My mom recently sent me this email explaining how 67% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way their country is going. The author explains that Americans are ’spoiled brats’ because we have so much to be thankful for (electricity, running water, freedoms etc.) and that rather than look at the bigger picture we should be grateful for what our leaders are doing for us. Here is my response. I encourage you to check out the original email from Craig Smith, but essentially it’s neatly disguised pro-bush propaganda. Remember folks, interpret all the information you are exposed to and then come to your own conclusions; don’t let anyone think for you.
Dear Mom,
I like the emphasis on seeing the good and appreciating all that we have. We are truly blessed to be alive in the most exciting time in all of human history. Life is an amazing gift and to be able to truly live in the magic of the moment is what God asks of us. Re-read the 9 steps of spirituality by Brother Wayne Teasdale (I believe i sent this to you a long time ago… i’ll look for it again and re-send it to you)….. When you truly achieve oneness with yourself, with the universe, you have reached step 8. At this point you realize that selfless servitude to others to help them along their spiritual journey so that they may also achieve the oneness/satori/the zen etc… is part and parcel of our own spiritual quest. This means making a difference in the people’s lives that mean the most to you… family and friends can gain much strength from each of us…. However, it also means creating change on a more massive scale. Analyzing the politics/policies/laws/ etc. that impact our fellow man’s ability to be free, to have their basic needs met, and to realize that a MUCH better future is very easily possible if we actually become active members of society is how we can influence change on a major scale that ultimately can help more and more of us wake up from our daze and start to live life passionately again.
In many ways the average canadian/american lives life more comfortably than the wealthiest kings of past eras. In many ways our culture/lifestyle is preventing many of us from fully realizing our potential. There is a massive rise of anxiety and attention deficit disorders, depression, suicide, workplace violence, addiction… According to a 1992 World Health Organization study we are 3 times more likely to become depressed than our grandparents were at our age. A quarter of the US population will experience some symptoms of depression during their lives. While we may have adequate drinking water, police protection, clean hotels, etc. we as humans are still in a state of evolution. We work 8-10 hours a day (many of us in a job that we despise), we come home exhausted, put a microwave dinner in the microwave, turn on the reality t.v. and deep inside wish we were alive. Sure this cozy lifestyle is better than a lot of places in the world that experience great political and military turmoil. But are we truly better off and more ‘free’ than that tribe that was recently discovered in brazil that may be one of the last tribes that has not been exposed to the ‘real world’? The old evolution has always been about the efficiency of society… the agricultural revolution, the industrial/scientific revolution…. the new evolution is about the evolution of the individual… the new evolution is about the individual’s growth in the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical realm. Quantum mechanics (science) has come full circle… science originally branched from religion to seek truth and rationality and to get away from faith based logic….. what science is telling us now is that the power of our minds, the power of love, the power of living life in harmony with ourselves and with each other is helping us to realize the potential of our evolution. We are in the dawn of the new era… the age of aquarius is upon us… the spiritual prophets and visionaries have spoken about this time since the beginning of time. This is a new era of human consciousness…. We need leaders who are truly in tune with humanity, with the planet, with themselves to guide us. The policies of George Bush and Stephen Harper are steeped in corruption and evil… they are not true leaders… They are not spiritually in tune with themselves, with the planet, or with humanity as a whole…George bush can go to church every single sunday but it doesn’t take a prophet to recognize that he is spiritually empty. We are all spiritual beings and we are no better or worse than any one else, therefore we cannot judge. However, we can recognize when someone is ‘in tune’ and we have to use our judgement when electing leaders, especially the leaders who make the most impact on all of humanity and the planet. We have much to be extremely grateful for, but if our good fortune is at the stake of someone else’s than we can not be truly satisfied until everyone has the same opportunities to be free and to pursue their spiritual journey. Killing the taliban and replacing them with warlords is not the solution… how long will it take before we wake up and learn from our mistakes? A visionary like Depak Chopra makes wonderful arguments about the political force of love and spirituality, and 4 years under the guidance and leadership of a man like him could make the whole world wake up. Big business, big agriculture, big pharma, big industry, big oil have benefited from spiritually inept, corrupt, dishonest, deceitful, evil ‘leaders’ like bush, reagan, harper etc. for too long. Unfortunately when a visionary leader comes into power in a country like venezuela or guatemala and tries to free their people from the chains of american ‘big’ interests, they get assassinated. The CIA has mingled in the affairs of every leader who displays courage, a desire for change, a desire to truly help the poor and disenfranchised and the CIA has readily admitted to doing unspeakable things. Read the book “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” to learn more about this, and to verify any doubts you may have. The countries that we love so much have done many horrible and unspeakable things around the world because of the greed and lust for power that our system creates. I love life to the brim; without living in a location as free as Vancouver I likely would not have evolved into the person that I am today. That being said, I think we need to look at the direction that we are headed in as a country and find the strength to do what is right…. in our day to day lives as well as on the political scene.
I have hope for obama. he sounds like he speaks the truth. I am also hesitant to place complete trust in him. I know that he is backed by a lot of very powerful men. I also know that he is upsetting a lot of very powerful men. I hope he is able to initiate major change, and I hope he is able to open up the eyes, the minds and the hearts of the American people to help America as a whole lose their ego. Disconnection from our ego is a very potent spiritual message delivered by many very wise spiritual men and women, and America as a whole needs to lose its ego. Gorbachev referred to it as America’s “winning complex”, the idea that America believes it is the best and needs to always win and be the best. This is a horrible trait in an individual…. arrogant, snotty, ignorant, bullyish, naive….. and it is very evident to the rest of the world that America displays these same traits in both their domestic and foreign policies. Neither America or Israel are any more God’s chosen people than the Australians, the Argentinians, the Bangladesh, the Rawandans, etc. and it is blasphemous to believe that. We are all God’s children, and until America the great wakes up, realizes that, and truly starts to act like that I will continue to be critical.
Yes we are extremely lucky… Yes there is a lot more goodness in our lives than bad… However, the arguments made by Craig Smith are redundant, superficial, and are part of the ‘old-paradigm’ evolution that needs to be subject to de-emphasis. Sure, pumping money and fear into a war on terror might protect us from terrorists this year, maybe next, maybe even the next year. But eventually we need to take a step back and critically analyze the real issues that are causing terrorism because this ’shield’ is artificial and will crack.
There are many authors, visionaries, poets, politicians etc. that communicate on a very deep level and are very worthy of all of our attention.
We have to live life in the moment… As much as humans require grouping for support and kinship, ultimately we remain individuals. For as beautiful as loving human community is, no grouping or partnership can fully define us. For our own benefit, we mustn’t let it fully define who we are or we get lost in the idealism of the collective. We must come to terms with our own identity and truly love OURSELVES before any partnership can truly blossom. Wisdom is attained when life is lived in the moment. Embrace the moment… for life experienced in the moment will produce the questions that must be sought – and, magically, the answers will be given. Live to YOUR own, unique, individual potential… when we align with other independent, wise, talented, loving individuals the group dynamic provides room for the individual to grow. When we are aligned in human community, we must let the LOVE that we have filled ourselves with overflow into each member of the group. The group as a collective, and the individuals within the collective, will benefit, grow and evolve. Take advantage of every moment; use it as an opportunity to learn/grow/share/love/evolve. Being happy and content in the moment will keep us from needless worry about the future.
Life with too much structure, too much direction, too much pressure inhibits our ability to be alive in the moment. We need to nurture spontaneity, not seek to destroy it. Don’t be afraid to drift with the tides; we will all reach our own shoreline eventually. Tear down the constraints of habitual routine… our heart, body, mind and soul operate optimally when they are FREE.
After contributing personal insights and thoughts to this blog, I’d like to share with you that I am far from mastering myself. That being said, I have made tremendous strides in myself (and seen the amazing results it has had in all aspects of my life) but I must confess that completely disconnecting from our ego is no easy task. I have achieved the state of shambala, I’ve reached the state of enlightenment…. I’ve had glimpses of life experienced in the ultimate zone…. but sustaining life in that zone is no easy task. I find that the hardest time constraining my ego is when i play organized competitive sports. It’s why I much prefer snowboarding (where I’m challenging myself and not an ‘oponent’) or bouldering with my buddies (and pushing ourselves to our limits) or playing hackey sack with myself than playing organized competitive sports. There’s something about the environment of competitive sports that I find very challenging… whether it’s my internal desire to win or the ego of my opponents, I really struggle playing competitive sports and remaining the master of myself. It’s so easy (and generally accepted) to jeopardize your integrity in order to win or satisfy the desires of the ego. I’m still working on this, and I’m not sure whether quiting competitive sports is the answer (and just removing myself from the negative atmosphere altogether) or whether overcoming my ego on the field by continuing to play is a challenge that I must confront.
I have already written extensively on this issue and one day I plan on sharing my insights into this topic by writing a book or a film. I’ll keep you posted.
When you get to the state in your life that you can perceive everything to be beautiful (some call it bliss, or shambala, or just being in tune with yourself) then the next step in our evolution is to provide the necessary assistance or opportunities for others to get to that same level. When communities of people are capable of tuning themselves in alignment with their spirit we will see the evolution of the neo-human, and this is when we will see de-emphasis on the old paradigm that is plagued by war and greed and other negative aspects of an ego-driven society. Instead we will see emphasis placed on loyalty, truth, freedom, justice, and our collective potential is fascinating. As ‘far- out’ as it seems, the idea of experiencing life simultaneously in multiple universes unconstrained by time and space is gaining mainstream momentum amongst the scientific community…. crazy shit isn’t it??!!
Only through disconnection with one’s ego is this possible, and convincing the masses to live life with one’s ego in check is obviously an up hill battle in today’s whacked-out, consumer-crazed society. Our media/culture/society (the MACHINE) does everything it can to promote an abundance of the ego, but if we listen to the wise spiritual men and women throughout history, they all teach the importance of disconnecting with your ego. Pride with humility; honour with integrity; selflessness and servitude to others… We can only truly reach shambala and flourish when we are free to become the master of ourselves. Spreading the messages of love, the goodness, health, positivity and living life to your potential is the only way to truly effect change and it starts with all of us on our various journeys. Your positive attitude and selfless servitude to others will rub off on others that you meet and through your interactions with others you will be able to show them the true light of their potential.
Peace and Love to all, with a special shout out to Rufus!
If we’re looking at the highlights of human development, you have to look at the evolution of the organism and then at the development of its interaction with the environment. Evolution of the organism will begin with the evolution of life perceived through the hominid coming to the evolution of mankind. Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon man. Now, interestingly, what you’re looking at here are three strings: biological, anthropological — development of the cities — and cultural, which is human expression.
Now, what you’ve seen here is the evolution of populations, not so much the evolution of individuals. And in addition, if you look at the time scales that are involved here — two billion years for life, six million years for the hominid, 100,000 years for mankind as we know it — you’re beginning to see the telescoping nature of the evolutionary paradigm. And then when you get to agricultural, when you get to scientific revolution and industrial revolution, you’re looking at 10,000 years, 400 years, 150 years. You’re seeing a further telescoping of this evolutionary time. What that means is that as we go through the new evolution, it’s gonna telescope to the point we should be able to see it manifest itself within our lifetime, within this generation.
The new evolution stems from information, and it stems from two types of information: digital and analog. The digital is artificial intelligence. The analog results from molecular biology, the cloning of the organism. And you knit the two together with neurobiology. Before on the old evolutionary paradigm, one would die and the other would grow and dominate. But under the new paradigm, they would exist as a mutually supportive, noncompetitive grouping. Okay, independent from the external.
And what is interesting here is that evolution now becomes an individually centered process, emanating from the needs and desires of the individual, and not an external process, a passive process where the individual is just at the whim of the collective. So, you produce a neo-human, okay, with a new individuality and a new consciousness. But that’s only the beginning of the evolutionary cycle because as the next cycle proceeds, the input is now this new intelligence. As intelligence piles on intelligence, as ability piles on ability, the speed changes. Until what? Until we reach a crescendo in a way could be imagined as an enormous instantaneous fulfillment of human and neo-human potential. It could be something totally different. It could be the amplification of the individual, the multiplication of individual existences. Parallel existences now with the individual no longer restricted by time and space.
And the manifestations of this neo-human-type evolution, manifestations could be dramatically counter-intuitive. That’s the interesting part. The old evolution is cold. It’s sterile. It’s efficient, okay? And its manifestations of those social adaptations. We’re talking about parasitism, dominance, morality, okay? War, predation: these would be subject to de-emphasis. These will be subject to de-evolution. The new evolutionary paradigm will give us the human traits of truth, of loyalty, of justice, of freedom. These will be the manifestations of the new evolution. And that is what we would hope to see from this. That would be nice.
The reason why I refuse to take existentialism as just another French fashion or historical curiosity is that I think it has something very important to offer us for the new century. I’m afraid we’re losing the real virtues of living life passionately, sense of taking responsibility for who you are, the ability to make something of yourself and feeling good about life. Existentialism is often discussed as if it’s a philosophy of despair. But I think the truth is just the opposite. Sartre once interviewed said he never really felt a day of despair in his life. But one thing that comes out from reading these guys is not a sense of anguish about life so much as a real kind of exuberance of feeling on top of it. It’s like your life is yours to create. I’ve read the postmodernists with some interest, even admiration. But when I read them, I always have this awful nagging feeling that something absolutely essential is getting left out. The more that you talk about a person as a social construction or as a confluence of forces or as fragmented or marginalized, what you do is you open up a whole new world of excuses. And when Sartre talks about responsibility, he’s not talking about something abstract. He’s not talking about the kind of self or soul that theologians would argue about. It’s something very concrete. It’s you and me talking. Making decisions. Doing things and taking the consequences. It might be true that there are six billion people in the world and counting. Nevertheless, what you do makes a difference. It makes a difference, first of all, in material terms. Makes a difference to other people and it sets an example. In short, I think the message here is that we should never simply write ourselves off and see ourselves as the victim of various forces. It’s always our decision who we are.
The ‘Alexander Technique’ is an approach for the self-prevention of unhelpful or harmful habits that interfere with the mental and physical conditions best suited for the health and functioning of the individual as a whole. Learning to inhibit one’s “too quick and unthinking reactions” and to maintain openness and balance as we go about our daily activities can have wide-ranging benefits. The various teaching methods used to teach the Technique (which include hands-on guidance by the teacher) are also referred to as the Alexander Technique.
The Alexander Technique is usually learned from individual lessons with a teacher using specialized hand contact and verbal instructions. The Technique is also taught in groups, often using short individual lessons which in turn act as examples to the rest of the class.[1] The Technique takes its name from F. Matthias Alexander, who first observed and formulated its principles between 1890 and 1900.
Benefits
Applications are subjective by nature; many testimonies exist on the Internet. Alexander Technique is regarded to be a helpful adjunct to traditional medical treatment regimens and not as a substitute.
Some regard the Alexander Technique as a first-hand experience of the reality of body/mind unity. Proponents believe that its practice results in improved awareness and descriptive ability, as well as improved ease of movement, improved balance, stamina and less muscular tension. Additionally, those who practice it often report that Alexander Technique gives them an enhanced ability to clarify their thinking, gain objectivity about themselves and free themselves from unintentional self-imposed limitations. Further, proponents see Alexander Technique as a way to use less effort for movement and thus perform more efficiently, feeling younger and moving gracefully.
It is curriculum in performance schools of dance[4], acting, circus, music, voice and some athletic training[5]. Suitable for those starting at any fitness level, it is also used as remedial movement education to complete recovery and provide pain management.
Although the Alexander Technique is considered by those in its field to be primarily educational—taught in a student/teacher relationship as compared to being a treatment regimen between client and practitioner—it is regarded by the United Kingdom National Health Service to offer an alternative and complementary management for many medical complaints. A partial list is: back problems, unlearning and avoiding Repetitive Strain Injury, improving ergonomics, stuttering, speech training and voice loss, coping with mobility for those with Parkinson’s disease, posture or balance problems, or to complete recovery from injury as an adjunct to Physical therapy.
Alexander Technique has also been known to help performers with getting past the plateau effect (despite trying, no improvement), performance anxiety, getting beyond a supposed “lack of talent” and to sharpen discrimination and descriptive ability. It has also helped people control unwanted reactions, phobias and depression.
Evidence of change is sought in verifiable outside feedback; using a mirror; by noting, comparing, or describing differences of the relative location of one’s eyes, balance or weight changes; a change in the sound of one’s voice or the effects on one’s objectives, props or environment.
Students often describe the immediate effect of an Alexander lesson as being an unfamiliar feeling of lightness or expansion. During hands-on lessons, most pupils report an immediate result of feeling less weighted down, despite their inability to evoke or sustain this state by themselves. Other reported experiences include altered perception of their voice or environment, noticing a change in self image, or having temporary disorientations of where their body is located spatially.
Gertrude Stein’s brother Leo called the Technique: “the method for keeping your eye on the ball applied to life”.[6]
The English novelist Aldous Huxley was strongly influenced by F. M. Alexander and the Technique so much so that he included him as a character in the pacifist theme novel Eyeless in Gaza published in 1936. [7]
The American philosopher and educator John Dewey was very favorably impressed by F. M. Alexander and the Technique. In 1923, Dewey wrote the introduction to Alexander’s magnum opus Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual.[8]
Ariel David, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS VATICAN CITY – Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.
“How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?” Funes said. “Just as we consider earthly creatures as ‘a brother,’ and ’sister,’ why should we not talk about an ‘extraterrestrial brother’? It would still be part of creation.”
In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion “doesn’t contradict our faith” because aliens would still be God’s creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like “putting limits” on God’s creative freedom, he said.
The interview, headlined “The extraterrestrial is my brother,” covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.
Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.
The Bible “is not a science book,” Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most “reasonable” explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.
But he said he continues to believe that “God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance.”
Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo’s persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has “caused wounds.”
In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the centre of the universe.
“The church has somehow recognized its mistakes,” he said. “Maybe it could have done it better, but now it’s time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration.”
Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from “tragic mutual incomprehension.”
The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world’s best.
The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the Pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
Theorizer of subatomic ‘God particle’ confident it will be confirmed next year
Alexander G. Higgins, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – GENEVA –
The father of a theoretical subatomic particle dubbed “the God particle” says he’s almost sure its existence will be confirmed in the next year.
British physicist Peter Higgs first postulated the existence of the particle in the makeup of the atom more than 40 years ago.
Higgs, speaking during a visit the site of a massive new atom smashing accelerator in Switzerland, says scientists in both Europe and North America are about to confirm his theory.
Higgs was visiting the new $2-billion Large Hadro Collider in Geneva, which is expected to begin operation in June.
The collider, the world’s most powerful, has been installed in a 27-kilometre circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border. It is operated by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, known as CERN.
Higgs said Monday the particle may already have been created at the rival Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory outside Chicago, but that analyzing data from the lab’s Tevatron accelerator is a time-consuming task.
“The Tevatron has plenty of energy to do it,” Higgs said. “It’s just the difficulty of analyzing the data which prevents you from knowing quickly what’s hiding in the data.”
The new, even more powerful Geneva collider, will re-create the rapidly changing conditions in the universe a split second after the Big Bang. It will be the closest that scientists have come to the event that they theorize was the beginning of the universe. They hope the new equipment will enable them to study particles and forces yet unobserved.
But Fermilab still has time to be first if it can show that it has discovered the Higgs boson, Higgs said.
Nobel laureate Leon Lederman has dubbed the theoretical boson “the God particle” because its discovery could unify understanding of particle physics and help humans “know the mind of God.”
Higgs told reporters he is hoping to receive confirmation of his theory by the time he turns 80 in May 2009.
If not, he added, “I’ll just have to ask my GP to keep me alive a bit longer,” referring to his general practitioner, not the God particle, a term he does not embrace because he fears it might offend some people.
Higgs predicted the existence of the boson while working at the University of Edinburgh to explain how atoms – and the objects they make up – have weight.
Without the particle, the basic physics theory – the “standard model” – lacks a crucial element, because it fails to explain how other subatomic particles – such as quarks and electrons – have mass.
The Higgs theory is that the bosons create a field through which the other particles pass.
The particles that encounter difficulty going through the field as though they are passing through molasses pick up more inertia, and mass. Those that pass through more easily are lighter.
Higgs said he would be “very, very puzzled” if the particle is never found because he cannot image what else could explain how particles get mass.
Higgs said initial reaction to his ideas in the early 1960s was skeptical.
“My colleagues thought I was a bit of an idiot,” he said, noting that his initial paper explaining how his theory worked was rejected by an editor at CERN.
He said a colleague spent the summer at CERN right after he did his work on the theory.
“He came back and said, ‘At CERN they didn’t see that what you were talking about had much to do with particle physics.’
“I then added on some additional paragraphs and sent it off across the Atlantic to Physical Review Letters, who accepted it. The mention of what became known as the Higgs boson was part of the extra which was added on.”
Not to sound too preachy… but I think one of the goals in life is to be internally happy, healthy, fulfilled, wise, at peace etc. and perhaps this ‘advice’ can help you attain inner freedom. With all of the crazy issues that we think are important to be conscious about, we can’t forget that freeing our soul, body, and mind are extremely important in our quest for inner fulfillment and purpose. Neglecting our personal health and happiness should not be compromised for any reason. If you can find relevance in your own life to these suggested ideas, and if they benefit you, then try implementing some of them in your own daily life….feel free to share with others too!
Peace and Love,
D-F(ng)s
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to. 3. Buy a DVR/TIVO, tape your late night shows and get more sleep. 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to ______today.” 5. Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy. 6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2007. 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives. 8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. 9. Dream more while you are awake. 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts. 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk, and let new and flowing energy into your life. 14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away. 18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 22. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. 23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special! 25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?” 27. Forgive everyone for everything. 28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 32. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 34. The best is yet to come. 35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 36. Do the right thing! 37. Call your family often. 38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: “I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.” 39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. 40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
On Monday, thousands of people in 84 cities worldwide marched for justice for Tibet–and delivered the 1.5 million-signature Avaaz petition to Chinese embassies and consulates around the globe. (Click below for photos.) Avaaz staff have engaged with Chinese diplomats in New York and London, delivering the petition and urging action. And a growing chorus of world leaders is joining the call.
China is on the fence–indicating an openness to talks with the Dalai Lama, while at the same time pressuring other governments to support its continuing crackdown. Each day, more leaders declare their stance. It’s time to redouble our efforts–click below to send a personal message to your head of state, urging support for dialogue with the Dalai Lama–and check out the photo gallery from Monday’s day of action!
Together, we’ve built an unprecedented wave of global pressure. The Avaaz petition is one of the biggest and fastest-growing global online petitions on any topic in history; since it launched on March 18, it has been signed by 100,000 people per day–an average of more than 4,000 per hour, day and night.
Politicians understand that there is power in numbers. We need to show them that they have more to gain by listening to their own people–and heeding the cry for help from Tibet–than by giving China a pass in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. Take action now
We’re privileged to be alive at a time when people anywhere can reach out and support people everywhere–instantly. If we have the power to make things better, we have a responsibility to act. Thanks for what you’ve done so far, for the people of Tibet and for a more humane world for all.
With hope,
Ben, Ricken, Graziela, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, and the Avaaz team
PS – The more people sign the petition, the more powerful our call for change. We will hope to deliver it to the Chinese government again once we reach our target of 2 million signers. If you haven’t already, please forward the email below to your friends and family, and urge them to sign the Tibet petition!
I’d like to commend you for your efforts in living and promoting the messages and ideals of LOVE, peace, hope, human community, environmental stewardship and spiritual awareness. Collectively we need more cultural icons devoting energy to these worthy causes, and I’d like to thank you for staying true to your principles and not compromising your integrity, even as you have undergone both incredible scrutiny and success both in your career and personal life.
As you are well aware, our planet is facing many serious political, social and environmental issues. It is becoming more and more apparent that the coproratocracy – the alliance of corporations, governments and military- are leading us down a very dangerous path. It is also becoming more apparent that a non-partisan spiritual revolution/re-awakening is necessary now more than ever. The messages of LOVE and peace are universal and throughout the ages have been modeled by prophets and spiritually inclined wise men and women of all ethnicities. Every living organism is capable of experiencing the beauty and energy of an existence that is steeply rooted in love, and for those that still doubt the power and authenticity of love’s potential quantum mechanics is providing us with verifiable, scientific evidence that the power of the heart and mind are much greater than many of us have given them credit for. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, blessings to you, Beloved Ones! You have traveled many different planes (of existence) and many existences in your Earth and beyond your Earth. You are like a little time traveler. You are one to be honored and one to be cherished. For you are a divine child of God. And yet living on the Earth is not always easy for you. But then you chose this. You asked to be present on the Earth at this time. And you asked to be able to bring a certain focus that may be slightly different. In other words, the focus on the Earth and the perspective of many who live there, what is expected of you by many and what is desired of you by some, is NOT your focus. Is that so? You have a different gift to bring to the Earth. And you are an Indigo Child. You may not be an indigo child like some; you are a variation, for they are not all the same. Perhaps you have brought in the indigo heart and the indigo need for truth and the need for beauty. Perhaps you have brought in the indigo sensitivity that only wants to be about love. It wants to circulate love and create love. Maybe you have brought in the artistic perception of an Indigo. Or even the Grand Intelligence and Deep Scientific Calculations of an Indigo who is at home with computers and devices of intricacy.
There are things for you to learn
and there are things for you to teach.
This does not make you better than anyone else. Nor is anyone else better than you are. All are of GOD. It is like a grand garden. There are many flowers that grow in this garden. The seed that sprouted your particular flower has come from a long way away. And yet it has seeded in the garden of the Earth. So know that you are in your right place for now because you are here. You need to be here. There are things for you to learn and there are things for you to teach. You need to be here. So do not waste your time dreaming of leaving. Because in your dreams and in your visions and those that are forthcoming, you may see and catch glimpses of other worlds. They are worlds that you have lived in. But it does not mean that there is any mistake that you have come here. For you have come here to open the heart. Even if it is in a rather unique way, as seen from the perspective of some on the Earth.
And I shall not tell to you all the things that you will do. For you are a flower that grows upon a vine. And what does that mean? It means that you grow intertwined with others. And there are others that shall come and they will join you. And you shall grow together. And you shall find the others that are like you. And then you will not feel so alone.
For you have come to build a new society
Deep inside of you you know why you have come, for your heart knows. And you have come to seed a New Kind of Being. And it does go against the grain of your society. For you have come to build a new society. You have come to become a builder of a new focus and a new society. And it is as if there is a prism and you have come to polish one of the colors on the prism. But I say to you in order to accomplish that which you have come to do – your job – your gift – it is important for you to honor the other colors in the prism. And it is important that you achieve a certain amount of balance in your world, so that others might listen to you. So that you might learn about many things. So that THEN you can bring your own gift, and others will listen to you. For they will not always understand you, but when you understand them, by dabbling, you might say, a little bit in all of the things that are important to them, then you shall bring them to you, endear them to you. And then they will not be afraid of you. And they will not be put off by you. And they will come closer to you. And then they will be able to see your gift. And those things that you create, you will then be able to share with them, because you have not separated yourself from them.
It is important that you learn something about
everybody. That is why you are in school
And it is not that you should separate yourself from any other, but that you would bring the Gift of Unity and Oneness. Perhaps you are a golden thread. But then there are threads that are silver and threads that are white and there are threads that are green and gray. And you have come to take a needle and unite all of the threads. And not to be superior and not to be inferior. And not to stop listening to your own heart either. But in order to gain the heart and the ear, so that others will see your works and listen to you, it is important that you learn something about everybody. That is why you are in school.
You have already come with a gift and you have a purpose. It is to restore beauty on the Earth. To restore the heart. And to hold a focus of the Divine Feminine. And the Divine Feminine comes forth from you like a fountain. Much beauty and much flow of harmony, for you are all about harmony and love. And where there is no harmony, you do not understand it. And where there is no love, you do not want to be there. And where it does not make sense to your heart, your mind wants to leave and not be there. And that is why the dreams are so strong within you. And that is why the force of love is so strong within you. But in order to grow and strengthen your stem and build your leaves and branches as the bright flower are, it is important, since you are planted in the soil of the Earth, to understand something of the Earth. And that is why you are in school. To understand something of things that you may not choose to be with for very long. But go through the learning of it. And learn something about it. Why? So you can speak with many people. So you can love many people. So you can share your gifts with them and learn from their gifts. And it doesn’t mean that you will lose the wondrous gift that you bring.
You are different but you are also the same
You are different but you are also the same. Because everything is united. That which created Everything. Every flower, every bird, every planet, every universe, every little dog and every little human and every little angel. The Creator of All put a thread of Unity through all so that everything moves altogether. On your Earth, it is not so easy to see the threads. They look invisible, but they are not. Everything is united.
So please, Beloved Indigo Child, please honor and love yourself
So please, Beloved Indigo Child, please honor and love yourself and know that you are honored in Heaven, even as you shall be honored on Earth. And there is unity there as well! Heaven and Earth are really one. Everything is really connected. This you will see before too long, if you do not already see it.
Earth is a little bit of a school itself. You may not like school and you may not like Earth at times. But please honor Her. Know that She is alive. She isn’t just a big ball that you walk on. She is alive. Every little part of Her. Even as you walk on Her Big Body, She is conscious and She is growing. And She is, in one sense, in Her own school of development, of expansion. She is spinning through space and doing many things. And She shelters you. And She is one of your mothers, for She nourishes you. Her elements are in your physical body and Her soils, although depleted by Humanity, give you food to eat. Her waters give you drink.
So, please, Beloved One, honor your heart for it is full. And honor your mind as well. For it is full. They go together. The mind follows the heart; let the mind keep pace with the heart.
new society. And it is as if there is a prism and you have come to polish one of the colors on the prism. But I say to you in order to accomplish that which you have come to do – your job – your gift – it is important for you to honor the other colors in the prism. And it is important that you achieve a certain amount of balance in your world, so that others might listen to you. So that you might learn about many things. So that THEN you can bring your own gift, and others will listen to you. For they will not always understand you, but when you understand them, by dabbling, you might say, a little bit in all of the things that are important to them, then you shall bring them to you, endear them to you. And then they will not be afraid of you. And they will not be put off by you. And they will come closer to you. And then they will be able to see your gift. And those things that you create, you will then be able to share with them, because you have not separated yourself from them.
one sense, in Her own school of development, of expansion. She is spinning through space and doing many things. And She shelters you. And She is one of your mothers, for She nourishes you. Her elements are in your physical body and Her soils, although depleted by Humanity, give you food to eat. Her waters give you drink.
Are you always searching for your greater purpose in life but feel like the world isn’t set up for your kind?