Fire up your Heart, for the Wind is getting Cold!!

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Rod's World

I have two Jeff’s in my top ten Facebook contributors, Jeff Brown: Jeff Brown’s Homepage. and Jeff Foster: Jeff Foster’s Homepage. I used to post much more of jeff Browns material, then a friend I trust told me about Jeff Foster and brought me one of his books of essays: The Way of Rest. I have been reading it over the holiday break and was particularly taken by one on firing up your heart, hence the title of this blog.

It began: Break me Open, Life. Shatter my remaining defenses against you. It is called Sing, World, Sing.

So let’s have a look at how the world puts fire in your heart with words:

1. When you find what your passion is your life may appear to be like this instead of the numbness of 9 to 5 living.

2. Jim Carrey in his memorable speech says there are only two states, Fear, and Love. Guess which one sets your heart on fire: Fearless.

3. Samuel Butler (4 December 1835 – 18 June 1902) was an iconoclastic Victorian-era English author who published a variety of works. Two of his most famous pieces are the Utopian satire Erewhon and a semi-autobiographical novel published posthumously, The Way of All Flesh. He is also known for examining Christian orthodoxy, substantive studies of evolutionary thought, studies of Italian art, and works of literary history and criticism. Butler made prose translations of the Iliad and Odyssey, which remain in use to this day.

4. Possibly my favorite poet, E.E. Cummings points out in this quote why it is essential to have the fire in your heart: To Be Yourself.

5. I am learning to be able to tell the difference when women have this.

6. Of course, it has to be this song: Burning down the House.

7. In our community, the Conscious community of Melbourne, Australia, we call it finding your Tribe. Rumi says it better.

8. I love it when I meet these people, you are instantly attracted to them: I saw the Light.

9. Weapon of mass Creation – Your Heart on Fire.

10. To kindle: set (something) on fire.
synonyms: light · ignite · set alight · set light to · set on fire · set fire to · put a match to · set burning · get going · start · touch off · spark · torch: Light my Fire.

11. Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an African-American expatriate singer and entertainer, whose career was centered primarily in Europe and in particular in her adoptive country of France. In her early career she was also renowned as a dancer, and was among the most celebrated performers to headline in the lavish revues of the Folies Bergère in Paris. Her performance in the revue Un Vent de Folie in 1927 caused a sensation in Paris, with Baker in her costume consisting of only a girdle of bananas becoming not only her most iconic image but also a symbol of the jazz age and the 1920‘s. She was celebrated by all of the great artists and intellectuals of the era, with various circles dubbing her the “Black Pearl”, the “Bronze Venus”, as well as the “Creole Goddess”. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she renounced her U.S. citizenship to become a citizen of France in 1937 upon her marriage to Jean Lyon.

12. Life is never like a silent stream, it contains flows and ebbs. If your fire is alight it is easier to remain strong: We shall Overcome.

13. More Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, aka Rumi. This is a beautiful few lines to live life by.

14. Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is a retired American gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. Her performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. The fire is still in her heart, Wikipedia says she is worth 5.8 million dollars: Undeniable.

15. Bruce Lee makes a point here, the flame comes from the coals, without coals no flames.

So I thought I would end with the entire Sing, World, Sing!

Break me Open, Life.

Shatter my remaining defenses against you

You placed magnificence at the heart of my despair.

You sowed volcanic strength into my vulnerability.

Even my doubt vibrated with courage.

“Leave the familiar with no hope of return?”

Of Course!

I am not afraid. I was never Afraid!

I once walked a familiar path of self-construction.

I now walk a path of grace and destruction,

of weeping at birdsong and telling the truth.

I will never turn back!

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I just Awesomed all over the Place!!

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Rod's World

I’m reading The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakshani, founder of Mindvalley. In it, he defines three kinds of happiness:

Happiness from Special and Unique Experiences
Happiness from growth and Awakening
Happiness from Meaning

Chances are we live our life somewhere in between our highest high and lowest low. Researchers call this phenomenon hedonic adaption. Vishen talks of using Blissipline to raise our happiness on a daily basis through three practices:

The Power of Gratitude
Forgiveness
The Practice of Giving

So how do you raise your happiness levels, let’s look at what the world has been saying about it over the years:

1. There are times in my life, I have thought, Why Me!!, now I realize I would not be leading the extraordinary Life I do now without these experiences.

2. Do not give up your happy land for others, you have to live there: Happiness is a warm Gun.

3. The first five statements sum up our childhood until they put us in the system that is meant to educate us. Fight for the right to party to be happy.

4. Not as easy as this classic Banksy image makes it: Letting Go.

5. One ingredient that helps a lot is a simple smile, practice it daily.

6. The Power of Now, not our to-do lists. Eckhart Tolle is the man for this: The Power of Now.

7. One of the practices to achieve number 6.

8. At 62 I am having the most awesome years of my life. I call myself an elder of the conscious community who has not brought the bullshit: Elder Hip Hop.

9. We are visiting that time that is the height of Object worship, captured by the retail industry Christmas has lost it original meaning many decades ago.

10.I have a daily practice to repeat the I Love You mantra in the mirror because I know that this is true but that I sometimes forget: Roar.

11. Go on, you know you can put it in your purse or wallet and bring it out when you need to.

12. How old were you when you were told to grow up and act like an adult, hopefully, it still happens today for you: Dancing Queen.

13. This quote comes from The Maxims of Marmaduke, written in 1908. It is ageless and just as relevant in this century.

14. Forgetting those things that wrecked the relationship will have a greater effect than apologizing or forgiving: Forget about Me.

15. Remember these people: Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Mark Pinkus, Jack Dorsey, Susan Boyle, Abraham Lincoln and Colonel Sanders. All took to at least the age of 30 to find their passions and become successful.

So what is your awesome, never give up on finding it, remember it’s a journey, not a destination.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

This is Brilliant, You are Awesome!!

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Rod's World

Caught up with the woman who started my blogging career tonight at a publicity do for her book on writing, Use your Words. I did her Gunnas writing course about two years ago and had not committed a word to print before attending. I am now up to blog 187. Here’s a link to her web page, if you ever intend writing your words, check it out: Catherine’s web page.

Cath gave some amazing tips during her talk, one being don’t seek feedback, they are your words, write them and then find a publisher or self-publish. Also, that whoever tells you that writing is easy is bullshitting you, It’s hard.

So what does the world say about the art of writing your words, let’s have a look.

1. I think I have done some things worth writing about. Interrupting the main street of Leningrad to run down with the mayor and the Minister for Sport on a Friday afternoon being one of them.

2. Great books to me are just as visually stunning as a great painting. The images you create as you read the words stick with you as long as seeing the Mona Lisa or Blue Poles : You’re The Voice.

3. People probably think Elizabeth Gilbert sat down one day and churned out the million-selling Eat, Pray, Love. Gilbert earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from New York University in 1991, after which she worked as a cook, a bartender, a waitress, and a magazine employee. She wrote of her experience as a cook on a dude ranch in short stories, and also briefly in her book The Last American Man (Viking 2002). It was not until 2006 she wrote Eat, Pray, and Love.

4. I have probably written as many wrong words as I have words that have ended up in these blogs: Elastic Heart.

5. I stopped writing this blog for three months when I had a thinking block that went something like this: No one is reading it anyway, so what will it matter if I stop.

6. I put Namaste at the end of every blog I write, it means one soul recognizes another. I hope that you can see mine in my writing : Say my Name.

7. We are all organisms, from our pet cats to the curious breed known as writers.

8. The world’s greatest booby prize, perfectionism. At the Gunnas master class, our first exercise was to write for 5 minutes, which was actually 15 which proved to us all that we could write: Hear You Me.

9. Just start your writing, now not later.

10. My 89-year-old mum can still recite William Wordsworth’s I wander lonely as a cloud. It must have filled her heart upon reading it. William got his job done: Daffodils.

11. I don’t know how many times I have thought is that revealing too much Like that I have been hospitalised 6 times for mental health issues, then I realise writing is not about censorship.

12. Motivation follows action, do you give up your designated writing times and word targets, never ever ever: Instant Crush.

13. What people think of your work is none of your business, as long as it makes you a better person, who gives a shit.

14. Write real words, real stories about real people, because that is who you are writing them for.

15. I only found out about Maya Angelou after she had passed. Maya Angelou , born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

I say I am a blogger, but am willing to own that I am a writer as well. I think the two words mean the same thing.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

How Poor are You?

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Rod's World

It’s that time again, Christmas traditions around the world have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and continue to change as time passes. Whether it’s Christmas in India or a visit from Pere Noel in France, different customs are celebrated around the world, all emphasising time with loved ones as a priority. How much each person spends on Christmas gifts can differ based on the culture they were brought up in and the traditions they need to uphold. Billions of people gather worldwide to celebrate the festive occasion.

Our tradition is opportunity or thrift shop presents, a sustainable way of gift giving that does not add to the ever growing pile of Xmas presents created each year.

But is this exchange really the heart of giving, let’s see what society says about that:

1. An artist with an extraordinary gift, Pablo Picasso clearly found his, although there are many an individual who would disagree with that statement. His art falls in the love or hate category.

2. Even though it may not happen at the exact moment you do it, realise you are raising the quality of the planet by lifting others on their journey: Great Spirit.

3. Robert Brault is a free-lance writer & author who has contributed to magazines and newspapers in the USA for over 40 years. His short thoughts and observations are quoted on thousands of internet sites each day. Some of his most popular books include Round Up the Usual Subjects: Thoughts on Just about Everything, The Second Collection: Thoughts and Other Writings. You can follow him on his personal blog – HTTP://rbrault.blogspot.in..

4. This is making a huge request of people to receive the blessing involved. It could transform your life : Send my Love.

5. The author of numerous books on success Jim Rohn always included giving in how he told people to attain success. He was not a make a shitload of money for yourself sort of guy.

6. I was in a cafe the other day having my favourite soy hot chocolate and almond croissant treat the other day when an obvious sufferer of mental health problems asked me to buy her a latte. I did and she kissed me on the head and hand to thank me: Come In from the Cold.

7. One of the great books ever written , The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism, and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Daoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners, have used the Daodejing as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia, and it is among the most translated works in world literature.

8. When was the last time you really felt that you made a difference? You get to say after all: Stand Up.

9. This could be as simple as a smile or saying hello to a stranger.

10. My mother , who was a Brown Owl distilled this in all of her children, I am known as the world’s greatest volunteer: Happiness is Helping Others.

11. I am involved with a Self Development company called Collective Potential. whose target market is 25 to 35-year-olds who have discovered their why in life is not making $100,000 a year. We work with them on discovering their purpose in life tht turns them on again.

12.Bryant McGill (born November 7, 1969) is an American author, aphorist, speaker and activist in the fields of self-development, personal freedom and human rights. He walks his talk : Human.

13. Love in Motion, sounds like a great song title as well as a way to look at life.

14. This beautiful clip covers why giving is an essential part of a healthy life : Give.

15. Probably where the title of this blog came from. You do not need a lot of money to give, as long as you have a generous heart people will get you.

So I didn’t mention gift giving much at all did I, that’s because it is an invention of the capitalist society that is taking over the true meaning of giving. Please don’t forget the original heart-based theme.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Be the Energy you want to Attract!

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Rod's World

I have not seen the Southern Cross or the Milky Way for a while, this gives away I live in the Southern Hemisphere on our beautiful planet. Seeing that belt of billions of stars put into perspective how large this universe really is, and we are merely one of thousand’s of galaxies.

So why did they put us here alone as is the current scientific belief and what is our purpose, in fact, your purpose in the Universe.

Let’s go on that journey:

1. Talking to the stars doesn’t do it, It makes for a nice date, but it gets very little done.

2. The insights of Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī aka Rumi have helped empower the human race for centuries, here’s a little question from him to you : Poetry in Motion

3. And an insight that supports the universal statement that we are all Starseed.

4. One of the subjects we spend billions of dollars on in courses books therapists, can I really trust anyone, let alone myself: Trust.

5. In 2004, bad boy Billy Fingers Cohen, a homeless small-time drug dealer and addict in a state of drug-induced euphoria ran into a busy intersection and was killed instantly by a speeding automobile. He left behind a grieving sister. For weeks she struggled with grief and tried to make sense of Billy’s seemingly wasted life and tragic death.

A few weeks after his death, William Cohen, aka Billy Fingers, woke his sister Annie at dawn. ‘I’m drifting weightlessly through these glorious stars and galaxies and I feel a Divine Presence, a kind, loving beneficent presence, twinkling all around me.’

Billy’s ongoing after-death communications take his sister on an unprecedented journey into the bliss and wonder of life beyond death. Billy’s profound, detailed description of the mystical realms he traverses, the Beings of Light that await him, and the wisdom he receives take the reader beyond the near-death experience. Billy is, indeed, as Dr. Raymond Moody points out in his foreword, explaining the phenomena we’ve known about since ancient times, an afterworld walker.

6. Yes, you. Those negative thoughts are just wake up calls. Out of the pj’s on with the clothes and let’s rock it: You are a Child of the Universe.

7. I’ll let you work this one out, Buddha was and is a dude. here are nine values places on him, Recollection of nine virtues attributed to the Buddha is a common Buddhist meditation and devotional practice called Buddhānusmṛti. The nine virtues are also among the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects. The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka, and include:

Buddha – Awakened

Sammasambuddho – Perfectly self-awakened

Vijja-carana–sampano – Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct.

Sugato – Well-gone or Well-spoken.

Lokavidu – Wise in the knowledge of the many worlds.

Anuttaro Purisa-damma-sarathi – Unexcelled trainer of untrained people.

Satthadeva-Manussanam – Teacher of gods and humans.

Bhagavathi – The Blessed one

Araham – Worthy of homage. An Arahant is “one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge.”

8. Anyone studying the philosophy of the Universal facts knows the name of Alan Watts, the great interpreter of eastern philosophy : Why Life is not a journey!!

9. Yes, you are that important, every minuscule moment of the day.

10. Here are those stars I mentioned before in their grandeur. We’ll come looking for you in a little while.

11. That sweet soul music of your heart, they can hear it on that planet to the left of Alpha Centauri.

12. Even down the highway to hell would satisfy me : Highway to Hell.

13. Tom Jones called it The Green, Green , Grass of Home. You have one patch you can make bootiful, look in the mirror.

14. I shudder at the power of this statement by Eckhart Tolle, did you realise you were a miracle: You make Loving Fun.

15. And a scientific fact for those moments you feel alone in the big, big universe we all exist as part of.

I didn’t mention where I got the idea for the blog today, from Gabbie Bernstein’s fine book : The Universe Has Your Back.

Namaste until next time my dear f

You Activate the Naughty in Me!!

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Rod's World

It’s going to be 38 degrees celsius in my city today. A temperature that slows my active genes down quite a bit. This made me think what else does this to me. How do I go in the activation stakes, what depresses this in me, or what activates the naughty in me?

I know the Activation school run by my mentor Arion Light does : The Activation School link. I also know that singing does, I have been in my choir, The Moons a Balloon for over 3 years now and I love it. But what do we, humanity say about it; Let’s have a look:

1. The eight stages of choice we have every day, go for the leap!

2. I have a love affair with the words and quotes of Albert Einstein, I must do a purely Albert blog one day. Keep up the battle against the rationalism in your life, do not lose out to it: Mr. Einstein.

3. Hands up who knows what a monoamine oxidase inhibitor is? I didn’t , here’s the answer : Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are chemicals that inhibit the activity of the monoamine oxidase enzyme family. They have a long history of use as medications prescribed for the treatment of depression. They are particularly effective in treating atypical depression. Bet you feel better for that.

4. Did Osho reintroduce the male beard craze to the Western world? I’m not sure but I thank my friend Tania for introducing me to his insights and books, Glorious!!: Masterpiece.

5. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is noted for his work in the study of happiness and creativity but is best known as the architect of the notion of flow and for his years of research and writing on the topic. He is the author of many books and over 120 articles or book chapters. Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, described Csikszentmihalyi as the world’s leading researcher on positive psychology.

6. Just had to include this one. With the introduction of the iPhone generations, it hits the mark right in the bullseye : Anaconda.

7. This is why 11:11 is such a significant time and when people notice it all the time they are on this journey.

8. Must agree with this, I have heavily been into doing lately. Getting up doing what I have always done without a whole lot of feeling attached to the actions. I need to make a choice about many of them: Enough!!

9. You need to take steps if you are to grow your ideas from a seed to a flourishing shrub, here are some that may work.

10. I know it’s not a quote but the beautiful name and smile just drew me to include it : Make me Smile.

11. The most important part of your body to activate – your Heart, as Steve says it seems to already know what you want to become.

12. Have to agree with this anon quote. I have friends I do not see for months and months, yet it feels like seconds when we are in each others company: You’ve got a friend in Me.

13. I had a friend whose daughter asked him what happens when you swallow too much light. I answered you become inlightened. Dr. Pillai seems to agree.

14. In 2016, Robbins has been the most booked female speaker in the world. As a Marianne Williamson and Oprah fan. I find this extraordinary, On February 28, 2017, Robbins will release her second book “The Five Second Rule“: The Weeknd.

15. Finally from the world’s richest man, what made him contact that original computer company when he had not written a piece of code for an operating system that has now grown into the icon that is known as Microsoft.

Well, it’s getting a whole lot warmer where I am sitting to stay out of the heat of the first really hot day of Melbourne’s summer. Enjoy.

Namaste til next time, my dear friends.

Don’t waste a good Mistake!!

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Rod's World

I have been reading a business development book written by Jack De Losa called Unprofessional. I have learned so much from it and after putting it down last night I thought about what sources I learn from these days and what were the ones I learned from during my previous 61 years.

I suppose the first I remember is Enid Blyton, an iconic English children’s writer who has sold over 600 million books, who has been accused of being elitist, sexist and racist in our more enlightened times but her books always had a high moralistic value that appealed to me.

How do you learn in these days of instant gratification? Do you Google it? Are you an old school radio and print media fan? Let’s have a look at how the world looks at it:

1. Three very important ways to look at learning, how many of them do you utilize?

2. There is a saying the day that you stop learning is the day you begin to die, I think that’s what Robert is referring to : It takes two to Tango.

3. I was often referred to as a curious child, I’m not sure which definition they were referring to: eager to know or learn something or strange; unusual.

4. We all come out with the same amount of knowledge, then it is up to our guardians to ensure that we attain a level of understanding that makes us a worthy human being: Absolute Beginners.

5. Sometimes I think whoever invented the examination system of schooling never learned this in their own education.

6. Check out Bill Cosby’s look in this clip : Reeling in the Years. My mum is 89 and still an avid reader.

7. 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.

8. I wish I had known this acronym back in the day of my formal education. Called into the office and told not to come back because I hated it and never used to go: Feet , don’t fail me Now!

9. Gratitude is one of the great learning traditions, in Melbourne Australia, my home town, we have an FB page : Daily Gratitude Space. Join us and contribute what you have learned.

10. What a beautiful quote, live full out, learn like you were eternal : Eternal Flame.

11. Love my Lao Tzu, Confucious – Guess Who?

12. From the world’s most famous quotes author, The distinguished Anon. Get on the Unstoppable train : Unstoppable.

13. They say that it will keep occurring until you learn the lesson it/they have been sent to teach you. Yes, Life never stops teaching!!

14. It’s always an idea to do something with the learning, or it is really an obsolete practice: Do it like a Dude.

15. There is that part of learning we often try to ignore and wish that it would go away, guess what it doesn’t and yes, they happened as part of our learning.

Being alive puts you in the daily learning academy, do you resist the lessons or grow from this ever expanding life you have been given.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Build from the Inside Out!!

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Rod's World

I was going to write on creating today but when I looked up creation quotes to use they seem to have been hijacked by religious factions. So I read a bit about creation in my Activation Program manual and got to see that it was based on a strong foundation and thought that it was appropriate to check that out.

There are apparently two major meanings of which I will discuss the latter, here they are:

the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level.
an underlying basis or principle.

I try to live my life with some form of foundation to it, there are times though I sometimes slip up at it. Let’s have a look at the foundation our lives are based on:

1. Trees are a great example of why it is a good reason to work on your foundations in life, Not every tree survives that flurry of seeds that fall from their parent tree each seeding season.

2. It takes two to tango. This includes the twin areas of the mind and the heart, the emotional and the physical. One does not function on their own without the other being in a health state as well: Solid Rock.

3. Vernest’s ethos in life is Living to make a difference at my own pace. To do this you must fully understand and have built a solid foundation.

4. This is a great question by Arthur. I put the question into Google: How many years has the world been at peace without a war. This is the answer it came up with: Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them or just 8 percent of recorded history: Give Peace a Chance.

5. What does it take to build a powerful foundation you can build the journey and successes in your life? A little if not a lot of this may be a powerful part of the recipe.

6. Still, my favorite moments in the Mad Max trilogy is the performance of Tina and her interpretation of We don’t need another Hero.

7. The only good thing complaining does is convince other people you are not in control, go 24 hours without complaining (Not even Once) Then watch how your life starts changing.

8. Our foundation for our future belongs to our children, build them a worthwhile one: Live your Life.

9. We must love our friends as well as our self.

10. What word do you use when something goes wrong in your life? I prefer the latter: Scars.

11. A great image to depict the importance of a solid foundation in life, the quote from Alfred is pretty good too.

12. A man who took the meaning of building your life on a solid foundation. Bruce Lee’s system, Jeet Kune Do, revolved around a central theme – absorb what is useful, discard what is useless. He spent his whole life working on his foundation to improve his craft. It seems Bollywood love Bruce Lee, they made a movie about him: Bruce Lee – The Fighter.

13. Even 2,400 years ago they were discussing in the state of ancient Greece what foundations were needed to support society. Where did they go wrong?

14. Francis de Sales, (French: François de Sales; 21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God: Lonely Island.

15. A newscaster in the United States, David Brinkley, once ran for vice president, here are the results: In 1972 Vice President Spiro Agnew was re-nominated with 1,345 votes, against one vote for television journalist David Brinkley and two abstentions. The NBC network, for which Brinkley worked, had some “Brinkley for Vice President” buttons made, which the news team wore as a joke.

So we have said over the history of time that foundations are important, How much time do you give to working on yours?

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Why does this keep Happening?

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Rod's World

The impossible happened, he won. Coming from the shadow world where he made promises he cannot keep because it is no longer the 1950’s, the world is an international stage and you cannot create a future looking back at the world’s past because the one thing you are guaranteed in life is change.

Yet this is one of the core values of mainstream media, that change is bad for the planet. Look at how they relate to alternative energy, entrepreneurship, and rehabilitation of prisoners versus a law and order regime. So let’s have a journey through the shadowlands:

1. In the past few years, I have been exploring why when it got difficult I used to numb out. I discovered the work of Arion Light at The Activation School and have been living a journey through my body and what it takes for me to flourish since.

2. Suan Sontag was active in writing and speaking about, or traveling to, areas of conflict, including during the Vietnam War and the Siege of Sarajevo. She wrote extensively about photography, culture and media, AIDS and illness, human rights, and communism and leftist ideology. Although her essays and speeches sometimes drew controversy, she has been described as “one of the most influential critics of her generation.” Her most famous book is ” Against Interpretation ” : Batata Vada.

3. We are entering the shadowlands when people take the truth to be what they are spewed out on mainstream media. A missing part of it is Fact checking, most of it would have to be taken off the air if that formula was added.

4. I recently gave up drinking, a habit I took up to crush my empathic abilities in my early twenties. Since doing this I can relate to what Joanne is saying, that you can see too far, the reality for people that is hidden behind a mask: Rolling in the Deep.

5. Born and raised in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujarat, western India, and trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community’s struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, but above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

6. Author, poet, and essayist Ursula K Le Guin points out that yes, the planet is in balance, we may just not agree with what is going on: Balance.

7. A number of phrases from Tennyson’s work have become commonplaces of the English language, including “Nature, red in tooth and claw” (In Memoriam A.H.H.), “‘Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all”, “Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die”, “My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure”, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”, “Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers”, and “The old order changeth, yielding place to new”. The latter of these is extremely relevant given the going on’s in the last few days.

8. Remember when you first realized you had a shadow and tried to get away from it, you can’t: Moonshadow.

9. One of the things we used to believe about the planet, that it was flat, no longer true. But a truth is, you cannot touch your shadow. You can accept them and take their power away, though.

10. Ah, the french philosophers, not sure what this means, but they are beautiful words: Shadowplay.

11. I agree with this line from Don’s hit there is not enough love in the World.

12. Sylvia is one of those creative geniuses who chose to take her own life well before the world wished to see her leave it : Sylvia’s poetry.

13. One of the great fallacies of the new age movement is you can just ignore and let go of the shadows in your life. The more you walk away the more powerful they become.

14. What a great sentence by Sylvia recognizing that we must have dark and light in our lives: The Young Ones.

15. I hope Donald remembers this.

We are about to enter a world with the most powerful man using one liners as policy, it will be interesting times. What color do you want the wall to be?

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

What’s meant to Be!!

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Rod's World

I spent quite a few years of my life being impatient that life should go a certain way then took up meditation on advice from a friend of mine who seemed much more relaxed about life than myself.

I was terrible at it first with my monkey mind on overdrive, but slowly I learnt the art of patience and mindfulness and have been able to accept that this madness of our society for instant gratification is not how life is meant to be , that good things come with patience. Let’s define patience before we begin our journey.

Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on negative annoyance/anger; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness.

I have found 15 quotes that go back as far as Ancient Greek times, lets begin.

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1. At first having a massive to do list may seem to some that we are getting more done, but our mind is so busy with getting from A to B to C that we are concentrated on what we already know and are missing out on what is available from the universe.

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2. Edmund Burke was an Irish statesman born in Dublin, as well as an author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher who, after moving to London, served as a member of parliament for many years in the House of Commons with the Whig Party. With all those occupations Edmund must have lived the above quote throughout his life: Growing Up.

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3. Often we leave the most important person off the list of people to be patient with, our parents, our siblings , our lovers, but what about ourselves, Yes, self love is one thing that must make that list.

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4. Here’s the ancient Greek. How many times have we begged something to happen when through it not occurring a much sweeter fruit has ended up in our basket: Strange Fruit.

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5. saadi – Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī, better known by his pen-name Saadi (سعدی Saʿdī( Saadi )), also known as Saadi of Shiraz, was one of the major Persian poets and literary men of the medieval period. He is not only famous in Persian-speaking countries, but has been quoted in western sources as well. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi is widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of the classical literary tradition. How often we forget this.

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6. The quick wins don’t make you the master, It’s more how you react and recover from Mistakes that maketh the man, success includes patience as part of the recipe: That Power.

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7. Wait for what is meant to be , not force an issue. 365 or 1 day, it will find you.

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8. It’s the actions between the waiting that show you the power of patience. Do right things and the results will follow: Patience.

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9. The never ending story we tell ourselves in our heads like It will never work out, why doesn’t he/she like me are instant gratification stories. Have patience that yes, it will still happen.

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10. The traditional 10, 9, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,Blast off we all can relate to from the space program points to how after spending millions of dollars time is still taken to the very end, and beginning: Space Oddity.

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11. You are unique among 7,000,000,000 people. Trust that and your journey will be a lot easier.

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12. I didn’t know this, when I buy one I will obviously have to be patient waiting on its delivery: It makes you feel like dancing.

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13. John Kabat-Zin is one of the pioneers of mindfulness in the western world. Check out his YouTube talks on the subject, he’s very impressive.

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14. Can’t wait for the result, I’m sure you have a few hundred other tasks you could do to take your mind off it: KIds.

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15. Augustine of Hippo – Augustine’s contemporaries often believed astrology to be an exact and genuine science. Its practitioners were regarded as true men of learning and called mathemathici. Astrology played a prominent part in Manichaean doctrine, and Augustine himself was attracted by their books in his youth, being particularly fascinated by those who claimed to foretell the future. Later, as a bishop, he used to warn that one should avoid astrologers who combine science and horoscopes. (Augustine’s term “mathematici”, meaning “astrologers”, is sometimes mistranslated as “mathematicians”.) According to Augustine, they were not genuine students of Hipparchus or Eratosthenes but “common swindlers”.

So my request is to aim high, but also to show patience on the journey.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

namaste