Bird watching is a fun and relaxing experience that can take you to different places and allow you to get a glimpse at the survival techniques that different birds utilize for nesting and raising their young, socializing and finding food, or singing to attract friends and mates. Ways to get the most out of your bird watching experience involve knowing what gear to bring, times of day that birds are most active, and knowing tips for identifying the birds and still have a comfortable and enjoyable time.

Beginning Bird Watching:

For beginners, consider teaming up with professional bird watchers. There are groups you can join, such as the Audubon Society or American Birdwatching Association. Not only do they offer magazines, articles and books, but they also have a list of birds you can look for. Sometimes, they have field trips you can go on to get some experience in bird watching.

When and Where To See Birds:

You can see birds at different times of the day, but certain birds have times they are more active. For example, songbirds start singing and eating two to three hours before sunset. Right after the sunrise, eagles and hawks get active because they soar in the warmer, thermal air currents. Owls are more active at night when they are looking for food with their night vision, and shorebirds feed after high tide.

Watching Birds At Feeding Time:

You can offer bird seed, water and shelter for birds in your backyard or garden and attract birds to watch. You can also find them in their natural habitat, eating the foods they would normally eat. Songbirds like seed and many bird types like niger, millet and sunflower seeds. Peanut butter attracts a lot of birds like cardinals, woodpeckers and nuthatches, although they also like suet. Hummingbirds are especially drawn to red and like sugar water in feeders. Though it is not healthy for hummingbirds, some people add a small amount of red food coloring to the sugar water. Birdbaths offer birds a place to drink water and to cool off during the summer.

Looking For Breeding Birds:

Unlike humans, birds breed according to specific seasons. Additionally, some migrate before having their young. The majority of birds breed in the spring and summer so that the babies are ready for fall migration. In the fall, some birds are more difficult to identify as some get heavier feathering and duller colors for migration.

Spotting and Identifying Birds:

Birds are easily alarmed, so you need to move stealthily. To help you identify a bird, you will want to pay attention to certain hints such as: its habitat, plumage and color, behavior, silhouette and the songs or calls it makes. Also, looking at the beaks can give you a clue and watching what they are doing with it. Woodpeckers have rigid beaks for chipping wood, while hawks, eagles and owls have sharply hooked beaks for tearing up prey. Most backyard birds like cardinals, finches and sparrows have conical beaks while shorebirds have long, slender bills for digging in the sand and prying open shells.

Bird Watching Gear To Bring and Wear:

Of course, binoculars, cameras and something for taking notes is something you need. You may want to keep track of the time of day and activity you witnessed particular birds. You may also want to write down characteristics of the birds you are not familiar with so that you can look them up later, or take along a bird identification guidebook.

Being able to blend in your surroundings is important, so dress in dull colors. Camouflage is the thing to keep in mind to see the most birds. Also, fabrics that rustle, snag or squeak will scare birds off. You may want to have boots, warm clothing and rain gear. Night vision binoculars are especially useful for seeing owls as they are usually only seen and heard at night. You might want to consider a hand-held recorder for songs and chirps of birds that you don’t recognize to look up later.

After Your Bird Watching Experience:

Take advantage of the time after birding to review your notes and try to identify the birds you were unable to name during your outing. You may want to get a tape of different bird songs and calls to assist with identification. Using a field guide can be extremely helpful for matching what you saw with detailed pictures and specific characteristics.

You can spend many enjoyable hours birding without spending very much on special equipment.

http://DrinkMind.com/freetoday

I can see the cops coming! They’re a good thousand feet away. I can clearly make out their uniforms and swinging nightsticks. How can I be seeing this?

I didn’t dare mention it to my fellow underage drinking mates lounging with me on the grassy knoll in the park. Am I making this up? Projecting it somehow into my vision? Forcefully, I shook my head back and forth in an effort to free my mind of its strange perception.

But the view of the two police officers remained in my sight, as they sauntered closer and closer to our drinking den. In fact, to my further astonishment, I saw a much wider perspective as I swiveled my gaze within the picture before me. I can see myself!

Frantically blinking my eyes open and shut trying to erase this impossibility, I still found myself staring at my own physical body on the ground next to my beer buddies. The place from which I was viewing was about forty feet in the air! As I shifted my attention to look at the looker, I saw an airborne body in the form of a luminous shimmer, much like a ghost is portrayed in a movie. Then, with the ease of a mere thought, I discovered I could shift my point of view from my physical body on the ground back to my ethereal light body in the air. Using my eyes in my subtle body, I surveyed the scene again from my perch in the air.

Am I making all this up? Do I want to impress my pals so much, I’m concocting an extrasensory perception to allow me to warn them of an oncoming bust? My frenetic self-questioning came to an abrupt halt as I heard one of the officers whisper to his colleague, “Do you hear that noise? There are some kids in the park.”

Whether I was conjuring my supernormal sight and hearing to court favor with my friends or not, I needed to act—and quickly. “Hey, guys, don’t ask me how I know, but there are some cops right up the street and they’re on to us. Let’s split.” My three inebriated friends and I quietly sneaked down the hill and out of the park under the helpful cloak of darkness. By a nanosecond, we successfully evaded detection as we heard the policemen slashing at the bushes with their billyclubs right behind us. A close call!

“Hey, how’d ya know the fuzz was there?” my buddy pressed me, as we arrived safely back at our car.

“Uh, I just knew somehow. A guess, I guess,” I muttered, covering for myself as best I could under the circumstances.

“Well, a pretty good one, man. We’d be up the creek if they caught us. Thanks. You’re all right. We should have you around every time we go drinking.”

Ah, music to my ears. And so my young career as a drinking guard began!

My friends, at sixteen, were older than I, but still under the legal drinking age of eighteen in New York State. I was fifteen and considered myself really lucky to be included in this older gang at a time of life when acceptance and belonging was paramount. And to have access to liquor through their connections was heaven for me.

I would do almost anything to please these guys and stay tight with them. I mused to myself, My newfound super-vision is coming in real handy. If we got busted for underage drinking, we’d all get grounded by our parents, not to mention getting in trouble with the law. I’ve got to keep this good thing going!

On that fateful night, my need for approval prompted me to keep expanding this burgeoning, new skill that I stumbled across in the line of necessity and opportunity.

As I played with my prowess as a night watchman for the gang, I realized I was doing more than clairvoyance, “clear seeing.” Each time I playfully sent myself out to scan the scene for police, I was having a bona fide out-of-body experience. I didn’t have a name for it then, but I sure knew I was doing it! I was right on the mark every time I called a cop alert. My skill was valued by the friends I valued. Literally, I was flying high!

Since my teenage discovery, I’ve continued to explore out-of-body adventures. And I always laugh in admiration when I look back on how God tricked me into developing my first natural spiritual ability.

http://DrinkMind.com/freetoday

In the previous pages it has been mentioned that Gayatri is not some Goddess, ghost etc. but is Adi Shakti that has manifested from Brahman or God. Gayatri is the root cause or substratum of all material objects and because of its existence there is movement, energy, advancement, inspiration and conversion in the inert-conscious world. Just as the machine called radio in one’s house contacts the all-pervasive ether vibrations in the cosmos, which helps one to hear radio broadcasts not only of one’s own country but of other countries too. Similarly when the soul force of an individual comes in contact with the all-pervasive Gayatri of the cosmos, it understands clearly the movements of subtle nature. And when one learns how to aptly utilize this subtle Divine Energy as per one’s will, one can attain all wealth pertaining to the material world, psyche and the soul. The path that leads to this wealth is called Gayatri worship.

For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ (GOOGLE PR 4) and http://www.awgp.org/ (Google 5)

Many people opine that since our goal is attaining God, vision of the soul and liberation while yet living, why should we delve into the subtle nature of Gayatri? We should only worship God. Deep thinkers should understand that Brahman (God in his all-pervasive soul form) is taintless, untouched, pure, formless and beyond the 3 Gunas. Such a God neither loves anyone nor hates anyone. He is merely a witness and cause of his creation. One can never directly attain such a formless God because between God and the living being (Jeeva) there is the intense veil of subtle nature (energy). In order to go beyond this intense veil we will have to make apt use of materials of nature. The mind, intellect, psyche, ego, imagination, meditation, subtle body, 6 Chakras (plexuses), image of our beloved God, devotion, sacred sentiments, worship, vows, rituals, spiritual practices are all creations of Maya (God’s power of illusion). How can one attain the formless God without taking apt help of all these? Just as in order to fly in air we need an air plane, in the same way, in order to attain the formless God (Brahman) we will have to take help of basic spiritual practices. One can attain formless God only after going beyond this veil via Gayatri worship. The truth is this that the experience of realization takes place only in the womb of Gayatri. After raising oneself spiritually, one’s subtle sense organs and its experiential power, too disappear. Hence those who wish to attain God and salvation are known to worship the admixture of Gayatri and formless God in the forms of Radhey-Shyam, Seeta-Ram, Lakshmi-Narayan etc. A spiritual aspirant can fully merge with the formless God when the formless God desires to become “one from many” and thus he encompasses all individual souls into its single formless nature. Before this, all individual souls can only attain proximity, similar form and unity with a God who has a name and form i.e. Saguna Brahman. In this manner we are forced to worship the admixture of Gayatri with Brahman having a name and form. All those spiritual practices that help in attaining such a God will be via the subtle natured Gayatri. Hence it is not apt to think that in order to attain the formless Brahman, there is no need of Gayatri worship. In fact Gayatri worship is a must. If someone insists on ignoring or opposing a God with name and form know for sure that that is his own opinion. But it is impossible to ignore the Gayatri principle when one sets off to attain the formless God.

Many individuals say that we carry out spiritual practices ceaselessly. We do not desire any fruits of our actions and hence why should we take help of subtle nature? Such people should realize that although they have no desire for material benefits, yet they do have the desire to attain God. One can never perform any action without thinking of its results. Even if one gets something, the result will be nothing but a waste of time and energy. The meaning of true desire less action is with reference to divine Sattva Guna and spiritual desires. Such pure desires come in the first leg “Hreem” of Gayatri i.e. in the Saraswati category. Hence the worship of desire less sentiments is not outside the limit of Gayatri worship.

Scientists who have substantial knowledge of the Science of Mantra-chanting know that it is chanted via the various organs of throat, palate, lips, teeth, base of the tongue etc. When one chants a Mantra, the nerve fibers of all those organs that manifest its sound, spread out in all corners of the body. In this widespread area are present many glands which get influenced by the pure sound vibrations of Mantra chanting. When these subtle glands of an individual are diseased or have been destroyed, the Mantra chanting of such individuals is not smooth and this is called stammering. The body has many small/big, visible/invisible glands. Great Yogis fully understand that in those sheaths there are many special hidden storehouses of energy. The 6 Chakras (plexuses) pertaining to the Sushumna (subtle spinal region) are well-known and there are many glands too in the body. The chanting of various words (Mantras) influences these varied glands and thus the hidden storehouse of energy in these glands get activated. It is on this basis that Mantras have been designed. There are 24 letters in the Gayatri Mantra. It is related to those 24 glands in the body which when activated, radiate energies pertaining to light of pure thinking. By one-pointedly chanting the Gayatri Mantra, the guitar of the body starts giving off sound vibrations in 24 areas and such tunes emanate, which influence the important elements of the subtle world. This very influence is the casual influence of the fruits of Gayatri worship.

When you sing the Deepak Raag (an Indian classical music tune), a doused flamed lamp is re-lit; by singing the tune Megh-Malhaar we can get rain. With the sound of flute, snakes starting dancing, deer lose their consciousness due to ecstasy and cows give more milk. When one hears a cuckoo singing, our sexual passion is awakened. America’s Dr. Hutchinson gained fame when he succeeded in curing many incurable and painful diseases using music therapy. Indian Tantriks play on a Thaali (big steel plate) placed on a big pot with a special speed and this helps in curing patients who have been afflicted by ghosts or bitten by venomous creatures etc. The reason being that the vibrations of musical words take with it subtle nature along with atoms of its own kind so as to circumambulate ether and reach its substratum center. Over there one finds a special electrical force which tends to influence diseased parts under special circumstances. Similarly this is the very reason why Mantra chanting too gives amazing results. When one chants the Gayatri Mantra, a similar special energy manifests. While chanting the Gayatri Mantra 2 parts of the mouth are at work and it is over here that subtle nerve fibers activate some special glands. When vibrations are sent out from these areas, a cyclic Yogic music of Vedic meter flows in the ether principle and in a few moments bring back the army of its similar nature which in turn has returned after having circumambulated the cosmos. This helps us attain desired goals. The 5 elemental (material) flows of the powerful vibrations of word-music and the sentiment, spiritual endeavor, relationship based on worship of the subtle nature of soul force makes Gayatri Energy so powerful that it is a great blessing for its devotees.

Man’s body has untold extraordinary powers. This fact has now been accepted by modern day scientists too. These energies are under the control of certain glands/centers of the human body. Every letter of the Gayatri Mantra helps in influencing one or the other important centers of energy. Just as when you place your finger on a key of a typewriter and a specific letter gets typed, in the same way certain words influence the energy centers of our body. Following is a table that enumerates the relationship of every letter of the Gayatri Mantra corresponding to a bodily gland and its energy.

No. Letter Name of Gland Energy present in the Gland

1. Tat Tapini Success

2. Sa Safalta Enterprise

3. Vi Vishwa Nourishment

4. Tur Tushti Well-being

5. Va Varda Yoga

6. Ray Revati Love

7. N Sukshma Wealth

8. Yam Jnana Radiance

9. Bhar Bharga Raksha

10. Go Gomat Intellect

11. Day Devika Sense control

12. Va Varahi Steadfastness

13. Say Sinhani Concentration

14. Dhee Dhyan Vital Force

15. Ma Maryada Self-Control

16. Hee Sfuta Penance

17. Dhi Medha Far-sightedness

18. Yo Yogmaya Awakening

19. Yo Yogini Creation

20. Naha Dharini Smoothness

21. Pra Prabhava Ideal

22. Cho Ushma Daring

23. Da Drishya Discrimination

24. Yat Niranjan Service

Gayatri activates the above mentioned 24 energies in a spiritual aspirant. These qualities are so important that along with their activation, infinite number of prosperities, divine glories (Siddhis) and wealth is attained. Gayatri worship is not blind faith but is in fact a scientific mode of worship and one definitely benefits from it. Hence in Indian scriptures it is called the Kamadhenu (wish-fulfilling cow) of planet Earth.

In the Puranas (Indian Mythology) it is said that in heaven, the demigods possess the Kamadhenu cow. It gives nectarine milk and because the demigods drink it daily, they remain contented, happy and prosperous. This cow has a very special characteristic wherein if a person comes in its vicinity with some desire in his mind, those desires are immediately fulfilled like the proverbial Kalpvriksha (wish-fulfilling tree). Thus the Kamdhenu cow fulfills the desires of all who approach it.

This Kamadhenu cow is Gayatri. That man who worships the demigod of this Gayatri Mahashakti of divine nature will definitely get the chance to drink the spiritual milk of Gayatri Mata’s (mother’s) breast. Such a person will not face any hardships. The Soul is bliss manifest. Such a person’s character is full of bliss. As soon as sorrow is overcome, a person experiences his true soul nature. He realizes that he is the cosmic soul and not the physical body that has a limiting name and form. The demigods of heaven incessantly experience ecstasy. In the same way human beings too can experience soul bliss while dwelling on planet Earth if only all the causes of sorrow are destroyed. The Kamadhenu cow in the form of Gayatri worship helps mankind to overcome all hardships.

http://DrinkMind.com/freetoday

“The people in the Land of the Eagle (North America) don’t have to know any more. They have more than enough books. They have the knowledge. Now they simply have to live what they know. You have all the information. You know it all. You are very mature people. You are ready to fly. The only problem is that the knowledge is all in your minds. It has to be transferred to your hearts.”

- Don Alberto Tatzo, Yachag

Throughout history people have gone into Nature seeking profound spiritual revelations, dramatic physical healings and liberating emotional breakthroughs.

Why Do People Look to Nature?

Because the dynamics of Nature naturally break you out of habitual mental ruts to generate fresh, imaginative approaches and make new, inspired life choices.

In the quiet, empty, ageless spaces of remote spaces, many people get clearer answers to their spiritual or practical questions than through traditional, sitting meditation.

For thousands of years, people have used the vision quest as an active, moving meditation through which the soul gives guidance using the mirror of the external, physical world.

What Rite is Right for You?

The quest can act as a rite of passage marking an important transition or time in a person’s life. It can also act as a rite of renewal, of soul healing or rebirth, or of strengthening understanding and connection to Self and to the Earth. In addition, the quest can be a rite of dedication or celebration of life purpose and passion.

There are as many different types of quests—from rigorous to gentle, in settings from mountain peaks to deep canyons–as there are visions. They all explore the alchemical, transformative power of Nature.

Cool, shaded paths along lush, rushing streams are very relaxing and conducive to receiving the helpful messages from our souls delivered by birds, animals and stones.

Plants advise you.

Rocks give strength.

High on towering cliffs eagles speak, the wind caresses, and you taste new realizations.

You drink from the well of the deep blue of the sky.

You listen. You heal. You transform.

People experience the quest as an ever-changing river, bubbling past obstacles, washing away what is no longer needed, carving out new niches, flowing into expanded territory and providing life-enhancing energy.

The Gifts of Nature

Returning from the quest is a time of great exuberance and joy, celebrating the healing and wholeness that each person has found. People re-enter their lives, bringing their unique, re-discovered gifts and opened hearts back to family, friends, community and work.

On the vision quest, people create breakthroughs in abundance, health, jobs and discovering life purpose.

http://DrinkMind.com/freetoday