On June 9, a law allowing patients with terminal illnesses to finish their own lives with assistance from a doctor came to effect in California, starting discussions about whether human life ought to be extended against the desire to die peacefully and with dignity. A similar yet distinct dialog was taking place in India for the last several decades, but in reverse. In one of India's religious customs, Jainism, people in the end of life can opt to embrace a final fast transition from one bodyViola Baker

It may seem like a silly question, but it can have profound implications on your sleep: Are you a night owl or a morning lark? Learn how your preferred sleep timing, reflecting your circadian rhythm and a consequence of genetics and other factors, may impact your risk of insomnia and daytime sleepiness.It can be helpful to reflect a little on your best ability to stay awake or your strongest desire for sleep.When you think about your day, when do you feel most awake and productive? When do youTracy Campbell

Futurists are keen on a concept called "radical life extension." Rather than settling for a standard life expectancy — like 78.8 years on average for an American — theorists, scientists, and investors want to find therapies to treat the age-related diseases that tend to kill us (like heart disease and cancer).According to biologist Aubrey de Grey and his peers, once treatments are in place, the only things really killing people will be violence, accidents, and other non-natural causes. WithGreg Cooper

Forget rebirthing. A session of watsu took me straight back to the womb and I never wanted to leave.The water therapy stems from Zen shiatsu and is done in a heated saltwater pool at SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs.The spa also offers aqua cranial (cranial sacral therapy in water), aqua chi yoga flow and aqua yoga in the pool. Seven hot mineral water cedar soaking tubs sprinkled throughout the grounds offer visitors the chance to lounge in natural spring waters flowing up from the 7 MinuteBenjamin Morton

Alchemy is an ancient practice, ridden with mystery and secrecy…until now. While popularized by the medieval scientific quest to turn lead into gold, its practices and customs stretch far beyond these parameters. Alchemy’s focus, as a practice, revolves around metals, and the innate belief that they grow inside the earth and when found, were merely young and transformable forms of gold. Today, this has been scientifically disproven. Yet, to this day, the spiritual alchemist practice livesMerle Copeland

On the day of April 22, 1954, reporters massed at a press conference in Bonn, Germany. They had been invited to meet Nikolai Evgenievich Khokhlov, a captain in the Soviet Union's recently minted security force, the KGB. Well, a former captain. Khokhlov had arrived in Germany tasked with assassinating the leader of an anticommunist organization. Instead he defected, tipping off the target and then surrendering himself to U.S. agents. He was no longer at the center of a murder plot, but a pressLeon Herrera

Charon’s obols were coins supposedly used by the ancient Greeks for funerary purposes. More precisely, the belief is that these coins were used by the shades (roughly equivalent to the concept of ‘spirit’ or ‘ghost’) of the dead to pay for their journey across the River Styx or Acheron into the Underworld. In Greek mythology, the ferryman of the dead is a figure called Charon, who was the son of Nyx and Erebos. Thus, according to literary sources, if a dead person was to be buried, a coin wouldMargie Walker

I will be invoking all eight of the Seraphim and Cherubim over the next four weekends. The main ritual that I will be using to perform these tasks is called the Archetypal Gate Ritual in the Order. A prudent analysis of this ritual is probably necessary, so individuals will be able to determine that the methods that I am using to perform these invocations is unique and new in the arena of ritual magick. This ritual is short, concise, efficient and modular in its construction, meaning that itEmma Wood

Stomach ulcers, also known as peptic or gastric ulcers, are open sores in the lining of the stomach. Because of the amount of acid present in the stomach, when ulcers occur, they are often extremely painful. The most common cause of stomach ulcers is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori. Ulcers may also be caused by overuse of painkillers, such as aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen or naproxen.Stomach ulcers are often treated with antibiotics orOliver Parsons

There are seven core principles for cultivating the powerful, innate healing energy known as Qi in the body. These practices will unlock your ability to harness this sacred force and direct it around the body at will for various healing and rejuvenation purposes. It can also be transferred to others if they are open and receptive to this type of healing.Ancient Taoist masters spent entire lifetimes developing the science of Qi cultivation and mastering its use in the human form and thisDana Kreuzberg

Philosophy itself often arrives as a mind-altering experience, a new mode of perception unto our cosmos, at times so radical as to be hazardous. Thus can philosophy be seen as a psychoactive substance—yet the place of psychoactive substances in philosophy is not apparent. In this mildly chronological overview we shall shed light upon the history of the notable western philosophers who took psychedelic chemicals and how this may have influenced their thought—how psychedelics influencedPauline Colon