Holiday Party. Date: Saturday, Dec. 14 Dinner: 6:00-7:15 Bring: Food/drink to share. Host: Sue Savion

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1 NEWS, VIEWS AND VISIONS FROM T.P.A. SYRACUSE TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY ASSOCIATION...SYRACUSE, NEW YORK TPA / P.O. BOX 122-TP / LIVERPOOL, NY FOUNDED IN THE SPIRIT VOLUME 29 NUMBER 10 DECEMBER, 2013 Join TPA s Facebook Page for last minute updates and much more! Date: Saturday, Dec. 14 Dinner: 6:00-7:15 Bring: Food/drink to share. A gift ($5-$10) for Chinese Gift Exchange Shared Cleanup: 7:15 (Actually, food will stay out most of night.) The Gift: 7:30 Place: Sue Savion s 107 Humbert Ave. Dewitt, Directions: From 81 S: take the Brighton Exit. Turn right onto State Street and go several blocks to Colvin (.3 mi.). Turn right onto Colvin and take it almost all the way to end (2mi.) (Waring Road). You will pass the TOPS on the right and continue on straight up the hill (and down again!) for several more blocks. Veer left onto Humbert. 4th house on left, bluegray and white. From Dewitt: From Erie Blvd. turn left onto Jamesville Rd. Take Randall Road (becomes Tecumseh) to Waring (St. Sophia s). Turn left onto Dewolfe. 107 Humbert is at end of DeWolfe. From Jamesville Exit: Turn right off exit. Turn left onto Nottingham. Veer right onto Waring. Turn left onto Dewolfe. Dewolfe seems to dead end at my house. You just zig left a little bit. Holiday Party Host: Sue Savion The pine cone symbol is one of the most mysterious emblems found in ancient and modern art and architecture. Few scholars realize it, but the pine cone alludes to the highest degree of spiritual illumination possible. This was recognized by various ancient cultures, and the symbol can be found in the ruins of the Indonesians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Christians, to name a few. It also appears in the drawings of esoteric traditions like Freemasonry, Theosophy, Gnosticism, and esoteric Christianity. The pine cone held the same meaning for all: It symbolized a secret vestigial organ, the pineal gland or Third Eye, that we all possess. We will incorporate a Pine Cone Ritual for Blessing New Resolutions. This is an ancient ritual from Elen of the Ways, the Goddess of the Welsh borders. Please read pages 2-3 for more information on the pine cone s important symbolism. You can expect our usual rituals to be on hand, too. The tradition of the Chinese Gift Exchange (We ve GOT to find better terminology!) will continue. Bring a wrapped gift ($10 or less), unlabeled to put under the small Christmas tree. We will draw numbers to pick gifts. But be prepared for your gift to be stolen. Christmas music and carol singing, cookies, cakes and all kinds of good food, laughter and camaraderie will all be on hand. Maybe we will even dance the hokey-pokey! You mean I do the Hokie Pokie and I turn myself around, and that s what it s all about?

2 Third-Eye Symbolism of the Pinecone Carl Weiseth Conifer Pine Trees are one of the most ancient plant genera on the planet, having existed nearly three times longer than all flowering plant species. The Pinecone is the evolutionary precursor to the flower, and its spines spiral in a perfect Fibonacci sequence in either direction, much like the Sacred Geometry of a rose or a sunflower. The Egyptian Staff of Osiris, dating back to approximately 1224 BC, depicts two intertwining serpents rising up to meet at a Pinecone. Modern scholars and philosophers have noted the staff s symbolic parallels to the Indian Kundalini, a spiritual energy in the body depicted as coiled serpents rising up from the base of the spine to the Third Eye (Pineal Gland) in the moment of enlightenment. Awakened Kundalini represents the merging and alignment of the Chakras, and is said to be the one and only way to attain the Divine Wisdom bringing pure joy, pure knowledge and pure love. Depictions of Hindu deities are also interwoven with both literal and symbolic representations of serpents and Pinecones. In some cases, Hindu gods are carved, sculpted or drawn holding a Pinecone in outstretched hand. Shiva, the most prominent god in the Hindu tradition, is consistently depicted with a head, or coiled hair, shaped in marked similarity to a Pinecone and interwoven with a serpent or serpents. In addition to spiritual consciousness and enlightenment, Pinecones have also historically been used as symbols of everlasting or eternal life. Ancient Assyrian palace carvings, dating back to BC depict four-winged God-like figures purposefully holding aloft Pinecones, or in some cases, using a Pinecone to pollinate their depiction of the Tree of Life -- a tribute, perhaps, to both the Pinecone s immortality symbolism as its role as an icon of enlightenment. In yet another culture s tribute to the Pinecone as symbolic of spiritual ascension and immortality, a statue of the Mexican god Chicomecoatl ( Seven Snakes ) again depicts the deity offering forth Pinecones in one hand, and an evergreen tree in the other. Romans later built an enormous bronze sculpture, the Pigna, in the shape of a huge Pinecone three stories tall. According to a popular medieval legend, the sculpture stood on top of the Pantheon, as a lid for the round opening in the center of the building's vault. The Pigna is confirmed to have served as a large fountain overflowing with water next the Temple of Isis in Ancient Rome, however, the gigantic statue now sits directly in front of the Catholic Vatican in the Court of the Pinecone. Pinecones also turn up as sources of illumination in the church, such as candleholders and lamps, seemingly symbolic of the spiritual illumination the Third Eye represents. All of these factors lead conspiracy theorists and philosophers to accuse the Catholic church of using Christianity/Catholicism as a veil to blind the public to true spiritual enlightenment: The awakening of our Pineal Gland.

3 One theory proposes that the Pinecone was actually the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, purported in Genesis to have been eaten by Eve at the urgings of a serpent, and leading to the eviction of mankind from the Garden of Eden. This concept proves particularly provocative given the consistent reappearance of pinecone images with serpents and snake references across cultures. The Bible itself alludes to pinecones and the Pineal Gland on several occasions, sometimes quite specifically. Beginning in Genesis, Jacob wrestles all night with God, and is commanded to change his name to Israel. The bible then purports the following: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Peniel the sun rose upon him. --Genesis 32:30-31 (Literal Biblical translation of the word Peniel means Face of God ) In another interesting passage, Matthew seems to provide an uncannily similar description of the Third Eye to texts of the Yogic and Hindu spiritual traditions. This verse is also interesting because the Pineal Gland is the only part of the brain that is single, not possessing a left and right hemisphere. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light.--matthew 6:22 Matthew s description also appears pertinent to recent pineal experimentation conducted in amphibians. Pineal supplementation in frogs, which possess a more prominent Pineal Gland, results in a physical lightening of their entire skin pigmentation. The Pineal Gland in some reptiles actually still contains rods and cones as in our retinas, and is capable of directly perceiving light. Pineal Pinecone Talismans are made from the polished cross-section of a living pinecone, sustainably harvested in unique micro-climates, and specially cut, dried, cured and encased in protective resin. They are elegant, natural, unique, and symbolize the evolution of collective consciousness while harnessing the potent spiritual energy of the Third Eye. Nancy Gallagher reports that an ITALIAN tradition holds that the little pines inside the pine cone are thought of as little fingers of baby Jesus. Perhaps you can detect them in the photo below. Transpersonal psychology "is concerned with the study of humanity's highest potential, and with the recognition, understanding, and realization of unitive, spiritual, and transcendent states of consciousness"

4 Refute Your "Negative Nonsense" The power of expectation. It can move mountains, save life, and, when used negatively, destroy a life. How do expectations have such power? from Larry Morningstar The answer lies with your subconscious mind. Your subconscious controls your automatic actions and physiological responses, habits, creativity, and even your perception. That's right. It controls what "vibes" and other cues in your environment that you will see or not see. We all have had the experience of not seeing something that was in plain sight because we didn't want to see it or were thinking about something else. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however. The subconscious is much more proactive. It "goes for" this and it "goes for" that, creating self-fulfilling prophecy. Behind the scenes, outside your conscious awareness, it works little by little to create into reality what you down-deep expect or believe. In other words, it slyly helps you turn fiction into fact. The end result: if you believe or expect a certain outcome, you will find yourself acting in subtle ways that help set up the very thing you expect, for good or for ill. And you won't even know you're doing it! Expectation is also transactional. Not only are we sending out vibes and actions, we're also receiving them from others and responding accordingly. Everyday we are living up - or down - to the expectations of others. How many great leaders do you think become greater because of the faith their followers had in them? In truth, we all help make each other possible. Our expectations underlie and impact everything we think feel, and do. It pays, then, to examine and form them carefully. If I believe I can, I can. If I believe I can't, I won't. Yes, it is that simple. You're in Charge. You can alter your expectations. Refuse to let hopeless or negative thinking grab hold. Refute your "negative nonsense. Donation: $5 Membership: $15; $30 for a snail mail copy sent through the U.S. mail. The January meeting is the traditional time to pay your dues! Next Meeting: January 11 Transpersonal Astrology and Jungian Psychology Dennis Cole At home of Joanne and John Verone

5 ..November s meeting featured Debbie King. Sitting in a large circle or lying on the rug in Nancy and Dale s office area (graced with many statues, symbols and paintings) those who gathered listened to interactive guided imagery meditations. Here is Debbie King s website: H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S.Nancy opened the meeting with some announcements and thank-yous. We also celebrated Kate Farrar s birthday with a red velvet birthday cake supplied by Joanne Verone. Debbie King supplied a delicious multiple bean & vegetable soup, Carolyn Clarke, a vegetable casserole, Sue Savion, a pumpkin bread pudding, John Verone, a yum-yum pineapple upside down cake, our host Nancy, her Lentil & Fava Bean soup.nick Poulus, a wonderful salad, Debbie Pillsbury, a wonderful homemade HUMMUS, and Howard and Marna's stuffed grape leaves. Some pictures shared from the meeting are below..jeff Bowe has a new mural which was painted on one side of Carolyn Clark s garage. Check it out on his Facebook page!.please keep Dave Cummings in your thoughts and prayers. His son Dwight recently suffered a stroke and is trying to recover from the debilitations it caused. Dave may be traveling to Michigan often now and in coming weeks. He will be applying what he knows best to do....let us celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela by remembering to incorporate his message of peace and forgiveness into our very special TPA organization and in our personal lives. E V E R Y O N E Jeff Bowe cuts the birthday cake at the after meeting celebration for Kate.

6 From Donna Kuzio- Program Coordinator: As the new Program Coordinator I will be working, with the mentorship of Dennis Cole, and the rest of the "Dream Team," Sue Savion, Debbie Pillsbury, and Flo DiPietro, to provide you with interesting programs throughout the year. I would like to thank Sue for the fabulous job with the newsletter and website. Both the newsletter and website are time consuming, and require skill and creativity. Sue has committed to the necessary training it takes to produce these very important vehicles of communication for our organization. Sue has provided many interesting programs over the years. She also provides a home for many of our meetings and Holiday parties. She is dedicated and committed to the TPA. I would like to thank Flo for caring for our opulence. Flo tends to our nest egg, which we use to pay for larger venues and necessary costs of our organization. I would like to thank her for the many years she and her husband Ray have held this position. She is highly regarded by us all. Reminders: Members and nonmembers : Flo would remind us that the 2014 annual memberships of $15 are due in January of Flo would remind us again, that it helps her job as treasurer when we remember to sign in when we first arrive at the meetings and make our $5 donation. Debbie Pillsbury will be the assistant to the coordinator and our "ray of sunshine". There are many things that need to be done and I am sure I will be saying, Thank God Debbie can take care of that! Debbie will be sending out thank you cards to the hosts and presenters for each of our meetings. She may need to send out cards for those who are ill or have had loved ones pass on. If you know that one of our members has lost a loved one or has had an operation or severe health condition, please let Debbie know so that she can send a card from us. One person cannot do it all and with the combined effort of the team and membership, our TPA will continue to provide interesting programs for us to enjoy. I would like to thank Dennis Cole for his guidance during this transition. Dennis has had 19 years of experience. There are 101 things to learn and I've been exposed to about 25% of those. I've warned Dennis that I will probably be calling for his advice throughout the year. I could refer to Dennis as the "voice of reason", as he provides us with astrological insights into our daily challenges. Dennis has agreed to continue to take care of the mail box unless someone else would like to do that. I would like to thank all of the members of the TPA who attend meetings, and bring friends, their love and ideas to share. I would like to thank all of the presenters that we have had for generously sharing their knowledge and interest s with us. We are a nonprofit organization and with few exceptions presenters donate their time. We provide them with some compensation by allowing them to bring brochures, and posting their contact information on a link through our website, to enhance their exposure in the community. We will post a tentative yearly schedule on the website, so that you can make plans. As things come up some of the dates or presenters may change, so check occasionally. If you have any suggestions, ideas or concerns please contact me at: dkuzio@twcny.rr.com or or any of the other team members. As always we are looking for people who are willing to host the meetings. Please contact me so that we can add your name and address to our yearly schedule. Looking forward to sharing in our Syracuse TPA Family. Sincerely, Donna Kuzio