"Plotinus and the Gnostics"

Here is quote from a scholarly source I found on JSTOR on Plotinus and Gnosticism with two footnotes:

In Plotinus' system too identification with the One is the ultimate goal of human endeavor. The self in its upward flight does not stop at the level of nous in a mere contemplation of the highest existence-as do the redeemed in Christianity. Plotinus too holds something like the Gnostic notion of the divine spark when he says, in more Aristotelian language, that ascent to and union with the One means the reawakening of the psyche's potentialities? [21] or when he declares that the supreme part of the psyche is forever united with the One.[22]

21 Enn. VT ix 11, IV viii 1.

22 Enn. I1 ix 2

Citation: Katz, Joseph. “Plotinus and the Gnostics” (Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 15, No. 2. Apr., 1954) pp. 289-298.

Spice Girls -- Move Over

Here is a TV commercial me and my little brothers loved when we were kids:

Motherboard information

These commands will print detailed specifications of my mobo in linux:

dmidecode
lshw
lspci
lshal
lsusb
dmesg

enouf in ##linux just suggested:

if you want something pretty you can print, do as root; lshw -html > ~/lshw-output.html then go view it, print it ;-)

I entered the command but the output won't parse in the blogspot filter. I'll try a real converter later. Maybe I'll e-mail Brainyron.

Special thanks goes out to enouf!

Amy Walker

Here is an actress named Amy Walker who can do 21 different English accents:
Chick Does 21 Different Accents - Watch more free videos

I don't know what it is about her, but I think Amy Walker is smoking hot. Here is Amy Walker's website which shows off her portfolio and resume.

The New Era of Attraction

There will new a mew magazine called "Succeed" featuring Bob Procter. It looks like he will be coaching leaders of the environmental movement, just as I hoped!

The guru of The Law of Attraction, Bob Proctor, believes our leaders are missing the point when it comes to climate change and other problems facing the world's six billion-plus inhabitants.

"The current problems we have in the world are the results of ignorance; we need to elevate our awareness so that change comes for the better. Increase our awareness and things will change," says Proctor.

Proctor says the law of attraction is always working – always – so what mankind is experiencing is the result of what mankind attracts to it and at the moment it's ignorance. "Leaders are like most people – they may be brilliant in one area but ignorant in another. Just because they are a leader doesn't mean they know anything," says Proctor.

"Look at the history of global warming – global warming has been around for decades and some
people such as Al Gore (former US Presidential contender) were warning us about it 10 years ago
and only now are people starting to listen and
respect him.

Proctor says whenever someone or something new comes along it is standard human behaviour to mock – new technology, new music, new thinking are challenges to our accepted sense of how we are, so in many cases it's easier to be ignorant rather than embrace new thinking, or at least consider it. "If someone is enlightened in a certain area we tend to laugh at them because we don't understand them.
At the moment our awareness as a race of people is
in the wrong place," says Proctor.

Bob Proctor has been teaching these messages for more than 30 years. He has built a multi-million dollar business spanning the globe based around the principals of the psychology of wealth creation and happiness.

The Law of Attraction features strongly in his teachings because he believes that people attract to them the things and relationships they are most aware of. We don't need a great education or genetic makeup to succeed.

This Law works in strange ways, for example, if a person is worried about debt it is most likely that their awareness is constantly on debt and thereby creating negative emotions and propelling the person into more debt. What they are really saying is 'give me more debt'.

The solution here is for the person to change their awareness to wealth and abundance and not just be a little aware – they need to believe, ask and be prepared to receive. They also need to take action because "nature hates a vacuum."

Proctor believes in paradigms. We are all programmed or conditioned from a very early age to believe in and expect the things and outcomes that we do. This is a limiting set of beliefs that inhibits creativity and act as a self-imposed prison to a person's potential and capacity in all areas of life.

"Some people lack the awareness to create or be happy and are controlled by what is going on around them and this starts in school," says Proctor.

"The report card controls what we think – it tells us if we are a good or bad person but what it really tells us is what we were like for a brief period of time several weeks before.

"People are learning and a global shift is happening. The Secret is impacting upon the entire world and
the fact that is has such an impact is a symptom that the world was ready for this type of information,"
he concludes.

Bob Proctor's paradigm
No more effort or energy is required in order to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty. The difference between the two lies in your level of awareness.

The information I'm about to share with you is extremely powerful and, in many cases, could set you free from the constraints that keep you from realising your full potential, and freedom to all of the good you desire.

Yet you cannot be free until you know exactly what it is that governs, shapes, and directs your behaviour and ultimately, your results. If you're not careful, your thinking and results can be controlled by your paradigms.

Paradigms are your mindsets. They are your ideas; the little habits that your brain has developed over the years. The 'operating system' on which your mental processes run.

Your paradigms create the prism through which most people view and make sense of the world around them. Information is presented to your mind in one-way or another. Your mind runs through all of the things it already knows about that piece of information and figures out where it fits in with the bigger picture. Your mind then makes a determination whether the information is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, possible or not — all of which can be influenced by your existing paradigms.
Like most things, paradigms in and of themselves are neutral. If your paradigms are positive, you will have a happy, growth-oriented life, a healthy self-image, and the ability to adapt successfully to changes, upsets and unforeseen events.

Conversely, negative, limiting paradigms can keep you stuck in old ways of thinking that can be very limiting. Negative paradigms keep you as imprisoned as do a cell and a set of iron bars. Maybe even more so, since it imprisons you in the place where all true freedom resides: the mind. It follows, then, that if you want to create change in your life and start getting new and different results—you have to change your paradigms.

How do you go about that?
Step One: Write down one thing -- that goal, dream, challenge that you have not yet resolved in your life. The subconscious mind thrives on detail, so describe it to yourself as vividly as you can.

Step Two: Write down every association that you connect to this thing: everything you think about it, good and bad, everything that the thought of it brings to your mind. One approach I have found extremely effective is to 'map' it in much the same way writers come up with plot concepts.

Draw a circle around the words or sentence you came up with in Step One. Then, in the space around that circle, write down your associations as they come to you, encircling each one and connecting it with a line to the original encircled goal. When you feel like you've come up with a substantial number of associations, take a good look at what your mind has shown you.

Step Three: It's time to address your paradigms and ask 'why?' I suggest that you zero in on a few of the most powerful paradigms, the ones that have the biggest negative impact.

Ask yourself, "Why do I think this? Where does it come from? Where did I get such an idea?" Keep on digging until you've exhausted every possible scenario. And finally, now that you know what your paradigm is on any given topic, create an affirmation that will assist you in re-programming your mind, something that is the opposite of your paradigm.

For example, if your paradigm is you'll never earn a lot of money, your affirmation might be: I am so happy and grateful now that money comes to me on a continual basis through multiple sources of income. I am a magnet to money; I now have all that I want.

Write your affirmation on a 3x5 card and repeat it daily, as many times as possible. In time, you'll begin to notice yourself thinking and acting in a different way. And, just when you think you've got it, it will be time to work on another paradigm!

Timing is
Everything

When coaching teams and individuals I'm often asked 'Why do some people achieve so much while I struggle just to get by?' The latest psychological research into personal productivity and time management shows that the mindsets we apply can pay big dividends in how much we accomplish. In fact, they are far more important than the number of hours we invest in any given task.

Here are 7 Taylor-Made Champion Mindsets that will help you increase personal effectiveness in your personal and professional life. The more mindsets you adopt, the more automatic and effortless time management will become for you.

1. The 'GO FOR IT' MINDSET!
In your job, do you consciously seek ways to challenge yourself and stretch your skills? If you're a terrific time manager, you probably answered 'yes'. Working
at your 'cutting edge' and finding ways to extend yourself increases productivity and willingness to manage time effectively. (It increases your value in
the job market, too!)

2. The 'WANT TO' not 'HAVE TO' MINDSET!
Do you tackle tasks at work because you want to or because you have to? Most people agree that approaching something from a 'have to' point of view results in an unwilling attitude, lack of satisfaction and a mediocre outcome. It also leads to procrastination and poor time management.

3. The 'CAN DO' MINDSET!
Do you expect the best of yourself, for yourself, and from everyone around you? Unless you believe you have what it takes, you'll never improve time management or achieve the things you want to achieve. Set high standards; 'expect the best' is a good motto to adopt.
4. The 'PRESENT' MINDSET!
Do you ever feel in a rut with your job; that it's just the same old thing, day after day? 'We've always done it this way' thinking leads us to just go through the motions in a rigid and automatic way. And it's very easy to burn out when we face the same old problems without solutions.

Terrific time managers don't get into ruts. That's because they're mindful that there can be multiple solutions to almost anything. They keep thoughts, words, deeds and mental pictures sharply focused on what they intend to achieve. This prevents burnout and leads to better time management. Keep looking for better, easier, more efficient ways to achieve results. Ask yourself 'How can I streamline this? How can I add more value'?

5. The 'WELLNESS' MINDSET!
If we feel energetic, we're more likely to have a go at tasks that, if we're tired, might overwhelm us. This is important, because it's not the tasks we've completed that make us tired or wake us up at 2 am; it's worrying about the tasks we haven't done!
Exercise boosts stamina, strength and suppleness, and reduces stress. It also increases self-confidence and self-esteem, improves your mood and, as a result, you can achieve more. Experiment to find the level of exercise that makes you feel physically and psychologically 'raring to go'. This is the 'WELLNESS' mindset.

6. The 'GOAL GETTER' MINDSET!
Do you routinely establish both long- and short-term goals for your business? Do you have a business plan? Study after study has found that goal setting – more than any other technique (including pay rises!) – increases productivity in terms of both quality and quantity. Setting explicit, worthwhile goals can help you accomplish anything. Short-term goals make long-term goals seem more realistic and achievable. They're also easier to meet, so start by breaking your large, long-term goals into weekly and daily goals. Create daily or weekly 'To Do' lists and use them as a guide to manage your time.

7. The 'TAKE RESPONSIBILITY' MINDSET!
Who's driving your bus? Are you calling the shots? Poor time managers are often obsessed with being busy. But if this is unfocused it can lead to poor goal achievement and low productivity. Don't let your environment or other people dictate your activities.
It's a recipe for stress. Know your priorities – anything that moves you closer to your goals – and work to them. The more you control your environment, the more you'll achieve.