Love, Compassion and our Best Wishes for 2015

Published 05/01/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

My wife and I meditating at the top of the Grampian mountains on New Years Day 2015.

I would like to take a moment to thank you all for all your follows, your comments and your support during 2014 and for the friendship and love you have sent me from all around the world.

Love, compassion and awareness of life and the world we live in is what I stand for, I try my best to promote these things through my blog and my daily activities, it is not always easy, there are often set-backs, challenges and sometimes even extremely negative and abusive responses and comments to my posts, I do however take these negative comments in my stride and think of all for the love and support that you guys give me which in turn provides me with the strength to continue on in the hope that we can together help make change.

May and I had the opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year in Australia this year, we spent most of our time in nature, meditating and connecting with the beauty and spirit of Australia’s outback, the positive energy, the weather, the trees and the mountains gave us strength and we are both re-energized to do even more this year 🙂

The dawn of 2015 brought about the sad deaths of 36 people in Shanghai, the city where we live, those souls were lost to our world after a deadly stampede on New Year’s Eve killed 36 and caused the cancellation of celebrations across the city. At least 47 people were injured, including 40 still serious enough to required hospitalization, the Shanghai government said on its website. “The stampede — the city’s deadliest disaster since 2010 — started about 11:35 p.m. on New Year’s Eve as tens of thousands of people crowded into the historic Bund riverside district for a light show”.

My prayers go out to those who are no longer with us and to their families and friends during this time of sorrow, may their souls rest in peace.

2015, what will it bring us?

I do hope that 2015 will bring about greater self realization, more compassion and a greater understanding of our world to us all. For us to work together in the name of peace and move forward towards a happier world where we can all live without the need for war, where we actively work together as one to find ways in which we can bring about the end of poverty, feed the hungry and save our environment from the ravages and destruction of our insatiable greed for more!…We can, I believe; achieve great things in 2015, we are on our way, our voices are now at last being heard, the powers that be are now starting to take notice, we can make a difference, we can bring about change.

I know you are there and I am very happy!

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Merry Christmas My Dear Blogging Friends

Published 25/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Merry Christmas My Dear Friends

May you be blessed with Love, Happiness, Good Health and Abundance

Give your Love to Those in Need This Christmas

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Published 19/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Naomi Feil, founder of Validation Therapy, shares a breakthrough moment of communication with Gladys Wilson, a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2000 and is virtually non-verbal. Learn more at http://www.memorybridge.org.

The wonders of faith, kindness, compassion and the healing powers of music and touch that Naomi uses connect with these Alzheimers patients right to their very soul, a wonderful and lovely thing to see.

My dear friends, this short video will bring tears to your eyes and hopefully open your mind to the thought that we ARE all connected through love.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Wash Away Your Pain With Love

Published 18/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Love’s rule is one,
Man’s rules are many.
Delusion and pain are a tangle of rules
While peace has no limitation.

When fear speaks
Happiness becomes pain
And desperately people cling
To straws of sorrow.
Their left hands use magic
To repel dark spirits,
And with their fright
They invite them in again.

What is pain
But Love unexpressed?
Be unshakable
But not obstinate;
Embrace fear
But do not affirm it;
Feel pain
But do not believe it.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Be Love Now

Published 17/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

A Meeting of the Minds and Heart

In the West it’s hard to even conceive of enlightened beings. We have much to learn about how to approach them, how to be with them, how to use them on our own journey into our heart. Cultures like that of India have customs and forms that, although perhaps not directly transferable, can show us how to be in the presence of a holy person.

As a teenager getting ready for a date, I would go to great lengths dressing, combing my hair, buying flowers, acquiring the money, planning the evening – there seemed to be no end to my preoccupation with the momentous trivia of going on a date. Only when everything was in order could I begin to open to the relationship. If my shoes were scuffed, I would spend a good part of the evening hiding them under an available chair or couch or being embarrassed or self-conscious about them. In its own way opening to the presence of a holy being, a lover for your soul, demands that same kind of psychological preparation.

When I first traveled around India and saw holy beings, I treated these meetings rather casually and just enjoyed being with whomever I happened to be with at whatever level we happened to meet. But as time went on, I began to appreciate receiving the presence of spiritual beings more deeply and having the opportunity to drink from the well of their experience. I came to understand that this transmission of living spirit involves preparation in order to be open to receive it. Slowing my mind down enough to be in the moment in “Indian time” was one part of that. Opening my heart to feel their love was another.

Imagine living in India twenty-five hundred years ago. You hear about an enlightened being walking the earth called Gautama Buddha. You set out to find him to receive his teachings.

Perhaps you go to Sarnath, where he delivered his first sermon in the Deer Park. You talk to the newly ordained bikkhus, or monks, gathered there and ask his whereabouts. They direct you to a town to the north. You travel on foot, in a horse-drawn wagon, or by oxcart. In each village you receive another report, making you feel you are getting closer. Your anticipation mounts day by day as you move from village to village, your mind fixed on the moment when you will meet this being, sit before him, and receive his teaching.

Weeks go by, and you begin to meet people who have just been with the Buddha. Their eyes are alight, their hearts open. They emanate a peace that speaks of the experience they’ve had. Finally you are within a day’s travel of the Buddha. Your mind turns to how you will prepare yourself for this meeting. As you near your destination, you stop and bathe and wash your clothes, perhaps pick some flowers or fruit in one of the villages. As you get very close, you are so excited you are afraid that you will not be quiet enough to receive him. So you sit on a rock by a stream, collecting yourself.

Finally you approach the cave where the Buddha sits. You climb the hill to the door of the cave. It is dark inside. A small fire flickers, and in the firelight you see someone sitting in meditation. After some time, he becomes aware of your presence and motions you to enter. You enter, bow before him, and offer your fruit and flowers. You sit before him and finally raise your eyes to look into his. Time stops. Everything you have been anticipating is coming to fruition in this moment.

The universe disappears. Only his eyes exist. A flow of love, wisdom, consciousness passes between you. Perhaps a few words are said – words you take away and think upon again and again in the years to follow. Or perhaps he says nothing, and it is just his stillness, his presence, the incredible love that flows from him, the deep compassion you feel. You feel as if you were naked before his glance. He sees through you, he knows all – past, present, and future. He does not judge, but simply acknowledges how it all is. Even a moment of such compassion can be liberating.

– Ram Dass, excerpt from Be Love Now co-authored by Rameshwar Das

Centre Yourself First in Wholeness

Published 15/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Centre Yourself on Wholeness

If all the scientists, analysts, and
theorists disappeared today,
Not one part of truth would be lost.

If all the judges,lawyers, priests, holymen and
prosecutors disappeared,
Not one part of morality would be lost.

If all the investors, speculators,
bankers and brokers disappeared,
not one part of wealth would be lost.

On the contrary, truth, love,
and abundance
Would be more easily received.

Center yourself first in Wholeness
And all the parts will be yours.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Stop Relying On The Power Of Others

Published 12/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

If you rely on the power of others

You weaken your own.

If you seek to own the world

You limit your abundance.

The expert guide helps to lead people forward

By sitting them down

Helping them to drop the contents of their mind

Down to their bellies.

Removing their goals

Strengthens their intentions.

With a clear mind

The see and then understand the confusion that desire creates.

Be still my friends and let it happen.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Turning Your Fears Into Actions For Good

Published 10/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Fear of failure, fear of loosing face, the fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, the fear of success….Whatever fears you face in your life it’s now time for you to face them.

There are literally millions of labels we can place on words and call them fears, as in the image above, the list is endless and different fears attack each and every one of us, and we react to these fears in different ways.

Every time we turn our backs on a fear and try to fight it, it becomes a pointless exercise and waste of our time, because fighting our fears places us in a ‘battle’ with that fear forever, whilst facing these fears will give us ‘freedom’ forever.

Our minds play tricks on us all the time, ‘the devil in our head’, ‘our sub conscious mind’, our Ego’s’ constantly chatter to us laying doubts on our ability to achieve, playing reference to things that have gone wrong in the past, and nagging us to stop right there and give up!…”Don’t be stupid, you know you will fail”, “It’s no point you doing that because no one will listen to you”, “Ah, they are just begging because they are too lazy to work so don’t give them your money”, “It’s not your problem, don’t get involved or it will end in tears, “Leave your job, are you stupid”, “Your not smart enough or worthy enough to do or go somewhere”……..How many of you have had these thoughts go through your head?

Strategies for Overcoming Fear

Acknowledge the fear. Whether it’s imagined or real, the first step in overcoming fear is to admit that it exists. We all have fears; it’s human nature. Denying or ignoring them doesn’t make them go away.

Analyze it. Where does it come from? Is it real or imagined? Can it be put in a different context? For instance if you think it through to its logical conclusion, what’s the worst that can happen to you? Once you’ve determined what that might be, ask yourself if you can deal with, or overcome it. More often than not, once you go through the process of analyzing it, the fear isn’t as scary as you originally imagined.

Face it. Allow yourself to feel it, and then do it anyway. Act in spite of your fear and treat is as a challenge for personal growth and an opportunity to become stronger.

Be persistent. Do the thing you fear over and over again. By doing it repeatedly it loses its power over you and you become less vulnerable to it.

Develop courage. Sometimes the answer may not be to conquer a particular fear; it may be to develop courage. If you focus too much on any one fear instead of trying to build courage, you may in fact, intensify it. By developing courage you build self-confidence and resilience. You also build a healthy approach towards facing all fear.

Our fears of failure can limit us and keep us from living the life we want to. When we inevitably experience rejection or disappointment, we have to be hardy in our way of coping with these struggles. Overcoming our critical inner voice can be a vital step in becoming more emotionally resilient. We can learn skills to become hardier, and we can face challenges with fewer internal setbacks. Yet, the first step in taking on this new confidence is shedding the baggage of our past, the critical inner voices that falsely feed our fears of failure.

If you have chance look at a child, an elderly person or someone who is really poor, observe their behaviours and take note of how they live their lives.

And like Derek says

You Have Two Hands, One For Helping Yourself, The Other For Helping Others.

Published 09/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Very powerful words from Audrey Hepburn, and the picture of her carrying and helping a starving child makes us realise how important these simple words are.

“You have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others”

I now realise that this doesn’t just apply to people in underdeveloped countries, to the homeless, to victims of war, poverty and strife, this also applies to people in our own countries, in our own neighbourhoods that are suffering right now, suffering from injustice, from race hatred, from exploitation (being paid less than the minimum wage), from lack of funds to educate their children, from lack of funds to heal their sick child or gain medical support for their own health in order to keep them working so they can pay their own way in life.

We do have two hands, we have two eyes and we have two ears but so often we fail to reach out and offer a hand in support of our brothers and sisters, we close our eyes to the injustice that we see each and everyday, we close our ears when we hear people crying out for help, or when we hear someone abused by others and we close our mouths when its time for us to speak out in favor of these brothers and sisters around the world that ARE being exploited, badly treated and victimised by the corporates, the governments, the media and the blindfolded biggots of our world who want to keep us in our place, downtrodden for their own gain, to fuel their fires and to grow their wealth, and when we break down they toss us aside and get someone else to take our place who is as desperate as us to earn a living..and so the cycle of mistreatment continues.

Honestly, I’m appalled at what I see in the media, on the news. Of course social media allowing flashes of reality to get to us through Twitter etc, sharing with us the realities of what is really going on all around us, giving us real time information on the police brutalities in our own countries, showing us peaceful demonstrations of employees who cannot afford to get welfare because of their low income whilst their companies are constantly in the fortune top 100 and their executives and shareholders earn millions of dollars. Where whole communities are being driven out of cities which were built on the sweat and blood of their families because they can no longer afford to rent a house in these cities where in some cases many generations have lived. My own daughter is caught up in the same situation, she studied for her degree in London, for 4 years she paid her way through University, she worked hard in two jobs whilst studying and each year she had to move further and further out of London, further away from her University due to the rapidly rising cost of renting property to the point of living in terrible housing conditions without heat in the far flung extremities of London, all the time whilst the rich buy the properties and rent and sell to the rich… so London in this case has very few Londoners now because they cannot afford to live there….

My Dear Friends, we have some serious problems in our world which need addressing, we should stop pointing the blame elsewhere, we should stop listening to the biased media that control our minds on behalf of the corporates and corrupt government officials, we should look at what’s going wrong in our neighbourhood, we should stand up for each other, we should hold out a hand to support our brothers and sisters, we should listen to their cries for help and we should come together with one voice and speak out for what we should all be entitled to and that is simple…

Freedom of speech,
The right to stand up for our own human rights,
Work for an honest days wage in order to place food on our table and afford a roof over our heads
Education for all
Medical care for all
And live in a world that is free from hatred because of color, race or religious belief

So, my dear friends, when you look at the picture above, please remember your brothers and sisters, your own community, your own countrymen that are also suffering from these atrocities…

Lets make a difference

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Love Is

Published 05/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Before the birth of the physical
There was the birth of potential.
Before potential, something primal.
A Beingness. One Life, silent,
unmoving, unchanging,
The unspoken beauty of Truth,
Mother only to itself.

It has been called God, Tao,
Divine Mother,
Universal Mind.
Today it feels good to call it Love.
Or perhaps Spirit of Love,
Since Spirit implies an all-pervading
greatness
As common as one’s breath.

Love is not an emotion, or a feeling.
It is the formless and substance
permeating
The seen and the unseen;
It is the seed and womb of the
universe.
Call it what you will, it resides
Just beyond the limits of our
abilities to describe.

It has been said “God is Love.”
Thus, the heavens seek Love
Earth seeks Love
People seek Love.
This is what makes us great.

People abide on the Earth
Earth abides in the Heavens
The Heavens abide in Love.
Love abides in all.
This is what makes us One.

Make Love a part of your life, Love IS all around, Love is in every person and in everything.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Adorable 3 Year Old Chinese Boy Dances For Judges :)

Published 04/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

My Dear Friends,

I came across this video from Chinese TV showing a young 3 year old boy dancing for the three judges in the Chinese talent competition, one of the judges you may recognize, it’s Jet Li from Kung Fu film fame.

I thought you may like to brighten up your day as he certainly brought smiles to my day.

The innocence and joy of a child can melt your heart. If you do go to Youtube to watch this video, please don’t read the racist and idiotic comments that some half brained people have written, these are the people who hold our world back from evolving into something better!

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

The Difficult Challenge Is Met With Joy.

Published 03/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

In action find stillness.

Seek the simple kernel

At the heart of every matter.

See the greatness in a small kindly gesture.

Make forgiveness your intention

And your enemies your allies.

Love is perceived in all you meet.

Civilized man, afraid of natures simplicity

Creates complex problems;

The healer creates wholeness

By loving whomever God has put in his way.

When there is trust, promises are not required

And the difficult challenge is met with joy.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Another Blog Award, Thank You :)

Published 03/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Once again I am humbled by the kindness and nomination for the ‘Liebster Award’, this time I was nominated by Upsi from the Life’s Lovely Little Lemons, please stop by and follow her blog over at http://lifeslovelylittlelemons.wordpress.com/ . Thank you my friend for your kind nomination 🙂 As you know I happily accept your nominations in the spirit that they were sent, however I decline to go through with the process of acceptance due to the amount of time it takes to comply.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Happiness, Gratitude & Joy, So Much To Be Thankful For!

Published 01/12/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

The smile of a child, laughter, tears of joy, a hug, the purr of a kitten, a dogs wagging tail, birds singing in the trees, the warmth of the sun on your face, the smell of freshly baked bread, coffee, a freshly cut grass, sunrise and sunset

Waves crashing on the rocks, the surf on a sandy beach, the rain on a window, fresh garden flowers, a walk in the woods, the sound of a gentle stream, the winds rustling through bamboo leaves, fish splashing on a still pond, the call of a dove, the unconditional love from your dog, the call from a loved one

A romantic meal for two, watching the stars together, planning a vacation, the love of a child, parents past and present, family, friends, enjoying your work, a good nights sleep, food on the table, meditation, love, romance.

Mother Nature, Peace, Fresh Fruit & Vegetables, Hobbies, Exercise, Angels, Crystals, Champions of freedom and peace, humanitarians, teachers, gurus, masters, artists, musicians, dancers, works of art, music, lullaby’s and hymms.

So much to be thankful for, each and everyday 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

We’re Better Than This!

Published 27/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

One of my dear blogging friends is part of a major campaign in Australia to protect over 700 children who are detained indefinitely in Australia, please spare a few moments to watch this short video and also stop by their website http://wbttaus.org.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

I’m Far Too Ugly for Selfies, But Should We Adopt a Selfie Approach to Spiritual and Humanitarian Blogging?

Published 26/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Hi Everyone,

I have noticed my lack of enthusiasm and procrastination regarding writing posts of late, I guess it is down to the fact that my number of followers does not seem to grow so much when I see some blogs or twitter accounts gaining thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousand of followers. The numbers of likes and retweets are huge and they gain lots of opportunity to promote themselves, their thoughts and their businesses easily but when I look at these sites and accounts I am so surprised as to the content, many seem to have nothing at all to offer, they lack in content, don’t offer any help or support to their followers and they are often very rude and in some cases obscene in their content. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not in this for fame or glory and my blog is about giving back, trying to help people who are maybe in need for some words and pictures that will help them in their time of need, offer some inspiration and a helping hand when they feel down or anxious.

So, what is it we need to do to make our sites more ‘Sexy’, to help us get our messages of good across to a wider audience, to actually start to do more good around the world, to bring about more attention to the state of our environment, to help fight disease, help the poor, bring an end to victimisation, child abuse, honor killings, bullying at school, the horrors of GMO, the poisoning of our oceans, global warming and not to forget help bring more awareness towards the real need to have peace on earth?

Maybe I need to go on a serious diet, to get down at the gym 7 days a week and build up my abs, some plastic surgery here and there is, a hair weave perhaps or is it that I really need to think about and position my messages in a very different way?

When I look at our world I get a tear in my eye, when i see the news and hear of abuse of our children, watch wars raging for the sake of greed or religion, see families loosing their homes because of the lack of jobs I wonder where is our world heading, what more can I do to help!…Many would say I think too much, I cannot heal everyone and everything…but for me, it’s hard, it’s really hard to switch off my compassion radar, I’m too deep in to do that now, I watch tv with my wife and I tear up when I see pollution, my heart takes a stabbing when i see brothers and sisters of humanity fighting and when I see the continuance of corporate greed and the manipulation of humanity by the media….I must do something, I must act, I must do my bit to help save our world from imploding from our own greed and lust for more, more money, more land, more things, more, more, more.

So, I’m open to offers, open to suggestion, what do I/We need to do to help promote compassion, love, peace and happiness to humanity, how do we help make a difference?

BTW, If you answers are…Plastic Surgery, Extensive Diet, Gym 7 days a week, a New Fancy Set Of Teeth etc, please consider sending me a large value cheque or bank transfer because otherwise, it, ain’t gonna happen 🙂

Love to you all, may you be blessed with love, happiness and peace

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Inner Peace, What is it?

Published 24/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

It is so easy for us to talk about Inner Peace and what living in the ‘Now’ does for your life, how it brings an end to our suffering and allows us to live in contentment and look at our lives and the world around us with a different set of eyes!

But how easy is it for us to reach this state of ‘Inner Peace’? Well I guess there is no short answer to that question because some of us find ‘Inner Peace’ very quickly whilst others look for it throughout their lives and never actually find it. And for some they gain ‘Inner Peace’ then slip right back into their old ways of living like they are on that never ending diet, loosing weight, gaining fitness only to return to old habits, gain weight and on goes that perpetual circle of life!

I know I have struggled throughout my life, battling with Ego, past life issues, memories of terrible relationships, pain and bad experiences in life but when i actually ‘walk the talk’ and live in the now, when I stop focussing on ‘how stressed I am’ and remember ‘how blessed I am’, my life changes immediately for the better, my health improves rapidly, my smiles bring about other smiles, my laughter heals my pain and I see the world how it should and could be and I gain strength each day to get out there and do some good for mankind and mother earth.

Inner Peace is controlled by you and you alone, once you realize this and start to manage your mind, your life can, and will change for the better…

Go on, give it a try, for once the old saying is true…’The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side’

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Where to Next?

Published 20/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

If we are to start making any headway towards changing our world for the better, to bring about peace, to eradicate disease and to bring about an end to poverty and starvation for millions of our brothers and sisters around the world, we will need to bring out the ‘Big Guns’

We need to start listening to each other, start to understand the other side of the story, give our compassion to others irrespective of their colour, religion or social status, forgive and forget what has gone on in the past and forge forward together as one humanity in the search of peace and in love of each other toward a common goal of life and environmental sustainability of our crops and waters and the protection of our planet, we need to build up our patience and understanding of other cultures and ways of life and most of all we need to be truthful and honest with each other.

OM

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

One Lovely Blog Award

Published 15/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Once again I am humbled by the kindness and nomination for the ‘one Lovely Blog Award’, this time I was nominated by Khalkinised from the Buddhasutra, please stop by and follow his blog over at http://buddhasutra.com . Thank you my friend for your kind nomination 🙂 As you know I happily accept your nominations in the spirit that they were sent, however I decline to go through with the process of acceptance due to the amount of time it takes to comply.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

A Prayer for Thich Nhat Hanh

Published 14/11/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Ancient healers were one with infinite love.
But they ignored social convention
So people thought they were crazy.
They would pay attention to what others overlooked;
While others debated, they would
be silent
While others would worry, they’d
be unconcerned.

Alert, they discover the world anew
with each footfall
Humble, they greet you with
the innocence of a child
Patient, they wait for nothing,
knowing everything is here
Present, they respond to change
like an eagle in flight
Open, they listen without judgement
Gentle, they cradle your soul in the
memory of light.

Intent on deepest healing
Some carry the deepest wounds.
Placid, they are the still, clear pool
Reflecting mountain and sky.

My meditations and prayers are with you
My sage, my inspiration, my friend.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Endless Light and Love

My Spiritual Journey

Love

All posts tagged Love

Love, Compassion and our Best Wishes for 2015

Merry Christmas My Dear Blogging Friends

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Wash Away Your Pain With Love

Be Love Now

Centre Yourself First in Wholeness

Stop Relying On The Power Of Others

Turning Your Fears Into Actions For Good

Strategies for Overcoming Fear

Love Is

Adorable 3 Year Old Chinese Boy Dances For Judges :)

The Difficult Challenge Is Met With Joy.

Another Blog Award, Thank You :)

Happiness, Gratitude & Joy, So Much To Be Thankful For!

We’re Better Than This!

Inner Peace, What is it?

Where to Next?

One Lovely Blog Award

A Prayer for Thich Nhat Hanh

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