Reason

**NO PHILOSOPHY EXPERTISE REQUIRED!** **🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 **📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 19:30-19:45 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start. * 19:45-19:55 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 19:55-21:15 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 21:15-21:30 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:30 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy is operated entirely on voluntary donations! If we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Donations are 100% voluntary, but they help us to bring the gift of deep conversation to people around the world. If you'd like to support, you can [donate here](https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-practical-philosophy)! (Practical Philosophy is a registered Canadian charity) **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** **🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * **​What will we talk about? What's the topic?** ​The topic for the week is shared every Sunday in the Whatsapp group. We try to add the topic to the comment section on this event page as well but if you don’t see it, the topic and the jump-off points will be in our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t). * **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?** No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it. * **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?** The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * **Is it mostly men that attend?** Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * **Can I come alone?** Of course you can, we encourage it :) * **Can I be late?** Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * **Where do you meet?** The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨** We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ **\*\*\*** **Join our Toronto [Whatsapp Group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t) 👈** **Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈** **Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**

We’re still working to get more people into these Meetups, but our goal is to give PlayYourCourt members a few social tennis outings each week in addition to your practice sessions and Challenge League matches. These Meetups are co-ed, super laid back, and all skill levels are welcome. Post your skill level and a suggested court in the comments section so we can round up as many players as we can for some tennis fun! Also, if you’re looking to meet new practice partners or play some matches and you aren’t already in the PlayYourCourt Community, you can go here to see what we’re all about and sign up: https://www.playyourcourt.com/tennis-community/toronto-ON/meetup/ If you love tennis, we’d love to have you! Be sure and watch the quick video that explains how everything works. Happy hitting! - Scott

**This is a ticketed event. Please register at [this link](https://luma.com/gprawfks).** In this talk, Sheikh Abdur Raheem Ali: 1) Discusses rare cases where deployed LLMs have been observed to engage in self-directed behavior which would have led to catastrophic outcomes if the agent escaping containment were equipped with stronger capabilities. 2) Introduces arbitrium, a peptide-based communication method used by certain bacteriophages which release small molecules known as autoinducers to decide coordinated population-level behavior, and in particular lytic and lysogenic pathways, with a quorum-sensing mechanism. 3) Explores landmark results from alignment science which inform our current understanding of LLM biology (<250 malicious documents required to poison training datasets vs <100 viral particles required to produce infection in humans). 4) Analyzes early findings from experiments which attempt to investigate scalable improvements to defenses that monitor the internal activations of production transformer models (such as probes) and demonstrates how these enable targeted interventions on known distributions which are more difficult to achieve with input/output only methods (such as prompted classifiers) in certain cases (such as long context windows or latent reasoning models) ​​​**Event Schedule** 6:00 to 6:30 - Food and introductions 6:30 to 7:30 - Presentation and Q&A 7:30 to 9:00 - Open Discussions ​​​​​​If you can't make it in person, feel free to join the live stream starting at 6:30 pm, via [this link](https://www.youtube.com/@Trajectory-Labs/live).

**A Korean learning community hosted by a native Korean speaker** **Practice your Korean and connect with fellow learners** Hello everyone! Nice to meet you 😊 I’m building a small community for people who are on a long (and sometimes challenging) journey of learning Korean. What I’m trying to create here is simple: * **A space where mistakes are completely okay** * **A place that helps you keep going with your Korean** * **A chance to meet people who understand your learning journey** Most of the time, we just sit together with coffee or tea and have casual conversations. But from time to time, I also plan small activities to support your learning. If you’re learning Korean in Toronto and looking for people to share the journey with, you’re very welcome to join us 🙂

The playbook for AI agent integration is becoming predictable: build an MCP server, expose your APIs as tools, and define the rules in prompts. That approach works, but it often pushes workflow and guardrails into client-side logic, where they are harder to enforce and easier to bypass. This talk presents a different approach. HATEOAS (Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State)—a largely overlooked part of REST—allows an API to describe allowed actions and constraints at runtime. That makes it a natural fit for agents, which need clear, machine-readable guidance about what they can safely do next. We’ll show this in action with MoneyMate, an AI agent that performs sensitive operations such as money transfers. Using the Spring HATEOAS project, the agent is guided entirely by the API rather than by hardcoded tools or fragile prompt logic. AI hype aside, this is ultimately a talk about architectural validation. For years, HATEOAS was the hill REST purists loved to die on—complete with finger-wagging about “doing REST correctly”—while everyone else quietly shipped simple JSON and moved on. It turns out the purists weren’t wrong—just 20 years early. Come see why that extra structure finally pays off when your client is an LLM. **About the venue** Free Times Cafe has bistro-style seating and a full food and drink menu. Please consider helping to support the venue by planning to have supper during the talk. **Speaker Bio** Adib Saikali is a distinguished engineer at Tanzu by Broadcom, focused on helping Tanzu’s largest customers design and build cloud native applications and platforms using Spring and Kubernetes. Adib is the author of Securing Cloud Applications a book that teaches application developers the fundamental security technologies and protocols required to secure cloud native applications. Over the past 25 years Adib has worked at startups and global enterprises on numerous software systems in a variety of roles, from software developer, architect, agile coach, and CTO. He has developed a 360-degree view of what it takes to build software systems efficiently, and economically.

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** The only authorized cemeteries within York were Anglican or Roman Catholic. Citizens who did not belong to either church had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside York. The General Burying Ground received Royal Assent in 1826 and land that came to be known as Potters Field was acquired and started operation soon afterwards. Over time, additional cemetery lands were added and in 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was established. The new cemetery was situated on the farm land of the Cawthra family near Yonge Street. This walk is for all fitness levels. Please dress for the weather. This walk will begin and end outside the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church at 1585 Yonge Street just north of Heath Street. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! This tour has space for **11** explorers, so if you do plan on attending please secure your tickets early. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Join us for an evening of French conversation at B Espresso Bar in the atrium of the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music (near St. George station)!
We welcome all levels of French, and it's free\*.
Venez pratiquer votre français! \*While there is no fee to attend this event, guests are expected to purchase something from B Espresso Bar, in accordance with RCM's restrictions on usage of the cafe atrium space. **Building location:** The Royal Conservatory is at 273 Bloor St W, between Varsity Stadium and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). There are entrances off Bloor St. and Philosopher's Walk. If you enter from Bloor St through the large glass doors, follow the hallway on the left beside the staircase and turn left at the end. (Closest TTC: St. George) **Notes and restrictions:** The host may or may not attend this event. Attendees are encouraged to seat themselves at two or more adjacent tables, as needed. Please form groups of 6 people at each table; do not rearrange chairs and tables to accommodate more people, as this obstructs the narrow walking space. Guests are expected to order something from the cafe, and are asked to please refrain from bringing outside food or drink. Attendees must leave the building at 8pm when the cafe stops serving. **Contributions:** If you are a regular with us and would like to support the group, please send any contributions by e-transfer to [diskutomeetup@gmail.com.](http://diskutomeetup@gmail.com.) The yearly donation goal and amounts received year-to-date will be tracked anonymously on [this google sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18GfqYsis8Cf2XGg4KsKQJsY_0Fv3bsSQHwJAxvC1Km8/edit?usp=sharing). Thank you so much for your support.

**Is public speaking fear or anxiety holding you back or limiting your potential in your life or career?** If so this immersive weekend (retreat like) experience could be for you. The format for the weekend is an evolution of my mission to help people **transmute subconscious fears** and blocks and self-limiting beliefs into public speaking passion, authenticity, and confidence. I've honestly never felt more certain that I’ve found the secret to **unlocking speaking power in a way that actually lasts.** I designed this weekend to be an inspiring climb up **The Public Speaking Breakthrough Ladder.** I've designed each rung to unlock a new, empowering state of being in your public speaking and then **lock that feeling into your nervous system.** Through curated quotes, deep questions, story and message prompts and a few other secret ingredients we will progress though the following 3 phases. Before I describe the format I want to acknowledge that just the thought of public speaking can feel overwhelming, but this is a **safe**, **judgment-free zone.** You will be speaking in this weekend retreat but this weekend isn't about having to perform or being put on the spot; it's about recalibrating your system so you can feel **safe and calm** as you speak. * **Phase 1: Breakthroughs 1 to 3.** * **Awareness:** What we witness, we can influence. We bring the blocks out of the shadows and share them to release their grip. * **Courage:** We'll explore courage's earliest meaning - "to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart." - as a **powerful transmuting tool.** * **Acceptance:** This isn't about passivity; it’s about actively allowing the resistance to come and out so we reclaim our power. * * **Phase 2: Breakthroughs 4 to 6.** * **Connection**: Once we connect with ourselves we learn to connect with others and lock that safety it into your subconscious. * **Confidence:** The shift from **"seeking approval" to "granting permission."** You'll learn to trust in your nervous system to stay present. * **Intention:** Breaking the habit of "playing small" and moving from how am I doing to **what is my message and how is it impacting?** * * **Phase 3: Breakthroughs 7 to 9** * **Authenticity:** Stripping away what you think you should be as a speaker to discover and **embrace who you actually are.** * **Authority:** For this weekend authority is a magnetic command that comes from knowing why you and your message matter. * **Bliss:** The final rung. The "flow state" where the fear is gone and speaking becomes something you enjoy. Imagine it yours to keep! ## **The Details** * **When:** Saturday May 2nd and Sunday May 3rd (10am to 4pm) * **Where:** 10 Lower Jarvis Street (Loblaws Community Room 2nd Floor) * **$595** ( $495 if you register before April 14 ) * Limited to 12 participants to ensure we can do the deep work required for these breakthroughs. * **Preparation:** No need to prepare anything in advance. * **Lunch:** We'll take a break for lunch; lots of options available.

Move. Sweat. Smile. Repeat. This is a fun, high-energy Zumba class designed for real people — not performers, not fitness models, just humans who want to move, feel good, and leave happier than they arrived. Expect: Easy-to-follow Zumba routines Great music (Latin + global vibes) A welcoming, judgment-free space A workout that feels like a party (but still burns calories 😉) No dance experience needed. No pressure to “get it right.” Just show up and move. Followed by yoga for 20 mins. Sweat first, snacks after. If you’re free, we may head to a nearby spot to eat together. Class fee: $5 (helps cover space and music). Email money transfer to: monasalahuddin@hotmail.com

Welcome ! OM Chanting is a group practice that has multiple benefits, including calming the mind, feeling relaxed, activating one's self-healing potential. OM Chanting''s powerful vibration contributes to send Peace . A participation of 5$ minimum is strongly encouraged to sustain the rent of the studio . \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- EVENT DETAILS: address: 283 Spadina Avenue; 3rd floor. ( SE corner of Spadina and Dundas). We will start at 6:30 pm. Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes earlier. We will be sitting on chairs; you can also sit on the floor if you prefer. You are encouraged to bring a bottle of water. Looking forward to seeing you ! For more information about Om Chanting, please visit: [https://bhaktimarga.org/yoga-meditation/](https://bhaktimarga.org/yoga-meditation/) Much Love, Veda Cell: 416-845-9375

**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 **📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://tally.so/r/KYLZlD), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 19:00-19:15 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start. * 19:15-19:25 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 19:25-20:45 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 20:45-21:00 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:00 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy is operated entirely on voluntary donations! If we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Donations are 100% voluntary, but they help us to bring the gift of deep conversation to people around the world. If you'd like to support, you can [donate here](https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-practical-philosophy)! (Practical Philosophy is a registered Canadian charity) **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** **🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?** No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it. * **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?** The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * **Is it mostly men that attend?** Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * **Can I come alone?** Of course you can, we encourage it :) * **Can I be late?** Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * **Where do you meet?** The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/KYLZlD)[ ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/FtwkSBwyNUbCTSOq5H4Kmn?mode=gi_c)group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our[ website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨** We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ **\*\*\*** **Join our [Vaughan Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/KYLZlD) 👈** **Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈** **Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**

# **You are warmly invited to join us for the** Wesak Full Moon Mystery Meditation! Wesak is the Festival of the Buddha, celebrated each year at the full moon in Taurus, when the light of love-wisdom streams most powerfully into the world. It is a moment of profound collective blessing — a time to open, receive, and serve. **Friday, May 1st, 2026** **Full Moon exact:** 1:23 PM EST *** **Evening Programme** 🪷 6:00 PM — Lecture: The Legend of Wesak 🧘 7:00 PM — Mystery Meditation (45 minutes) 💧 7:45 PM — Water Ceremony 🌿 8:00 PM — Vegetarian Fellowship Potluck Dinner (in-person only) The lecture, meditation, and water ceremony will be **live-streamed via Zoom**. All are welcome, wherever you are. *** **Join us online:** [https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6273280590](https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6273280590) **Join us in person:** Toronto Theosophical Society, 792 Glencairn Ave, Toronto, ON M6B 2A3 *Please bring a small container — such as a water bottle — to take home blessed water from the Water Ceremony.* **Fee:** Always free The fellowship dinner is a potluck. You are welcome to join the table whether or not you bring a dish. If you'd like to contribute, a vegetarian or vegan dish or drink to share is warmly appreciated, as is a pair of hands to help with clean-up afterwards. We’d love to know you’re coming! [https://forms.gle/NxxF5Lq8rn7KPo649](https://forms.gle/NxxF5Lq8rn7KPo649) *** 5th Field of Group Work: **The Mystery of the Wesak Festival** Keynote: **“ I SEE, AND WHEN THE EYE IS OPENED, ALL IS ILLUMINED”** The 5th Field represents love-wisdom — the second great aspect of divinity, the quality of illumined compassion at the heart of all genuine spiritual teaching. Wesak marks the high-water mark of spiritual blessing in the world: a time of unusual inflow of life and spiritual stimulation, when — as those who study the Ageless Wisdom understand — it is as if a door opens that at other times stands closed. Whatever one’s tradition, those who approach this period with inner stillness, prayer, and aspiration can receive what is available and serve as channels for its wider distribution. *** ## **Major Themes of Taurus ♉** ### **Illumination** Taurus carries the light of concentrated desire turned toward the soul — the "Eye of the Bull" which, when spiritually awakened, becomes the All-Seeing Eye of the initiate. The deepest theme of Taurus is **the shift from darkness to light**, from the heavy pull of matter to the blazing recognition of spiritual reality. Taurus teaches us that the path to illumination runs directly through our deepest desires, not around them. ### **Desire Transmuted Into Aspiration** Ruled by Venus, Taurus governs the entire spectrum of desire — from the most material cravings to the most refined spiritual longing. The Taurean soul is engaged in the great alchemical work of **transmuting personal desire into impersonal aspiration**. What once drove the personality toward form and possession is redirected upward, becoming the single-pointed drive toward liberation and the good of the whole. ### **Will-to-Good** At its most exalted, Taurus is the sign through which the **Will of Shamballa** flows into manifestation — the first great aspect of divinity, the cosmic will-to-good that underlies all creation. This is not personal will or even soul will, but the primordial impulse of divine purpose. The Taurean initiate becomes a channel for this Will, embodying the force that drives evolution forward. *** ## **Planetary Rulers** **Exoteric Ruler: Venus ♀ —** The principle of love-wisdom and harmony, drawing the personality toward beauty, relationship, and the refinement of desire. Venus works in Taurus to elevate the senses toward the soul. **Esoteric Ruler: Vulcan √ —** The divine smith who works in the depths of matter, forging the soul's instrument through the fires of experience. Vulcan represents the hidden, interior work of soul development — the patient hammering of the personal self into a fit vehicle for spiritual expression. **Hierarchical Ruler: Vulcan √ —** At the highest level of initiation, Vulcan reveals the deep relationship between Taurus and the first aspect of Will, forging the initiate into a pure instrument of Shamballa's purpose. *** ### **Positive Qualities** * Single-Pointed Spiritual Will * Steadfastness and Endurance * Capacity for Illumination * Constructive Power to Build and Manifest * Refined Aesthetic Sensitivity ### **Negative Qualities** * Stubbornness and Resistance to Change * Materialism and Possessiveness * Sensual Indulgence * Inertia and Attachment to Form * Blind Determination Without Wisdom *** # **The Labour of Hercules \~*The Capture of the Cretan Bull*** Hercules must travel to the island of Crete to capture the magnificent bull that has been rampaging through the land, sowing destruction wherever it goes. The bull represents the powerful, unmastered desire nature — the driving force of Taurus that, left unchecked, creates chaos in the life of the aspirant. Unlike many of his other labours, Hercules captures the bull alone, without weapons, using only his bare hands and his understanding. He rides the bull across the sea back to Eurystheus, who — unable to manage it — releases it again, where it eventually becomes the Marathonian bull. This labour teaches the Taurean disciple that the desire nature cannot be killed or suppressed; it must be **understood, captured, and consciously redirected**. The great force of Taurus, once brought under the soul's control, is not destroyed but transformed — becoming the single-pointed driving power of spiritual will that carries the disciple toward liberation. **Read the full text here (free PDF): [https://www.bailey.it/files/Labours-of-Hercules.pdf](https://www.bailey.it/files/Labours-of-Hercules.pdf)** *** Thank you for participating in the Open Heart meditations 💙 \~ Love is never wasted

我们又要出去徒步了。在一个多元文化的国家，坚持我们的文化价值观对我们很重要。因此，我们欢迎任何践行中华传统价值观——或希望重新连接自己文化根源的人——加入我们。 我们的聚会是建立在中华传统价值观之上的。我们希望大家在参与时能牢记这一点。如果你的行为方式更偏向于西方视角，那么这里可能不太适合你。感谢你对我们传统的尊重。谢谢。

When judging morality, should we prioritize **intentions/duty** or **outcomes/results**? It introduces two influential philosophers as representatives of these approaches. * **Immanuel Kant (deontology):** An action is moral when it is done from **duty** and follows rational, universal principles (the **categorical imperative**). Certain acts—like lying—are wrong regardless of the consequences; you can’t do a wrong thing for a right reason. * **John Stuart Mill (utilitarian consequentialism):** The morality of an action is determined by its **effects**, specifically how much **happiness/well-being** it produces. Mill argues that some pleasures are “higher” than others, and that good intentions don’t redeem harmful outcomes. ## Discussion Questions 1. **The lying dilemma:** A murderer comes to your door and asks if your friend is hiding inside. Kant would say you must not lie. 2. **Can good intentions rescue a bad outcome?** 3. **The organ harvest problem:** A surgeon has five patients dying of organ failure and one healthy patient in for a checkup. Killing the one to harvest organs would save five lives, and the math works out for the utilitarian. Why does this feel so deeply wrong? Is that feeling a point in Kant's favor, or just a bias we should overcome? 4. **Do rules need exceptions?** Kant insists moral rules must be universal, with no exceptions. But most of us can imagine extreme scenarios where any rule seems like it should bend. Does the need for exceptions fatally undermine deontology, or is the strength of the system precisely that it refuses to bend? 5. **Who gets to calculate the consequences?** Utilitarianism asks us to maximize good outcomes, but we're notoriously bad at predicting consequences. If we can't reliably know the results of our actions, is it practical to base our entire moral system on outcomes? Does this uncertainty push us back toward rules and principles? 6. **Everyday morality:** Think about a real moral decision you've made recently, even a small one. Did you reason more like a Kantian (what's the right thing to do in principle?) or more like a utilitarian (what will produce the best result?)? Do most people naturally lean one way? 7. **Justice vs. the greater good:** A town can prevent a deadly plague by sacrificing one innocent person. The greater good is clearly served. But is it just? Can an action be morally right and deeply unjust at the same time? 8. **The big synthesis question:** Are these two systems actually opposed, or do they often arrive at the same answers by different paths? Is it possible that we need both: rules to guide us in the moment and consequences to evaluate systems and policies over time?

This is a free, in-person meeting on the subject of betrayals, losses and how to get over them so you can build lasting relationships. Burdened by a stressful relationship? Unhealthy relationships can trigger feelings of anger, despair or self-doubt. They can create dwindling spirals of fights and seeking to make-up, or trying to “pin the blame” on someone or something. If you don’t find the RIGHT reasons, or select the correct sources of the problem, the problem can just get worse and worse. Whether in love or personal ties, with friends or at work, our life really IS affected by the quality of our relationships. Good ones can promote pleasure and survival while less optimum ones can lead to annoyance, anger, self-doubt, stress, or even affect our health and ability to survive well. Whether you are suffering from a divorce, or a painful break-up, don’t know who to trust (or who to CHOOSE) as a partner, friend, boss or employee - the anxiety of relationship troubles can really make a mess of things. Maybe you’ve suffered a betrayal, or are dealing with hostility or criticalness or invalidation. Dwindling relationships can involve destructive behavior, where we hurt those we love, or start succumbing to self-destructive thoughts, attitudes or behaviors that spiral out of control and affect much more than our immediate relationship. Past losses in love or life can affect how we act or react to new people and situations and hold us back from even starting to create new, possibly great relationships! How can one get back onto a saner course of action? Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life: human relationships! Break free from self imposed limitations Here we will discuss: • How to “erase” the trauma of past hurts and betrayals so that one isn’t always repeating past mistakes. • Why and how do the negative emotions of others affect you? • Why is my partner withdrawing and what can I do about it? • Why do we sometimes feel compelled to hurt the ones we love? • Fights & arguments - what's really behind them? • What underlies “corrosive criticism” or the need to invalidate self or others? • How one can stably change one’s outlook on life so they can affect positive change? • Where do compulsive destructive behaviors come from and what can be done about them? • How to form closer bonds & keep growing the relationships with the people you care about? • How to enhance one’s own ability to survive and create positive healthy relationships whether in love, family & friendships or in work, business or one’s career? Relationships can be hard and life itself IS challenging. Why not arm yourself with the knowledge and breakthroughs that have been made about the mind, mental reactions & interpersonal relationships, so that one has better awareness and control over themselves and life in general. Learn where painful experiences are “stored” and how they can unknowingly affect us. You will also find out how one can “erase” those past painful experiences so that one is free to move forward without being tripped up by the past. Learn too, about what can lead some people to become “toxic” personalities and how to identify those traits in others so you won’t be tripped up trusting the wrong person. Our free Meet-ups occur in a safe environment where one can learn, without fear of judgment or criticism, and without the recommendation of harmful mental techniques or therapies, just how YOU can get yourself onto a happier & more successful path: in love & in life. We look forward to having you join us! This class is sponsored by the Dianetics & Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

It feels like we just saw each other 🤷. Join members of the local design and UX community for our monthly breakfast. For May we’re stopping in for Rooh’s popup breakfast/cafe concept. You know someone is getting the lobster yuzu croissant, and that’s not even the prettiest thing on the menu!.

We’re still working to get more people into these Meetups, but our goal is to give PlayYourCourt members a few social tennis outings each week in addition to your practice sessions and Challenge League matches. These Meetups are co-ed, super laid back, and all skill levels are welcome. Post your skill level and a suggested court in the comments section so we can round up as many players as we can for some tennis fun! Also, if you’re looking to meet new practice partners or play some matches and you aren’t already in the PlayYourCourt Community, you can go here to see what we’re all about and sign up: https://www.playyourcourt.com/tennis-community/columbus-oh/meetup/ If you love tennis, we’d love to have you! Be sure and watch the quick video that explains how everything works. Happy hitting! - Scott

Some trained COUNT volunteers work together once a month at RMH (http://www.rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer.php) as Housewarmers (usually on the 1st Sunday from 1 – 5 PM). Some schedule other shifts at their convenience. You may try this out with less fuss by following a "Fast track" or go through the normal process. Fast track • Arrange a time to shadow a COUNT volunteer. Call Dave Nohle at 614-268-9558 (cell). • Show up and try it out. • Complete application, etc. later. Normal process • Complete an online application (http://rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer/). • Attend orientation in advance. • At orientation you will complete forms agreeing to keep family/patient info private and allowing a background check and tour the facility. • Complete one training shift. Daily shifts are: morning 9 AM - 1 PM, afternoon 1 - 5 PM and evening 5 - 9 PM. • Schedule shifts online using the on the RMH scheduling system (http://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/?FROM=32895). The Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides housing and meals for families with sick children. The Columbus RMH is the largest in the world with 137 rooms. COUNT has been volunteering there since May 2014. Housewarmers work with RMH guests to provide a home-like environment - greet, assist with family needs, answer phones, give tours, assist with checkin/checkout, prepare guest rooms after checkout, clean facility, laundry, restock supplies and staff the front desk. RMH Housewarmers volunteer at least one four-hour shift a month. All Housewarmers must complete an application and agree to a background check before they can be full fledged volunteers.

If you are interested in selecting investment choices for your 401(k) or other workplace savings plan, minimizing your income tax liability, or identifying the most effective investments for your brokerage account, we are the group for you. We are a local chapter of Bogleheads, whose investment strategy can be found here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Bogleheads%C2%AE_investment_philosophy Or you can peruse the Boglehead forum here: https://www.bogleheads.org/index.php I look forward to seeing you there. Mark Vonder Haar

We will have our certified mediums available and you can receive 3 10-minute readings for $20. To keep you safe, we will be following all CDC and Health Dept. guidelines at our psychic fair today. Sitters and readers required to wear a mask. We will maintain a minimum of 6 foot physical distance during readings. Please, if you can, bring your own portable chair to use during your readings. Please note that we are at our wonderful new home at Unity of Columbus, 4211 Maize Road, Columbus, OH