My Dear Friends,
I was blessed to be drawn to this wonderful video poem by Jamie Dunmore, his message is clear as he speaks to the world as a ‘Human Being’ asking us a simple question…What Will You Do?
Please take the time to watch this wonderful short video and please share with your networks because it is indeed ‘Time For Change’
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
The One Word That Can Change The Way You Look At Life
Mark Denicola
The Oxford English Dictionary has a definition for over 170,000 words that are currently in use. Each of these words, some more often than others, we use to communicate thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions and so much more on a daily basis. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compilation of invented words, created by John Koenig, that take language to an even more profound level. This video narrated, written, directed, edited and coined by John Koenig introduces us to one word that will give you an even greater appreciation for the world that we live in and the life that you live.
Sonder β n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
(The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows)
When you really think about it the human experience can be quite the profound thing to behold. To think that we each inhabit a body, live in a small part of this massive world and have the ability to create both individually and collectively is quite the realization. That being the case, it can be pretty easy to get fully caught up in our own life, especially since it is the only one that we are consistently a part of and play the starring role in. This video reminds us of the very cool fact that in addition to playing the lead in our own life story we also play the supporting, recurring, day player and even background role in the lives of thousands of others.
Aside from this realization, in my opinion being flat out cool to think of, itβs also a great reminder of the respect that each and everyone of us on this planet deserves. Just as our own life can become so overwhelming at times, so can the life of the person you shared a bus ride with and played nothing more than a background role in. Letβs all keep this in mind when we interact or even just find ourselves inclined to pass judgment upon others. We can never know the full story of everyone we meet, but we can know that their life story is just as real and challenging as ours can be at times, and they therefore deserve the same level of respect that we all like to receive.
The next time you find yourself out in a busy place or crowded area remind yourself of the primary message that this video delivered. To stop for a moment and think that you unknowingly but simultaneously are playing a role in the lives of everyone currently around you can be quite the thing to realize and appreciate.
Time for thought my friends π
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
What would the child you once were think about the adult you have become?
Wow, what a powerful and interesting question!
I have a real problem recalling my early childhood, I guess something major happened to me before the age of five, I often get small flash backs but the majority of my early childhood is hidden in a dark memory bank somewhere in my brain; but I hazard a guess as to what my childhood was like way back then and I think I would have been loving superhero’s, people like Superman who was trying to save the world and do good for everyone and Batman who was trying to rid the world of bad people, gangsters, cheats and scoundrels π
I remember going to church with my family so I know I understood religion and what God meant in the life of my family, especially for my mum. I was taught to respect others, to have manners, be polite and say ‘please and thank you’, to respect my parents, grandparents and never look down on anyone. I think that I have tried to instill these same traits to my four children, each of which I’m extremely proud and each of which is forging their own life for themselves in this world in their own happy, contented and respectful way. So I think I have done ok with my life thus far, yes I have made mistakes along the way, for the first 39 years of my life I wasted too much valuable time seeking riches, power in the form of a strong business, building my empire, buying things we just didn’t need, wasting money on extravagant holidays and living the life of luxury. Was it wrong at the time? No! It was part of my life’s journey, and brought me to where I am today, I now lead a very different life, yes, I’m still in business but money does not drive me anymore, my family is settled and happy, my focus is giving back, doing good for people around me, caring about our planet, our environment and the humanity in general. My life’s path is clear to me and i’m following my own Superhero journey, one in which I save our planet from destruction and help anyone who is less fortunate than I.
I do believe the child I once was would be proud of me now because I saw the light and I acted upon my instincts and trusted my inner child to drive me forward and to do good whenever I can π
How about you?
I would love to hear your story and your thoughts on what your younger self would think of you now!
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
One Day at a Time, slowly but surely we are making a difference, together we are strong, together we will help make the necessary changes to our world, together we will bring peace to our planet, together we will help bring about an end to hunger and stop the corporate greed that is raping our planet of its natural resources.
Together we are making a difference, with every tweet, every blog post; one more person becomes aware of what is really going on under our nose, the sad truths are coming to light, the reality and the hardships that many people suffer from and experience every day are becoming the forefront of our collective global conscience. It’s time to make that difference my friends, it’s time for us to come together as one π
Two wonderful and powerful music videos for you to enjoy that are full of meaning:)
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Kirk Franklin ‘Let it Go’
Bob Marley ‘War’
Owned & Operated.
Hi Everyone, If you have not seen this video then please take the time to clear 1 hour and 40 minutes from your schedule, it’s so worth it and it tells some hard facts about our world and how we are being manipulated and controlled.
Please take the time, I promise, you will be enlightened and it will be time well worth spending for your future.
The Big Club, Only The Elite Few May Join!
β’ Nobody tells me what to do or say!
β’ We donβt want intelligent people; we want obedient workers who do what they are told!
β’ We are taking from working families who are struggling to survive taking hundreds of billions of dollars and giving it to millionaires and billionaires!
The crisis, especially now is a crisis of human consciousness, a crisis that cannot anymore accept the old norms. It seems to me, though man has cultivated the external world and has more or less mastered it; inwardly he is still as he was.
During the video a reporter asked a question of a New York Trader re the recent global economic disaster, as follows:-
β’ Reporter: βCan you pin down exactly what would make investors happy and make them feel more confidentβ?
β’ Trader: βAhh, thatβs a tough one, umm, see Iβm a trader, I really donβt care about that kind of stuff, I go withβ¦.., If I see a opportunity to make money, I go with that, so, for the most traders its not about!!. We donβt really care that much how they are going to fix the economy, how they are going to fix the whole situation, our job is to make money from it!
What!…Come on, this is still happening people! We are still trusting these same people and same companies to run our lives, take our money and control or future and our demise!
β’ There are none who are so enslaved as those who falsely believe themselves to be free!
β’ Never believe that a few caring people canβt change the worldβ¦.for indeed, thatβs all who ever have!
β’ You exist but do you live?
β’ Maybe itβs not always about trying to fix something thatβs broken; maybe itβs about starting over and creating something better!
β’ Our species is so dividedβ¦β¦β¦
β’ The earth is the common heritage for everyone to share, not for us all to just dive in and take what we want, but for us to intelligently manage our planet!
The future rests in our hands, YOURS and MINE! Itβs what we do that will make and define our future.
What will YOU do to save the Earth today?
We need to use the power of βEmpathyβ to connect our world together as one voice for Earth 1 Voice for Humanity.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
I pose a very simple question to all readers of this blog and to all your followers too.
If all religions team peace, then why can’t all religions achieve peace?
Is it not time for us to put our differences aside and come together just as our religions say deep within their ancient texts, and live as one in PEACE!
Food for thought my friends
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
He who speaks
does not know
He who knows
does not speak
He who understands
does not preach
Temper your judgements and
your words
Smooth out your differences and
forgive disagreements
Dull your cleverness and
simplify your motives
Be open to the world as it
unfolds
Then, friendship and enmity
Profit and loss
Honor and disgrace
Will all be the same:
The world unfolding
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Contentment.
What is dearer, health or reputation?
What has more worth, health or possessions?
What is more troublesome, profit or loss?
Passionate love incurs great expense
Great riches incur great fear
But contentment comes at no cost
He who knows when to stop
Does not continue on into danger
And so may long endure
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
I love this comment from Alan Watts and quotation by a Japanese Zen Master.
Think about it for a while π
Namaste with Love
‘Always’
Mark
Fo Xing: Buddha Nature
Fo Xing δ½ζ§, Buddha-nature (Classical Chinese: δ½ζ§, modern pinyin fΓ³ xΓ¬ng) literally corresponds to the Sanskrit Buddha-dhΔtu – “Buddha Element”, “Buddha-Principle” the Chinese term translated as Buddha Nature refers to the potential within a sentient being to awaken into enlightenment and become a Buddha. This potential exists within everyone, it is not a question of if you will ever attain Buddhahood; it is a question of when.
Despite its Buddhist origin, this term can be freely used by Tao cultivators, because itβs meaning is universal. For instance, if a spiritually advanced Christian priest becomes truly enlightened, then the title βBuddhaβ fits him even if he does not know anything about Buddhism. Words are but labels, we must always remember to look beyond the label for the meaning it represents.
You may not think of yourself as a candidate for Buddhahood, but the Buddha Nature is in you, too. It lives in your heart regardless of your background, your education, intelligence, compassion or any other attributes, and one day it will manifest its full expression as you awaken to greater reality.
The presence of the Buddha Nature in everyone is the reason why Tao cultivators would never discriminate against anyone based upon ethnicity, background or any other superficial distinctions. As the sixth patriarch Hui Neng one said βPeople may be differentiated into northerners or southerners, but there is no differentiation in the Buddha Natureβ. It is one and the same for all of humanity. It is the Tao in all of us.
Namaste with love
Always
Mark
My dear friends,
I posted this video a year or so ago but when I woke up this morning I realised how thankful I am to be me and I have so much in my life to be grateful for. This past weekend has been simply wonderful and I have seen so many happy loving faces, experienced the beauty of nature and had the opportunity to eat lovely food and spend time with beautiful people so I felt it was about time I shared this video with you again in celebration of my re-awakening this morning.
Just a few things i’m continually grateful for.
My lovely wife, her smile, her boundless energy and deep support and love for me
My four wonderful children, their differences and their love for who they are, their friends and their lives
My two wonderful puppies, their endless energy and unconditional love for us
My Life, my health and the gifts I was born with
My work and what that has enabled me to do during my lifetime
My education and how it has helped me throughout my life and how learning keeps me young at heart and of mind
The beautiful sunny day
The birds singing in the gardens below my window
My colleagues for all they do for me, for each other and for our clients
My blog, my blogging friends all around the world, your continued support and friendship amazes me daily
The fresh food I made up for my lunch and the freshly ground coffee
My spiritual awareness and practice and the gifts that allow me to help others who need my support
My weekend and the chance to travel to another province in China
For the smiles I see and the joy that brings to my heart
The thought of peace
My meditations and mindfulness practice
My love for my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues, humanity and mother earth
I do hope you will take the time to stop for a while and to watch this wonderful video and I hope it will bring as much joy and happiness to you as i has done for me
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
The ‘Guest House’ A fantastic way to think about our emotions and feelings. Welcome them into your life, don’t judge them for they may be coming to you for a reason!
Mindfulness and meditation practice allows us the valuable time to connect deeply with our inner self, to spend time with ourself and to listen to what is going on with our mind, body and soul. Lets take a quick look at emotions and feelings through the use of meditation and mindfulness and as Rumi says, ‘welcome them into our guesthouse’.
As we sit or lie and start our meditation, we close our eyes and relax our body, concentrate on our breath, in and out, in and out, we can take our time to bring our awareness to our breath, focussing our attention only on our breath, the feeling of our breath as it raises our stomach, inflates our chest or the coolness of the air entering through our nose, the key is to allow the time for our mind to become calm and concentrating on the breath certainly helps us do this, it may take you some time because you may; at the beginning get caught up with thoughts flashing into your mind, you will hear sounds which break your concentration, feel an itch, cough, hear your children playing, the phone ringing etc, but please take my word for it; with practice it gets easier π So, back to our breath, in and out, in and out, feel the cool air entering your nose, in and out, in and out, feel the air inflating your chest, be aware of the gap/time in -between the top of your in-breath and before the out=breath starts, then feel the air slowly leaving your lungs, moving up through your throat and up and out of your nose, in and out, in and out. If your mind starts to wander, don’t worry, its normal, just recognise the fact that it happened and bring your focus back to the breath, in and out, in and out.
As thoughts enter your mind place a label on them ‘thought’ or thinking’, you can label them more deeply if it help you like such as ‘ work’, ‘children’, chores’ or whatever helps, but try to regain your composure and bring your awareness back to your breath, in and out, in and out.
Emotions and feelings may arise Β like ‘Happiness’ or ‘Anxiety’, if they come; then accept them in, concentrate on your breath, in and out, in and out, what is ‘Happiness’ why are you feeling Happy? Concentrate on your breath and get acquainted with the emotion of’ happiness’, where did it come from and what are the feelings behind it, maybe your feeling so happy that you have given yourself some time for yourself, maybe your heart is telling you it loves you. This is your journey of discovery so enjoy the feeling. If ‘Anxiety arrives, then accept it too, why is it there, what made it arrive? Do you feel anxious because your spending valuable time on yourself? does that make you anxious? Are you anxious of not knowing the outcome? Are you anxious of time and wanting the session to end? Get acquainted with the emotion and allow it to come and to go.
Concentrate on your breath, in and out, in and out.
Also from Rumi as posted by Dr Victoria Lee
The purpose of emotion
A certain sufi tore his robe in grief,
and the tearing brought such reliefβ¦.
his teacher understood the purity
of the action while others
just saw the jagged appearance.
If you want peace and purity
tear away the coverings.
This is the purpose of emoton, to let
a streaming beauty flow through you.
Call it spirit, elixir, or the original
agreement between yourself and God.
Opening into that gives peace, a song of
being empty,
pure silence.
In this poem, dear Rumi guides us once again toward deepening our spiritual experience. Stripping away the covering imposed by the false self is always the path. This means letting go of our attachment to the ideas we have about ourselves, as well as to the ideas others have about us. The most fundamental of these may be our limiting beliefsβI am incapable, the world is too harsh, I am too old, too young, too attached to obligations, too unable to feel anything transcendent, too ____; when we allow all that to dissolve, Rumi famously tells us that we will find glints of treasure in the dirt of the demolition of the house weβve built out of false ideas about who we are. Then the streaming beauty emotion is meant to allow us can flow through us.
Then we may look in the mirrorβand in every human and animal faceβand know that:
Inside you are sweet beyond telling. There is a sun in everyone!
May you look in the mirror today, dear visitor, and look deeply into any human face; look into the eyes of a child. See the longing and see the beauty!
Mindfulness and meditation my dear friends can bring you so much awareness and help you come to terms with your emotions, feelings and pain.
Good luck on your personal journey of discovery.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
I sit
I close my eyes
I relax
I concentrate on my breath and calm my mind
In and out
In and out
In and out
Deeper and deeper I go, ever closer to my soul
Thoughts enter my mind
Problems at work, problems at home, my past, my future
My life in thoughts, my ego at work, holding me back from the βNowβ
Back to my breath, In and Out, In and Out
Thank you thought, I donβt need you now
Off they go disappearing forever, forgotten already and on I go
Back to my breath, in and, out, in and out,
Closer to my soul, one breath at a time
Heart beating slowly, in rhythm with my breath
Oxygen filling my body from limb to limb and cell to cell
Channeling my mind and focus on my skin
Perspiration on my brow, a cool sensation, calm and free
I see a pathway leading down, down and down it goes
I follow with joy as the adventure unfolds
My teenage years and childhood lie before me
Innocence to life, a happy place to be
I stay awhile and dream
I play amongst the trees, smell the sweetness of the flowers and watch the bees
I bathe my feet in the coolness of the stream and watch the birds fly by on wings up high
My journey nears its end
Time to return, to reality as is
My breath takes me back, In and Out, In and Out
Upwards I go with every step on the pathway from my soul
Returning again to life, my life
My meditation ends
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
How many of you listen to your heart?
Do you really listen to your heart or is it your Ego?
Im currently going through a series of dilemmas, dilemmas of which not only effect me, they also effect my wife, my children, to a certain extent my family, my career and my colleagues and although I cannot go into details here on my humble blog lets just say they are massive decisions I need to make. Now, for most people these decisions would be easy to make especially if they are looking for a bigger career, more challenges, more money and more notoriety but for me these are not my goals, I know if I go with the majority then my life for the next few years will be tied up in business, business which I enjoy very much but is it really what I need in my life? There in lies the biggest dilemma!
Actually I want to establish a spiritual and wellness counselling business, probably in another country far from here but its like starting life anew, taking risks not only of myself but also for my wife and my children, I have no worries about myself, I know I can do it, my calling from source is to follow this pathway but my ego is holding me back, the nagging ego making me procrastinate at every turn in the pathway toward making a decision!
My heart tells me to follow my destiny, following this intuition has always been good to me throughout my life, whenever i come to a crossroad or a problem is placed in front of me, my heart shows me the way every time, without fail and with its own unconditional love for my wellbeing.
So what’s holding me back? Is it the fact of starting all over again, is it the fear of failing my family or is it that i don’t think i can provide for my family through a spiritual practice?
I guess I need to do some deep meditations and truly listen to my heart and act upon its wisdom!
Namaste with Love my friends
Always
Mark
I love this short video ‘What the internet is doing to our brains’. We all get caught up in it, our days are full of distractions, information comes at us from every angle from the moment we awake to the moment we go to sleep, TV, Radio, Newspapers, Smart Phones, tablets, Computers and of course the never ending stream of information and disturbances from the internet, emails, text messages, chats etc.
We have no time to take a time out, to calm our minds and to just ‘Sit’ ‘to do nothing’, ‘to reflect’, ‘to look inside’ and ‘enjoy our time with ourself’, ‘connecting with your soul’.
If you meditate, you know how powerful even 2 minutes of meditation can be for you, how these two minutes can calm your mind, take you to a place of total relaxation, away from the daily stresses and leave you fully in the ‘Present Moment’
Enjoy the video and take a moment from your day and be at one with yourself.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
A perfect and simple image to go along with the last few posts I made on ‘Fear’.
Fear holds us back…End of Story!
And we all succumb to it one time or another in our lives!
This is not just fear of doing something hazardous or dangerous, its not the fear of violence or the fear that we may experience when confronted by a dangerous animal, its the ‘Fear of Uncertainty’, the ‘Fear of Failure’, the ‘Fear of Loosing Face’, the ‘Fear of not being good enough’, the ‘Fear of rejection’, the ‘Fear of humiliation’
If you want to move forward with your life you need to confront your fears and become their master.
Life is good my friends and it can be good to you too if you learn to conquer your fears π
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
A nice follow on video to a couple of my most latest posts regarding Fear.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Mathematics can show us how to solve anything!
Try to add more love, happiness, joy and compassion to your life and minus some hate, resentment, jealousy, envy and greed. Hold out your hands and give out your thanks and gratitude to the world and you will be blessed with a happier and more peaceful loving life!
Namaste with Love my friends
Always
Mark
The Tale of Princess Bluebell and The Magic Mirror.
Hi everyone,
I recently posted a blog post ‘Your Life in The Mirror’ regarding ‘Is what you see a true reflection of your self and also how others perceive you’! Well, one of the responses I received to that article was from a good friend of mine Line over at http://pathsofthespirit.wordpress.com mentioning a story post she had recently published called ‘The Tale of Princess Bluebell and The Magic Mirror’ which tells a story of how this little girl came to understand her true inner beauty π
Line has kindly given me permission to post it her for you all to enjoy π
Please click on the title above to visit Lines post π
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Endless Light and Love 