ON A DEEPER LEVEL....

Diary Of a Shy Black Woman

2006-08-30T08:40:00.000+01:00

Diary Of a Shy Black Woman

I Like Her Style!

2006-08-13T17:27:00.000+01:00

I Like Her Style!

It makes more sense....

2005-11-17T16:20:00.000Z

You're either part of the solution or part of the problem.

Thats making more and more sense as I figure stuff out...

Maybe I'm getting more stuck in certain ways, but there seems to be a bigger gap between the rights and wrongs ... for my life.

Whats right/wrong for others is up to them.

I'm trying to stick more to vital living....

SCORPIO LUNAR CYCLENov. 1 - Nov. 3o

Release, renew and transform... that's the theme, challenge and opportunity presented by this lunar cycle. The intense emotional and powerfully creative stuff of life, as well as the old emotional monsters sabotaging your dreams and desires is what Scorpio is all about.

If there's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on in your life, just know that the status quo is about to change in a big way. Remember that it's all a divine design to help you loosen up old deeply stuck energies so you can use them in new constructive ways in your life. Issues that have been unclear or unresolved since the Scorpio eclipse last May now gain a shot of clarity so you can be re-inspired or dream a different dream.

A stressful Full Moon in Taurus asks you to look at what you value most and what you really need to feel secure. Many old ideas about prosperity and financial and material security are no longer valid.

Mercury begins its last retrograde of the year Nov. 14.

Tensions in the external world mount as the month progresses, so it's crucial that you stay strongly aligned with your highest intentions. Be sure you set aside more time to rest and cultivate a deep spiritual connection to light your way.

The reward is not just change, but transformation. That's quite an incentive.

REIKI & CHIOS....

2005-10-05T16:23:00.000+01:00

WOW....
Yup, it is amazing.

I did my attunement with a student last night and the energy buzz was crazy! I feel like Universe has pushed me once again to whole new direction... and made me see that YES, I can do it if I want to... and that rewards are great if I'm working without fear.

I really didn't feel like I was ready to start teaching it - it was just by pure chance that someone wrote in wanting to start it up. I always believe that you meet people for a reason and that if you are brought to a new opportunity, its best to see where it might take you. The reasons don't always show up straight away.

I took it. I loved the experience and I can't wait to do more!

Reiki & Chios are amazing!

ARTICLE....

2005-09-23T15:53:00.000+01:00

Oppression of women may be killing men: study

2005-09-20

The tradition of male dominance over women in many societies may be one of the reasons men have a higher death rate, according to UK researchers.

In an analysis of statistics from 51 countries, they concluded that patriarchy --the systematic dominance by men over women -- may explain nearly half of the discrepancy between female and male death rates. The greater that the oppression of women was in a given country, the researchers report, the higher was the male death rate at any given age.

"These data suggest that oppression and exploitation harm the oppressors as well as those they oppress," the study authors conclude in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

It's well known that in many countries throughout the world, men tend to die at a younger age than women do, and have a higher death rate at all ages. In the U.S. and other industrialized nations, men tend to develop heart disease years earlier than women do, and before the age of 65, their rate of death from the disease is far higher.

In addition, men's rates of death from accidents, suicide and homicide are also markedly higher than those of women. The fact that men have traditionally been more likely than women to smoke, drink heavily or use drugs has been cited as one of the reasons for the discrepancy in death rates.
But the roots of these and other potentially life-shortening behaviors may lie in the "machismo" that is widely accepted as a social norm, according to Dr. Alex Scott-Samuel of the University of Liverpool, one of the authors of the new study.

Risk taking, aggression, competitiveness and suppression of emotions are all widely viewed as "manly" attributes in male-dominated societies, but in excess, Scott-Samuel told Reuters Health, are "clearly damaging and dangerous."

In addition, he noted, social expectations that a man have these qualities and "be the dominant sex" may create enough stress to take a toll on his health.

For their study, the researchers analyzed statistics from Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. They focused on age-adjusted death rates for 1995, as well as male and female homicide rates, and gross domestic product per person -- a measure of national wealth.

Female homicide rates were used to gauge a country's oppression of women, as violence against women is considered an indicator of patriarchy in a society. The researchers found that female homicide rates, even with male homicide rates and national wealth factored in, strongly correlated with age-adjusted death rates for men.

For example, Russia had the highest female homicide rate, at 11.60 per 100,000 women, as well as the highest male mortality rate, at 1,560.60 per 100,000.

In Israel, which had one of the lowest female homicide rates -- 0.6 per 100,000-age-adjusted male mortality was 467.90 per 100,000. The U.S. had a female homicide rate of 3.80 per 100,000 women, and a male mortality rate of 669.40 per 100,000.

Homicide rates among women is an imperfect measure of societal patriarchy -- which is "by no means an easily definable, uncontested, or easily measured concept," the researchers acknowledge.

Scott-Samuel said he and his colleagues are now studying a wider range of patriarchy "indicators" in a smaller group of countries.

If male dominance is in fact shortening men's lives, the researchers conclude, then the higher male mortality rate worldwide could be seen as a "preventable social condition."

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, October 2005.

Wisechoices

2005-09-07T19:19:00.000+01:00

Wisechoices

MY ATTUNEMENTS

2005-09-07T19:02:00.000+01:00

I'm going through a 31 day detox after my last reiki attunement....

And I do feel strangely better.... even though I physically seem to be holding all the signs of toxic energy/pain.

Somehow, I really feel that Reiki has brought a new light into my life. I've recently seen some information on Seckmet reiki which is the Egyptian tools of healing and symbols - it really blew my mind! I'd love to get deeply into that when I've finished the one I'm doing.

Lucky for me my Reiki master is so open-minded, very caring and she has such a glow to her when she does her work.... it is beautiful. I was afraid at first that I would pick a teacher who was very strict on the rules - I wanted the freedom to do my own inner exploring until I came across her. She's great!

I'll keep you updated.

IF YOU NEED A BEAUTY TIP.....

2005-09-02T00:14:00.000+01:00

IF YA NEED A BEAUTY TIP....

Nothing makes you look better than feeling good!

How true that is! Skin feels fresh, clothing feels a touch brighter and livelier... and I feel like a million $ make-over took place...except it happened on the inside first and no money can buy that ish.

The mind really is a powerful thing.

PERFECT TIMING FOR THIS MESSAGE!

2005-08-31T12:51:00.000+01:00

When you can't see how you will get it all done, the thing to do is to do what you can. Even when it's difficult to imagine getting the job finished, the thing to do is to take the first step.Creating something of value takes time and effort. The thing to do is to make that effort.

Getting beyond the difficult challenges will require persistence and diligence. The thing to do is to keep going.

When you're not sure where to start, the thing to do is to find some action that will move you forward. Even if you start slowly, it's much better than falling further behind.

When you don't know how you'll continue, the thing to do is to focus on the next effort. The more diligently you work on it, the more good and valuable options you'll see opening up to you.

Whatever may come your way, the thing to do is to make the most of all that you have to work with. And every moment will move you closer to where you have chosen to go.

I've been working on my Reiki course now - and practicing my energy healing... it is SO amazing!
The more I learn from it, the more I feel like the universal life force is guiding me... I mean, I knew it before but I never really knew it up until this moment in time....

REIKI INFO:

http://solarraven.com/reikisplash.html
http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/reikinews.html

A LONG PAUSE, A MUCH NEEDED BREAK

2005-08-26T00:04:00.000+01:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted any personal thoughts up on here...
I'm just feeling so good, its unbelievable.

I feel like this Summer a few personal doors have been opened... I felt things which I forgot, I met people I thought would never exist, I loved, I still love and I'm back with a huge smile lol.

Its funny how when I go away and return to 'real life', I'm in a daze for a while ... then something comes up and my whole being is sucked back into the old flow of things. Bang, it hits. It was kinda hard at first but then I felt like this was a chance to really use my spiritual awakenings to REAL use - before old habits start up again.

This is the real test - will it last out here too?!?

Living in purpose - not in expectation.
Woo-hoo - its a beautiful feeling.

SOMETHING TO READ EVERY MORNING.....

2005-08-26T00:02:00.000+01:00

Today matters
Live today like it matters. Because it does.There are people you'll never even know who will be influenced by what you do today. So give this day your attention, your love, your very best.

There are ways that you cannot now imagine in which your own life will be influenced by the way you live this day. So live it with integrity, enthusiasm and an eye for the positive possibilities.

The world in which you live will be affected by the way you make use of this day. So fill your moments with thankfulness, imagination and joy.

Today matters, and right now you have the chance to make it matter in a most positive and fulfilling way. Today is the day when your life is lived, and many things in your life will be determined by what you do with today.

If you take this whole day for granted, it will leave you with nothing but regret. Yet it does not have to be that way. Live today like it matters, for now is when you truly can.

-- Ralph Marston

LUNAR THOUGHTS....

2005-08-20T15:36:00.000+01:00

LEO LUNAR CYCLE August 4 - Sept. 2

Have the courage and strength to follow your heart, celebrate your life and shine shine shine! Romance and creativity are on the agenda, so take pride in your home and make it comfortable for yourself and inviting for your friends... and lovers. Mercury's still retrograde in Leo making this an especially powerful productive time for journaling. Remember the importance of passion, play and laughter and if situations heat up, a playful sense of humor can defuse an over-active ego and help you maintain a fresh perspective. The Aquarius Full Moon emphasizes friendship and asks you to reflect on ways your creative vision could benefit the earth and the greater good. The upside of this Leo cycle happens when you're an open-hearted channel for the creative power of spirit. The downside is an ego-driven perspective that's focused on what you want from others. Blend your imagination with an urge to seek the highest ideal and put forth intentions that support your individual creativity. Welcome more joy into your life and everything your heart desires will flourish.

FROM http://www.moonsurfing.com/mo-ovr.html

ANOTHER GOOD-BYE

2005-08-19T21:39:00.000+01:00

Touched, I searched for words.
Thoughts never seem to come together at the right time,
Muffled, faded, searching to verbalise my ideas into sense.
Emotions and ideas collide,
Leaving me feeling a little breathless
A little worn out.
Or was that just you're pre-ESSENCE?
How do I explain and function
In the face of such love and light?
How do I tell a stranger
How my heart took flight?
The healing of a brief connection,
Unexpected to find what I did,
The YOU-ni-VERSE came
To find me the conclusion to a much lost plan.
He came, he went.
Alone, the silence said it all.

MY DAILY MOTIVATOR SAID....

2005-05-07T19:33:00.000+01:00

Your assumptions

It's difficult to see what you assume is not there. It's impossible to accomplish what you assume you cannot do.Be careful not to become a prisoner of your own assumptions. Though assumptions can be useful, they can also become obsolete.

If nothing seems to be working for you, that's a good sign that it's time to re-examine your assumptions. Often, a simple change in your assumptions can open you up to a whole new level of valuable and positive possibilities.

What might seem totally absurd at the moment could very well become completely reasonable after a change in assumptions. What may once have been unquestionably out of your reach could quickly become very accessible with a change in your assumptions.

What is possible for you is firmly rooted in what you assume to be possible. The world you see is based largely on the world you assume is there.

Your assumptions have a powerful influence on the substance and quality of your life. Renew, replace, and reinvigorate your assumptions so as to always keep their power working in your favor.

-- Ralph Marston

__________________
So true!

I love that -Get your daily dose here

SOMETHING I READ.....

2005-05-06T20:39:00.000+01:00

IF MY SMILES WERE TO SUDDENLY REALLY SHOW HOW I FEEL, DO YOU THINK ANYONE COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
HOW MANY MASKS CAN I TAKE OFF BEFORE I SEE MY OWN?

...Those words really got to me when I was reading it somewhere.
It just made so much sense, how many people do you know really smile because it is a true smile? How many times did you do a smiley (which wasn't so real)?

Try to spot the fake one and you'll see how hard it is.
People are so goos at hiding.

I'M NOT SITTING ON MY A**..... honestly (winks)

2005-05-05T16:59:00.000+01:00

11 Ways To Stop Procrastinating And Get Motivated

by Peter Murphy

Do you spend more time procrastinating than you do accomplishing? The keys to success in overcoming procrastination are to determine the reasons you lack motivation in the first place, to create a plan for success, and follow the plan to the letter.

You can follow some practical steps and make permanent changes in your life. Start living up to your true potential by rising to a new level of motivation, energy, and dedication.

There are at least 11 important points to consider...

1. People procrastinate for different reasons ranging from fear of failure (or success) to just plain lazy. By first identifying some of the reasons you procrastinate, you can develop a plan to end your frustration, finally get motivated, and stay motivated.

2. A major component of motivation is self-confidence. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, and feeling unworthy or undeserving are common reasons people procrastinate. Taking steps to improve your self-esteem will go a long way in helping you get motivated.

3. Two things in particular motivate human beings: pleasure and pain. Make a list of the pleasure you'll get from accomplishing your goals. Also list the consequences you'll suffer by procrastinating.

4. If you keep the reward in mind it will be easier to stay focused. Evaluate your life and do some soul searching. Overcoming irrational fears and phobias are critical steps in becoming self-confident and motivated.

5. The act of procrastinating itself causes your self-esteem to suffer. Feelings of guilt, stress, and anxiety only lead to unfulfilled goals and dreams. If you dislike yourself because you lack the courage to pursue your dreams, then you set yourself up for failure.

6. Take a good look at your personal issues and make your plan. Give your goals and daily tasks your full attention and strive to complete everything on your list, each and every day.

7. Procrastination is a habitual behavior. Once you start procrastinating the harder it is to break the habit. It takes time and dedication to develop new habits. If you understand what causes you to procrastinate, you can take steps to change.

8. Improving your self-esteem and breaking old habits will put you on the path to success. Reward yourself for small accomplishments and keep in mind the end result of reaching your goals.

9. Procrastination can be overcome if you make a plan to change and follow it closely. If you fail to complete a given task, then don't take the reward. Realize that there are consequences for every action you take.

10. There is connection between physical and emotional well being. Taking steps to better your health will help you to stay motivated and stop procrastinating. Exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and concentrate on good health habits as well as good mental and work habits.

If you are feeling bad, whether emotionally or physically, you accomplish less, which makes you feel even worse.

11. Overcoming procrastination is perhaps one of the most important steps you can take to improve your life and become the motivated, successful person you are capable of being.

You have to let go of your old personality and ways of doing things to change, quit procrastinating and get motivated! About the Author:
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm

UK ELECTIONS....

2005-05-04T17:15:00.000+01:00

POLITICS = POLL-I-TRICKS

why do I get the feeling that we're about to see another Blair witch project all over again...

A leader with no trust of his own people...A person who has too much stupid pride to confess the facts...A liar who will not admit his own mistakes...A man who fails to sit and listen...But what do we know?!? His decision was based on more than we'll ever be told.

Thats POLL-I-TRICKS.

wiat and see.

A STATEMENT I HAD TO KEEP...

2005-05-02T01:00:00.000+01:00

Being a successful woman does not mean being single and alone.

Being single does not mean lonliness and doom.

Being married does not equal selling out your career and identity as a strong independent woman.

Being married does not equal automatic happiness.

LINKS....

2005-05-01T15:32:00.000+01:00

If I have posted these up before, just skip over them -there are a few added ones....

http://www.womenscreativity.com/
http://allcrafts.net/
http://www.creativityforlife.com/
http://www.creativewomensnetwork.co.uk/
http://www.creativity-portal.com/
http://www.womenfolk.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/
http://authorsden.com/
http://www.nubianpoets.com/
http://artprotein.com/
http://www.moondance.org
http://www.spiritinart.com/

If I need a blast of creative inspiration, these links go well!

2005-04-29T17:13:00.000+01:00

Quotations about Writers and Intuition

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. William Wordsworth

If you are going to write you must become aware of this richness in you and come to believe in it and know it is there so that you can write opulently and with self-trust. If you once become aware of it, have faith in it, you will be all right. But it is like this: if you have a million dollars in the bank and don’t know it, it doesn’t do you any good. Brenda Ueland

All I am is the trick of words writing themselves. Anne Sexton

Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating. Anne Lamott

At once it struck me what quality went to form a Man of Achievement, especially in Literature, and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously –I mean Negative Capability, that is when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason. John Keats

Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness. Allen Ginsberg

It’s all about letting the story take over. Robert Stone

To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand. Jose Ortega y Gasset

The process of creating is related to the process of dreaming although when you are writing you’re doing it and when you’re dreaming, it’s doing you. Robert Stone

Writing is a kind of free fall that you then go back and edit and shape. Allan Gurganus

I never know when I sit down, just what I am going to write. I make no plan; it just comes, and I don’t know where it comes from. D.H. Lawrence

Sometimes dreams show me that my writing should go deeper. Dreams have not so much changed my work as deepened it. Anne Rice

The unconscious creates, the ego edits. Stanley Kunitz

The imagination has resources and intimations we don’t even know about. Cynthia Ozick

…perhaps the most important thing we can ever do in our lives is find a way to keep the wild – both the wild inside and the wild outside us – and to tap into it. Anne Rivers Siddons

I feel that art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm. Saul Bellow

Dreams raise the emotional level of what I’m doing at the moment. Maurice Sendak

Knowledge of what you love somehow comes to you; you don’t have to read nor analyze nor study. If you love a thing enough, knowledge of it seeps into you with particulars more real than any chart can furnish. Jessamyn West

Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake? Leonardo da Vinci

The dancer becomes the dance. And I am the writing. Louis L’Amour

It is my heart that makes songs, not I. Sara Teasdale

The necessity of the idea creates its own style. The material itself dictates how it should be written. William Faulkner

All writing is dreaming Jorge Luis Borges

I truly think that you can’t go and stalk your material, you have to leave the door open and whatever chooses you, chooses you. You can’t go and wrestle it to the ground. Louise Erdrich

A mind too active is no mind at all. Theodore Roethke

Read carefully, then don’t read; work hard, then forget about it; know your tradition, then liberate yourself from it; learn language, then free yourself from it. Finally, know at least one form of magic. Gary Snyder

The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him. Rachel Carson

Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be fish. Ovid

I feel it in me like a woman having a baby, all that life churning inside me. I feel it every day; it moves, stretches, yawns. It’s getting ready to be born. It knows exactly what it is. Maurice Sendak

Think of yourself as an incandescent power, illuminated and perhaps forever talked to by God and his messengers. Brenda Uleland

You can’t depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus. Mark Twain

You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born… Ranier Maria Rilke

Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a reality beyond words…by means of art we are sometimes sent – dimly, briefly – revelations unattainable by reason. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

It’s like driving a car at night. You never see further than you headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. E.L. Doctorow

Without imagination of the one kind or of the other, moral existence is indeed a dreary and prosaic business…Illumined by the imagination, or life – whatever its defeats – is a never-ending unforeseen strangeness and adventure and mystery. Walter De La Mare

As soon as you accept the accidental effects, they are no longer accidents. They are necessity – the part of yourself that you could not expect or design beforehand. Thus the realm of your creativity grows wider. Kazuaki Tanahashi

It is with fine sentiments that bad literature is made. Descend to the bottom of the well if you wish to see the stars. Andre Gide

For how do we know that the thoughts which occur in dreaming are false rather than those others which we experience when awake, since the former are often not less vivid and distinct than the latter? Descartes

All Nature is but art, unknown to thee; All Chance, direction which thou canst not see. Alexander Pope

…Intuition works best when you remember that 'tuition' is part of it. You need to have paid ahead of time (i.e. Done your prep work ) so as to prepare the ground for intuition. Jane Yolen

2005-04-29T17:09:00.000+01:00

Creativity Quotations

I think that one's art is a growth inside one. I do not think one can explain growth. It is silent and subtle. One does not keep digging up a plant to see how it grows.
Emily Carr, Artist and Author

Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education, dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?
Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosopher

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thoughts, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.
Norbet Platt, Author

Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words… By means of art we are sometimes sent – dimly, briefly – revelations unattainable by reason.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Prize Winning Author

Any work of art, provided it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love.
Truman Capote, Author

Without imagination of the one kind or of the other, mortal existence is indeed a dreary and prosaic business… Illumined by the imagination, our life, whatever its defeats – is a never-ending unforeseen strangeness and adventure and mystery.
Walter De La Mare, Poet

Interviewer: If your house were on fire, which object would you take with you?
Jean Cocteau: The fire!
Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Filmmaker, Painter and Choreographer

Who am I? the artist asks. And he devotes his whole life to finding out.
Agnes de Mille, Dancer

You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born…
Rainer Maria Rilke, Poet

I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms, dances in the back of my mind.
Gary Snyder, Poet

In art, as in life, everything is possible so long as it is based on love.
Marc Chagall, Painter

Life will go on as long as there is someone to sing, to dance, to tell stories, to listen.
Oren Lyons Author

A poet needs to keep his wildness alive inside him.
Stanley Kunitz, Poet

A man's work is nothing but the slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.
Albert Camus, Philosopher and Novelist

The purpose of art is to heal. I believe that every person is a special kind of artist, rather than the common belief that artists are special kinds of people.
Samuel Avital, Mime

There is no perfect time to write. There is only now.
Barbara Kingsolver, Author

Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.
Samuel Butler, Author

Only when he no longer knows what he is doing, does the painter do good things.
Edgar Degas, Painter

That which is static and repetitive is boring. That which is dynamic and random is confusing. In between lies art.
John Locke, Philosopher

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.
Stella Adler, Actress, Director, Acting Coach

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
Thomas Merton, Poet and Monk

Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature.
Salvador Dali, Painter

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
Duke Ellington, Musician

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
Rumi, Poet

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.
Friedrich Nietzche, Philosopher

The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one's soul to grow.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Author

If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, as an artist, I will answer you, "I am here to live out loud."
Emile Zola, Novelist and Critic

IF YOU'RE BIG ON YOGA AND HAVE KIDS -OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS.....

2005-04-27T15:40:00.000+01:00

THEN BUY THIS BOOK!

Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other shoppers!

One of best yoga book for children, February 8, 2005

Reviewer: happyoga from London, England

This is one of the best yoga for children book I've seen. The instructions are crystal clear and the author has very succesfully managed to integrate the philosophical concept of yoga with a fun practice of postures and breathing. Every parent should be able to build a strong yoga practice fun for the all family!

Yoga for You and Your Child by Mark Singleton, March 1, 2004

Reviewer: Felicia M Tomasko from Southern California

I have a new favourite children’s yoga book—Yoga for You and Your Child. With poses named for animals and an emphasis on exploration of the body, Yoga is a discipline naturally favored by children, if they are taught in such a way that nurtures their creative spirit. As someone who has taught yoga to children, I find that an approach that is not only serious, but also playful, works most effectively to both spark a child’s interest in the practise of yoga and allow them to benefit from the mind-focusing, stress-reducing, and spiritual awakening and support provided by the discipline of yoga.

This new book, Yoga for You and Your Child, by Mark Singleton, is a welcome addition to the literature of teaching children yoga. It is unique in its approach, writing to parents and children together, inviting them to practise jointly. The book includes creative poses with enticing names like rocket, half moon, pigeon king, kicking mule, spider, big and little butterfly, cradling the baby, walking the dog, toad walking, and swamp monster. Singleton deftly describes yoga games including tag, obstacle races, whodunit yoga, and a day in the life, to keep a child’s interest focused on the practise. He not only explores the physical side of yoga, but includes information on teaching pranayama-the breath techniques of yoga, as well as meditation, relaxation techniques, the gift of attention, and an explanation of how yoga can be brought into the classroom.

The pictures and graphics in the book are engaging and beautifully done. The photos of children and parents practicing yoga together are not only easy to follow but capture the playful—and sometimes mischievous spirit of young yogis. If you are a parent, even if you don’t do yoga now, buy this book to inspire the practise of yoga at home with your child. If you do yoga, buy this book for a wealth of creative ideas and hours of fun reading.

MY PATTERN TYPE?

2005-04-24T18:27:00.000+01:00

What Pattern Are You?

LIFE CONVERSATIONS -FOR CHILL OUT SUNDAYS WITH THOUGHT

2005-04-24T15:23:00.000+01:00

TUNE IN ONLINE -DON'T MISS!

Radio Show - Life Conversations

www.RamJamRadio.com

with
Adé and Ombassa
on
EVERY Sunday
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20K Ramjamradio - Sunday 7pm - 9pm GMT
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Life Conversations… The Radio Show is dedicated to empowering its listeners spiritually, emotionally, socially and financially. Our intention is to be the catalyst for change and a platform for other coaches, speakers, spiritual healers, truth practitioners, counselors, therapists etc; to share their skills, experiences, tools and techniques that will serve as a roadmap for our listeners on their path of self discovery.

The Radio Show provides the platform for stimulation of thoughts, conversations and ways of being that allow our listeners to explore and examine what it is they believe and decide whether what they believe, is keeping them stuck and disempowered or empowering them to live their best life.

Our vision for the show is to provide a channel for people to develop the courage to live a successful and a fulfilling life. Also, to provide a avenue for the people in this business of personal excellence, particularly in the UK to reach a larger audience in the world.

Life Conversations…the radio show is also providing us the grand opportunity to share our work, passion and truth with the world. We believe that individually we all have something to contribute to the world and we are excited to create a space for all our listeners to learn, to grow and share.

TAKEN FROM THIS SITE

A BLAST OF THOUGHTS....

2005-04-23T21:07:00.000+01:00

Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt,dance like no-one is watching.

Tips For Personal Brainstorming
By Chuck Frey

Everyone has problems and challenges that need solving; they're an inevitable part of living. What many people don't realize, however, is that most of them can be overcome using a simple, focused program of personal brainstorming. Here are some practical tips to help you increase the effectiveness of your personal problem-solving skills:

Step 1: State your problem clearly

Before you start, firmly plant in your mind the idea that your problem can and will be solved. Your job is to find that solution, using personal brainstorming.

State your problem clearly and concisely in one sentence at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Then write down everything you know about your current problem or challenge. Try to isolate and write down specific factors or trends that have contributed to it. Keep in mind that a problem, clearly defined, is already half solved.

By gathering all of the information that you know about your challenge and laying it out in front of you in tangible form, you enable your most powerful problem-solving tool -- your brain -- to see connections, interrelationships and implications in the information you've collected, which would not be obvious if you just kept all of this information in your head.

Think about people who have faced problems or challenges similar to the one you are facing. What strategies or solutions did they use? Then determine if any elements of their solutions can be adapted to your current situation.

Step 2: Brainstorm solutions

As you review your problem statement and supporting information, write down any ideas that occur to you. Don't censor yourself at this point; there will be plenty of time to evaluate your ideas later. Write down every idea, no matter how far-fetched. Your goal at this stage of the personal ideation process is to generate a large quantity of ideas.

Ask yourself: How would a person who is an expert in this area solve this problem? You might want to try this exercise using famous people from history, creative thinkers such as Albert Einstein, or other leaders and innovators that you respect. Your goal for this exercise is to perform a bit of "slight of head" -- to whack your thinking into a different frame of reference to generate fresh ideas and insights.

Divide your problem into its component pieces and write each of them down -- perhaps in a mind map or outline that shows the relationships between each element. Then, try brainstorming ideas for each one. This "slice and dice" technique often works well when you're faced with complex or multi-dimensional challenges.

Envision an ideal future goal or outcome. Then work backwards to the present, writing down the steps you would need to take now to move toward that objective.

If you find yourself running out of ideas too quickly, don't give up. Keep working at it until you have written down at least 20 possible ideas or solutions. Many times, the first 5 to 10 ideas you write down are top-of-mind solutions; often the best ideas take more concentrated and prolonged brainstorming to emerge.

Conclusion

Your subconscious mind likes closure. When faced with an incomplete picture, it works to complete the mental image by inferring the missing information. Your mind works the same way on an unsolved problem or challenge; it loves to dive right in and get the job done.

In closing, remember that you can solve your problems and capitalize on new opportunities using personal ideation. All you need is a pencil, a pad of paper and a quiet "thinking spot" to tap into your creative muse.

Chuck Frey is the founder of InnovationTools ( http://www.innovationtools.com ), a Web site that provides entrepreneurs and innovators with one of the best collections of resources on business innovation, creativity and brainstorming on the Web.

*****************************************************

10 Tips to Becoming a Gold-Dust-Person
By Julie Jordan Scott

"There is Gold Dust in the Air-for me!" These are the words spoken
by a successful business man in Catherine Ponder's classic work,
" The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity". In the opening chapter, his story is included for inspiration.

Lets take his affirmation deeper, into each of our lives. Imagine for a moment gold dust sparkling in the air in front of you.

What would gold dust look like, floating in space?

Now let’s take this possibility to a different level and from
a completely different perspective.

What would that glittering gold dust in the air look if it was
made up of your goals and dreams and plans and projects?

Imagine for a moment what it looks like on Star Trek as someone is
“beamed” up or down. I am picturing the Star Trek of my childhood
where I thought Captain Kirk was just about the handsomest man on
the planet...next to my dad, of course, who I saw as the ultimate
in handsomeness.

Special effects were not at all like they are now..... so there was
more shimmery-ness, less solidity. That is the quality to hold in
your mind's eye as you imagine your goals with that ethereal,
shimmering appearance like Kirk or Spock or Bones McCoy in the
“beaming” process…. That makes it clearer even in your goals not
completely-together-ness.

Tuck that thought, your goals, dreams, plans and projects as
shimmering gold dust, manifest-in-the-making as you continue to
read.

It might also help for you to imagine a person who already
exhibits that gold dust quality. Perhaps someone you know,
someone you admire, or someone from history. Perhaps a famous
inventor or entrepreneur or artist comes to mind.

Who is someone who had a vision, a goal, a practice or
shimmering gold dust of some form or fashion who then brought
that gold dust into complete manifestation?

I immediately thought of people like Julia Cameron or
Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell or
Suzanne Falter-Barnes.

Who comes to mind for you?

Now how do you suppose the person who you are holding in
your mind began walking this path?

Taken one step further, how do you suppose ANYONE walks and
CONTINUES to walk his or her path to becoming and ongoingly
being a Gold-Dust-Person?

Here are ten solid ways of becoming and then fully being a
gold dust person.

1. Gold-Dust-People reach towards and beyond their goals.
They keep their eyes on the horizon as they continue to
journey, being sure to replenish their spirits along the path
so it remains relatively clear.

2. Gold-Dust-People are open to suggestions and learn from
people who are where they are growing to be.

3. Gold-Dust-People have put their goals on paper either in
a linear fashion such as the standard “to-do” list of “life goals list”

or more artistic fashion, such as a dream board or collage or using
a combination of the two through mind mapping or
creating a list which has artful components.

4. Gold-Dust-People request constructive feedback from their
clients, coaches and mentors and discern what to integrate into
their lives and what to put aside.

5. Gold-Dust-People are those who are able to learn life
lessons from the times when life does not go as planned and
place more emphasis on celebrating the fact that they got up
rather than the point that they fell down.

6. Gold-Dust-People take responsibility for their actions and
commit to making amends when those actions interfere someone
else’s capacity to function as a gold dust person.

7. Gold-Dust-People respect their own gifts and abilities,
acknowledging they will achieve the most in life when they
utilize what is special within them. In that vein they do not
minimize their abilities and in fact, they continue to
strengthen them through practice and continued increase in use.

8. Gold-Dust-People have a strong sense of purpose or vision
which supports their goals, dreams, projects and plans. The
purpose and the vision is the foundation upon which the rest
is built.

9. Gold-Dust-People are lifelong students of their own brand of
success, reading, studying and applying new lessons on a daily
basis. They know their personalized brand of success bears
their personalized stamp which is then a light to all who see it.

10. Gold-Dust-People make choices which empower themselves,
their community and their world. Their choices power up the gold
dust, transforming the gold dust into tangible results which has
benefit for all the world to experience.

Take a moment to consider which of these attributes of a Gold
Dust Person already describes a part of who you are being on
a day-to-day basis. If you don’t see anything, ask someone else
you know and trust to look at the list and reflect back to you
what he or she sees.

Commit to strengthening that attribute in some form or fashion
within the next twenty four hours.

Now, more challenging perhaps, is discerning which quality is
completely contrary to you at your current state of personal
development.

Now commit to strengthening that attribute in some form or
fashion within the next twenty four hours through taking
even the teensiest, tiniest action.

To bring this all into one neat, clean and gloriously gold
dusted package, remember how your goals, dreams, plans and
projects looked as they were swirling about you, manifest-
in-the-making?

Now ask this question and take time to answer it. In fact,
you may just want to print this article out and use it as a
template for discovery.

On with the question:

"How can I leverage my personalized gold dust attributes most
efficiently and effectively move from swirling from gold dust
manifest-into-the-making into something tangible, that others
can experience as well?”

Over the next several days, really consider this question as
you meditate, exercise, journal or simply sit and ponder.
Bring it out into the open. Watch as that Gold-Dust takes form.

You have within you the ability to do all that you were meant
to do. You have the ability to be who you were created to be.
You can take all that you know today and bring it all to a
higher level. Join those prosperous people: the Gold-Dust-People.
Commit to do so, today.

******************************************************
Julie Jordan Scott is the Creator of the Passion Crafting Method
She assists you to Bring Art into Your Business and Business
into Your Art. Request your complimentary coaching session
now by visiting http://www.5passions.com or call 661.325.4116
Coaching and Training for All Budgets

Who Says You Can't Wear Red Shoes?
By Carolina Fernandez

Who says you can't wear red shoes? Or chartreuse for that matter!

Have you bought into the notion that only a few select individuals in this world are creative? Or that the only people who can act artistically are artists? If you struggle with these beliefs, recognize that you are not alone. These concepts are broadly, albeit mistakenly, held by the majority of the world’s population. Even pop culture confirms this sentiment, as evidenced, for example, in the wonderful scene in Father of the Bride 2 when George Banks, played by Steve Martin, having just been told that he is about to become a father again in midlife, yells at his OB/GYN that men his age don’t become fathers! When the doctor informs him that Picasso fathered a child in his seventies, Banks screams: “But he’s an artist! Artists can do whatever they want to do!”

Chances are, you have grown up with the notion that intelligence—and creativity—are measured by a standardized test, like the traditional IQ test developed by Alfred Binet. When Binet came up with his test, he was actually trying to categorize schoolchildren’s potential for learning. This test was his attempt to objectively measure comprehension, reasoning and judgment. Modern day research, however, paints quite a different story of the validity of the measurement of IQ and of creativity. We now know, for example, that each of us possess at least seven measurable intelligences, ranging from mathematical to linguistic to musical to interpersonal, to name a few. Additionally, neuroscientists have found that intelligence is not only located in the brain but in cells that are distributed throughout the body.

So not only are the notions of intelligence and creativity out of whack, but our comprehension of our potential falls short of the mark as well. In short, our capacity for creativity—our brainpower—is much greater than we could ever imagine! You could learn seven facts per second, every second, for the rest of your life and still have plenty of room left over to learn even more. Pyotr Anokhin of Moscow University compared the brain to a multidimensional musical instrument that could play an infinite number of musical pieces simultaneously. In short, each of us is gifted with a birthright of virtually unlimited potential!

So just how do we tap into our unlimited creative power? And more significantly, how do we unleash our power of creativity out into the world so that others may benefit?

First of all, it is imperative that you figure out what in the world you were created for! You must determine your life purpose! Each of us was created with a combination of gifts uniquely packaged into a particular being and given as our birthright. Of the six billion people currently living in the world and the more than ninety billion people who have ever lived, that has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone quite like you. Your creative gifts, your talents, your personality, your mannerisms, your dreams…are unprecedented! No one else in the world can bring your ideas to life in the way that you can. So you must understand, first and foremost, the wonderful idea that God had when He created you, and that for which you were created. Do you have a feeling of destiny, of your uniqueness, of your purpose in life? This is the jumping off point, for if this is still unrealized, you will no doubt flounder with your creative gifts until you discover that uniquely designed purpose God had in mind when He created you.

If you are still floundering, expose yourself to lots of different activities and see what clicks. Dabble in something and see if there appears to be any natural talent. I have always loved the feeling of paint on my fingertips, and of dabbling with brushes and paints on everything from paper to canvas to fabric to wood. But it was not until six months ago that I had the opportunity to take a formal oil painting class to see if I could learn proper technique and develop the eye of a painter. Imagine my excitement to discover that I can indeed paint! I am able to take a blank canvas, mix oils onto a palette, pick up a brush and produce something that actually resembles art! Granted, heavy doses of individual instruction have been critical in getting my work to this level. But I have discovered an area where my natural inclination has met both a natural curiosity and a natural passion such that fruitful progress is being made.

Expose yourself to beautiful music. The genius of the masters will open your mind to increased receptivity for creativity. The research on the Mozart Effect is widely recognized as valid: you increase both intellectual and creative powers when you listen to classical music, particularly that of Mozart and Bach. Their music was composed with particular attention to harmony and melody such that the brain waves of the listener are beneficially affected and creativity flourishes!

Expose yourself to great visual art. Visit museums. Develop an eye for aesthetics. You must develop respect for proper proportion, for symmetry, for balance, and for good line to understand good art. It is only by frequent exposure to the best the world has to offer that this can be assured.

Expose yourself to the performing arts. Delight in the creativity of opera and ballet, of great theater and of movies. Allow your imagination to stretch beyond its usual horizon.

Expose yourself to the world through travel. Taking a break from your typical daily scenery will free up your mind to enjoy different cultures, different accents and languages, different foods, different air, different smells, and different sights.

Study inspirational individuals. You want to be a better golfer? Study Tiger Woods. A better leader? Study Winston Churchhill. More creative? Study Leonardo daVinci.

Encourage productivity. One characteristic of creative people is that they produce. Geniuses never seem to run out of brilliant ideas. Bach wrote a cantata every week, even when he didn’t feel like it.

Think like a child. Get in touch with the child inside you. Look at issues in life and ask: “How would I look at this situation if I was six years old?”

Explore your dreams. Imagine. Daydream. Napoleon said that imagination rules the world. Imagine a world in which your creative talents took hold.

Seek out eccentric people. One of my friends is amongst the most eccentric people I know. She wore a mini-mini-skirt with “Pippi Longstockings” to my elegant birthday party, shocking my staid middle-aged friends who all traded their mini-skirts for mini-vans years ago. She gave me nail polish that changes color in the sunshine for my birthday gift, something most of us would have deemed more appropriate for our seven year-old daughters. She possesses a unique creative flair, without a thought for the comments of others. Her whole persona laughs.

Give yourself the freedom to act creatively. Let yourself act like an artist, whatever that means to you. If it means dressing in funk rather than Brook Brothers, so be it. If it means wearing sterling jewelry loaded with beads rather than 14k gold, go ahead. And yes, buy yourself a pair of red shoes. Or even chartreuse. And wear them. You will feel more creative instantly. Trust me.

======
CAROLINA FERNANDEZ is an author, professional speaker, and entrepreneur. She has a passion for inspiring creativity to people of all ages, but a particular joy in helping mothers as they dabble in what is arguably the most creative challenge ever invented: motherhood. Indeed, she gets much of her material from her own brood of four, and has utilized her experiences along with mountains of research in her book, ROCKET MOM: 7 Strategies to Blast You into the Creative Stratosphere. Explore creativity with her at: http://www.rocketmoms.com. As the Director of Children’s Ministries at her church in Coral Gables, Florida, she can be spotted wearing chartreuse clogs. Comments and inquiries: emomrx@yahoo.com.

ON WRITING....

2005-04-12T00:25:00.000+01:00

Tips

You know if you have rhythm or not, so if it don’t fit don’t force it. Forget the contract, forget your peers, and be honest. You must be able to look your writing in the face the next morning.

There are times when the writer has to realise that the spaces between the words can be as important as the words themselves. The poet needs to breath, so do the words.

Dictators know the power of words, this is why they burn books. Writers must understand the power at their fingertips, and black writers in particular must value that work they do.

When I write there is a voice in my head, by the time the words reach the page they are echoes from a source within. I have learnt to get to that source through meditation, not everyone wants to mediate, but everyone can just spend a few moments quietly listening to themselves.

taken from here

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH -MORE INSPIRATION...

2005-04-10T20:36:00.000+01:00

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

Benjamin Zephaniah is frequently heard & seen on TV & radio, & in early 1999 was being seriously tipped as the next Poet Laureate.

Benjamin was born in 1958 in Black River, Jamaica, he grew up in Handsworth with the other nine children in his family but by the age of fourteen was sent to borstal. Shortly after leaving he was sentenced for two years for a crime he never committed.

His first self-published pamphlet of poems appeared, called Pen Rhythm & through the dancehall & sound system scene he became involved in performance poetry. Articles then began to appear about him in the New Musical Express & Black Beat International, & a TV programme followed. In 1982, after extensive gigging in the UK & on the continent, he released the album RASTA.

In 1983 & 1985 London City Limits magazine declared him 'Poet of the Year' & in 1988 he was shortlisted for Oxford Professor of Poetry, awarded to the future Nobel prize-winner Seamus Heaney.

In the last few years he has acted in BBC TV & radio plays, performed much poetry at gigs & festivals & charity events. BZ appears increasingly on radio & television as performer & cultural commentator. He still performs all his work from memory.

HIS WEBSITE

HOLISTIC WELLNESS -FOR A HIP HOP GENERATION...

2005-04-10T20:08:00.000+01:00

...A really good DVD to have around!

More Information on it

The late Notorious B.I.G., who famously indulged in "T-bone steak, cheese, eggs and Welch's grape" in his classic single, "Big Poppa" — and evidenced by his hefty frame — is probably rolling in his grave. But the benefits of going veggie are taking root. A recently released DVD, "Holistic Wellness for the Hip-Hop Generation," speaks to young people about diet and health. Created by filmmaker Supa Nova Slom, the 110-minute documentary features appearances by artists Badu, rapper Common and Stic.man from Dead Prez. Meanwhile, vegetarianism is gaining popularity not only in hip-hop but in black communities across the nation. An informal survey of African-American vegetarians on the Web site www.blackvegetarians.org reveals that the top three reasons given for eliminating meat are health (34 percent), ethical reasons (14 percent) and spiritual or religious reasons (12 percent). Such conversions are changing the look of soul-food restaurants that are now trying to accommodate nonmeat eaters.

...Taken from this article-read!
Seattle Times:
Hip-hop artists spread word on vegetarian, vegan diets in black community

GOT MILK?

2005-04-09T17:36:00.000+01:00

http://www.notmilk.com/

AN ARTICLE:

White Poison: The Horrors of Milk

By Shanti Rangwani, ColorLines

Got milk? If not, then thank your lucky stars. Because if you do, medical research shows that you are likely to be plagued by anemia, migraine, bloating, gas, indigestion, asthma, prostate cancer, and a host of potentially fatal allergies – especially if you are a person of color.

Ignoring this, the government declares that milk is essential to good health, subsidizes the milk industry to the tune of billions of dollars, and requires milk in its public school lunch programs. And celebrity shills sporting milk mustaches tell us that milk is rich in proteins, calcium, and vitamins – and very cool to boot.

They forget to tell you about the dangers lurking in that innocuous-looking glass of white mlk. Once criticized only by naturopaths and vegans, now the health effects of milk are being decried by many mainstream doctors. The supposedly hip milk mustache is actually a creamy layer of mucus, live bacteria, and pus.

Former Chairman of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, Frank Oski, M.D. even has a book called Don't Drink Your Milk, which blames every second health problem kids suffer on hormone-ridden commercial milk. 60% of ear infections in kids under six years of age are milk-induced, and milk consumption is the number one cause of iron-deficiency anemia in infants today according to the American Association of Pediatrics.

But milk is also a racial issue. Almost 90% of African-Americans and most Hispanics, Asians, and Southern Europeans lack the genes necessary to digest lactose, the primary sugar in milk. The milk industry's response is classic: they have launched new campaigns arguing that non-whites can digest milk if they take in small sips during the day. There is a burgeoning industry worth $450 million a year churning out products designed to minimize lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance is the most common "food allergy," but to call it an allergy is to take a white-centric view that trivializes the fact that most of the world's people are not biologically designed to digest milk. Milk does no body good, but for the vast majority of the world's people – people of color – it is a public health disaster.

No other animal drinks cow's milk, not even calves once they are weaned. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, the U.S.'s leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding "cow's glue" to children, saying it can cause anemia, allergies and diabetes, and in the long term will set kids up for obesity and heart disease, the number one cause of death in this country.

Most of milk's much-vaunted protein is contained in casein – which is also a raw material for commercial glue. Undigested, it simply sticks to the intestinal walls and blocks nutrient absorption.

The mainstream media and the government ignore the medical studies showing that milk is a serious health threat, in part because people of color are the main victims. The institutionalization of racism is highlighted by U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson Eilene Kennedy's statement on milk, that the government's recommended food pyramid is intended for "the majority of Americans. It doesn't communicate to all Americans."

The USDA continues to require that school lunch programs include milk with every meal, and recommend that we glug milk for calcium, even though Harvard studies show an increase in osteoporosis and bone-breakage in people who consume milk. It says we should drink milk to prevent heart disease (and is echoed by Larry King) even though saturated fat constitutes 55% of milk solids.

The dairy lobby perpetrates lies to ensure its profits. It benefits directly from the exaggerated support prices the government shells out for this "health food." The government pays over a billion dollars a year for surplus butter. A General Accounting Office study concluded that a reduction in the government price-support system would have netted consumers savings of $10.4 billion from 1986 to 2001. And the USDA pays inflated prices to purchase dairy products for both the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and federal school lunch programs – milking the taxpayers and actually getting them to pay for poisoning 26 million school kids.

The milk lobby has whipsawed its way into the highest echelons of power. Staffers under Richard Nixon were indicted for accepting $300,000 from the dairy lobby for making milk part of the school lunch program. Dr. Robert Cohen of the Dairy Education Board, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing the milk lobby, contends that the dramatic 52% rise in asthma deaths among minority kids in New York coincided with the surplus milk, cheese, and butter pumped into them under the USDA's free school lunch and breakfast giveaway programs. The incidence of asthma deaths may be even higher since asthma is not a reportable disease, and asthma deaths are sometimes certified as cardiovascular disease.

There is also a direct link between milk consumption and prostate cancer among African-Americans, who have the highest incidence of this disease in the world. A study in Cancer has shown that men who reported drinking three or more glasses of whole milk daily had a higher risk for prostate cancer than men who reported never drinking whole milk.

The controversial Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) – banned in most countries – is pumped into U.S. milk cows to increase annual yield (50,000 pounds of milk per cow today compared to 2,000 pounds in 1959). Milk from cows treated with BGH is likely to contain pus from their udders since the hormone leads to mastitis, or udder infection. BGH use results in a tumor-promoting chemical (IGF-I) that has been implicated in an explosive increase of cancer of the colon, smooth muscle, and breast.

The antibiotics dairy farmers use to treat BGH-caused infections in cows appear in their milk and greatly hasten human tolerance to most antibiotics, a potentially life-threatening state of affairs. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that 38% of milk samples in 10 cities were contaminated with sulfa drugs and other antibiotics.

A fightback is beginning. Protesters picketed former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's planned milk promotion campaign with a photo of the mayor wearing a milk mustache over the caption, "Got Prostate Cancer?" Giuliani (who, like his father, has prostate cancer) dropped the campaign. And doctors from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine persuaded Washington, DC Mayor Anthony Williams not to declare May 11 as "Drink Chocolate Milk Day" by presenting evidence that milk is harmful, especially to people of color.

The PCRM – composed of some of the leading doctors in the U.S. – has campaigned extensively in the health and consumer press and led a successful legal effort in 1999 to make dairy products optional in the federal food guidelines. The campaign was supported by a number of prominent civil rights organizations and leaders, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, Martin Luther King, III, Jesse Jackson, Jr., the National Hispanic Medical Association, and former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders.

The dairy lobby remains cozy with most medical practitioners to perpetrate its "drink milk" propaganda. However, not one of the 1,500 papers listed in Medicine that deal with milk points to its goodness – only to the pus, blood, antibiotics, and carcinogens in milk, and the chronic fatigue, anemia, asthma, and autoimmune disorders milk consumption causes.

The time has come for the milk industry to face the kind of scrutiny that the tobacco companies face today. Meanwhile, discard the moo juice.

Shanti Rangwani is an allopathic doctor and a columnist for The Times of India

BACK ON LOVE...MUST BE SPRING....

2005-04-05T20:25:00.000+01:00

Back to the Q's on Love and what it means...
And reflection on the passing-by connections long gone.

Who said love has to hurt?
Love does not emotionally or physically drain us with pain or hurt... If it does, it is most definately NOT love.

In the name of love.....
The twisted image that 'love makes us do weird things' is just another attempt to turn a thing that is so pure into a controlling rage that excuses others to act on dangerous or negative impulses that harm others.

Maybe that is why there are so many people out there who feel that it is ok to stay in a negative relationship, worse yet....in a relationship when one of the partners is a controller -and the other a victim ... a victim to a wrong image of love. And I'm not just talking physical abuse.... there is so many ways to abuse another. Equally as harmfull - or maybe more so.

Love is just love, nothing more or less.
If we valued our right to love and be loved -in true Love, how much better would things be?

And yes, there are so many types or ways to love -no two connections are the same.
No two love connections should even be compared.
How can we appreciate love if we compare it to another?

The above still stands, if it hurts, if it makes us feel like we are in pain -- then love is definately not present.

Was Tsunami a natural disaster or man-made?

2005-03-25T16:51:00.000Z

There are many provable irregularities in the official American tsunami story that raise a lot of questions.

It is beyond any doubt that a giant tidal wave smashed its way through South and South East Asia carrying on to the western shores of Africa.

But the question which needs to be asked is whether this tsunami was a natural or man-made catastrophe?

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale had hit the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Jakarta Geophysical Office meticulously noted that the epicenter of the event was located 155 miles south-southwest of Aceh Province.

This location is approximately 250 miles south of the position later selected by the American NOAA, which plotted the epicenter to the north-west of Aceh, and initially claimed a Richter reading of 8.0 later upgrading the reading to 8.5, then to 8.9, and finally to 9.0.

The first proven irregularities were being peddled by American officials at the NOAA, who suddenly invented a new 'flexible' peak seismic wave for the event, of far greater magnitude than Jakarta, when the Jakarta office was located much closer at almost point-blank range.

It should be noted: there is no such thing as the new 'flexible' peak.

The first seismic peak recorded is the only real peak, unless of course you later manually draw in a few more peaks of your own, to match a contrived agenda. Naturally there is also only one epicenter, which was faithfully recorded by dozens of Indonesian and Indian seismographs.

Apart from the huge disparity in Richter values, the Indonesians and Indians were disturbed to find that the normal earthquake 'preamble' was missing from their seismograph charts.

What this means is that the normal steadily increasing number of transverse shear "S" waves that always precede an earthquake were missing, as were later aftershocks, which likewise always accompany a naturally occurring or Tesla standing-wave generated earthquake.

There were 'warnings' of aftershocks from the NOAA, but none actually occured.

What it means in layman's terms is that an earthquake is always triggered by a resonant electromagnetic frequency in the range 0.5 to 12 Hertz, but it is not an instant process, because the resonant frequency must be precise.

Thus as true resonance approaches, the fault line starts to tremble like a piece of rope under tension, and sends out warnings to the seismographs in the form of steadily increasing transverse shear waves.

If all you get is a cluster of "P" compression waves, then one is most certainly looking at an underground or sub sea explosion. They were the only copious seismic signals that the Indonesians and Indians received, and they looked very similar to those generated many years ago by large underground nuclear weapons in Nevada.

On the morning of 27 December, the Australian (New York owned) media was making it abundantly clear that the most badly hit nation in the region was Sri Lanka.

Under the orders of one Wall Street "gentleman" based in Australia known as Little Johnny Howard, four Australian Hercules planes complete with troops, guns and other tackle, invaded Sumatra just south of the devastated province of Aceh.

In turn, with 90% of its population killed by the tsunami, Aceh might perhaps one day soon become Indonesia's very own Guantanamo Bay, crawling with hundreds of heavily armed Australians and Americans.

Needless to say the Australians were merely the advance party, soon to be joined by a curiously well prepared and equipped U.S. Military.
Only a handful thought to question why they had been spending a whole year training for a "Humanitarian Mission", when the whole point of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps is normally to kill people in very large numbers.

Seemingly by magic, on its part the Pentagon managed to have two battle groups ready to sail at an instant's notice from Hong Kong and Guam during the normally chaotic Christmas to New Year period.

The next superbly orchestrated maneuver took place at sea. Out of Hong Kong rushed team one, comprised of the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln and her escort vessels, while the far more interesting team two rushed out of Guam, led by the USS Bonhomme Richard, a marine amphibious assault carrier crammed to the gunwales with gun-toting wooden tops.

The move of the Pentagon didn't go down too well with the Indian Government who knew fully well this was not a "normal" earthquake. On 27 December India refused to join George Bush's planned exclusive 'club of four', which would have effectively pulled this Asian nuclear power out of its new coalition with Russia, China and Brazil.

On 28 December the Indian Government politely warned the American military to stay clear of Indian sovereign territory.

Despite having a huge number of tsunami victims in its own State of Tamil Nadu, India completely converted the survey ship INS Nirupak into a 50-bed floating hospital in less than 72 hours, then sent it unarmed to help the desperate people of Aceh in Indonesia.

By direct comparison, America sent combat ships and armed Marines. The US Navy has two 1,000 bed hospital ships, the 'Comfort' and the 'Mercy', but neither one was dispatched. Though the USNS Comfort was deployed to New York when 3,000 Americans died in September 2001, this current lack of action sends a strong signal that 150,000 (mostly Muslim) dead in South East Asia, and half a million injured, are of no concern whatever to the power brokers in the U.S.

To force subservience on Asia, and ensure the lion's share of incredibly lucrative reconstruction contracts, all that was needed was a very large tsunami targeted on the selected nations, which was easily within the capabilities of a large thermonuke.

There is nothing new about "Sea Bursts" as they are called, and more than 30 years ago plans existed in both America and Russia to wipe out each other's coastal cities using exactly this technique. The tidal wave from a deep sea burst is relatively clean, allowing the aggressor to take over both land and remaining buildings with the minimum of delay.

If everything had gone to plan, then Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India would have been in pawns to the IMF and World Bank for thirty or more years - time enough to wait for the price of oil to come down again after the lethal fiasco in Iraq.

At the same time, if the Indian Government had taken the bait, the deadly Russian-Chinese-Indian-Brazilian coalition would have been dead in the water. Not a bad day's work for a single thermonuclear weapon discreetly removed from the decommissioning process.

Source: vialls.com

FINALLY FLYING...

2005-03-25T00:03:00.000Z

finally about to take those steps forward to a place........................
Just a place I really wanted to be.

I'm no longer here, I'm there.
I'm up, gone and out.

.................. Until then.

A SHORT ONE....

2005-03-21T12:54:00.000Z

She asked me, with a grey tone
What would I need to make things go?
I sat, silent, absorbed by an unknown.

She asked me again followed by another Q
What would it take to see a platform at the end of this slide?
Again, I contemplated to what is true.

Waiting for my mouth to drop open with answers
She shook her head.

Her next words:

Your actions spoke the answer instead.

SHOLA'S NEWSLETTER....

2005-03-03T20:14:00.000Z


Spirit of Success Newsletter	March - April 2005

Living 'On Purpose'

Contents:

Living on Purpose
Success Principles - Shifting Comfort Zones
Success without Stress
International Women's Day Event – Article
Teleclass begins

Welcome new subscribers and old friends to SOS Newsletter No.4 . March is the month we celebrate women and give thanks for life. It is spring and time for change. We have lots this month, so sit back and relax. I hope to see you really soon.

What people are saying about working with Shola

‘Thoroughly enjoyable, thought provoking and educational.'
Elizabeth Uwadiae UK

‘Shola clearly knows her stuff great info for promoting well-being and spiritual growth.' Melanie Dottin UK

‘This programme is truly transformational. Your gentle spirit creates a safe place to explore the dynamics of change and personal growth. You are a blessing thank you.'Anita Jackson. NY. USA

Living on Purpose, remembering ‘ Tony Merry' 1948 – 2004

Wow! Time moves so fast, March is almost upon us and spring is in the air. Or if you live in London, like me, snow is in the air. It is said that the only constant is change. And weather can shift here 4 times in a day. We can always rely on change. In our lives we never know how long we have, to make the changes we claim are so important. I attended a memorial in February at my old university for my Psychology lecturer, Tony Merry , who passed over at the age of 57. Its 18 years since I left uni. yet I can still call Tony a friend. What made Tony special to so many of us that shared our experiences at the memorial, was his empathy, ability to really listen and his compassion. My studies were focused on the whole person, the body, creativity, spirituality not just the mind. Tony never quite understood what I was doing and didn't really see the necessity for much of my work, but he supported me whole-heartedly because he understood me as a person. I will always be thankful for the teachings and gifts Tony shared. He was an authentic individual, Tony lived his life On Purpose and was passionate about ‘people' and supporting them to be the very best they can be.

What do you want people to say about you, when you pass over, and the truth is we don't know when that will be? What needs to change in your life now? Think about it real carefully and let me know if I can support you to achieve your goals.

Success Principles - Shifting your Comfort Zones

Excerpt from:
Embracing Purpose, Passion and Peace by Caroline Shola Arewa

‘ Change can take place in an instant,
if you get over the resistance,
which is the real issue'

A comfort zone speaks for itself; it is an area of our lives where we feel comfortable. In our comfort zones we perform well and feel confident. When we move outside the zone that's when we begin to feel uneasy. Moving outside your comfort zone is frightening by its very nature. People get anxious and fearful. Panic attacks can be triggered just thinking about stepping out of the psychological boundaries we create for ourselves.

Limiting ourselves in this way prevents us achieving our ultimate performance and success levels. Therefore it is wise to identify, challenge and expand your personal comfort zones. Give yourself a break and do the exercise below; it will take you 5–10 minutes.

Comfort Zone Assignment

Name three of your Comfort Zones
Name one Comfort Zone you are willing to expand
What you are going do different?
When are you going to do it?
How will you be accountable?
What support you need?

Embracing Purpose, Passion and Peace, my latest book has lots more on
Comfort Zones, to order your copy click here

Success without Stress

As some of you know I am currently working on a new 30-Day Audio Programme called Success without Stress. An easy to use Stress Management Programme for overworked professionals and tired-out parents. It includes guided relaxation, meditations and tools for success. This programme is perfect if you could use more time and energy in your day. That's what it say's on the packet!! Yesterday after working on the programme I had so many doubts I almost gave up. No doubts about the content, the content I have tried and tested over 20 plus years, I know it works, but about the production and the huge learning curve this is for me, making my first Audio programme. Those who know me well know I am a bit of a perfectionist, a bossy one apparently! So when I work on a project I give it my all. But as I share in this programme sometimes we have to let go to move forward, and we need to develop an attitude of EASE . So yesterday I needed to practise what I preach in Success without Stress and put the brakes on. I didn't give it another thought for the rest of the day; even though I have some really tight ‘lifelines' to meet. I just chilled and today, I feel great, the artwork for the sleeve is almost done and really captures the concept of Success without Stress the music is coming together and I will be in the studio recording next week, so watch this space. Or better still email me at mailto:shola@creatingease.comto encourage me, reserve your copy, and let me know its all worth it.

International Women's Day

I said we had a lot for you this month. To celebrate International Women's Day Inspirational Guidance are hosting a Special Event. On March 10 th

Spirit of Success
Seven steps to Creating a life of Ease and Excellence
An intimate and inspiring evening
with Shola Arewa
Author of ‘Opening to Spirit'

The event will run for one night only on Thursday 10 th March at the Cumberland Hotel, Harrow, London UK Starting at 7.00pm

Tickets are only £22.00 and can be booked at http://www.inspirationalguidance.org.uk/

or by contacting Diane Corriette on 020 8429 5250.

‘The evening will be a powerful combination of Life Coaching and Spiritual Wisdom. You will explore tools for, health, happiness, success and fulfilment. Shola encourages people to ‘live life on Purpose' and will introduce tools for following your heart and taking your life to the next level. If you are ready to take your foot off the brake and put it on the accelerator, don't miss this inspirational evening.'

I would love to see you there.

Check out this months Aspire Magazine for my article on The Power of a Woman .

New Teleclass coming real soon click here to find out more and sign up.

Have a great month and you know where I am if you need me. mailto:shola@creatingease.com

Shola Arewa

Shola is a Health or Success Coach who has worked in Personal Development for over two decades. A dynamic Speaker who has uplifted audiences on every continent and Author of the highly acclaimed books, Opening to Spirit and Way of the Chakras.

Peace and Blessings

Shola

P.S. Thank you for reading Spirit of Success remember:
‘Being Successful doesn't have to be stressful'

We grow through your recommendation. If you enjoyed this newsletter don't keep it to yourself, forward our newsletter to friends, colleagues and like-minded people.

'If you want things to be different be prepared to act different'

Author: Caroline Shola Arewa © 2005 all rights reserved.
Further information: http://www.creatingease.com/
You may copy or distribute ‘Spirit of Success' with this copyright notice and including full contact details of the Author. Contact: mailto:admin@shola.co.uk

WEEK STARTING SAT. 26TH FEB....

2005-02-28T19:21:00.000Z

Impossible? Of course not. Why must it be that? Difficult, perhaps, but then, life is full of things that are difficult to do - till you get the hang of the technique. There IS a technique that you can employ now. It's a good one. It will work. But in order to make it work, you've got to do a little learning. You've also got to go through a little simplification process. Right at the moment, your ideas about a certain matter are over-complicated. Become clearer. Become more determined and then... watch how easily something confusing becomes much more simple.

I can swear it that this person knows whats up....

The only horoscope I've been going by since 1998.... and its never been wrong!

Week commencing Saturday, 19th February 2005

2005-02-26T00:51:00.000Z

Only children often pine for a playmate. Siblings, though, frequently aspire to solitude. We all wonder how our lives might have turned out if only key aspects of our upbringing had been a little different. We also find it hard to resist the urge to make comparisons. 'This person is a lot like me, how come life has been so much kinder to them?' Don't fall into that trap this week. The Full Moon is stirring up the potential for one of two things. You can have an experience of revelation - or of resentment. Here, as in so many areas of life, there's a choice. If, though, you can only pick the higher path, you will reap a most wonderful reward.

...what happens when we get both at the same time?

A NEW BLOG... A NEW LOOK AT THINGS...

2005-02-23T21:48:00.000Z

Now is the time....
To get fit, To learn an artform that I have wanted to get into for years....

And its drawing me in.
With the kicks, With the soul of things to come.

So, I made a new blog. A new capoeira blog.

With Axe.

AL JAZEERA'S CONSPIRACY PAGE....

2005-02-21T17:59:00.000Z

HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?

Hmmmm.

STARTED MY CAPOEIRA BLOG....

2005-02-21T09:03:00.000Z

Yup, I've gone and opened a capoeira journal to get my stuff and progress in order.

By December, I hope to get a rough idea of all the moves etc...They say it takes up to 5 years for most to get past the beginner stage. Wow, I'm ready to take that on.

Just Parris - Walk with me

2005-02-20T00:07:00.000Z

Just Parris - Walk with me

STILL ON THE LOOK OUT....

2005-02-18T17:37:00.000Z

Still on a lookout for the capoeira classes...
So many to choose from, so many styles.

I'm waiting on my capoeira book --hopefully, that will give me more info.
Not an easy topic to find straight info on.

HOOKED! ON CAPOEIRA....

2005-02-14T12:28:00.000Z

What makes a good student of capoeira?

Responses from capoeiristas:

They have to WANT to learn capoeira. Capoeira is not something that's easily understood, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually. It's something that can start to consume you and you have to make the decision as to whether you're in for the long haul, or whether you can't deal and have to bail when it starts to drain on you. ( Most people seem to drop out between 2-3 years).

They have to have the drive to practice in their own time, to focus on what their Mestre is trying to teach them, and they have to cultivate the ability to be able to deal with changing times and situations. A lesson we learn does not necessarily apply to all situations, or even to any other situation besides the one that we specifically learned it in, Things change. And the world is tricky.

Patience. Patience is so important. In a world of fast food, 2 year black belts, microwave ovens, and bullet trains, it's even harder to deal with the fact that capoeira is not something you can learn overnight, or even in the space of a few years. It's a life long journey. And every day that you decide to wake up and train, you're recomitting to that journey.

Seek out information: The internet is an amazing tool, but like any tool, it has to be used, and can probably produce as much junk as it can anything else. I think that the perfect student should be out trying to find out all they can about the history of capoeira, the roots, the music, other schools, etc... Stay true to your own Mestre and school, but realize that there are other paths out there to the same goal, and if you learn from them, it might enhance your own abilities as well.

Stay Respectful: Always have respect for everyone and everything around you. This includes your own Mestre, your own school, visiting Mestres and their students, guys off the street.etc.. and also to yourself. If you're a hot head who likes to cause trouble, trouble will find you every time.

Try to be in harmony: Always try to apply the flow of capoeira to the rest of your life. Try to move in harmony with your surroundings and your environment. Sometimes this might mean having to leave your Mestre or your school. Or your partner, etc... If you're not in harmony then you're not only hurting yourself, but also the ones around you. If you talk RESPECTFULLY to any Mestre, who's worthy of the title, and you say that you just don't fit in here anymore in your heart. They should thank you for been given the chance to teach you, and then wish you luck. The ones that freak out on you will only re-enforce the idea that you must leave, either way. If it's time to go. it's time to go.

Practice, Practice, Practice. You have to always practice. Everything. Not just the movements, but the music and songs as well. Know all the instruments, variations and all. Learn as many songs as you can. The only way you get better is with practice. Most people don't want to look foolish so they don't practice the stuff they suck at, so they never get better at it. The ones that practice their weaker skills definately become the stronger in the end, and personally, I have a lot more respect for the people who overcome difficulty than the ones who slide through life only doing what they're good at.

~ Cantor, Capoeira Ache Brasil, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

For all students:
1) Respect the roda at all times, never forget that capoeiristas were severely persecuted for their love of this art.
2) Humility is a good trait to keep yourself grounded when learning in the roda.
3) Help build up the newer student's confidence.
4) Know that if you join a school you become a representative of that school. Your actions whether good or bad can paint a picture of that school.
5) Help promote your school even if the person teaching doesn't ask it of you.
6) When you come to class come to train.
7) Pick up an instrument even if you sound bad playing it, you can only get better.
8) Sing and clap until you can't anymore, than sing and clap some more. :^D

For people who want to learn capoeira:
1) What type of student are you? Goofy and light hearted, serious and focused...etc
2) Listen and watch closely to the person or persons teaching the class. Do they have a personality and methodology that suits your learning style?
3) What are your real intentions for joining a school? Getting fit, meeting new people, school bully took your lunch money...etc
4) How much of yourself/time are you willing to devote to your chosen school.
5) Get in shape playing capoeira. Don't say you're going to get in shape first than then learn to play capoeira.

~ Soneca, Capoeira Brasil, Phoenix, AZ

Everyone feels like quitting sometimes, but it's being able to endure that makes us strong. I remember someone asking Mestre Acordeon if he ever wanted to quit capoeira. He said something to the extent of "sure, yesterday I wanted to quit, but today I am here." I think he was trying to say that even Mestres get frustrated at times, but that doesn't keep them from staying with it.

I also think that a good student should help out at the school, even with little things like sweeping the floor and with bigger things like planning batizados and eventually teaching. They should also encourage the other students, those better than them and those worse than them. A good student should not get jealous of someone who can do a movement or something else that they can't. A good student should be willing to share their knowledge, but they should also know when to say "I don't know that very well and you would probably be better off learning from someone else." The way to grow and to make your school grow is to share whatever you can....and be humble.

~ Espantalho, Brazilian Arts Center, Sacramento, CA

One thing that I think is bad in some students is that they put their teachers up on a pedestal, this is bad for the art, the teacher and the student. unrealistic expectations of the teacher, and some times of Capoeira. Do try and keep it real.

~ Corvo, Grupo Caribe, Davis, CA

Yeah, I fully agree. Endurance and humility make a good student, in my opinion. And about creating a "cult to the mestre", I must agree again. My mestre himself is always saying he is just human, and will bleed if cut, the same way he'll cry when sad. Don't expect your mestres be supermen. They are not perfect, nor invincible...

~ Teimosia, Capoeira Arte e Luta, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Also to agree that if you want to succeed in anything, not just capoeira, you have to embrace it in its completeness and give it all you can.

It has to be pointed out that there are some people who do capoeira mearly because they enjoy it and have no great ambition in it. I wouldn't presume to put these people down, but you have to decide how far you want to take it. If you want to go all the way you have to work twice as hard and twice as often as is convenient.

~ Jacungo, Filhos de Bimba, Newcastle, UK

I think that a good student should be humble. A little bit of personal comfort in your abilities is healthy, but don't kid yourself. Not everyone is impressed by sincere expression of egotistical pride in one's skills. You may be good, but don't remind me outside the roda.

I'm kind of a rogue. Mestres might disagree with this statement: I think a good student should seek multiple influences to learn from if possible. Train with different schools every once in a while. Get surprised as much as possible when you are a new student so you don't get surprised later. Try and learn your own weaknesses.

~ Atrapallado

TAKEN FROM THIS WOMAN'S ONLINE JOURNAL

... I'm hooked! I'm hooked on watching people do it and thinking that maybe this is a good time to start something new that I would enjoy! I love the symbolic and powerful history behind it, I love that it is not a competition sport, its a personal development project --any age can do it because it doesn't go by your physical success....there is so much more to it than that. It reminds me of yoga in that aspect of things.

I love the music, the atmosphere, the people ....I think this is just what I need to get 'me' back....

OK, I am really unfit at this moment in time so I need to work on it.

Ever since I started locing, this is the first time throughout the journey that I feel I need a new challenge to show me patience.... My locs are pretty long now (even though I never see them that way) and I know they are just doing what they want. Now I feel myself falling back into an old trap of being inpatient, or maybe just bored of things.... My locing project is pretty much complete....

Capoeira is a new project to start for years to come and expand on.

I have added loads of info in my website on it:

CAPOEIRA CORNER

WOMEN & CAPOEIRA

Enjoy! I'm off to look up schools in my area.

ON FORUM ROTATION....

2005-02-13T00:56:00.000Z

If anything, I have learned that there is so much info that you can get from visiting forums...

So I have been on forum rotation ever since last year, watching topics, opinions, latest news, new hobbies....anything.

I'm an addict I know....terrible thing. But what am I addicted to? In forums, people are blunt, maybe not 100% honest but it gives people a chance to really voice thoughts that turn my ideas upside down, forcing me to look at things through another angle. Its great.

So far there are about 4 regular forums I visit, each with a completely different topic. And I like what I'm getting ... Then there are times when I spend way too much time in one forum and I know that its time to leave it for a while so I don't lose interest.

Forums -- pick a good one, and learn from what you see. Bringing knowledge, news and ideas together from real people around the world.

JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW....

2005-02-04T16:38:00.000Z

Blocked, Stumped And Stuck: 12 Prompts To Get You Writing!

Shery Ma Belle Arrieta

Beginning writers often wonder how to start writing. It's the worry they get themselves into right away that mostly hinders them from getting anything written down.

Experienced writers often get stuck in the middle of their novels, stories or articles. They sometimes agonize and worry about what to write next and that's how they are delayed.

Beginning and experienced writers and the writers in between can sometimes fall into the trap of getting themselves "blocked."

So here are 12 writing prompts you, the beginning writer or the experienced one, can use to start off your writing.

PROMPT # 1 "I write because..." Think of as many reasons as you can. Any reasons you know and feel you should and could write, and why you write. Then from your list, see if you can turn your reasons into an essay, a story or a poem.

PROMPT # 2 Sit still for five minutes. Close your eyes and listen. Don't think, just listen. What sounds do you hear? Is there music? Rustling leaves? Is your TV on? After five minutes, write down all the sounds on a piece of paper. If you can't
think of the correct words for the sounds, write how they sounded (example: "bbbzzztttt" for something you heard). Now use the sounds on your list to create "sound poetry."

PROMPT # 3: Use this prompt to start off your story: "When the dust settled, he saw..."

PROMPT # 4: Quotes are powerful writing starters. They evoke emotions, insights and inspirations for any writer. What's your favorite quote? It may be something a famous dead person said, or a line in a song, or a passage in the Bible. Write the quote on top of your page and write your interpretation of your favorite quote. You can inspire, motivate or even impart a lesson.

PROMPT # 5: When was the last time you received a letter? Or a postcard? Who sent it? What did it say? Did you reply to the letter? Write yourself a letter. Pretend that you are somebody else. Put yourself in your neighbor's shoes, or your old friend's shoes. If you were them, what would you want to tell yourself, or want to know about yourself?

PROMPT # 6: When you ride a bus or a car in one of your trips, what do you do? Do you sleep during the trip? Do you stare out the window and watch unseeingly the view? Or do you take it all in -- the greenery, the buildings, the people, the colors, the hues, the clouds? Recall the most recent trip you've had. Where did you come from and where were you going? Why were you going there? How long was the trip? What did you see on the way? This short exercise will help you with your power of recalling details. The more you recall, the more detailed your writing will be. Do this exercise on a regular basis and you will be able to write with good use of details.

PROMPT # 7: Watch your favorite movie. Afterwards, experiment on giving it different endings. If it's a romantic movie with a mushy happy-ending, why not re-write the ending and say, have the guy end up with the other woman? Or if it's an action film, ask yourself what would happen if the hero got killed. The thing
here is you have to think of a different version for the movie's ending.

Prompt # 8. Imagine you're walking in a mall and all of a sudden, a woman grabs you by the hair and starts a catfight with you. What would you do? Would you fight back? If you're a man, think of what you'll do if another guy punched you on the nose for no reason at all. Would you punch back? Describe the "fight scene."

Prompt # 9. Recall the last dream (or nightmare) you had. Describe the dream in detail.

Prompt # 10. If you were an animal, what would would you be? Why?

Prompt # 11. When you were in gradeschool, what was your most hated subject? Why did you hate it? Do you still hate it? Why or why not? Did the teacher have anything to do with it?

Prompt # 12. Put on your favorite CD or tape. What music comes out of it? When you listen to it, what do you feel? What comes into your mind?

I hope the prompts I have created for you will help you get those words out of your head and onto the paper.

Drop me a line and share with me your writing if you are inclined. Until then, great writing to you!

About the author:
Shery owns The e-Writer's Place. She offers a free e-mail workshop for writers called DAILY WRITES: 31 Days of Writing Bliss! She also authored the e-book on how to create profitable e-mail workshops, e-courses and tutorials.

EBOOK MARKETING

2005-02-04T16:33:00.000Z

...MORE STUFF:

PROMOTING AND MARKETING YOUR EBOOK

e-BOOK WRITING....

2005-02-04T16:28:00.000Z

Articles For Writing e-Books

Here are free articles on writing and editing that can help get your ebook written and completed.

General Writing Tips & Advice for eBooks

You DO Have Time to Write (and here's how to find it)

Ten Tips To Get Started Writing Your Book

The Three Quickest (and Easiest) Ways to Improve Your Writing

How To Add Style To Your Writing

Should You Publish in Print or Electronic Format - or Both?

How to Finish That e-Book

First Aid For Writer's Block

How to Stall Your Writing Career

How To Write Titles That Sell!

Non-Fiction & How-To Articles for eBooks

How to Create Your Own High-Octane Info Products

How A Book Is Born - One Author's Story

Write, Finish, Publish, and Sell your eBook Fast

Write Your First Draft First

Blocked, Stumped and Stuck: 12 Prompts To Get You Writing

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (first in series)

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (second in series)

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (third in series)

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (fourth in series)

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (fifth in series)

Tutorial for Writing an eBook (sixth in series)

Structuring Your eBook

Format Each eBook Chapter Before You Write It

Who Said That? (First, Second Or Third Person)

The Easiest Way to Write Anything

Writing For Yourself

Fiction & Novel Articles for Writing eBooks

Write Your Novel in 30 Days - A 10-Step Guide

Writing Narrative vs Writing Dialogue

Writing Fiction - e-Books, Internet & articles how-to

Character Development

Publishing Information for Authors

Character Creation

Editing & Revising - Articles for eBook Authors

Before You Revise—Six Key Pointers

An Inside Look at Proofreading

Do You Need Editing Services for Your Ebook?

General eBook Articles

7 Secrets For Beating Writer's Block

A compelling free alternative to Microsoft Office

Copyrights – Do you need them? How do you get them? What are they good for?

Paid Online Content Revenues Soar 155%

The Death of The Ezine

Resources

Writing For Success
Tips and advice for writers on technique, marketing, and networking, as well as great links to help you build your career. Sign up for a free regular tipsheet on writing!

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER - BUT IS IT REALLY?!? ...

2005-01-31T21:19:00.000Z

You know, I've never heard someone tell me that they are truly happy with the way their life is.How SAD is that -really. And of course, that includes my Self who is still in battle with my imagination ..... of what is on the other side... and what I am not seeing....

The grass is greener or is it?!?

What does the expression really mean?

Isn't it an observation of what further we can achieve if we put our soul purpose to it?

And if we achieve it ---then what? Won't there always be another greener fieid in the distance, waiting for us?

MORE WEBSITES TO LOOK THROUGH....

2005-01-31T14:37:00.000Z

www.isisbooks.com/articles.asp

www.psychic-anadiz-magic.com

www.geocities.com/yafiaskye

www.wicca.com

www.beliefnet.com

A VIRTUAL MODEL....

2005-01-31T13:01:00.000Z

http://www.myvirtualmodel.com/mvmhome/jsp/home.jsp?

good fun!

ANOTHER SET OF ARTICLES AT RANDOM....

2005-01-30T21:42:00.000Z

20 Ways to Shift Worry Into Attractive Energy
- Written by Catherine Franz - Submitted on 6/7/04

Unrealistic expectations can cause failure
- Written by Caryl Ehrlich - Submitted on 12/16/2004

How To Stay Positive In spite of The Negativity Around You
- Written by Josh Hinds - Submitted on 12/4/2004

Depression would be the second largest illness by 2010
- Written by Jasdeep - Submitted on 11/20/2004

On Rooting
- Written by Huaihsiang Wang - Submitted on 3/8/2002

MORE WEBSITES TO LOOK AT....

2005-01-30T10:38:00.000Z

Black Conscious News

Black Conscious Network
http://www.blackconsciousnetwork.com
or
http://www.blackconnet.com

Black Conscious News
http://www.blackconsciousnews.com
http://www.bconnews.com

ARTICLE...

2005-01-28T15:36:00.000Z

HEALTH FREEDOM ISSUES

The good news is that the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) lawsuit to overturn the EU Food Supplement Directive was filed before the October 15^th deadline. Of course, they will need continuing donations to support this lawsuit. To donate, visit http://www.alliance-natural-health.org.

Already the EU has banned 300 vitamins and minerals in 5,000 products. This includes such things as calcium, magnesium, boron, selenium, chromium, potassium, vitamin E and other antioxidants. The most disturbing aspect of this law is that it bans organic/natural forms of these vitamins and minerals and allows synthetic versions. The EU is now considering banning herbs as well.

Since the goal of the FDA is to “harmonize” US regulations to the rest of the world, we need to support the ANH lawsuit to overturn the EU insanity. We the People need to stand our ground and not allow the banning of food supplements and herbs in America. Of course, this has already been occurring, but will certainly be accelerating in the next few years as the global War on Health continues. Over 1600 food supplements have been taken off the shelves in Australia without any proof of their being harmful.

FDA IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

Every year the drugs approved by the FDA kill approximately 100,000 people. The number of people killed by herbs and natural food supplements is 0. The current Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is the man who is responsible for approving the artificial sweetener known as aspartame (NutraSweet), a known cancer-causing agent that causes tumors in the brain and other insidious side effects. [Read “The Artificially Sweetened Times by the Idaho Observer for details.]

The Bush family is well-known for their investments and involvement in pharmaceutical corporations. Under the current Bush/Rumsfeld regime the FDA is aggressively attacking people who promote and sell natural remedies. We the People certainly have our work cut out for us, but if we stand shoulder to shoulder we will win the War on Health which is being waged by both Democrats and Republicans.

The latest prisoner in the War on Health is Jason Vale, who was attacked by the FDA and is currently in federal prison because he cured his cancer with apricot pits and decided to provide apricot pits and laetrile to others. On October 24^th, Jason Vale, will be sentenced for his crime of helping humanity.

WAR ON HEALTH WAGED BY WASHINGTON STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Washington State Attorney General, Christine Gregoire, is fraudulently attacking natural health alternatives. The latest target is Monte Kline and the Pacific Health Center. The Pacific Health Center sells food supplements and herbs and conducts Electrodermal Testing.

Pacific Health Center has broken no law, yet Christine Gregoire is shaking down Pacific Health Center for $1,000,000 bucks if they don’t stop exercising their natural/constitutional Rights. Gregoire is threatening a six million dollar lawsuit against Pacific Health Center if they don’t pay the “State of Washington” one million bucks and stop their activities to promote health. What is especially revealing about this situation is that Pacific Health Center has never received any complaints from any Citizen living in Washington State. They have not harmed anyone! For details visit: http://www.pacifichealthcenter.com/alerts/alerts_detail.asp?AlertID=14

The threatened lawsuit is bogus and full of lies and deception. Well, what else would you expect from a lawyer? For details visit: http://www.pacifichealthcenter.com/alerts/alerts_detail.asp?AlertID=14.

Unfortunately, Attorney General Christine Gregoire just announced her run for Governor of the State of Washington. The information which I have thus far accumulated (approximately 1,000 pages of evidence) reveals that the current Governor Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire are running a criminal protection racket to insure that public officials in Washington State can break the law and violate the Rights of Washington Citizens with total immunity. In short, Christine Gregoire is a criminal and We the People living in Washington State should make sure that she does not get elected as Governor.

SHARK BYTES

It is no accident that lawyer jokes have surpassed ethnic, blonde and light bulb jokes in popularity. Like “military intelligence” and “holy wars”, the oxymoronic “lawyer ethics” has led to the comparison of lawyers to sharks, inciting a feeding frenzy of laughter:

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, how many orchards does it take for a lawyer?

If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?

How many lawyers does it take to grease a combine? Only one if you run him through slowly!

Yours in Health & Liberty,

Lanny Messinger

Sovereigns’ Health Freedom Network

Lanny@HealthFreedom.info

www.HealthFreedom.info

A WHOLE NEW SCIENCE....

2005-01-28T14:57:00.000Z

I have found that many people still need to be educated on meditation -- taking the stereotype and image from a group of people humming to a whole new science. It is so complex!

The more I get into the knowledge of meditation, the more I see that there is a whole stream of scientific images and ideas behind this practice ... When a few people laugh under their breath while I explain that I am interested in meditation, it makes me sad --- all those images on TV do no justice to the practice, along with many other pricks that are complex and misunderstood.

In recent news, the EU is going ahead with banning the use of natural herbs across Europe, to be no longer sold legally.... Don't we have to ask why this is?

Is it purely financial -- the fact that the pharmaceutical companies are now facing competition with natural based market out there?!?

Maybe they know that these products and sciences really do work....

Keep the population from gaining knowledge and strength to feed their mind and body. Add more additives (ADDICT-IVES) to their food and stiffen their thoughts....

When is this going to end?

Whether we care to admit it or not, science is therefore being distorted for the sake of keeping the mass population at a level that is comfortable to the government....

IMPORTANT READ: http://www.getalife.net.au/mag/nhp_html

Just as the food supplements directive is set to eliminate products from the market for no good reason other than their being an unwelcome competition to pharmaceutical interests, this new proposal for the fortification of foods is telling us that we don't need to worry about the quality of what we eat. The "right" chemical substances are being added back into our food - only, our health gets worse and worse.

Taken from: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2003/12/14/fortification_of_foods_an_eu_proposal.htm

ANOTHER PROJECT STARTED!

2005-01-27T16:38:00.000Z

I recently posted this up on my forum:
ACTIVISM -A new forum! Some thoughts...

After a few days of thinking up what project to get started on, I came across a website that had all the charity and organisations listed in the area. Perfect start. I've decided to get in touch with a few of these organisations and see if they would be willing to let me teach meditation & Relaxation therapy in their centre.

I'm not after money, still a little broke and trying to get my s**t together but its about itme that I just get out there and do something just for pure fun.

My therapy work is getting on really well now, I've found a few new undiscovered areas to practice in with a lot of potential new and wealthy clients... And this time, I know I will be able to have that freedom again to work solo and grow in my own project.

Don't get me wrong, I love meeting people, but I just feel so restricted when I have to work in a group with all the same aims. If I do want to work in a group, it will have to be that we are all promoting eachother's projects and working freelance, occassionally meeting up to get a little inspiration and creative fun.

I've started on my writing again which is exciting. I've also started a few new courses to keep my head occupied while I have some quiet time without clients.

Things are looking bright.

Tracey Emin - a profile

2005-01-24T01:21:00.000Z

Tracey Emin - a profile
In this article, we have used smaller thumbnail images. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.
Note: Some images might be offensive to some readers

_____________________________________

Entering the confessional

In the somewhat conservative world of British art, she's a rebel, an outsider shaking the cage of the establishment. Tracey Emin doesn't exactly fit the profile for a major British artist. She's not from a connected family and doesn't exactly "toe the line" in her work; but she's become the poster girl for the new generation of British art.

Emin was born in London in 1963 but brought up in Margate, a sleepy seaside town in Kent. While her upbringing was fairly unremarkable, her life was shattered in her early teens when she was raped. That event led her to a life of promiscuity, dangerously mixed with drug and alcohol abuse.

By 1984 however, she had her life in order enough to enrol in the Maidstone College of Art, where she was awarded a bachelor's degree in fine art. In 1989, she completed her MA in painting at the Royal College of Art. During her time there, she developed her interest in the works of the expressionists, particularly Munch and Schiele. Emin's paintings from the time were heavily influenced by their expressionist sensibilities. Her personal life however remained in turmoil and around that time, she fell pregnant. After having an abortion, she fell into a deep funk, a state she would later describe as her "emotional suicide". In the midst of this depression, she destroyed virtually all her works.

At this point, the lives of Emin and the playwright Sarah Kane reveal disturbing parallels. Thankfully though, Emin did not go down the same road of depression and loss that Kane experienced. Instead, Emin went back to work, building her reputation to the point that by 1993, she was exhibiting her pieces. An American tour followed in 1994, and she staged her first significant solo exhibition at the White Cube gallery in London, ironically titled "My Major Retrospective". The display included personal items and photos of the destroyed paintings.

The exhibition made people sit up and take notice. Here was an artist who was not so concerned with the formal aspects of art as the story that her works told - the story of her life. Her highly confessional works confronted and (in some instances) disturbed the viewer.

Since then, Emin has continued to work consistently, building a reputation as one of Europe's foremost contemporary artists. Her work has been embraced not only in the UK, but in continental Europe, particularly in Germany. In the past year, she staged a major exhibition at Haus der Kunst in Munich. She also achieved notoriety earlier this year when her cat became lost. Emin made posters and put them up around the London suburb where she lives. When word spread that Emin's work was available for free on lampposts, "collectors" swarmed the suburb for the posters. Thankfully, the loss of the posters didn't affect Emin's primary objective, and her cat Docket was found unharmed.

She continues with her confessional and confrontational style, utilising events from her life as the basis for her work. In contrast to her days at the RCA, she has moved away from "pure" painting and has taken up new and unusual media in her work. She brings techniques ranging from story telling, drawing, filmmaking, installation, painting, neon, photography, appliquéd blankets and sculpture.

The use of neon is one of the most striking motifs in her work. Reflecting both the power of modern advertising and its wonderful tackiness, Emin's neon works have become some of her most recognisable. That doesn't mean they don't say something too though. A work like "You Forgot to Kiss My Soul" (2001) expresses in one simple work the hopes, fears and frustrations of an entire relationship.

Emin has grabbed headlines for the graphic nature of some of her pieces, most notoriously "My Bed" (1998), in which the artist's unmade bed is strewn with the detritus of relationships past - including used condoms. Similarly "Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963 - 1995" (1995) forces the viewer to face up to their own personal histories, a process which can be extremely discomfiting. Not that Emin is only about unsettling her audience. She infuses her work with humour and a zest for life that belies her more serious concerns.

In addition to her art, Emin is a writer contributing to magazines and a major book about her art is slated for publication this year. In May 2002, the BBC reported that Emin was to collaborate with noted British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom on a film of her life. Unfortunately, Emin's work has not as yet been exhibited in Australia, but as her reputation grows and she is increasingly recognised as a cutting-edge artist with a fine grasp of her material, an exhibition on these shores can't be too far off.

David Edwards

Send us your feedback on this article or anything else in The Blurb

LETS TALK BUSINESS...

2005-01-23T20:53:00.000Z

Starting a business can be an exciting, but at the same time rather daunting, experience. There can be enormous pressure in running your own business. However, good planning and detailed research can remove some of the pressures and help you get your new venture up and running.
Opportunities are increasing for people setting up businesses that trade with a social purpose, the best-known example of which is The Big Issue magazine. The recently published Social Enterprise Monitor shows that these kinds of businesses are creating more jobs and have turnovers as high, or higher, than their mainstream counterparts. More women than men are being attracted into the sector, which is currently enjoying its fastest ever period of expansion. The Monitor is available at: www.london.edu/fem/Research/GEM_UK_social_entrepreneurs_2003.pdf

Do I have the right personality to run my own business?
What specific skills will I need?
Have I got the right motivation?
Hints and tips

Here are few good websites on business and starting one up:

http://www.blackenterprise.com/
http://www.blackprofessional.co.uk/
http://www.ligali.org/
http://startups.co.uk
http://www.nbwn.org/
http://www.bcw.org/
http://www.bagladyit.com/
http://www.vistaprint.com
http://www.mpiweb.org/
http://www.bizhelp24.com
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk
http://www.mgmtguru.com/BlackBus.HTM

More on it:
http://groups.msn.com/HOLISTICLOCING/businessinfo.msnw

ANOTHER ARTICLE.....

2005-01-23T18:19:00.000Z

How to Heal Yourself Energetically

By: Catherine Adams

I have been working with energy healing for a long time. I am always learning new things, and it never fails to amaze me. This is a gift to humanity from Spirit, an ability we were born with. We give up our power to people who tell us what is going on inside our bodies as if we have no control over it, but we do! I know "energy medicine" is going to be normal for us in the future. When we look back at this time in our linear history, our current medicinal practices will seem intrusive and barbaric. I am not saying I know everything...merely sharing some of my experiential wisdom with you. I am still learning along the way.

We are made up of vibrating energy. Your physical manifestation began with a blueprint in a higher frequency plane. That is the way illnesses begin, too. Even genetic illnesses have an energetic pattern that can be changed. The trick is to become aware of how to do this. The first thing to realize is that you have all the power within you to do this. When I do a healing on someone, I cannot change anything no matter what I do unless he/she is willing to let his/her own divine healing take place. If I am trying to heal someone's swollen toe, for example, the energy will not move until the person relaxes and lets go. When he/she does let go, something takes over. It is based on what I call the body's natural organizational principle. The energy flows, and I see the person do something like laugh, or offer her hands in prayer to me, or walk away in a beautiful scene that is special to that person. I know then that the person accepted the healing and that it is finished. I have no control over that flowing process, or healing. I just watch it happen. The person does not have any conscious control over this flowing process either, but he/she feels the difference, and knows something just happened. My job is to stimulate that process.

What this means is that you have a divine blueprint for health. If you have some kind of illness, it is because you have a block in your awareness of something, and need to manifest it in the physical in order to become aware of it. Think of the word "dis-ease". It suggests that we are out of ease with ourselves. When you become aware of the block, the disease goes away. This is another way of defining the process of healing. Are you beginning to see how important awareness in and of itself is?

Many people never become aware of what it is they are healing, but the body goes through a process of "eating the energy" by getting sick, acting out whatever it is the person needs to experience, and then if the person "gets the message", even if subconconsciously, the body is free to heal. It is a way of doing energy housework in the body. If we do not release the tension through our breath, our conscious awareness, or other ways of releasing, we accumulate garbage. The body finally takes over and gives the person a warning...the warning could be a headache, sore knee, or an aching back. If nothing happens, the body will manifest it more completely depending on what the issue is. The way illness will manifest often is associated with the functioning of chakras and the spiritual symbolism behind body parts. For instance, indigestion or stomach cramps may be related to tension about solving some problem for which there seems to be no solution (3rd chakra is problem solving and action). A problem may be symbolic such as stiff legs for someone who is afraid to move forward in life. Louise Hay has written a book called Heal Your Body which tells many possible interpretations of what is behind various illnesses, but she says that they are only suggestions, which is true. Each person's dreams may have common symbols with other dreamers, but each person is unique in many ways, also. You will find this true of the energy behind illnesses, too.

How do you find out what is behind an illness? You ask Spirit. This is why I think it is so good for people to develop their psychic skills, because you can pinpoint what more exactly is going on and why. Instead of going to a reference book of symptoms and cures that generalizes and assumes everyone fits the same blueprint, you are going to the Source and unraveling the energy that led to that particular manifestation of "dis-ease".

How do you do this for yourself? Since we are not always able to be objective about our own issues, we often turn to someone else for help. When we are not objective, we are "inside the block", or stuck. One way you can get outside the block or get unstuck enough to see your issue and become aware, is to laugh at it. Humor is the most underrated quality of human expression. Many indigenous people have the Lakota equivalent of a Heyoka, sacred clown or divine fool. This person does crazy things that are outside what is expected of a person, that makes no sense. He/she gives the others permission to let go of whatever they are stuck with without becoming fools themselves. They are often painted black and white because they unify opposites. In our world of polarities, we have good or bad, right or wrong, etc. It is easy to get stuck if that is all we see! If we allow ourselves to let go of expectations and see that everything is good AND bad, or NOT good OR bad, we see that it just IS, and we cannot hold onto stuckness anymore. In other words, stuckness is judgment about something. Judgment is resistance. When you are resisting, you are holding yourself tight, refusing to give in, being stubborn. If you laugh, you cannot resist, or judge. When you laugh, feel how the energy flows through you and fills your being. You breathe deeply and do not resist anything! Some of you may be saying "but, but, what if....". Just imagine that truly our life here is a divine joke and everyone is laughing and standing in the light. No one is lost, no one is hurt, no one is forgotten, no one is evil or bad. When you begin to see life this way, you begin to see into the Higher Realms. Zachariah, my guide, stretched my perceptions by showing me this attitude. He told me to laugh and dance down the street, enjoying life. I said "but...what if people point at me?" Hahahaha! I also had a spiritual teacher of mine, John Fulton, say that "seriousness is one level above death." (We are giggling, right?)

If you are ill, what are you in resistance about? What are you serious about or judging about? What do you judge as unacceptable in others? What you judge in others will manifest in you in some way. Also, what you feel is unchangeable about your life may manifest as illness. Remember, you always have a choice.

OK, you are laughing. What next? You can get into a quiet, relaxed state and close your eyes. Mentally scan your body and see it as energy. You do not need to know about the chakras or anything in order to do this. For any energy that appears stuck, dense, opaque or standing out, imagine it dissolving and flowing away. I often do this meditation in a sea salt bath and imagine the bath water dissolving all the stuckness from me. Then ask your Spirit to bring you new energy that is appropriate for you at the time and imagine it filling your body and aura with a beautiful light. The light can be gold or any other color that feels uplifting, flowing and healing to you. Remember to fill up with some good energy any time you release so that you don't pull back the heavy energy again.

By the way, meditation is an amazing tool of self healing and higher awareness. Just the act of turning within and asking for your spiritual connection once a week begins an alchemical process of spiritual growth and healing on all levels. You do not even need to have fantastic visions or experiences in meditation for it to begin to work its wonders on you. You do not have to do anything special, either. You will notice you will have more profound dreams which you remember more easily, synchronicities increase in your daily life and amazing things will happen.

Remember....

~If it is Serious, it is STUCK

~Meditate

Walk in Joy, Love and Divine Happiness!

Catherine

Further learning...You can learn about your chakras, how to feel them, how to be aware of people in your space, your unconscious agreements to be stuck, and how to use your psychic and healing abilities in more detail with a spiritual class. To find out about what I offer, see my February Activities page at my site:
Catherine Adams
Clairvoyant Counselor, Healer and Teacher
http://www.litespirit.com/ws.htm

Bio:

Catherine Adams
Clairvoyant Counselor, Healer and Teacher
URL http://www.litespirit.com/
email Catherine@litespirit.com

RANDOM ARTICLES...

2005-01-23T16:08:00.000Z

I'm making a point to read atleast 5 articles a day....sit in reflection and get some useful info on it....

My new favourite website:

Chosen randomly:

WHOLISTIC RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM - Written by Christopher and Jeannine Marie Jelm - Submitted on 10/4/2000

Insomnia - Written by "Dr. Farah Khan, DOM, L.Ac." - Submitted on 12/11/2004

Aromatherapy Demands More Credit - Written by Richard C. Honour, PhD - Submitted on 9/21/2002

Depressed? Wise Woman Ways Offer a Helping Hand - Written by Susun S. Weed - Submitted on 11/27/2002

Effect of FOOD on TEMPARAMENT - Written by Dr.Shashikant Patwardhan - Submitted on 9/4/2004

I saw so many more that I wanted to read, but for now ... I'll use my time on other stuff.

A few more things I know I'll have time to do these days....
~Read 5 articles a day.
~Submit a new article each week to various websites
~Everyday is a chance to promote my therapy work and website
~Send atleast 3 CV's each day to various places (I'm looking for a better place to earn the extra £'s)

I FEEL A DETOX COMING...

2005-01-22T14:53:00.000Z

I've been spending WAY too much time on a few forums over the last few months...
As much as I love sharing my thoughts, learning from others and having a laugh, it still doesn't make me stop thinking that I could just be doing something else with my time.

There are a few holistic therapy websites and forums that I would like to start visitting more often now, get into the swing of getting info just on the natural health business side of things...

Or maybe I should just do a huge detox and dissappear from the internet for a few months.

The forums do not stop me doing anything in my life ... They don't waste my time as I always learn new things when I visit, but it is time to just learn another side of me which will need some time and patience.

Yeah.... I'll dissappear for a while.
Go somewhere new and take a long break from online reality.

MORE ON DOVE.....

2005-01-20T21:10:00.000Z

If anyone was in the UK in Spring of last year, I'm sure you will remember the HUGE banners all across the country. My first site of this was on the top floor of a double decker bus.... The whole bus turned to see this huge banner in shock lol. It's refreshing to finally have a media change of attitude towards beauty....

Toady, I was faced by a beautiful dreadlock girl on their banner ads...

Smiles.
http://www.dove..co.uk

Early reactions in Europe
In the spring of 2004, the Campaign for Real Beauty launched in the United Kingdom with a print ad campaign like no other before it.

The campaign was a collaboration with celebrity photographer Ian Rankin and featured a group of very real women celebrating their very real body types, including fuller figures not typically portrayed in advertising. These six ordinary women were recruited off the street and chosen for their confidence and spark - baring all in their underwear without having been airbrushed or re-touched in any way.

The campaign spurred instant discussions everywhere - and even a little controversy. Here are some highlights from the U.K. press. > Read on

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY?....DOVE EXPLORES...

2005-01-20T19:08:00.000Z

Dove Global Study:
The Truth about Beauty
British women and their relationship with beauty

What's the truth about beauty?
Dove recently set out across 10 countries and interviewed 3,000 women to find out.

Only 2% of these women describe themselves as “beautiful”
About 3/4 of them rate their beauty as "average"
Almost 1/2 of them think their weight is "too high"

And the truth doesn't stop there.

Read the Dove Global Study for a closer look at all the responses - and discover how perceptions of real beauty truly vary around the world.British women are more likely than women from any other country to feel uncomfortable describing themselves as beautiful, indicating the extent to which UK women have become distanced from today’s idea of female beauty. The study probes deeply into how British women feel about beauty, making country-by-country comparisons with the attitudes and beliefs of women throughout the rest of the world.

The report uncovers:
Perceptions about how the media and society shape our beliefs about beauty
What makes women feel beautiful and what women perceive to be beautiful
Women’s views on plastic surgery

Read on to find out the real truth about beauty...
Download in PDF format

_________________

I do think that it is a wonderful thing that finally someone within the beauty industry decides to challenge the concept ot media's beauty ...

I remember a while ago, on my way to work, seeing a HUGE banner sign with women of plus size posing in underwear... I saw the whole of the top deck of the bus stare in shock lol. Today, I saw another picture on a bus while walking down the street, a lady with locs smiling.

Back to the age old question of what makes beauty really beautiful.

Check out: http://www.dove.co.uk

AM I JUST WORSE OFF THAN ANYONE ELSE AROUND ME?...

2005-01-20T01:43:00.000Z

I could bitch and moan about a few things, a few situations that have gotten me nowhere in the last few years.

But am I really putting too much emphasis on what I have wrong with me -- instead of what is right with me?

I officially became disabled in 2001.... that word brings up a whole heap of stereotypes when its said in that term. Disabled ... I'm still getting used to that word. I feel that others' and their perceptions of this terms has given me a bad image to play with when I look at my Self.

What do I see when I look in the mirror? Do i look like a 'disabled stereotype'?
In reality, if you meet me, I look 'normal' ... no one can imagine what disability I have until I open my mouth and explain my situation. Then you see their face change, unsure how to react and how to see me in their mind. Its like you can literally hear all the cycles of thought clicking in their brain out loud. People then change the topic quickly and move on. A little uneasy until they get used to it.

A few friends of mine have recently just come from Europe, hoping to get a job -- yet they do not speak English well. And they complain and say the same things that I'm trying to explain about how people react to them when they open their mouth and explain that they are fully able and qualified to do the job, but the language is an issue. My friend has often used the word disabled to try to describe her position at the moment when looking for work.

Every person I have met has questioned a bad aspect of their Self and what it means to have less than another ... for numerous and varied situations. There is always something that we use to say that we are unable to do something...

This takes disabled, the word, to a much more deeper meaning than just the normal every day meaning of the term.

My point is...?

What I'm trying to say is:
Do we all have a factor that makes us 'disabled' in society?

Disabled - unable to do something: Whether it is because we are disabled by our health, our background, our lack of something that will get us to where we want to be...

In this light, I feel better about things. The truth is I have been used to people putting me down for an easy and comfortable position for their Self to deal with it. People feel afraid or embarrassed, not wanting to sound ignorant when I mention my disability.

In a wider sense of the word -- aren't we all disabled to an illusion that we need to be perfect to lead the life we want?

Our excuses will always bring us to conforming to our fearfull ways once again.

THIS IS WHY YOU GOTTA LOVE BBC...

2005-01-20T01:29:00.000Z

The use of fear in contemporary politics is not the result of a conspiracy, the politicians have stumbled on it. In a populist, consumerist age where they found their authority and legitimacy declining dramatically they have simply discovered in the "war on terror" a way of restoring their authority by promising to protect us from something that only they can see.

Read more on this from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4171213.stm

But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians.
Those with the darkest imaginations have now become the most powerful.

...YOU DECIDE.

PAPERDOLLS NOW GO ONLINE....

2005-01-18T11:11:00.000Z

Remember the days when you had those paperdolls that you would cut out with paper outfits that fitted and changed....

If you loved that, you'll love this:
http://www.paperdollheaven.com/

SOMETHING PRECIOUS....

2005-01-13T13:55:00.000Z

Wow, HIStory comes out in so many forms, after hearing this in worldwide radio, I followed up the story:
http://www.100greatblackbritons.com/home.html

A long lost portrait of Mary Seacole has been discovered!

A press conference was held on Monday morning at the National Portrait Gallery to announce the discovery of a portrait of Mary Seacole, Crimean war hero and greatest Black Briton,painted by a hitherto unknown artist called Albert Charles Challen. Painted in 1869 when Mary would have been 64 years old, she is portayed in the painting as wearing a bright red Creole scarf and and the medals she was awarded for her service - the British Crimean Medal, the Turkish Medjidie and the French Legion of Honour. It was by these medals that the biographer and historian Helen Rappaport recognised the identity of the sitter.

The image of the woman who refused to let racial prejudice prevent her from becoming a nursing pioneer was discovered by a dealer at a car boot sale in Warwickshire. The portrait, which measures about 9.5 inches by 7 inches, was found because the inscription caught the dealer's eye. He sold it on to a military historian who then contacted Helen Rappaport, who had been researching Seacole's life for three years. 'I almost fell off my chair when I saw it', she said on Monday. 'It's a defining image of her, dignified, mature and at the height of her powers'.

The painting is now on indefinite loan to the National Portrait Gallery, and will be on display in Room 23. The discovery of this portrait is serendipitous, especially in the light of the efforts of many, including the 100 Great Black Britons campaign, and Clive Soley MP and Dr. Elizabeth Anoniwou of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal Committee to promote Seacole to her proper place among Britian's icons and heroes. Further recognition of her place in British historyare in the form of new biographies outh this month, celebrations of the bicentenary of her birth being launched at St Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust on 25th January, and Channel Four will be screening a new drama documentary on her life and work in the spring.

After a century of obscurity, and no acknowledgement of her contribution to the birth of modern nursing, it appears that Mary Seacole's star is to burn bright once more.

ANOTHER THING THAT IS GOING ON ON THIS SIDE OF THE POND:

BLACK BRITISH STYLE:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1341_black_british_style/
http://www.topshop.co.uk/promostores/tops/index.html?menuID=1&id=5

THE WORLD IS ASKING QUESTIONS ONCE AGAIN...

2005-01-13T11:02:00.000Z

I always believe that every generation of people need to go through stages where reflection on the world is a serious issue.

And to be honest, I don't think the western world had seen that form of reflection until 9/11. Atleast I speak for my generation of people.

With all that is happening, I'd like to think that this latest nature blast has some good in it... I know it is horrific to see the images and hear the stories... but is it time to reflect upon what good can come out of it now? Now...today... what it means for the world at this time.

I'd like to think that this will bring the much needed streak of humanity out in the people of the world, to bring people together, to help others and to see things in a different light.

We are fragile. We really do depend on one another to make a big change.
I'd like to think that things are shifting to make this union more solid.

2004 SOUNDS SO OLD....

2005-01-13T10:53:00.000Z

Its just coming to the 2 week mark and last year sounds so old already!
Like it happened a million years ago or something.

I think this is honestly the first time I have entered a full year and completely accepted it, my mind had already been programmed to go 2005 in December! This is the first time my mind has let go of everything and moved the hell on with life... Not even bothering to look back and see what I have seen etc.

And I put this down to my house clearance, it really is refreshing to just throw out the old stuff!
Its given my Self a whole new opening to a clear space where I can come, relax, be free to read and write, think and do and not be trapped up in spiritual staleness...

2005 was so good to me! Yes, I said 2005.
I say this in past tense as an affirmation to set the tone of what I wish to achieve and results.

I've started yet another mission to complete by Summer, and I'm officially teaching my work.
A whole new set up to my work.

2005 ---------- A better year yet to come.

THE EARTH IS DYING...SHE CALLS ONCE MORE...

2005-01-08T21:53:00.000Z

This takes me back to 1998 where I was starting a course in environmental health in uni. At the time, very passionate about the Earth, the philosophy behind our actions and how we are part of a much larger system that we don't even realise it to be...

And what has happened over the last 4 years and most recently falls back into place with my theories. So I revisited the past, my mind and my notes to a time where my focus was on global Mother Earth and what it meant to be human on it.

What is Deep Ecology?

Gaia, Mother Earth & Goddess Mythology

WASTED IDEAS...

2005-01-08T21:52:00.000Z

It seems the more I look into it, the more I see examples of people who are wasted by their dreams... Their dreams not being the problem. Their dreams being fine just the way they are. But the added extra was the issue --the lack of that extra.

So I ask my Self what makes a person dynamic?
Is it their style, their beauty, their brain or all combined?
In theory, it could just be that we need a mix of everything I mentioned to bring in a star quality. But in observation, I see that even if someone were to have all three, it just isn't enough.
So what is the vital ingredient missing?
What is it that makes a person truly dynamic?

Its simple -- a hard worker with purpose.

I've seen many people who I have admired and thought were potentially great (even though I have no right to judge) .... But all those ideas and images and planning went to waste when it came down to doing the hard work that gets them there.... They didn't have the courage to stay in and go through with responsibility of actions. What we often refer to as 'staying power'.

So what is the equation?
Imagination + Hard work = Dynamic drive ==> Progressive Vision.
Progressive Vision + Balanced Soul = Stable Building Foundation ==>A path To Success

Ok, so I'm no bloody Einstein here.... but this makes sense to me.

And what is it that makes a dynamic person take risks in their life? Why does every risk seem to always work out, even when they go through rough patches?

I've realised through observation of a few home role models that these characters have vision --real vision, clear vision. The type of vision that you see when you are on the top of a large hill looking down and thinking how small you are in the world... how insignificant we are as individuals among the vastness of the world... Meaning ever action needs to be bold and noticed for what it is. If it isn't, then it might just be a huge waste of time. If it isn't great or given purpose, we will just be soaked up in a huge mound of beings passing by --and forgotten.

This vision goes beyond the barrier that we have been controlled by, learned to do as a part of becoming and shaping adults. We start to judge harsher, feel a little more cautious and form part of the mould we created through society, culture, religion etc. Clear vision can work within and without it. For clear vision recognises that we are still humans trying to get somewhere in life, regardless of the mental and physical mould.

What will make us stand out from the crowd?

Take people who work with ego, they may look great with all the image works done to perfection, but a person who works with ego fades fast. They last for a small blast before they burn.

A person who acts with intention and purpose has what we call charisma .(...did I spell that right lol?!?). These are the people that wear ordinary clothing, nothing flash and still stand out in the crowd. They have deeper purpose. And they are alligned in such a way that people see them for what they really are, not what they try to be.

You can't buy charisma.

You can't buy courage.

You can't buy a label that states you are dynamic.

You just have to work on it and be true to purpose, hard working, honest and action spoken.

WHEN THE DETAILS GO....

2005-01-05T01:11:00.000Z

...ME, in my simple form.
Thats how I'm feeling right about now...just simple and getting to the basic essentials.

No fuss, no fancy colours, just the core stuff.

SOME ARTICLES ON CREATIVITY...

2005-01-01T13:45:00.000Z

A LITTLE MORE TO READ:

TOP TEN PRACTICAL WAYS TO BEING CREATIVE:
http://topten.org/public/BA/BA2.html

TRAITS OF CREATIVE PEOPLE:
http://topten.org/public/AG/AG70.html

10 TIPS TO DEVELOP CREATIVITY:
http://topten.org/public/AG/AG74.html

BE INSPIRED, all articles taken from this website:
http://www.creativity-portal.com

IN THE LAST FEW HOURS....

2004-12-31T21:44:00.000Z

On the last few hours of 2004...

I met my old friend who came back from Asia, talking of a new beginning.
I got a few phonecalls that I avoided hoping to get a last few silent thoughts together.
I had a huge fight with SO, only to break the ice with a burst of laughter.
I know that next year will be challenging but I'm looking forward to it.
London looked packed, but I got on the tube with no problem.
I saw a few afros that took my breath away.
I spoke to my DB again after a long time of avoiding eachother.
I thought of my Grandfather and what a great man he was.
I spoke to my cousin in Spain over MSN.
And I went to bed with a smile.

2004 was a start to a new beginning.
Now, its time to just go on and do the do.

ANOTHER GENERAL NOTE....

2004-12-30T16:53:00.000Z

From observation, is it true to say that people who are genuinely cold by nature as extremely selfish by nature?

I'm avoididng the cold people.

ANOTHER YEAR CLOSES....

2004-12-30T15:28:00.000Z

Its a silly thing really, we all start to think that life will suddenly be better with all our New Years Resolutions and plans to live a better way of life...

All I want is to leave all the past where it belongs... not let it creep into the New Year.

I've decluttered my area, throwing out even more stuff. And I finally got my head to the thought of selling a few of my precious books to leave rooms for new thoughts and knowledge.

And everyone is planning their party this week.... yet another excuse to buy over priced tickets to get into clubs and meet people who are completely out of their frickin' minds with God knows what substance lol... its all good though.

Celebration works wonders... I just seem to be a little tired with the old concept of entering the year in party style.

I know what I have in mind.

As for New Years Resolutions -- I just want to fullfill a few plans by this time next year.
Work hard, play hard with my ambitions.

A little older, a little wiser about some stuff.

There really is no time to waste. Next year is ending soon too.

Its time to fly my wings out into my imagination a little more, where something is bursting to get started. You know when something inside is dying to get out, and to just go through with it --even though you just know things will be hard?!? Thats instinct telling you that its now or never, its time.

It really is TIME.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY HEARD....

2004-12-30T15:24:00.000Z

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4135099.stm

...Everywhere I go, on the train, shopping, out and about --everyone is talking about it.

This has definately not been a good year when it comes to nature showing its force... A reminder to all of us that in the grand scale of things --who are we?!? Compared to the natural system, we can't control anything.

Its terrible, sending healing prayers to all the victims out there.

CHECK THIS BLOG OUT! "Muse" (the 2nd definition)

2004-12-25T23:43:00.000Z

"Muse" (the 2nd definition)

COUNTDOWN....

2004-12-21T21:49:00.000Z

Its the final countdown.... and I just know what I want and need at this time...

That annoying song comes to mind as I type, yuk! Anyways, a few life changing stuff to look forward to... I should have done many things a LONG time ago but my own inner fears that I might just not make it, stopped me! And when I look at it, I should know better!

I have to thank a few friends that I've met very recently that have showed me that it is just time to get stuff going... and that nothing is beyond my Self. I need to get my stuff back on track again.

ANOTHER BROWSE THROUGH ARTICLES...

2004-12-19T20:31:00.000Z

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Crane4.html

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Marmolejo1.html

ONLINE BEGGING?!? WHAT NEXT?.....

2004-12-18T13:37:00.000Z

This whole internet business is getting a little too close to getting the outside into your own home, even when it means that you do not accept a few things...

While I welcome the useful info, I can't help but feel that I need to stop my Self from being sucked into the dimensions are that constantly evolving...

And then I get an email today....
A stranger through the junk mail system asking to donate a few £ so he can get his travel ticket sorted.... what next?!?

FREE POSITIVE EZINES SENT TO YOU....

2004-12-17T09:39:00.000Z

http://ifcl.com/ezine.shtml

I love this site....

HOW MANY NEW BEGINNINGS ARE THERE?...

2004-12-16T17:33:00.000Z

How many times can someone turn around and make a new beginning?
My answer: There is no limit.
And I truly believe that.

It is only when we are ready to move past a stage that we can then really say we haveanother beginning waiting for us.

I've started yet another in this short space of time, a few more projects have now been set up as the YOUniverse was slowly showing me how some old things were really just damaging to me....
Another step forward.

ALL YOU CAN DO IS YOUR BEST...

2004-12-14T13:37:00.000Z

Not doing my best and leaving things out is what makes me revisit situations and think.... and wonder.... what if I had just done my best?

And for the first time in a long while, I have gone and done something that I feel 100% on...even when I'm not sure others feel the same.

And I left that day knowing that I couldn't have worked any harder, I jsut did my best and kept things running...

If she doesn't call this week, I'm not bothered.
I learned my lessons, I did what I could at that point in time, and its cool with me.

A FEW THINGS THAT ARE COMING TO LIGHT...

2004-12-12T18:19:00.000Z

It was feared that well-known children's charities including Children in Need, Barnardo's and Comic Relief may have been defrauded.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4089323.stm

Paramedics who attended the death scene of Dr David Kelly have cast doubt that the weapons expert committed suicide.
Doubts over Kelly suicide verdict

...Hmmm, surprise surprise huh! Well I think we all had a few thoughts of our own on it...

THE SILLY THINGS THAT HAPPEN...

2004-12-10T19:29:00.000Z

When waiting for a bus, you may be out in the cold for what feels like eternity and then all the buses suddenly come at once...
When we don't look for love, someone amazing comes our way...
When we think its going to be a bad interview, it usually turns out really good...

What is it about these silly things?

And now when I was just giving up on one thing, the YOUniverse gave ma a handful of great options... Now all I need to do is decide how I can juggle it!

Week commencing Saturday, 4th December 2004
How many yesterdays do you want to dwell on? How many history books do you want to read? How many 'ifs', how many 'buts', how many 'but if onlys' do you want to raise? What's real is real. What's happening now is happening now. It's interesting to wonder how it all came about. But not half as interesting (or useful) as it is to turn your attention to the future. There's a road. There's a car. There's a seat with your name on it. Do you want to travel? Or do you want to sit around pining for the bus you missed?

WINTER SKIN CARE....AND SELF MASSAGE...

2004-12-10T17:00:00.000Z

Winter skin for me is about moisture with maximun absorption... I have combined skin so too much heavy oily products can make things worse.

African black soap has really evened out my combination zones... and aloe vera is so good during the hot days when I don't want to use ANY oils on my skin/hair...

But now that its Winter, I'm finding the real joys of using aromatherapy at home with my own self massage. I use a mix of aloe vera/extra virgin olive oil and about 3 drops of my favourite essential oil to self massage...and my skin is feelin Sooooooo soft, unbelievable!

So here are the links to info on self massage:
http://www.coolnurse.com/massage.htm
http://www.coolnurse.com/massage2.htm

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL SHIT...

2004-12-10T15:42:00.000Z

Over analysing again....
What people said, how could I have done this and that, did I spell that ok, did s/he really understand what I said...yada yada yada.

YES, my mind thinks ALL the time...its a blessing and a nightmare!
So with thought, comes self discipline...
Training the mind to start focussing on the things that are going to get me further and dealing with NOW.

NOW is the only place to be. What happened just 5 minutes ago is the past.

At this point in time and in the future, I don't think I can afford to waste time on bad or useless thinking...

So yeah... I'm no longer going to get logical and assessive (if thats a word lol?!?) on the small things... Just get on with it.

WORDS RIGHT ON TIME!...

2004-12-09T13:21:00.000Z

It's not what you do; it's the way that you do it. You can get away with a lot if you adopt the right attitude. Equally, if you become morose or manic, you can suddenly find that your options have become severely restricted. Nothing feels right when you don't feel right. Everything has potential when you are willing to make room for a little magic in your life. How much control do you have over your own emotions now? More than you might imagine. Draw a deep breath, shake away the shadow that is looming over you, and let some light shine in.

Taken from http://www.cainer.com
******************

How perfect is it to read words that hit the right cord at the right time!
This is the only place I ever check my horoscope in, and while it may be a series of words that can be translated to suit anyone, it always seems to be just right for what I need.

This new year is looking extremely bright for me.

MORE VEGIE TALK...

2004-12-08T19:18:00.000Z

Document Sections:

Must We Kill in order to Live?
Five Reasons to Be a Vegetarian
The Dharmic/Scriptural Law reason
The Karmic Consequences reason
The Spiritual Consciousness reason
The Health reason
The Ecological reason
How to Win an Argument with a Meat-Eater
The Hunger Argument
The Environmental Argument
The Cancer Argument
The Cholesterol Argument
The Natural Resources Argument
The Antibiotic Argument
The Pesticide Argument
The Ethical Argument
Humans Have neither Fangs nor Claws
The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism
The New Four Food Groups
Common Dietary Concerns
Vegetarianism in Hinduism
Scriptures Against Killing and Meat-Eating
Vedas and agamas, Hinduism's Revealed Scriptures
Atharva Veda Samhita 6.120.1. VE, 636
The Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, Epic History
Tirumantiram and other Scriptures
The Tirukural, Preeminent Ethical Scripture
Hindu Religious Leaders on Noninjury
About this document

WHAT AURA COLOUR AM I?

2004-12-08T14:54:00.000Z

Taken from:
http://www.gurl.com/play/quizzes/pages/0,,625861,00.html

I am violet aura:

http://www.gurl.com/play/quizzes/results/0,,605701_625837-6,00.html

VIOLETS
Violets are the inspirational visionaries, leaders and teachers who are here to help save the planet. Most Violets feel drawn to educate the masses, to inspire higher ideals, to improve the quality of life on the planet, or to help save people, animals and the environment.

All Violets have an inner sense that they are here to do something important, that their destiny is greater than that of the average person. Most Violets have felt this way since childhood. As children, many Violets imagined becoming famous, or traveling the planet, possibly joining humanitarian causes such the Peace Corp. Many of these charismatic personalities take on roles as leaders and teachers, while other Violets prefer to reach people through music, film or other art form.

Because this era is currently the "Violet Age," any Violets who are not accomplishing what they came here to do are experiencing an inner “push” — even an inner “earthquake.” Inner forces seem to be shaking them up and pushing them to move into action, to fulfill their life purpose. Violets know they are here to do something significant. However, they aren't always sure what that something is or how to accomplish it.

Many Violets were taught as children that their dreams and aspirations were unrealistic, so they have lost touch with their original visions. It's important for Violets to reconnect with their life purpose and vision, and to take action. Otherwise they will always feel unfulfilled. They will always sense something is missing from their lives. Violets need to learn to slow down long enough to listen to their inner voice and to connect with their higher vision.

To find out about Violets in their career choices and life purpose, please see Pamala's book, Life Colors.

and more fun quizes:
http://www.gurl.com/play/quizzes/0,,623871,00.html

A START TO PHOTOGRAPHY...

2004-12-08T13:05:00.000Z

YES --I am finally gonna get some cash together and do what I should have done A LONG time agao...

Get a good camera and start shooting.

And where better to start than here:
http://www.photo.net/learn/

OK, so pople say digi cams suck...And I can see why. The art is lost as the automatic features take over and do all the work for you...so the talent is gone.

But the hassle of getting £ to get all the developing done....the thought makes me cringe.
Atleast with Digi, I can avoid costs for a while.

THERE IS A DIVINE ORDER OF THINGS...

2004-12-08T11:57:00.000Z

I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason, and we have to try to take it into account.

Maybe at the time, we are too early in the game to really understand why it is that this or that has happened....perhaps something really negative and bad is too overwhelming to focus on what you can get out of the experience...

But in the end, it all makes sense.

I no longer hate bad days...I see them as a way of shaping my mind and thoughts to really know what it is I seek to achieve.
And silent thoughts I chose to ignore, usually come out again--but very loud when certain things happen. It puts things back into focus.

Now more than any other time, I am a true believer in this philosophy. This week especially, everything has come together to make so much divine sense.

Yesterday especially, all these different angles and questions suddenly came to light. I gave thanks and felt glad that I had turned down a few odd jobs/situations/etc in the past. It didn't feel like a good day but after some reflection, it came together like a puzzle.

And when I ask a question to my subconscious, events bring answers and new ideas to why things have gone in a certain pattern.

Where would I be right now without divine order?
I don't want to even think about that!

MY NUMEROLOGY INFO...

2004-12-07T01:32:00.000Z

This is taken from:
http://www.newagecities.com/services/numerology/Numerol.asp

DESTINY -NUMBER 11
Because this number is composed of two Ones, these people are amply endowed with all the leadership qualities of Ones, and are resolutely determined to achieve whatever it is they set out to do. What's more, they usually succeed, because they are prepared to take risks and will work around the clock if necessary until they obtain their objective. This single-minded determination earns them a great deal of respect and acclaim from others. Warm and lively, they are popular and may have an enormous influence over the other people in their life - Elevens are special. They should beware of exploiting these attributes for selfish, materialistic or idealistic purposes.

EXPRESSION -NUMBER 3
When you meet this person you are immediately struck by their confidence, bonhomie and generous spirit. They adore being in the limelight and will often be the pivot around which the conversation revolves. This Three is an instinctive performer but may not be such a good audience for example, they may not be a very patient listener. Sometimes they can become boastful and arrogant, especially if they are feeling nervous.

HEART - NUMBER 7
Life can be difficult for these people because they are frequently misunderstood. No matter how they appear on the surface, they are driven by a strong belief that they're part of something much larger than themselves. This may make them seem remote or even downright peculiar, but such considerations don't bother them. Music, literature, the arts and the occult mean much more to them than being sociable and may also eventually take precedence over relationships, which can suffer in such a single-minded atmosphere.

PERSONALITY -NUMBER 1
These people are forceful, innovative and freedom loving, very much like those whose destiny number is One. They may be slow starters in life but once they get going there's no stopping them, especially if they use their creativity In fact, they react very badly to any sort of restriction, especially if One is also their destiny number. They need plenty of change in their lives because of the stimulation it brings them.

A LOOK AT CANDOMBLE...

2004-12-07T01:19:00.000Z

Candomble
Candomble was founded as a distinct tradition in 1930s Brazil. Candomble combines a more traditional Yoruban practice with common elements of syncretic faiths; it is more exclusive and less accepting of folk beliefs than Umbanda.

Origins of Candomble
Candomblé is a possession religion widely practiced in Brazil today.

http://altreligion.about.com/cs/candomble/

Info on African religions:
http://members.aol.com/porchfour/religion/african.htm

WHAT THE WORD 'NO' REALLY MEANS...

2004-12-07T01:08:00.000Z

by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee

I am always thankful when someone tells me, "No." I have learned not to take it personally. The word "No" doesn't mean anything about me. What it means is I need to find the next opportunity and find someone who does want my services. The answer "No" frees me to move on and look for the "Yes." I remember when I first started my own business and someone would tell me, "No." I took it so personally. I took "No" to mean they didn't think I was very good, they didn't like me, or they didn't think I knew what I was doing. The funny thing is "No" doesn't mean any of those things. When someone tells us "No," it has nothing to do with us. It has to do with the other person. And saying, "No" doesn't make the other person bad. It just means that whatever we are offering isn't anything they want right now. If we reframe the word "No" and simply look at it as an opportunity to find the next "Yes," it takes the sting out. "No" doesn't say anything about us. "No" is simply a response from someone who isn't ready, able, or willing to commit to whatever we are asking of them. People are actually doing us a favor when they say, "No" because it frees us up to go and find the "Yes." Some people have a difficult time saying "No" and will unconsciously string us along without even realizing it. The person who can come right out and say "No" is doing us a great service. They are saving us time and energy by allowing us to seek out those who do want what we have to offer. "No" gets you closer to "Yes." It is a numbers game. Make getting "No" a game. Challenge yourself to get as many "No's" as you can. The more "No's" that you get the better. Why, because each "No" gets you closer to "Yes." You might even want to count how many "No's" it takes to get a "Yes." This is a great marketing tool because you will know how many prospects it takes to get a "Yes."

ANOTHER SET OF FREAKISHLY ACCURATE QUIZ RESULTS...

2004-12-06T23:04:00.000Z

YOU ARE CATNIP
What herb are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

you're an elemental angel. an elemental angel is an
angel that is bonded to the elements and
nature.
what kind of angel are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

You are like the snow fairy, she is very beautiful,
she has the power to make things beautiful, but
She is sometimes quite selfish, and spends most
of the time she should be using her magic
staring at her self in the mirror. Other than
the fact that she is vain and selfish. She is
a nice person, when she IS actually using her
magic, her powers are great, and she is very
helpful. Well that's most of the tings about
the snow fairy, can you relate to some of them?
You probably can, because that is what this
quiz is for!
**The ultimate Fairy quiz**(anime pics!) for girls, but if you are a guy you can take it too! !**being improved more**!
brought to you by Quizilla

Bear Spirit Calls To You ~
Bear is spirit keeper of the West, the place of
darkness, maturity and good harvest. Bears are
active during the night and day. This
symbolizes its connection with solar energy,
that of strength and power, and lunar energy,
that of intuition. The bear holds the teachings
of introspection. When it shows up in your life
pay attention to how you think, act and
interact.

Bear's Wisdom Includes:
*Introspection
*Healing
*Solitude
*Change
*Communication with Spirit
*Birth and rebirth
*Transformation
*Astral travel
*Creature of dreams, shamans and mystics
*Visionaries
*Defense and revenge
*Wisdom

Animal Spirit Guides ~ Which One Calls To You?
brought to you by Quizilla

ALL FOUND ON http://quizilla.com

THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN GODS...

2004-12-06T21:21:00.000Z

http://www.africawithin.com/asante/africangods.html

...ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT?

NOW IS ALL THAT COUNTS....

2004-12-06T18:53:00.000Z

"Now is the only time there is. Make your now wow, your minutes miracles, and your days pay. Your life will have been magnificently lived and invested, and when you die you will have made a difference." -- Mark Victor Hansen

A few articles on the importance of living for NOW:
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=1312342&pageid=r&query=now

"Everyone wants to feel good in life and I suggest you get Passionate about what you want to accomplish. By living an integrated, balanced life, you will come to learn the concept of knowing your life's priorities and living and practicing them on a daily basis. Passion is not only doing what you love everyday, but it means being Passionate about all of your priorities.

When you develop discipline, then you will feel that something is missing, and move back on the correct track. Personal discipline leads to personal Freedom.

If I'm disciplined about my passions, then I'm free from the negatives of life. Did you know that if you have an abundant supply of Passion, Discipline and Persistence, you are probably in the top 1% of all adults?"

SO WHATS YOUR EXCUSE?!?...

2004-12-06T01:38:00.000Z

Now this article came to me a while ago...
And did a hella lot of good to me...

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Marciano1.html

A WALK THROUGH SELFGROWTH.COM ...

2004-12-05T23:41:00.000Z

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Murphy23.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Thomas30.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Kane7.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Kane7.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Foltyn4.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Badboy1.html
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Franz14.html

...a look through random Articles

"If the project you are working on means anything to you, then you won't really enjoy the couch potato solution as much as you might think. Funny thing about the really big powerful dreams, they haunt us. Every time you turn around there it is following you around reminding you that you haven't finished it yet. It will keep showing up in everything you do and especially in the things that you don't do. If it really matters, if it's your calling, if it's your life's work, then it isn't going to let you become a couch potato. Laying around not doing your dream will be more exhausting and depressing then when you were working your buns off trying to make it come true. Take a quick break if you need to, but don't get too comfy sitting there and don't even think that you aren't going to get back up again. The longer you sit there, the further behind schedule you'll be and the more you'll have to do to catch up with where you were when you quit. You know how it is when you take a week off for vacation. You have to work two or three weeks to catch up with everything that fell behind. You have got to take your mental health breaks, but don't make it a permanent vacation. "

~~~~

"You are either going to quit or you're going to find inspiration and keep going. You can quit if you want, but you already know if quitting will feel worse then trudging through a little while longer. Somewhere you know deep down if you're meant to succeed or not. What if you were meant to succeed and role model tenacity to those around you? What if that's somehow the divine cosmic plan all along? God loves an underdog! Don't quit just yet.?"

~~~~

yup---I'm in need of those words right about now.

ON A DEEPER LEVEL....

Diary Of a Shy Black Woman

I Like Her Style!

It makes more sense....

REIKI & CHIOS....

ARTICLE....

Wisechoices

MY ATTUNEMENTS

IF YOU NEED A BEAUTY TIP.....

PERFECT TIMING FOR THIS MESSAGE!

A LONG PAUSE, A MUCH NEEDED BREAK

SOMETHING TO READ EVERY MORNING.....

LUNAR THOUGHTS....

ANOTHER GOOD-BYE

MY DAILY MOTIVATOR SAID....

SOMETHING I READ.....

I'M NOT SITTING ON MY A**..... honestly (winks)

UK ELECTIONS....

A STATEMENT I HAD TO KEEP...

LINKS....

IF YOU'RE BIG ON YOGA AND HAVE KIDS -OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS.....

MORE BEAUTIFUL LINKS!

MY PATTERN TYPE?

LIFE CONVERSATIONS -FOR CHILL OUT SUNDAYS WITH THOUGHT

TUNE IN ONLINE -DON'T MISS!

Radio Show - Life Conversations

A BLAST OF THOUGHTS....

ON WRITING....

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH -MORE INSPIRATION...

HOLISTIC WELLNESS -FOR A HIP HOP GENERATION...

GOT MILK?

BACK ON LOVE...MUST BE SPRING....

Was Tsunami a natural disaster or man-made?

FINALLY FLYING...

A SHORT ONE....

SHOLA'S NEWSLETTER....

Success without Stress

International Women's Day

WEEK STARTING SAT. 26TH FEB....

Week commencing Saturday, 19th February 2005

A NEW BLOG... A NEW LOOK AT THINGS...

AL JAZEERA'S CONSPIRACY PAGE....

STARTED MY CAPOEIRA BLOG....

Just Parris - Walk with me

STILL ON THE LOOK OUT....

HOOKED! ON CAPOEIRA....

ON FORUM ROTATION....

JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW....

EBOOK MARKETING

e-BOOK WRITING....

Articles For Writing e-Books

General Writing Tips & Advice for eBooks

Non-Fiction & How-To Articles for eBooks

Fiction & Novel Articles for Writing eBooks

Editing & Revising - Articles for eBook Authors

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER - BUT IS IT REALLY?!? ...

MORE WEBSITES TO LOOK THROUGH....

A VIRTUAL MODEL....

ANOTHER SET OF ARTICLES AT RANDOM....

MORE WEBSITES TO LOOK AT....

ARTICLE...

A WHOLE NEW SCIENCE....

ANOTHER PROJECT STARTED!

Tracey Emin - a profile

LETS TALK BUSINESS...

ANOTHER ARTICLE.....

RANDOM ARTICLES...

I FEEL A DETOX COMING...

MORE ON DOVE.....

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY?....DOVE EXPLORES...

AM I JUST WORSE OFF THAN ANYONE ELSE AROUND ME?...

THIS IS WHY YOU GOTTA LOVE BBC...

PAPERDOLLS NOW GO ONLINE....

SOMETHING PRECIOUS....

THE WORLD IS ASKING QUESTIONS ONCE AGAIN...

2004 SOUNDS SO OLD....

THE EARTH IS DYING...SHE CALLS ONCE MORE...

WASTED IDEAS...

WHEN THE DETAILS GO....

SOME ARTICLES ON CREATIVITY...