Burnished deep red
Furled at edges
Once youthful, now aging
Leaf crackles at tips
Turning yellow
Veins pattern surface
Held in centre by slender stalk
Juliette Llewellyn
25.09.07
Sunday 30 September 2007
Thursday 27 September 2007
Love
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca, age 8
Sunday 23 September 2007
Pamela's Top Tips For Staying Sane
Soothing Touch: The warmth of human contact. We all need it, especially when we are sad or in pain.
Cry if you need too: Allow yourself to sob; it is a marvellous healing release.
Exercise: There are many psychological benefits to be gained, including reduced feelings of depression and anxiety.
Seek humour in your life: It is very healing to laugh. Humour reduces stress and sadness.
Keep learning: We thrive on mental stimulation, and it can help protect us against dementia and mental atrophy as we age.
Write: Writing down your thoughts, and especially feelings, helps to soothe and organise emotions.
Eat nutritious, well-balanced meals: There is a relationship between mental health and a decent diet. Feed your brain.
Don’t abuse alcohol and drugs, and keep use to a minimum: Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant.
Contact nature: A visit to the botanical gardens or even peeking at the stars will provide us with a calming sense of place on the planet.
Taken from Head Case: Treat yourself to Better Mental Health
Pamela Connolly
Cry if you need too: Allow yourself to sob; it is a marvellous healing release.
Exercise: There are many psychological benefits to be gained, including reduced feelings of depression and anxiety.
Seek humour in your life: It is very healing to laugh. Humour reduces stress and sadness.
Keep learning: We thrive on mental stimulation, and it can help protect us against dementia and mental atrophy as we age.
Write: Writing down your thoughts, and especially feelings, helps to soothe and organise emotions.
Eat nutritious, well-balanced meals: There is a relationship between mental health and a decent diet. Feed your brain.
Don’t abuse alcohol and drugs, and keep use to a minimum: Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant.
Contact nature: A visit to the botanical gardens or even peeking at the stars will provide us with a calming sense of place on the planet.
Taken from Head Case: Treat yourself to Better Mental Health
Pamela Connolly
Friday 21 September 2007
World Peace Day - Today!
Switch off blog music on pink mp3 player on right hand side of page to hear this video
http://www.peaceoneday.org/home.aspx?band=hi
Wednesday 19 September 2007
Tuesday 18 September 2007
Monday 17 September 2007
UNTITLED
A memory stirs
Sunlit flashes
Open mind
Only past
All gone
No fear now
Juliette Llewellyn
15.09.07
Sunlit flashes
Open mind
Only past
All gone
No fear now
Juliette Llewellyn
15.09.07
Riding Giants
'You experience the most deepest sense of who you are [of surfing].'
'I don't want to not live because of my fear of what could happen.'
'This is a noble thing i am doing. I'm going there to ride big waves to find out who i am.'
Riding Giants
'I don't want to not live because of my fear of what could happen.'
'This is a noble thing i am doing. I'm going there to ride big waves to find out who i am.'
Riding Giants
Tuesday 11 September 2007
Apache Prayer
May the sun bring you new energy by day.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your worries.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.
The simplicity of this traditional prayer of the Apache people speaks powerfully of the beauty of this glorious planet. May reading this Apache prayer bring you a sense of deep peace and comfort.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your worries.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.
The simplicity of this traditional prayer of the Apache people speaks powerfully of the beauty of this glorious planet. May reading this Apache prayer bring you a sense of deep peace and comfort.
Wednesday 5 September 2007
How Other Cultures Awaken - Alarm Clock Alternatives
We in the West have shocked ourselves into waking consciousness, awakened by the frightening ring or beep of an alarm built into our clocks.
How do other cultures wake up? For thousands of years, many peoples have paid great attention to how we are awakened and have affirmed the importance of the gentle return of the spirit to the body of the sleeper. As the spirit or shadow wanders far abroad, it requires time to return to the body.
What can we learn from other cultures to make our own awakening routine more harmonious?
For the Xingu people of central Brazil, there is a danger in waking a person too quickly, for the spirit, which was traveling in distant regions, might not have time to return and the sleeper might die.
Rosie Plummer, a Paiute Indian, stated a strong sentiment of her people when she declared that when someone is sleeping, it is a danger to awaken him suddenly: “His soul may be away doing something. It may be far away. If the person is suddenly awakened, his soul does not get back. He will lose his mind. He will get sick and if a shaman does not doctor very soon, he will die.”
So was the belief for many American Indian peoples. The Havasupai, for instance, also felt that there is a delicate threat between the nighttime traveling soul and the body of the dreamer and that any sudden awakening might not allow the soul time enough to return to the body.
For the Maori people of New Zealand, their understanding of the spirit and body in sleep also affects their social customs. They consider it a breach of manners to awaken a guest from sleep. If some necessity demands that they do, however, then it will be done gradually. The host first calls in a soft, low tone, gradually increasing in volume until the visitor is awake. Once again, the spirit must have time to return to its physical base.
Thousands of miles away from New Zealand, in central India, the Kol follow the same etiquette of waking guests, and for the same reason. In Australia, the Murngin people don’t awaken someone except as a last resort, and then it is down slowly and with great care and gentleness so that the soul will have time to return to the body. Heeding this principle of the gentle awakening are the new “Zen” alarm clocks that start with low soft sounds that slowly increase in intensity.
In Africa, the Azande and Masai peoples both caution against waking a person suddenly, for much the same reason we have learned - an aggressive awakening may lead to death. In Japan, too, the Ainu call for waking people slowly to allow the soul and body to reuinite, as do the Bororo Indians of Brazil, the Toradja of the central Celebes, and the Andaman Islanders of the Pacific.
Among the vast numbers of people who believe in gentle awakening, there is a deep consideration for the sleeper and his welfare. Of course, we know clearly that people awaken suddenly every day and do not die. But to dismiss the experiences of innumerable other civilizations out of hand would be to miss the point. If we look broadly at the fact that in the industrialized world millions of people awaken every day to the sound of alarm clocks every day, we may find truths that we can embrace. Perhaps something does die with sudden awakening. Perhaps the dream spirit dies. We violate our dreaming consciousness as we crash into waking life. Little wonder that so many people have difficulty remembering their dreams. It is as if we receive a morning shock treatment that pulls us violently into our daily lives.
Perhaps, ultimately, it is the delicate bridge between our waking and dreaming minds that is damaged a little bit more every morning.
Adapted from The World Dream Book
Sarvananda Bluestone, PH.d (Destiny Books 2002)
How do other cultures wake up? For thousands of years, many peoples have paid great attention to how we are awakened and have affirmed the importance of the gentle return of the spirit to the body of the sleeper. As the spirit or shadow wanders far abroad, it requires time to return to the body.
What can we learn from other cultures to make our own awakening routine more harmonious?
For the Xingu people of central Brazil, there is a danger in waking a person too quickly, for the spirit, which was traveling in distant regions, might not have time to return and the sleeper might die.
Rosie Plummer, a Paiute Indian, stated a strong sentiment of her people when she declared that when someone is sleeping, it is a danger to awaken him suddenly: “His soul may be away doing something. It may be far away. If the person is suddenly awakened, his soul does not get back. He will lose his mind. He will get sick and if a shaman does not doctor very soon, he will die.”
So was the belief for many American Indian peoples. The Havasupai, for instance, also felt that there is a delicate threat between the nighttime traveling soul and the body of the dreamer and that any sudden awakening might not allow the soul time enough to return to the body.
For the Maori people of New Zealand, their understanding of the spirit and body in sleep also affects their social customs. They consider it a breach of manners to awaken a guest from sleep. If some necessity demands that they do, however, then it will be done gradually. The host first calls in a soft, low tone, gradually increasing in volume until the visitor is awake. Once again, the spirit must have time to return to its physical base.
Thousands of miles away from New Zealand, in central India, the Kol follow the same etiquette of waking guests, and for the same reason. In Australia, the Murngin people don’t awaken someone except as a last resort, and then it is down slowly and with great care and gentleness so that the soul will have time to return to the body. Heeding this principle of the gentle awakening are the new “Zen” alarm clocks that start with low soft sounds that slowly increase in intensity.
In Africa, the Azande and Masai peoples both caution against waking a person suddenly, for much the same reason we have learned - an aggressive awakening may lead to death. In Japan, too, the Ainu call for waking people slowly to allow the soul and body to reuinite, as do the Bororo Indians of Brazil, the Toradja of the central Celebes, and the Andaman Islanders of the Pacific.
Among the vast numbers of people who believe in gentle awakening, there is a deep consideration for the sleeper and his welfare. Of course, we know clearly that people awaken suddenly every day and do not die. But to dismiss the experiences of innumerable other civilizations out of hand would be to miss the point. If we look broadly at the fact that in the industrialized world millions of people awaken every day to the sound of alarm clocks every day, we may find truths that we can embrace. Perhaps something does die with sudden awakening. Perhaps the dream spirit dies. We violate our dreaming consciousness as we crash into waking life. Little wonder that so many people have difficulty remembering their dreams. It is as if we receive a morning shock treatment that pulls us violently into our daily lives.
Perhaps, ultimately, it is the delicate bridge between our waking and dreaming minds that is damaged a little bit more every morning.
Adapted from The World Dream Book
Sarvananda Bluestone, PH.d (Destiny Books 2002)
:-)
SMILING IS INFECTIOUS
YOU CATCH IT LIKE THE FLU
WHEN SOMEONE SMILED AT ME TODAY
I STARTED SMILING TOO
I PASSED AROUND THE CORNER
AND SOMEONE SAW MY GRIN
WHEN HE SMILED
I REALIZED I'D PASSED IT ON TO HIM
I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT SMILE
THEN REALIZED ITS WORTH
A SINGLE SMILE JUST LIKE MINE
COULD TRAVEL ROUND THE EARTH
SO IF YOU FEEL A SMILE BEGIN
DONT LEAVE IT UNDETECTED
LETS START AN EPIDEMIC
QUICK LETS GET THE WORLD INFECTED
YOU CATCH IT LIKE THE FLU
WHEN SOMEONE SMILED AT ME TODAY
I STARTED SMILING TOO
I PASSED AROUND THE CORNER
AND SOMEONE SAW MY GRIN
WHEN HE SMILED
I REALIZED I'D PASSED IT ON TO HIM
I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT SMILE
THEN REALIZED ITS WORTH
A SINGLE SMILE JUST LIKE MINE
COULD TRAVEL ROUND THE EARTH
SO IF YOU FEEL A SMILE BEGIN
DONT LEAVE IT UNDETECTED
LETS START AN EPIDEMIC
QUICK LETS GET THE WORLD INFECTED
Monday 3 September 2007
Girl With Yellow Flower
Girl With Yellow Flower - Rachel Ferguson
'Solitude is a form of self protection. It is a place where one can avoid responsibilities to others and deny any need for approval. It allows time to escape from the demands of day to day life. It is simple, contained and still.
My paintings are meant to convey the comfort of solitude, but they also reveal its limits. The figures are confined by the space they occupy and their bodies are rendered inactive by their thoughts.
Ultimately, the security their contained poses suggest should lead one to think of entrapment.
My work attempts to communicate both a dependence on solitude and a yearning for some outside force to break it.'
Rachel Ferguson. ARTIST
Sunday 2 September 2007
Awesome Universe
'He [God] lives in a caravan in deep space..... "just trying to make a flan here... i can't light this pilot light, trying to make a flan, just have to leave it..." Booof! Suddenly the whole flan went up.."Ooh that's the big bang, that's the big bang, I've done it!" The flan flew off in different directions and gradually cooled and formed stars, with planets and the god cows put arbitrary things on them like helicopters, jam, radioactive peanuts, socks and spaniels.'
Eddie Izzard Awesome Universe, Circle 2003 www.eddieizzard.com/
The man himself....
Daily Mail - Fibromyalgia Article
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=478188&in_page_id=1774
Daily Mail - If Your Teen Won't Get Out Of Bed
02.09.08
Daily Mail - If Your Teen Won't Get Out Of Bed
02.09.08
Saturday 1 September 2007
Perito Moreno Glacier
Windsurfing between life and death
Add to My Profile More Videos
Thomas Miklautsch surfing in front of the perito moreno glacier Camera: Rudy Vessely. Copyright by New World Spirits http://www.nwspirits.com/
WOah......!
Add to My Profile More Videos
Thomas Miklautsch surfing in front of the perito moreno glacier Camera: Rudy Vessely. Copyright by New World Spirits http://www.nwspirits.com/
WOah......!
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