My idea of going to church.

#garden #gardening #richmondsunflowerfest #dahlia #religiousnaturalism

Best short science video all year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRTJ5ISmVXE
#science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism

Best short science video all year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRTJ5ISmVXE
#science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism

@BrightFlame @solarpunkgnome @jankwrites

Have you heard of the Religious Naturalist Association? Check it out! There's probably some overlap.

#religiousnaturalism #religiousnaturalist

https://religious-naturalist-association.org/welcome/

So, I'm already feeling good about sitting down to a night of drinking before the holiday, but then I find out one of my photos placed third in the photo contest of the Religious Naturalist Association and I've won an autographed copy of Ursula Goodenough's second edition of "The Sacred Depths of Nature". That put me over the moon!

My winning photo is called "Altar".

#religiousnaturalism #religiousnaturalist #religiousnaturalistassociation #bees

Male whale fail tales: As populations rebound, humpback males give up singing for mates, and fight instead. Good news? Yes. Singing for a mate is best when she’s hard to even find. With numbers up eightfold, better to mate in silence. If other males come around, intimidate them. #cousins #conservation #science #religiousnaturalism #spirituality #socialchange

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/02/whales-give-singing-fight-love

Male whale fail tales: As populations rebound, humpback males give up singing for mates, and fight instead. Good news? Yes. Singing for a mate is best when she’s hard to even find. With numbers up eightfold, better to mate in silence. If other males come around, intimidate them. #cousins #conservation #science #religiousnaturalism #spirituality #socialchange

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/02/whales-give-singing-fight-love

Looking up is looking back in time. The James Webb Telescope can see galaxies as they were 13+ billion years ago. Some of them are too big, too early in the universe’s history for current knowledge to explain. This is GREAT! There is still much to reveal, and much awe and wonder still to come. #science #spirituality #Religiousnaturalism

Article
https://science.psu.edu/news/Leja2-2023-early-galaxies

Study
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05786-2

Looking up is looking back in time. The James Webb Telescope can see galaxies as they were 13+ billion years ago. Some of them are too big, too early in the universe’s history for current knowledge to explain. This is GREAT! There is still much to reveal, and much awe and wonder still to come. #science #spirituality #Religiousnaturalism

Article
https://science.psu.edu/news/Leja2-2023-early-galaxies

Study
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05786-2

Gorgeous photos of our marine cousins being amazing.

https://hakaimagazine.com/videos-visuals/for-humpbacks-bubbles-can-be-tools/

#cousins #science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism

Is love scientifically “real”?

“Thirty spokes converge
In the hub of a wheel;
But the use of the cart
Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void.”
[Excerpt, Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching]

(JD says: love is the hub...)

#science #religiousnaturalism #spirituality #poetry

#science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism

Your suspicions confirmed: a Cornell study shows that people with access to immersion in nature (parks) had better mental health during lockdowns. Nature heals. #science #nature #religiousnaturalism #spirituality #parks #equity

Plain-English:
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/02/nature-near-home-associated-well-being-during-covid

The study:
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10433

Our great-ape cousins use sign language. Most humans can read it. Can you?
#kinship #science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism

Plain English article, with a chance to try it yourself:
https://tinyurl.com/49mua4tw

The study:
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001939

#science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism #unity

The meek are just smarter…among raccoons. Scientists found that aggressive raccoons were slower learners than docile ones in solving puzzles. Sound familiar? Thoughtfulness pays, in our distant cousins and ourselves.
#kinship #evolution #science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism #humility

Sufi wisdom that endures today.
#science #spirituality #holism #unity #interbeing #religiousnaturalism

Spiders dream, too (maybe). Keen observers (aka scientists) documented jumping spiders’ eyes exhibiting Rapid Eye Movements while asleep, while all eight legs twitched. Like your dog. Like you.

REM sleep indicates dreaming in humans; we can’t be sure about spiders, but it’s one more revelation about how non-special we are (or, how totally special ALL life is). #kinship #evolution #science #spirituality #compassion #religiousnaturalism

Plain-English article:
https://tinyurl.com/bdec4dx3

Eudaemonia is spirit-wellness—beyond happiness to meaningful wholeness. Researchers found that awe, wonder, & beauty amplify meaningfulness. So really—stop and smell the roses. It’s a religious practice. #ReligiousNaturalism #science #spirituality #eudaemonia #awe #wonder #gratefulness

The study:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333491631_Awe_and_Meaning_Elucidating_Complex_Effects_of_Awe_Experiences_on_Meaning_in_life

Plain English article:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-dimension-to-a-meaningful-life1/

I love this. #science #spirituality #religiousnaturalism