'I would be a mermaid fair...' Lord Tennyson

Long ago mermaid goddesses were objects of worship - personifications of the forces of nature and supernatural helpers believed to have the power to calm storms at sea and ensure a bountiful day's fishing.
Today it is far more useful to see mermaids and other mythological beings as glorious images of feminine possibility: characters from the worlds story that can teach you by example how to better appreciate your own complexity, courage, creativity, resilience and passion.
Mermaid Wisdom - Brenda Rosen

The Path To Love

If sharing is to take place, you must build a basis that includes equality, sensitivity, and communication:

Equality
In spirit everyone is equal. This isn't just an abstract concept; it is the one perception that can overcome ego. If I feel superior to you, my superiority is rooted in self-image.

Equality isn't based upon external factors or images. We all have an equal right to be appreciated, respected and understood. Some men find it hard to extend this concept to woman's emotions. They were not taught to value their own feelings, which get expressed only as a last resort.

But to accept another person means accepting her emotions—there is nothing more basic or intrinsic. If this equality doesn't exist, how can spirit really grow?

Spirit isn't an emotion, but it provides an opening to our inner selves. You have to feel that your partner wants to understand you and your feelings before you can share experiences you barely understand yourself.

Sensitivity
Being able to sense what is going on inside another person is a skill that has to be developed like any other. Sensitivity requires setting aside your notions of what the other person is feeling, what you think she should feel, and what you hope she isn't feeling. Wherever the ego intrudes, sensitivity cannot be present. To be sensitive you will have to abandon being right all the time, being in control, having needs that must dominate over the needs of others, and so forth.

Communication.
Communion is the root word in communication, reminding us that to communicate with another person isn't to pass on information. It is to draw another into union with yourself.

Adapted from The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1997)

We are all angels with but one wing, and only by embracing each other can we fly
Luciano De Crescenzo

St Dwynwen's Day - To all my friends......

Welsh Patron Saint of Love & Friendship

St Dwynwen's day is celebrated in Wales on 25 January and commemorates the patron saint of friendship and love.

Dwynwen lived during the 5th century and was, by all accounts, one of the prettiest of Brychan Brycheiniog's 24 daughters. The story goes that Dwynwen fell in love with one Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should wed another. Maelon was so outraged that he raped Dwynwen and left her.

In her grief Dwynwen fled to the woods, where she begged God to make her forget Maelon. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.

God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. First she wished that Maelon be thawed; second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry. All three were fulfilled, and as a mark of her thanks, Dwynwen devoted herself to God's service for the rest of her life.

Remains of Dwynwen's church can be seen today on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. During the 14th century, upon visiting the island, the poet Dafydd ap Gwilym witnessed a golden image of Dwynwen inside the church, and was bold enough to request her help as a messenger between himself and Morfudd, the girl he hoped to win; and this despite the fact that Morfudd was already married!

Also situated on the island is Dwynwen's well, wherein allegedly swims a sacred fish, whose movements predict the future fortunes and relationships of various couples. Visitors to the well believe that if the water boils while they are present, then love and good luck will surely follow.

The popularity and celebration of St Dwynwen's day has increased considerably in recent years, with special events, such as concerts and parties, often held, and Welsh cards printed. Although still not as popular as Valentine's Day in February, St Dwynwen is certainly becoming better-known amongst today's population of Wales.

Illustration: Margaret Jones

Excerpt taken from: St Fagans National Folk Museum of Wales:
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/272/


Location of Dwynwen's Church...


Island of Llanddwyn, Anglesey, North Wales

I visited here in 1991 when i was at University. Ironically i was with an old boyfriend at the time and we accidentally stumbled across the remains of St Dwynwen's Church whilst on a camping holiday in North Wales. The Island of Llanddwyn & Newbourough Dunes are amazingly beautiful....

http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/llanddwyn/

Cafe Chess & Slow Chess - Facebook

Hi, I've created the following groups on Facebook. Please join if you want :-)

Cafe Chess
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7701830761

A worldwide group for chess players who want to play or already play chess in a cafe where they live. Players can post details of when & where they play or would like to play & arrange to meet with others to play in a cafe local to them.





Slow Chess
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20907618040

A worldwide group for chess players who, for whatever reason, take their moves slowly on the computer. Maybe poor health, kids, work demands or just learning. Also for other players who are happy to play us!

Heath Ledger Dies: Photo's

http://www.theage.com.au/photogallery/2008/01/23/1201024940487.html

We come to love not by

finding a perfect person,

but by learning to see an

imperfect person perfectly

Sam Keen, author & philosopher (born 1931)

'One must row in whichever boat one finds one's self'
African Proverb

Proverb - Pulareeje
In serious talk or in ordinary conversation, Africans liked to start with a proverb that speaks about the topic of the moment. The use of proverbs in Africa is a very powerful communication form. It allows people to understand the meaning quickly and also to remember what was said long after the conversation or the meeting is over. Indeed in the African context, a proverb is worth a thousand words!

'We are each a gift, exactly as we are in this moment, with no improvements!' Sark

Inner Beauty

'For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

People even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anybody.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty as a woman with passing years only grows.'

As a child in the Netherlands, Audrey Hepburn nearly died of hunger in a country devastated by World War Two, and was rescued by the UN Refugee programme. Towards the end of her life she was asked about her beauty secrets. She replied with remarkable grace.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E: Have a heart

'As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.'
Andrew Carnegie

The Golden Compass

Meet your Daemon:
http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/
and click on Daemons

I am the dove carrying the green leaf

I am the important minutes of your life

One Person Can Make a Difference (extract)

Reflect Your True Self

Finding a path back to your source is a matter of letting life settle down to where it wants to be. There are gross and subtle levels of every experience, and the subtler levels are more sensitive, awake and meaningful than the gross.

SIMPLE SOLUTION: As an exercise, begin to observe when you touch upon subtle levels in your own awareness. Notice how these feel compared to the grosser levels. For example:

To love someone is subtler than to resent or push the person away.

To accept someone is subtler than to criticize the individual.

To promote peace is subtler than to promote anger and violence.

To see someone without judgment is subtler than to criticize the person.

If you let yourself feel it, the subtler side of each experience puts the mind at ease, decreases stress, and results in less restless thinking and less pressure at the emotional level. Subtle experience is quiet and harmonious. You feel settled; you aren't in conflict with anyone else. There is no overblown drama or even any need for it.

Adapted from The Book Of Secrets by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press 2004)

Learning To Love Your Life

"Believe it or not, every day is a blank slate - a canvass upon which to draw your own picture. And in this article, Michelle Walter offers some guidelines into how to take charge of this process, and really love your life."

Why then does it seem as though the day is already mapped out for you - demands, jobs, commitments, emotions and so on? The list of what fills your day can be endless. Or, on the other hand, your day can seem to be empty, devoid of real purpose or activity. Either way, the day seems to be created for you, not by you.

How do you create your own day again?
Things to take into consideration...

Your unique destiny:
Everyone single person has a reason for being, or else they simply wouldn't be here. You brought yourself into existence.

Why?

This is a good question, and in fact you can spend a lifetime answering it, or at least, revising your answer. Even if you are not fully aware of your destiny, you can still link into some reason for being here now.

To change your life, you must take steps forward from where you are now. You can't simply work out a new life in your head and then jump into it. Everything in the universe requires a focused intention to come into being.

So your new life too, will require some intelligent focus before it comes into being. Instead of becoming disconnected in your thoughts, imagining where you should be / want to be / don't want to be ... focus on understanding why you are where you are. What does this step mean in the context of your entire journey? You cannot move into the next town without having traveled the road that leads to it.

Piecing the puzzle together
This is called ‘finding the pieces of the puzzle’. Understand how each part of your life is a piece and each piece fits together in a great picture - and that picture is your life story. The reason for using the puzzle analogy is that with a puzzle, it doesn't make any sense until you put all the pieces together. And sometimes life is like that - you don't understand the full picture until you have lived out a bit and gone through certain experiences. Sure, your intuition can support you in gaining a vision of what the final picture is, but unless you are a very open and flexible person, this vision can become just another expectation in your mind. Many people hold on to these expectations in their mind of where they are going or how their life is going to turn out. These expectations become burdens that they then carry into each new day. This is what stops most of us from painting on our empty canvas. Instead of looking out the window, eager for what we might see, we look out expecting to see the same scenery as yesterday. These expectations are what stops life from being fresh and new.

How to reclaim your happiness
True and lasting happiness only comes when you are flowing with life. People who can be happy in the face of adverse circumstances are a marvel to us all. We admire these people because we know that sometimes it is a challenge to be happy, even when you don't have any reason to complain. One of the most extraordinary recorded examples of the triumph of a positive attitude in the face of adversity is the example of Victor Frankl. Victor Frankl was imprisoned in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, a horrific and traumatic experience, everyone will agree. However Victor took a different approach. Being scientific in mind, he observed that those prisoners who had something to live for, a meaning in their life, actually lived longer. Those who felt there was no meaning gave up and died. Victor found that it didn't matter what the meaning was: love, family, work, whatever floats your boat. It is unique and personal. Yet the common element was the sense of meaning in life. The important message in this is clear: how you choose to look at your life has profound implications for personal happiness, regardless of your actual circumstances.

How can you connect with your destiny?
The meaning of your life does not come from achieving certain goals or having a great relationship. These things will come and go in life. Your personal destiny is a sense of why you are here and who you really are. When you are connected to this feeling, it is easy to direct your boat through the sometimes turbulent waters of life. You know which direction to take because you have a sense of what is important for you. This sense of destiny can help you to overcome great obstacles and do great things. Stop and think for a moment:

* What is really important to you?

* What is the gift that you bring into the world?

* What are you most valued for with others?

Starting the day afresh
Before you start each day, just stop. Take a few minutes to connect with your unfolding destiny. Remember, you may not know the whole story but you can see a sign that will take you to the next step.

No matter what you feel is going wrong in your life - relationship issues, emotional dissatisfaction, boredom, or whatever - take a minute to reconnect with what is most important in your life: YOU! So many times, we allow other people to become the important thing in our life: holding onto a relationship, striving to reach an achievement, searching for the missing half. All these things take you further and further away from your true happiness. Your happiness doesn't lie in achieving goals or having a perfect life. We see plenty of grumpy celebrities out there, despite having what seems to be a perfect body, a perfect relationship and lots of money. When you are connected to your true self - your unique inner strength and your purpose in life to share that gift with the world -your life transforms! People are drawn to you, good things happen spontaneously for you, and when they don't, you have the inner courage to overcome the difficulties with grace. It may sound like a dream, but it isn't. If Victor Frankl can do it whilst being tortured in a prison, we can do it in the comfort of our ordinary lives too!

Michelle Walter MA is a gifted psychic clairvoyant and author. With her vast experience in psychic work, coupled with her background in psychology, Michelle offers amazing guidance and support, especially in very difficult emotional situations

Winter Wonderland - Cardiff

Big Wheel
Juliette Llewellyn: mobile photo - sony ericson

Christmas Lights: Cardiff

The Hayes Park, Town Centre
Juliette Llewellyn: mobile photo - Sony Ericson


John St, Town Centre
Juliette Llewellyn: mobile photo - Sony Ericson

Recipe For a Happy New Year

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-nine, thirty, or thirty-one different parts,
but donʼt make up the whole batch at once.

Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith, one part of patience, one part
of courage, and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity,
and kindness.

Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed. Season the whole with a dash
of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish
with a smile, and serve with quietness,
unselfishness, and cheerfulness.
Youʼre bound to have a Happy New Year.

Author Unknown