Month: April 2013
Daily Om ~ The Ego
The ego from a different angle.
Be the Media
I wonder how many countries legally allow the media to do this?
In 59 B.C. the first newspaper — called Acta Diurna (latin for Daily Acts or Daily Public Records), was published in Rome. Carved into wood or stone, verdicts and outcomes of legal issues were publicly posted to inform the city’s citizens. Soon the “Acta” was a source for news including announcements of births, marriages and other happenings. Etched at the end of each text was the saying, “publicare et propagare” or “make public and propagate“. It wasn’t until later that this new means to propagate was used for propaganda.
For a long time our media has not been what it should be. Words like “reputable”, “fair”, and “honest” are not words to describe current day media. We have given corporations and governments the power to manipulate through information. It’s unfortunate that there are still some people who believe news outlets are their friends and a great public service.
Many people…
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Inspiration is everywhere
I find inspiration when and where I least expect it, here are three examples:
In going for a spur of the moment meal last Tuesday at Atom Thai Restaurant, Newtown, we were able to chat to Atom. He showed us photos of himself and his partner becoming Buddhist monks for a day in Thailand. He explained that this was a traditional part of the funeral for his mother. After chatting to a Buddhist monk, Atom has realised that becoming a monk could be a path he might want to take in life. Atom exuded calm, peace and serenity.
Since writing a blog I do not use Facebook as frequently. On one of my recent visits a friend had liked Emmanuel Dagher. After checking out his website I signed up for his email newsletter. I received a link to Unconditional Love Meditation. In the middle of our breakfast cereal yesterday, my partner and I took part in a 10 minute guided meditation. The experience was blissful.
I just saw the most exquisite photograph of a swallow tail butterfly posted by Ajaytao 2010
The reason I’m telling you this is after a week of self doubt and endless chatter in my head, I have experienced moments of clarity. I have unconsciously achieved a sense of peace and calm. I am ready for whatever this week has in store for me.
I took the picture of the yellow flowers on Friday in our local park with my mobile.
Robert
The Grove
I am going to try something new; in addition to posting photos, re-blogs and poems I will include bits about my past. I’m inspired by The Temenos Journal to write about my childhood and my family. I am relying on my memory as I am not organised enough to have kept journals. Here is the first instalment:
My delusions of grandeur started early in life; we lived in what my mother described as a “masionette”. It was the left hand of two ground floor, three bedroom, council flats, in a 1950’s block of six. There was a central entrance leading to a common hallway and stairs to the upper floors. My bedroom looked out over our back garden, while my brother’s had a small loggia which faced a common lawned area with a horse chestnut tree. As I stood with my back to the trunk looking up through the branches the tree appeared to go up into the clouds.
Out the back of the block of flats there was a narrow corridor formed by sheds to the left and the right, this led to dustbin area, a chain-link fence and a hedgerow beyond. Former tenants had been thoughtful enough to loosen the fence from it’s posts so that we could crawl underneath. This was fine in the Winter months, however during Summer our escape to the “countryside” was blocked by the evilest stinging nettles known to man.
Our home in Birmingham, UK was located in a “grove”; as a child I associated this with the fancy sounding, cul-de-sac, end of the road and no through traffic. Our grove was by no means quiet, there was a constant stream of vehicles delivering everything from milk, bread, pop, fish and meat to dry cleaning and coal. Luckily we were still on the map as far as Mr Whippy and the rag and bone man were concerned.
The delft houses above were gifts from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines when we emigrated to Australia in 1998.
What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?
What You Think Matters!
by Jonathan Hilton
You May Disagree
I have many beliefs that are not very popular with other people. Yet I do not throw my beliefs in the face of others because it makes no sense to argue over them. It is a waste of time. I believe the things I do because of a lifetime of experience and the questions that I ask. Each being answered sufficiently by experience and experiment. You can choose to not listen or to disagree or dismiss that is your prerogative.
How You Think Leads to How You Live
This is a belief that I have come to later in the game of life. The thoughts that you entertain in your mind are going to influence the experience you have in life. If you are thinking judgmental, mean or hateful thoughts about other people or groups of people, there is no doubt that you will experience those things in your own life.
These are negative thoughts which lead to unhappy experiences
If you choose to focus on accepting, kind and loving thoughts then that is going to be the general experience of your existence. How do I know? I used to think the former and now focus on the later and although I am the same person, the experience of life has been completely different.
You can question it any way you want to. Fear is the chief weapon of those who are critical. Often times when things are safe in your life, a person rejects any thought or action that will lead to change.
There is nothing wrong with experiencing fear itself, because fear gives you adrenaline to act, but if you focus on that and allow it to move your actions from day to day, your experience will suffer.
Change is Always Possible
The most daunting task for anyone to accomplish is to change the way that you think. We have spent a lifetime accumulating experiences which come along with mental programming which has managed to keep us safe and alive.
Yet there is nothing in that deal about enjoying life. Once you start to pursue happiness you have to start to notice what is making you unhappy. What is it that makes you hang your head with worry? What makes you afraid to speak? What makes you hide your individuality? What makes you hide who you are? Fear.
Fear that you won’t be accepted, or fear that someone is going to take something from you that you love. Fear that someone is going to harm you or those that you care about. These fears are fed by the mainstream media to gain ratings and Madison Avenue to earn consumer dollars.
The reality is that fear is just a thought and an illusionary thought at that. What you are afraid of is not real, it is a thought and that is it. What if? What should? What Might? Questions that provide these thoughts, they are not real they don’t exist yet they provide very real suffering for people.
Getting Out of Fear
Beliefs are merely thoughts that you choose every day to add weight to.
Getting rid of fear in your thoughts is simple but it is not easy. Stop thinking fearful things. Now that would be easy if we could control all of our thoughts, but you really can’t.
Thoughts pop into your mind at a rapid pace, representing your lifetime of experience. Bias, prejudice, hatred, fear are all a part of your experience and they are all associated with others.
You can’t stop them from popping into your mind, but you can control how much you pay attention to them. Simply noticing the thoughts of fear as what they are , fake, surprisingly releases you from their power. All of their power over you comes from you. Let the negative go and replace them with something more positive.
Replaced thoughts of fear with thoughts of love
Once you recognize and admit what your fears are and let them go, it is amazing how easy the good thoughts and feelings flow. It feels better to be happy, it is healthier to love and it is more enjoyable to live without fear.
It takes some time and you have to be honest with yourself. Recognizing your own weaknesses can be painful and difficult, but you have a simple choice here. Keep living your life in fear and be unhappy or admit to your negative thoughts and recognize that you have the ability to just let them go and think differently.
That is one of the things that I believe that many would disagree with and that is OK with me because I don’t really have any personal stake in whether anyone thinks I am right or not. I can only worry about the decisions that I make on a daily basis. That is all I can control and worry about. It is up to you what thoughts you think and the experience that you have in the world.
What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?
More Precious than Gold
A breath or breeze bringing music, a kiss;
It’s cool, it’s hot, it’s crisp, it’s warm, it’s cold;
Carrying Winter’s chill and Summer’s bliss.
What wealth would be reaped if twas caught and sold!
Fair sylphs ‘twined within the east wind do whirl
With graceful ease o’er rainbows wide they dance;
Through fluffy clouds on thermals fast they twirl,
They soar. Are they in danger? Not a chance!
Cannot be seen; doesn’t mean it’s not there,
Lots’ around yet far more precious than gold.
Endangered? For now there’s enough to share.
Can be cut with a knife; just try to hold!
During darkness of night and light of day,
Ideas and thoughts are shed just like feathers
Free as sweet incense floating up, away.
Not one’s intent? Best to attach tethers!
Anger can be heard as clear as a bell,
The strife of life cannot be ignored.
How can we tell if it’s heaven or hell?
Listen for the hoard or the lord with sword.
Wide eyed fairy’s sigh heard from on high,
Warn those below “trouble comes, be away”,
Shy souls now cry out in fright as they fly,
“No good will come; now go, leave the affray”.
Strained moments pass the tension is immense,
Time to think is bought and conflict caught short,
Need not choose from flight or fight, they’ve seen sense,
Once again destructive thought’ve come to naught.
(c) Robert Jones 2013, All Rights Reserved
Morning
Morning came after dreams of pain and healing
The road is long before me,
Will I find winter
Or the first signs of Spring
Painting the hillside golden?
Will you wait for me
While I journey seeking daffodils
Or will I return
To an empty place
That holds only dreaming?
Autumn colours
Daylight saving steals and gives back one hour. I have spent every waking moment of today relishing the feeling of my hour being returned to me unharmed.
Imagine losing six months……
I have an affinity with Autumn, however to me October = Autumn, this is the month I was born, it is when the trees in the northern hemisphere change their colours and shed them for Winter. This is the time that there is still a chance of an Indian Summer, harvest festival, Halloween and the first sign of Christmas decorations.
When we moved to Australia in January 1998, we left Winter in Birmingham to be catapulted into Summer in Sydney and before I knew it was Autumn again, but in April. No matter how much I cherish those lost 26 weeks, it is not enough to return to the grey country.
Autumn flower
Autumn seems to have finally rolled into town. The clocks change back at 3am tomorrow morning, the official end to day light saving in Sydney, Australia.
After a glorious Easter we have had a vey wet week. We dashed out between showers this morning to take Stan for a walk. I took the picture above with my mobile phone. I was attracted to the green and red leaves and the fried egg like flower. I have no idea what variety of shrub this is, all suggestions will be gratefully received.
theINFP 