Category Archives: Dance

What Maketh the Man?

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I’m doing a workshop series called Sex and the Soul led by my friends Leyolah and Arion. Last night we looked at the divine masculine within us all, the get things done part of our personalities. As expected we men yelled a little to get in touch with our warrior side, but it made me think what does our society hold it to mean to be a man.

Wikipedia offers us the following:  The term manhood is used to describe the period in a human male’s life after he has transitioned from boyhood, having passed through puberty, usually having attained male secondary sexual characteristics, and symbolizes a male’s coming of age. The word man is used to mean any adult male. In English-speaking countries, many other words can also be used to mean an adult male such as guy, dude, buddy, bloke, fellow, chap and sometimes boy or lad. The term manhood is associated with masculinity and virility, which refer to male qualities and male gender roles.

We of the Conscious Awakening Male movement believe that it means so much more than this. here are 15 examples of what has been said over the ages about the subject.

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Manhood is granted to men via aging in a societal sense but it takes much more than turning 30 to access the warrior spirit that lies dormant within the cloned race of boys that our Education system is turning out.

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2. How often have we heard the catch cry I wasn’t responsible for  …… I was just doing my job. The entry to Manhood includes taking on full responsibility for everything that happens in our lives. 100% of it, nothing left out.

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 3. Winston Churchill was famous for smoking Cigars, he also turned a nation into a tribe of warriors. He knew that a man must do what he must, with out this ethic a different result could have occurred.

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4. It is said of the great men of all times that they walked their own path. They were often seemed to be dancing when there was no music. They knew better.

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5. When we are genuinely creating our life , not following the orders of others, there is no sense of having beaten anyone. it is all pure essence.

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6. I went to a retreat in 2013 and wrote my own vows to keep. They are on my fridge to remind me of them. Do not walk this earth to the beat of another’s drum. Each of us has a true purpose, find yours and live it out fully.

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7. Are you clever or wise, Often we are waiting for someone to finish speaking so we can show them how clever we are with our answer. The wise man truly listens and shows this via his question.

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8. Society was so scared of this man they locked him up and threw away the key. A member of the notorious Black Panther Party in the 60’s.  He did not compromise his beliefs and saw the journey to manhood as one of no compromises. Rdical then and still radical now.

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9. Integrity, another of those things that seems to be slipping in our instant gratification society was paramount to Gandhi when he was leading the people of India to freedom. Looking around the world one does not find that many political leaders that give value to this these days.

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10. The pictures of men standing around together in working clothes do not represent the true nature of the diverse brotherhood on the planet these days. Yes, some men even wear Pink.

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11. They say that musicians and artists are the true healers of our planet. Power held in the hands of the wrong type of man can send out a call for them to restore the balance.

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12. My other favourite quote of this extraordinary African American who lived in the 1800’s is “The soul that is within me no man can degrade” Such powerful words in a time where his brothers were still in slavery.

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13. Why do so many men think that Arrogance is preferable to the vulnerability of being truthful about their mistakes and foibles. The more men can be in touch with their feelings around not meeting expectations and express them honestly the greater chance relationships have.

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14. What makes a great relationship between a man and their partner. Authenticity, a sense of Safety and a good belly laugh are three ingredients that brew up a great broth.

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15. This ones for you Arion, You question us to not look outside or in our knowledge for whats going on. How our lives would be different if we aced this test.

I don’t know what else will come up this week in regard to my Divine masculine, It’s an interesting journey so far down the Sex and the Soul path, I just know that I am so glad I chose to take it.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Manhood, Namaste my friends till next time

Namaste

I’m part Horse, Wolf and Eagle

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Do you see animals in your dreams, and in your daily life them seem to be following you around on billboards, in movies and in actual physical form. These are the spirit guides that have been sent to travel with you in this lifetime.

A spirit animal is characterized by a personal relationship to the individual that it is associated with. You can have one or several spirit animals throughout your life, during a specific phase of your life, or at specific occasions.

It is that connection at the individual level that differentiates the power animal from the animal totem that tends to symbolize a group or person’s identity. As such, power animals are the equivalent of animal spirit guides or spirit animals.

Your spirit animal often represents qualities and attributes that you may see in yourself. It is instructive to learn about the habits and characteristics of your power animal and see how they are reflected in your own personality and life.

I recently attended a retreat where I went through a process that introduced the Eagle, then the Horse and finally the Wolf as my spirit guides.

Here are my 15 favorite saying and quotes on the matter :

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1. Pythagoras is best known for his maths, but was also one of ancient Greece’s leading philosophers. What about those animals we meet and it feels like we have known them forever, our souls are meeting

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2. I used to live in a town called Eaglehawk North where you could see flocks of Eagles in flight, they were magnificent, they are the only bird who flies above a storm to seek protection.

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3. Each animal through its actions have lessons to teach us. Here are the lessons you could learn from a Humming bird. Such a wise little bird.

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4. Sometimes we wander out with seemingly little protection, don’t worry, nature and our spirit guides have got their eyes open and are watching our every move.

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5. Had to include the Cat  or my sister’s moggie Lhasa wouldn’t let me in their house next time I visit. This is a very worthwhile list of pastimes for the regal cat family to pass on.

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6. They say our totems appear at the times we most need them, like when we are putting ourselves in danger, or when it is time to move on to the next part of our lives. To help us keep it real.

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7. As adults we wonder why our children talk to the animals. Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada stated that we fear creatures because we do not listen to them or talk to them anymore.

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8. Each tradition has animal worship included in it, from the cat gods of ancient Egypt to the naming of Sports team in modern society the love affair with their powers has gone on for eternity.

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9. Have you ever felt those big black crows are watching you a little more than necessary. Perhaps they brought you back to make up for those things you stuffed up last visit. Show them some respect.

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10 Chief Seattle was prominent in the 1800’s for establishing links between his people and the Whites. He is famous for a speech on how humans affected the environment. here’s a link to it Chief Seattles speech, he said that we were interconnected with all creatures of the land.

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11. The love we show to our animals, trains us in love for each other, recently a friend of mine organized a dance party to raise funds for her very sick cat, Kevin. We all attended  because the love that was generated at the event was amazing in, the love for an animal taught us love for each other.

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12. What creatures in Nature provide us , wonder and the chance to Soar.

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13. We have all seen those posters of the forest with quotes like one week in nature heals the damage one year in the city does. it connects us with the spirit world and the potent healing power of our planet.

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14. I used to live in a place near a river where mice ran through like they owned the place and stared at us like How rude we were being on their property. They especially loved it in winter when we lit the fire.  Mice teach you to dance through life.

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15. At that retreat I did back in 2013 where the Wolf showed up I shed a lot of stuff and took a lot on, becoming an Elder was one of them. The Wolf guards your self-esteem and integrity, useful traits to have.

Well that’s my take on the power and wisdom that Totems provide you. Namaste  until to next time my friends

Namaste

Are we fragile to the Core?

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After doing six workshops in a day recently I felt a little bit fragile, Feeling this way it made me wonder what did fragility mean and how did it shape our society, This is Wikipedia’s cut at it.

fragility

noun
the quality of being easily broken or damaged.
“osteoporosis is characterized by bone fragility”

synonyms: frailty, flimsiness, weakness, delicacy, daintiness, fineness, brittleness;

antonyms: robustness

the quality of being delicate or vulnerable.
“a film about the fragility of relationships”

This made me think about the times I have been really fragile in my life, especially my mental health episodes , all five of them. These periods are the extreme places fragility can take me so I looked to see what people had to say about it:

1. Fragility1

This image is a great depiction of the times I have been taken over by my fragility, it was like having all the air crushed out of a ballon.

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The fragility of Life is what takes us on our journey to discob=ver our passion, It is never an easy road as life tries to fit us into one of its boxes.

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Life is a delicate mix between the fragility of new growth to the eternalness of the night sky, both are extraordinary in their magnificence.

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Love is often depicted as the peak experience in our lives, it is not in these moments that love triumphs , but in the moments when it is at its most fragile state.

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Women give all of their heart if you are willing to stand in the space of unconditional love and be there for the whole journey, the fragile bits of vulnerability and the tough bits of the storm that is love.

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We close our eyes when we kiss as a sign to the fragility and beauty of the pureness of the act. At that moment the rest of the world feels like walking on broken glass.

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Love and its fragility is universal to the world and is written of in all languages, this is one of them, it translates with the same power as your native tongue.

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Crystals have been a powerful tool across the centuries, their fragility is hard to explain the journey that have been through to create their well known healing powers.

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Do we need to be sorry when we are feeing a wee bit fragile in our emotions. We would hope that we have understanding friends, family and partners who assist us through these times.

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Nature in all its power and mystery can make the human race very fragile, it is in these times that we learn to respect the power of Gaia.

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Do we need to take a trip to the moon to learn the lesson that our planet is built on a fragile ecosystem and that mans responsibility is to care for it.

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The world wide web has become the way we communicate, Instant gratification. We can use it to spread possibility or hate, I choose the former with my group of world wide FB friends, what do you choose.

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If we do not risk the steps that it takes to feel the joy of intimacy we may never know the rapturous beauty of these moments, it is a path filled with fragility.

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Sometimes it feels that we muddle through that crazy little thing called Love. It calls for our vulnerability, our fragility, our strength and our tears.

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Trust, one of the most fragile things in life. We must treat this honourable gift we give to each other with the dignity that it deserves, especially in love matters.

Another exploration into the wonder that is life over, Namaste until next time my friends.
Namaste

Getting to the bottom of it all to be free.

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I have recently been busy with an online Sacred Union course and a course I attended every Monday for six weeks called Creative Mastery. Here are the links if you wish to read more on the subject http://www.starofishtar.com/white-tantra-creating-sacred-union-within/ and http://activationschool.com/creative-mastery-6-week-program/. During the process I explored the depths of what was my underlying thoughts of why life did not work at times. Creative Mastery has a lot of breath work and Sacred Union works on aligning your chakras with their relevant gods and goddesses to make your relationships shine.

I discovered and had it become OK to be my deepest darkest secret and that if people knew it I would not fall down a deep dark hole. So I have sort of fallen in love with life just walking along the street or being in a deep conversation and everything in between.

Having all this heart felt energy I have decided to pass on my thoughts on some of my favourite quotes on the subject.

1. We are not meant to have everybody in our worlds agree with our every word or action but it helps if our hearts beat as one.

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2. I have put myself in many a situation over my 60 years of existence where I have given away my power to the teacher or guru especially in the area of Tibetan Buddhism often forgetting the inspiring quote below. If you find a servant master situation arising run like hell, it isn’t it.

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3. When I was growing up my greatest wish was to fly unaided, I tried parachuting, gliding, hang gliding, bungee jumping and several other equally dangerous past times. I realised that it was actually an inner journey and that the flying I wished ti do was of the spiritual kind. I fell several times quite a long way ending up in pysch clinics before I realised this.

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4. During the courses I learnt that one must work on both the dark and light side of ones character. It allows for vulnerability to face that which we hide to grow into our strengths.

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5. I have a friend that every time we touch or hug it is like our bodies transport to the middle of the Sahara desert, an amazing temperature increase and heart rate flux. How does one measure such a re action on a scale of 1 to 10, what does it mean? 

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6. We spend our life hoping like hope this will happen to us and when it does it speaks so true that we wondered why we ever doubted that it would.

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7. How often do we shield our heart because our head says no, no, no, no to that action or those words that need to be said or done but we would rather play it safe and survive the moment.

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8.  I was lucky that the person who did this for me was born into my family. My sister said to me I don’t care whatever you do, I will still love you. Allowed me to get in touch with love and begin my healing journey for real.

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9. We often have great ideas during the night whilst asleep and we often forget them when we wake. They are called dreams, my dreams , your dreams. Its critical we are really awake to fulfill them.

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10. Live as if this is all there is, beautiful ethos, walk to the edge, y darlings.

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11. I have laughed, wept and had my heart shudder with joy at the beautiful prose that the poets of the world offer us. I had a friend who used to go to markets and create a poem from one word, a remarkable skill of the heart.

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I am learning to balance life, this is what life does with balance.

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So our first contact for a while, I promise to get back into it, Namaste until next time my friends.

Namaste

Your contribution is a gift to the Community

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compassion

The news that has been being reported in  my country is tragic at the moment, multiple deaths that are unexpalinable to anyone with a humane heart. it has made me think how does the community recover from such events when they become permeated in  our history, Soon after the event an unknown person placed a bunch of flowers in Martin Place as a sign of the deep  loss they felt for the people involved, they probably did not know them but they wanted to say i feel for you in some way.bikemartin

In an amazing outpouring of compassion, thousands upon thousands of people have followed suit and it has simply become to be known as the martin Place Flowers Shrine.

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This has brought me to think what options are available to you to mend a broken heart when something unimaginable happens that renders it asunder.

1. Seek professional help.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote sums up succintly the power of what we are thinking about something has over us. When your thoughts start getting dark and are making it difficult to face the day its time to talk to someone who has been trained in releasing the grip those thoughts have on you.

2. Write about It.

They say it is better in than out and if you find it difficult to talk to someone about it then the option of writing how you feel gets it out of your head and on the page. As they say you can’t start the next chapter if you keep on reading the last in your head.

3. Physical Touch.

I find this one difficult when in the depths of thinking life is not great but in following this koan: Physical touch makes you healthier. Hugs, Massages and holding hands reduces stress  while boosting your immune system I have allowed my friends and family to help get me back on the path to wellness.

4. Do what makes you Happy.

Be it spending times with friends and family, physical exercise, watching a film that cheers you up, making something, just do a little bit a day if that is all you can do now, and build it up gradually as this will improve your general demeanour.

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5. Meditation.

Your vision will become clear only when you can look in your own heart, who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes. Carl Jung expresses very well what the benefits of a daily meditation practice are, meditation is just not for relaxation, its primary purpose is to respond skilfully and gracefully to life’s difficulties as well as  its joy. There are many forms of meditation available, from calm abiding to chakra focus. Try one on until you find the type that suits you.

6. Spirituality.

Nothing goes away until it has taught us what we need to know – Pema Chodron, A Buddhist nun and profound thought leader of our generation covers it pretty well, if we think we know the answer there is no opportunity to advance by learning the lesson our circumstances are trying to teach us. Spending a few hours a week reading your favourite spiritual teacher can only enhance your understanding of the world.

7. Shake, Rattle and Roll.

Walking is the worlds oldest exercise and today modern  medicine. In the days of driving to work and back home again simple exercise like an half an hour walk can transform your life. I started with this and have built up to cycling every where and three sessions in the gym a week.

8. Dancing.

Dancing with the feet is one thing, Dancing with the heart is Another. We all have our favourite music that touches our heart. Put some on and dance to it. As children this was one of our main pastimes, we have just forgotten the enjoyment we get out of it.

Sorry about the break in blogs, busy over the festive season, Namaste till next times my friends.

Namaste

Finding the Now!!

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TheNow

There are so many schools of thought how to be in the Now emanating across the airwaves these days one does not really know who to believe or where to begin to find the most useful amongst them. I have tried many of them over my sixty years so I thought I would pass on a few I have found useful.

1. Calm Abiding Meditation

“There are many stages in mental development, but as soon as we are able to maintain the mind in a calm state, at that very moment there is joy and peace. This is reflected in the body becoming relaxed, and then the mind becomes more relaxed. As the mind calms down, the hidden enlightened qualities emerge more and more.”

—Venerable Khenpo Rinpoche

This statement sums up pretty much what you can achieve in the daily practice of Calm Abiding meditation, a practice I did for 7 years, and which I have recently taken up again after a break of 5 years. I trained to become a meditation Teacher during those 7 years and look forward to using those skills again after my practice is established again.

2. Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga describes the physical practice of yoga. In fact, sometimes the name Hatha is used interchangeably with “yoga.” The slow pace and simple breathing exercises make it a great place to learn basic poses and become comfortable on the mat. My breath cycle improved from 9 seconds to 44 while I was doing Yoga and only gave it up when I discovered the beauty of Tai Chi.

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3. Tai Chi

Developed originally in China as a self-defense strategy, or martial art, tai chi—the “supreme ultimate fist”—is practiced in modern times primarily as a gentle exercise technique. Described as “meditation in motion,” tai chi consists of a standing person performing a series of postures or bodily movements in a slow and graceful manner, with each movement flowing without pause to the next. According to Chinese legend, the technique was created by a Taoist monk who was inspired as he watched a crane and a snake do battle. Impressed by the ‘snake’s ability to subtly and swiftly avoid the bird’s thrusts, he devised a series of self-defense techniques that do not involve meeting the opponent’s force with force, but rather stress evading the blow; causing the opponent’s own momentum to work against him. I do the Beijing  24 practice daily and am learning he Bamboo practice. I Also do a warm up called Qigong

4. Qigong

Qigong, literally: “Life Energy Cultivation” is a practice of aligning body, breath, and mind for health, meditation, and martial arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine and Philosophy and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (chi) or what has been translated as “life energy”.[1]

According to Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian philosophy, respectively, qigong allows access to higher realms of awareness, awakens one’s “true nature”, and helps develop human potential. This noble practice has helped me regain my well being and is my current practice.

Tai Chi

5. 5 Rhythms Dance

5Rhythms is a movement meditation practice devised by Gabrielle Roth in the late 1970s. It draws from indigenous and world traditions using tenets of shamanistic ecstatic, mystical and eastern philosophy. Fundamental to the practice is the idea that everything is energy, and moves in waves, patterns and rhythms.

Gabrielle describes the practice as a soul journey, and says that by moving the body, releasing the heart, and freeing the mind, one can connect to the essence of the soul, the source of inspiration in which an individual has unlimited possibility and potential.

Getting back to this has allowed me to free my body and be much more present in the Now of my body.

6. Philosophers Notes

Brian Johnson made mega dollars in the I.T. industry then went to Bali and read all the great books. His gift to the world is he can summarise them beautifully.

PhilosophersNotes are like healthy, energizing snacks for the mind, heart and soul! This is such a superb idea, and Brian has such a natural, infectiously appealing way of making it relevant to just about everybody. For avid personal-development aficionados, Philosophers Notes serve as a sampler plate of the very best reads out there, making it easier to decide which new books to crack open next, and which classics deserve a fresh look.

I did one of these for about 60 days in a row then read the books that really touched my heart. They say the day you die is the day you stop learning, in our busy world this is an excellent way to get to access the best quickly. Here’s a link if you are interested https://www.entheos.com/philosophersnotes 5r

7. Communing with Nature

We forget that Gaia has been gifted  to remind us that we are all part of the greater plan. A weekend away from the chaos of the city in a forest , or near a beach or river restores our sense of Now. Leaving your phone, computer and work behind for this period has us focus on things like trees, animals and the fresh air that these places are filled with.

8. Growing and Cooking my own Food

Supermarkets are not even 100 years old, how did humans get their food prior to the existence of what is now the major supplier of Food for the human race. We grew our own and prepared and cooked it ourselves or brought it from our local producers. The joy of  planting you own vegetables and having your own chickens is immeasurable and making your own meals from fresh, non toxic produce bought from a local farmers market is so good for your health.

Well, I hope this has helped you a little, Namaste until next time my Friends.

Namaste

Fire In the Belly!!

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Menergy

What do 105 men do at a weekend mens empowerment event for 3 and a half days. I went along after having attended a total of three mens empowerment circles with an attendance of 4 people at each. having created all the worst case scenario’s of woad wearing rituals and group screamings I enrolled because everything that frightened me about it were the reasons I should attend.

My friend from a previous retreat Michael also enrolled and we drove down together to Grantville Lodge http://uccamping.org.au/grantville-lodge/ to a magnificent view of Westernport Bay on the friday afternoon of the Cup long weekend. We found our sleeping places and settled in , Michael found out an old friend of his was in our cabin and I chatted to another of the participants who had had much more experience with men’s groups than I and his reassurances that it would cover all shades of grey helped me greatly.

We then had dinner and this was followed by the opening ceremony where an incredibly moving fire ceremony took place with the lighting of the event fire that would burn all weekend until the completion of the event. We then were split into our tribal groups, each named after a volcano,  our’s was Corvo;  http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/corvo-volcano.html , it seems this is in the Azores. I was with three of the presenters and a person who volunteered at Men events as a leader. Our group leader was a wild man who didn’t fancy wearing shoes. We had an hour to get to know each other so shared some of our stories at this first meeting.

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They had announced the following days workshops at dinner and at 6.00 a.m. next day was Mandance and I am a dancer so I attended. The atmosphere was extraordinary with only male energy present and the presence of testerone was high, men have 4 times the testerone levels of women. I am frightened of barechested caveman like behaviour so this was confronting for me but as it went on I got to see it was all within the passion to dance as we were sacredly held through an ecstatic wave to reach a state of trance to gain inner peace.

Workshops during the day were to open the heart space through physical movement and groups that included quite a bit of role playing to allow this to happen. The first I attended was on a technique called Life Mechanics that allowed you to see where you spent time in the  negative where it was just as easy to be positive.

followed by the life freeing talk on Procrastination and Distraction, Playing with our Power that had me see how easily I get distracted in life and what it costs me big time –  http://www.davidnaylor.net.au/ .  I finished the day with Non Voilent Communication a technique I had had a bit to do with several years ago, It all came back to me with the I statements taking responsibility and how you felt and making requests to resolve issues. http://www.nvcaustralia.com/index.php?action=trainer&id=68.

I forgot to mention that during this event I had a raging viral infection and slept through the Saturday night ceremony Heart Space. I asked my friend Michael on the drive home what it was like and he said it gave credibility to the statement from Avatar I See you and was one of the more special things he had been through.

heart space

Day two, I didn’t wake up until 6.40 so missed the 6.00 session and went to breakfast provided by the wonderful Sun Hyland and his team http://www.newearthcatering.com followed by a session on the dangers of porn by one of my Tribal group, it was confronting to see the role of it in our society, http://manenough.com.au/events/man-enough-november-workshop-2/ . There had also been drumming and juggling sessions during the day but my body was still not up to it. There was a session on the work  of Byron Katie so I attended that, I love the work of Byron Katie and the four simple but empowering questions Is that true?, Can you absolutely know thats true, how do you feel when holding the story and Who would I be without this story can change your life if you stick to the script. http://www.thework.com/thework-4questions.php . The last workshop I did for the day was Financial Sabotage, an inquiry into how we sabotage ourselves and what would be possible if we stopped doing so .

We then moved to the cabaret, a celebration of men’s talent, lots of singer songwriters, comedians but the highlight was the interpretive dance by our 92 year old elder, he gave us a Ted talk of his wisdom at each break, if only we all could be so lithe at the age of 92. My friend Michael said to me this should end soon, its one o’clock. I didn’t believe him because it had been such great entertainment, but it was.

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To the final day when we said goodbye to our Tribal group whom I had fallen deeply in Love and Respect with, we had an hour and a half to complete and team Corvo embraced each other and declared themselves inside a group hug, we were gifted a final breakthrough  in this session by one team member it was humbling and empowering that we trusted each other that much in such a short time. We then had lunch and came to the closing ceremony where the group thanked the committee for organising it, the group leaders for being a stand for us all, Sun and his team for the great service and then a crazy hand slap to everybody chaos ruled but it was beautiful. About 20 inspired men stood forward to organise next years event including my friend Michael, i’m sure he will be great.

The main thing I got out of this event that it is OK to be a conscious man in 2014 in Melbourne Australia because there is plenty of other brothers out there and we will transform how men relate in society. Thank you Menergy 2014 http://www.menergy.org.au/wp/

Namaste until next time, my friends

Namaste

You can Dance if you want to!!

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The circle of dance

We have come to be danced.
Not the pretty dance.
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance.
But the claw our way back into the belly.
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance.
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance.
The holding the precious moment in the palms.
Of our hands and feet dance.
We have come to be danced.
Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance.
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance.
The blow the chip off our shoulder dance.
The slap the apology from our posture dance.
We have come to be danced.
Not the monkey see, monkey do dance.
One two dance like you.
One two three, dance like me dance but the grave robber, tomb stalker.
Tearing scabs and scars open dance.
The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance.
We have come to be danced.
Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle.
But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama.
Shaman shakin’ ancient bones dance.
The strip us from our casings, return our wings.
Sharpen our claws and tongues dance.
The shed dead cells and slip into.
The luminous skin of love dance.
We have come to be danced.
Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance.
But the meeting of the trinity, the body breath and beat dance.
The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance.
The mother may I? Yes you may take 10 giant leaps dance.
The olly olly oxen free free free dance.
The everyone can come to our heaven dance.
We have come to be danced.
Where the kingdom’s collide.
In the cathedral of flesh.
To burn back into the light.
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray.
To root in skin sanctuary
We have come to be danced.
We have come.

Jewel Mathieson is a 5 Rhythms teacher and an award winning performance poet who lives in the United states, she would like you to link to her on https://www.facebook.com/jeweldancerpoet or obtain her poetry from her webpage www,jewelm.net. Jewel has two books of poetry dedicated to dance.

There is a thriving expressive dance scene in Melbourne, Australia. On many different nights of the week you can go to a dance and shake off your daily worries and enter the space mentioned in the poem above. The largest of these groups is definitely the 5 Rhythms dance practice created by Gabrielle Roth in the states over 20 years ago https://www.facebook.com/groups/5Rhythmsmelbourne/ Led by Woodend couple Meredith Davies & David Juriansz in the north and country Victoria and in the southern suburbs by Madhuma Thompson, http://www.5rhythms.com/teachers/Madhuma+Thompson  . On Tuesday nights David gets between 150 to 200 dancers and on every second Sunday Madhuma gets well over 100 who generate an amazing vibe and shift many of their issues through the wave that is danced , here is a youtube clip of Gabrielle herself explaining the wave –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYYzcTzm6Y.

Earth Tribe

Smaller gathering are Dancing Freedom from the ground Up https://www.facebook.com/events/968650966484666/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar run by Lydia Marolda one of the convenors  of Synergy IDE a fantastic all night drug and alcohol free dance experience held approximately every three months https://www.facebook.com/synergy.ide.australia?fref=ts. Another freeing dance practice is  Mojo Trance Dance run by Jules Sutherland, one of many things this powerful shaman offers one to open your heart space, https://www.facebook.com/events/1495720137342784/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar, these events normally have about 50 people so are a little bit more manageable if you require your private space not to be in your face.

Theres theres No Lights, No Lycra https://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Lights-No-Lycra-Melbourne/474387869320625?fref=ts, a concept where you dance with the lights dimmed, they say people do not crash into each other because your senses are heightened, I haven’t been but the concept fascinates me..

Then we come to my personal favourite, a lot smaller than the other but the most powerful I believe, Kundalini dance, developed by Leyolah Antara from Byron Shire, you dance focusing on your chakras and use Kundalini breath practices to open them up, i had my most profound heart opening on the night I did the Heart Chakra with Nemone Sloane https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecstaticbeings/?fref=ts Theres no classes at the moment but if you moved to the shire Leyolah runs regular classes.

Free form Dance

I feel like a list so here are what I see as the benefits of dancing expressive dance in Melbourne, Australia

1. Community – This inspired group of people have one of the strongest senses of community that I have come across. Welcoming  all newcomers it doesn’t matter what your skill or experience level is, you are a part of their tribe as soon as you pay your first entry fee.

2. Fitness – Attend a couple of sessions a week and its probably the best aerobic work out available, and much more enjoyable that pumping weights.

3. Educational – If your music collection is getting stale you certainly will hear new and funky music you can add to it and you can do the Wave at home.

4. Spiritual – The Wave is the entry to listening from your heart not your head, as you dance more and more you release endorphins that unstick your stuck bits and give you access to your heart space.

5. Sensual – As you free yourself up through the dance, you realise that all bodies are beautiful and have the right to be loved. Many a soulmate are discovered on the dance floor even though that is not the focus.

Well, Namaste my friends until next time

Namaste