martes, 16 de junio de 2015

VISUALIZACIÓN CREATIVA Los 7 consejos clave


El Poder de la Visualización


El increíble poder motivador de la música.

El increíble poder motivador de la música.

Escrito por Jose Maria Vicedo
Seguro que en más de una ocasión has experimentado el increíble efecto positivo que tiene sobre tu estado emocional escuchar tus canciones favoritas. La música es una herramienta tremendamente poderosa para ayudarnos a desatar estados emocionales positivos. Por ello, suelo utilizar siempre la música para crear momentos emocionales intensos en mis seminarios, y siempre está en mi lista de recomendaciones como una de las herramientas más poderosas que tienen a su disposición quienes deseen desatar su máximo potencial.
Te invito a hacer una sencilla prueba. A lo largo de esta semana, dedica unos pocos minutos al comienzo de cada día simplemente a escuchar algún tipo de música que realmente te guste y te inspire. Y mientras escuchas esa música, enfócate en despertar toda tu energía y vitalidad. Sumérgete en la música mientras estimulas plenamente tu sistema nervioso con todas esas vibraciones positivas. Y juzga tu mismo por los resultados. Notarás como te enfrentas a tu día a día de una manera mucho más entusiasta y positiva.
Personalmente utilizo con mucha frecuencia esta rutina, y he creado una pequeña colección de canciones que utilizo para potenciar estados emocionales positivos. Suelo combinar la escucha de esas canciones con la creación de visualizaciones intensas de un futuro apasionante e inspirador en el que he logrado mis objetivos. Y es una combinación tan poderosa, esa unión de música e imágenes en mi imaginación, que automáticamente me sitúa en un estado emocional de absoluta pasión, gratitud y amor por la vida. Y lo mejor de todo es que es un proceso sencillo de realizar y tremendamente agradable.
Vuelvo a animarte a que pongas en práctica este simple ejercicio por unos días, y a que luego simplemente juzgues por los resultados. Te garantizo que te sorprenderán…
© 2011 José María Vicedo – http://www.clubsuperacion.com

Una fórmula sencilla para conseguir una autodisciplina poderosa

Una fórmula sencilla para conseguir una autodisciplina poderosa

Escrito por Jose Maria Vicedo
 
Son muchas las personas que señalan como uno de los principales obstáculos a la hora de lograr sus objetivos la falta de autodisciplina. Se sienten incapaces de lograr un enfoque continuo en las tareas que saben que han de realizar si quieren lograr esos objetivos. Constantemente permiten que su atención vaya a otras tareas más gratas y agradables, perdiendo de ese modo el enfoque y en muchos casos llevándoles a lamentar más tarde no haber sabido mantener la disciplina necesaria para conquistar sus compromisos.
La principal causa de esto es su percepción equivocada de lo que cuesta ser disciplinado. Creen que la autodisciplina va a requerir un esfuerzo titánico por su parte, y obviamente bajo esa clase de pensamiento, lo único que consiguen es sentirse abrumados y buscar rápidamente una gratificación inmediata.
Pero conseguir autodisciplina no es nada complicado si uno se enfrenta a ello desde la perspectiva adecuada. Es simplemente un proceso que ha de basarse en un crecimiento paso a paso. Igual que sucede con un simple hilo de algodón, que resulta muy fácil de partir, sucede con la autodisciplina cuando se está forjando. Al principio has de plantearte pequeños retos y comprometerte a llevarlos a cabo.
Por ejemplo, si uno de tus objetivos es perder el sobre peso que tienes, un buen comienzo puede ser simplemente el suprimir de tu dieta el pan. Si te planteases unos cambios de mucha más magnitud, corres el riesgo de quedar desbordado por la tarea y abandonarías con facilidad. De este modo, una vez has dado ese primer paso, que es sencillo, podrías continuar con otro nuevo paso. Y después ir sumándole otro, y otro, y otro más… Al final el efecto sería el mismo que el de la unión de decenas de hilos de algodón formando una cuerda. Una vez todos los hilos están juntos ya son muy difíciles de romper.
Sucede lo mismo con la autodisciplina. Una vez has desarrollado tus “músculos” de disciplina, te darás cuenta de que cada vez te resulta más sencillo comprometerte con objetivos de mayor envergadura, y todo el proceso se vuelve mucho más simple, rápido y gratificante. Y todo lo que has necesitado para lograrlo ha sido simplemente ir dando pequeños pasos uno detrás de otro.
Si para ti hasta ahora ha sido un problema forjar una autodisciplina a toda prueba, empieza a trabajarla de este modo; a base de pequeños pasos que van sumando fuerza a tu hábito. Y pronto descubrirás que eres capaz de perseguir objetivos de una magnitud mucho mayor de lo que ni siquiera eras capaz de imaginar.
© 2013 José María Vicedo – http://www.clubsuperacion.com

El poder de la visualización para conseguir objetivos

“La imaginación lo es todo.”
-Albert Einstein.
Hoy día son ya incuestionables los enormes beneficios que puede aportar un programa de visualización de nuestros objetivos. Son ya innumerables los estudios que demuestran el nexo de unión que existe entre los programas de visualización y las mejoras del rendimiento. Por ello, puede afirmarse con rotundidad que si existe una herramienta de eficacia probada para mejorar el rendimiento en cualquier área, esa herramienta se llama VISUALIZACION CON INTENSIDAD EMOCIONAL.
Algo tan sencillo como dedicar unos instantes cada día a crear en nuestra mente una “película” intensa que nos muestre a nosotros mismos habiendo ya alcanzado los objetivos que deseamos, haciendo intervenir en esa película a todos los sentidos: que veremos, oiremos, sentiremos… cuando nuestro objetivo sea una realidad.
Porque lo que sucede es que a través de este proceso de visualización de los objetivos que deseamos alcanzar, comenzamos a crear un “conflicto” en nuestra mente subconsciente entre aquello que estamos visualizando, y nuestra realidad actual. Y esto desencadena que nuestra mente subconsciente trate de resolver este “conflicto” buscando formas de convertir en realidad aquello que estamos visualizando.
Y es a través de un proceso de repetición periódica y consistente de nuestras visualizaciones, cuando conseguimos desatar todo el poder que estas tienen.
Podemos resumir en 4 puntos los enormes beneficios de un programa de visualización:
1.-La visualización desata todo el poder de nuestra mente subconsciente para buscar soluciones que nos lleven a lograr nuestros objetivos.Comenzarás a notar que aumenta tu capacidad para generar nuevas y más poderosas ideas.
2.-La visualización permite que percibas cosas que antes te pasaban desapercibidas y que pueden ayudarte a lograr los objetivos que te propones. Cuando le mostramos a nuestra mente un objetivo claro que perseguir, está alerta para detectar cualquier cosa que pueda ser útil para avanzar hacia ese objetivo.
3.-Con la visualización seremos capaces de generar una motivación GIGANTESCA. Nada motiva más que visualizarte intensamente tal y como estarás cuando tus objetivos se hayan hecho realidad. Y pronto te descubrirás emprendiendo todo tipo de acciones que te catapulten hacia tu objetivo.
4.-La visualización permite que des un impulso tremendo a tu actitud personal. Cuando te ves como la clase de persona capaz de lograr esos objetivos, tu actitud se ve influenciada positivamente de manera significativa. Comienzas literalmente a ver la vida de un modo totalmente diferente. Donde antes veías obstáculos, ahora verás oportunidades.
Te animo a que dediques unos minutos cada día a realizar una visualización poderosa de tus objetivos convertidos en realidad. Elige un lugar donde te sientas cómodo, y hecha a volar tu imaginación recreando intensamente lo que sentirás cuando tus objetivos sean una realidad. Disfruta, motívate, desarrolla una actitud poderosa… y juzga por ti mismo los resultados que van produciéndose en tu vida fruto de todo ese proceso de visualizaciones intensas.
© 2012 José María Vicedo – http://www.clubsuperacion.com

lunes, 30 de junio de 2014

10 Great Apps for Landscape Architects

Posted by  on Feb 4, 2014 in TechnologyTop 10 | 0 comments
10 Great Apps for Landscape Architects – Part 2

10 Great Apps for Landscape Architects – Part 2

We are spoiled for choice when it comes to apps — they range anywhere from recording our sleep cycle to reminding us to brush our teeth. Apps are constantly being developed to make our lives more interesting, if not easier. The apps for architecture and landscape architecture are plentiful, adapted to our habits from desk to field research and everything in between. In this article, I hope to show you some apps that made my academic life a bit easier and provided a more fascinating and different approach to projects.
1. Photosynth

Photosynth stiches together numerous images of an area and puts it into one file, creating a panoramic picture. The app takes the images from left to right, up to down, to create a photographic orb. On field trips, I found this app very useful for recording the space in order to get a better feel for it when I returned for desk study.
2. Behance and Behance Creative Portfolio
Behance is a site to display and discover online portfolios from across the artistic board, from categories such as Photography, Graphic Design, and, of course, Architecture. There are two apps, both by Behance: The first app is the site; the second is Creative Portfolio, which allows students and professionals to upload to the site, showcasing their portfolios.
3. Mini Scanner
This app has saved me many a time in the library! It is a simple app in which you can “scan” text or pictures and turn them into simple black and white drawings that are clear to read. The app is free, but you can upgrade it and gain the ability to email your images. I found this app very useful when I had small paragraphs of text to use, but didn’t want to waste paper photocopying.  This is a definite favorite of mine.
4. Virtual Sketchpads-Paper by 53 and SketchBook by Autodesk

These apps are virtual sketchpads, designed to replicate a paper sketchpad. Both apps have an ease of options, allowing natural flow of the virtual pencil or pen. I find it works well even on the iPhone, but I would recommend a stylus. Paper by 53 is solely for iPad.
5. Google Drive/SkyDrive
In relation to your choice of email, these apps allow easy sharing of work and a peaceful mind. Whether it is my hard drive breaking down or, in a more recent situation, sending files that I couldn’t send through normal email due to size constraints —  i.e portfolios, these are unbelievably useful. I have gotten into the habit of saving all my projects onto Google Drive after crits, and it really gives me peace of mind.
6. Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader is a simple and familiar app that allows interaction across various platforms. You can open documents directly as they are sent. It is very user friendly, with easy functions, and allows easy input and editing of existing information.
7. Dirr’s Shrub and Tree Finder
This app is a pocket version of the renowned Dirr’s book. Although this app is quite pricey, it seems like a very comprehensive app, with a variety of search options. This app is more for reference than plant identification, but allows a large, helpful book to be condensed into an application on your phone.
8. iRhino 3D

This app allows you to interact with your 3D models made through Rhino 3D from your portable device. There are some constraints, as you must shade your model in Rhino before opening it in the app, and there is a file size limit of about 50MB.
9. Evernote

This app makes life in general easier! Although this is not a landscape-orientated app, we all need a bit of organization, and this app is here to help. It allows you to save, sync, and share files and, with an upgrade, you can take your notes offline.
10. Bluebeam Revu
The perfect app for PDF creation, markup, editing, and collaboration for a paperless workflow. Also, ideal for punch lists and simple to navigate.
Apps are becoming increasingly popular in the world of design, and certainly are certainly going to continue to influence the design process.  With hundreds to choose from, and new creations daily, the future of apps for designers is bright!
Article written by Lisa Tierney

Maleficent and Healing the Divine Feminine

Maleficent and Healing the Divine Feminine

Written by  
Maleficent PosterIf you’re a fan of Hollywood’s recent slew of fairytale revisions, you won’t want to miss Maleficent. You might remember that I was pretty taken with Snow White and the Huntsman and wrote a lengthy article about it a while back. I loved Maleficent too, and couldn’t wait to look at the chart for the film’s premiere. I’ve recently been having fun adding asteroids to my charts, and the named asteroids are often pretty dramatic. I’ll share some standouts here from the Maleficent chart and look at a few other important configurations.
It took some digging to find the premiere’s actual start time, which I settled on as May 28, 2014 at 6:00 pm in Hollywood, CA. (1) The film’s opening got some extra media buzz because Brad Pitt was accosted on the red carpet by a notorious paparazzi guy (and we find rogue chaos-instigator Uranus in Aries quincunx the Ascendant in the premiere chart). But that media blip didn’t detract from the real star of the moment – Angelina Jolie – who seems to have been born to play the part of Maleficent, the famous villain from Walt Disney’s 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty.
SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen the film yet and don’t like knowing the plot details beforehand, quit reading and come back after you’ve seen it. Although you know the fairy tale it’s based on, there are enough twists in this new version to surprise you.
Maleficent tells the Sleeping Beauty tale anew from the point of view of Maleficent, a powerful fairy from a magical realm, who, after a deeply wounding betrayal, comes to have it out for princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and casts the famous spell that enchants Aurora into a deep sleep on her 16th birthday. In this wonderful revision of the classic fairy tale, we get to see characters whose motivations are more fully developed, complex, and less black-and-white than the Disney or Grimm originals. More importantly, details of the story are changed to give the female characters more power and centrality in their own self-actualization. I just love progress! And I’m surprised and grateful that Hollywood (and Disney!) now have the will to make films like this.
The visuals in the film take center stage, with Angeline Jolie’s angular features perfectly matched to Disney’s original cartoon villain’s striking looks. The reimagined Maleficent still has two huge horns, but now also has majestic wings that (temporarily) take the place of the classic black cape we all remember.
Maleficent Wings Poster
Maleficent is ultimately a story of betrayal and redemption, so it’s not surprising we see a Scorpio Ascendant in this chart, with Saturn conjunct. Maleficent’s adversary is Stefan, a human boy who, at first enamored with her, is later so consumed by his own quest for power that he burns off her wings  in order to win the King’s appointment as successor to the throne. Power dynamics and betrayals are Scorpio training ground, and the film explores both.
Leading up to the betrayal, the film takes great pleasure in scenes of Maleficent flying joyfully through her kingdom – a kind of Garden of Eden realm that is reminiscent of similar scenes from Avatar(2) By showing us Eden first, we’re that much more emotionally connected to Maleficent’s pain when the film’s tone shifts and her wings are taken from her.
Let’s take a look at the premiere chart’s Ascendant. Here’s the (lengthy) astrological shorthand: Saturn is retrograde at 18° Scorpio conjunct the 14° Scorpio Ascendant; Saturn is in a tight grand trine with Jupiter at 19° Cancer and Chiron at 17° Pisces, and Saturn is also directly opposite Juno at 18° Taurus and squared by asteroid Icarus at 20° Aquarius, which is exactly conjunct the IC and opposite the MC; the Ascendant is sextile Pluto at 13° Capricorn, square Ceres at 15° Leo, and quincunx Uranus at 15° Aries. That’s a mouthful, eh?
Starting with the Scorpio Ascendant conjunct retrograde Saturn, the promo images for the film describe this better than words...
This Ascendant naturally looks great in black to say the least. But the film goes a step further with the fiercely horned Maleficent looking like a creature out of central casting as one of Lucifer’s minions. Here, the film is playing with our old concepts of demons because this is no one-dimensional villain. Her looks ultimately serve to challenge our assumptions.
Maleficent Green EyesScorpio rising folks can have a piercing quality to their gaze, and Angelina’s eyes steal several scenes in this film, glowing green while she lurks in the shadows, watching, waiting. Combining the Saturn and Scorpio archetypes, Maleficent bides her time patiently while her dark spell of revenge unfolds in Aurora’s life.
Stefan’s betrayal of Maleficent leaves a mark that is both psychological and physical. She is wounded but not killed (Chiron), and her wound changes her look (Ascendant). As part of this configuration between Saturn, the Ascendant and Chiron, we see that Saturn is also square the asteroid Icarus. Like Icarus, Maleficent’s wings are burned off, here with iron, and we find that in Scorpio, Saturn is disposited by Mars, which rules iron.
Icarus here is exactly conjunct the IC, opposite the MC, and these images of the main character’s wings are strongly tied to the film’s first impression (Ascendant) as well as its reputation (MC).
Maleficent’s attacker Stefan happens to be the one person she had a shot at matrimonial bliss with, making the sting of betrayal especially sharp. And we find the topic of marriage a bit complicated in this chart, with Saturn opposite Juno in the 7th on the descendant.  Interestingly, the 7th is both the house of marriage and of open enemies, and with Juno there opposed by Saturn, marriage is understandably off the menu for Maleficent, given the circumstances.
Ultimately, Maleficent’s power never seems to diminish, even without her wings, expressing some of the promise of the grand trine that includes Jupiter. As the film progresses, she learns that it’s up to her to successfully navigate the darkness within her and that she’s also capable of great transformation, should she choose to do the difficult work needed. In Jupiter’s potential we see that she can also reach the more positive promises of the Saturn in Scorpio archetype if she puts great energy into it, using her stamina and will to activate the trine. And with Jupiter in Cancer, the act of caring for others and embodying the high-end of the mother archetype should serve her well.
The mother archetype repeats in this chart as we find Pluto and Ceres strongly configured to the Ascendant, and this shows up as a story of surrogate mothering (Ceres) and abduction (Ceres and Pluto). Although Aurora isn’t technically abducted, she is taken from her birth mother (recalling the Ceres myth) and sent to be raised in secret part of the deep forest (Pluto).  Fittingly, we find Ceres here in Leo, associated with royalty, and Maleficent is, of course, a princess.
Maleficent ForestA natural stand-in for the mythic Plutonian underworld, the deep forest setting ignites our imagination with visions of the complex primal elemental forces of the natural world, simultaneously life-enhancing and dangerous. Like Maleficent’s striking looks, the forest instantly draws us into this humbling experience of mysterious beauty, formidable elemental power and destructive potential.
The King leaves Aurora in the charge of three “good” fairies, who are so inept at mothering a human child that Maleficent steps in (unseen) to make sure all goes well. Initially she seems motivated to watch over Aurora solely so that she can enjoy her revenge later (how Saturn in Scorpio!). But she falls victim to her own curse: that “all who see Aurora will love her.” And in a complex blend of all of the archetypes we’ve looked at so far, Maleficent reluctantly embodies the mother archetype for this surrogate child of her enemy – a child she had likely dreamed of having with him – in a change of heart that provides the stimulus for Maleficent’s own healing.
Speaking of healing, the asteroid Hygiea at 7° Gemini is conjunct the Sun and square Neptune at 7° Pisces in this chart. (3) Hygiea is thought to signify health issues, concepts of purity and purification. So we have a story of healing that is also linked with the identity (Sun) of the film (Neptune). The film itself is healing for the collective psyche (Neptune in Pisces square Hygiea and the Sun), through its retelling of a beloved story (Gemini) that is powerfully embedded in the collective imagination (Neptune in Pisces).
One last bit of named asteroid fun: the asteroid Angelina is at 17° Cancer, conjunct Jupiter and thus, tightly configured to the grand trine of Saturn, Jupiter and Chiron. The film’s producer got it right when he said, “There was no point in making the movie if it wasn’t her.” (4)
In a time when the need to heal our relationship to the divine feminine and to nature itself is so dire, this film is hopefully an expression of a cultural sea-change in the right direction.
PS: For more about Maleficent and Angelina Jolie’s chart, look out for an article on Demetra George’s website next month.

Endnotes

1. According to many online sources, Hollywood premiers typically start between 5:00 and 6:30. I didn’t get a response from the premiere venue directly, but did get one from Gary at http://www.seeing-stars.com who tracks premier times, and suggests that based on the place of the sun in the red carpet photos, the premiere started after 5:30 and at least an hour before sunset, which was at 7:47 pm that day. I settled on 6pm as likely because of Saturn’s dramatic placement on the Scorpio Ascendant.
2. Avatar was one of the first huge films released as Neptune entered Pisces, and here we have Neptune strongly configured exactly square to the Sun. Thus the images reminiscent of Eden.
3. Hygiea is the 4th largest asteroid in our system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_Hygiea
4. From the Time magazine article “Mighty Maleficent: Why Angelina Jolie Is the World’s Highest-Paid Actress” http://time.com/2812017/maleficent-angelina-jolie-best-paid/