T
his Week: National Geographic Channel’s “Known Universe,” The Biocentric Universe, Movies This Week, Satanic Influence in Vatican, Mystical Healing Stones, Harrah’s Las Vegas The Range Steakhouse, Brazil Legalizes Ayahuasca, and more…

National Geographic Channel’s “Known Universe.” I’m obsessed with the theory of a “Biocentric” Universe: Life Creates Time, Space, and the Cosmos Itself. Discover magazine (May 2009) had an article that explains The Biocentric Universe (pictured). It makes sense to me!

The only thing we can perceive are our perceptions. Consciousness is the matrix upon which the cosmos is apprehended. Color, sound, temperature, and the like exist only as perceptions in our head, not as absolute essences. We cannot be sure of an outside universe at all. Since the 1920s, quantum physics experiments have routinely shown that results do depend on whether anyone is observing.

Instead of assuming a reality that predates life and even creates it, we propose a biocentric picture of reality. From this point of view, life—particularly consciousness—creates the universe, and the universe could not exist without us. discovermagazine.com

So, when someone says, “You’re dead to me.” They might actually be telling you the truth! You just died!

NGC will explore fascinating aspects of our agreed-upon universe. Known Universe premieres Thursday, April 1, at 10 p.m. NGC embarks on a fantastic journey to better understand the world we live in and the greater universe we are part of.

Perhaps they will explain the Biocentric Universe?

Premiering Thursday, April 1, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, NGC’s six-part series Known Universe investigates some of the most fascinating mysteries of science. Prominent experts will be guides through intricate details and captivating concepts to shed light on some of the most astonishing aspects of our universe.

Premiere episodes includes this one:

Known Universe: Alien Contact. Thursday, April 15, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Are we alone? Well, so far, yes. It’s an age-old question that was relatively “taboo” in mainstream science until the mid-1990s, when astronomers found planets outside our solar system. Known Universe joins the hunt for alien life as scientists search for planets with similar characteristics to Earth’s. NGC takes us on a journey to find planets that may support life and shows new space-based technologies that aid in the search for advanced alien civilizations.

“Advanced” is the key word. We are not interested in alien microbes! We want an advanced alien civilization with super beings we can mate with, technology we can take, and, a new religion that will unite us all. Me, I’m waiting for the return of the ancient god El. (Photo of my NGC friend and facilitator Minjae Ormes—welcome back!—and her baby Lily.)

Movies This Week.
The Green Zone (YES. Lie to the people, kill for no good reason, destroy a cradle of civilization—film shows why Americans are hated).
Our Family Wedding (NO. The director was heavy-handed and slow but star Lance Gross was fantastic! His parents are our neighbors!).

Satanic Influence in Vatican. In a book of memoirs the noted Italian exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth affirmed ‘Yes, also in the Vatican there are members of Satanic sects.’

I have read the previous two books by Father Amorth: An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories by Gabriele Amorth, both with Nicoletta V. Mackenzie.

I believe him. He has nothing to lose—he’s 85 years old!

A renowned exorcist in Rome recently released a book of memoirs in which he declares to know of the existence of Satanic sects in the Vatican where participation reaches all the way to the College of Cardinals.

In a book of memoirs released in February (but not yet in the U.S.), the noted Italian exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth affirmed that “Yes, also in the Vatican there are members of Satanic sects.” When asked if members of the clergy are involved or if this is within the lay community, he responded, “There are priests, monsignors and also cardinals!”

The book, Father Amorth. Memoirs of an Exorcist. My life fighting against Satan was written by Marco Tosatti, who compiled it from interviews with the priest.

The famous Italian exorcist was also asked if the Pope was aware of Satanic sects in the Vatican, to which Fr. Amorth replied, “Of course, he was informed. But he does what he can. It’s a horrifying thing.”

Benedict XVI, being German, comes from a place “decidedly averse to these things,” argued Fr. Amorth, saying that in Germany “there practically aren’t any exorcists.” However, he clarified, “the Pope believes (in them).”

The Italian priest also warned of the existence of bishops and priests who do not believe in Satan in the interview. “And yet, in the Gospel, Jesus speaks extensively about it, so it should be said, either they’ve never read the Gospel or they just don’t believe it!”

Of course, much of Father Amorth’s information comes from demons he confronts during exorcisms.

‘Mystical’ stone puts plumber on new path! A Polish plumber has become a faith healer after finding a ‘mystical’ stone while digging up drains under his house. Jacek Slominski has been swamped by demands from hundreds of patients since he pulled the stone from the earth where it had lain undisturbed for hundreds of years.

“It has a huge Z carved into it and as soon as I touched it I felt this tremendous energy coming from it,” he said.

“I’ve had a bad back for years but all of a sudden all the pain left me and never returned,” he added at his home in Bialystok.

Now Mr Slominski has become a full time healer and claims that patients travel hundreds of miles just to touch his healing stone. “I don’t understand it but it works and it’s better than fixing broken toilets,” he said.

Healing properties were especially associated with stones with holes in them.

The most famous example is Men-an-Tol (see photo at left), also known as the Crick Stone, near Madron in Cornwall. According to an 18th-century source, sufferers from pains in the back and limbs were cured after crawling through the hole.

Remotely located near Penzance in the west Cornish moors is the unique and enigmatic Men-an-Tol stone. Archaeologists suggest that the three stones that comprise the Men-an-Tol are the remains of a Neolithic tomb because various types of holed stones have been found near the entrances to many burial chambers. Ancient folklore of the surrounding region, however, explains that the center stone has fertilizing and energizing properties capable of curing almost any ailment when crawled through toward the sun.

Young children were passed three times, naked, through the hole and then dragged through the grass three times toward the east, in order to cure rickets or tuberculosis. Adults, seeking relief from rheumatism or spinal problems, crawled nine times through the hole in a sunwise direction.

Why not get a group of very sick people together to crawl through stones?

Harrah’s Las Vegas The Range Steakhouse. Last week we had dinner at the deluxe The Range Steakhouse. The enormous restaurant, with wrap-around windows showcasing the spectacular view of the Las Vegas Strip, can accommodate 325 people.

The manager, Tom Viskovich, told me that when NASCAR is in town, they seat double that amount. Before being led to our table, I went over to the open kitchen and met the Executive Chef.

As a Gordon Ramsey fanatic, I always check out the mood and pace of the kitchen. The chef told me that with the amount of people they serve, everything is done to perfection and clockwork. There are no dramas in The Range kitchen.

John and our host Mike Dignam had Australian Kobe Tri Tip of Beef, stuffed with roasted poblano pepper and jalapeño aioli (for $37). With John asking the provenance of Australian “Kobe” Beef with the waitstaff, the Executive Chef was summoned to explain the meat actually called wagyū (but known around the world as Kobe Beef). There are five major breeds of wagyū, the more famous black variety has their origins in Kobe.

Australian Wagyū cattle are grain fed for the last 300–500 days of production. Although less than 100,000 of the 28.8 million head of cattle in Australia are wagyū or wagyū-infused, the long feed nature of wagyū production takes up 40% of Australian feedlot space in any given 12-month period.

Grilled-to-order steaks come in all sizes at The Range Steakhouse, from the 8-ounce filet to the 24-ounce porterhouse. The slow-roasted prime rib, with natural au jus and fresh horseradish, is served in a 12- or 16-ounce cut.

Although not required, reservations are recommended. The Range Steakhouse Lounge offers live entertainment nightly. Guests may enjoy cocktails and premium wines, appetizers and specialty coffees.

There is live music nightly and live jazz music performed by Ghalib Ghallab, on Thursday through Saturday nights in the Range’s lounge area. The lounge features comfortable club chairs to relax and have cocktails in before dinner. The Range Steakhouse at Harrah’s—3475 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV, 89109. (702) 369-5000.

Brazil Legalizes Ayahuasca. The powerful hallucinogenic tea, brewed from leaves and vines from the Amazon rainforest, has been legalized by the Brazilian government for religious purposes.

The tea is used in the religions of Santo Daime and “Uniao do Vegetal.” I had a private Santo Daime ceremony in Mauá, Brazil several years ago. Located about 125 miles from Rio de Janeiro in the Mantiqueira mountain range on the Rio de Janeiro-Minas Gerais border. Mauá is one of the most popular mountain destinations in southeastern Brazil, with waterfalls, mountain climbing, hiking, and a wonderful collection of inns and chalets which offer the best of mountain comfort.

The ayahuasca tea, which means “wine of the souls” in an Andean ancient language, has been used for centuries by indigenous people during spiritual and healing rituals.

I also took Santo Daime ceremonies in Las Vegas. I found that the “tea” used by the Santo Daime church is very mild. However, you do go up to take the “tea” several times during the ceremony. The Daime ceremony is highly structured.

The tea is known for its purgative, nauseating and hallucinogenic properties. Its psychedelic active ingredient, DMT, is considered a Class A drug by the U.S. and the U.K. That is the same label given to heroin and cocaine.

The Brazilian government approved the use of the brew by men, women, even pregnant women, teenagers and children. The religious leaders will be responsible for whoever they approve to drink the infusion and the amount to be consumed.

(Photos: In Mauá in 2003 with our host Paul Alexandre Margittai. My Santo Daime prayer book—in Portuguese.)