Mr Dear Friends,
We are formed and moulded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act.
Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
Be careful with your thoughts because they will be formed into what you become and what you receive in your lifetime, act with kindness and compassion, give out live and happiness in everything you do.
And most of all enjoy your life with a smile 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
The Four Agreements.
Be Impeccable with your Words
Don’t Make assumptions
Don’t take anything personally
Always do your best
Speaking with integrity, not speaking ill of yourself or gossiping about others, having the courage to speak up and ask questions, communicate clearly in order to be understood and not cause misunderstandings, drama or a crisis. Don’t take everything others say to heart, their words if against you are not really about you they are a reflection of how they feel about themselves and they do it to protect their own reality not yours, when you become immune to what others say and think of you, you will no longer feel like a victim. Always do your best for you, not just because of others. Stay healthy, do your best to live a good healthy life, you have a choice what you feed yourself and if you exercise or not…it’s your choice so do your best to make the right choices for your life and live it to the full 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Today I went inside my head
Closed my eyes and took a breath
I can feel the coolness of the air as it enters my nose
And the warmth as it exits my mouth
Slow and deep breaths I take
In and hold
Out and hold
Paying attention to the now
How do I feel, what do I feel
Oh there’s a thought
Say hi and thank you
But your not needed now, so please go away
The pure new energy is entering my lungs
Fueling my heart
Into my bloodstream
Passing through my body like cars on a highway
Into my arms, my hands and my fingers
Rushing through my body
To every organ, to every cell
Nourishing me as it makes its way
But how do I feel..
At peace for now
Deeper and deeper I go
Into my mind
To a place where I’m safe
My tranquil place
My garden of truth
My home
No one can touch me here
It’s for me and for me alone
My dreams are here
I’m loved here
I can stay or I can return
It’s my choice
It’s my life
My meditation
Namaste With Love
Always
Mark
I guess the text says it all and the reasons why I choose gratitude, how about you?
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Tomorrow is Chinese New Years eve so I will be going off line and travelling with my wife to the mountains of central north China where we will spend the Chinese New Year holiday with her family on their farm. This time is spent honouring family members, passed ancestors and the younger generation where we come together as one and enjoy the festivities, so I would like to take this opportunity in wishing you all
A Very Happy Chinese New Year
Gong Xi Fa Chai 恭喜发财
Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐
2014 The Year of the Horse
So if you were born in :- 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, and 2002 then you were born in the Year of the Horse.
Horse people are active and energetic. They got plenty of sex-appeal and know how to dress. Horses love to be in the crowd, maybe that is why they can usually be seen in such occasions like concerts, theaters, meetings, sporting occasions, and of course, parties.
The horse is very quick-witted and is right in there with you before you have had the chance to finish what you are saying: he’s on to the thought in your mind even before you’ve expressed it.
In general, the Horse is gifted. But in truth they are really more cunning than intelligent – and they know that. That is probably why, most of the horse people lack confidence.
Chinese believe that because horses are born to race or travel, all Horse people invariably leave home young. The Horse despises being pressured to act for the good of the group or made to feel guilty. No matter how integrated they seem to be, a Horse’s inner self remains powerfully rebellious. Although they have boundless energy and ambition, Horses have a hard time belonging. The Horse is hot-blooded, hot-headed and impatient. Horse people are a bit of an egoist, well, selfish sometimes, that it is rare for them to interest themselves in any problems except their own. And though this egoist works only for themselves and for their own success, their work nevertheless benefits everybody.
The Horse is a worker, adepts at handling money and a good financier. But unfortunately, they are also famous for suddenly losing interest on something. In their relationship with the opposite sex, the Horse is weak. They will give up everything for love.
Being born a Horse, there are many contradictions in their character. Horses are proud yet sweet-natured, arrogant yet oddly modest in their approach to love, envious but tolerant, conceited yet humble. They want to belong, yet they are burdened by their need for independence. They need love and crave intimacy yet often feel cornered, pressured. But the truth is, the Horse is an individual, who depends only on their own wits and labour to get what they want
Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the first day of the year of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festiva; on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calandar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year”.
The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritious, Philippines, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of ‘Good Fortune’ or ‘Happiness’ ‘wealth’, and ‘longevity.’ Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes (Hong Bao) .
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the 3rd millennium BC Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2013 AD the “Chinese Year” 4711, 4710, or 4650.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Hi Everyone and Good Morning from not so sunny Shanghai where the pollution level today at 11:13am is stated to be 225 Very Unhealthy with health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be effected. Actually I think the true reading at this time will be more like 400+ but who am I to say!
Anyway back to my post for today 🙂
I would love your feedback, your comments and your thoughts on this one please because I’m feeling lonely here in my apartment looking out at this grey polluted sky 😦
So Escape! If you could escape, escape to anywhere, real or fantasy, where would it be to and why?
![[wallcoo]_mountain_and_lake_Photography_82849](https://endlesslightandlove.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/wallcoo_mountain_and_lake_photography_82849.jpg)
![[wallcoo]_mountain_and_lake_Photography_38012](https://endlesslightandlove.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/wallcoo_mountain_and_lake_photography_38012.jpg)
In my case, I would escape to the mountains, to the forest to the trees where I could breathe the fresh mountain air, fill my lungs with invigorating fresh life giving air to feel the cool breeze and the gentle warmth of the sun on my face, to smell the grass, the sweet intoxicating scents of nature, the flowers, the herbs, the soil. To watch the birds dance in the air, chasing each other from tree to tree from branch to branch, to observe the butterflies and the bees as they go about their daily task of collecting natures goodness and helping spread the love from one flower to another. And, to sit in silence, to hear the quiet, the gentle rustle of leaves as they sway in the wind, the sound of water flowing in the steams and the distant splash of a fish jumping after dragonflies as they skim over the lake, far, far away from the madness of city life, from the life of constant drive, noise, selfishness and anger away from the fast lane of life to where we were all destined to be, with Mother Nature, with Gaia…Home 🙂
Please let me know where you would escape to and why 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
It is so interesting how we treat ourselves and how we feel we need to portray ourselves to others, this is particularly important in China and the Far East in the form and name of ‘Face’, how we look to the eyes of others. “FACE” – A CULTURAL THING
For those of you not well-versed in Chinese culture, there is something you should know about the concept of face or having face. Stemming from this, there are also the related concepts of losing face, of saving face, and even of lending face.
Face is a concept not hard to understand because, even as Westerners, everyone has face. When equated to Western values, face is very similar to the notion of reputation. Face is a dynamic which applies to both personal and business relationships in China.
Corollary to face is the inseparable concept of guanxi or “relations”. Face and guanxi work hand-in-hand. One without the other renders useless the dynamic these two concepts collectively work together.
So, looking good to others from the outside is important but I think equally or even more importantly is looking good on the inside too, feeling good and proud of yourself, loving yourself, living your life compassionately and caring for others from the inside out…from the heart.
If you can start feeling good on the inside, smiling at yourself and what you stand for from the inside then you will portray a bright side for all to see 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Emerging from my sleep like a butterfly awakening from the warmth and comfort of its cocoon
I awake.
I stretch my limbs like a flower reaching up towards the warmth of the sun; my arms reach out like petals unfolding to the heavens
I awake.
I step out of bed; my feet touch the wooden floor and the cold reality of dawn hits the soles of my feet like that first lick of an ice cream freezing your brain
I awake.
I draw back the curtains and the sunrise greets my face the glow softens my skin and makes me feel alive, my eyes focus like a new born lamb taking their first view of the world
I awake
I look to the sky and give thanks for yet another day of life, grateful for my awakening, ever grateful for my now and the opportunity life gives me
I awake
I walk to the bathroom and run the tap, the fresh clear flow of water greets me, I gather a handful and splash my face, oh the joy, a cleansing for my body and my soul
I awake
I can hear the calling from within my body as my stomach calls out to me triumphantly requesting fuel for the fire, sustenance for the day ahead
I awake
The fragrant smell of gently toasting bread and the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee fill my senses, the joy stimulates my memory of what’s still to come
I awake
The gentle rustling sound of a knife spreading butter on crisp brown toast and the sweet nectar of honey greet my senses, my taste buds explode with joy as I take that first bite
I awake
At my alter I stand, I light a candle and place it carefully before my Lord Buddha, I bow my head and take a moment to reflect, my life, my day, my journey
I awake
I’m here ‘now’, in this moment of life, this moment is me, and in this moment I awake.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
GUAN YIN
Guan Yin, Mother of Compassion in ancient Chinese culture, blows gently into your life, and should be welcomed as an eternal source of comfort and peace. Guan Yin’s values are about co-operation, sharing, balance, harmony and partnership; she is highly sensitive and aware. Guan Yin’s esoteric attributes are those of compassion, healing, and centering.
She lives in the heart chakra, standing in full acceptance, suspended in tranquillity, relishing joy in the silence .
Guan Yin is light and weightless – the qualities that result from highly tuned vales of tolerance and acceptance.She is here to tell you to release factors that inhibit you, that prevent you from connecting with others. Melt those walls of ice around your heart; forgive the person who you feel has committed a grievance against you; open your heart and radiate love so that love can come back to you.
Close your eyes in a tranquil space. Visualise Guan Yin resting with the world on one shoulder, her cheek resting against it. She sees you, and you are drawn to the love radiating from her heart. She shows you how to take the world from your shoulders, hold it in your hands, and dance in joyful, carefree circles. You see the earth’s water rippling, the leaves in the trees blowing, the birds soaring without effort. Know this is happening purely thanks to your joy.
When you walk through each day, remember Guan Yin’s presence whenever you see the soaring birds, the rustling leaves, the rippling waters. Use these triggers as a reminder to take the world off your shoulders, and to dance with abandon, with your face to the skies and
your arms in the air.
AFFIRMATIONS:
I forgive
I radiate love
I am tolerant of everyone around me
I have great joy, and therefore great energy
My peace is shared peace
I am weightless and free of burden
Namaste with Love my Friends
Always
Mark
As the old saying goes ‘It’s All In The Mind’!
What you think, you become!
Think positive and positive things will happen to you. Abundance in your life is there for you as long as you ask for it, wish it, live it,… be patient and good things will come, positivity is the key!
Take control of your life, become the master of your own destiny, steer a course for happiness, joy and love, set sail and enjoy the journey that is your life 🙂
Namaste with Love my friends
Happy Weekend
Mark
My Dear Friends,
If I could reach up into the darkness of the night’s sky and collect a star
for each time your comments and messages of friendship make me smile
I would have the entire night sky in the palm of my hand.
I would like to take this moment to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and May you , your families and friends be blessed with a Happy New Year filled with Love, good health, compassion and Joy.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Please take 3 minutes rest, put your headphones on and enjoy the haunting song of Tibet. And if you have time another 7 minutes for the second song 🙂
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do?
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends, From time to time I am asked what can one do to live a happy life. There are 10 things that have helped me and 3 ‘stances’. You may not agree with them or they may or may not suit everyone – that is OK.
1. Meditate regularly. Chose a style that suits you and stay with it.
2. Be a ‘gift’ to the world.
3. Encourage regularly.
4. Keep fit.
5. See the ‘gift’ in all things.
6. Live simply.
7. Have a routine in accord with nature.
8. Do random acts of kindness.
9. Know how your mind works (it’s all stories!)
10. Have a sense of humor.
Three Stances:
1. Love widely.
2. Listen deeply.
3. Set your values highly.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Today is the Perfect Day. This is true!
Of course there will be many out there who do not think so. This is not wishful or positive thinking. It is scientific. Today is the result of the perfect outworking of the law of Cause and Effect. The law is perfectly constant, It has been said that the only certainty is change. The other certainty is the law of Cause and Effect. We may not have much control over change but we can control what we we think and how we act – the two Great Causes. The Effects will follow sooner or later. That is called Perfect Wisdom.
If you want a perfect day all you need to do is change the way you think and act, that is called Perfect Thought and Perfect Action . Thoughts and actions of loving kindness will create corresponding effects – the perfect outcome.
Have a Perfect day!
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
How many times do we say ‘If Only’?
If only you knew!
If only you knew how much I truly want to be with you!
If only they would help me!
If only they would be kind to me!
If only you knew how much you hurt me!
If only they loved me!
If only I was like them!
If only I had that chance!
If only I was talented like them!
If only I was slim!
If only I was beautiful!
If only I could…..!
If only you knew how much I think about you!
If only I had told you!
If only it were true!
The list could go on and on…….But wait….What if!
Come on my friends, stop saying ‘If Only’ and get out there and take control of your life, do the things you want to do, say the things you want to say, open up your heart and ‘Start Living’ your life 🙂
Life is so much better when were saying ‘Thank You’ and ‘I’m So Happy’
Namaste with Love
‘Always’
Mark
What a great start to your life, if we could all be so happy and positive, Oh what a wonderful world it would be !
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?
Take a moment to think of your heart as a garden and decide what your would like to see growing in your own heart, I would like my garden to be filled with peace, harmony, happiness, joy, music, dancing, nature, the sweet smells of summer fruits and summer flowers, the spring morning jew on the freshly cut grass, song birds in the air, bees and butterflies gathering nectar, the soft summers breeze rustling through the leaves on the willow trees, and brightly coloured fish splashing about in the lake dotted with beautiful lotus flowers in bloom and a rope swing made for two under the shade of a big old oak tree where My and I can rest together and enjoy mother nature in all her glory.
What would you have in your garden?
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My dear friends,
Our Minds control our feelings, our feelings control our emotions, our emotions control our acts, our acts have effect on others, others react to our emotions and so starts the process of Karma, so if we act with aggression and hostility, we are likely to receive anger and hostility, if we act in a peaceful manner with empathy, loving kindness and compassion we will receive the same in return and our world will be a better place.
I send you my love and positive energy today and everyday, may your day be filled with love, happiness and joy 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Listen to the sound of the bell and allow your mind to return to the garden of your heart and see the flowers of peace bloom.
It’s early on Sunday morning here in Shanghai, and before i head out for the day with my camera on to the streets of Shanghai I wanted to share this beautiful video with you, i’m sure some of you may of have already seen it but I’m also sure you will be happy to watch and listen to its beautiful message again.
Please sit back, put your headphones on, turn up the sound a little, relax, enjoy the peace and the miracle that happens in our world of nature.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Endless Light and Love 
