Pages updates with references and edits

docs/practices/daily-sadhana.md

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ The word zen comes from the Sanskrit word dhyan, which loosely translates to med
 
 There are a multitude of targets for our focus in meditation. We suggested starting with the breath as it is a simple and direct link to your soul and the universe. Every breath is an interchange of your being and the greater infinite oneness.
 
-However you can also choose another singular focus to enable the mind to steady. These include a sound (mantra), a form (yantra). There are in total 108 ways to focus the mind and these are explored in the ancient text Vijnana Bhairav Tantra.
+However you can also choose another singular focus to enable the mind to steady. These include a sound (mantra), a form (yantra). There are in total 112 ways to focus the mind and these are explored in the ancient text Vijnana Bhairav Tantra.[^1]
 
 ---
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ However you can also choose another singular focus to enable the mind to steady.
 
 Not generic blessings — specific moments. The warmth of sunlight through a window. A conversation that landed. The taste of a ripe fruit.
 
-Gratitude is not toxic positivity. It is the deliberate practice of noticing what is already good, which rewires the brain away from its negativity bias over time.
+Gratitude is the deliberate practice of noticing what is already good, which rewires the brain away from its negativity bias over time.
 
 ## Merit journal
 
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ Pair them. Energy practice in the morning to open; strength in the afternoon to
 - [ ] Spend 2 minutes each morning visualizing the future you want — see it as real _now_
 - [ ] Spend 2 minutes before sleep visualizing the same — feel the gratitude as if it arrived
 
-This is not magical thinking. It is the practice of orienting the subconscious toward what you are building, so that during the day, you recognize the doors when they appear.
+This is the practice of orienting the subconscious toward what you are building, so that during the day, you recognize the doors when they appear.
 
 ---
 
@@ -102,3 +102,5 @@ _What practice will you show up for tomorrow?_
 
 - [ ] Mark this sprout read
 
+[^1]: The *Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra*, a 7th–8th century Kashmir Shaivism text, presents 112 dhāraṇās (meditation techniques) in a dialogue between Bhairava and the goddess Bhairavi who charaterize the interplay between consciousness and energy. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vij%C3%B1%C4%81na_Bhairava_Tantra)
+

docs/practices/digital-wellness.md

@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Set boundaries you can actually keep:
 - [ ] Remove or mute one app that drains your attention
 - [ ] Replace one hour of screen time this week with an outdoor activity
 
-The goal is not abstinence. It's agency.
+The point is to cultivate your agency and command over your tech, you should be the one in control.
 
 ---
 
@@ -67,4 +67,4 @@ The internet is a tool. When it becomes the environment, you've lost the plot.
 
 *What's the first app you'll set a limit on today?*
 
-- [ ] Mark this sprout read
+- [ ] Mark this sprout read

docs/practices/grounding-in-nature.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The Earth (whose other names include mother Gaia, Aurora, Aurelia, Tara), is a l
 
 But connecting to the ground, whether that's by contact with our bare feet, using grounding blanket or pad, or even lying down and rolling (one of the best ways to rebalance energy when it gets too high!) we are chemically interacting with our physical Source via ionic exchange.
 
-Even if we can't physically touch the earth we can use awareness + visualisation and intention to guide our energy body down and root it into the crystalline core of mother Gaia. This crystalline core differs from the iron core of earth and is in a higher dimension.
+Even if we can't physically touch the earth we can use awareness, visualisation and intention to guide our energy body down and root it into the crystalline core of mother Gaia. This crystalline core differs from the iron core of earth and is in a higher dimension.
 
 !!! info inline end "Coming soon"
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Even if we can't physically touch the earth we can use awareness + visualisation
 
 ## Why ground?
 
-Modern life separates us from the earth: rubber-soled shoes, elevated buildings, concrete pavements. The simple act of barefoot contact — called _earthing_ or _grounding_ — allows the body to absorb free electrons from the earth's surface. Research suggests this can reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and calm the nervous system.
+Modern life separates us from the earth: rubber-soled shoes, elevated buildings, concrete pavements. The simple act of barefoot contact — called _earthing_ or _grounding_ — allows the body to absorb free electrons from the earth's surface. Research has documented reductions in inflammation, improved sleep, and measurable shifts in nervous system function from regular grounding practice.[^1]
 
 !!! note "Start small"
 
@@ -35,7 +35,11 @@ Modern life separates us from the earth: rubber-soled shoes, elevated buildings,
 
 ## Sun gazing: reconnecting with light
 
-Sun gazing is an ancient practice of looking at the sun during the first or last hour of daylight, when UV levels are safe. Start with 10 seconds and never push beyond comfort. The practice is less about the eyes and more about allowing the body's circadian rhythm to realign with natural light cycles.
+Sun gazing is an ancient practice of looking at the sun during the first or last hour of daylight, when UV levels are lower. Start with 10 seconds and never push beyond comfort. The practice is less about the eyes and more about allowing the body's circadian rhythm to realign with natural light cycles.
+
+!!! warning "Eye safety"
+
+    Tilt you head down and look 2 inches above the Sun, not directly at it. Stop if you feel discomfort and only gradually build up the duration, starting with 10 seconds and working up to 15 minutes over 6 months is a realistic goal. Some yogis look directly at the sun during midday but this is achieved over many years of practice.
 
 Sit. Breathe. Let the light wash over you. No agenda.
 
@@ -49,13 +53,13 @@ Find a place where nature is doing its thing without human orchestration — a f
 
     - [ ] See Dan Winter's talks on fractal geometry on YouTube
 
-Just sit and watch. Notice how the mind, given no task, eventually settles. This is _melukat_ in the Balinese tradition — water purification not just of the body, but of the energetic residue we carry. Even sitting beside moving water, without entering it, can shift something.
+Just sit and watch. Notice how the mind, given no task, eventually settles. This is _melukat_ in the Balinese tradition — water purification not just of the body, but of the energetic residue we carry.[^2] Even sitting beside moving water, without entering it, can shift something.
 
 ---
 
 ## Integrating nature time
 
-The guideline is simple: for every hour spent on a device, spend an equal hour in direct contact with the natural world. This isn't a punishment — it's a restoration.
+The guideline is simple: for every hour on a device, spend an equal hour in direct contact with the natural world. Think of it as restoration and a reward.
 
 Start tracking it loosely. You may find, as many do, that the nature hours become the ones you crave.
 
@@ -67,3 +71,6 @@ _What patch of earth will you stand on tomorrow morning?_
 
 - [ ] Mark this sprout read
 
+[^1]: Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. "The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases." *Journal of Inflammation Research*, 2015. [PMC4378297](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4378297/)
+
+[^2]: Melukat is a Balinese Hindu water purification ritual performed at holy springs (*tirta*) to cleanse the body and spirit. [merusaka.com](https://merusaka.com/bali-cultural-experience/bali-sacred-water-melukat-purification-ritual/)

docs/practices/nourishing-the-body.md

@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ Learn your own patterns. The tea that works for someone else may not be yours
 
 ## Fasting as reset
 
-Fasting doesn't need to be extreme to be effective. Start with one day a week of liquids only — fresh juices, soups, herbal teas. From there, try a 24-hour water fast. With guidance, you can work toward a 3-day water fast, which triggers deeper cellular repair processes (autophagy).
+Fasting doesn't need to be extreme to be effective. Start with one day a week of liquids only — fresh juices, soups, herbal teas. From there, try a 24-hour water fast. With guidance, you can work toward a 3-day water fast, which triggers deeper cellular repair processes (autophagy).[^1]
 
-The goal is not deprivation. It's giving the digestive system the rest it rarely receives in a culture of constant consumption.
+It's about giving the digestive system the rest it rarely receives in a culture of constant consumption.
 
 - [ ] Try eating or drinking only fruits (smoothies allowed with coconut water) for 24 hours
 
@@ -62,8 +62,7 @@ The same applies to what you put _on_ your body. A self oil massage (_abhyanga_)
 - [ ] Replace one item of synthetic clothing with a fully natural alternative 
 
 ??? info "Hint"
-    Start with underwear as research shows synthetic underwear made dogs and humans infertile!
-    Thankfully it can be reversed in 6 months after you stop wearing it.
+    Start with underwear. A 1993 study found that polimmediately yester underwear caused significant (mostly reversible) damage to sperm production in dogs, while cotton had no effect — the cause was electrostatic charge or some other effect from wearing synthetic fabrics.[^2]
 
 ---
 
@@ -83,3 +82,7 @@ _What's one thing your body has been quietly asking you to change?_
 
 - [ ] Mark this sprout read
 
+[^1]: Autophagy — the body's cellular cleanup and recycling process — was the subject of Yoshinori Ohsumi's 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Fasting is one of the most reliable ways to trigger it. [nobelprize.org](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2016/ohsumi/facts/)
+
+[^2]: Shafik A. "Effect of different types of textile fabric on spermatogenesis: an experimental study." *Urological Research*, 1993. [PMID: 8279095](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8279095/) — Note: this was an animal study (dogs).
+

docs/practices/spiritual-hygiene.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ icon: material/spa
 ---
 # Spiritual Hygiene
 
-Just as you wash your body, your space and energy field require regular cleansing. This is not superstition — it is the recognition that environments hold residue, and that your intention shapes what you encounter.
+Just as you wash your body, your space and energy field benefit from regular tending too. Environments hold residue, and your intention shapes what you encounter.
 
 ***
 
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Just as you wash your body, your space and energy field require regular cleansin
 
 !!! info "Discover more"
 
-    - Healing with Form, Energe and Light by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
+    - Healing with Form, Energy and Light by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
     - Pranic Healing by Master Choa Kok Sui
 
 ??? question "How often should I cleanse?"
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@ You don't need to believe in guides for this to work. The practice is about sett
 
 The frequencies you surround yourself with shape your nervous system. Consider:
 
-- Solfeggio tones such as:
-  - **432 Hz** — associated with heart coherence and natural resonance
-  - **528 Hz** — often called the "love frequency," used in DNA repair research
+- Solfeggio tones — a set of frequencies used in alternative healing traditions:[^1]
+  - **432 Hz** — often described as calming and naturally resonant
+  - **528 Hz** — sometimes called the "love frequency" and associated with transformation in alternative medicine circles
 - **Natural classical** — Debussy, Ravi Shankar — music that creates space rather than filling it
 - **Kirtan and mantra** — collective chanting that synchronizes heart rates and entrains the group field
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Pair this with:
 
 ## Mass meditations and peace visualization
 
-When large numbers of people hold the same intention simultaneously, something measurable shifts. Research on transcendental meditation groups has shown reductions in crime rates, hospital admissions, and conflict when a critical mass is reached.
+When large numbers of people hold the same intention simultaneously, something measurable shifts. A 2017 study of large Transcendental Meditation groups found a 28.4% reduction in murder rates across 206 US urban areas during periods when the practicing group exceeded a critical threshold.[^2] Similar studies have reported reductions in violent crime, traffic fatalities, and drug-related deaths during the same periods.
 
 Join global mass meditations when they are called. Or gather a small group — even three people — and sit together with the intention of peace and the most positive timeline for humanity.
 
@@ -93,3 +93,7 @@ Create something tangible to crystallize the intention: a doodle, a piece of art
 *What's the first thing you'll clear from your bedroom tonight?*
 
 - [ ] Mark this sprout read
+
+[^1]: Solfeggio frequencies originate from a medieval hymn to St. John the Baptist and were reinterpreted in the 1970s by Dr. Joseph Puleo as healing tones. While many people find them subjectively calming, there is no rigorous scientific evidence that specific frequencies repair DNA or produce specific physiological effects. A 2019 review noted that most published studies on 432 Hz music are small and preliminary. [scienceinsights.org](https://scienceinsights.org/what-is-528-hz-the-love-frequency-explained/)
+
+[^2]: Cavanaugh KL, Dillbeck MC. "Field-effects of consciousness: A follow-up study on the reduction of murder rates in large US urban areas." *Journal of Health and Environmental Research*, 2017. The study was conducted by researchers at Maharishi University of Management, the institution founded by the founder of Transcendental Meditation. Results are debated in the wider scientific community. [EurekAlert summary](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/511271)

docs/strategies/collective-awakening.md

@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@ Awakening is often described as an individual journey, but it has never been a s
 
 ## The power of mass intention
 
-Decades of research on group meditation — particularly large Transcendental Meditation assemblies — has documented statistically significant reductions in crime, violence, hospital admissions, and traffic fatalities when a critical mass (roughly the square root of 1% of a population) meditates together.
-
-The mechanism is debated. The data is not.
+Decades of research on group meditation — particularly large Transcendental Meditation assemblies — has documented correlations between group practice and reductions in crime, violence, and other social stress indicators when a critical mass (roughly the square root of 1% of a population) meditates together.[^1]
 
 When you join a mass meditation — whether online or in person — you are not just calming your own nervous system. You are contributing to a field. The intention you hold for peace, for the most positive timeline, is not private. It radiates.
 
@@ -47,7 +45,7 @@ Between gatherings, make something tangible:
 - **Written statements of intent** — short, present-tense declarations: *"Clean water flows freely. Children laugh without fear. Elders are honored. The land is tended."*
 - **A shared board or album** — where each person contributes their vision of the positive timeline
 
-These artifacts are not wishful thinking. They are anchors. When the external world looks chaotic, the images and words you've created together remind you what you are building toward — and that you are building it together.
+These artifacts serve as anchors. When the external world looks chaotic, the images and words you've created together remind you what you are building toward — and that you are building it together.
 
 ---
 
@@ -79,4 +77,6 @@ Fear-based activism burns out. Love-based activism regenerates. The most radical
 
 *What does the most positive timeline look like to you — in one sentence?*
 
-- [ ] Mark this sprout read
+- [ ] Mark this sprout read
+
+[^1]: Cavanaugh KL, Dillbeck MC. "Field-effects of consciousness: A follow-up study on the reduction of murder rates in large US urban areas." *Journal of Health and Environmental Research*, 2017. A series of studies from Maharishi University researchers has found correlations between large TM-Sidhi groups and reductions in social stress indicators; the interpretation of these findings is not universally accepted. [EurekAlert summary](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/511271)

docs/strategies/community-sovereignty.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ icon: material/crowd
 <figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@theguccer2100">Spencer Plouzek</a> on Unsplash</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
-Sovereignty is not something you achieve alone. It is built in relationship — with the land, with the people who grow food, with neighbors who share skills, and with networks that operate outside the extractive economy.
+Sovereignty grows in relationship — with the land, with the people who grow food, with neighbors who share skills, and with networks that operate outside the extractive economy.
 
 ---
 

docs/strategies/digital-sovereignty.md

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Move away from Google piece by piece:
 |-----------|-----|
 | Gmail | [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail), self-hosted mail |
 | Google Drive | [Syncthing](https://syncthing.net/), [Nextcloud](https://nextcloud.com/) |
-| Google Photos | [](https://ente.com/), local storage shared by syncthing |
+| Google Photos | [Ente](https://ente.com/), local storage shared by Syncthing |
 | Google Docs | [CryptPad](https://cryptpad.fr/), Libre Office suite |
 
 The principle is simple: **self-hosted first, local-first, privacy-first**. If your data lives on someone else's computer, it is not your data.

docs/strategies/finding-purpose.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Beyond making a living lies the question that has quietly followed you for years
 
 ## The passion that was always there
 
-For many, purpose is not something you find — it's something you remember. It was there when you were a child, before the world told you to be practical. It was in the activities that made you lose track of time.
+Your purpose is innate and can be seen in your passions, what you naturally feel drawn to. In childhood these may have been more evident by how you spent your free time. Your soul was born with a particular intention to experience and contribute something to this reality, this can be seen in your natural tendencies and skills or gifts. Meditation or Spiritual Hypnotherapy can be powerful way to discover life's purpose more clearly.
 
 Ask yourself:
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ You don't need to quit your job tomorrow. Start with:
 - One small act of service, unannounced
 - One visualization, morning and night, of the future you are building
 
-Purpose is not a destination. It is a direction you calibrate toward, daily, with each small choice.
+Purpose is a direction you calibrate toward, daily, with each small choice. Which of your daily actions feel aligned with your purpose, and which ones could use a nudge in the right direction?
 
 ---
 
@@ -72,4 +72,4 @@ Purpose is not a destination. It is a direction you calibrate toward, daily, wit
 
 *What challenge have you lived through that someone else needs help with right now?*
 
-- [ ] Mark this sprout read
+- [ ] Mark this sprout read