionaire? Perhaps you are on the search for true love and happiness. No matter what you are looking for, you would be best served seeking the solution in your subconscious mind. Yes, the power of the mind is truly our greatest ally and it can certain aid in helping to unlock everything needed for our success.

Many may dismiss the experts that have a strong knowledge of mind power and say they are not presenting something truly based in reality. However, scientific studies show that what we think and believe can often be our reality.

Scientists have also noted that what we believe to be reality is really nothing more than a mere manifestation of your subconscious mind. It will go without reason that those that venture into their own minds so they can control to shape their realities.

To find the success you want, you need to reshape how you think: retraining negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions with positivity and faith in yourself. Even your nightly dreams and imagination need to reflect more positivity to help you get what you desire.

The basics reasoning behind mind power is that we shape our realities through a cause and effect relationship. If you believe in the power of making suggestions to your subconscious mind and tell it what you want, you will get it. Otherwise, you will keep on drifting on just as you are.

For mind power to work, you have to focus on nourishing your subconscious mind. Daily positive affirmations are one of the easiest ways to quickly bring about change in your thinking.

Affirmations are simply sentences that can be chanted multiple times throughout the day, banishing away negative thoughts and sorrows. They work to increase your confidence and help you learn to trust the power of your brain. Affirmations can be about any issue you are facing from encouragement that you can lose weight, to breaking an addiction or chanting that you will find true love.

But, you cannot just invest all your time in visualizing your dreams; you need to make steps to ensure they come true.

Once you close your eyes and look inwards towards the results that you desire. You need to imagine yourself losing weight or amassing the money needed to purchase a new home. Yes, you can allow your imagination to go a little wild. You can feel those sensations and accomplish your goals as if they were really happening.

You can bring about these visualizations into your real life through getting creative. You may write down the way it feels to accomplish your desired goal. Why not make a scrapbook to encourage yourself as well? You can fill the scrapbook with pictures of the new car you wish to purchase or the dream wedding you would prefer to afford.

Through changing the manner in which you see reality, you will shape your subconscious mind which means you may be able to unlock supernatural talents. Psychics that are able to see into the future or past, those with telekinesis, and those with supernatural abilities are not born with a talent others do not have. Instead, they have just learned how to use their full potential and unlock all talents hidden away in the subconscious mind.

Through the positive power of the mind, it is possible to become the director of your own life instead of being a passive player. The subconscious mind can even deliver the secret to living a very healthy life. Many of our physical ailments can actually start in the brain. Brainwave synchronization or audios that tune into the specific frequencies of the brain can aid in improving self-esteem and the potential to think positively. - 31877

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How to Achieve the State of Serenity

By Damon Nelson

The state of serenity is characterized by the existence of peace in mind. Calmness sets in, and the mind is freed from the stressful external environment. One of the best features of this state is the presence of contentment and bliss. This is one of the distinctions we have over other forms of animals. We have intelligence and consciousness that allows us to feel and see the world in a different level. Our mind is made to perceive the external world with various emotions based on our experiences.

There are different sectors in our life that determines our equilibrium or "inner life", these are our feelings, sentiments, and emotions. The factors that I have mentioned are rooted from the social values and morals we have internalized. These values and morals have the biggest effect on controlling our equilibrium or inner life. More often, our brain is in chaos or a disturbed state. This is brought by the residues of anger, shame, guild, and sadness. The mind is never at peace due to these painful feelings. Good thing, our mind tends to strive to achieve the equilibrium or balance. We are made to seek for the ultimate goal which is bliss.

This natural inclination to find freedom from chaos can be of advantage. However, if a person pursues the wrong choice, problems may pile up. There are people who perceives that bliss is what they feel when they gamble, or when they drink alcohol. Temporary happiness can be experienced but inner peace can not take place. To be able to achieve this inner peace, there are two actions you have to do. First, determine the inner child within you. Second, liberate the mind from the abuse, and love it unconditionally.

The key to serenity is loving yourself. To love oneself should be done consciously and on your own. The inner child within you should not tell you how. It should not dictate you. Find some inspiration from the environment around you. If you feel that you find peace with nature, then have a stroll in the park. If you feel tranquility in the company of your family, be it. Do things that could empower life. A healthy inner life will definitely show and translate to your environment. - 31877

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Secrets Of Telepathic Humans

By Jason D Stevens

Telepathy - When we call a person telepathic' what do we really mean? And why do many people not think that telepathy even exists? Many people just dismiss the idea as a science fiction or even mysticism. However, everyday we live with lap tops, TV's and cell phones where information is retrieved from invisible radio waves in the air. People travel daily in jets regularly and anyone can command a glowing fire from a cigarette lighter.

Advanced technology and magic to a primitive culture are said to be indistinguishable from one another. Technology and science have been used to learn about the world around us. And things we have accomplished in recent history was called impossible in the early'00s. Flights to the moon, moon walks by astronauts and exploration of the oceans which were too deep to be explored before. The use of natural energy from the sun, wind and water to produce energy, has been accomplished with technology which has only been around a short time.

Is it really too much to believe in the possibility of a telepathic individual? Surely it is possible for someone to simply develop mental properties which others don't have, even if we don't understand how they do it.

Investigation, by scientists, of people who are telepathic, is called parapsychology or paraphysics. Even those who investigate this use scientific methods and experiments to get answers to questions on telepathy regardless of what the answer may be or whether its the answer they are looking for.

Some experiments on people with Telepathic powers have produced tantalizing results. In order to consider something scientifically provable, however, the test results must be measurable, consistent, and repeatable. This is where the scientific investigation of telepathy falls short. The test results are inconsistent and can't always be duplicated. Some say this proves people can't really be Telepathic. Others say this only proves that we don't understand how it works yet, and haven't developed the proper tests to measure it.

But how could humans really be Telepathic? How can people communicate without the use of their five senses, using only thought alone? The obvious answer is through some means that we can't hear, see, smell, taste, or touch, but that exists nonetheless. On the one hand, humans can already do this artificially using communication technology. Radio waves can't be observed with our five senses, but they definitely exist.

Many scientists are now investigating the concept of 'thought waves'? These are possibly electrical or magnetic fields generated by the brain and these have been scientifically proven to exist. Explaining this in terms for the average person might be a little difficult, but stay with us.

Scientifically, human thought is just a biochemical process of neurons being transferred between different synapses in the brain. However, this transfer of neurons creates an electrical current. Tiny, sure, but measurable. This electrical current also generates a tiny magnetic field. Keep in mind the brain has tens of thousands of synapses firing at any one time.

Can humans use these bio-magnetic and bio-electric fields to communicate? Are the magnetic and electrical waves carrying content or is it meaningless static? Can mental training control brain waves? Meditation, controlled thoughts, can these techniques possibly be used in shaping brain waves, like these, into significant communication?

With the magnetic or electrical fields there are problems and these fields can easily be drowned out by the technology of everyday items like televisions, microwaves, refrigerators, stereos produce much bigger electrical and magnetic fields.

There are, however, problems with the electrical and magnetic fields. Unfortunately these fields can be overpowered by everyday technology. For example the microwave, television, refrigerator. These everyday items produce much larger magnetic fields and electrical fields. Is it possible to reach the brains magnetic and electrical fields during an emotionally heightened state, fear, pain or shock? During these emotionally charged times, in the brain, a spiking of bio-magnetic and bio-electric activity is created by neuron synapses firing.

Parapsychology researchers documented brief periods of Telepathic communication. Instances such as a parent (usually a mother) when her child has been hurt when miles from each other. Is there a connection between the spiking of such brain activity and communication telepathically? Do two individuals, related to each other, play a part in telepathy? Or coincidence?

There is too little scientific evidence to prove telepathy exists and there is still doubt. This is changing and there are more and more studies being conducted by scientists to show there are telepathic humans. With proper instruction and guidance this gift can be developed among the human population. - 31877

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Secrets Of Happiness And Law Of Attraction

By Simon Ward

Happiness and Law of Attraction in fact have a strong correlation with each other. If you haven't heard of the Law of Attraction, no problem. It's very easy to understand, actually. It's quite similar to positive thinking, and basically embodies the idea that if you want a positive life, your thoughts must be positive, too. In turn, this can attract all things related to happiness and wealth into your life.

The Law of Attraction isn't a new concept and in fact has been around for a long, long time. It really works. When you think positive thoughts, the Law of Attraction isn't far behind. Think about this for a minute. Do you know someone who seems to 'have it all,' and is relaxed, carefree, and comfortable in his or her own skin? That's because they live by the adage that positive thoughts mean positive things. In other words, if you think negative thoughts, that's what you're going to attract. If you think positive thoughts, that's also what you're going to attract.

Your thoughts are comprised of energy, which, by the way, is also what you're made of. Your positive thoughts mean that you, too, are comprised of positive energy. When you are full of positive energy it is easy for abundance to come into your life.

The Law of Attraction and happiness work together. So even though it might seem difficult, start to tell yourself that you are wonderful, great, beautiful, wealthy, and so on. Even if you don't feel like it, do it all day long. These types of positive affirmations can really help you deal with the current vagaries of life and get through them successfully.

So for example, you might say, 'I am confident and beautiful,' 'I love people and they love me,' 'My choices are unlimited, and opportunities abound everywhere,' and so on. Choose a few affirmations that encapsulate what you want to be, and say them throughout the day, every day.

You should especially use the affirmation and law of attraction tactics when you don't feel like it. Make it a point to say something positive each and every time you become frustrated, discouraged, angry, and sad. You need to flush out all of your previous negative beliefs and ways of thinking if you want to live a fulfilling life.

In fact, your mind is the only thing stopping you from having whatever you want. Do you think you can't have abundance and happiness? Why not? Other people have it, right? If they have it, you can, too. Get off the 'negative,' and begin to dwell on the 'positive.'

In addition, learn to 'go with the flow.' That's important because positive energy flows, and if you know this, it will flow in your life in one way or another.

Once you begin to realize that the Law of Attraction and happiness are so interrelated, you'll also see that things will begin to come together in your life.

If you're feeling sad or depressed, that negativity will drive happiness away from you. And, if you dwell on it, you may end up wallowing in it by watching a depressing movie, hanging out with negative friends, and so on. If you stay in this state long enough, you're going to build your life around negative circumstances without even realizing you're doing so.

However, you can turn things around, too. Positive affirmation and techniques based upon the Law of Attraction can help you do this. And don't give up! Continue to say to yourself that you are and can become a happy person, and just watch the opportunities come your way! - 31877

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Home Theater Installation And First Rate Speakers

By Owen Jones

Home theaters are very popular in the West now for many reasons, but partly due to the slump. However, I predict that after the downturn is over, home theaters will take off like a rocket. In my opinion, this is because, the slump has forced people to scrutinize their spending, which usually means cutting back. Going out, eating out and movies are all in the front line of these cuts. However, the slump is upsetting and people have to get some pleasure from somewhere.

In the medium to long term, it is cheaper to build a home theater for a family than take them to a proper movie theater every week. Taking a family of four to the movies costs $50-$100, whereas a decent home theater might cost $1,000. It does not take long to recoup those costs. And it saves you the hassle of travelling there and back, the din and mobile phones during the film and high prices for candy and snacks.

OK, maybe people at the moment are buying cheap packages of home theaters, but one of the first things they will replace when they get a bit of money again will be the speakers, I bet. Evidently, you need a good quality, large screen, but after that, it is the sound and the bulwark to good sound is usually poor speakers.

The most important consideration in the design of your home theater is the dimensions of your room. If the room is small, you will not require so many speakers. Perhaps three speakers will be enough, if the room is small. However, if you only need three speakers and a sub-woofer, get good ones.

If you have a bigger room however, the basic three home theater speakers may not be enough. You may need to put up to six speakers and a sub-woofer around the room. The position of these speakers is up to you and can depend on the shape or and size of the room anyway, but typical layouts are:

3.1 system: one speaker to the left of the screen, one to the right and one below it. You can put the sub-woofer on top of the central speaker or at the back of the room. Try it and see.

5.1 system: as 3.1, but with two speakers at the back of the room too.

6.1 system: as 5.1, but with another speaker between the rear speakers, as in the front.

7.1 system: as 6.1, but with two speakers central rear, slightly away from each other. You can move the existing rear speakers a little to the sides too.

This set-up requires a lot of wires as you can envisage. Now, you could staple the wires to the skirting board, but you should only do that after you are dead sure that you have the speakers in the right positions. Or you could hang the speakers on the walls. However, although that sounds good for music, it does not always sound all right for a movie.

The best option is wireless speakers. Wireless speakers can be moved around to suit the number of people watching the film or moved out for cleaning or redecorating purposes. You do not want to bash your nice, new, expensive speakers with the vacuum cleaner, do you? - 31877

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Going On A Romantic Cruise In Paris

By Owen Jones

If you are feeling romantic and you want to be alone with your loved one in a romantic place far from humdrum distractions, why not go to Paris and take a cruise? The cruise ships are gorgeous and offer haute cuisine with fine wines and a wide range of dishes. Service on board is superb and if they know that it is a special trip for you, they will go out of their way to make it even more special.

Just by selecting the city of Paris as your venue, you will be conveying the idea of romance, because as everyone knows, Paris has the reputation of being the capital of the world of romance.

So, how do you go about booking one of these cruises? Well, clearly, first of all, you have to be in Paris. This is not a difficulty, if you live in Europe as there are flights and sleeper trains. If you are American, you will have to take the longer-term view and start saving for next year.

Once in your hotel in Paris, you can either ask reception for details or go to one of the many Tourist Information Centres, where everyone speaks English. The cruise line staff will pick you up from your hotel on the appointed day, so that you will not have the hassle of having to find your way through a strange, busy city on your own.

Once on board, the pampering begins with your welcoming on board and a free drink to light the fires of romance. You will enjoy four or more hours of this, depending on which cruise you opt for, but they are all wonderfully romantic voyages aboard beautiful cruise liners.

Generally speaking, the cruise will start on the left bank of the river Seine, usually in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower. Some of these boats are made of a kind of perspex, so that your view of the streets and monuments is unimpeded. And of course, all the sights are lit up at night and in quite a spectacular manner too. You will also be able to gaze downwards into the water itself.

As you cruise on this glass boat you will be entertained by some of the finest musicians that Paris can offer you. Solo instrumentalists; quartets; classical music; solo artiste singers or a duet. There are also cruises with more modern music as well, but I don't find them as romantic as the more traditional stuff. However, you can take all these particulars into account when you book your romantic cruise in Paris.

You will not only pass by celebrated landmarks, you will also pass very close by them and even underneath them. Famous bridges; Notre Dame; the Louvre, and many more. Not only that, but you will see all these incredible historical monuments while being pampered by the best hosts that Paris has to offer and drinking fine wines and champagne, seated at the bow of the cruiser in luxury.

Once your romantic cruise and your meal are over, you will be taken to a lavish show on the Champs Elysees, where you will be provided with a half bottle of champagne on entry. There is no need to worry about driving, so let your hair down and enjoy yourselves.

When you have had enough of the high life, you will be taken back to your hotel, in the same manner that you were picked up. However, there are other options too. You may want to go back to the hotel on a romantic horse and carriage, it will sustain that romantic mood.

Once you get back to your hotel, why not both get in the bath together? Light a few fragrant candles, open another bottle of wine and play some soft music. It will be an evening you will both remember for the rest of your lives, I promise you. - 31877

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Effective HappinessInducing Ideas

By Aaron Harden

They say that the secret of life is to be happy. Many people believe that this is more important than anything else. What you accomplish, how you live, and anything else mean virtually nothing if you're not happy with it.

However you live your life, what's important is that you feel good about it and stay that way. This may sound impossible to achieve, but I have three pieces of advice I'd like to share with you to help you on your way.

The first recommendation is to get into a regular exercise routine. Some of us shy away from exercise because it seems like too much effort, but it's actually the quickest route to feeling happy.

Exercise causes the release of chemically induced hormones, known as endorphins, into the body. These have the effect of making you feel good. So, exercise regularly and you will maintain your happiness.

Another thing that you should do is to find a hobby that you enjoy. No matter what it may be, studies show that when we're occupied with hobbies, our minds are stimulated and we're in good spirits.

Severely depressed people have been known to feel better during time spent on their hobbies. These occasions give them a complete break from the outside world and the anxiety it entails.

The last thing that I'd suggest tweaking is your diet. They say that you are what you eat, and there are certain foods that simply lead to diminished spirits. Foods high in sugar are most responsible for these feelings, and you should definitely try to avoid as many of these foods as you can.

On the other hand, eating more unrefined foods such as fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals will boost your organism with vital nutrients that make you feel good. Why not test the theory out for the next few weeks? If you're prepared to put in the effort, I'm sure you'll see the benefits. - 31877

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Steps On How To Successfully Give

By Masami Sato

A new development is revolutionizing many lives in the hamlets of India by bringing brightness where there used to be blackness.

The New York Times published an article titled, "Husk Power for India". Electricity, which is prevalent in the lives of many in developed nations, is a pure luxury in remote areas of developing ones. What was once fed to animals now is used to generate electricity - rice husks.

Raised in the rural state of Bihar, Manoj Sinha understood what it was like to sit in darkness. Being an engineer with Intel Corporation he had all the ability to bring alive the dream of a lifetime. He led the advancement of his power equipment that produces electricity from rice husks and other farm wastes and now he trades it to hamlets across India.

Sinha is what could be called a reformative businessman because he feels business is the answer to major social problems. "Business leaders must realise that the world's poor need investments more than handouts," he says, adding, "these are customers, not victims."

The article motivated me to think about offering things in a different way that made me ask myself, "what is the most perfect form of giving?" Is it edification, commerce or disaster aid? There are so many ways to create a difference. One way of giving can seem more productive or practical than other ways depending on the way it is given expression, viewed or put into practice.

I then came to delineate there were eight segments to giving as a way to see this. So, let me chart out the eight differences; which in effect are often 'stages' of giving as well.

Phase one: Exigency - salvaging and helping others who are suffering due to natural calamities, epidemic diseases or other insurmountable problems.

Phase two: Respite - providing respite from enduring need, poverty, ill-health, disadvantages or prejudice which otherwise would continue or deteriorate because of the lack of awareness, training or resources.

Stage three: Healing and protection - mentally, physically and emotionally. Many people carry traumas that may be invisible but severely limiting their lives. Giving the healing to release the deep-rooted pain creates more opportunities for them while giving suitable protection gives them a sense of security.

Stage four: Education - giving better education, information and skill training to create empowered and creative solutions to resource generation while supporting individuals to discover their unique talent to thrive.

Stage five: Creative investment - lending a hand, money or resources to those who have great potential to make a difference. This gets leveraged many times as the resources increase and passed on to many others who again make more out of the opportunities given.

Stage six: Tenability - working together with the people in the local surroundings, creating tenable groups - ambiance-wise and reciprocally.

Phase seven: Empowerment - enabling and motivating the people to release their true ability and power to make a change. In this group of sharing, the aim of giving changes from 'giving to the people who want' to 'giving people a chance to give to others' and to the society.

Stage eight: Cherishing - just doing whatever we like to do to tend and care for others. No approach or expected upshot exists in this stage of offering. 'Giving' does not even exist here in the physical sense of the word, as there is no sense of owning or decision or craving to modify things. This is where we do not even have to consider anything, we give out of a sense of our own fulfilling sensations.

What we also see is that at each of these eight phases of sharing there are many things that the giver gets in return.

One: Sense of connection

Two: Sense of well being

Three: reprieve from ache (our own)

Four: Gratification for our own understanding, talents and situations

Five: Long-term sense of commitment and contentment for our own life

Six: Improved environment for our own life and for the lives for all those we love and care for

Seven: Soul fulfilling inspiration and dedication to our own purpose

Eight: Care

Sharing has many stages and sensations based upon the donor and getter. And the 'phases' do not detail which one is of more importance than the other. All are mandatory.

I was fortunate to have an experience early in 2008 while travelling with a group of dedicated businessmen through India to see how we could be more useful in our giving. I was blessed to have one exceptional happening that made me think about what 'effectual giving' actually meant.

We were in a small town one day. Four of us had just called a taxi to take us to another town in the vicinities. We bargained with the driver with care as our hotel staff had told us beforehand that we could be duped since we were not local.

We stopped in front of the local train station for a short break on the way. While the others disappeared off to use the bathroom, I started a conversation with our taxi driver standing next to the taxi. With very limited English and a full smile exposing his blackened front teeth, he told me that he had a house on the outskirts of the town and he had a young wife and two children who went to the local school - I started to feel connected to him.

I congratulated him on having such a loving family and told him that I also had two children similar ages to his. When the others returned he spontaneously invited us to come to his house for lunch. I thought it was just a friendly courtesy he wanted to show at first. However, after dropping us off in the town centre, he insisted that he would wait for us until we finished our exploration in town. And he did. I was actually quite surprised to see him still waiting at the side of the road standing next to his taxi more than hour later. We jumped back into the taxi and he zoomed off up the road to where his family lived.

When we reached there we were really quite taken aback to see how he was living. It was more or less similar (if not worse) to the standard of people dwelling in slums we had visited before. From the gleaming new taxi he was driving, who could have thought this

As he reached the narrow open street in between shanties that were made with rough concrete blocks and mud walls, we felt guilty about accepting his invitation. For a brief moment I was nonplussed. "How could I accept the hospitality of this man who didn't seem to have anything at all and I didn't even bring any gift that could be a help to his family", I told myself.

As we walked into his house, we saw a pan and small stove on the mud floor. His very shy wife nodded blushing in surprise and disappeared into the small storeroom (a cupboard size) next to it. As I looked in, I saw the next-door neighbours handing over some teacups to his wife over the crumbled concrete fence. They didn't even have extra teacups in their house. There was only one small room fitted out with one single bed and an old galvanised chest next to it.

The cab driver swiftly took out three hand-woven rugs from the galvanised box and placed it neatly on the small space of the mud floor keeping one on the bed.

Steaming cups of tea and hot snacks arrived soon. Both his kids as well as kids from the neighbouring houses came to see us and remained at the doorway. The six of us could just squeeze into the tiny room. I was curious to know where his children were sleeping. I thought maybe they had another space somewhere. To my astonishment, he just pointed at the chest and said with his happy smile that it was their bed.

He happily told us that he was an amateur dancer in the town and showed us some plaques on the sill above the bed. Enthusiastic to show us his dancing proficiency, he ran outside all at once. From somewhere music came flowing into the tiny room. He had no apparatus for music within the house, it was coming from outside. Surprised, I looked around to see him reversing his vehicle towards the back of his house keeping the doors open with the radio of the car blaring forth!

With his dancing and the cups of tea his wife produced, time moved quickly and it was soon time to thank them for their wonderful hospitality and proceed on our way. As we got up to leave and give our thanks to him and his wife, he took the best of the rugs he had, rolled it and gave it to us. It was practically one of the handfuls of good things he had. It was difficult to comprehend the enormity of the gesture.

We all politely declined his gift and walked out saying goodbye to all the people waving at us. We got confused about this whole thing. Should we have given some money to the family as their life obviously looked very limited? Should we have accepted his prized gift?

As I was thinking about this awe-inspiring experience after a few days, I considered our begging off his gift. He looked crest-fallen that we didn't accept the gift. It wasn't only the rejecting of the gift that remained in my mind.

I realised that the sense of discomfort I felt was actually coming from perceiving him as less fortunate. I was thinking that I couldn't possibly take anything from someone who had so little.

But did he actually have modest means? Maybe he had other things - a lot more.

Maybe the perfect gift we could have given him then was to accept his gift in total surrender and gratefulness.

All acts of giving and receiving are necessary for us to fill our world with abundance and fulfillment equally for both giver and receiver. We can start doing this instead of judging and justifying one over another. The pure act of giving and receiving requires no further explanation.

Manoj Sinha's words resound in my mind once again, "these are customers, not victims." I can visualise the eager faces of the village people who are now thrilled to have current in their hamlets and their little ones who now can now read and write and learn even at night. - 31877

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Remote Viewing Secrets - How Anyone Can Learn How To Do It!

By Jilly McCann

Whether you realize it or not, everyone including you has a unique ability for remote viewing. Many individuals already know how to use this ability, while others do not. There are some unique remote viewing secrets that can aid you in developing your various abilities in this lifetime.

People who know how to use their natural remote viewing capabilities must first become better at it by taking time out each day to meditate. During meditation is when a person is able to make the best use of their abilities. To get started, locate an area inside of your home where you can focus, breathe, and relax.

To assist you to become a remote viewer, for this first exercise, you need to have someone you are close to sit in a different room. Ask them to make a few hand gestures for you within the next half hour or so. Instruct them to make the same gesture every few minutes or so.

While meditating you will focus on your friend. This remote viewing secret is helpful in various ways. Remember to find someone you are close too, since the closer you are, the easier this exercise will be.

While you are meditating, relaxing, and tapping into your subconscious mind, be sure to really let go. If you have any racing thoughts, just let them come as they will and release from your body as you are letting go of your tension. If you find it necessary, you may want to consider having some soft music playing in the background. Nature sounds, acoustic guitar, or some soft classical music should be all you need to really get into the mood of what you are doing.

Relax and breathe while focusing on the hand gestures your helper is making for you. As you focus simply trust that it will come to you, while you visualize them and their surroundings. When you are finished, call them and talk about the gestures they made while you meditated on them.

It is essential that you get rid of all distractions while using these remote viewing secrets. Put away all other noisy or visual distractions, turn off the television and unplug the telephone. Close your eyes and be one with your sense of inner peace.

It can be very distracting trying to meditate in a messy home. Clear away all the clutter from the area where you meditate, make it a clean and organized area. Use calm and soothing colors for decorating purposes and then light some incense and or candles to help you relax. You need to be able to relax and enjoy your mediation experience.

Although, many people may think they can just stop on a dime and begin to meditate this is not always true. You have to get into the habit of tapping into your subconscious mind when your are new to such experiences. The beginning is always hardest. However, in order to develop and reactivate your natural powers use these remote viewing secrets to help you give it your all.

You will not have to try to force anything while using these remote viewing secrets and techniques. While following these methods you are able to open the door to your subconscious mind and then incorporate what you learn into your everyday life. - 31877

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Get Toxicity Out of Your Life

By Iain Forrest

We all have toxic people in our lives.

These people just aren't good company. They bring us down with their complaining and negativity, or worse still their verbal or physical abuse.

Firstly you should never take the blame for how they feel or are acting. To do so takes away their responsibility and we are all responsible for our own actions and reactions to the events that happen around us.

You need to make sure that you do not get drawn down into their negative world. You must try to approach the situation with love and optimism. I know this can sometimes seem to be impossible, but it's what you must try to do.

If this is a familiar story to you, then sit down and read this short parable and take from it what you will.

Once there was a farmer who lived by himself out on a remote property. He lived a simple life filled with his daily tasks and was satisfied with his lot.

The farmer got all his water from a well near his house. One day when he pulled a bucket of water out of the well he noticed that it had gone putrid and knew that he couldn't drink the toxic water from the well.

After some consideration he came up with only two viable ways to proceed.

1) He could fill the well up with dirt and seal it off, then dig a new well in a different location. He understood that this would be a lot of hard work and it would be a pity to lose a well that he had put a lot of effort into making in the first place.

2) His other option was to go down to the river every day and bring up a bucket or two of pure water. He could then add this to the well and over time the water in the well would become diluted and be able to be drunk again. Again this would take a lot of hard work and dedication but would mean that he could keep the well that was close to his home.

The one thing he definitely knew was that no matter which option he chose he could NOT drink the water from the well.

Are there people in your life that are like the toxic water from the well? If so, if you drink their water and absorb their negativity you will make yourself sick and will be unable to focus on your goals and dreams. They will be literally killing the happiness in you.

You need to decide which option you will take.

You either close of the relationship, which might seem like a really hard thing to do. But if you don't think that there is any way to rectify the situation and bring the negative relationship back into a positive one, then this is what you must do.

Or you could bring a little pure water every day. You give a little happiness and positive energy into that person's life every time that you see them. You always give to them. Then with effort and over time that person's life will start to brighten and you will find your efforts rewarded with a bright new positive relationship.

Just remember that whatever you do.

YOU CAN'T DRINK THE WATER!

If you drink from their negativity you will become sick and drawn down into their world where you will become stuck and it will be much harder to get back into a position of happiness. - 31877

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Why Spiritual Gay Travel is Enjoyable

By Howie Holben

There seems to be the conception that gay spirituality travel (whatever that means to you) is "work". Nobody wants to work on a vacation. That's why we take a vacation in the first place, to get "away from it all" for awhile, to escape. We seem to frame the concepts of spiritual and personal growth with thoughts like: "I need to do this" or "I should do that" because "it would be good for me". With those ideas as a background, it's no wonder that so many of us think of spiritual and personal growth as "work". When we're on a vacation, we want to leave all the "need to's" and "should's" of daily life behind us, for at least a short time.

Spiritual gay travel is actually a great joy. You meet likeminded people and share your experiences with them and you get a chance to really get to know them. Connecting with others this deeply adds a great deal to our vacation enjoyment. It is this connection to other people that is so lacking in our lives.

Also, we have learned being "spiritual" requires acting seriously or even solemn. We seem to think that laughter is the antithesis of being spiritual. This couldn't be further from the truth. We connect more deeply to spirit when we laugh. After all, it is said that laughter is the best medicine.

When we are spiritually connected to the world around us, when we are conscious of our surroundings, our entire gay vacation experience is heightened. This heightened sense of awareness allows us to relax more, play more and get the most out of our vacation. Getting more out of our time away is very important.

Children are a great example. The world is their playground and everything is a wonder. Joy is found in everything for a child because it is all new and everything is to be played with. To see as though you were a child is a great gift.

Lastly, there is confusion around the experience of being awestruck. When on a spiritual gay travel adventure, there are times when we are touched deeply by something and we confuse this as being serious. We can be deeply touched by a person we meet or the majesty of the natural world. Being awestruck is not something that is not really a serious experience, but it can be humbling. - 31877

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Cleansing Our Chakras For Life Changing Results!

By Jane Wickham

With all of the environmental and physical factors we are exposed to regularly, it's important to take good care of your health; and spiritual health is a big part of this. Your chakras are no less susceptible to these factors than are any other parts of your body and your chakras can also be affected by spiritual and emotional events. This makes chakra cleansing a necessary part of maintaining your health through keeping mind, body and spirit in balance. Regular chakra cleansing keeps us healthy and ensures the proper flow of energy through our bodies.

Our mind, spirit and body all work together in harmony, so chakra cleansing is important to your health, just like regular exercise and eating right.

What follows is a list of some of the chakra cleansing techniques which have been shown to be effective and have been used for many centuries.

*Smudging: Smudging involves letting herbs smolder; their smoke can eliminate the negative energy which prevents the flow of energy through your chakras. White sage is one of the best ? burn some of this herb in a room after closing the doors and windows so that the smoke fills the room; you?ll need to be in the room for a few minutes to get the chakra cleansing benefits of smudging.

*Auric brushing: Crystals and gems can be used to heal and cleanse chakras, but should only be done by a trained professional as if not done the right way, this technique can cause damage.

*Diet and rest: A nutritionally balanced healthy diet that includes lots of water and fresh vegetable and fruit juices is important. You should also be sure to get enough sleep every night; these steps will keep your chakras in better shape, since your mental, spiritual and physical health are all dependent on each other.

*Regular exercise and proper breathing helps to keep your chakras working properly.

*Nature: Spending some time in nature can be an effective method of chakra cleansing. Get out into the countryside and observe the plants and animals even if you live in a city, you can do this at a park; the important thing is to make some time to experience the natural world.

*Color therapy: Each of your chakras has a corresponding color and can be stimulated and cleansed of negative energy by visualizing these colors or by looking at them.

*As Albert Ayler once said, 'Music is the healing force of the universe'. Music can help in chakra cleansing, activate your chakras and stimulate the endocrine system to function better.

*Keep your mind sharp: Try to keep learning new things and give your mind some exercise too! This keeps your chakras active as well and less prone to being blocked by negative energies.

*Meditation and reflection: Take a few minutes each day to think things over. Not only will you get perspective on the events of the day, you will also find this to be a good technique for chakra cleansing.

*Love yourself: Unless you are able to love yourself, you will not be able to accept love or love others. Love produces potent effects on your mind and spirit which affect your chakra health positively.

*Be attuned to your emotions. You need to acknowledge your emotions and be able to communicate them to others when needed. Repressing your emotions is not good for your mental or spiritual health and can cause blockages of negative energy in your chakras.

*Creativity: You need to make creativity a part of your life. Letting your creativity out will make you a happier person and allow for proper chakric function.

*Past lives: You need to be open to your past lives, especially to the opportunity to learn about yourself through them. The self awareness and sense of purpose this can give you will make all of your other chakra cleansing techniques more effective.

*Live as you wish others would live and be the change you want to see in the world: be honest, respectful and trustworthy.

*Prayer, like meditation can keep your chakras in balance and help you to maintain good health. Prayer quiets our minds and opens them.

All of these are effective methods of chakra cleansing and should be practiced in your daily life. Chakra cleansing may not happen instantly, but with regular practice of these techniques, you?ll be able to maintain proper energy flow and live a happier, healthier life. - 31877

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Is Astral Projection Something You Should Experiment With?

By Benjamin Parry

At one time or another most people have heard about doing astral projection. Maybe they have a friend that practices it, or watched some movie about it, or even read a book on the subject. Not all people clearly comprehend that you really can do astral projection and that in fact everyone can do it. You could have easily astral projected without knowing you were doing it at the time.

In order to determine if you have had an astral projection experience or to begin learning to astral project it is important to understand what astral projection is. Simply put astral projection is when your spirit body leaves your physical body. This is something that happens naturally at night when you are asleep, but it is possible for you to do it consciously and control the journey of your spirit body.

You can journey to any desired location when you astral project. You may even have done this as a child as you went to bed, as you grew into adulthood you just forgot how. No time or distance restrictions apply when astral projecting, which makes it possible to travel virtually anywhere. The astral body is what does the traveling when the person's physical body is sound asleep.

You may be asking at this point what is meant by the astral body? The meaning of the term astral body is the body's invisible duplicate, also called the ethereal body. It is where all of our wishes and feelings are stored in our body. I bet you are wondering how the astral body can leave and then also return to the physical body? There is this silver cord that connects the physical body with the astral body.

The astral body is immediately connected to the physical body upon entering it with this silver cord, this cord cannot ever be broken except through death. This cord actually protects the physical body from losing the astral body.

Are you trying to figure out where you go to when you do this astral projection? Well the astral body travels to what is called the astral plane, which turns out is the invisible duplicate of the Earth. This astral plane rapidly vibrates more than the physical Earth does and these particular vibrations go all the way to the Earth's core. There is another belief though that another dimension or alternate reality is the meaning of astral plane. One thing most agree about on this subject though is the fact that the astral plane is composed of several layers.

After learning this information, it is only natural to start to wonder if there are any dangers to astral project. The answer is not as simple as a straightforward yes or no. While astral projection is something that everyone is capable of doing and that the astral body is attached to the physical body by a tie that can only be broken by death there is still a need to remain conscience of what is going on while astral projecting and be in a state to maintain that frame of mind.

Astral projection while you're under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be somewhat risky. When youre not in total control of yourself, your astral body is limited to the lowest and most hazardous levels of the astral plane. If you're not careful, there is a danger of psychological harm.

It is vital that you understand where you desire going and exactly what you are participating in. You need to strive on doing astral projection using your conscious mind. Stay in total control as far as what task that the astral body is performing. Your thoughts and thinking processes are what keeps you in this kind of control.

When engaging in astral projection it is important to prepare properly. Once you know how to prepare, you will find that astral projection is a quick and easy process. The method of preparation varies depending on the professional consulted. However, there are a number of, at home, training programs that provide individuals with the opportunity to learn how to control the experience and ultimately obtain both more enjoyment and benefit from astral projecting.

The internet has a wealth of information on astral projection and there are a number of books, which describe a number of techniques that can be used in order to prepare the mind and body for astral projection. There are even recordings that use hypnosis to assist in astral projection. There is an advantage to these types of recordings. You can have them play on repeat giving people who may find it difficult to prepare the time necessary to reach the appropriate state of mind; this extra time might not be available if professional sessions are used.

Something called binaural beats, a new audio recording technique have made it possible for many people to astral project. Two frequencies which are just slightly different are listened to, one in each year. The result is that your brainwaves tune to the proper frequency for astral projecting.

You can expect the first few attempts to not be as successful as you would like them to be. Astral projection takes some practice to perfect it and get the results you want. Remember that you have the ability already, all of us have the ability to do astral projection, we have just over time forgotten the method and just need to tune our own natural ability to do it.

Do you still not totally believe this is for real? Well have you ever had dreams that you were flying or had the sensation of falling? The flying was your astral body actually traveling through the various astral planes. The sensation of falling is the astral body coming back to the physical body after it traveling around. Astral projection really exists! Take time to tune your natural abilities and you will see that anyone has the abilities to perform this and reap the benefits from it. - 31877

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Hypnosis - The Reality Behind All The Misconceptions

By Winnie Cox

Hypnosis and its derivative, hypnotherapy, have been the subject of a lot of misconceptions created by popular imagination. Some consider them to be occult whereas others discard them as pseudo science. Following are some of the popular myths about hypnosis and the reality behind them.

Hypnosis has no connection with any sort of mystical arts. Psychology and the other sciences have an important role to play in the hypnotic method, and it is very simple to imbibe and practice. Even people who have seen hypnosis on others usually refuse to acknowledge it. They believe that the people who have undergone hypnosis are mentally not strong enough to resist the impact of the practitioner. But this again is a complete fallacy. Hypnosis can in fact work on people who are mentally strong and are trying hard to block the spell.

That hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness is another myth that has been doing the rounds. A hypnotized individual is totally aware of his surroundings. Hypnosis actually induces a state of absolute calm characterized by a rise in levels of concentration, and this heightened awareness helps the subject to receive new inputs without difficulty.

Some scientists have found that hypnosis works on just 5% of the human population, and this is another prevalent myth. Researchers have hit upon this low result because they have used the same hypnosis procedure on all subjects without considering their individual natures. Hypnosis can't be straight jacketed like that and clicks only if there are different methodologies for different personality styles.

Meditation and hypnosis are often confused with each other. But while hypnosis is an interaction technique, meditation is all about a mental state and usually has nothing to do with communication. Trance too is not related to hypnosis at all. Trance is again a mental state devoid of any communication, while communication forms the very foundation of the hypnosis method.

Another myth is that physical and behavioural changes in an individual are not attainable through hypnosis training or hypnotherapy. Hypnosis obviously cannot attain something that is unnatural to the body. However, it can propel the body to a healthy shape through behavioural transformations like eating in a controlled manner, and giving up smoking and other addictive habits by ensuring a high level of inspiration in a person.

Experiencing hypnotherapy is a good way to lead a happy and fulfilling life, and therefore one should not pay attention to the misconceptions, and go for hypnotic sessions with an unbiased mind. - 31877

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Getting to Know the Rules of Chess

By David Artsmith

Slate and Artsmith

The Board

Chess is played on a chequered board containing 64 squares.

The squares of the board alternate in color and are termed light, and dark squares.

These squares are arranged into rows and columns.

Rows are called ranks and are numbered from 1 - 8

Columns are called files and are labeled from A - H

Pieces are set up in lines which are parallel to the files, and perpendicular to the ranks of the board.

The Pieces

Pieces are divided into two sets which are generally called white and black, despite what the colors of the pieces actually are. Each player starts with 16 pieces. Those pieces are...

1 King: Arguably the most important piece on the board, the point of the game is to try and capture your opponent's king. The king can move in any direction one space.

1 Queen: A powerful piece the queen can move in a straight line in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn't get in the way.

2 Bishops: The bishop can move diagonally in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn't get in the way,

2 Knights: A Knight can move two squares forward and one step to the right or left. This move can be done in any direction, as long as the same amount of distance is covered in the same way. The knight can also make his move over other pieces.

2 Rooks: The Rook can move in a straight line in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn't get in the way.

8 Pawns: Pawns are the backbone of a chess army. In general they can only move forward and can only move one space at a time. However, on their first move they can go forward two spaces. Also, the only way for a pawn to capture an enemy, is to move diagonally to take them. The board is positioned so that the closest square to each player on their far right is light colored.

The row closest to each player contains the non pawn pieces. If you are the white team, the pieces are set up from left to right as rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishops, knight, rook. If you are the black team the pieces are set up from left to right as rook, knight, bishop, king, queen, bishop, knight rook. The two armies should be mirror images of one another. Each queen should stand on a square of its own color.

Game Play

The player who is designated to be white makes the first move. Pieces are moved either to an unoccupied square or to a square with an opponent's piece on it. Each player can move one piece on each turn, and turns are alternated. When your piece moves onto an opponents piece, their piece is said to be captured, and is taken out of play.

En passant is a move done by two opposing pawns, in which one pawn can capture the other, under special conditions, without moving to his square. Casteling is a move in which both the king and the rook move during the same turn, to a predefined position, under special circumstances.

If during play a pawn reaches the other end of the board, they are promoted, and can be exchanged for an extra of any piece the player wants except the king. The object of the game is to capture your opponent's king.

When a player maneuvers their pieces such that on their next move they can capture the opponent's king, the opponent is said to be in check. When a player is in check, they have to move their pieces in such a way that they get out of check before the next move.

If it is not possible to move their pieces in such a way that they get out of check before the opponents next move, the player is said to be in checkmate, and loses. Not all games are ended by putting a player in checkmate. A player can resign, or if it seams impossible to achieve checkmate, a game may end in a draw. If it is a timed game a player can also lose by running out of time. - 31877

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Understanding What Dream Control Means

By David Heoung

For most people, dreams are mysterious 'mini movies' that play in their minds while they're sound asleep, seemingly without their control, with some being rather pleasant, and others, not so much. However, we now know that it is actually possible to make dream control a complete reality, bringing about what is known as lucid dreaming.

What exactly is lucid dreaming though? How can you start using dream control? Are there benefits associated with being able to sit in the directors chair for your dreams? In this article, well look at how dream control works and what it can do for you.

What Is Dream Control?

Dream control, or lucid dreaming is when you are completely aware that you are dreaming while you are doing so; and in control of the events which take place within your dream. Even while your body is sound asleep, your mind knows that you are dreaming and you are in the directors chair for the proceedings.

Dream control can be a great help to people who suffer from recurring nightmares. The simple, yet powerful technique of lucid dreaming can enable these people to get a full nights sleep.

Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming

Binaural audio is a very effective method of inducing lucid dreaming. Binaural audio consists of two slightly different frequencies simultaneously; this brings about the necessary state of relaxation and the synchronization of the brain waves needed for lucid dreaming to occur; namely, REM sleep.

Before the availability of binaural audio on CDs and DVD's, the methods of choice for bringing about lucid dreaming were meditation and self-hypnosis; these are effective methods, but it can take a long time for people to master these techniques to the extent necessary to have lucid dreaming experiences at will.

Besides these methods, there are many other techniques which have been employed by experts in the field. Regardless of how one trains their mind to start using dream control, the idea in every case is to let the dreamer come to the awareness that they are dreaming and start to take control of their dreams.

This kind of metal training begins, of course while we are still fully awake. The aim is to give yourself a cue; either an action or a word which when performed in your dream, will serve as your signal that you are dreaming; which lets you start exerting dream control.

It's often a simple matter of telling yourself, just before going to sleep, that you will be dreaming soon and in that dream you will remember to do or say something specific, and when that happens, you will instantly realize that it is a dream.

This particular method to dream control is referred to as MILD, or mnemonic induction of lucid dreams, which was discovered by scientist Dr. Stephen LaBerge. With this approach, your brain is then in complete control as to what occurs in the dream, meaning that nothing could or would come of harm to you as it's simply all in the mind and you are only limited by your own imagination.

Another means of achieving lucid dreaming is by keeping a dream diary or journal, using a small notebook and pen kept by your bedside to write down everything you can remember in the minutes after waking up. After doing this for a few nights, you'll start to notice being able to remember what you've written and have a similar dream in which you can then begin to control what happens.

Tame monsters in your nightmares, 'visit' any location you wish, explore imagined worlds that you envision within your own mind, speak to anyone you like, and basically be free of all worldly constraints and limits. With dream control, all of this is possible, in essence, giving us the power to be the ruler of our own nightly fantasy worlds where we are in complete control of everything that transpires.

The experts say do that there is, however, one potential drawback to lucid dreaming, as much like anything in life, too much of a good thing can actually have the opposite effect. The main reason for this being that one of the most valuable aspects of dreaming 'naturally' is that it often tell us important things about ourselves that otherwise would have remained hidden forever. So enjoy dreaming lucidly. It really is an amazing experience, but remember to give yourself a few nights off! - 31877

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