Do we experience the Divine?

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Rod's World

In this time of Pokemon Go, Facebook, Tinder and instantaneous gratification do we remember what it is to experience the divine? Those moments that make our heart shudder such as the birth of our children, the moment we looked across a room and realised that they were the person we were going to marry and other similar events that fill up our photo album of divinity.

This is the meaning of divinity according to the dictionary, number 5 shows how much our society has changed

Divinity – definition of divinity by The Free Dictionary

1. The state or quality of being divine.

2. a. Divinity The godhead; God. Used with the.

b. A deity, such as a god or goddess.

3. Godlike character.

4. Theology.

5. A soft white candy, usually containing nuts.

Over the ages much has been said about what constitutes the divine, often dependant on how strong religion was at the time, lets begin our journey down this sacred path:

1. We often place divinity onto our favourite singers yet they never claim it for themselves, so lets go for Peace, Love and Understanding.

2. Daddy-Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha “Judy” Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen.

3. One of the dangers of divinity to me is placing it on one character, it splits the world into believing that theirs is right and the other is wrong. Perhaps it should be A Love Song.

4. A Journey of Discovery – Uncover the mysteries of this key time in our history through ancient spiritual knowledge and new scientific research. Studies of specific numbers and letters have led to unusual findings hidden in lost knowledge and ancient mysteries. Unique and unusual patterns are discovered revealing profound links between modern scientists and ancient
philosophers. These new discoveries point to the beginning of a new era.

5. Washington Irving was an American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors and the Alhambra. Irving served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

6. The bard knew that it was in the everyday that we honed our divinity and that it was up to us how it turned out.

7. Doreen Virtue is the queen of Angels, she believe their is A Spirit in the Sky.

8. Cute animal quote of the blog, speaks to the law of divinity and the power of nature.

9.Charles seems to be saying there is divinity in Every Moment.

10. Samuel Benjamin “Sam” Harris is an American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist. He is the co-founder and chief executive of Project Reason, a non-profit organisation that promotes science and secularism, and host of the podcast Waking Up with Sam Harris. His book The End of Faith, a critique of organised religion, appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for 33 weeks and also won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction in 2005. Letter to a Christian Nation was a response to criticism of The End of Faith. In The Moral Landscape, Harris argues that science can help answer moral problems and aid human well-being. He subsequently published a long-form essay Lying in 2011, the short book Free Will in 2012, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion in 2014 and, with British activist Maajid Nawaz, Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue in 2015.

11. Your Inner Pilot Light, that feeling , that persistent voice that you sometimes don’t listen to, yet what it is saying was the correct path. It is your Divine Lover.

12. Love and Respect for All, Everyone included – a statement of the divine.

12. Yes you are, look in the mirror daily.

13. Meditate 30 minutes a day and you will hear your divinity a lot louder. here is a short mindfulness meditation by Deepak’s meditation.

14. Has society stopped hearing Sacred Love, that space in life where we tell each other our Sacred stories so that we hear our own as well?

15. So when your divinity speaks to you , it’s a good idea to listen. Because your ripple effect could be what the world is waiting for. Your Ripple Effect.

Have a listen fir your divinity daily, It is speaking to you. It may be faded but it will never give up on you. After 5 psych unit hospitalisations I know this for a fact.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Rod's World

I picked up a pocket guide to The Charter which speaks about Human Dignity, Equality and Freedom. It was promoting the state government where I live in Victoria, Australia Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities 2006. There are 27 sections of the charter covering from freedom of expression to cultural rights.

The title of this blog is a slogan I created about two and a half years ago to explain the ethos of Interculturalism where the rights of all human beings are respected. I also created an Interculturalism Facebook group for people to express examples that they came across , here’s the link : Interculturalism if you wish to join us.

Human rights are a subject that a lot of well known people have spoken on and I had many to choose my 15 examples from, lets begin our journey.

1. Unfortunately where I live in Australia we have been doing this for several years by detaining people in concentration camp conditions on off shore facilities. The fact that some staff refer to people by their boat number and not their name speaks very loudly that human rights do not exist in these facilities.

2.
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Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. – Abraham Lincoln, the last independent nominee elected as the president of the United States. Unfortunately some countries seem to have forgotten this.
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3. A member of the German Greens party Volker Beck is an outspoken supporter of gay rights and recompense for families persecuted by the Nazi’s. In 2006, Beck sponsored an anti-discrimination act in civil law and at the workplace, outlawing discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual identity, religion, age, and disability.

4. Anyone can be a champion of human rights, politicians, TV personalities, You.

5. The youngest Nobel Prize winner Malala is afraid of no one in her quest for equal rights, especially through the right to education. Peter Tosh sang a great song about this in the 70’s : Equal Rights and Justice.

6. Gandhi freed a nation from the oppression of the British Empirical rule but never gave up his belief that humankind was fundamentally good, dirty drops do not spoil the masses of great human beings out there.

7. I have the entire speech made by Martin Luther King, now so do you : I have a dream. Listen to this when you need to be inspired.

8. Sometimes I think it’s sad that we need to have a day to remind us of this. I look forward to the day it is no longer required.

9. Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist, humanitarian, and an armed scout and spy for the United States Army during the American Civil War. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some thirteen missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved families and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She later helped abolitionist John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harper’s Ferry, and in the post-war era was an active participant in the struggle for women’s suffrage. This song demonstrates what Harriet did beautifully : I’ll Fly Away.

10. Remember that curiosity and joy that babies have, everything is a gift in life. Why do we train them to forget this? Love is all you need and underlies all emotions.

11. What if everybody was Perfect. Pink thinks so: Perfect.

12. If you know another you can not really hate.

13. As Homer would say Doh!! YMCA.

14. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris. The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of what many people believe to be the rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. The full text is published by the United Nations on its website.

15. This is a struggle worth getting up for. As the Warriors of Love the Beatles sang back in the day: All you need is love. And as Arudhati Roy stated: Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.

They are the rights of all people on our beloved planet, we have just forgotten and became focused on other crazy things such as war, profit and other such hedonistic pastimes. Lets give it up for Lent or Ramadan.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

I’ve got the Music in Me!!

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Rod's World

I have 33,000 songs in my Itunes library, I subscribe to Apple My music, Spotify, have 130 albums on my Bandcamp play list, Mixcloud, Soundcloud and am subscibed to about 300 musicians webpages: so the above statement is my truth.

I cannot play an instrument as my right and left hand do not talk to each other but my dear friend Kavisha Mazzella taught me to sing as a member of The Moon’s a Balloon choir which I honour her for each and every day. The secret is learning to listen not to sing the words. Here is one of her songs to explain why she has such an exquisite ability to do so: Invisible Indivisible.

There are a lot of quotes about the love of music and it is my joy to select them and interpret what they mean to me: Here we go –

1. This statement is very truthful, I have never been able to get into death metal or people who are racist and sexist.

2. I am sure we all have our favourite up and down songs, probably two or three. Think of yours as you listen to one of my all time fave love songs: Let’s Stay Together.

3. Feelings are said to have colours, I agree with the sentiment expressed in this quotes that they also have sounds, rage is aargh and love is aaw to me.

4. You can be stock still to it, you can also be in a state of total chaos but there is always a solution to whatever problem you are facing in your music collection, it might even be the sounds of nature.20 minutes of natures bliss.

5. Because I like puns.

6. Seems Plato was a music dude as well as one of the worlds great philosophers. Here’s some Soul of the Universe music : I am a Soul.

7. Unlike native languages music is understood in every country on every continent of our planet. From Antarctica to Iceland the dulcet tones of an instrument can unite people from all races.

8. Well, I didn’t expect her to be a news anchor. Here’s a news musical Clip: Not the 9 O’clock news.

9. You can put her on in the mood you need to talk about at any time and it doesn’t cost you 200 dollars.

10. How often have you heard music being performed where you forget to eat and drink. I recently went to see one of my favourite ex rock gods Stephen Cummings, lead singer of one of Australia biggest bands in the 1970’s the Sports now a much loved singer songwriter who plays to crowds of 40, here is one of my favourite Steve songs: When Love comes Back to Haunt You.

11. Kavisha, who I mentioned before used to lead a session called Empty Sky, there would be 5 minute breaks of silence between silence. She believed that was where the magic and the healing lay.

12. Not Might mouse Modest Mouse, they are actually a band – The band’s name is derived from a passage from the Virginia Woolf story “The Mark on the Wall,” which reads, “I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest, mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises. In Australia there is only one song you can use to depict the soul, here it is: Soul Kind of Feeling.

13. Best known for his Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. Instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, in his later years he was often referred to as “the Dean of American Composers” and is best known to the public for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as “populist” and which the composer labelled his “vernacular” style.

14. Yes it’s mi-spelt but that is the joy of this form of music , its can be corny and yet so deep. My favourite is alternative country and my favourite artist : Gillian Welch.

15. As my musical ownership list proves , I totally believe in music, and I also believe in Unicorns.

Thanks for letting me write about my addiction once again, every little bit heelp on the path to recovery.

Namaste until next time my dear friends

Relax, Renew, Refresh!!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Rod's World

I have just begun to be able to relax again as I have had an injury caused by being pulled around the floor for three minutes to experience what it felt like to fly. Bring on three weeks of sleepless nights a lot of pain and looks when I told people as to how it happened that I am a slightly unconnected individual.

I suppose we don’t really think how quickly our ability to relax and chill can be taken away from us, I hope I have learnt my lesson that relaxing take something as does stressing. Its amazing how many quotes on relaxing feature cute pictures of cats and dogs so I tried not to include to many in the 15 I have chosen to discuss this worthy subject, Let us begin our journey.

1. How many times a day do we forget this little mantra. Frankie goes to Hollywood implores us to Relax, don’t do It.

2. Which way do you wake up, I’m a bit of both.

3. This is possibly what my very fat in law cat Lhasa looked like as a kitten, cats have it all over their canine friends in the relaxing stakes.

4. The Chinese have given much to the world, one of the things is great philosophers who come up with great quotes. This is one of them.

5. Remember to include in your daily to do list time to do stuff like this, laying on the earth is very good for you.

6. Relaxation travels with its mates, here’s a group photo of them just chilling.

7. Relax, take it easy is a song that comes to mind when I think of the baths I have had over my life time : Mika’s beautiful song

8. My father was a teacher, as well as one sister and the other one was a lecturer. Sometimes the system in our country doesn’t allow for this as their marking time is not included in their attendance at the actual school. Cute Polar Bear.

9. I believe that being in the presence of love is one of the most relaxing things you can do in your life. Find a loving community, family and friends and your stress will lower immediately.

10. Now this is one relaxed looking dude, bet he’s rocking out some awesome licks.

11. Our society has become so busy that there are even books being written on how to relax, I think the title of this particular book speaks to how difficult we have made a simple pastime.

12. If you find a job or career you love, you will not work another day in your life. Allan Watts agrees with sense of relaxed play in Life: Allan Watts on Relaxation.

13. One quote I did not choose said 7.45 roll over for a five minute nap, wake up at 8.30. have a 5 minute nap at work at 1.30 , wake up at 1.31 pm. Wayne Dyer’s quote speaks to something entirely different.

14. Had to sneak in one for the dog lovers, He/She looks super relaxed.

15. And we’ll finish with one of the most chilled out songs about relaxing. Take it away Mr. Marley :Don’t Worry ’bout a Thing.

So lets commit to living a more relaxed life and add some years to our time on Earth.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

It’s always Changing. Life that Is!!

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Rod's World

I found out recently a friend had passed. He was young and it was unexpected, it was not in a nice way. I’ll leave it to your imagination. Everybody said that their life had been changed by the event and that it was not meant to happen that way. A wise friend then stated that we needed to be living our lives like that each moment could be our last .

Someone stated that was impossible as our mind and thoughts were so static about what life consisted of. This led to a healthy discussion as to whether this was true for each individual. It turned out about 50/50, we are close friends who are willing to go the distance and support each other in what’s so for each other.

So what does society say about a changing life. Here are 15 views on it that come from both sides of the bench: Let us begin our journey.

1. I think they left the word belong out of this quote. Paulo Coelho de Souza is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He is the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. His novel The Alchemist has been translated into 80 languages. The author has sold over 200 million copies worldwide and is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author.

2. This quote speaks to me of the power of remaining in the Now, not relying on the past or the future to sustain a life, but to enjoy the blissful moments we spend with our friends and family.

3. How many of us are in the careers that were suggested to us at the school counselling session. I was meant to be a school teacher, as was my dear dad. Unfortunately the high school principal did not agree and told me I was not returning for my final year of high school and my first job was an an apprentice french polisher. Mel B sings about this sort of thing : For once in my Life.

4. I recently posted about not knocking on closed doors because what is behind them is not meant for you. This would be a good thing to do, run to the open one this way.

5. Hands up who remembers what this is being typed on. The word typed gives you a clue. Like typewriters becoming obsolete so do the previous chapters of our life. Be brave and type something new each day.

6. How could you not thing of our beloved David Bowie when you read about changes: David Live.

7. Today, and Today , and Today. Step forward bravely allowing for what educates you now but not what was taken away.

8. ..it Happens, move on.

9. My sister pointed out after reading the blog that this is by Meister Eckhart not Eckhart Tolle. Meister was well known for his work with pious lay groups such as the Friends of God and was succeeded by his more circumspect disciples John Tauler and Henry Suso. Since the 19th century, he has received renewed attention. He has acquired a status as a great mystic within contemporary popular spirituality, as well as considerable interest from scholars situating him within the medieval scholastic and philosophical tradition.

10. Each time I walk into a new workshop or experience I understand that this is what is waiting on the other side.

11. I have not become an astronaut, a prime minister but I have been many things but I still have many to go at the tender age of 61.

12. Kelly Heroes was a war film about an operation where all the bridges were burnt and they were not expected to come back : Burning Bridges.

13. Unfortunately most of us meet someone or something in our lives that the above statement can be related to. Take the advice.

14. My mentor Arion has a saying that you can get to a point in your life where everything is a gift. This would be after a lot of lessons learnt for me, I am not there yet.

15. Tomorrow is another day, I say take you first chances today, keep tomorrow in reserve. Here is my favourite Tomorrow song: Silverchair.

I hope that there is a song or saying that empowers you to get through your day, and always remember there is a new life possible in any moment.

Namaste until next time, dear friends.

Where we Wrong?

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Rod's World

Today I wrote on reconciliation. In our country there is a call for reconciliation to recognise the indigenous people who are not recognised in our constitution. There is one slight problem, most of the indigenous people don’t want reconciliation they want a treaty that recognises the fact the land was stolen off them.

This has caused much division, in the area where I live there is a call to change the name of the local electorate from Batman, named after explorer John Batman to recognising our indigenous people, the Wurrundjeri.

Batman is a controversial figure due to his dealings with Aboriginal peoples in Van Diemen’s Land/ AKA Tasmania and Victoria. The artist John Glover, Batman’s neighbour in Van Diemens Land, said Batman was “a rogue, thief, cheat and liar, a murderer of blacks and the vilest man I have ever known”.

The treaty Batman negotiated with local Aboriginal peoples in 1835, to acquire land in the Port Phillip area, was a matter of controversy in his day, and has remained an event of great historical interest and debate.

So what does the world say about reconciliation and is it essential that it occurs for the soul of the earth to be restored. Lets begin out journey:

1. Actually Thich Nhat Hanh, this beautiful man has been a peace and reconciliation activist since the days of the Vietnam War. He was interviewed by Oprah, a bit long but worthwhile: The Interview.

2. Recognised as one of the greatest peace activists on his release, he was originally jailed for being a guerrilla, he set up the famous truth and reconciliation commission after the end of apartheid so that chaos did not break out and that a new future could be created in South Africa.

3. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, was a Spanish writer who is widely regarded as the greatest writer in that language and one of the world’s pre-eminent novelists. What do you think he means by this statement?

4. It is said that we outgrow people but what about those times we made somebody wrong for what they said or did. I recently made up with a person who had been one of my dearest friends. My heart sung after I did it.

5. What if we could restore all the broken hearts we suffered in our life, would the world occur differently, fuck yeah!!

6. Nelson again, putting it in our faces. South African Songs

7. Practical action, Fraser was the last Liberal Party Prime Minister to practise Keynesian economics. In retirement, Fraser became involved in international relief and humanitarian aid issues and, domestically, as a forthright liberal voice for human rights. Shortly after Tony Abbott won the 2009 Liberal Party leadership spill, Fraser ended his Liberal Party membership, stating the party was “no longer a liberal party but a conservative party”.

8. In Victory someone usually loses, Reconciliation tends to be the opposite where both parties obtain what they desire.

9. García Márquez started as a journalist, and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories, but is best known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), The Autumn of the Patriarch (1975), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularising a literary style labelled as magic realism, which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his works are set in a fictional village called Macondo (the town mainly inspired by his birthplace Aracataca), and most of them explore the theme of solitude. This powerful statement speaks to the gift of reconciliation.

10. The Fonz from the sitcom Happy Days could not say these words. How much pain has our inability to say them caused us? In my case quite a bit.

11. Have you ever met someone you keep running into in the most unusual situations. I saw one of these people on a TV program the other day.

12. Brother Roger was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 1988 and wrote many books on prayer and reflection, asking young people to be confident in God and committed to their local church community and to humanity. He also wrote books about Christian spirituality and prayer, some together with Mother Teresa with whom he shared a cordial friendship. A springtime to the Soul sounds like a wonderful place to hang out in. Leonard Cohen has a wistful song about reconciliation : Amen.

13. South Africa’s other great peace activist, Desmond Tutu calls us out that forgiveness and reconciliation are real things we need to take action on. Tutu’s admirers see him as a great man who, since the demise of apartheid, has been active in the defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight HIV/AIDS,tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. He has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.

14. The great Chinese philosopher Unknown asks us to walk powerfully on the earth, so do I.

15. And we must never forget the magical powers of the Unicorn of Reconciliation, they can help heal the world.

I believe that we can heal the planet through reconciliation, not with just fellow human beings, but the other animals and the plants as well.

Namaste until next time , my dear friends.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Rod's World

I just attended another of our intercultural events at the Darebin Intercultural Centre where many different cultures gather to learn about what makes each of theirs special. I have developed a Facebook page Interculturalism with the ethos that is the title of this blog. Join us in posting about things that express this.

How many different cultures do you have amongst your friends, I find the social groups that I hang around in are made up of the dominant Caucasian race that our country was settled with. A person from a different culture is a novelty , you may say.

How do you get to learn about the world if you cannot afford to travel, you have the opportunity at places like our centre and can reach out to other cultures and find out what events they hold to show off what makes them special.

I have chosen 15 quotes that cover the wide spectrum that is Interculturalism, lets begin our journey around the planet:

1. If you meet someone who does not know your native language, give them the universal sign of welcome, a smile, that will break the ice.

2. Our recently deposed Prime Minister ruled using jingoistic saying, one of the most demeaning was Team Australia, pointing out that if you did not belong to it you were on the outer in our country.

3. These are some of the ways you can say welcome, there are 6,909 distinct languages on the planet.

4. With all of our different customs and economies we cannot forget we are all inhabitants of Gaia, mother earth and must make sure that we treat her well. Some western economies seem to have forgotten this.

5. 1984, the book and movie , In a dystopian 1984, Winston Smith (John Hurt) endures a squalid existence in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police. The story takes place in London, the capital city of the territory of Airstrip One (formerly “either England or Britain”).

Winston works in a small office cubicle at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history in accordance with the dictates of the Party and its supreme figurehead, Big Brother. A man haunted by painful memories and restless desires, Winston is an everyman who keeps a secret diary of his private thoughts, thus creating evidence of his thoughtcrime.

Pray that this never occurs and takes away the diversity that makes up our planet.

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6. Bob Marley declared a war on those who lived a racist life, treating people differently because of their colour. How did he do it with songs like this : One Love.

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7. James Andrew Beard was an American cookbook author, teacher, syndicated columnist and television personality. Beard was a champion of American cuisine who taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. One of the quickest ways to break down barriers is to share our love of food with other cultures.

8. I grew up a country boy from regional Victoria. They say you can move the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy.

9. How much of the six basic subjects we all had to learn at school do we use on a day to day basis in relating to the people in or lives. Not much in my case. It is all the workshops that I have attended after being asked to leave traditional education that have empowered my life.

10. My aim in Life, still a ways to go.

11. Be curious about others, this made me think of this song : Curiosity Killed the Cat.

12. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Dutch-American activist, author, and former politician of Somali origin. She is a leading opponent of female genital mutilation, and calls for a reformation of Islam. She is supportive of women’s rights and is an atheist. Her latest book was released in 2015 and is called: Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.

Racism is a form of cowardice.

13. Have you been told you’re special today. Now you have.

14. No words needed here.

15 Catherine Pulsifer is an inspirational writer. She has faced many challenges in her life and found ways to cope by reading motivational and inspiring books.

In 1998 Catherine wrote her first book, Wings for Wisdom. Since then she has then written many more books and developed a website www.wow4u.com.

One of her primary goals in life is “to help others build a more rewarding and successful life by sharing her experiences and challenging peoples thinking!”

I teach two Sri Lankans, a Pakistani and a Chinese student English, I learn as much if not more from them. That is why I love Interculturalism.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Namaste2

Are you telling a great Story?

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Rod's World

My friend Emeli has chosen Stories as the theme of her next workshop, based on stories can carry us, or break us: Collective Potential. At different times in our lives we listen to different stories, some empowering , others that take us to the depths of despair. What is it that has us choose to stop listening to the empowering ones? I have a friend who never seems to do this , he says he does it by concentrating on living in the moment.

There are many varieties of quotes that relate to our stories, I think I have chosen wisely in the 15 I have selected today, let us begin our journey.

1. Delicious ambiguity, what a beautiful term. Add some zest to your life by not knowing what the next moment is going to be.

2. What were your favourite kids stories, I liked Charlie Brown. Sir Terence David John “Terry” Pratchett, OBE was an English author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels. Pratchett’s first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971; after the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. His 2011 Discworld novel Snuff was at the time of its release the third-fastest-selling hardback adult-readership novel since records began in the UK, selling 55,000 copies in the first three days. His final Discworld novel, The Shepherd’s Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.

3. That voice in your head speak in words like I am and I always. The stories of our life link us, such as I have two sisters Ruth and Jann and an older brother Hugo. Christina Baldwin is founder of , Peerspirit.com living on our planet with Nature powerfully.

4. As young children we have imaginary friends, believe in Unicorns and the fae. Society seems to delight in suppressing these as we grow older. Terry Prachett speaks to those of us that survive this.

5. My writing teacher Catherine Deveny, The Dev says you should always be truthful in your words. then you don’t have to remember what you said or wrote, because it is the truth.

6. 7 billion of them, each unique. Make it as good a one as it can be.

7. This to me is a Sacred Story from a life of Sacred love.

8. Perfectionism is the booby prize, how do you enjoy the journey?

9. Memories are often written in a song – some Elvis : Memories.

10. Neil Gaiman gave one of the most inspirational commencement speeches ever about making some art, its long but worth the time : Make some Art.

11. Putting Yellow stickies on our fridges to express our feelings to our beloved, a noble past time.

12. Sacred Love – to be told or tell someone I Love You and realising that It never has to be said again but that it will for the rest of their lives.

13. Terry Prachett again. Who is going to write your story, moi or someone else?

14. ANNA QUINDLEN is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of eight novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a number one New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear. She loves London : Streets of London.

15. A reminder for number 15. Only you can remember how you see the world, so tell those stories proudly. You are a divine being.

Remember behind every favourite song, there is an untold story. Please tell your Sacred stories.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Gratitude, Kindness Given!!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Rod's World

Is it a two way thing or something that is ultra personal? I have found from participating in a new Facebook group that it appears to be more of a two way thing: Daily Gratitude Space. The over 600 members of this group post a diverse range of things they are grateful for, from their family and friends, their favourite foods and such simple things as a sunny day or a walk in the bush.

People comment on each others postings and are often moved to put down what it reminds them of, a two way street. How does the world hold the power of gratitude, in the 15 quotes chosen there is a range from nearly no words to quite a lot. Lets begin the journey.

1. You can be happy about being an utter bastard, but I can’t imagine it lasting that long. If you give your daily thanks to others it increases more and more in your life.

2. John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the establishment of the Peace Corps, developments in the Space Race, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Trade Expansion Act to lower tariffs, the Civil Rights Movement, the “New Frontier” domestic program, and abolition of the federal death penalty in the District of Columbia all took place during his presidency. Kennedy also avoided any significant increase in the American presence in Vietnam, refusing to commit combat troops and keeping the level of others, mostly military advisors, to only 16,000, compared to the 536,000 troops committed by his successor, Lyndon Johnson, by 1968. I’m sure the thousands of troops he did not send to Vietnam were grateful that he lived by his in his short life.

3. A beautiful Mind-map of things we could be possibly grateful for on a daily basis.

4. I posted a quote that said focus on your opportunities not your problems. I got a reply from a friend who said she enjoy talking about her problems with friends. I am studying a modality that states everything is a gift. I don’t know how she would have reacted to that.

5. This is the simplest two word act of gratitude. I was known for not saying it in my mental health period, I’m getting better every day.

6. This song that includes dozens of people from around the world expresses the power of Gratitude to me : Grateful, A Love Song to the World.

7. I like the webpage this comes from – http://www.GratitudeHabitat.com. I’m sure its worth a visit to get more to be grateful for.

8. Perhaps the thing we should be most grateful for, something we just assume will happen naturally. Think of the people you know who have passed unexpectedly, don’t take this for granted.

9. Denis E. Waitley, is an American motivational speaker, writer and consultant. He has been recognized as the best-selling author of the audio series, The Psychology of Winning and books such as “Seeds of Greatness” and “The Winner’s Edge”. Waitley has been inducted into the International Speakers’ Hall of Fame. The yellow writing at the end made me think of another of my favourite gratitude songs : Big Yellow Taxi.

10. Cute animal photo and quote of the day, Aaw!!

11. Want a struggle free life, stop complaining so much.

12. There are many words that can be mentioned when discussing and discovering the world of gratitude, here are the English Ones.

13. Enough Said!!

14. Gertrude Stein was an American novelist, poet, playwright and art collector. Born in the Allegheny West neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and made France her home for the remainder of her life. She hosted a Paris salon, where the leading figures in modernism in literature and art would meet, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, and Henri Matisse.

15. And for the last comment, we go to the queen of Gratitude, Oprah Winfrey. If you concentrate on what you don’t have ………, says it all really.

I am learning to be grateful more and more these days as I travel further down the annals of time, realising that life is not about what you own but what you feel within which is accessible through simple acts of daily gratitude.

Namaste until next time, dear friends.

Good Morning, or is that Energy?

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Rod's World

What do we base the saying good morning on, is it something we say because it is expected in our culture or is it an authentic statement on how our energy is flowing at the time? I think it is a mixture of the two and an area in our lives that we should consider moving to the latter.

As Nikola Tesla says “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”. This relates as much to our own secrets as we are just one small part of the whole universe who normally holds ourselves separate from the rest.

Energy is important, we perform best when it is at its peak and when we are demotivated it tends to drop off. There were many different aspects to look at when selecting 15 quotes, I hope you enjoy them, lets go :

1. The most powerful form of energy is Love to me, it underlies all others and can over ride them much further than that which was underlying.

2. In the last week I lost my house keys, drowned my phone, got banned by Facebook and had my push-bike locked to a bike stand by another persons lock as well as my own, I could have interpreted these as negative problems which I did not do but instead solved them with positive solutions.

3. You’re Awesome, Yes you.

4. This is referred to as your Essence by my friend and mentor Arion Light at his Activation School.

5. Does on have to always be on Hi Energy mode, at times we need to back off even though AC/DC might disagree – High Voltage.

6. Albert is a wise man, time is a made up notion of energy as well.

7. I have been told by one of my mentors to contain my energy when I day, to stay in my body more as giving energy away cheaply has it repercussions. I think this is what this quote is addressing.

8. Energy can be chosen as to how you direct it. It may feel automatic in nature, but breath in before you respond.

9. This quote made me immediately think of this song of my music journey in the 70’s : Bob Marley’s Positive Vibration.

10. There is a lot written about and workshops run on the effect of energy on each of us. Learning this goes much deeper than the words someone speaks.

11. I just had to include this one, Its so cute.

12. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, she has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is currently North America’s first and only multi-billionaire black person. Several assessments regard her as the most influential woman in the world. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama^[and honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard. She transmits hers very well.

13. Does your energy have you leap out of bed or hit the snooze button, how satisfied do you go to bed?

14. Let it go, Let it Out. Let it all Unravel. Let it Free and it can be a path on which to travel – Michael Leunig, Australia’s greatest philosopher.

15. Every school should have one of these in their playground, the world would be a very different place.

Has reading this lifted your energy level, I hope so as this is what the world is crying out for Positive Energy Angels on Positive Energy trampolines.

Namaste until next time, dear friends.