Do they really love us and can they talk?

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Rod's World

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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!!.

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.

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?

13. Not always the most logical creatures, are they. Just tricksters at heart really.

14. Cutest animal picture of the blog, and best quote as well.

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.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Rod's World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Racism is a form of cowardice.

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

14. No words needed here.

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Namaste2

Are you telling a great Story?

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Rod's World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Gratitude, Kindness Given!!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Rod's World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13. Enough Said!!

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

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

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

Namaste until next time, dear friends.

Good Morning, or is that Energy?

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Rod's World

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

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

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

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

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

3. You’re Awesome, Yes you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time, dear friends.

What’s that Aroma?

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Rod's World

Back into it one again, on the journey of living from my great purpose, living my life from contentment and Self Love, providing service to the world via the transformational work of Arion Light via his Activation School. We refer to it as our Essence, others refer to it as God, Consciousness, Gaia or many other names. Access to it is through the body not the mind, in moving all those learnt lessons that inhibit us from living a switched on life.

So how does the world hold Essence, Is it an aroma or a state of being, my 15 quotes look at both these areas in life, lets begin our journey:

1. Seeking out an essence to live your life the best you can may invite change in your life. The requirement to stop listening to what your mind tells you what to do comes to mind to let life flow freely.

2. One thing that helps you attain your essences in Life is good old persistence, in my case it is to do the daily meditations that come with the course.

3. “Live Today! Do not allow your spirit to be softened of your happiness to be limited by a day you cannot have back or a day that does not yet exist. But remember the next second in you life, you have to relate to this again.

4. O.K. I’ll go with this. I have made many of these in my life. Attimes I have not been very good at learning from them.

5. Remember you astronaut and Fairy Queen dream of childhood, what would you need to give up, to surrender to to return there. Time for an Essence song, Lucinda Williams, one of my favourite Americana artists : Essence, Live.

6.Gordon H. Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history.

7. Essence travels with companions: secrets,adventures, challenges and finally ecstatic joy.

8. Last night I lost my house keys and washed my Iphone, I know if I was not residing in the essence of contentment, my reaction would have been very different to making two logical phone calls to resolve it.

9. I attend a weekly meeting with Arion because he is my mentor, this week we got to the fact that I could live from the word Enough and see what the world created for me, staggering.

10. Bow down to the queen of Essence, Oprah Winfrey. She is the prime example of someone living from the essence of energy. Leona Lewis sings a perfectly titled tune: The Essence of Me.

11. This deeply relates to both self love and external love, the former allowing for the latter to flourish. Love yourself with all your might and essence.

12. This is so kooky I just had to include it.

13. This quote fulfils what is available when you live in pure essence, everything is a gift.

14. There are parts of me that have been numb for decades as I shut down possibilities with my life from decisions I made, often as a child, they are waking up. What parts of you are numb?

15. Aaw, the cute animal post for the day. The quote is powerful as well, Tejas Patel started Wisdom Quotes on Facebook after a lengthy spiritual journey. Here is the link to his website of extensive collection of powerful quotes : Wisdom Quotes 4U.

I am discovering that the path to my true essence does not lie in my head but my dear slightly misused body that is becoming freer and freer. I look forward to the journey.

Namaste until next Monday my dear friends.

It’s Your Home.

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Rod's World

They say that you are always looking for it until it settles in and it may take many journeys before you finally arrive there, because all the travel internally and externally cannot make the discovery of what is truly your home until it inhabits your heart.

I visited six countries and six states in Australia looking for home. As a very young child I felt that my family home was “home” but lost this when I moved to Melbourne to begin a French polishing apprenticeship in the early 70’s. I then did the shared house boogie, moving every few years as houses and friendships drifted apart and people partnered up.

As I could not find home externally I took up an internal journey studying the work of Werner Erhard and Tibetan Buddhism for periods of 8 and 9 years. I recently took up bodywork and found what I call home more and more. I have selected 15 quotes on what society has said about taking this journey, they are interesting to say the least. Lets begin this journey:

1. We often say to ourselves via that little voice in our heads but its all too much so never get round to it. Big Tony, Anthony Robbins calls these the impossible journeys, because we never begin them.

2. Then we get to that place in life where we realise this message is much more potent. Lissa Rankin calls this the Inner Pilot Light.

3. Remember when you were going to be Superman or Superwoman when you were riding your Unicorn back in your childhood days. Nelson says you still can be.

4. When I tell the story about going to Russia to run the Moscow Peace Marathon to end World Hunger the year before the Berlin Wall came down some people give me very strange looks. I’m not sure if it because I ran a marathon or that I went to the Soviet Union to do it.

5. We met Serge, Lara and Michael Jackson in Leningrad at a cafe. They wanted to Learn English and we had a lets learn Russian travel book. So they took us under their wings while we were there and showed us the real city. Michael was called Michael Jackson because he loved doing the moonwalk.

6. A lot of the time when I felt that I was not worthy I spent the journey alone, I now see this as a prominent part of my journey, where I spent time learning to Ramble On.

7. Are you a Trekkie, if you are you will instantly recognise the name of the actor who played Doctor Spock in the iconic original series. We spend a lot of time wishing that thing that occur in our journey didn’t occur, for me it is the five hospitalisations I have had over the years. But we cannot change how the chips fall after the event, just how they affect us later on.

8. We all have our sacred stories, I think we keep them to ourselves too much these days. If we didn’t I believe that we would live in a much stronger, loving world as we travel our journeys.

9. Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882), known professionally as Waldo Emerson, was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. All our journeys are individual , there are 7 billion of them, never forget this.

10. I had an African couple as good friends for several years, what I loved was the music they introduced me to , this was one of my favourite pieces: Akon – Mama Africa.

11. At the beginning of a journey the travel agent will give you a list of what is meant to happen each day. We all know from our lives that this simply doesn’t happen. If it did we would complete our to do lists impeccably. It is the lost areas of our life that magic happens.

12. The second mention of Unicorns. To me they are the truly magical creature. I have two friends Justine and Amandine that I swap unicorn images with because they represent a new magical beginning in our lives.

13. This is definitely internal, one of the great videos on this subjects comes from Jim Carrey: Love and Fear.

14. As I mentioned I ran marathons back in the day. When it was pouring rain in the middle of a Melbourne winter and 5 a.m. I had to remember I was running 42 kilometres in a month and yes, one step can make all the difference.

15. And as a final reminder, remember to include joy, bliss and love on your journey. Because after all its a personal choice.

So some of us will have longer journeys than others, we will often feel sad that people pass when they do. That is the journey they were meant to have this time around, if you believe in that sort of stuff. I think I do.

Namaste until Thursday my dear friends.

Is anyone Watching?

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Rod's World

I receive hundreds of different things through my News Feed from my 4,500 Facebook friends. I have a policy if we have 100 mutual friends we are friends who just haven’t met yet. Doing this you end up with a lot of musicians, American female life coaches and people you actually know on your list. As a gratitude exercise I have started sending all of them a Facebook Birthday Card as I believe everybody should receive a birthday card on their special day.

A couple of days ago I received a quote on Integrity that went something like this. Integrity is doing it even when no one is looking. What do you hold Integrity to be: Is it your actions, who you hold yourself to be or a mixture of both.

Choosing my 15 quotes to comment on was interesting, there are a few that dominate but I found quotes that will fascinate and please. Let us begin :

1. I have kept my integrity with my Facebook Birthday cards even one day I was not going to be at home and having left my phone there I went to an Internet Cafe to send them.

2. Many people say they are going to one day. My friend Catherine Deveny calls her writing class Gunnas Master Class, can you guess why. I googled saying vs. doing and it brought up this interesting blog: The Big Difference.

3. Zig Ziglar, most famous for the quote “You can have everything in Life, If you will just help enough other people get what they want” which features on his website passed in 2012. His podcast still receives an average of 350,000 hits a month.

4. Integrity is partially in what you do and who you be. If you wish to keep it intact don’t do things that will challenge it.

5. I like the fact that they are highlighting the word Integrity with a yellow marker so it stands out from the rest. Because when it becomes as ordinary as all other words the battle is lost.

6. Born in Ghana, Israelmore wrote his first Quote on his palm in a toilet, he has come a long way since. He is an Inspirational Writer and a born-again Christian, so passionate about transformation individuals through information. He holds a strong belief that reformation and transformation of society can only become evident in the presence of information. However, it takes only positive and relevant information to bring real and intended transformation.

7. How does one obtain beauty? Does going to the gym or buying the latest perfumes or having plastic surgery or a tummy tuck. None of these things can attain it according to master coach Thomas Leonard, to him beauty is obtained through your inner qualities, Integrity being one of these.

8. How many times does that thought ” Do I really have to ” pass through. The answer is yes even if there is no congratulations and no recognition, remember you still know.

9. These are the gifts you receive from living your life from Integrity. Is there a song about it, of Course: Integrity Song.

10. I used to run Marathons back in the day, during training I would get to my integrity point at about the 8 kilometre mark when my mind would go is this worth it, moast times I said yes.

11. As we move down the journey of time our definition is what is integrity changes over time. The friends I had in my boozing days would definitely not fit into my version of it now.

12.

Integrity

A firm adherence to a code of values

The state of being complete, whole, or undivided

Total honesty and sincerity

The ability to “walk our talk”

Discipline

Activity that improves a skill

Controlling behavior to mold moral character

Habits and ways of acting developed through practice

13. I love these balanced stones images, these show the power of gravity and the reliance on each other. Integrity also comes with other traits like the list Zig Ziglar has put together.

14. This short film made by USC covers the above statement very well : USC Integrity Movie.

15. Do you have conditions for your Integrity, Is it different if no one is watching to being in a crowded room. As the above quote says it’s internally you look for integrity and the actions one takes from that place.

Whilst writing this it has brought up examples for me where I have lapsed my Integrity. I will put them back in place over the next few days.

Namaste my dear friends. Speak to you again next Monday.

Is it a Reality?

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Rod's World

Thinking of what to write about today the word fantasy came to mind. We all have them and each of them is different, imagine if 7,000,000,000 people fulfilled theirs, what a different place the world would be. Mine is to have the ethos Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included be the prominent discussion on the planet.

To get this to happen I have created a Facebook group called Interculturalism. It is a place for all peoples of the world to spread great stories of different cultures learning about what they have in common. Join in, I have 4 countries at the moment and the more the merrier.

What do people sat about having a fantasy out there. I have chosen 15 random quotes that cover several ways of looking at it. Lets begin our journey.

1. Remember back to the time you were excited by adventures of the imaginary such as Alice in Wonderland. These are two of my favourite lines from that delightful jaunt.

2. Lady Gaga is someone who definitely has led a fantasy life. From wearing a meat dress to singing at the Oscars she is one of the great fantasy survivors. Here’s my favourite Lady Gaga song: Born This Way.

3. Considered the worlds most eminent scientist by some, Albert confesses that it was the gift of fantasy that was his key driver.

4. The fantasy relationship lives in the heart not the physical presence of each person. That feeling of only being apart one minute when you see each other.

5. And we do, we are just not very good at telling each other what they are. In this time of privacy the art of telling each other our sacred stories such as our fantasies seems to have disappeared.

6. It is always good to remember that fantasy is not always a positive thing, you can have a fantasy, but if you don’t do anything about it happening don’t expect it to happen.

7. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and illustrator best known for authoring popular children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His work includes several of the most popular children’s books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death. That’s a lot of fantasies for the children of the world fulfilled.

8. This is a great space to live in so that the negativity of the mainstream media doesn’t not influence you.

9. Iris Murdoch was an Irish-English author and philosopher, best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. She wrote about the subjects of the human fantasy world, not the humdrum of reality.

10. Norma Jean AKA Marilyn Monroe was considered the sex goddess of her time. She was every red blooded male’s fantasy. They were not thinking about coming home to her after work. Marilyn was a singer too: One of her Fantasies.

11. Itzah C. Kret author of My Nutty Neighbours is world famous for the above quote, pointing out that if you see what you want to, the world can be a fascinating place.

12. On Google there are 3,000,000 hits for books about falling in Love adding strength to the above premise.

13. I chose the title for this blog Is this a Reality for a reason. Always remember your fantasies exist in reality, all you need to do is take action towards them on a daily basis.

14. What are the ingredients that make up your fantasy. I include star seed and maybe I’ll throw in some Pixie Dust.

15. Don’t you love those Keep Calm quotes for every little circumstance on the planet. Here is my great secret I know to be true, Unicorns are real. I belong to a group of friends who shares every Unicorn picture and quote they come across on Facebook.

Lets all stand for fulfilling all our fantasies, it would be such a much better world to ride our unicorns on.

Namaste until next Monday, my dear friends.

Sex is a 3 Letter Word!!

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Rod's World

As my regular readers now I have a mentor, Arion Light. On the Weekend I did a Sex and the Soul Retreat that he and our friend Leyolah Antara lead with 20 courageous men and women.

As we went through the process it brought up a lot of stuff for me around sex and sexuality as the processes were to heal and empower different parts that you experienced over your lifetime and for each person it was different.

I got to experience my mistrust of women because of an incident early in my childhood and was able to clear it, I feel like a brand new person as the tender young age of 61. What does the world have to say about this often taboo subject. Let have a look at 15 powerful quotes on the subject.

1. When you get shamed in this area we often shut it down and it remains the age the incident occurred at. It takes an act of courage to rekindle the journey down to a mature sexuality.

2. Portia de Rossi is often best known for being Ellen De Generes partner but she is also a well known actress which she has been doing for nearly 30 years.

3. We come on to this planet with our sexuality in tow. Society tries and tell us that it should be one certain way, unfortunately it isn’t that simple.

4. Probably one of the areas in life that is judged the most. A lot of people get on their moral high horse if people’s sexuality is different to theirs in their preferences or choice of partner. As Janet Jackson wouldn’t it be great if as a race we didn’t do this.

5. One of the greatest spontaneous women in the world, Marilyn Monroe had no qualms in saying I want to be loved by You.

6. This is one area that should come under the category of fun and pleasure, does it for You?

7. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.

8. The women on the weekend got to do this , to be proud and steadfast and sexy in their power.

9. Graham Greene is one of my favourite wordsmiths, this quote says a lot about sexuality.

10. Thrust, thrust, thrust. This is not sexuality.

11. Maria Manakova is a Serbian Chessmaster, I agree with her, why not Chess.

12. If you find your sacred lover F. Scott says you will never recover, Who would want to.

13. Sent by his parents to become a priest, the founder of the gnostic movement soon disavowed the Catholic Church and started his own movement and journey.

14. I can’t read the name of the woman who said this but I agree wholeheartedly with her conviction.

15. Annie Lennox, sensual lead singer of the Eurythmics sang a powerful song back in 1984 : Sex Crimes. One of the great crimes to me is that sexuality is split between the sexes. That is what was so great about the weekend, both were included.

I look forward to what my life will include in the area of sexuality, its never to late. Namaste until Thursday my dear friends.