Luminara: A Mystical, Self-Discovery, Silent Reflection Sanctuary

Neteral Landar starts of her writing about places in Second Life with Luminaria. Created by Sedona Starchild, the place is described as "a space created with care, where every detail holds a deeper meaning, if you’re open to it." Netera went to look around, and was not disappointed. 

 

Read Netera's story in Places.  

 

Yosemite in Spring

 

Gemma Cleanslate was recently at a favorite region: Yosemite. Owned by Jadin Emerald, the place offers much natural scenery. With winter turned to spring, there's much greenery to be seen. But for those who enjoy winter activities, there's a new skiing area.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

 

The PBC's Voting Registration And Fall Arrives at Yosemite

 

Gemma Cleanslate went to a couple places to see what was going on there at this time of year. At the Premier Business Center, there's events going on to encourage residents who are US citizens to register to vote. At Yosemite, fall has arrived and the leaves are showing it. But there were also some new places that came about since her last visit.

 

Read Gemma's article in Places. 

The Buddha Garden

 

It's August, and things in Second Life are slowing down some after the SL Birthday and Summer Burn. So Gemma Cleanslate was looking for a place that was relaxing. She came across the Buddha Garden. This area has many places to relax from beaches to waterfalls to a dining area, and of course temples.

 

Read Gemma's story in Places. 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 Saturday December 9

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    Field Trip: Living Near Nature In SL

    Organizer: Chantal Jager

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/field-trip-2/

 

    The Science Circle (72,129,30)

      

    ~*~

 

    At 9 PM PST   

    Fieldtrip Roulette

    Jes Stannard and Chantal Jager

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/fieldtrip-roulette-2/

    

    The Science Circle (72,129,30)

 

 

    ~*~

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle 

 

 

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 

  Saturday December 2

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    Field Trip: Celebrating Nature

    Organizer: Chantal Jager

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/field-trip/

 

    The Science Circle (72,129,30)

      

    ~*~

 

    At 9 PM PST   

    Fieldtrip Roulette

    Jes Stannard

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/fieldtrip-roulette/

    

    The Science Circle (72,129,30)

 

 

    ~*~

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

Saturday, May 20

 

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    The Benefits of Getting Back To Nature

    By Phil Youngblood

    Part of the Healthy Aging Conference

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/back-to-nature/

    Inspiration Bay

 

    Inspiration Bay (210/123/21)

      

    ~*~

 

    At 9 PM PST   

    Milanchovich Cycles

    By Jes Stannard , Keith Eric Grant

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/milanchovich-cycles/

    SC Meeting Spot

 

   The Science Circle (72,129,30)

 

    ~*~

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

Kaleidoscope

 

Insects often are disliked by people, but most like butterflies. There's a wilderness area with plenty of them: Kaleidoscope. Here, one can see plenty of Monarch butterflies and learn a little more about them. Gemma Cleanslate writes about this place by Spark and Raven Banrion Kray.

 

Read Gemma's article in Places.  

SL Video: "NatureCon 2022"

 

 From Bain Finch on August 14, "NatureCon 2022 runs from August 18-31, 2022 Second Life Event Regions of Ruthenium and Osmium"

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Osmium/115/83/23

http://natureconsl.site

Wonderland in Bell Fairgrounds and NatureCon

 

Gemma Cleanslate's weekend was a busy one. With the closing of the water park, Bellisseria Fairgrounds now has a new attraction, "Midway to Wonderland." Part of the sim was decked out to look like Alice in Wonderland, where the events took place, while another part looked like an abandoned park. Next Gemma went to the location where NatureCon will begin on Wednesday August 18. There will be numerous nature-themed exhibits, plus stage performances, nature tours, and more.

 

Read Gemma's story in Events.

 

 

SL Video: "First Mt. Campion Tour"

 

From Robert Rhodan on August 2, "1st Mt. Campion Tour - July 30th 2022"
 

Press Release: NatureCon 2020 Is Coming To SL, August 18-31

Ruthenium and Osmium, SL – United by the shared love for nature, related communities joined forces to celebrate and present NatureCon 2022, taking place at the SL event regions of Ruthenium and Osmium on August 18-31, featuring live performances, nature activities and events, community booths, and more.

The collaborative communities are proud to bring NatureCon 2022 to SL for the first time. NatureCon 2022 hopes to inspire connections between related SL communities and organizations through a shared love of exploration and expressions of nature in SL.

The community event will feature panels, nature information, and fun events to inspire joy in natural settings. Community collaborators contributed with a wide variety of nature-related installations and performances including live concerts, exploration tours, nature-themed family activities, and more. More information about the event can be found on our website, http://natureconsl.site. 

NatureCon 2022 is produced by Soull Starlight and Yukiko Yeshto, two community-minded residents with a background in community management and event planning. Featured on Lab Gab, the pair find joy in bringing unique experiences to the grid, and work with various organizations to promote travel on the Mainland and in Bellisseria. Soul’s work can be seen through her luxury Mainland experiences site, https://ascendbnb.live. Yukiko’s work can be seen through her Mainland tours site, https://yukiyesh.wixsite.com/mainlandtour.

 

"The Pond" And "The Forgotten"

 

In her exploration of nature places, Gemma Cleanslate came across two more. At the first, "The Pond," the huge scaled-up dimensions of the place reminded her of the classic "Greenies" house, but this was all outdoors. At "The Forgotten," she finds ruins of a castle that had once saw better days, but now slowly being reclaimed by nature.

 

Read Gemma's article in Places.

 

Mount Campion National Park

 

Gemma Cleanslate's exploring of nature places took her to a large area, Mount Campion National Park. The place offers hiking, horseback riding, camping, cabin rentals, on what looks like a forested mountain. Even better, the mountain has caverns that can be explored. Gemma took a look around, and had a lot to write about.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

The Nature Collective

 

While at the Second Life Birthday, Gemma Cleanslate found out about a place called The Nature Collective. It describes itself as having the goal "to help people engage and reconnect with the wonder and joy of nature." Gemma took a look at the zoo, which is spread out over two sims, and other places such as the playground and campground.

Read more in Places.
 

Yosemite in Summer 2022

 

With Gemma back into action, she thought about revisiting an old favorite area" Yosemite. Sadly some time after she first wrote about it, the owner reluctantly closed it due to being unable to maintain it due to health problems. But as she recovered, she was able to bring back a smaller version, Little Yosemite, with plans to bring it back in full once health and finances would allow her to do so. Today, the park is back. While some parts are still being worked on, it's open to visitors and there is much to see. So Gemma took a look around. So what did she think?

Read Gemma's story in Places.
 

A Visit to the Viridian Gallery

Recently Anita Kimono went over to the Viridian Gallery. Created by Julian Crooks, the exhibit there, “The Butterfly Eyeffect: Touch of Light at the Edge of the World" is by Eyeclectic (John Stone in real life). It features feature real-life photos of nature alongside some picturesque Second Life builds. Anita took a look around, and even ran into the photographer.
 
Read more in Design.
 

Mount Campion Park

Second Life has a number of parks with detailed scenery. But not many offer mountain trails. Fewer offer caverns to walk in. One offers both: Mount Campion Park. Standing over 300 meters tall, this is one of the tallest places on the Second Life mainland and offers a lot to see from winding caverns and tunnels to trails that go around and up and down the mountainside to detailed scenery. And if you want to stay a while, you can rent a cabin. Yours truly stopped by and had a look around.

Read the story in Places.

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle, Two Events

"Psychological Benefits of Walking in a Virtual Nature"

Friday June 29
9AM to 10 AM PST
By Benny Rigaux-Bricmont

"Can the benefits of nature walks for psychological well-being and cognitive ability be replicated in a purely virtual environment? The island of Natmoud was built in the virtual world of Second Life (SL) to see whether immersion in such an environment is possibly therapeutic. Residents of SL were invited to visit Natmoud and comment in writing on their experience while there. Reading and analyzing these comments with TROPES semantic software allows us to identify the main factors contributing to a relaxing and comforting atmosphere. The implicit hypothesis that a virtual representation of nature can be soothing is confirmed. We also find that wildlife – which is abundant on the island * –appears to be the main feature that catches the attention of walkers. Given that these verbatim transcripts from a small convenience sample reflect, with one exception, the emotions felt by women, the results cannot really be generalized. In the analyses, the anonymity of the avatars is preserved by using initials, even though in all the cases the participants consented to the reproduction of the emotions they expressed."

For more information, Click Here.

Natmoud Island (52/137/28)

 *  *  *  *  *

"Updating Darwinian Evolution Part II: The Role of Sexual Selection"

Saturday June 30
9AM to 10 AM PST
By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior 
"The most common conception of evolution is that the hardiest survive. Darwin proposed another type of competition–that for mates within a species. When competing for mating partners the ability to find the right match and display your wares become important forces shaping the evolution of physiology, chemistry, and the brain. This talk explores the science of sexual selection in humans. Sexual selection has been well established in animal species for half a century, but the ability to study it in humans is relatively recent. Using the documentary The Science of Sex Appeal as a scaffold, this talk helps us update Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. "

For more information, Click Here.

The Science Circle (61/127/32) 

Yosemite

With the Second Life Birthday and the Relay For Life Weekend behind her, Gemma Cleanslate has been once again going around places across Second Life. One such place is Yosemite National Park. Owned and landscaped by Jadyn Firehawk, there is much natural scenery in the form of mountains, forest, and rivers. But that is not all. The area also has it's artistic side, with a Japanese garden, and the "Little Yosemite Art Forest."

Read Gemma's story in Places.