Suki or Lhasa?

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rod's World

Who are Suki and Lhasa, my sister’s beloved cat and dog, I’m not allowed to have pets in my flat.

Pets? Cats or Dogs, Rats or Mice, Budgies or Parrots. We all have our personal choice. I am more of a Dog person than those life controlling moggies who know they are the owner not the other way around.Wikipedia has an interesting definition of what an animal lover is, Check out number three –

The terms animal love or animal lover can have several meanings:

affectional relationships between humans and companion animals, see human-animal bonding
wider concern about the well-being of all animals, see animal welfare
sexual relationships between humans and animals, see zoophilia
affectional bonding between animals, see pair bond
the possibility of emotions such as love in animals, see emotion in animals
Animal Love, a 1996 documentary filmDIRECTED by Ulrich Seidl

I have chosen 15 quotes , some famous , some from just your standard neighborhood cat or dog lover. Here we go –

1. I’ve decided to start my quotes on a less that serious note. I can’t imagine Paul my 50’s something psychiatrist using licking as part of his treatment but I might suggest it on my next three monthly catch up.

2. Suki normally is giving that look when he wants a pat, once you start the cut off point is never.

3. Mark Twain was known for his quirky and insightful quotes as much as his fame for his novels. His summation of the output of dogs vs. Cats is pretty close to the bone in my opinion.

4. Love the even when you don’t share the People Food line, Yes most dogs believe they are human.

5. The one dog I had was poisoned, my parents disappeared him very quickly. I switched to guinea pigs because they couldn’t run away because they were in a cage.

6. Jean Maurice Eugene Clement Cocteau, French poet and film maker always had at least one cat in his home. He came out with this well known cat loving quote as testament to the love he felt for them.

7. I have several friends who judge a persons character on the reaction their pets have to them. I remember visiting my friends house in Bendigo. They had 13 animals, 6 cats. Four went for my lap at once.

8. How a dog and children come into the world. Treated right they will continue to do so until we place that wooden cross next to the back fence, the pets I mean not the children.

9. Dogs know something when they choose trees as their place of going to the toilet. Starlight attracts them to the beauty, that’s a little left field.

10. Unconditional Love, if we followed this set of ideals for loving I think the world would be a better place all around.

11. Especially when it from a young kitten rubbing themselves against your leg at dinner time, and believe me they know when it is their dinnertime, don’t be late or there will be consequences.

12. We all have seen that look if we have ever been graciously allowed to share a premises with a cat. I am plotting to take over the world look and you are going to be my first conquests.

13. Had to get in one about my true addiction Music, I have 24,000 songs on my Itunes. My friend La Rola organised a dance party to pay for her beloved car Kevin’s surgery. How could you not go.

George Mikes, Hungarian Born British author came up with this beauty, about the real chain of command in our homes.

15. Aaw, isn’t it cute when two cats clean each other, they do it from the smallest moggie to the largest lions. No one has worked it out. Which one of the three scenario’s above do you think it is.

I am jealous at times of the love my sister and her family have received from Suki and Lhasa, Lhasa is a bit old these days to show much, He just lies around and sleeps, but remember after all he is a cat.

Its time to say adieu, so once again Namaste until next time , my dear friends.

What Now my friends

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Rod's World

Well, I did the inspirational work shop Now- The art of Having It All Incredible Workshop led by my friends Jules and Clare on the weekend and how could I not write my blog about one aspect of it.

There are 4 premises to live an inspired life through –

Creating Safety
Telling the Truth
Be Organised
Live Passionately

I was going to write about number three but I need to do a little bit of work in that area, face the truth , a lot of work really. So I have chosen number four, to live passionately. Mention passion and the image of Tony Robbins and his fire walk resonate for some, others the quieter realm of Eckhart Tolle’s the Power of Now meditations.So what had people said about it over humankind’s journey. Here are the 15 quotes I have used to exemplify how we feel about it.

1. We can’t start on too serious a note, when you live a passionate life you will find that people are drawn to you because they are inspired by your actions.

2. I am reading Lissa Rankin’s amazing book The Fear Cure, Lissa’s FB PAGE. In it she highlights how fear causes up to 60% of the illness that occurs on the planet. What if we were to concentrate on conquering or accepting our fears, then how remarkable would our lives be.

3. Back to the 17th Century for this one. John was the founder of Methodism, a religious order based in England. He believed in preaching outside and was known for his passionate oratory.

4. Beauty, Passion and Completeness certainly go well with Living, Dreaming and Loving. I looked up Herbacin and low and behold they are a cosmetic company. Great quotes can come from anywhere.

5. When you are living passionately you may find the desire to share it could have you ending up speaking to large groups of people as more and more of them want to hear about what you are up to. I recommend that you get some training in this so it is more effective.

6. It was recommended during the course to focus on one thing and surprisingly it will affect all the other areas as well. My friend Jeffrey Slayter says to Look where you are organised and that is where you will find your passion and purpose. Get organised and let your passion blossom.

7. In this time of advancing technology it is more and more possible to set up as an entrepreneur. Remember to choose passion not money as your driver.

8. Weapons of mass destruction, does this name scare you. Light your soul and petty items such as these do not stand a chance of overcoming the human spirit.

9. The Specials did a great song back in the day Free Nelson Mandela,The Specials. Thankfully they did and there are pages and pages of his eternal wisdom to be inspired by. He certainly didn’t settle for a life that was less. Are You?

10. Another way of saying passion is are you awake, the world needs people who are awake before we put the planet to sleep on a permanent basis.

11. I deliberately chose this image because it is hard to read the words the flower covers. They are beautifully and dream, powerful components in a life lived with passion.

12. In your face time, do not apologize for your life, passion is spelt and achieved very differently from being sorry for your life.

13. Affairs have a bad name. I did a retreat in 2013 where I married my self and took personal vows. I think this is one of the reasons so many marriages fail, because how can you keeps vows for another when you do not have any of your own. I have mine in my I phone and on my fridge door. Looking for someone to have an affair with, stop at the nearest mirror, there you go.

14. Passion on its own isn’t enough. Throw in some belief and faith, along with kick ass work and you have a chance to go all the way.

15. Over to Steve jobs for the final hurrah. Founder of Apple, one of the great innovators on the planet. What you do should be a matter of the heart, and you will know when you find it. here is a speech he made to the 2005 Stanford commencement class, Its inspirational Be Inspired.

Well, that’s my cut at living passionately, may you find it useful.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Within these walls Freedom lies.

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Rod's World

I have been doing a lot of work on what lies within me the last few years . At times deep depression and anxiety has lived there, causing me to spend time in a psych ward to recover my senses. But now having done a lot of body and breath work my within has moved from my head to my heart, and life has become a much more blissful place..

What lies within the person you just interacted with, were they speaking their truth or do they fear what would happen if they did so because only they really understand what goes on behind those thoughts enclosed in their often murky mind.

There are many quotes and readings on the matter, by famous to unknown contributors, here are my favorite 15.

1. We often say that our ideal mate will have certain characteristics, On my list it said I like green eyes. My closest friends has dark brown eyes and does not partake in my favorite three passions. What attracted me to her is mystifying, one thing for sure is her inner beauty.

2. Marvin sang of wanting some fine Sexual Healing but he knew that peace did not lie within that. That it was a personal matter that granted you Peace in my Time.

3. Maya Angelou, subject of my previous blog Why have I never heard of her, states that however bad it gets a little bit of your inner flame will continue to flicker allowing you to rekindle the flame of life.

4. You may have movie star looks, but they change with age. Your true beauty shines through your actions of Loving in a compassionate way through your life.

5. before it got all to serious , These three wise Tibetan monks would like you to realize the importance of this Sacred Practice.

6. Your gut feeling often tells you to do things that don’t seem to match your existing reality. Intuition does that sort of thing and it definitely comes from within, no external factors here my friend.

7. The art of self love allows us to recognize the love that others are offering to us in this awakening world. Practice an act of self love daily, it will keep the doom merchant away.

8. We were all sent to see Career counselors at the end of our schooling. They probably had less of an idea than we had what we would do with our lives. Society tries to fit us into little boxes. Get your happy on and listen to your body and heart as to what your glorious life is meant to be.

9. I have lived in many places in my 61 years. As a child and being the son of a school teacher, we moved every few years as you did back then. I have kept the habit up most of my life. Some places were intensely happy and others not so hot. The reason for this was that I was there wherever I moved to.

10. A French general during WW1, Ferdinand knew that it was not superior troop numbers that made the difference. It was igniting the passion within his troops that led to successful campaigns.

11. Perhaps the most famous purveyor of what comes from within. Gautama Buddha advised his millions of followers not to idolize him but to seek what they were looking for within themselves.

12. This beautiful image from Africa points to how you can lessen the fear you travel the world experiencing. By ramping up the self love you cannot be affected by others interactions with you, vindictive or otherwise.

13. The big O, loves the song that made this her catch-cry, here is the YouTube link This little light of Mine. Remember it all comes from within, shine there and the world will shine along with you.

14. Elizabeth Kubler Ross was one of the pioneers in the study of the dying. Her work empowered many people to die gracefully by sparking their beauty within.

15. For our last insight we return to Love. We must spend the time needed to have self love located within ourselves. It is not up to the world to provide us with the feeling, most times if we are looking externally for it, we have not reached a level of self love sufficient to be a fine example that is accepted and loved by others.

I will keep , as Byron Katie says doing the work that allows me to walk this earth with no or very few expectations. it is a life journey that will complete the day of my passing.

Namaste my dear friends until next time.

Whatever gets you through the Night.

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Rod's World

Tonight my friend Emeli Paulo is leading a RAW session on Addiction : What’s Yours. I have been thinking about this and I think my friends may feel it is posting positivity on my Facebook page Positivity HQ, but I believe this to be a sacred calling to counter the evil mainstream media is spreading across the planet.

So I thought long and hard, not Sex, not Alcohol , I gave up drinking on my 40th Anniversary of doing that, not gambling, I see that as a waste and came across Music. I have 23,000 songs and lectures on my Itunes library, I am subscribed to both My Music and Spotify and have Mixcloud, Souncloud and Bandcamp accounts. 23,000 songs is 77.6 days of music to put it in perspective.

So what do we get from our love of Music. Here are the 15 thoughts I have put together that our sages, musicians and people of note have contributed to the matter.

1. What does this truly mean. To me it is in those moments when a chill goes up your spine. Years ago I worked on the door for my friend Kerri Simpson and I knew when she was on, She always sang Summertime and when it sent chills up my spine the effect would last for hours.

2. When first contact is made they will bring many new and exciting things with them. But one thing they will certainly bring is their music. Even Klingon’s had music in Star trek, admittedly it was hard to appreciate but they loved it as we do our favourite style.

3. Billy Thorpe’s Somewhere over the Rainbow doesn’t make me think what a great song, there are many finer versions. But what it does make me remember is the night at the Myer Music Bowl that I and 200,000 other people sang it along with him.

4. Among my 23,000 tracks I have quite a bit of meditation music. I listen to it primarily when I am travelling on public transport. I lowered my Carbon Footprint to an Electric Bike, a pushbike and Public transport several years ago. It takes me to a place of genuine bliss while journeying through the chaos of a major cities thoroughfares.

5. There are so many styles of music that one can listen to, It seems there are new ones being developed every year. I am not a huge fan of Death metal, Pagan Rock and such genres. More for me tunes that have a positive message.

6. We Live on our own part of the World, so in the other parts of the world our indigenous music is captured by the title World Music. This gives you many opportunities to learn and listen to the magic of other cultures as these year Five students did.

7. Here’s an image you will find hard to get out of your head. A naked 61 year old man bopping around his apartment’s kitchen to GodsKitchen doof.

8. Back to ancient Greece. Plato and his mates sitting around listening to an inspired bouzouki performance. He turns to them and says …….

9. Another cute memory, A hot 40 degree Celsius day in St. Arnaud primary school. Our class is singing the Yellow Rose of Texas, half way through we hear the class next door joining in. The power of music is irrepressible.

10. It is often said by people that a particular song touches their heart. In doing so these words give you access to precious moments of healing that enliven your human experience.

11. Nature plays music to us all the time, sometimes it is powerful in the form of destructive winds, sometimes almost silent like an early morning sunrise over the mountains. We cannot write such superb songs, just give it our best shot.

12. Eckhart Tolle speak of the inner stillness that music can conquer. I have seen this many times in my music listening career. The most memorable being when I went to my friend Alicia’s Melancholia event two years ago. A young musician named Dan Parsons did one of his original songs and you could have heard a pin drop. It was outstanding music.

13. What came first, the horse or the cart. Darwin one of the great naturalists discovered that music came before speech. I believe this to be true because Nature has always provided it from the beginning of time.

14. I had to get the comment of one musician in the list. Levon Helm from The Band points to the healing side of music. It has been used in shamanic ceremonies for thousands of years, It has never been seen to fail.

15. And for our last insight, we cross to one of history’s greatest minds. The best way to crack a case of the Sad’s is to go inner and drench it with the music that inspires you.

I am including links to some of my favourite inspiring music so that you can appreciate them as well The Voice of an Angel, Goddess Songs, Indigenous Bliss, Ben sings of Love, Australia’s Heart and Soul, The Outlaw Women from Down Under, Lilith – Wild and Alive

Here’s to our love of music, Namaste until next time my dear friends

Why had I never heard of her?

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Rod's World

My friend Laura said to me at the end of May the world is a sadder place, Maya has passed. As the only Maya I knew was our mutual friend who was in her thirties I was much saddened. little did I know that Laura was talking about one of the giants in the field of words that made a difference worldwide Maya Angelou. I am ashamed I did not know of her, reading some of her quotes I actually did but not that she had penned them.

Maya Angelou born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I know why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, prostitute, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess, coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonisation of Africa. She was an actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she earned the first lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies at Wake Forest University. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement, and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made around 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” (1993) at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961.

It was probably with a pen like this Maya wrote some of her inspiring quotes, here are my favourite fifteen and what they mean to me

1. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

As we are not listening most of the time to remember the words someone spoke its how people touch our hearts that gets in, isn’t it the people who make our hearts flutter that we look forward to seeing again and again.

2. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.

When you see somebody who is suffering an attack of the blues, don’t give them more reasons to feel that way, always present with a smile wherever possible, it will be returned to you in spades.

3. There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.

If we were to believe the mainstream media of today, we would think the truth is no acts of kindness take place on the planet only war, famine and disasters. The truth is that human beings in general have good hearts it just doesn’t seems that media barons believe that good news doesn’t sell newspapers unfortunately.

4. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.

I have noticed I am spending less and less time with my friends who complain about things instead of getting out there and making the difference. Simply complaining never resolved a single thing in my life, actions did. I’m sure it’s the same for you.

5. Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.

Keep your ethics in line with what you choose to do for your lifetime, do not sell yourself short to be someones friend or lover. Self Love and Love of what you do and the actions you take to do it mean you will succeed in reaching your goals.

6. Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.

Never let the circumstances of a failed relationship kill off the possibility of love appearing in your life again and again. Underneath it all lies Love.

7. Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it!

Are we truly prepared to receive and live our dreams. We must be ready to transform our circumstances when our dreams start coming true. We cannot remain how we were our where we were.

8. Everything in the universe has a rhythm, Everything dances.

When you get down to the atom level, of which we are made you see everything is energy, dancing its dance in life, probably why I love 5 rhythm’s dancing so much.

9. I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’.

I have done many a job that did not turn me on in my 60 years of life, I was doing them to bring the cash in to survive. I hit many bumps and pot holes making my life but it is smoothing out these days. What you do for a living is just as important as who are your friends in “making a life”.

10. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

Heart space, I seem to know that when I decide from here it will all work out. When I listen to my mind lots of What If’s and it won’t seem to come up on a regular basis. Keep training in the methodology of listening to your heart, meditation helps.

11. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.

Remember to give yourself holidays on a regular basis. Kick back and just relax, don’t save the planet on these days, recoup your energy, every champion deserves a break.

12. If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.

The search for meaning for yourself is on the inner path, the satisfaction in life is gained in service to others. Making lots of Money at the expense of not giving back to the world is soulless and will stunt your growth and success.

13. Success is loving life and daring to live it.

Another Success quote simple in the question it asks, I dare You!!

14. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

That famous quote that says whether you are 20 or 80 if you stop learning you die, never, ever give up the path of learning. As our life changes moment to moment so does what we need to know to flourish.

15. “Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.”

This is one of Mayas poems, it is beautiful in its simplicity, saying that whatever happens in our lives we will still rise.

These 15 quotes came from a list of 480, perhaps everything you say becomes a quote when you are as gifted and insightful as Maya Angelou. I hope that this list of my favourites gives you some insight into the power of her words.

Namaste until next time, my friends.