More than a billion years ago, in a shallow basin in what is now northern Ontario, a subtropical lake—similar to today’s Death Valley—slowly evaporated under the sun’s gentle heat. As the water disappeared it left behind crystals of halite, or rock salt. The world back then was nothing like the one we know today. Bacteria dominated life on Earth. Red algae had only just appeared. Complex plants and animals would not evolve for another 800 million years.

As the lake water concentrated into brine, tiny pockets of liquid and air became trapped inside the growing salt crystals. These microscopic bubbles were sealed off as the crystals were buried under layers of sediment, preserving samples of ancient air and water—unchanged for roughly 1.4 billion years. Until now.

Scientists have been able to analyze the gases and fluids locked inside these ancient salt crystals, effectively pushing our direct record of Earth’s atmosphere back by more than a billion years. By carefully separating air bubbles from the surrounding brine—no easy task—they were able to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels from a deep chapter of Earth’s past.

Opening these samples is like cracking open air that existed long before dinosaurs, before forests, before animals of any kind. As lead researcher Justin Park put it: “It’s an incredible feeling to crack open a sample of air that’s a billion years older than the dinosaurs.”

The results are striking. Oxygen levels during this period were about 3.7% of today’s atmosphere—surprisingly high, and theoretically enough to support complex animal life, even though such life would not appear until much later.

Related: Living water holds ancient memories in Ontario

Carbon dioxide levels, meanwhile, were about ten times higher than today. This would have helped warm the planet when the sun was much dimmer than it is now, creating a climate not unlike the modern one.

This raises a natural question: if there was enough oxygen to support complex life, why did it take so long for animals to evolve?

The answer may lie in timing. The sample represents only a brief snapshot of a vast stretch of Earth’s history—a period often nicknamed the “boring billion” because of its relative stability and slow evolutionary change. It’s possible the oxygen levels recorded reflect a temporary rise rather than a permanent shift.

“Despite its name, having direct observational data from this period is incredibly important because it helps us better understand how complex life arose on the planet, and how our atmosphere came to be what it is today,” Park said.

Still, having direct evidence from this era is invaluable. It helps scientists understand how Earth’s atmosphere developed and how conditions gradually became suitable for complex life.

Earlier estimates of carbon dioxide from this period suggested much lower levels, which conflicted with geological evidence showing there were no major ice ages at the time. These direct measurements, combined with temperature clues preserved in the salt itself, suggest a milder, more stable climate than previously assumed—perhaps surprisingly similar to today’s.

Notably, red algae emerged around this time and remain a major source of oxygen on Earth. The relatively elevated oxygen levels may reflect their growing presence and increasing biological complexity.

Far from being boring, this moment may represent a quiet but pivotal turning point—one that helped set the stage for the living world we know now.

The post Ancient air trapped in Canadian salt bubbles foretells climate future appeared first on Green Prophet.

Early April in Northern Ontario, Canada and finally a few dry spots to test the MoonCool e-bike. This was my first attempt at putting together and riding an e-bike. First off if I had looked at the video online I would have opened the box in a few seconds. I hadn’t so 1/2 hour later I managed to open it. I needed a stronger arm to unfold the frame.

Everything fits easily according to instruction manual except for the front light wire. I had to redo that part to make it fit (kind of short). I charged the battery in November when it arrived. It snowed the next day do had to wait till now, April to test it. The battery, which I kept in the house over the winter, held its full charge for 4 months.

Today I locked the battery in position with the key. It took  a few readings of the instructions to realize that there is an on/off switch on the battery itself before the power activates the display.

Raven in her forest in the summer

Mind you I am a senior putting all this together and the excitement of finally being able to go for a ride between mud & ice spots might of made me a bit inattentive while reading the instructions.

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We will forever keep the eternal spring

According to Jewish legend, in the first days of creation when water and land were separated, the world’s first water, a spring gushed forth out of the center of Jerusalem. The water source is still accessible under the Western Wall, the original wall that surrounded the Jewish Holy Temple. Could ancient pottery from China, found in Jerusalem, mean that the ancient Chinese knew about living water wisdom?

Archeologists from Germany and Israel found a 500-year-old Ming Dynasty shard on Mount Zion under a church which was built during the Ottoman Empire. It is the first piece of evidence that goes so back linking China to the Holy Land.

The rare 16th century CE Chinese inscription was discovered on a porcelain bowl fragment, reading: “Forever we will guard the eternal spring.”

Could the Chinese know and believe that under the city of Jerusalem lay the eternal spring?

This past summer, during routine procedures for the upcoming excavation season, Michael Chernin, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, suddenly spotted a colorful object sticking out of the dirt that had been cleared away while preparing the site.

When Michael pulled out the object and washed it, he recognized that there was an inscription on its bottom. Dr. Anna de Vincenz, pottery specialist, identified the inscription to be Chinese. At this point— the vessel was examined by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s researcher Jingchao Chen, who deciphered the inscription as reading, “We will forever guard the eternal spring.”

The bowl dates back to 1520-1570, and originated in the Ming Dynasty. “Ancient Chinese porcelain vessels were previously found in Israel, but this is the first to bear an inscription,” say the researchers.

Related: living water protector Peter Steel in Canada

How did a dish make its way from China to Mount Zion? Historical writings indicate close 16th century trade relations between the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Empire, then ruling the Land of Israel. According to Ming Dynasty annals, about 20 official Ottoman delegations visited the imperial court in Beijing during the 15th-17th centuries.

The trade relations between these empires are also described in travel books of merchants from this period. Thus, the writings of the Chinese scholar Ma Li from 1541 note colonies of Chinese merchants in Lebanese coastal cities such as Beirut and Tripoli. The work even mentions other important cities in the region such as Jerusalem, Cairo and Aleppo.

According to Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido, “In archaeological research, evidence of trade relations between merchants in the Land of Israel and the Far East is known even from earlier periods – for example, of various spices. But it is fascinating to meet evidence of these relations also in the form of an actual inscription, written in the Chinese language, and in an unexpected place – on Mount Zion in Jerusalem”

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The Voice of God is Upon the Waters: a look at water in the Talmud, the Torah and Kabbalah

With 60% of our bodies being composed from water and 71% of our planet being covered in water, clearly water is a critical factor in life.

Water is composed of two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen: H2O. In Biblical Hebrew water is called mayim, מים, which is also two parts “mem” (מ) to one part “yud” (י).

The second verse in the Bible says: “…and the Divine Presence hovered upon the surface of the waters.” This is followed by the famous “Let there be light”, followed by the next event which tells about a firmament inside the water which separated the upper waters from the lower waters. 

The Hebrew letter “yud” is unique among the letters because it hovers over the baseline. Its numerical value 10 is equated with the 10 Sefirot. The Sefirot (from the Kabbala) are considered the schematic of Creation which in turn are considered the Divine Presence which “hovered upon the water” and brought the appearance of light.

The “mem”, being the middle letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is associated with the center and stability. The letter’s sound being onomatopoeia of humming, mem is regarded by the Jewish Sages as a vibration, wave or frequency.

The yud comes from above and splits the vibration/wave constituted by the mem in to two mems, like the splitting of the upper and lower waters.

If we break apart the word for water, we have the first “mem” with the first “yud” and then the second “yud” with the second “mem”. In the latter case the “yud” and “mem” combine to spell the word for sea, ים, just like the narrative of the Bible says: “God gathered in the lower waters and called them seas”.   

In the first case the letters “mem” and “yud” spell the Hebrew word for Who, מי. Who is one of God’s highest names since its numerical value equals 50, known in the Kabbalah as the 50th Gate of Wisdom where opposites transform into oneness. 

The numerical value of water in Hebrew is 90 which correlate to the Hebrew letter “tzaddi”, צ, and a reference to a holy person. This is because a holy person, like rain, brings life and Divine Kindness from above to even the lowliest places on earth. 

When the holy person needs to purify, s/he immerses in a Mikveh which consists of 40 units of water corresponding to the numerical value of “mem”.

When the world needed purification it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. When the Israelites erred in the desert they had to be encapsulated in a period of 40 years in order to be purified.  If a person wishes to purify bad character traits and turn them into positive ones, s/he should practice the new habits for 40 days when then they will have become part of one.  

The Talmud quotes R. Eliezer as saying that all the water in the world comes from the Atlantic Ocean where the clouds sweeten the salt before it is released as rain. According to R. Yehoshua all the water in the world comes from heaven. The Talmud goes on to explain the cycle of evaporation and condensation. 

However, of the four rivers mentioned in the Torah as coming out of the Garden of Eden, the Euphrates River runs on a higher altitude than the others and this makes it the source of all water on earth. The Talmud says its water reaches mountain springs through underground channels that work their way up like a ladder.  

In Talmudic times it was estimated that a person used approximately 25 liquid meters of water a day. When assessing the water needs of a city this is very important information.

For example when discussing water rights, the Talmud says that if one city has enough water for its own and another city’s survival, but not for its own laundry, then the first city should keep the water for laundry. This is because a dirty person could easily develop skin boils, for which there is a cure whereas dirty clothes can lead to dementia which is incurable. 

In the End of Days, says the (Green) Prophet, God will bring forth a freshwater spring from Jerusalem whose waters will heal all illnesses.

What the Jewish Talmud says about the environment

The post The Jewish mystical world and water appeared first on Green Prophet.

Peter Steel (April 1941 to Feb 22, 2019) aged 77 was one of the world’s foremost champions for Living or raw water. He died in his off-grid forest home this week. The solar-powered home is located deep inside a forest in Powassan, Nipissing –– an area of Canada remote enough to be very uncomfortable to most city people. Peter, who played the role as Grampa Gnome, would dress up like a gnome and throw fairy dust on every piece of art he created. But in reality he took on the most serious mission: spreading the importance of connecting to nature, upholding femininity, connection to one’s God, and to protecting the most divine gift us humans can enjoy: living water.

Living or “raw” water is a new craze in California startups are trying to commercialise on.

Peter had known for decades that raw water endowed a special quality to the awareness of people and place. He left the commercial world of business and sales in his 30s to live off grid and spread the importance of protecting and nurturing source water. People came from all over the world to meet Peter and drink the special water that emerged from the Canadian Shield in Nipissing.

Peter had lived in and tended to Gnome-Land for over 40 years. This was his off-grid paradise he had created in Northern Ontario, which he shared with his life partner Jeanne Raven Cote pictured below.

Photo by Raven

Together they protected and embraced ancient source water billions of years old as it emerged through rocks of their 75-acre forest. They have a number of springs on their land and people from all over the world, including princes and princesses, have made pilgrimages to drink their water.

Living water, raw water, 4 degree water, or source water comes from artesian springs deep below ground. The Canadian Shield is one of the world’s largest geologic continental shields, centred on Hudson Bay and extending for 8 million square km over eastern, central, and northwestern Canada from the Great Lakes to the Canadian Arctic and into Greenland. It makes up about 50% of Canada’s land mass and was created about 2.5 billion years ago. Much of the rock exposed now in the Canadian shield used to be buried deep below the earth. It contains important minerals and elements and is believed to be protecting one of the last natural sources of “original” water from the earth’s early days of creation.

Peter saw living water as a source to enlightenment, that by drinking this water one could reach paths to inner knowing, healing and growth, and connection to other human beings and life forces on this planet.

I drank the water and became a believer. Being with Peter and in his forest made me feel the Sabbath any day of the week.

Photo by Raven

Some people believe that because source water has never before recycled through human pollution, it is extra healthy for you. Others hint that it may contain ancient bacteria or a special kind of “light” energy that can activate certain metabolic pathways in your stomach, body and mind.

I had heard rumors over the years about the “weirdos” who were living in the forest in Powassan surviving on the minimum. Soon, I would learn about source water through them. Two summers ago after deciding to spend a month in the wild at the old homestead my family owns in a very remote area of Nipissing, I finally had the courage to ask a local to introduce me to the couple. We gave Peter a call and he said to come right over.

I was met by a man in barefoot wearing red overall shorts, the sun smiling through his teeth. He greeted me as though our souls had been waiting for thousands of years to meet. And I think they were. Peter taught me about water in the Nipissing region, once home to a vast population of Anishinaabe First Nations people. Nipissing comes from the Anishinaabe word Nibii(n)sing, which means “at the little water”. He introduced me to some friends and his life partner Jeanne would quickly become my mentor.

Although he appeared to not need many followers, I was looking for a new guru and agreed to conspire with him over protecting source water and spent the next few weeks with him and Raven. Through the both of them I learned about how consciousness creation comes through what you feed both your body and mind. And that one’s environment very much influences the reality that you will create for yourself and others. While this seems like New Age practice 101, maybe even 100% bullshit, I never really felt such a spiritual connection to my homeland of Canada until I met Peter and his dear partner Raven, who is also part First Nations.

I decided I would make a movie about them and spent weeks taking footage almost every day. Through them I met a community of extraordinary people so different in every possible way.

As a first generation Canadian, I sort of always felt like a landed immigrant. Through Peter and his living water, imbibing it, connecting with the source and the land mass that houses it, I realized a sense of belonging inside and out to where I had come from and where I was going.

While there are a great number of Living Water freshwater springs spitting out water all over the Nipissing region, with an excellent spring “free for the taking” source roadside in the village of Trout Creek (I’d been drinking that since I was 12), Peter always believed that his spring had a pureness of quality to it. Perhaps it was the location high on the hill or the stewards who had breathed importance and life into the water and land over the last decades.

I will never know probably in my lifetime if Living Water is scientifically better for you than any old spring water. But since meeting Peter and Raven I have come to feel that paradise can exist on earth if you choose to create it. And that the bounty that nature provides is enough to fill any human being with a sense of purpose. I managed to see Peter for the last time this past summer. My dad was sick. Soon we would find out he was dying, and Peter welcomed us in his home as he always did, even without phoning beforehand. He was more subdued than when I had known him the year earlier. And I had too much on my mind, and not enough time.

“You are in time and on time,” Peter would always say to me, over and over again like a mantra, always playing with words, with numbers, mystic realities and concepts borrowed from all world religions and histories, working to bend reality and perception but also to connect to every soul being that he met through something they were culturally tied to. It’s hard to fathom that he would not live forever.

In the last year Peter started playing around on Instagram where you can see some of his feminine nature, and devotion to living water “awareness” creation.

Peter for me was a mystical experience, a person who is simply divine and sent from God. He helped me find ways to see God in every person. Peter altered the course of my life. If you are lucky to have met him you will know what I mean. He could talk to you about flaws in science, God’s handiwork, and mainly about our universal need to connect to ourselves, to each other and the God inside us. The last time I spoke with Peter by phone I asked him what I should do, what we should do to save the world. He told me that we don’t need to save anything; just to get out in nature, drink Living Water and the rest will be clear.

If you share the same dream and would like to be notified about the upcoming Living Water movie on Peter and Raven, follow me or Raven on Instagram. 

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