#primal-world-beliefs

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Agriculture
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day ago

Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging

Indigenous knowledge and western science are increasingly integrated in ecological research and food sovereignty efforts in Pacific Northwest clam gardens.
Alternative medicine
fromInsideHook
1 day ago

Scientists Create the Most Psychedelic Plant Ever

Psychedelic drugs are being genetically engineered in tobacco plants to provide a sustainable source for therapeutic use in mental health treatment.
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
2 days ago

How to Embrace Being "More" Spiritual

Awareness of the transcendent reveals depth and meaning in life, fostering spiritual growth and a sense of oneness with the world.
Portland food
fromKqed
2 days ago

Indigenous Communities Reclaim Ancestral Lands and Waters | KQED

The Potter Valley Pomo tribe creates a community forest for youth camps and events, marking a significant cultural initiative in California.
Public health
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day ago

Native birth workers are guiding Alaskan mothers through pregnancy once again: I felt really supported and honored'

Mary Sherbick found support and cultural connection through Alaska Native Birthworkers Community during her pregnancy amid the pandemic.
fromSmithsonian Magazine
2 days ago

Native Nations Fought in the American Revolution to Protect Their Ancestral Lands. After the War, Settlers Seized Their Territory Anyway

"Once the Declaration of Independence is issued by Congress, then it kind of changes the calculus. Then, both sides are putting pressure on Native people to join one side or the other."
History
Philosophy
fromThe Conversation
1 week ago

What an ancient devotional text means for the women of Nepal

The 'Swasthani Vrata Katha' is a devotional text central to a month-long ritual performed by Hindu women in Nepal for the goddess Swasthani.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Why Bigfoot Believers Don't Change Their Minds

Belief perseverance causes individuals to maintain beliefs despite contradictory evidence, influenced by identity, experience, and community.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 week ago

Toltec human sacrifice altar found in Mexico

The momoztli altar measures about one meter square and consists of three sections: a base of andesite quarry stone, a second section of larger slabs, and a top section of river stones and basalt.
History
OMG science
fromArs Technica
2 weeks ago

An early Indigenous site may not be early, but it doesn't really matter

Monte Verde in Chile is 8,000 years old, not 14,500, but this does not alter the understanding of early human presence in the Americas.
Arts
fromwww.dw.com
2 weeks ago

Amazonia's Indigenous peoples dismantle Western cliches

European depictions of the Amazon as a timeless wilderness ignore its cultural diversity and historical complexity.
Roam Research
fromArs Technica
2 weeks ago

Study pinpoints when bow and arrow came to North America

North Americans adopted the bow and arrow about 1,400 years ago, replacing the atlatl and dart, with rapid adoption in the south and gradual replacement in the north.
Philosophy
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

I'm deathly afraid': what is digital spirituality leading us toward?

Jim Pu'u's journey with AI led to profound self-discovery and spiritual insights, transforming his understanding of love and abundance.
Alternative medicine
fromArs Technica
2 weeks ago

Never mind Band-Aids, Neanderthals had antiseptic birch tar

Neanderthals likely used birch tar for medicinal purposes, including treating infections and insect bites, beyond its known use as a weapon adhesive.
Agriculture
fromLos Angeles Times
2 weeks ago

California pledges to open 7% of its land and waters to Indigenous tribes - a step toward healing a 175-year-old broken promise

California commits 7.5 million acres to tribal stewardship, fulfilling a 170-year-old federal promise while restoring indigenous land management practices and ecosystem health.
Philosophy
fromBig Think
2 weeks ago

Aztec philosophy: How lucky you are to not be in prison right now

Moral luck describes how identical actions result in vastly different moral and legal consequences based on uncontrollable circumstances beyond the actor's intent.
OMG science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 weeks ago

Where did magic mushrooms come from? Scientists just got closer to an answer

Scientists discovered Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, a new magic mushroom species in Africa that shared a common ancestor with Psilocybe cubensis approximately 1.5 million years ago.
Canada news
fromwww.cbc.ca
1 month ago

They found Indigenous ancestral remains on their property. They say doing the right thing shouldn't cost them | CBC News

A couple's property renovation in Ontario halted after discovering ancestral Indigenous remains, potentially costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses.
Online Community Development
fromABC7 Los Angeles
1 year ago

Powwows: Celebrating the culture and community of Indigenous people

The Dix Park Inter-Tribal Powwow brings together Indigenous communities from North Carolina's eight state and federally recognized tribes for cultural celebration, competition dancing, and traditional music.
Women in technology
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

My sexual freedom odyssey: what ancient African wisdom can teach us about pleasure today

Traditional kitchen parties in Tanzania, led by experienced women educators called somos, teach brides-to-be about seduction, marriage maintenance, and self-care, though these practices have become diluted by Western influence and colonialism.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
3 weeks ago

Ritual site at summit of rock formation identified

The two socketed axes were discovered last year by a metal detectorist who recognized that their careful positioning could not have been a natural process. He reported the find to the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL). The subsequent excavation of the find site revealed a far more complex depositional context. Beneath the axes is a pit carved into the rock.
History
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Journey Through the Wilderness to Freedom

Freedom is an inner psychological journey requiring navigation through wilderness patterns of seduction, denial, delusion, and rationalization, with four primary captors: addiction, false modesty, arrogance, and regression.
Philosophy
fromThe New Yorker
3 weeks ago

How God Got So Great

Monotheism functions as a moral and political credential in American public life, with non-belief in God representing a greater electoral liability than other demographic factors.
#psychedelic-therapy
Environment
frombigthink.com
1 month ago

Widening the frame: Indigenous land rights and the future of climate policy

Indigenous land rights are essential to climate action, with Indigenous representatives at COP30 demanding recognition of their ancestral land ownership and management authority.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

What Archetypal Psychology Is and Why It Matters

Modern psychology excels at identifying symptoms but often overlooks deeper narrative patterns that shape human experience and meaning.
History
fromMail Online
1 month ago

The first non-binary person? Stone Age woman was buried like a MAN

Stone Age societies in Hungary practiced flexible gender roles, with some individuals buried according to non-traditional gender norms, indicating tolerance for complex identities 7,000 years ago.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Ways to Traverse a Territory review documenting an ancient and disappearing way of life

Here dwells the indigenous Tzotzil community which has kept a pastoral way of life against the march of time. Apart from the odd forest ranger and passerby, Ruvalcaba's film focuses almost entirely on the Tzotzil women. Together, they tend herds of sheep which they still shear by hand, and use traditional tools for spinning yarns and natural dye for fabrics.
Film
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

What We Can Learn From Religion About Values That Do Not Expire

We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in recorded history. The AI race is accelerating toward ever faster, ever more sophisticated automation and optimization. Agentic AI systems are moving from research labs into workplaces, healthcare, and governance. Geopolitical tensions are restructuring alliances faster than institutions can adapt. And planetary systems are signaling, with increasing urgency, that our current trajectory is unsustainable. Amid all this, it is dangerously easy to lose sight of a foundational question: What are we actually optimizing for?
Artificial intelligence
#rock-art
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

The Quiet Power of Awe

Awe shifts attention away from the self, increases connectedness, broadens perspective, and small moments of attention counter burnout and numbness.
Philosophy
fromBig Think
1 month ago

The 3 colors: What folktales teach about how to grow wise

European folktales use red, black, and white colors to represent three modes of being that map human maturation: red as ambition and life force, black as introspection and shadow, and white as wisdom and transcendence.
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 month ago

Robin Wall Kimmerer, scientist and writer: Capitalism is not a natural phenomenon; it's a choice'

Kimmerer proposes kindness as an act of resistance. We need to equip ourselves with a new language, she explains, something that affirms that this is what it means to be human. In a world where kindness breeds distrust or is scorned, kindness, she affirms, is becoming a militant gesture. When you're kind to someone, it's not universally expected that they'll respond with kindness, but if that seed is planted, both people feel better,
Books
fromKqed
1 month ago

Maidu Tribe Returns to Its Roots of Ancestral Fire | KQED

The Maidu tribe of Butte County-Berry Creek, Mechoopda, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley, come together to conduct CAL-TREX prescribed burn training to relearn how to put helpful fire back on their native lands that have been devastated by recent catastrophic wildfires. Organizers say the training camp is designed to help restore fire-scarred lands and people. While other Northern California tribes have been reintroducing cultural fire for decades,
California
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Sunday's Sacred Ritual

Part of the answer lies in the visceral nature of the game. Unlike chess, football is physical to the point of absurdity. Grown adults in body armor crash into each other over what is essentially a leather egg. There's drama in every play. You don't need a PhD in physics to appreciate a one-handed catch while somersaulting over a defender like a caffeinated acrobat.
National Football League
US politics
fromEmptywheel
2 months ago

Third Cave's a Charm

Republicans will block expiration of Bush tax cuts; Democrats could see a $3.6 trillion tax increase in 2012 if Obama does not act.
Business
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Navigating the ghosts of cultures past

Organizational culture constantly changes; leaders must discern which legacy cultural elements to retain and which to remove while balancing enduring beliefs with adaptive practices.
Yoga
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Yoga: The Essence of Animal Ethics, Kinship, and Rewilding

Yoga's ethical teachings can reorient human-animal relationships, fostering kinship and devotional practices that extend care to nonhuman beings and the environment.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 months ago

Humans Made Poisoned Arrowheads Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers have found traces of what appears to be plant-derived poison on tiny stone arrowheads from South Africa dated to 60,000 years ago. The finding pushes back the origin of this revolutionary hunting technology by tens of thousands of years. Scientists have long been fascinated by the development of poisoned hunting weapons. For one thing, they would have seriously leveled up our ancestors' foraging game.
Science
Women
fromIndependent
2 months ago

Brigid and me: 'Yes, she healed the sick and fed the poor - but she also made her brother's eyes explode when he crossed her'

Brigid is a multifaceted symbol of Irish womanhood encompassing healing, creativity, fire, poetry, protection, activism, environmentalism, and unbounded female identity.
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Patriarchy, Religion, and the Myth of "Real Sex"

"No, not yet. I am waiting until I am serious with someone, and until then, I am only doing oral and mutual masturbation. My reply, "That is sex!" This usually gets a response of, "Well, I meant f*cking," which they equate to sex. Nothing else. I have to remind my clients that fellatio and cunnilingus is called "oral sex" for a reason. That is still sex."
LGBT
California
fromHigh Country News
1 month ago

LandBack advances across the West - High Country News

14,000 acres of Blue Creek returned to the Yurok Tribe, completing California's largest tribal land return and doubling tribal land for ecological and cultural restoration.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

With The Rainbow Serpent, Dick Roughsey shared the spirit of our country. His work is a gift to us all | Alexis Wright

The Rainbow Serpent is an ancestral creation being that shapes landscape, law, ritual, and care for country central to Aboriginal spiritual belief.
fromKqed
2 months ago

Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills | KQED

Before burning the meadow, Herrera urged everyone to think about those who would gather materials in the coming months. "It's going to be a place where our people can gather food, fibers and medicines," she said. "We want to make sure all of that stuff stays really clean." Basket weavers often hold materials in their mouths, and it's long been a challenge to find plants free of fuel or herbicides. Here, the tribe can tend its garden as it chooses.
Environment
fromTruthout
2 months ago

This Tribal News Agency Shows How to Defend a Free Press at the Grassroots

To say press freedoms in the U.S. have taken a knock during the first year of Donald Trump's second term would be a gross understatement. Perhaps the most glaring example is the Department of Defense's new policy requiring journalists covering the Pentagon to sign a pledge promising not to use any information that hasn't been explicitly authorized. But the Trump administration's attacks on a free press have also included other tactics, like the effort to dismantle Freedom of Information Act processes across federal departments.
US politics
Canada news
fromFast Company
2 months ago

This whole city block got an indigenous redesign

An Indigenous-led Toronto development integrates traditional healing, cultural design, housing, job training, and public spaces to reflect Indigenous traditions and community-led planning.
Yoga
fromYoga Journal
2 months ago

This Underrated Aspect of Yoga Can Seriously Deepen Your Practice

Hand gestures (mudras) in yoga and Indian religious art convey spiritual meanings, embody ideals, and play a powerful role in meditation practice.
Arts
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Secrets of Indigenous Art

Modern European and American modernists drew heavily from Indigenous arts, while museums long framed Indigenous adoption of Western forms as a loss of authenticity.
Relationships
fromSlate Magazine
1 month ago

Help! My Friend Found Religion and Is Happier Than Ever. I Can't Help But Judge Her.

Support a friend's spiritual change by listening without judgment, setting boundaries, and accepting differences while maintaining your own values.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Did My Mother See Apparitions, Angels, Flashbacks or Ghosts?

A daughter witnesses her frail, long-depressed mother's final weeks filled with hallucinated conversations, brief warmth toward customers, and the painful invisibility of familial estrangement.
Mindfulness
fromScary Mommy
2 months ago

Women Are Sharing The Most Unhinged Woo Woo Things That Have Changed Their Life

Experimenting with unconventional 'woo woo' rituals can provide simple, low-risk ways to reduce stress and increase feelings of optimism and control.
Environment
fromKqed
2 months ago

Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills | KQED

Berry Creek Maidu revived traditional controlled burns to restore ecological stewardship, protect gathering areas for food and basket materials, and train community members.
US politics
fromTruthout
1 month ago

Native Activists Launch Prayer Camp Outside MN Immigration Detention Center

Native activists established a prayer camp at Fort Snelling to reclaim Bdóte, confront historic Dakota and Ho-Chunk imprisonment, and protest nearby immigration detainment.
fromhttps://www.arogyayogaschool.com/blog
1 month ago

Kali Maa: The Fierce Mother and Her Yogic Meaning

To her followers and yogic practitioners, Kali Maa is not a scary goddess. She is the ultimate Mother. She represents the slayer of illusion and the symbol of truth that brings freedom. She is the symbol of the cycle of time, transformation, the loss of self and awakening to the spiritual realm. In yoga, Kali Maa is linked to inner cleansing. She helps awaken the kundalini and gives courage. This courage helps us face our darkest sides.
Yoga
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Early Signs of Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual awakening involves heightened self-awareness, dissatisfaction with external experiences, increased sensitivity, and emotional release leading to deeper understanding of self and reality.
fromMail Online
1 month ago

Mysterious symbols spanning the globe hint at a lost civilization

His investigation began after identifying recurring giant T-shapes, three-level indents, and step pyramids carved into ancient stones worldwide. 'These specific symbols that are built in different size proportions, and the symbols are found in ancient stones around the world, are not supposed to exist; no cultures are supposed to have any cross-platform,' LaCroix explained. The symbols appear in locations ranging from Turkey's Van region to South America and Cambodia.
History
Environment
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Rewilding Rejects the We're-So-Special Exceptionalism

Rewilding requires rehabilitating human hearts, overcoming self-centeredness, and treating nature with compassion so ecosystems and nonhuman lives can flourish.
Yoga
fromYoga Journal
2 months ago

This Underrated Aspect of Yoga Can Seriously Deepen Your Practice

Mudras are consistent, symbolic hand gestures in Indian art and yoga that communicate spiritual meanings and support meditation and embodied practice.
fromScary Mommy
2 months ago

Something Has Shifted In The Air. We All Feel It.

Again. It was happening again. Not even three weeks ago, federal agents murdered a mother of three named Renee Good. A few days before that, another federal immigration officer shot and killed Keith Porter, Jr. in Los Angeles. Daily, our city network of concerned citizens is documenting the injustices happening against our neighbors. Pittsburgh - like America itself - would not exist without immigrants, yet we watch them be dehumanized and terrorized hourly in what has long been known as Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
US politics
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

The Psychology of the Collective Unconscious

A shared, inherited collective unconscious shapes human emotions, recurring archetypal imagery, and convergent dream themes across cultures, especially during times of stress.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Ghosts in Ancient Mesopotamia: Just Another Aspect of Life

Ghosts were integral to Mesopotamian belief: deceased spirits required proper burial and ongoing remembrance or they could return to haunt the living.
Mindfulness
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Sacredness of the Everyday

Joan Halifax combines deep contemplative practice with sustained, hands-on compassionate action across medical missions, hospice care, prison ministry, homelessness work, and peace activism.
Philosophy
fromPortland Mercury
2 months ago

Pagh'tem'far, b'tanay

Take responsibility now by humbling yourself and making amends; otherwise life will force harsher, less merciful consequences and rewrite your narrative.
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Why We're Obsessed With the Monks Walking Across America

Twelve Buddhist monks walking across the United States are drawing millions online and thousands in person, inspiring peace, gratitude, and a shared sense of human connection.
Philosophy
fromThe Conversation
2 months ago

The hidden power of grief rituals

Funeral rituals mobilize substantial resources and communal participation, creating intense shared grief and strong social bonds across personal and national communities.
Philosophy
fromWarpweftandway
2 months ago

ToC: Asian Philosophy 36:1

Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist, and Islamic mystical traditions examine creation, uncertainty, relational personhood, epistemic virtues, commitment, and critiques of Confucian self-cultivation.
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

The Road From Rebellion to Reverence

By the time people reach their seventh decade, they have learned many lessons. From a psychological standpoint, they understand what really matters. They have learned what to let go of. They know what they need to be happy. They also acknowledge the importance of being kinder to themselves and how relationships and experiences are more important than possessions. They tend to reflect on lessons learned and often recover more easily from adversity. They also focus on wanting the best for their loved ones.
Mindfulness
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Festivals in Ancient Mesopotamia: Courting the Goodwill of the Gods

as the gods were understood as the true monarchs and the king as simply their steward. In order to maintain his authority, the king needed to court the goodwill of the gods, and although they made their approval clear through military victories, bountiful harvests, and prosperous trade, events such as the Akitu festival provided an annual opportunity for the divine to continue its relationship with the ruling house or withdraw its favor.
History
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

The Myth of Progress

Relentless pursuit of progress can shrink life, prioritizing efficiency and achievements over health, relationships, and meaningful depth—becoming a poisoned gift.
fromYogaRenew
2 months ago

The Ahankara

They look nervously at the cameras. The prize, they are told, is beyond description, but "it is what everyone wants!" The first question is asked: "Who are you?" The fastest contestant with the buzzer rings in - "Michelle!" they cry out confidently. BUZZ - the sound for the wrong answer rings out loudly. Another contestant seizes the moment and squeezes their buzzer. "A Man!" he states with utmost confidence. BUZZ - wrong again.
Philosophy
Philosophy
fromPhilosophynow
2 months ago

Gyara Is All There Is

Stoic resilience allows freedom through reason, requiring persistent virtue and inner resolve to withstand exile and nature’s indifferent forces.
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 month ago

Indigenous Antif*scism

Relational Indigenous knowledge and practices must be mobilized to dismantle settler colonial state-forms, capitalism, and fascism while building constellations of co-resistance.
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