IntegraTRIP

No matter how much I mentally prepared myself, I did not know what to think when coming to the Integratron this past week. It was like going into a sports game, readying my mind for whatever could have come my way. I wish I could be able to even explain why the things that happened, happened, but even I can't understand.

"I'm a New Yorker," she said. Well shoot. If she's a New Yorker and she believes in the powers of the Integratron, this must be crazy. I think something that I thought was really interesting that I learned was about the relations of the quartz to our bodies on a molecular level. In my mind, I pictures a bond between the molecules of quartz in the bowls and the molecules of my own body. Apparently this was supposed to affect my chakra and boy were they right.

Firstly, as I was laying there, the sound of the bowls overtook my ears--this sound was something that I usually feel uncomfortable with because loud consistent noise makes me uneasy; however, no pain, no gain. But that's where it got weird.

Secondly, the man who was playing the bowls played a certain key and that for some reason hit a nerve in me and I started to cry. It seemed to have made a connection between me and some grief that I still have lingering within me. That was bizarre. Mind you, my eyes are closed this whole time and I am seeing colors like I'm flying through space--a medley of purples and yellows. Very strange.

Lastly, I don't ever remember the bowls ending being played. I just woke up startled. My eyes flew open and I realized that the bowls weren't playing anymore and there was calming music playing. Once we all were taken out of our sound bath, I could tell my hearing was more sensitive because I was hearing people talking across the room even more clearly than before the sound bath.

Definitely one of the stranger experiences I've had in my life, but definitely something I would come back to again. It has a kind of addictive quality to it--a type of relaxation I feel that could only come from an experience at a place like that.

Integratron

I’m sitting at my computer trying to come up with an articulate way to describe my experience at the Integratron. Something like that is almost impossible to explain eloquently, so forgive me as most of what I have to say is jumbled.

            I’ll preface by saying I had done something similar to this before. Through Chapman I had gone on a 10-day meditation retreat, frequently do yoga, and have done sound meditation before. So I thought I sort of knew what I was getting myself into.

            BUT. Then we walked into this massive dome in the middle of the desert and this crazy Venus-alien energy takes over and suddenly everything I thought I knew went out the window.

            When he started playing the crystal bowls, I instantly felt like the vibrations were zigzagging back and forth through my brain, moving down my body as he switched to the different bowls. Then for a while, I kept picturing myself spinning around Saturn’s rings to the beat of the bowls (told you hard to articulate…)

            I don’t think I fell asleep, but I have no recognition of when the bowls stopped and when the music started playing. When it was over, and I came to, I found myself shaking; I was almost scared when it was time to leave. It sounds crazy but I actually felt like I went to another world for a little bit and then didn’t know how to adjust when it was time to come back. Without a doubt it was an unbelievable experience, and so special that I got to experience it with such a lovely group of people!

Integratron Amazingness

When I went to the Integratron with our class last weekend I tried to go with an open mind. I was actually really excited about the unknown which typically isn’t how I feel. When we drove up to the gate I was sort of surprised there was no type of civilization around. This building full of experiences that draws large amounts of people is literally in the middle of nowhere. I started thinking about the origins of the building and how it started with a man being visited by aliens from Venus. When our class was told more about the history I was shocked that Howard Hughes funded a random building in the desert with no metal in the framing. I dwelled on that thought for a while only being able to picture a young Leonardo DiCaprio trying to build this huge installations while storing his pee in a number of bottles.

                When we went inside, it was cooler that I expected (temperature wise). We all took off our shoes and left our technology and climbed up the steepest stairs I have ever seen. I was honestly so afraid of falling and dying. However, when I reached the second story it was like a whole other world. The air was somehow thinner than before and the architecture was breathtaking. For some reason I didn’t expect the inside to resemble the shape of the outside structure but it actually took exactly the same shape which I really enjoyed. We all played around for a couple of minutes talking to each other to fully grasp the amazingness involving the acoustics. At one point a student was talking to me and I began to move closer to her in the center of the room and as I did her voice became so apparent that it felt like she was talking in my head. Her speech was as strong as my own personal thoughts. Experiencing that was amazing but also kind of freaky.

                We all began to lay down and prepare for the quartz bowl sound bath and as it began, I was just so amazed at how beautiful the bowls sounded. They were so strong and loud! I cannot stress that enough. The Bowls were SO POWERFUL I felt like they were commanding my attention so much that even if I wanted to think of something else, I couldn’t.  As the sound bath went on, I began seen a tunnel of mostly blue and black but with other random cool colors. Kind of like the movie Contact which I linked below.

:52 and on but I was going backwards and there were more definite stripes of color

here is another tunnel space scene from Interstellar

2:45 and on

As I was going backwards I tried to will my mind to see the tunnel going forwards but I couldn’t change it. I just kept falling backwards. I think I began to go in and out of consciousness because I didn’t notice the change from Quartz bowls to music and then the session was over. When I sat up, my body felt really light, like I had been resting for a really long time. I felt like this somehow related to my chakras. In past and current acting classes at Chapman, we have worked and done exercises involving our chakras so this was such a special experience to share with non-actors.

Reflection on Integratron

Yo, the Integratron was quite an experience. I went in excited yet skeptical, my nature on most topics of the unknown and experiential. It proved to be pretty awesome – I was expecting to drift to sleep but actually had an intense vision (possible dream…who knows) of me screaming at someone for mixing my paint wrong. Not sure if this is good or bad, but hey it was something, that’s for sure.

            The sound bath has been recreated by multiple bloggers and TV/YouTube personalities, most of them making their own mixed tapes and not actually using any type of bowl for sound. Here is a video:

            A part of our trip to Joshua Tree that I really wish we had been able to do was visit Giant Rock, the 7 story rock that’s energy levels coincide with those of the Integratron, as well as having cracks through the earth that balance power as well, if I remember correctly. The idea of having these earthly natures playing into our bodies while we lay in this building is fascinating; the fact that we are physically so out of tune with our environment is a sad and confusing concept to grasp. It is ironic that we have to remove ourselves so much from our everyday lives to reach a place of peace and enlightenment – maybe that says something about society today.

            These are some videos of varying people’s times at Giant Rock (the first video isa group of people playing weird, sound-bathy music and the second video has some actual scholastic merit to it-discussing the history and what-not):

I really enjoyed reading some of the Google and Yelp reviews about other individuals’ journeys after the fact while planning my next trip. For example:

            “THE ALIEN CRYSTAL VISION SEEMS TO LOVE RELIGIONS: TRIGONAL AND HEXAGONAL CIRCLES SECRET OF THE SINGING BOWL-SHAPED UNIVERSE... FROM JAMES MICHAEL AND VIVIANNE CHAPESKIE “

            “Mind kicked in the balls.”

            “Its like being in a catholic church when you're asked to kneel, close your eyes and pray only you are sneaking a peak at who is really doing it and also thinking about where you're going to eat afterwards.”

Imagine Mars

Imagine Mars is a "creative, community-based project that integrates science, technology and the arts". This project is co-sponsored by NASA and the National Endowment for the arts with an extensive list of partners. Imagine Mars caught my attention because it's a STEM-based project that collaborates NASA scientists with students like me. The scientists and engineers work with these students to think critically, problem solve, and execute solutions. They can work face-to-face, through video conferencing, or by the Digital Learning Network. Students as young as kindergarten age can express their creative side by imagining a community on Mars. This process includes brainstorming and developing ideas that would be important for the hypothetical community, like cultural, artistic, and scientific ideals. Then students can invent and share their outcome with the world. For example, one project involved working with local architects to make a sustainable environment. There is no cost for participation, allowing students of all economic class to become involved. According to NASA’s website, Imagine Mars offers “Imagine Mars curriculum, project leader training, mars science training, project planning, connection to NASA scientists and engineers, connection with Museums Alliance network, and materials (Earth/Mars comparison poster, 3D glasses, activity guide, Mars compilation DVD). One can also look at all the projects on NASA’s website to see some of the interesting creations that students are making. A project I saw on the website involved students envisioning the Olympics on Mars. It was presented as a print advertisement campaign. The events were adjusted to fit the Martian terrain and atmosphere and students invented a new Olympic logo. Imagine Mars is an important program for students who might not be able to receive an education and is a great opportunity for students to work closely with scientists. These projects can inspire young minds to become future scientists! Here is the link to all the projects so far: http://mars.nasa.gov/imagine/gallery/all/

How to Land on Mars

Images of Mars in JPL gallery

At our last visit to JPL, it was so amazing to learn about the many discoveries NASA scientists have made relating to Mars. One of the things that fascinated me most was seeing just how far the technology has come over the past 100 years. In the early 20^th century, many people still believed that little green men had built elaborate societies on the red planet. Today, scientists have debunked these myths and are currently analyzing the possibility of finding life on Mars, and the process of investigating Mars is much more complex now than ever before. The first color image of Mars was not a simple photograph. The image was created by using pastels to fill in the various hues based on a number system. Today we are able to see not only color, but textures of the entire surface of Mars as well.

Geospatial information scientist Fred Calef spoke to us at JPL. Calef is essentially a cartographer – he looks at the textures in images of Mars to see how to land and drive safely on Mars. This analysis is essential for the rovers to gather information on Mars. I noticed some similarities between Calef’s research and the principles I have learned in a number of art classes, particularly the use of perspective. Calef uses perspective to get an overall sense of the landscape, and also to determine the size and height of various objects. Unwrapping images of the 3D surface to form a 2D images allows for a clearer view of Mars’ surface. To determine the specific height of objects, he blends the aerial view and side shots of an image, and also looks at shadow length. Just as we use perspective to create realistic images, Calef uses perspective to better see what is already there.

Curiosity landing site

With the help of Calef’s research, the rovers are able to navigate the unfamiliar surface of our neighboring planet, and as a result collect plenty of important data (including evidence of liquid water!). It was so interesting to see how JPL has been able to land so many rovers on Mars and how far technology has come. Who knows what JPL will discover in the next 100 years? Who knows!

Forms in Nature

In conjunction with fractals, where organic forms can be broken into both smaller and larger forms, yet keep their original shape, NASA reminded me of the patterns we can find in nature. At out last visit, we we’re fortunate to meet Doctor Serina Diniega a Planetary Geomorphologist, or in simpler terms a geologist of other planets in space. She explained that through studying and measuring the surfaces of other planets, one can hope to be able to predict and explain why the landscape looks, in this place and in this time, as it does. With this comparative planetology, where Earth is part of a system, or larger pattern, one can find similarities to natural phenomena’s on Earth also found in other planets. Why is this important you may ask? This means that by studying these similarities on Earth and with the data collected by satellites, Dr. Diniega can help NASA determine when it would be best to land on certain planets, the best time of visibility in hard to see areas or even why there are certain wind patterns in the sand.

Dr. Diniega currently is undergoing a project studying the gullies on Mars in hopes of finding signs of water, thus life on Mars. By studying the sand patterns created by wind, Dr. Diniega actually created mathematical equations explaining the migration of sand dunes and the cyclical transference of sand. Besides being super impressed on the fact that she was able to calculate in quantum terms the movement of a sand particle, Dr. Diniega brought up the fascinating reality that patterns that our in space are similarly found on our planet and sometimes even in our own bodies. Mind Blown! Imagine the veins in our bodies, to the veins in a river, to the gullies on mars! Why do these shapes keep reappearing?! Maybe the answer has been there all along and at the end of the day we finally realize…. We are all the same.