What’s that rumbling in my Gut?

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Rod's World

I redid the process at Kundalini dance last night led by the remarkable Leyolah Antara, creator of the magnificent Kundalini Dance process that transformed my life in 2013 and set me back onto a healing path after being in a locked psych unit for six weeks a mere six months before. Here is the link to Leyolah’s web site : The Road to Freedom

The process was dancing blindfolded for up to two hours to investigate the wisdom inherently available by cleaning your Third Eye Chakra and freeing your intuition. We were meant to dance with a question in mind. In 2013 I chose How would I get to the $1300 festival that Nemone, my previous KuIdalini Dance teacher had said it would be good for me to go to when I had $50 in the bank. When I got home from the process, the payment plan email was the sixth I opened. I intuitively took from this I was meant to go , even though I had never heard of Tanishka Tantrika, The Moon Woman – she has 500,000 followers on Facebook, here’s her website, empowerment of women is her speciality : Star of Ishtar.

I chose as a question this time to dance to what would it take to cleanse the deep seeded mistrust of allowing myself to be loved by women following an incident when I was five when I was dacked by my best friends two elder sisters. Look up any good Australian slang dictionary for its meaning. So we will see what my intuition or gut feeling or as my friend Lissa Rankin in her new book The Fear Cure our Inner Pilot Light comes up with.

That’s why I have chosen 15 images on intuition, that old gut feeling to comment on, two of them don’t even have words, the image speaks for itself. Here we go :

1. Sacredness is a very special word and state of being to many of my friends. They have stepped outside their servant status and honoured the path of the intuitive.

2. Sylvia Clare, author of the best selling book Trusting Your Intuition : Rediscover Your True Self to Achieve a Richer, More Rewarding Life has written many quotes on the subject, I like this one on transcending all other abilities.

3. It wants the best for you, but how often do we give in to the dark side of reason and logic of our closed mind.

4. Your Inner Pilot Light is a beautiful way of expressing that voice with in our gut that says get out, get out now.

5. Here’s the first wordless image, as you can see it doesn’t need them.It creates its own powerful scenario and touches me deeply.

6. Is your gut rumbling, that’s your hunch speaking to you to listen and listen deeply.

7. I like number seven, Intuition has no age. How many times have we been shocked by the wisdom of our 5 year old nieces and nephews, How could they know that at such a young age.

8. A colourful mind map showing there are many ways to utilise our intuition, its not like our logical journey of right and wrong, black and white and good and evil.

9. The good old listen to your heart not your mind for the important things like who you love, what you do to fulfil your passion in life, where you live, who you live with and many other questions.

10. Trusting your Intuition, your third eye wisdom can transform your life into one of eternal bliss if you stick at it over an extended period.

11. McCall Erickson has a truly beautiful webpage, Pictures and Quotes on Life. He points at you have to become a risk taker and listen to that old gut feeling ,it gets you under its spell to sense the beauty that is possible following your intuition.

12. Ingrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses from Hollywood’s lamented Golden Era. Her natural and unpretentious beauty and her immense acting talent made her one of the most celebrated figures in the history of American cinema. Bergman is also one of the most Oscar-awarded actresses, second only to Katherine Hepburn. This beautiful quote speaks to the training required to nurture that small voice inside.

13. Another quote that speaks to the power of intuition over closed logic, discovery over knowing. Leonardo is a prime example of what you can create if you are willing to be intuitive in your actions.

14. Learning from within, the heroes journey. Its takes a modicum of courage and bravery to walk this path. Doe Zantamata is an author, artist, and photographer. In addition to the Happiness in Your Life book series, she also creates and designs poster books of different titles, including “Happy By Nature,” “Old Children, A Book for “Adults”,” and others. I like her pointing to don’t let yourself be talked into something that doesn’t feel right.

15. Wordless image number two to finish on, good versus evil. You definitely don’t need words to define this one. Who do you listen to the most?

Well if I have as much success with my intention from last night that I did with my 2013 one I am looking forward to a whole new relationship with many of my women friends I adore but have been unable to fully appreciate due to my deep held belief.

Namaste and speak to you again on Thursday my dear friends.

Who or what do you Love?

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Rod's World

A question that takes up a lot of the human races time or a catchy Doors song : Classic Doors. What do we place value on in our lives, for me its my family, I am fortunate enough to have three siblings who it is easy to appreciate for their kindness and generosity. Hugo, Ruth and Jann have helped me through many a tough time on my mental health journey. One could say I might not be here except for them.

So I have learnt not to undervalue Love and Friendship , so that what I’d like to discuss today, Value in our lives. I have chosen 15 delectable quotes to cover the subject, here we go.

1. There are many ways to say to somebody I value you in my life, this poster covers quite a few of them. Which is your favourite – I like You are crafted with beauty and purpose myself.

2. At times I found it difficult to relate to the fact I was someone of value. When in this state its good to have friends and family who love your more than the story you are listening to in your head.

3. Couldn’t find a funny one this time so have gone for the cute. Teddy Bear wisdom is always good value, I bet you didn’t know they could talk.

4. Second song, Baby I’m a Want You by Bread – Loaf of Bread, lots of songs written about how people fall in love looking across the room. Relationships that last are based on getting to know the person and valuing their place in you life before you take the big step of saying, yes, you are the one.

5. Dr. Steve Maraboli is a life-changing Speaker, bestselling Author, and Behavioral Science Academic. His empowering words, strategic insights, and social philosophies have been shared and published throughout the world in more than 25 languages. He is known as the worlds most quoted man reminds us of who is the most important person to value, go and have a look in the mirror.

6. Elvis was better known for his singing than his quotes. Regarding his values it may even be said he had a Suspicious Mind, Elvis Sings. But in this quite famous quote he points to the fact there are 7,000,000,000 sets of values on the planet.

7. Go where you are valued and loved, all else is the abode of Energy vampires. This is not as easy to do as it seems but be strong, my darlings.

8. What values do we seek in the people we want close to us> The list in this quote is a pretty great place to start, As it says do not let them go, they are far to precious.

9. Thomas Fuller was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his Worthies of England, published after his death. He was a prolific author, and one of the first English writers able to live by his pen. This was back in the 16th century and even then they were saying hold on to that which is valuable to you.

10. Another Thomas Fuller quote, we walk around thinking we will never get sick from the day we are born, then Bam it hits us and we suddenly realise that our health is the most important thing we should value.

11. Thunderclap Newman had a number one hit back in the day with There’s something in the Air The Rocking 60’s. This quote makes us think how important it is to value other people’s something because it could be their everything. Love them for this offering.

12. In Google Images this was the most repeated quote, I liked this mage of it the best. It points to that the simple things in life are what brings us happiness, because the hoarded chattels we cannot take with us.

13. My 88 year old mums favourite ever Royal. When we go op shopping she still buys books about her if she sees them. Diana says listen to your heart not your head, that is where your true values lie.

14. One of the things I value most in Life, Music. It could be dais I love it, I have 25,000 songs on my Itunes.

15. I saved the mystical one to last. Souls are a bit woo woo for some people but this quote speaks to what I believe why we should value our friends and keep them real close.

I hope you have got some value out of this. Please take a look at what you value in your life and make a commitment to be a better friend to it or them, its part of your soul after all.

Namaste until next Monday, my dear friends.

Walking the Visionary Road!!

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Rod's World

Had an inspiring weekend crewing on my dear friend Emeli Paulo’s True Grit workshop. Twenty brave souls and Ten crew inquired into what does True Grit mean for them to fulfil their dreams and purpose.

The highlight of the weekend for me was the two times we did the process that saw people move from their current reality to embracing their vision by seeing what they needed to let go and what support they needed. I have called it Walking the Visionary Road because I forget the actual name used and I like mine better.

I got to play the current reality in one of them and saw so much out of it, primarily how I hang on to mine and how my vision is normally in the distance but without structures in place to get there.

So what do we as a society say about why we need and the power of having a vision. Fifteen quotes and yes Tony Robbins is in there, how could the big guy not be. Here we go –

1. And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat, feel the tingle in your fingers and the tingle in your feet. Having your Vision powerfully in presence is a truly creative act, take it today.

2. What is your position in Life, an oft asked question at parties as social chit chat. Who gives a flying rats, I wonder what that expression means. But what inspires is people speaking about their passion in Life, what turns them on and gets them hot under the collar. Cute little duckies by the way.

3. As a child I remember watching the old American series, The Invisible Man. It was mesmerising to a young child living in Country Victoria. A bit like our powerful vision is to others who cannot not see it and often become the naysayers in our life. Don’t listen to these folk.

4. I am old enough to remember when Muhammad Ali was named Cassius Clay. Here is his take on living from Vision and the forgettable song that was written about him : The Black Superman.

5. Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. Here is her take on living an ordinary life.

6. Debbie Ford was an inspiring author who wrote on how our shadow world inhibited our chances of fulfilling our vision. her work had us look at our excuses and re aligning with our life’s vision. Unfortunately she died young, her fans have continued her insights at Debbie’s Work.

7. The legend goes that Thomas Edison broke 1 million light bulbs before he discovered the ones that worked. If this is true that definitely makes him an expert in the arena of execution.

8. Alice Cooper’s first hit was Welcome to my Nightmare – Alice in Action. The Japanese are very succinct and direct, with their sayings. Here is their input to the importance of action in our daily lives and the consequence of the lack thereof.

9. Nelson Mandela had one of the great Visions if our time. He attributes the power of being about to hold a huge Vision through your imagination as the reason for him succeeding.

10. In business there is a requirement to provide the Tax department with your Income statement and Balance Sheet. How many of us include our Vision in our assets list. Really it is the greatest one we have.

11. How many of you have been to Disney World. I have, it a place where our dreams and fantasies come alive. This is Walt Disney’s vision for the children of the world. Awesome, if I don’t say so myself.

12. I sing in a choir, The Moons a Balloon, our leader is my Friend Kavisha Mazzella, she is an award winning Singer Songwriter, here’s one of her songs Invisible Indivisible. I pay more to go and dance to recorded music that hear her sing her beautiful words.

13. I recently went to a public talk on healing the wounds of Love. The focus was not on making up a better story about them but Waking Up. Jeremiah kept stating our job is to Wake Up. This was a profound moment for me.

14. Saving the best nearly to the last. The Get it done man Tony/Anthony Robbins. Why Vision holders are special people. Combined with commitment and willingness to act, the world is your oyster.

15. Another way to sneak in another list of Possibilities, but this is a beautiful one, it included all the ingredients for an awesome life.

It was an extraordinary weekend, opening up a sense that we will fulfil our Visions, one step at a time, some taking fast steps even running towards it and others one solid step at a time, with periods of falling backwards. Remember we are now officially a member of the Collective Potential tribe, welcome aboard.

Namaste until Thursday, my dear friends.

Am I Perfect?

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Rod's World

Went to this fabulous talk last night with my good friend Karen by Leyolah Antara and Jeremiah Abrams called Healing the Wounds Of Love. Leyolah is my teacher so hearing Jeremiah talk on the power shadows have on our love life was kind of inspirational really. He says on his website –

“There are many offers of help out there for the lovelorn and lovesick: programs and how-to methods for self-improvement to love yourself more, to find love, to attract a soul-mate, to strengthen your will and determination, to think, act or be certain ways that will succeed in satisfying our deepest longing. But most such enterprises engage in what amounts to spiritual by-pass, an avoidance of the core of the wounds our souls have sustained in love.” Here is the link to it : Jeremiah’s Website

He spoke of how we each have stories and that the younger we have catastrophic events happen in our life in the area of Love the greater control these stories have over us later in life and our purpose was not to replace them with a more empowering story but to wake up from them and be in the present. Jeremiah said that allowing yourself to be vulnerable was a key access to this state of Awakeness.

So what do we as a society have to say about being vulnerable. As I promised last Blog I would go to our sisters predominantly this blog and I have kept my word, one could say this is a subject they are more practised at. Here we go –

1. Who has not watched Brene Brown’s TED talk on Vulnerability. Millions of people over the planet have been inspired by her forthright views on how we are affected by not being vulnerable with our loved ones.

2. And from that talk there are some magical one liners or quotes. This one particularly calls to me as it is a birthing process of all that we desire in our lives.

3. I love the line from Avatar I See You, its in the dictionary now. Brene does too.

4. Get Up , Stand Up for your Rights – The opening line for an iconic Bob Marley and The Wailers song. Bob wrote a lot of songs about Love because he believed in this.

5. Yes, Brene makes it back in again, I promise there are other women later on. Once again Brene makes a valid point that its not about the suffering but the opportunity to birth that which we seek most in our lives.

6. As Jeremiah is a Jungian therapist I thought I had better seek some scientific evidence of how vulnerability affects our mental health. His good friend Sigmund sates that never loving is where not being vulnerable leaves us.

7. And from one of the greatest story tellers of all time , Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī AKA Rumi, this is the effect of being vulnerable – Unmeasurable Joy.

8. Back in the day, I watched a grainy Black and White T.V. set with this man singing about Love doing one of the world first international broadcasts. He was so openly vulnerable in a time when people thought the world was going to end and where closing down. The clock got very close to midnight The Cuban Missile Crisis

9. I have met a lot of people in the past few years that I am willing to “Share” with. As is stated here, it has led to some amazing relationships and moments of pure bliss.

10. 7 things I definitely love having in my life, still working on it with some people. If we were truly awake could we do it with everyone in our lives?

11. The favourite saying of my friend Emeli Paulo, I am Enough. This beautiful quote from Molly Mahar, founder of Stratejoy.com – Molly’s Website, adds so much power and vulnerability to it.

12. Whip it, Whip it Good by Devo, an anthem to Vulnerability? Here it Is. Only when we reveal it all, all the way down is true intimacy available with another. Not easy, but worthwhile for what Joseph Campbell calls the Bliss.

13. Audre Lorde was a Caribbean-American writer, radical feminist, womanist, lesbian, and civil rights activist. In her own words, Lorde was a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”. She was visible as you could be in a time that all the things she was were extremely left of centre, true vulnerability.

14. When we grow up we are trained not to be vulnerable but secretive, ashamed and separate. Luckily there are conscious movements breaking out across the planet who are reversing this process.

15. A beautiful back, with words written on it that cut deep, Love comes at a cost, that of being vulnerable. Go on do it, its worth the effort.

Well I think there are some great insights in this list, when I am famous for my writing and can afford it I will follow Jeremiah to Bali and do some of his work.

Namaste until next time my dear friends

Doing the Honourable Dance!!

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Rod's World

I went to my friends Jules Mojo Trance Dance on the weekend. Its a dance where you change partners each song and dance to a theme. This month it was on being Honoured, not a subject that I think of much when it comes to Conscious dance. Jules is a beautiful, beautiful soul who’s commitment in life is to empower people’s souls and build community. Here’s the link to her Facebook page – Perpetual Mojo.

So how do you honour one another at dance. You follow the two signals, I want to dance with you, but I don’t want to be touched, there are a lot of Contact Improv people among the attendees who just love being touched and the other signal that I want my own alone time. You always get so much out of the night and the group Hug at the end is worth the money alone.

So what do we as human beings have to say about honouring one another. No Oprah again but some quality insights among the fifteen I have chosen. here we go :

1. We go way back to 400 B.C. for our first look at honour. Sophocles is one of the three surviving Ancient Greek playwrights, imagine out of such a prolific era that only three people made it through. His message is simple, Honour is all that matters, corrupt success is bad for the health.

2. Our school system seems to be focusing more and more on the three R’s, turning out corporate clones. What matters later in life is how you relate to others not your ability to know the 12 times table.

3. Samuel Langhorne Clemens is Mark Twain’s real name. He lived by this famous quote above, a true man of honour.

4. Remembered for saving England and smoking Cigars Winston Churchill was meant to be a man of simple tastes and it seems simple words – freedom, justice and of course Honour.

5. Back to the 400 B.C. time frame Socrates is held to be one of the founders of Western Philosophy. This cute and pithy quote points to how to live a great life, be who you say you are going to be, Astronaut or President or Postman. it doesn’t matter, the joy is in the honouring.

6. Winston again, He had a profound belief in the fact that if you kept your word that you could do anything, but that honour and good sense were vital ingredients in the recipe required. He helped save a country with this belief.

7. I have several of Martin’s speeches on audio. They go for over 15 minutes but you are riveted the whole time. One of the most honourable men of all of history he made a race of people believe they weren’t niggers, they were proud African Americans.

8. Balastar is a cool name, he is a Spanish Jesuit prose writer. He was also known for his insightful quotes, why say something with more words that necessary. Balastar points to the value of keeping your words in the face of pleasing others is what counts.

9. Looks like this has been taken off a graffiti installation, How many of us create our present moment to moment. I know I’m guilty of not doing this 24 hours a day.

10. The Law of Abundance, always remember that abundance does not mean more possessions. In fact most awards are given to those who have contributed the most to society, get out there and be abundant by giving of yourself.

11. Taking us back to the the fact that Honouring oneself not be so significant is well known screen hero Chewbacca. I could’t find the language on Google Translate but I’m sure it is profound.

12. Prepared to die, not many people live by this creed. Nelson Mandela was one such inspirational being. I remember singing Free Nelson Mandela in our singing group Soulsong and how much we were moved by it each time we sang it. Here is the Specials great version of the song The Specials.

13. Off to ancient Egypt for this one, 1300 B.C. Akhenaton was a Pharaoh. I suppose the Pharaohs words got saved before anybody elses. Interesting that the soul had importance way back when.

14. I have been a bit male centric this Blog, and unfortunately this is by an other man. But it is about our mothers. Sai Baba, eccentric Indian Hindu guru from the 1970’s made a promise that we would come to no harm if we honoured our mothers.

15. Misunderstood critical thinker Werner Erhard, founder of the Landmark Forum, the mainstreams rite of passage into Transformational work came up with this classic. I did his work back in the 80’s and 90’s when he was still around. We did courses led by out there Americans who shocked us naive Aussies, so much that I went to the States and did two of their advanced course and ran the Moscow Peace Marathon the year before the Berlin Wall came down.

So I promise that my Blog on Thursday will be focused on that the wild women of our society have to contribute. Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Stop Running Away!!

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Rod's World

I have recently begun working with my friend Arion Light’s principles at his Activation School on setting up my new business Rod has a Way with Words FaceBook Link..I commit to three actions each week and have not yet completed them all.

At our weekly session I breathed into what did this mean to me and I felt this incredible sense of Fear of Success rise up in me. With Arion’s work you accept that being fearful is part of how you are. He asked me was it OK to be OK that I have a Fear of Success, checking into my body the answer was No. So I am working on having it be OK to be Fearful and be in action to have my business be an outstanding success.

So what does society say about fear. I have chosen 15 pithy quotes and yes, there’s one from Oprah , so here we go.

1. Around it, run from it, pretend its not there, all of these things do not work, you must enter it and have a play with it. Like the joy of entering a mud heap, getting dirty but having so much fun you forget about it.

2. Fear is more of a feeling than a solid object, yet is has the strength to immobilise us completely. Working to overcome it is possibly more beneficial than a few days at the gym.

3. Its often the what if’s that drive our fear. What if they don’t feel the same way, what if I try again and the same thing happens. No action has the same result, fear just makes us imagine it will be.

4. Bruce Lee talks about fearing the man who has practised the same kick 10,000 times more than the man with 10,000 kicks because the man with one kick has gone through many failure to perfect it and not listened to his fears.

5. The title of this Blog is Stop Running Away. I met my dear friend Emeli Paulo from Collective Potential Their Webpage. at a Yoga and Meditation day. We were putting out the chairs because we had arrived early, we’re both like that. Em did a mini 30 minute workshop in which she promised we would know what stopped us in life. I have her card in my wallet with the words – Stop Running Away on it. She delivered.

6. Oprah time. The rulers of countries don’t get the privilege of being wimpy about their fears for too long. They must make decisions daily and cannot afford to take days off to ruminate on them.

7. Eleanor Roosevelt was one bitching woman. She says she did her best work after the time she was the President’s wife. What she points to is thta your dreams and challenges live on the other side of the Fear.

8. Right Here, Right Now – In the moment there is nothing to fear, just being present. I plead guilty to have spent a lot of time in my past being focused on the past or worrying about the future. I’m getting better at it.

9. What are our largest fears. Mine are that people will find out I am unlovable and that I am disgustedly revolting. How good would it be if we were OK about them. I’m working on the first and truly OK about the latter.

10. Perfection the booby-prize that stops many people achieving in their lives. Linked with Fears this can be totally crippling. Salvador Dali, one of the great interpreters of the Absurd points out how silly it is to dwell on it, because it is essentially unobtainable.

11. On the other side of Fear is curiosity. A bit like the classic Divinyls track Pleasure and Pain Here’s the Video its a choice we can make as to how we interpret it. When a fear arises accept it and get curious about where it came from.

12. May Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science Church in the latter half of the 19th century. She would not have been able to do this as a woman in those times if she had given into her fears. The above quote sums it up nicely.

13. As a writer, this list empowers me. I took up writing again after doing Catherine Deveny’s Gunna’s Writing Class Link to her page which gave me the greatest gift: Just start, because beginning the writing dispels fear.

14. Fight and Flight both are not the answers to overcoming your fears, its in the acceptance of them that the power lies. Facing them full on as they approach and saying OK I’m fearful but it doesn’t have to disable me.

15. This can be construed two ways. You give power to the fear and they become all consuming, or you embrace them and inquire into why you have them and this allows for a more positive essence to emerge, I chose the latter.

So I will keep on embracing my Fears as this has given me power in being in action on a day to day basis.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

What does Lady Gaga mean to You?

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Rod's World

Its Blog writing time again, I read this fantastic one by Luminita AKA The Purpose Fairy this morning and it was about Integrity and it featured of all people Lady Gaga The Article. It was a short video by Lady, and Luminita’s discourse on it. Luminita is in my top 10 posters on Facebook. Her posts are always inspirational and well thought out. Here is a link to her Website – The Purpose Fairy.

How do we relate to Integrity, do we try our best to keep our word but have it drop out when life get busy. Or do we make it what we base our existence or no matter what the cost. Myself I wander between the two. I spent many years doing the work of Landmark Education and did their Integrity seminar at least three times. It is a rigorous enquiry into what it takes to live from Integrity and brings up stuff in all the areas you are not in integrity. So myself I travel the path of improving the amount of time I can say I am in Integrity.

So what do other people have to say about it, no Oprah today but an interesting collection to comment on, Here we go.

1. A powerful way to see Integrity is as your Inner Lover. The person we give all of our heart to, who we try not to disappoint and make good our relationship as soon as we damage it.

2. The Chinese culture is known for its philosophers and wise sayings. Here is their cut on Integrity. Very simply, do what you are willing to have people know about.

3. Mainstream media is full of sensationalist drivel 90% of the time. Mostly it is reports on when people are out of Integrity. Murderers , Wars , Domestic Violence all come from Lives lived without Integrity. Why do they think that is what we want to hear as news, then again why do we want to know about it in the first place?

4. Wise people are often quoted as being the thought leaders of our generations. They put us on the Right path, but it is the life lived in Integrity that matters, Actions not Words deliver the goods.

5. I often in my younger life made decisions that did not have a lot of Integrity. all for the instant gratification moment and personal gain. Luckily as we mature we realise that this is not the noble path and amend our ways.

6. Are we leaders without Integrity, Dwight Eisenhower, one of the most respected of U.S. presidents didn’t think so. The cement that binds Leadership is Integrity at whatever level of endeavour we exist at.

7. By now you may have worked out that travelling the path of Integrity is not Easy. It is taking the Road Less travelled.

8. Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Atheist – It doesn’t make a difference that you have strong beliefs if your actions are suspect. Integrity lives in your actions and behaviour.

9. Do not admire the person who has made their wealth from raping and pillaging the land. They are crooked in their ways, instead admire those who say This shall be and deliver on it.

10. The conundrum of one with out the other weakens both. Weakness and danger lie waiting if both are not on display.

11. This one is right in your face. Success simply does not exist if Integrity is missing. Imagine if this is how it was measured instead of how much money was made?

12. We have all read the quote about 1 percent of the worlds population having 40% of its wealth. Douglas Adams, best known for the eclectic Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy novel points out that Sincerity and Integrity are what needs to be provided to deliver True Service. I agree whole heartedly.

13. Consistency of Action is not the world of the hypocrite. It returns you to Power and Truth in your life. I am always seeking this sacred place in my day to day journeys.

14. I am always moved by that other quote that states people remember how you made them feel, not what you give them. This quote also points in that direction as to the cost of breaking your Integrity with others.

15. Erich Seligmann Fromm was a German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory in the 20th Century. I like his quote being the last one, it states that which we already know, that Integrity is the basis of our identity. To break it is to violate it.

So Lady Gaga lies with some esteemed scholars in reminding us as to how to live a Life of Integrity. I have recently discovered her music as well , its not as bad as a cynical Indie rock and Singer Songwriter loving music fan thought it would be.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

It’s not about selfishness—it’s about sanity!!

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Rod's World

Was in a quandary what to write today’s blog about when a friends video blog and this fantastic article Authentic Self Care appeared on my News Feed.

It raised in me memories over my life when I had not done this for myself. The times I would go to work with no sleep and fall asleep at my desk when I was meant to be managing Fourteen people. The times I would not take notice of my depression and anxiety returning and end up in hospital again. The times I would not be in contact with the people who loved me, my mother once sent me a post card with a picture of a ship on it asking if this was the ship I was returning to Australia in as she had not heard from me in 3 months. There are many other examples over my 60 years but I hope you get the point I’m making.

I have spent the last five years becoming more in contact with what is self care for me and am much more aligned with it these days. I gave up drinking, I declared a day the 40th Anniversary of commencing, thanked it and gave up, I investigated healing modalities and settled on Tai Chi as my practice, and I go Op Shopping with my Mum and sister every Tuesday.

So , onto the 15 quotes I have chosen to discuss the sacred practice of Self Care – Here we go.

1. I remember those times earlier in my life when it was about Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. That life was about me and my pleasure. I have since learnt that Service is what provides true satisfaction. Some of my friends didn’t make it through.

2. The glass half full quandary is a popular way to look at how you look at life. The empty vessel is a state you do not really want to get to, what it does to your health can be devastating.

3. William S. Burroughs, one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century speaks to the power of relaxation in this oft quoted statement.

4. Never forget to add a sense of humour to your Self Care principles, Snoopy has something to say on the matter.

5. What affect does does how you Self Care have on you, It shows the world how you are willing to be treated, so choose it wisely.

6. I handed this poster out at a Mental Health talk we gave at our centre last year, people still come up and thank me for it stating that it is on their Fridge door. it’s a great list of practices that can make profound changes in your health.

7. Guilty as charged, I was a Yes person for Years, Byron Katie is known for her generosity in having a website that enables you to do The Work for nothing. It is profoundly healing and transformational.

8. I like to pamper myself, be pampered by others and to pamper others. It is an excellent way to return to the heart, to me this is the journey we are on as we travel towards the time we are no longer here this time.

9. Sacredness is holy divinity, promising yourself to honour your own well being should be on your personal Ten Commandments.

10. I fill out my Desire Map daily planner every morning here’s the link Daily Planner, one of the five sections is Well Being, another Essence and Spirituality. These are just as important as work you have to do. All work and no Play makes us dull boys and girls.

11. I enjoy Mind Maps, they look swirly and a bit chaotic, which self care can be some times. Give it a go for your prescription for Self Care. A resource for this is the magnificent book by Lissa Rankin The Fear Cure.

12. Make a habit of Excellence in your Self Care, keep on doing it daily.

13. Blogger turned New York Times best-selling author and speaker Mandy Hale is affectionately known around the world as “The Single Woman.” With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle. Her advice is to never give away being the source of your own happiness AKA self care to another.

14. My friend Emeli Paulo from Collective Potential, creator of the transformational RAW workshops and True Grit weekends, has us go around at the beginning of meetings and say I am enough to empower the space and get rid of the stories we have come in with. I recommend the practice if you attend or organise meetings or workshops, Its powerful.

15. Here is a mind map that I have followed for several years. At times I forget part of it and when life starts feeling dazed and confused I look it up and see what it is that I have let slip and put it back in place.

Writing this has reinforced for me the importance of including Self Care in your daily practices. Waking up, Showering, having a coffee, rushing off to work, Getting home, making dinner, Watching TV , crashing out, repeated daily is a formulae for disaster.

Here’s to a healthy dose of Self Care daily.

Namaste until next time, my Dear Friends

Passion, Power or Fruit?

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Rod's World

I have recently been getting a lot of articles in my News Feed about how the education system is letting our children down, that they learn very few practical skills for later in life and definitely do not look at what are you passionate about. When they begin at the age of four or so they are astronauts Prime Ministers, League footballers, Rock Stars but this is soon crushed out of them as impractical and everybody is taught from the same book.

So how do we get our Passion back? For me it was a journey of lots of workshops, long periods of mental health issues, running marathons, drug taking , singing in choirs etc. I found it attending a film night at the end of my last period of Mental Health issues. A Colombian film at the Darebin Intercultural Centre in Preston, Victoria, Australia I was impressed by the sense of community. I asked if I could volunteer and that is when my love of Interculturalism began. Here are the links to the Facebook group I created called Interculturalism, a place people can post their examples of the ethos, Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included Interculturalism.

I have chosen 15 quotes on Passion and of course, one of them is from Oprah, here we go.

!. Oprah, loved or hated. I’m part of the former group. A newsreader who has created an empire based on possibility and sharing it. One passionate individual.

2. It is said that your dreams often reveal your passion in life to you. I have been remembering mine more and more lately and it looks like it includes travel.

3. I recently posted that Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa had the same 24 hours as we did. What made the difference is their level of passion, I think. My brother went ape-shit at it, is saying I was being arrogant. Not arrogant, passionate.

4. I receive a post called The Daily Flame from my friend Lissa Rankin who I met in Byron Bay. My friends think I write it. It is empowering your Inner Pilot Light, her latest book is about it The Fear Cure. If your Inner Pilot Light is aflame people will notice.

5. Beauty is one thing that attracts our attention. It interrupts the mundane. How to transform the mundane into beauty is live a life of passion fulfilling your dreams.

6. Passion begins now. You don’t have to know how it s going to be fulfilled, that’s called perfectionism , one of life’s booby prizes.

7. I find that as I get into filling my life with things I am passionate about this rings true. Don’t know about no sleep though. A different time and space continuum I’m thinking.

8. Deepak Chopra, doyen of the Spirituality genre, says Always, yes lets repeat that again, Always go with your passions, Are You doing this?

9. Vincent Van Gogh, In just over a decade, he produced more than 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings, sketches and prints. This is passion, to me boredom is a made up concept that covers our profound laziness.

10. Love this, the Drunkenness of the mind, when we have lost control of our senses. Being sensible and being passionate do nor correlate in my world.

11. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the great philosophers of the 1700’s was a poet, novelist, playwright, diplomat and civil servant as well. He points to you see the world as angry or sad if you have an angry heart, but it is just as easy to have a happy and passionate one. Its your choice after all.

12. Our hearts, the lifeblood for our bodies. Why are more and more people dying from heart attacks in our heavily compartmentalised world. I think its time we etched Passion on them at birth.

13. Dennis Waitley is a founding member of the Council for Self Esteem, the old chestnut of make you life about what lives in your heart , not your wallet. Love the image as well.

14. I see the sun come up most days. This is a new occurrence over the last few years. For most of my life my sleep was a sacred site as it filled up my day as relevantly as what I was doing to fill up the rest of the day. No alarm clock for me.