Finite and Infinite Games
This is the title of a fabulous little book by James P. Carse, written almost 20 years ago, that I just found again in my basement. I can still remember the excitement I felt reading it for the first time in my early 20’s. What a vision of possibility it opened. What an playful invitation! “A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility.” I highly recommend it. It is not a long book. It does demands a certain kind of attention, but it also leads you along playfully. James Carse constructs a logical argument/discussion that at...
read moreImagination, part 2
For this next post about imagination (there will be many), I am going to depart from the area of health and healing to look at some of the other powers of our imagination. It has been accepted for some time now that creative visualization and mental rehearsal are powerful boosters of performance – in the arts, in sports, in occupational learning and even in social relationships. To be a top athlete now it is basically an imperative that you engage the use of your imagination to excel in your sport. You may have already heard about an...
read moreImagination, part 1
One of the most powerful tools we have for personal growth and healing is our imagination. We all know that imagination can be a form of play and fun, and that it also spurs the creation of art, entertainment, inventions and new ideas. These are all grand uses of imagination, and have many life affirming aspects in their own right. For the purpose of this discussion, however, I will focus on how imagination can be used specifically for physical and emotional healing, to bolster self-confidence, to manifest needs or desires, to ease stress,...
read moreTreat your bugs right!
There was a great article in the New York Times today titled, The Fat Drug. In it Pagan Kennedy discusses the effects of antibiotic use on livestock and on humans. It seems that the use of antibiotics may be a major contributor to weight gain and our obesity epidemic. And the reason may be that these medications kill the good bacteria that live within us. It has long been known, and touted by many in the agricultural industry, that antibiotics (as well as byproducts of antibiotic production) increase weight gain in farm animals without...
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