Category Archives: The Calling

There is no Beauty in the Finest Cloth!!

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We are having a movie day at the Darebin Intercultural Centre today. It is a screening of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. We provide lunch before and the attendees were discussing the countries they come from: Malta, China, Vietnam, India, Ireland and Italy, most of how arrived as refugees , many of them asylum seekers who arrived  in our country by boat.

Hanh, our elderly vietnamese who attends our events and was an asylum seeker who arrived by boat back in the 1970’s was sharing about how she was helping the new intake of Syrians who are arriving in our country because they have nothing. And she said how she could relate to that and how poorly our planet is set up so that all people survive.

It led to a conversation about the sustainability of our beloved planet, so I am enquiring into what has been said and done over the years in regard to this. Lets have a look:

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1. I watched a discussion on A T.V. showed called Q and A the other night with a scientist and a politician discussing Climate Change. The politician said that it had been made up by NASA. The scientist asked him did he believe we had landed on the moon, and who was responsible for that.

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2. Point taken, Prince Ea has a few words to say about this: Sorry.

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3. Will there be an Amazon Forest in the future for our children and grandchildren to visit. In the past 40 years 20% of the rainforest has been cut down. Here are 20 Facts about the Amazon.

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4. They say that everything is music, what tune what is happening in Syria playing:War, what is it good for?

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5. Anna Lappé is an author and educator, known for her work as an expert on food systems and as a sustainable food advocate. The co-author or author of three books and the contributing author to over ten others, Anna’s work has been widely translated internationally and featured in many journals. With her mother Frances Moore Lappé, Anna co-founded the Cambridge-based Small Planet Institute, an international network for research and popular education about the root causes of hunger and poverty. The Lappés are also co-founders of the Small Planet Fund, which has raised nearly $1 million for democratic social movements worldwide, two of which have won the Nobel Peace Prize since the Fund’s founding in 2002.Anna’s research on sustainable agriculture has taken her from Brooklyn to South Korea, China, Bangladesh, India, Poland, France, Italy, Mali, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and beyond.

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6. Sustainability depends on us all, stop using plastic bags, throwing rubbish in the streets, purchasing pre wrapped items from supermarkets etc. etc. etc. : Sustainability Song.

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7. One  of my favourite songs is by Paul Kelly , From Little things, Big Things grow. It depicts the action of an indigenous tribe in Australia and their battle for their land with Lord Vestey, a British landowner: Here are the words: 

Gather round people let me tell you’re a story
An eight year long story of power and pride
British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri
Were opposite men on opposite sides

Vestey was fat with money and muscle
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
Gurindju decided they must make a stand

They picked up their swags and started off walking
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don’t sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Vestey man said I’ll double your wages
Seven quid a week you’ll have in your hand
Vincent said uh-huh we’re not talking about wages
We’re sitting right here till we get our land
Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don’t stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life

And Vincent sat down with big politicians
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri returned in an aeroplane
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns

Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent’s fingers poured a handful of sand

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

That was the story of Vincent Lingairri
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

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8. There are many quotes like this, pointing to the fact that how we treat the earth is how we are treating ourselves and future generations. Mahatma Gandhi said it in the 1940’s, we do not appear to have learnt much: I am that I Am.

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9. Ralph  Marston (February 16, 1907 – December 7, 1967) was a professional football player who spent a season in the National Football League with the Boston Bulldogs in 1929. 

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10. Indigenous wisdom from people who lived on lands for thousands of centuries is often ignored these days as primitive, I think thats a damn shame: Elders Wisdom.

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11. We hold ourselves superior to all other creatures on the planet, and wipe countless species out each year, when will they turn on us?

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12. Arnie, the terminator in the good guy movies about coming back to protect the leader of humanity from the machines knows how the planet will survive, unfortunately the Australian government does not. The Terminator.

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13. William Andrews McDonough is an American designer, advisor, author, and thought leader. McDonough is founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, co-founder of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) with German chemist Michael Braungart as well as co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things and The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing for Abundance, also with Braungart. McDonough’s career is focused on creating a beneficial footprint. He espouses a message that we can design materials, systems, companies, products, buildings, and communities that continuously improve over time.

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14. The profit mongers of the world seem to think they can do anything to our planet. What they fail to realise that the earth will still be here long after the human race disappear from its surface as many other dominant species have: Earth Song.

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15. Zinn described himself as “something of an anarchist, something of a socialist. Maybe a democratic socialist.” He wrote extensively about the civil rights and anti-war movements, and labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s life and work. Zinn died of a heart attack in 2010, aged 87.

How do we sustain the world if we continue with tribalism and fighting wars over it. Sustainability must  include all things on the planet being equal.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

namaste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not all Superheroes wear Capes!!

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My sister and I take my 89 year old mum op shopping every Tuesday, for those across the seas think Thrift shop shopping. Recently I realised that I have many friends who are motherless who are much younger than me. My birth-name is Rodney Paul Williams and my mum is one of two people who call me Rodney, the other being a friend I have come back in contact with after 30 years when I used to call myself that name.

When you are 89 you sometimes forget what you have said and when reading our families reunion book mum takes pleasure in reminding me I was a very shy child, about every five minutes. I used to get frustrated but realise that she is showing her love as best she can. So what do we write about our dear Mums that make it into the quotes section of Google Images, lets begin the journey.

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1. They are the people who carry us in their womb for 9 months, harbouring us until we are ready to enter the world and begin our journey, and yes, they are everywhere.

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2. During one of my mental health issues, I argued with my mother that people didn’t care and that I was going to go away. She wouldn’t let me leave and rang the local mental health team so that I received the treatment I needed at the time. They are our Guardian Angels

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3. I’m sure at times with the issues that children go through in their lives, their mothers may feel this. But whose name do people call out in periods of extreme fear.

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4. It used to make me wonder how women felt about giving their career up to become a mother. My friend Mary says it was the most beautiful period of her life. A Mother’s Prayer.

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5. Abraham Lincoln ; (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis.In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernised the economy. Even presidents of the most powerful nation on the planet love their mothers.

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6. During my years of health issues, I could always go home and my mum would heal me with her love. Mother Knows Best.

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7. I was lucky enough to experience the joy of watching my sisters children fall asleep in her arms. They are now 30 and 25. My time fly’s by quickly

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8. There are periods in our life where we rely entirely on them, then the period we wish they would leave us alone, and then we return to the love as we begin to fear that we will lose them for ever. This happens all across the World : Elderly Mother- Chinese.

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9. In that period we do not see eye to eye with our parents, Our heart is what began beating in the womb: our heart knows best.

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10 Terri Guillemets is a quotation anthologist from Phoenix, Arizona who has collected quotes since age thirteen. Her passion is sharing literary, inspirational, thought-provoking, and humorous quotations with a worldwide audience via her website The Quote Garden at http://www.quotegarden.com, one of the most long-standing online quotation collections and the first to offer a wide variety of special occasion topics. With a speciality in reviving vintage writings from the 1800s, she shares her love of old books, the art of writing, and the beauty of words with a personal, heartfelt approach — “spreading quotations joy” as she calls it. A curmudgeonesque optimist whose inner child will never grow up, she also enjoys nature, photography, cloud gazing, and family. Another one from across the planet A Mother’s Love

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11. And then there are times one must have a laugh at the relationship.

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12. Rumi is the most famous Persian poet so we must Have a Persian Mothers Love song: Mother.

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13. We come out of the womb with wonder for the whole world. No racism, no sexism, no homophobia. It is the guidelines our mother and father give us that help  us show up in life.

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14. I remember the times we would get home from school and there would be gifts waiting when we least expected it. So each year I thank Gaia that my dear old mum has reached another : Happy Mothers Day.

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15. Did you know mother was an acronym. 

I’m sure there are times we have not felt this about our dear mothers, but our heart holds the memory of the womb and still having my mother at 62 years of age as an 89 year old shaman I regret those times.

Namaste until nest time, my dear friends.

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I will Play while Unleashing!!

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Missed last Thursday, I was getting ready for a retreat I attended on the weekend called Unleashing the Dragon. It was with my mentor Arion Light through his Activation School. The school’s motto is What you Embody, You Create. It is body work that  revolutionises how you come alive, heal & create. Dropping mental force creating and instead taps into the power of creating from an awakened body and your inner essence.

The definition of unleashing has two meaning in the dictionary:

unleash – 
  1. release (a dog) from a leash.
    “they dig up badger setts and unleash terriers into them”
    synonyms: let loose, release, free, set free, loose, unloose, unbridle, untie, untether, unchain,unbind, unshackle, unmanacle; More
    2. cause  force to be released or become unrestrained.
    The latter was more what we were dealing with on the weekend although at times it felt like the former and my body is quite sore today.

So what does the world have to say about the noble art of unleashing, there are many derivatives so lets have a look at a few:

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1. For more than 40 years, Jim Rohn honed his craft like a skilled artist-helping people the world over sculpt life strategies that have expanded their imagination of what is possible. Those who had the privilege of hearing him speak can attest to the elegance and common sense of his material. It is no coincidence, then, that he is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of our time, and thought of by many as a national treasure. He is famous for down to earth quotes as well. 

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2. Deep Inside You, many people got to discover this as they unleashed the dragon hiding in their caves. for some it was power, others rage, for some their sexuality and others their tenderness. Try a little Tenderness.

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3. We actually saw people break through those fears that had been holding them back, an act of pure courage. 

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4. Things we do not confront build up pain in our bodies, it takes up more and more space unless you unleash it. Time to Start Over Again.

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5. Sai Marie Johnson is a creative concept designer, graphics artist, activist writer, and author of several series. A mother of four children, and the proud wife of a US Army Veteran Sai enjoys many different activities. The owner of a dachshund, and two lovely cats Sai is an animal lover, and a woman who simply calls herself, “A woman with a dream, and a pen.” Here she is writing about to be careful about what you allow to unleashed by our governments.

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6. Another way of saying unleash is to liberate, remember you are Awesome. It’s For the Good Times.

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7. What we each unleashed on the weekend was a mystery to us, even though we were called to have an intention.

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8. Another reason to be unleashed, actually 12 of them. Helps with the Communication in your life.

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9. We went deep into the pockets of our fears and as this quote say, all that now remains is us. There are always fears to work on.

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10. My mind knows a lot, and then there is a saying You don’t know what you don’t know, go there: Who You Are.

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11. OMG, I love lists, here is a great one.

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12. People had some sexy names on the weekend, here’s another, Ricardo Housham has his own quote page : Make your Move.

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13. The greatest Love I have got from fairy tales is to believe in Unicorns, I have friends that I swap Unicorn pictures with.

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14. Besides being a magnificent facilitator Arion is an awesome poet, here is one of his offerings:

 Precious love, you are beautiful. I know that you cling to that steering wheel because you think all manner of bad things will happen if you let go, but I want to let you know its ok, that controlling everything is not much of a life for me or you. 
Yes life can be harsh and brutal, but control doesn’t protect from that anyway, and here is the most beautiful thing….. Even though it feels like death to move to the back seat, it is so much more than that. Yes a certain rigidity dies, but you precious mind, can’t die, you are luminous brilliance and when you can let go of that steering wheel, in time your shell will crack away and your true nature of genius and light will be revealed.
 So my love, let go, come and rest in the back of the bus, I have installed a jacuzzi and all you have to do is relax. I love you so much.

It’s Poetry in Motion.

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15. Three words, YOU ARE ALLOWED, Unleash that dragon. This saying I acknowledge my other mentor and my Anam Cara,  Emili Paulo. Here is a link to her work: Collective Potential

As I said in the beginning there are many cuts at Unleashing, be mindful about which ones you do or just go for it, both of these types of advise where given at the end of the weekend.

Namaste until next Thursday, I promise, my dear friends.

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Do we experience the Divine?

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

 

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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.
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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.
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7. Doreen Virtue is the queen of Angels, she believe their is A Spirit in the Sky.
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8. Cute animal quote of the blog, speaks to the law of divinity and the power of nature.
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9.Charles seems to be saying there is divinity in  Every Moment.
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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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?

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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.

namaste

I’ve got the Music in Me!!

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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 –

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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5. Because I like puns.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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

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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

 

namaste

 

 

 

 

Relax, Renew, Refresh!!

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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!!

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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8. ..it Happens, move on.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

Namaste2

 

 

 

Where we Wrong?

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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

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

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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”.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

Namaste2

 

Do they really love us and can they talk?

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I am back on the air. After washing my phone and not having access to my verification codes to do an article for several weeks I have my beloved I phone 6 back. I saw an elderly woman walking her beloved pooch this morning on my walk to work, she was dressed in black so I assume that her beloved had passed and that her little white poodle filled her heart in the physical sense at least.

This made me think as a pet-less one, putting me in the minority in my country, 63% of households have one, 40% dogs and 23% cats and probably like my sister Ruth having both ,what it is that pets fulfil in people lives.

I tried not to choose 15 images of cats and dogs, but they are definitely the favourite, so lets go on our journey about the love between the furry ones and their two-legged friends who bizarrely think they are the masters.

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1. I never got into pet ownership as a child due to our family having several disasters occur. Dog poisonings,  pigeon fox attacks etc. etc. I  would enjoy the company of a cat but my lease says nada to that.

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2. I am in-laws to a cat and a dog, Suki and Lhasa. How much attention Suki gets my brother in law said once that he wants to come back as her next time around to receive the attention that my sister pours on her. Lhasa is an old cat who rules the roost.

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3. Unknown must secretly be a dog or a cat. This speaks so strongly about the bond between the pets and their owners that I know. This song by Patti Page does also : How much is that Doggie in the Window.

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4. Those nights watching our favourite life’s a little bit hard at the moment” with our beloved moggie or puppy are so, so special.

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5. One knows that as soon as you begin cuddling or patting yours or someones pet you next half an hour has just been taken up.

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6. This is the contract you take on with an animal, are you ready for it?

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7. I just had to put this one in, it’s funny and explains some of their cuter expressions.

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8. Research shows that hugging (and also laughter) is extremely effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. Research shows a proper deep hug, where the hearts are pressing together, can benefit you in these ways:

1. The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety

2. Hugs can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.
3. Holding a hug for an extended time lifts one’s serotonin levels, elevating mood and creating happiness.
4. Hugs strengthen the immune system. The gentle pressure on the sternum and the emotional charge this creates activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keep you healthy and disease free.
5. Hugging boosts self-esteem. From the time we’re born our family’s touch shows us that we’re loved and special. The associations of self-worth and tactile sensations from our early years are still embedded in our nervous system as adults. The cuddles we received from our Mom and Dad while growing up remain imprinted at a cellular level, and hugs remind us at a somatic level of that. Hugs, therefore, connect us to our ability to self love.
6. Hugging relaxes muscles. Hugs release tension in the body. Hugs can take away pain; they soothe aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.
7. Hugs balance out the nervous system. The galvanic skin response of someone receiving and giving a hug shows a change in skin conductance. The effect in moisture and electricity in the skin suggests a more balanced state in the nervous system – parasympathetic.
8. Hugs teach us how to give and receive. There is equal value in receiving and being receptive to warmth, as to giving and sharing. Hugs educate us how love flows both ways.
9. Hugs are so much like meditation and laughter. They teach us to let go and be present in the moment. They encourage us to flow with the energy of life. Hugs get you out of your circular thinking patterns and connect you with your heart and your feelings and your breath.
10. The energy exchange between the people hugging is an investment in the relationship. It encourages empathy and understanding. And, it’s synergistic, which means the whole is more than the sum of its parts: 1 1 = 3 or more! This synergy is more likely to result in win-win outcomes.

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9. Did the philosophiser Immanuel Kant creator of I think, therefore I am also come up with this classic statement about the human part of the partnership of animal and owner?
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10. I’m sure most pet owners have nightmares about this. Cat Stevens would like you to sing you a song : I love my Dog!!.
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11. James Alfred “Alf” Wight, OBE, FRCVS (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), known by the pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinary surgeon to write a series of books each consisting of stories about animals and their owners. He is best known for these semi-autobiographical works, beginning with All Creatures Great and Small in 1972. The British television series adapted from the books is also titled All Creatures Great and Small.
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12. My nephew was afraid of dogs for many a year after hearing a German shepherd bark for an extended period of time. Many things can cause phobias towards our furred ones. What would you name your snail?
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13. Not always the most logical creatures, are they. Just tricksters at heart really.
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14. Cutest animal picture of the blog, and best quote as well.
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15. How could I look at this photo and not think of Michael Jackson’s first hit: Ben.
Being one of the 37% minority in my country who do not do this I feel I am close to having the illegal cat. We spend close to 1 billion dollars a year on our furry creatures and they love us for it.
Namaste until next time , my dear friends.
Namaste2

 

 

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included

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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:

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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14. No words needed here.

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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