Astral Travel And Ticketless Travel - Do You Need Travel Insurance?

By Jean Andrews

It won't be long before we can travel closer to the stars, thanks to Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic spaceships. However, astral travel or astral projection is a different matter entirely. You don't have to pony up the £100,000 or so astronomical price for a space flight with Virgin Galactic if you merely want to do a bit of astral travelling. Some people believe we are all capable of astral travel - leaving our bodies during sleep or meditation. Now there's a great idea - sign me up! I've tried to do it but so far haven't managed to wake up on a beach in Hawaii as was planned. Oh well. Wouldn't it be nice if we never again had to deal with airport parking, lost luggage, or security chaos and hassle! No packing to worry about - you could leave your luggage (emotional or otherwise) at home. Just have a nice mug of cocoa, go to bed, and wake up in your dream destination!



If you haven't been able to master the art of astral travel, out of body experiences, lucid dreaming, or time travel - then virtual travel may be the next best thing. Just log onto your computer and, like Captain Kirk on the USS Enterprise, fill in your own captain's log as you go. You can visit the exotic and interesting places you've always wanted to see - and for a fraction of the price. You could be at the Taj Mahal one minute and the Coliseum in Rome the next - and all without leaving your armchair and comfort of your own home.



Ticketless travel is becoming the new way to do things, as computers take over from the old labour-intensive paper ticketing - but you're still stuck with all the downsides of travel. With virtual travel, you don't have to worry about minor annoyances like getting your seat assignment or boarding pass, getting stuck in the screaming-baby section, or queuing for the only toilet that isn't bunged up.



Scientists may one day succeed with the perfect recipe that will enable us to teletransport - scramble our bodies and reassemble them in another location - just like the crew of the Enterprise. It could be useful for many reasons - just think about the possibilities…! Harry Potter had an Invisibility Cloak, which would be great for those times when you commit a social faux pas and wish the earth would open and swallow you up - or maybe when the taxman or auditor comes a callin'. Scientists are working on invisibility cloak technology - which could come in handy for politicians who feel compelled to make public apologies for their indiscretions - or the annoying ones who constantly dodge the tricky questions.



Some surgical patients have claimed to remember leaving their bodies whilst under anaesthesia during operations. Unfortunately, none of them have got any further than the ceiling or corner of the room - where they witness the gory goings-on involving their body. If only we could whistle for a celestial taxi from that corner in the ceiling and go off to an exotic beach. We could leave our swollen and bruised bodies to the painful recovery process in the care of professionals and return when all is well and functioning again. Sort of like taking the car in for a service and using a courtesy car to go off for lunch and a spot of shopping with a friend. Well, who knows what might be possible in the future. We didn't know electricity existed before someone discovered it - and it had been there all the time!



Not so long ago no one would have believed it possible for ordinary people (albeit those with plenty of cash) to climb aboard a rocket ship and blast themselves into zero gravity. Technology has raced ahead in the last few decades at breathtaking speed. Those lucky enough to be able to afford a trip with Virgin Galactic will have a taste of an 'out of body experience' of a kind - at least a few minutes of weightlessness - when they can forget that they are still trapped in their bodies.



We have a virtual world readily available at our fingertips these days with computer technology. Just a few taps on the keyboard and we can travel with Google Earth or observe the heavens with Google Sky. We can be virtual tourists on a virtual earth, have a virtual relationship, or stay at home in a virtual garden with our virtual pet!



Coming back to reality, if you have to make do with your annual earthly holiday in Spain and get there and back on the budget airlines then, hey, we shouldn't take for granted how easy air travel has become. Until we learn how to master astral travel - or Dr. Who-style time travel becomes a reality - we are stuck with the reality and annoyances of modern-day air travel. Maybe in our future we will need travel insurance to cover time warps. In the meantime, if getting to our dream destinations means crowded airports, delays and long queues - at least we have travel insurance to cover most mortal mishaps!



About the Author: Jean Andrews is a freelance writer living in the UK. She regularly contributes articles for TIA Ltd who offer travel insurance that is out of this world at great prices online.



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Christmas And The Mistletoe Tradition

By Catherine Spelling

Have you ever wondered where some of our modern traditions came from? As the Christmas season approaches, I have been doing some research regarding certain holiday-related topics. My findings may surprise even the biggest scrooge!



Mistletoe has been revered by certain cultures for many, many years. The ancient Celts of Britain felt that Mistletoe held sacred powers of healing, and that it contained the soul of the tree from which it was cut. In the Celtic language, Mistletoe means "All Heal".



The Druids also had an interesting ceremony that included Mistletoe. The pagan priests of the time would carefully cut boughs of Mistletoe from the sacred Oak tree with a golden sickle. They were ever careful not to let the boughs touch the ground, for fear of contaminating them. The priests then divided these boughs into sprigs, and gave them to the people to protect them from storms and other forms of evil.



Mistletoe has also been included in many famous myths from earlier times. The Norse myth that comes to mind is that of the resurrection of Balder, the god of the summer sun. The myth states that Balder had a dream in which he dies. His mother Frigga, the goddess of beauty and love, was rather alarmed by this. Frigga went to all of the elements (air, fire, water, and earth) and asked that they spare her son. When she was satisfied that she had secured their cooperation in this matter, she informed Balder that he would live forever.



Balder had one enemy, though. Loki, the god of evil, discovered one plant that Frigga had overlooked. That plant was Mistletoe. Loki fashioned an arrow made from the branch of the Mistletoe, and dipped it in poison. He then tricked Balder’s blind brother, Hoder, into firing it and killing Balder. Each of the elements tried to bring Balder back to life, but none were successful save for his mother, Frigga. It is said that her tears turned into the berries from the Mistletoe, and when they rained upon Balder they brought him back to life.



In her joy at Balder’s resurrection, she reversed the poisonous reputation of the Mistletoe and kissed everyone who walked beneath the tree on which it grew. She also issued a decree that anyone passing under the Mistletoe must kiss, and therefore no harm would come to them.



I love that story, and I think of it each year as I hang the Mistletoe in my home. The tradition of kissing under the Mistletoe seems to have faded somewhat in modern times. So I’m going to hang it in every doorway I pass under during this Christmas season!



About the Author: Catherine Spelling absolutely loves spending Christmas with family and friends. When she is not counting down to Christmas, she writes for http://www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com – an online resource for all things relating to Christmas and decorations like Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas candles, Christmas lights and more.



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travel and tradition

A Non-Traditional Tradition

By Low Jeremy

More and more people are talking about home schooling and online schools. As talk about it increases, so do the questions of parents as to what exactly is home schooling and online schools. Are these two things the same and do these methods really work?



Well to begin, home schooling and online schools are not the same things although it shares a basic principle, which is that the student studies and learns at home.



These two types of schooling are considered non-traditional learning methods as opposed to the regular schoolroom type of setting. However, being non-traditional is one of the few things these two methods have in common with each other.



Home schooling entails that the child or children, are taught by a parent at home. Although done outside of the classroom setting, children that are home schooled still learn the same things that other children learn in school like basic curriculum.



Also, home schooled children will still go on field trips or other social activities that the parent-teacher will plan, as well as learn music and physical education, among other things. There are many reasons as to why a parent may decide to home school their child or children and some reasons may include the fact that traditional schools have their own philosophy and set of values that they teach to their students, so much so that certain basic lessons will be taught with certain slants toward their own preference. To avoid this, a parent may decide to home school his or her child or children.



Another reason could be that one of the parent's job entails a lot of traveling and instead of breaking up the family unit, home schooling will allow the flexible of learning anywhere home is. This same flexibility is shared by home schooling with online schools. An online school is available to its enrolled student anywhere, anytime as long as there is a computer connected to the internet.



An online school's main benefit is the flexibility in time it affords a student. This is why, online schools are preferred by a lot of adults who may want to pursue further studies but cannot do so in a traditional setting because perhaps they already hold jobs or they have other responsibilities that prevent them from learning in a traditional setting. Just like in a regular school, online schools have set curriculums and lesson requirements that an online learner needs to accomplish to earn an online degree.



Home schooling and online schools are considered non-traditional methods of learning only because it is yet to have enough people utilizing them to become the norm. Although they are non traditional, this does not mean that they are any less better than attending a regular traditional school. In fact, in some cases, these non-traditional methods are the best solution available.



About the Author: This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on home schooling & other information, please visit http://home-schooling.articlekeep.com



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Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=107684&ca=Education