Are you Interested?

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Rod's World

I have lived in Preston, Victoria, Australia for four years now and find it a much more communal area than the suburb I previously lived in. Perhaps this is because of the local council who are committed to each of the 153 different cultures who make up its population and the Darebin Intercultural Centre that was sent up to ensure this happened. link to information on DIC.

What makes a great community, It is defined in meaning two distinct things

community

kəˈmjuːnɪti/

noun

1.

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

“Montreal’s Italian community”

synonyms: group, section, body, company, set, circle, clique, coterie, ring, band,faction;
2.

the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.

“the sense of community that organized religion can provide”

I have belonged to many different communities over my life: The football playing community, the singing community, the self development community and the Northside living community being some of them.

What has society said about Community over the centuries. The 15 quotes I have chosen say different things about it, lets have a look :

1. Author of the outstanding book Love and Will Rollo May states that Communication is an essential part of Community as it leads to us understanding each other not judging from made up opinions.

2, This beautiful poster suggests many ways to build a sense of community. If these are in place I suggest you would be part of a vibrant one.

3. When you become a genuine part of a community there is something you give to it, your heart. One touched in your heart you realise that this is what fulfils you th emost in your life.

4. Marianne Williamson, known for her quote from her best selling book A Return To Love: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. This quote is often incorrectly credited to Nelson Mandela. Another powerful pointer to th epower of community from Marianne.

5. Synergy is another benefit of strong communities. Synergy is the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc. You need less to achieve much more.

6. In your Face community, Love and Respect for all, Everyone Included – the ethos of my public FB group Interculturalism, a space to join and share your examples of Community that includes everyone.

7. Always look out for people who are in your community who are not partaking of what is available in belonging to it. Always give them the choice but don’t assume they don’t want to be.

8. I agree with Mahatma, when I am not partaking in a Community I feel a little lost as I did for the first year of living in Preston, but after discovering The Intercultural centre and its activities I became part of that beautiful gift one gives, Of Service.

9. Love this image and quote from Henrik Ibsen, father of the school of Realism. In a community anyone can step forward and lead, they tend to have less bureaucracy than other structures.

10 A gaggle of words that come out of Community. Things that you obtain, assets, a sense of wellness, support of others and events to attend and meet the others from your community.

11. I am listening to Mitch Albom’s book the Five people you meet in Heaven, a book about Ernie who dies where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of them changed your path forever. Its fascinating and points out the importance of creating purpose and meaning in your life through community service.

12. David Bowie worked on this his whole love, from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, he was all about including everyone in his fan group AKA his community. Here is one of his finest songs in relationship to Community: Heroes.

13. Jasmine Guy is an actress who pointed out that Community is not as easy as it used to be when we were part of a tribe living in a Village, but it is still is so worthwhile.

14. Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children naturally learn. She created schools where the whole school was a community not broken up into separate classes.

15. And finally something to remember, that our bodies are a community as well, made up of millions of Star Seeds and Cells.

So have a think about what communities you say you belong to and those you would like to, I guarantee that it will open your heart more for you and by being of Service you will live a healthier life.

Namaste until next Thursday, my dear friends.

If Liberation feels like a chore, It isn’t Really Liberation is it ?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Rod's World

This question goes deeply into our Psyche, doesn’t it. Its point to the fact you may go to conscious dances, attend bush Doof festivals, do ten day silent meditation retreats but if it is something you are doing to fit in, or because it is something you have always done it isn’t really liberating your Soul is it.

Wikipedia defines liberation as:

noun
the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression; release.
“the liberation of all political prisoners”
synonyms: freeing, release, discharge, deliverance, salvation, rescue, relief, extrication, setting free; More
freedom from limits on thought or behavior.
“the struggle for women’s liberation”

Being set free from imprisonment is how I relate to it on a personal level, that being that my mind is imprisoned when it comes to certain beliefs, and if I do not take actions to release it from its slavery to the thoughts that have me trapped there I do not liberate myself from these situations.

The 15 quotes I have chosen cover a wide range of views on what Liberation is and how it can affect your life. Lets delve into it :

1. The story of Nelson Mandela is living proof of this, Nelson said “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

2. Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director, stated this early in her career after struggling like many actresses to have success in her career but knew the path to liberation was not over.

3. Eckhart Tolle, best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. What does he mean by this statement. Liberation lies in the answer to that question.

4. What is Harriet Tubman, well known slave abolitionist pointing to here, that what is called a certain life style by one person is not seen as that by another so can not be liberated because they do not understand the concept you are talking about, the power of language.

5. This should bring up some discussion, “believes she is human as a man”. My friend Justine posted recently that women run the world so don’t need to be liberated, they just need to wake the fuck up. Here’s some of her music Ikigai’s sweet tunes.

6. This takes what the mind does to us a step further, Nisargadatta, one of India’s great philosophers blames our bondage on it, and that our mission in life is to go beyond its influence on us.

7. How many of us have seen the pictures of horses being tied to plastic chairs and elephants held by the slenderest of ropes. They could leave whenever they felt like it but remain there imprisoned by their minds training.

8. Joseph Campbell, author of the Heroes Journey points to that liberation is not hanging on steadfastly to the life we have created so far. In fact we must let go of that exact one for us to have the life that awaits us.

9. Junebug is a mythical character of the Civil Rights movement in America. Liberation is being who you truly are , not what other people want you to be.

10. Stu Mittleman lives the above quote Stu Mittleman is an ultra distance running champion, as well as a fitness/running coach and author. Mittleman set three consecutive American 100-Mile Road Race records in the US National Championships 1980–1982. He is a liberated Elder proving that life does not stop at 60 when you retire.

11. Liberation is not handed to you on a silver platter, you have to work for it on a daily basis especially in the circumstances Assata Olugbala Shakur, who is an African-American activist and member of the former Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army who resides in Cuba describes above.

12. No one could ever accuse Mahatma Gandhi of uttering a Yes to please or worse, to avoid trouble, after all he led the movement that free the second largest country in the world.

13. Personal Revolution, one at a time is Jim Morrison’s cry for a large scale liberation. He wrote a classic song about this Break on Through.

14. There are thousands of references on Google pointing to Abe Lincoln being the first gay president, not something that makes it to mainstream media but David Herbert Donald wrote an extensive biography on Lincoln in 1995 that explored this.

15. Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence of Picasso on modern visual arts, the influence of Stravinsky on music, Martha says the path to Liberation is through discipline, blessed discipline.

Liberation is as we call it is unique for each and every person and culture. I hope you have enjoyed studying the history of Liberation with me.

Namaste until next Monday , my dear friends.

Did you Get It!

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Rod's World

I have started listening to Podcasts on the recommendation of my Anam Cara Emeli. I listened to a fascinating one about fulfilling your purpose by getting your message out there. This made me think did most people know what the Message they had to give in life was.

I have done several modalities to set up my message for the year and live from my Core Desired Feelings of . These are from Danielle LaPortes brilliant process The Desire Map. From the others my Word for 2016 is Sacredness and my Essence is Sacred Love, more about those in a later Blog.

I have chosen 15 diverse quotes, covering Love, Social Media and Purpose. No Oprah but there is Mother Teresa. Lets begin our journey.

1. This is describing the essence of Sacred Love, where you or someone say I Love You, and you don’t really have to say it again because they you or they hear it for the rest of you life this time in. Its to do with revealing your Sacred Stories.

2. Google didn’t find Aditya, but their message is Inspiring in its words and intention, don’t mess round delivering yours.

3. Its good to have a dream, I have a favourite image which is of a Unicorn and it says don’t let them kill your day dream. But to fulfil that daydream you also require the actions of Doing stuff.

4. Dennis S. Brown is a motivational speaker who grew up in a three room “Shot Gun” house in Central Louisiana is known as Mr Attitude. His ability to relate to transforming your message through real life events he has experienced draw people to him in the thousands.

5. Luke Rinehart wrote a book called The Dice Man back in 1971 where he shook a dice before making any decision. It is a fascinating read as to me the message is that we make decisions on much more shallow fears and judgements than this in our lives.

6. Throw in a bit of weird, a bit of not normal, Yes even some insanity to get that Message out there if you want it to be heard.

7. Probably not many people on Earth are quoted more than His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. When spreading you Message , if you want it to be joyful and easy look in the mirror and there is the person responsible for it happening.

8. There will always be critics, mainstream media makes a living from it, imagine if they reported the great messages that existed around the World instead, it would transform.

9. Parenting 101, give your used things to your next sibling or the family down the street who are not as well off as you. Thinking about it later and having judgements about it doesn’t get that Message out there.

10. I get to tell one of my sacred stories, about how I broke up a friendship via SMS because she said that it was a valid way to communicate and would not agree to meeting face to face. I told her it was a crap way and have not heard from her since after I said to her that I was not the negative person she talked about and that negative people did not send three things I love about you for 5 months each and every day.

11. Time for a song, Little Anthony from 1960. Tears on My Pillow, Tears may be necessary to move to the next level of getting your message out there. It isn’t always a cakewalk.

12. Penn Fraser Jillette is an American magician, juggler, comedian, musician, inventor, actor, and best-selling author known for his work with fellow magician Teller in the team Penn & Teller. He is also known for his advocacy of atheism, scientific scepticism , libertarianism and free-market capitalism . The Message is the Message, we often forget this as it becomes more difficult.

13. Mother Teresa is much loved and much maligned, there appears to be no middle ground with her. She got her Message out powerfully to the World about the slums of India. As she states, you need to light the flame daily for it to keep burning, same with your message.

14. There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most popular language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 1,213,000,000 people in the world that speak that language. How about if we wrote our message in every language, that certainly would make a difference.

15. Finally a bit of humour about getting your message out there. Make sure it is real for you. if its not why will other people listen to it.

Each of us have a message to bring to the planet and its people, it would seem that the messages being spoken the loudest are those of war, corruption and Terrorism. Do not worry, it is the last cries of a time that has seen its day. We are entering the Age of Aquarius. Peace and Love and Human Connection.

Namaste until Thursday, my dear friends.

Caring for Others = Too Sensitive?

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Rod's World

For the first few years of our lives we rely on our parents to take care of us, they are not accused of being too sensitive. I spend a day with my mother recently where she kept showing me a picture in our family reunion book of when I was a young child saying that I was a shy, sensitive child. Due to her memory issues Mum did it about 15 times in two hours.

Does this mean that I was a more difficult child to raise, that I reacted to things more readily than my siblings. I don’t ask my mother what she means by it as she is 88 years young and doesn’t remember what happened 5 minutes ago. So I have decided to see what society says about the Sensitive individuals that populate it. I have chosen 15 inspiring quotes on the subject, Lets explore them :

1. There are many articles and lists on what the actions of our pups and moggies mean. I agree with the statement that they know when their masters are angry or craving love, they are sensitive creatures who love those who care for them.

2. Its sensible to show your emotions by being sensitive to others and discussing your own because if you hold them in they will cause illness to arise. As a sufferer of Depression and Anxiety who was hospitalise 5 times I can assert the dangers of doing this.

3. Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian in the 1800’s. Famous for his quotes, He states the heart is our most sensitive organ.

4. Roy Ayers is a funk, soul and jazz composer. People who choose the Artists Way often face being considered sensitive as they grow up through the school system.

5. Love is the way of the sensitive soul. They feel what others are feeling, are highly empathetic and know when to contribute to another.

6. In being empathetic this opens up the area of suffering to enter your life, but you are also gifted much more Love and many more dreams of the night and day varieties.

7. Sometimes we sensitive people let people stay too long in out lives. This is something to always keep working on, staying strong and always Moving.

8. In our country boys are trained from a very early age to act like a man, this means no displays of emotion or sensitivity, that is women’s business. There are a lot of wounded souls amongst these men, I know I was one of them, at the age of 61 I am working my way out of this by attending men’s groups and ecstatic dance.

9. Time for a song, sensitive people tend to believe in the magic in life, here is Beyonce’s song about that, Yes we Believe in Magic. This is how we react.

10. With all the horror that is reported on mainstream media, which I recommend turning off, being sensitive is an act of Courage, worthy of an award.

11. Want to charm your beloved? Jane Austen says that the ultimate way to do this is through having a tender heart.

12. What a great line, an Empathetic Bad-ass with Superpowers Oh Yeah!!

13. Going through the struggle of the dark side gives you the gifts of appreciating life, a sensitivity and understanding of it and the ability to be compassionate.

14. Beth Gibbons is the lead singer and lyricist for eclectic band Portishead, her distinct voice catches your attention every time you hear it, writing on many an emotive subject, here is one of my favourite tracks, Mysteries. This is an example of the above statement.

15. The Heart is where you feel your sensitivity first, it is the home of Beauty and Love. These are signs you are a sensitive soul.

I have enjoyed creating this blog, as the Dalai Lama says, we need more Lovers, Artists, Musicians not soldiers, millionaires. I think a large dose of sensitive people would help solve the issues he is pointing at as well.

Namaste until next Monday my dear friends.

What makes it Spectacular?

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Rod's World

There was a fire in a Tyre Depot today which led to a huge smoke cloud over our city. Local News outlets reported it as Spectacular. This started me thinking as to what did I construe to be Spectacular in my life and is the word under utilised or overused.

I thought about it and would call my relationships with my siblings and several of my friends spectacular, my 29,000 songs on Itunes spectacular, the result of my 40 year addiction to listening to all forms of music and my commitment to spiritual growth spectacular.

What does society have to say about it and how do they use it in quotes. There are some beautiful ans slightly in your face examples amongst the 15 I have chosen, so lets begin :

1. Mason Cooley was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. One of these such aphorisms Cooley developed was “The time I kill is killing me.” He suggested failing spectacularly will also lead to spectacular success.

2. The people we are in awe of did not just wake up one morning and release their product or vision on the world. They worked at it for a lengthy period of time before hand.

3. A lot of people feel that to be Spectacular they need to be somebody else than who they are now. This quote from the teen angst film The Spectacular Now suggests that fighting who we really are never works.

4. This film looks at what teens are feeling as they come into their college days, everyone’s hanging on to some sort of dream to stay afloat, will you be one of the ones who does it spectacularly.

5. After an unusually short pregnancy, Karen Powell gives birth to a baby boy whose body ages much faster than the normal rate. With her husband, Brian , Karen raises their son, Jack , who appears to be a 40-year-old man when he is only 10. Though Jack ages rapidly physically, he is mentally and emotionally still a young boy, which causes him considerable difficulty. Eventually, Jack gains the support of his peers, which helps him live a fuller life. If you aged similar to a cat, seven years in one human year, how would you live your life spectacularly.

6. Very direct and to the point. How are you to question that you were put on this earth to be spectacular. How knows you could be a super hero. The Spectacular Spiderman.

7. Its very difficult to be Spectacular if you are not enjoying being who you are, remember you are AWESOME.

8. Doug Larson was a columnist and editor for the Door County Advocate and wrote a daily column for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. First contentment then Spectacularness, one come before the other.

9. Lisa St. Aubin de Teran has lived in England, Venezuela, Italy and Mozambique. Writing memoirs and has produced an episode of Great Railway Journeys. She spectacularly lives the above quote.

10. True Friendships are not based on physical presence with each other. They can spectacularly be oceans apart and years apart. When they meet it feels like a minute has passed.

11. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and illustrator best known for authoring popular children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. Some of his more famous quotes are

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

12. We are all star-seed on a ball of energy spinning around another ball of energy that appears as a pin point in the map of the universe, and we don’t think that human life is a spectacular occurrence.

13. I’m Possible can easily become I’m spectacular and so can your life.

14. Robin Williams had spectacular success in his life, playing many unique roles form people who aged like a cat, eccentric radio announcers in Vietnam to voice over for a happy penguin. Make your life spectacular but remember to stay in touch with others.

15. And for the final one, a shout out to my favourite actress from not my favourite actor, Yes Kate Blanchett is Spectacular.

Well after commenting on these 15 quotes I’m going for the use of Spectacular is under utilised, we need more spectacular in our lives not less.

Namaste until Thursday my dear friends.

I Feel I’ve meet you Before.

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Rod's World

Sometimes you meet someone, and it’s so clear the two of you, on some level belong together. As Lovers, or as Anam Cara – Soul Friends, or as Family or as something entirely different. You just work, whether you understand one another or you’re in love or you are partners in crime. You meet these people throughout your life, out of nowhere, under the strangest circumstances, and they help you feel alive.

What would it take to feel that way about everyone on the planet: Love and Respect for All: Everyone Included. This is the ethos for the public Facebook group I formed over two years ago, Interculturalism. You are free to join and tell your stories.

So I have chosen 15 quotes relating to We are One to comment on, No Oprah or Tony, but some very beautiful insights.

1. As far as we know all species on earth hearts beat the same. Maybe at different speeds but they all have to beat to stay alive. We forget this at times and enter the judgement zone that we are different.

2. Back in the 70’s in Melbourne Australia, a band called Skyhooks released a Song called Ego is not a dirty Word, Video of Ego is not a dirty Word. It may not be a dirty word , but it keeps us separate.

3. Eckhart Tolle is a German-born resident of Canada, best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world.

4. Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury reminds us we are an experiment with form by the Universe. Not separate but an experiment from a greater force.

5. When born we know nothing of Me and You, but are then trained to be a unique individual by other unique individuals. We then spend the rest of our lives trying to fit in with the colourful creation that is earth’s culture.

6. We look in the mirror and either like or dislike what we see dependent on our mood. This image points out what the reflection of Me is.

7. When we find those people mentioned in the first paragraph we feel like a force to be reckoned with. How much could we get done if we united together and used the force of a tsunami for good.

8.Luciano De Crescenzo (Italian pronunciation: [luˈtʃano de kreʃˈʃɛntso]; born 18 August 1928) is an Italian writer, film actor, director and engineer. He published a long series of books, including novels and popularizations of philosophy. For his work in the field of Greek philosophy he received honorary citizenship of Athens in 1994. Here is his quote on our need for each other to fly.

9. Radha Sahar is a New Zealand musician who sings meaningful songs to life Voices of the Wind. This beautiful ode calls out to us acting as one, not as loners.

10. Somewhere on our journey we forget this . I think this is what all babies are told as they are delivered and fight for it as long as they can.

11. Our celebrity today is His Holiness The Dalai Lama, he included everyone and every creature as well.

12. A lion and a bird, how much do we love those pictures on Facebook where two different species become friends, time to wake up.

13. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of Peking Man. it is claimed we are all descended from Peking Man. One Family split asunder, time to remember our heritage.

14. Time for a reminder from one of the great disco songs We are Family, we have the same amount of blood and the same number of bones, yes We are One and the Same.

15. Unfortunately this question does not appear on most countries citizenship test, lets start a movement to have it be the first and only question people need to ask.

Do you feel more connection to people after reading this, I hope so as that was my intention. Namaste until next Monday , my dear friends.

What will I do? Unlock a Vision.

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Rod's World

Sitting here at my desk filling out my Desire Map Planner 2016 My Vision Building Process. and writing my daily Love meme it crossed my mind I didn’t have a subject for todays blog.

Then an inspirational thought crossed my mind, just open the planner and the thought for that day will provide it for you. So I did and we are discussing Unlocking your Vision today. My Visions and Essence for the year is twofold , more Sacredness and invoking Sacred Love.

I have chosen 15 beautiful quotes and they only include one from the big man, Tony Robbins, lets get underway.

1. Visionaries do not keep going to their 9 to 5 job, they work on having what they want to do as their living and get out as soon as they can.

2. The 70’s produced some classic songs, Chicago’s Only the Beginning was one of them Classic 70’s Rock. This moment, this time is life is the right time to start living your vision.

3. First rule in Visionary 101, check out the five people you spend the most time with. If they are not part of your vision team, time to move them on.

4. Your Vision doesn’t live in your arms and your legs., it resides in your heart and soul. Of course you have to take care of your physical body but it is your love for the Vision that with have it Fulfilled.

5. Roy H. Williams, author of the Wizard of Ads trilogy points out that starting on your vision doesn’t cost anything, the same as happiness, Play on.

6. Here’s Anthony, How do you move you vision forward, Ask questions. Any person you met could be the one who will have you fulfil your visions. Judgements don’t achieve anything.

7. Inward my friends. A vision that is not in your heart is merely a dream that has no place to awaken.

8. Does your vision provide benefit for others. Purpose in Life achieves little if it does not include others.

9. Nicholas James “Nick” Vujicic; born 4 December 1982) is an Australian Christian Evangelist and motivational speaker born with Phocomelia, a rare disorder characterised by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability. He presents motivational speeches worldwide which focus on life with a disability and finding hope and meaning in life. Living his Vision is what Mick does.

10. The same as number two, Begin. An opportunity for the classic Australian singer to display her wares on her version of Its only the Beginning – Deborah’s masterful performance.

11. Lead the march to fulfilling your vision by living your life like it exists now and all that needs to fall away is the circumstances. Have your life be a personal example of the vision.

12. Vishen Liakani is C.E.O. of Mindvalley, one of the leading on line education companies on the net. He is known for creating leaders in his company and providing ongoing leadership training, heres a link to his website – Vishens website.

13. Spock points to one thing you need in your armour to fulfil on your vision, no ego to bruise, whatever happens in your life is a gift, good, bad or horrendous, everything is an opportunity to learn.

14. Similar to the five people you spend your time with, your Vision ain’y going to happen if you aren’t bringing it. If you stop delivering, get off the seat and move on.

15. We cross the ocean to the plains of America for our final quote. Crazy Horse, victor at the Battle of Little Big Horn, fought the military for years and was stabbed by a guard three months after surrendering. He was considered one of the great Indian leaders and was honoured with a stamp by the U.S. postal service in 1982.

I hope you find some of these quotes and my insights useful in your vision seeking in life. Namaste until Thursday my dear friends.

Do you Live Yours?

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Rod's World

I was wondering what to write about on the final day of the year, when this passed through my Facebook News Feed.

I can’t quite get an analogy for meeting people on FB.

It’s a bit like a party maybe but on FB, accepting friend requests is fraught with difficulty. At a party you might spend a while chatting with someone to find out who they are.

On FB the equivalent is looking at people’s profiles. Being a friend of a friend is not a valid reference, because the hackers, spammers and trolls have made it so. It’s your profile that tells the world who you are.

Like I’ve said, I don’t accept friend requests from people who do not show themselves on their profiles. Pictures of self, family and pets are no indication of who a person is, except they maybe indicate that the only thing public about this person is the generic, and this person does not care to step outside the common denominators of life.

Well a pale representation is not the richness of a human being and photos of family will never make up the difference.

Do we really have that much to hide? Are we really not allowed to have opinions, or discuss passions or inspirations, and are we not allowed to disagree with each other, with our employers opinions, with those who do not suffice as the leaders they claim to be? Something is wrong with that picture. Personally I’m not buying it.

My suggestion is, if you really cannot disclose to the world what you think and feel and who you really are then perhaps you could consider a pseudonym. FB cannot possibly keep track of them all. Just close your account, let your trusted friends know what you are doing, and start up a new one called Jane Carstairs or Adam Lake. No one cares what your name is but they do care who you are.

My friend Debra wrote this and it made me think of my 4,000 Gods and Goddesses of possibility on Facebook. I check each one and check if they are up to making a difference with their posts and if they have a PASSION. I send each of them a unique Facebook Birthday Card for being on my team.

So lets have a look at what the world says about living with passion. Here are the 15 quotes I have chosen, lets go :

1. Simple in its message, along with the passion throw in a handful of generosity. Its not about expecting something in return. Passion comes from within.

2. And who does our passion affect. Ralph Waldo Emerson says if even one person is touched by it, its worth the journey.

3. David Bowie wrote a song back in the 70’s titled Oh You Pretty Things: Classic Bowie. They were all Passionate people.

4. I changed a quote to include this because it is so beautiful and empowering. Lets turn one into the other in 2016.

5. Beauty again, my friend Vic used to say if you Love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life. having discovered this at the tender age of 59, I would have to agree.

6. This perfect day, Every day is a once in a lifetime day, Choose Passion.

7. Blogger turned New York Times best-selling author and speaker Mandy Hale is affectionately known around the world as “The Single Woman.” With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love. Mandy’s Website.

8. Your Passion may be abstract art like my friend Yasemin, Yasemin’s Beautiful Art. She does all these things, buy some of her art, its beautiful and she needs money to heal at the moment.

9. Soul Growth, another way of saying living with passion, who said that it has to be perfect

10. Essence and Joy, two things I have been studying over the year through my participation with my mentor Arion Light and his Activation School – Arion’s website. I combine them in my passion day to day.

11. More and more people are walking away from the corporate world as they realise that money does not fulfil their hearts wishes. There is a new class of people , they live from their Passion.

12. Kelly Corrigan is an American writer born in the late 1960’s. Host of a show called Foreword, where deep thinkers take on deep subjects., she also launched a website called Circus of Cancer. Leading by example, she speaks her dreams out loud.

13. At times following our passion we sometimes feel lost. Do the above and you will soon return to the path you are meant to be on.

14. Are you as equally good at giving and receiving. I cannot say this. i am a classic giver but have some weakness in the area of receiving. I love Oprah because she is pure Passion.

15. The lucky last, four simple words and the cute cat photo. Do it with Passion, your unique Passion!!

Well , this is the last blog for 2015, Thanks to all the people all around the world who read my words. Have a beautiful time celebrating the New year, and remember: Passion, turn to the Left, the Right, Upwards and Downwards, but especially Inwards.

Namaste until next Monday my dear friends.

They were here Before!!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Rod's World

There is a quote incorrectly attributed to the Buddha that the master will appear when the disciple/student is ready. It is actually from the Theosophical tradition.

In 1875 Helena Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, and William Quan Judge co-founded The Theosophical Society. Blavatsky combined Eastern religious traditions with Western esoteric teachings to create a synthesis she called the Perennial Religion. She developed this in Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888), her major works and exposition of her Theosophy..

The second example I will give is the young monk asking the head monk how do you find your master, and what qualities must they have. He replied, they must have been here before you. Is it this simple the Art of Mastery or do we never reach it, is it a journey for our whole lifetime and we get as close as we do to it as we pass on.

I have chosen 15 quotes covering most of the centuries wisdom has been on the planet, no Oprah but we have the big man, Tony Robbins.

Here we go :

1. Presence, not knowledge, study is behind Mastery. If you are not present in the moment you may as well be watching T.V.

2. Doing what you have been doing to get to where you are at the moment will get you a certain result, not often mastery. here’s a talk Marianne gave at Google on Creativity and Leadership, Enjoy – Marianne’s Wisdom.

3. Infinitude – the state or quality of being infinite or having no limit. Mastery fits well into this description. it takes away logical explanation.

4. Back to Leonardo’s time for confirmation that Mastery is not attainable as an outer skill unless you have achieved it in the inner arena.

5. If you do not master your feelings you have very little chance of mastery very much else. This os where control actions comes from. Overcoming fears, self judgements are an essential part of the journey.

6. I went to the Australian Open tennis once and watched a match on a side court, I could not even register the ball because of the speed it was travelling at. So confidence would have made no difference in me mastering hitting the ball.

7. Bruce Lee is heavily quoted in the area of mastery, but he knew that is was mastering yourself not your opponent that was your real victory.

8. Hard work, not a weekend course! Michelangelo one of our great inventors and all round genius points out that it takes old fashioned hard Yakka to obtain anything like Mastery.

9. Robert Greene researched many of the great geniuses of history to write this masterful book on releasing your passion and getting closer to having mastery in your life – Link to Book.

10. The ultimate test, Self Mastery. doing the things we should do versus those we should not. Listening to the angel not the devil on our shoulders. It comes from Integrity in all matters.

11. Sometimes referred to as “The father of the American navy”, John Paul Jones knew back in the 1700’s he would not defeat the superior British forces if the did not engender faith in his men.

12. Maslow also pointed to this , without strong foundations do not even think of mastering the finer points. Do the Work – Byron Katie, Access to the Work.

13. We know what our creativity is, our Inner Pilot Light whispers it to us our whole life. We do not have to look far it, but to take action and master it our circumstances cry foul for a lotto us.

14. Mastery is not a race, one must include patience when travelling the path.

15. You can attend as many of Tony’s seminars as you like, they have inspirational names : Unleash the Power Within, Date with Destiny and Life and Wealth Mastery. Tony warns you the knowledge means nothing without the action.

I believe that the more effort you put into travelling the path that is our life and that you add integrity and hard work to it you will get closer to the elusive mark of mastery.

Namaste until next Thursday my dear friends

Surrender, Rumi Style!!

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Rod's World

I was so busy yesterday doing pre Xmas things, that the blog did not appear out of my fingers. And after a sumptuous lunch with the family and relatives I was wandering around the apartment looking on the walls for inspiration.

Thats where I go to when i’m stuck, I have posters, writing from courses and quotes from my favourites. When the real estate agent who recently sold my flat saw them he took a step backwards. its OK though another investor brought it and she loved them and wants me to stay.

I read through them and saw the following Rumi quote – This is Love: to fly toward a secret Sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of Life. Finally to take a step without Feet. I keep this on the wall because it challenges my logical way of thinking about Life.

I also recently did a find a word for the year exercise via the fine work of Susannah Conway Find Your Word for 2016. My Anam Cara Emeli passed this on to me , its really worth while over a 5 day period. My word is Sacredness but another word I was considering was Surrender.

I put Surrender quotes into Google images, thats where I get all mine from, but two listings underneath it was Surrender quotes by Rumi, I knew what I had to do. So lets look at 15 quotes by Rumi on surrender, here we go.

1. How much of our lives do we resist surrendering to new adventures, would you go with your dream partner if they came up to you in the street and said, lets runaway to Jamaica now?

2. I have been learning to surrender to my emotions more and more. I imagine I will be freer to deal with moments like these were they fly back and forth between extremes at the end of the rainbow.

3. We, or at least I have spent a lot of money on this question, some of it from a good place, some not so great. I have been hospitalised 5 times due to mental health issues. My last mentor has suggested I do body work and get out of my head. it has made profound changes in my life.

4. When we are coming from Conscious spirit the necessity to blame others drops away, responsibility becomes the gift it is.

5. I sure those of us still waiting, especially if you are in your 60’s like me find this one confronting. I surrender to its wisdom.

6. How often do we repeat the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, same with questions I’m afraid.

7. Underlying all there is Love, drink copiously of it and you will remember this.

8. Don’t know how this snuck in, but Eckhart is a fine philosopher on the subject of surrender as well.

9. Here’s the silent one, the one without words, drink it in.

10. I know I have looked in totally the wrong place for the friendships and love i seek in my life, when it has been there all along, surrender to what is so.

11. I have written lists and burnt them so that what my soulmate is like is out there in the ether. When I met someone who was one for a while, she was nothing like it, all my other desires did melt away.

12. Perhaps Rumi’s most famous quote on Love and Surrender, if we really got this we would be able to hear Sacred Love, that time when someone or you say I Love You and it never has to be said again because it is heard for a life time.

13. Surrender to this and have your life explode in 2016, I dare you.

14. Place you hand above your heart and knock, it has been waiting a long time for you to enter!!

15. We finish with one off my bucket list, Sufi spinning. Perhaps its as simple as this not to become a dizzy wreck as I do after 60 seconds. Sufi’s do it for hours.

I was speaking to one of the Iranian asylum seekers about my love for their poet Rumi, Abdul looked at me strangely, I think Wikipedia explains it well. Only in the west is he known but such a simple name.

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد رومی‎‎), also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى),Mawlānā/Mevlânâ (مولانا, “our master”), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, “my master”), and more popularly simply as Rumi (1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian^[1]^[8] poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic.^[9] Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries.^[10] His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet”^[11] and the “best selling poet” in the United States.