Friday 22 December 2017

Quote of the day

This seems to be a solution to our day to day nonsense and all the rising of the idiocracy. But can we try it?

The idea behind the quote of the day is:

"When I see that my thought is incapable of understanding, that its movement brings nothing, I am open to the sense of the cosmic, beyond the realm of human perception. "

- Jeanne de Salzmann -

Thursday 21 December 2017

One minute lecture - The Egg - by Andy Weir



You were on your way home when you died. 
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me. 
And that’s when you met me. 
“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”
“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words. 
“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”
“Yup,” I said.
“I… I died?”
“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”
“More or less,” I said.
“Are you god?” You asked.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”
“My kids… my wife,” you said.
“What about them?”
“Will they be all right?” 
“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty. 
“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”
“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”
“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”
“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”
“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”
You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”
“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”
“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.
“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”
“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”
“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”
“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”
“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”
“Where you come from?” You said.
“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”
“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”
“So what’s the point of it all?”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”
“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”
“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”
“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”
“Just me? What about everyone else?”
“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.” 
You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”
“All you. Different incarnations of you.”
“Wait. I’m everyone!?”
“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back. 
“I’m every human being who ever lived?”
“Or who will ever live, yes.”
“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”
“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.
“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.
“And you’re the millions he killed.”
“I’m Jesus?”
“And you’re everyone who followed him.”
You fell silent. 
“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”
You thought for a long time. 
“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”
“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”
“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”
“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”
“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”
“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”
And I sent you on your way. 

Monday 18 December 2017

End of another year

The end of the year is near, and soon i need to quantify what i have done and what not, and what project i finished and what i let it die. It was an year full of transformations, and many changes coming suddenly. I tried to adapt quickly, and this worked in some cases, but not in every occasion. I kept learning about myself and pushed some of my limits, but i was also overwhelmed few times. At least twice I was close to exhaustion, and i did not learn much from it. I am already getting ready for 2018, and i can feel that this year will exceed any of my expectations.

Monday 27 November 2017

Today's quote and fleeting thoughts

 “We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.”
- Carl Sagan -

We are not always aware of our mortality. I do not know why i checked this subject this week, more than in any other weeks in the past few months. We are all but few thinking about our Legacy, in any way we can try to manifest it. First i found some tables with years, months and days, where you can mark the past ones, to see visually how much you got left out of an average life span. Interesting. Then i also find the Death Clock, an app for Chrome that reverse count down your life span. It is looking like this:


Are we using well our remaining time? Think about it and prioritize today what it is really important for you. You can thank me later. 

A good day!

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Enhancing and prolonging life - intermittent fasting

Normally I try to fast 24 hours, 4 times per month. It is not only for boosting my savings (4*12=48 days per year with no food needed - approximately £200), but mostly for the health benefits. If you want to find a bit more about how to boost your energy naturally, rejuvenating your mitochondria, read this article.

Sunday 19 November 2017

The cell and how to live forever

In my last post I was talking about the cell (with some cool videos added). Today I am talking about something else. More and more scientists are  starting  to believe that ageing is an illness, not a normal condition or something that we should expect.

Some of them are even creating a cure for this, or at least trying. Here is one example. (Click here)

That is some new wonder pill based on coenzyme NAD+. This is the story behind the scenes.

Monday 13 November 2017

Inside the cell

Very interesting peak inside one of our cell. Watch the two movies, you'll be amazed. 
Click here

Thursday 9 November 2017

Autism and learning disabilities - bullet points


  • Learning disability is not a disease, a physical illness or a mental illness. Learning disability is a label, and more than that is a diagnosis. 
  • Three criteria needs to be met before the diagnosis occur. They are intellectual impairment, social or adaptation dysfunction and early onset. Usually the learning disability occurs because there are problems before during or right after birth. A learning disability will not appear due to an accident, adult disease or dementia. 
  • Autism was first identified in 1943. It is an invisible disability, and people with autism are not physically disabled. 
  • An autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability. 
  • Because most people do not understand autism, a lot of people with autism are misunderstood. 
  • People with autism experience three main area of difficulty. They are: social interaction, social communication and imagination. 
  • They can be sensitive to light, sound, heat, touch and smell. 
  • Early diagnosis is vital in order to receive appropriate support and help. 
  • There is no cure for autism, but they can learn how to deal with it. 
  • How to recognise it: a child with autism may not learn to speak at the usual age, may have problems communicating, may not be interested in other people, may have a set way to behave, can do repetitive actions often and all those signs appear before age of 3. 
  • Treatment can be based on education, medication or diet. 
  • Applied behavioural analysis teaches the child in small steps using rewards. Auditory integration training is using special music. As medication, stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concetta or Equasym), antipsychotic like Risperidone or serotonin reputable inhibitors (SSRIs) as fluoxetine (Prozac) and citalopram (Cipramil) are used. There are special diets and supplements that need to be used, as the child can eat only certain foods. 
  • Net methods are tried now, such as picture exchange communication system (PECS) and hormonal adjustments using secretin. 
  • They can often develop depression symptoms. 
  • In the same spectrum we have Asperger and  obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) 

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Should I avoid things that has nothing to do with my dream?

Sometimes, in order to achieve your dream, you may need to direct your efforts in another way.
Example: Does someone who want to be financially independent cry about working 5 years in a lousy job, knowing that he will be financially free at 45, 22 years before age of retirement? No, because every day it will get him closer to his dream. So, every day at that lousy job is a day closer to 22 years extra to enjoy life. You will go through the hard time enjoying the journey.
This phenomenon was called “"eat the broccoli “. Yes, not all of us like it, but if it is good for us, we should just eat the broccoli and start getting on with our life.

Thursday 5 October 2017

Duty, talent and the silver fox

You need to remember every moment, my little friend, that perseverance and hard work will beat untrained talent and lazy geniality every time. Every damn time!

Talent is not an excuse to work less, but a duty to train even more. Talent means that you can access virtuosity, one step further than mastery. Mastery is for common people. But not using your skill will make you a novice.

Listen to this:


Wednesday 27 September 2017

Some extra lecture?

Quote: "An acorn that transforms into an apple is no longer the same thing, as is a person who transforms into a god."

About self - click here

Tuesday 26 September 2017

Mastery is the beginning

I learn how to walk. It was the best experience of my childhood. Walking will take me around. I could see places. Even now, as an adult, i like to learn to walk again. I some field or another. I like to find something that i am deeply interested, and the learn the basics. I read something interesting. Like, when we start to learn, we are novice at first, until we learn the basics. We keep going on, until we became experts. It it just one level up. And after this, if we keep progressing enough, in time, we can even master that field. But wait, it is one more step above mastery. It is called virtuosity. It is a moment when you are the best, the first between your own master colleagues.

Now, that it is an experience to live at least once in your life.

Think about, in how many area of your life are you an expert? But what about how many of them you master it? And then, to be a virtuoso, you probably need to dedicate your life to it. Or to be born with some insane potential talent. And willingness to work.

It is a sad thing, to be a novice in every major area of your life. Try to become an expert. Start with the important ones. Sleeping. Eating. Maintaining your body functional. Making money to achieve your dreams. Once you are at least expert in these areas, find the most important one. The one that keeps you awake at night. And become a master. At least once in your life. I have a friend. He was jokingly thinking to master sex. And then the joke become reality. He studied psychology, sociology, anthropology and even history. Traveled around the world, studying the mating rituals in every cornet of it. Japan, India, China, Middle East. He studied poetry, he learned about cooking, about love. He learned even astronomy. In the end, he told me that he learned hundreds times more than the average Joe, but he still feels like a beginner. Every time. That's the first sign of mastery.

As for virtuosity, i would probably quote one of my favorite Austrian writers, talking about Enoch stairs to heaven and the Human condition (Gustav Meyrink - The Green Face)

"The beginning is what man lacks.

It is not that it is difficult for him to find it. It is precisely the preconceived idea of having to find it that becomes a stumbling block.

Life is generous; at every instant it gives us a new beginning. Every second we are confronted by the question: “Who am I?” We do not ask it, and this is why we do not find the beginning.

But if for once we were to take it seriously, a new day would arise, whose dusk would spell death for those thoughts that have infiltrated the royal palace and now sponge at the table of our souls.

The coral reef that these thoughts have diligently created in the course of millennia and which we call “our body” is their work and the place where they dwell and breed. If we really want to reach the open sea, we must first open a breach in this reef of glue and lime, and then redissolve it into the spirit that it originally was.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Those who do not learn to see on this earth will certainly not learn in the “great beyond.”

The key to the power over the lower nature has been rusted since the Flood. It is called, “to be awake.”

To be awake is everything.

There is nothing that man can be more certain of than being awake. The truth is that he is caught in a net of sleep and dream that he himself has woven. The thicker the net, the mightier is his sleep. Those who are caught in it are the sleepers who go through life as cattle to the slaughter, dumb, indifferent, and thoughtless.

To be awake is everything.

The first step in this direction is so easy that any child can take it; only the misled has forgotten how to walk, with both feet paralyzed, because he will not throw away the crutches he has inherited from his ancestors.

Be awake in all that you do! Do not think you are already awake. No: you are asleep and dreaming. Be firm, collect yourself, and briefly behold the sensation that runs through your body: “NOW I AM AWAKE!”

If you can feel this, you will also suddenly realize that, in comparison, the state in which you were a few moments ago is like stupor and sleepiness. This is the first feeble step in a very long journey from slavery to omnipotence. Walk in this fashion from one awakening to the next. There is no pestering thought that you cannot thereby dispel; it is left behind and can no longer reach you. You overshadow it, just as the canopy of a tree outgrows its dried-up limbs.

Once you have reached the point where this awakening also permeates your body, sorrows will fall off you like dead leaves.

The ice-cold ritual baths of the Jews and Brahmins; the vigils of Buddha’s disciples and of the Christian ascetics; the torments of Indian fakirs to keep from falling asleep—these are all nothing but external, crystallized rituals, which like broken columns bear witness to the seeker: “Here, very long ago, stood a mysterious temple dedicated to awakening.”

Read the sacred scriptures of every people on earth: through all of them runs the scarlet thread of the secret doctrine of awakening. It is the ladder of Jacob, who wrestled with the Angel of the Lord all “night,” until the “day” broke and he was victorious.

If you want to overcome death itself, whose armor is sleep, dream, and dullness, you must climb from one step of awakening to the next. Imagine: the lowest step of this heavenly ladder is called “genius.” What name shall we then give to the highest ones? They remain unknown to the multitudes and are considered to be legend.

On your way to awakening, the first enemy that will bar your path is your own body. It will fight against you till cockcrow. However, if you behold the day of eternal awakening that will pluck you from the sleep-walkers who think themselves men and do not know that they are sleeping gods—then even the body’s sleep will vanish and the entire universe be subject to you.

Then you will be able to perform miracles at will, without having to wait humbly like a whimpering slave for a cruel God to bestow his grace upon you, or strike your head off.

It is true: you will no longer know the happiness of a faithful and tail-wagging dog that comes from acknowledging a master above itself, whom it must serve. But ask yourself this question: now that you are a man, would you like to trade places with your own dog?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

All those who experience the earth as a prison, and every believer who cries for redemption—such people unconsciously evoke the world of ghosts.

Do it too, but be fully aware!

Will those who do it unconsciously find an invisible hand to magically transform into solid ground the marshes into which they stray? I do not want to argue, but I don’t believe so.

When on the way of awakening you go through the world of ghosts, you will gradually recognize that they too are nothing but thoughts that you can suddenly see with your eyes. This is the reason that they look alien to you and like beings; for the language of forms is different from the language of the brain.

Then the time has come for the strangest transformation that can ever happen to you: out of the people surrounding you, ghosts emerge. All those who have been dear to you suddenly become larvæ, including your own body.

It is the most terrifying solitude that one can imagine. It is like a pilgrimage through the desert: those who do not find the spring of life in it die of thirst.

This is the sign, or the stigma, of all those who have been bitten by the “Snake of the spiritual world.” It almost seems as if two lives must be grafted onto us like a slip onto a common tree, before the miracle of awakening can occur. The separation that otherwise occurs in death occurs here through the extinction of memories, or sometimes due to a sudden inner upheaval.

Everybody could attain this if he had the key. The key consists simply in becoming aware of one’s “form of the Self” or of one’s skin, even though one may be asleep, in discovering the narrow crack through which consciousness slips between waking and deep sleep.

The struggle for immortality is a battle for the control over the sounds and ghosts that dwell in us; the waiting for our “Self” to become King is the waiting for the Messiah.

Everything I have said here is also found in the scriptures of every people, namely the advent of a new Kingdom, the awakening, the victory over the body and solitude. And yet a bridgeless abyss separates us from these people: they believe that a day is coming when good people will enter Paradise and evil people will be swallowed into the pit of Hell. We, on the contrary, know that a time will come when many will reawaken and be separated from those who sleep, as lords from slaves, because the sleepers cannot understand the awakened. We know that there is no good and evil, but only “truth” and “falsehood.” They believe that “being awake” consists in keeping the senses and the eyes open and the body erect during the night to recite prayers. We know that “being awake” corresponds to the awakening of the immortal Self, and that sleeplessness of the body is just its natural consequence. They believe that the body must be neglected and despised due to its sinfulness. We know that sin does not exist, that the body is where we have to start and that we have come down to earth in order to transform it into spirit. They believe that it is necessary to go with one’s own body into solitude in order to purify the spirit. We know that our spirit must first go into solitude in order to transfigure the body.

It is up to you and to you alone to choose your path: ours or theirs.

Your free will has to make the choice.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I have said that the beginning of the way is our own body. Those who know this can begin the journey at any time.

Now I will teach you the first steps.

You must become detached from your body, but not as if you wished to abandon it. You must free yourself from it as if trying to separate light from heat.

Here lurks the first enemy.

Those who separate themselves from their bodies in order to fly through space go the way of the witches, who have turned their gross earthly body into a ghostly one and ride it like a broom to Walpurgis Night.

Witches believe they are at the Devil’s Sabbat, while their bodies lie senseless and rigid in their rooms. They merely exchange their earthly perception for a spiritual one; they lose their best part to gain a worse one; theirs is an impoverishment rather than an enrichment.

You can already see that this is not the way to awakening. In order to grasp that you are not your body (as most people believe), you must recognize the weapons that your body uses to maintain its power over you. You are so much at its mercy that your life would end if your heart ceased to beat; also, you plunge into the night as soon as you close your eyes. You believe you can move your body around, but this is an illusion; on the contrary, it is your body that moves itself, merely borrowing your will. You think you can create thoughts. You are mistaken: it is your body that sends them to you so that you think they came from you, and do its bidding.

Sit up straight and resolve neither to move a limb nor to blink, and to remain as still as a statue; then you will see how your body, filled with hatred, rebels against you, attempting to subjugate you again. It will assail you with a thousand weapons and give you no rest until you allow it to move again. By its fierce anger and its excessive struggle, as if flinging dart after dart at you, if you are sly you will realize how much it fears to lose its control and how great your power must be if it is so afraid of you.

However, to dominate your body should not be the ultimate goal you pursue. When you forbid it to move, you must do it only in order to come to know the forces on which its dominion extends: they are legion, almost infinite in number. Your body will send them to fight against you, one after the other, as long as you continue to resist its urges by merely sitting still. The first weapon will be the brute force of muscles that quiver and throb; seething blood that makes the face sweat; hammering of the heart; cold shivers on the skin; swaying of the body, as if your center of gravity had shifted. You will be able to face and defeat all of these forces, thanks to your will. But it will not be the will alone: there is a higher awakening behind it, invisible like Siegfried’s magical helm.

This victory too is not meaningless. Even if you were to master your breathing and your heartbeat, you would just be a fakir, which means a “pauper.”

The next champions that your body sends against you are elusive swarms of thoughts.

Against them, the sword of the will is powerless. The wilder you strike at them, the more rabidly they buzz around you; even if you succeeded in momentarily getting rid of them, you would become lethargic and thus be defeated in a different way.

To order them to stay still is a waste of energy. There is only one way to escape from them: take refuge in a higher degree of awakening.

How to achieve it is something you must learn on your own.

It is a constant and cautious proceeding with feelings, and at the same time an iron resolution.

This is all I can say about it to you. Any advice that anyone gives to you in this painful struggle is poison. There is a cliff here over which none can help you but yourself.

After reaching this state, you are then confronted by the domain of ghosts, which I have spoken of earlier.

Frightening or splendid apparitions will confront you, making you believe they are beings from another world. In truth, they are only thoughts in visible form over which you do not yet have full control!

Remember: the more solemn they look, the more dangerous they are!

However, when you find the “deeper meaning” hidden in each of these larval beings, you will see with the eye of the spirit not only their living nucleus, but yours as well. Then, everything that has been taken from you will be returned to you a thousandfold, as it happened to Job: then you will be back where you started, as fools claim sarcastically. They do not know that there is a difference between coming home after a long time in a foreign land and always staying home. 

Nobody knows if you will be allowed to share in the prodigious forces once possessed by ancient prophets, or if you are destined to enter eternal peace.

Our path leads to the threshold of maturity. Once you arrive at it, you are also worthy of receiving that gift.

In either case, you will have become a phoenix: it is up to you to get there by force.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

One of those who still have the key of magic has remained behind, on earth, to seek and to rally those who have been called.

Just as he cannot die, the legend about him cannot die either.

Some say he is the Wandering Jew; others call him Elijah; the Gnostics claim he is John the Evangelist. Naturally, everybody has his own ideas about this figure. A being like him, who has transformed his body into spirit, cannot be tied to any rigid form.

The only true immortal being is the awakened man. Stars and gods disappear; he alone endures and can achieve anything he wants. There is no God above him.

It is not without reason that our way has been called a pagan way. That which a religious man believes about God is nothing but a state that he himself could achieve, if he could only believe in himself. But he obtusely sets up obstacles over which he does not dare to jump. He creates an image to worship, instead of transforming himself into it.

If you want to pray, pray to your invisible Self: it is the only God who can answer your prayers. The other gods hand you stones instead of bread.

When your invisible Self appears in you as an entity, you will recognize it by the fact that it will cast a shadow. I myself did not know earlier on who I was, until I saw my own body as a shadow."


Thursday 21 September 2017

Time as an essence.

There is a moment when i realize that i need to slow down, as i think about my last week, gone in a blur, and i just vaguely remember 2 hours of yoga and 1-2 games of LoL. Rest of the time, i just slept or worked. I was not feeling creative or rest properly, 5-6 hours of sleep stolen to the night. Something needs to be done. I am too busy, but i am not productive. Maybe i need to see what i need to stop doing, and how to improve my free time. There will be always worries, things to be done or money to be spent. And, in between those moments. the life is gone.

I will reclaim my free time. Starting from tomorrow. I need my happiness. I need my quality daily experience. I will stop being a shadow of myself, a mere automaton finding reasons to keep going. This should be my manifesto. But i am so busy tomorrow. What should i do? What should i do?

Sunday 17 September 2017

Quote of the day

Today I am thinking about this:
" The greatest danger for most of us it is not that we aim to high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. "

We are not living up to our full potential, and our biggest enemy is the complacency.

Monday 11 September 2017

Healing naturally

Did you know that elderberries, blackberries and noni fruit are all natural anti-inflammatory and that maca root can boost fertility in both women and men, while helping the hormonal balance?

Find more about it here.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Improve your life

I have these two blogs that i read lately, so I was thinking to share them with you all.

First is Farnam Street - a blog about mastering skills, and second is Brain Pickings - about the meaning of life.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 2 August 2017

Poetry corner

Ozymandias
By Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land, 
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone 
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, 
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, 
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read 
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, 
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; 
And on the pedestal, these words appear: 
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; 
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! 
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay 
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare 
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Monday 17 July 2017

Remember, remember, the sky of November...

"The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand."
- Robert Vallett -

"Being receptive and allowing things to happen is a skill that can be practiced and improved upon."
- Dr. Amy Johnson -

"Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things."
- Thomas Merton -

"Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint."
- Angela Duckworth -

"When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there."
- Thich Nhat Hanh -

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
- John Muir -

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."
- Dalai Lama -

"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn -

"Miracles can happen when we can keep our consciousness away from analyzing and classifying one another."
- Marshall Rosenberg -


Sunday 9 July 2017

Inspiration duel

A:"There is a language beyond human language, an elemental language, one that arises from the land itself."
- Linda Hogan, Chickasaw Writer -

B:"Food is strength, and food is peace, and food is freedom, and food is a helping hand to people around the world whose good will and friendship we want. "
- John F. Kennedy -

A:"Man's search for meaning is perhaps the most fundamental search on the road of self-discovery. And in the end, every last of us has to find his own answer."
- Aljoscha Dreisorner -

B:"The future depends on what you do today."
- Mahatma Gandhi -

A:"Learning never exhausts the mind."
- Leonardo da Vinci -

B:"In the light of calm and steady self-awareness, inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part. "
- Nisagardatta Maharaj -

A:"Sometimes it's just a matter of finding a little common ground, and then building a relationship on it."
- Susan Gale -

B:"Love is the absence of judgement."
- Dalai Lama -

Friday 30 June 2017

Daily wisdom

"There are many great minds on earth and not all are human."
- Anthony Douglas Williams -

I was looking into his eyes, and, recollecting my lucid dreaming experience, they seems to be alive. Definitely this dolphin is an intelligent being.
'Of course i am!' he told me telepathically, and i suddenly jumped straight into a standing position. I couldn't believe it. He can talk.


"There are no obstacles on the path; the obstacles are the path. "
- Zen Proverb -

I always wanted to be happy. On my quest for happiness i burned bridges, i create some other bridges, i lost time, i gained experience, but, at first i believed that happiness is the goal. Much later i realized that, in fact, happiness is the journey, it is not something static, to achieve, but the fire burning inside of us, following us on the path right away.


"An extraordinary business starts with extraordinary people. Extraordinary people start with purpose."
- Jesper Lowgren -

One company chooses to close all their shops on Black Friday and let all the employees to go outdoors with their families. We are waking up. Slowly, but nevertheless, we are doing it.


"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine."
- Emily Dickinson -

The words contain a power within itselves, a new kind of energy that can build sand castles inside our mind. They are real, as real as us, human beings. Do not forget this, and use the power of the words wisely.



Tuesday 27 June 2017

Motivational quotes

"There is something so enchanting in the smile of melancholy. It is a ray of light in the darkness, a shade between sadness and despair, showing the possibility of consolation."
- Leo Tolstoy -

"Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master."
- Christian Lous Lange -

"I think we have to get rid of the idea that protest will bring about change. We need to do visionary organizing. "
- Grace Lee Boggs -

"It's a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn't even know you were aiming for."
- Lois McMaster Bujold -

"Every saint has a bee in his halo. "
- Elbert Hubbard -

"No one can give you better advice than yourself."
- Marcus Tullius Cicero -

"The faster we live, the less emotion is left in the world. The slower we live, the deeper we feel the world around us."
- Stanko Abadzic -

"The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art."
- John Lasseter -


Saturday 17 June 2017

Motivational

"When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in."
- Kristin Armstrong -

"Acts of kindness, even in the simplest ways, are what make our lives meaningful, bringing happiness to ourselves and others."
- The Dalai Lama -

"Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, your raw and beautiful heart."
- Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche -


"The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them."
- Stanley Coren -

"How shall we speak of love, except in the splurge of roses?"
- Mary Oliver -

"Every life speaks to the power of what can be done."
- Oprah Winfrey -

"Books are humanity in print. "
- Barbara Tuchman -

"The perfect woman, you see, is a working woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who uses her hands and her head and her heart for the good of others."
- Thomas Hardy -

"You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."
- Mahatma Ghandi -

"If you want life on your side or to be on the side of life against death you must surrender completely to life."
- Agnes Martin -


Thursday 15 June 2017

Until the end of Time

She was mysterious and beautiful, in some secret way. Everybody noticed her, and it was a wonder how she  was not a model or Miss World kind of celebrity. This were my thoughts, until i realized that a very powerful compulsion was working to make me forget her, as soon as i was leaving that tiny town.
- What kind of witch are you, i asked her as soon as i came back.
- I am not the kind of witch you were thinking, At least i was not called that name in the last three centuries, she said smiling. I am just a humble shopkeeper, taking care of the local attraction. Nothing more.
-You are  saying that, and yet, i never met someone with such a mastery in palmistry and tarot reading.




Now i was curious. I always wanted to visit the cave promoted by the local museum, right under her shop, but somehow i never found time to do it. It was open only in the weekend, for a couple of hours, and, even if i was coming regularly to this little town, to do my checks on my car at the local car dealers, it was happening during the week. So one day i came especially for this. She was the guide, explaining to me that nobody really knows about the origins of the cave, and some presume that is has to do with the Templar's Abbey, while others think that an ancient christian monk use to live there. Hence the crosses and the sculpture of St. Katherine from the cave's wall.



I studied it with interest, noticing the similarities with the Egyptian and Linear B alphabets. I found and read the legend of St Katherine. The story said that she was a beautiful scholar, wisest beyond imagination, and that in becoming a Christian, the roman emperor tried to persuade her to become his wise and he even gathered 50 of the most well-known philosophers, priests and sages, to convince her to renounce at her beliefs. In the end, she managed to convince all of them 50 to become Christians. They were instantly killed by the emperor, and she was condemned to death. They wanted to use a spiked wheel, but she just touched the wheel and it shattered into dust. She was then beheaded, and the angels carried her body away. The researcher Donald Attwater said about this history that it is a lie, existing only in the mind of some Greek writer, and invention meant to provide a counterpart to the story of the pagan philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (350-415 A.D.)

As i was not doing any of my projects, i rented a flat and stayed in Royston for the summer. Often we were awake until late at night, talking about ancient civilizations. She was very knowledgeable, and i was happy to meet someone to exchange ideas about few of my theories. We developed some complicit relation, talking with our eyes only or having our own jokes. My own awareness spiked and reached a new level, letting me to go deeper in the meditation process. In the morning i would do my training, in the evening i will talk with her, and weeks passing by, we became close and caring for each other. Until that night, when everything changed.

I took her hand, and walked inside, when she suddenly turned back and kissed me. Being a gentleman, i returned the kiss, and just few minutes later we embraced wildly in the unknown dance of two becoming one. After that, night after night, one unbreakable bond will bring us together, to reach the most exquisite nuances of love. But every time she was there, in the bed, at sunset, just her naked body and a scarf around her neck. Which make me wonder, what was she hiding?

Next evening i asked her, and she winked at me with one of her questionable looks. Then, she slowly undress herself, scarf included. A scar marked her neck, all around. A bit surprised, i asked:
- Do not tell me, you are St Katherine? Who are you? What are you?
-I am Queen Behenu, former wife of the Pharaoh Pepi the Second, mistress of the Arts, immortal. Also named Hatshepsut, St. Katherine, Hypatia of Alexandria, Agnes Samson, Marie Laveau and few other names.
-Are you a Christian?
-I am a healer, and Christian religion was an easy way to pretend that it is not me, but the Divine will. In some way, it is true. No tell me, who are you? I have seen that my forgetfulness spell seems to not affect you. And your knowledge is not far behind mine.

Now i was laughing. She got me.
- I am Vlad the Stormcloudrider, Master of the Scholomance, Initiate in the all 64 internal kung-fu styles of the East, also immortal. And all this time i was thinking that i am the only one. I am glad that i found out now, two days before i need to go. Now indulge me one curiosity, out of the whole world, why are you living here?
-Think about it, she said.
I understood.
-It is the cave, right?
-Yes, it is indeed. It is constructed on the exact point where two major ley lanes meet, the Michael and the Mary ley lane. It helps me to use some self-sustaining spells. Like the forgetfulness one, for example.



The time was flying now, And there i was, saying good-bye.
-I will come back as soon as i finish my business, i said.
-You gonna find me here. I'll wait.

Maybe was fate, or destiny, or some celestial joke. But i am happy now, and my life makes some sense. In the end.

Wednesday 14 June 2017

You are in charge!

Success, health, and happiness are all consequences. They are byproducts.
They are effects, not causes.

Monday 12 June 2017

Tall, taller, tallest

"What you are, the world is. And without your transformation, there can be no transformation of the world."
- J. Krishnamurti -

We are all parts of a bigger living organism. And the whole is reflected in the part, but also the part is reflected in the whole. The easiest way to change the world is by changing yourself. Try it! It will surprise you.

"I avoid grandiose plans. I start with a small piece that I can do. I go to the root of the problem and then work around it. It's building brick by brick. "
- Muhammad Yunus -

But i am not important, and my feeble actions cannot change the world, you can say. Which is not necessarily true, even if you believe that. In one of his stories, Tony Robbins said how someone left a bag full of food on Thanksgiving day, in front of his door. Because of that, growing up, he always remembered and tried to give some food-bags to people in need. First time he gave 2, second time 4, and now, more than 40 years later, he just gave more than 5 millions bags. It is always good to start small. But how much will grow, you never know.

"We rise by lifting others."
- Robert Ingersoll -

Why me? you asked. Because there is no change to grow only for yourself. This kind of growth is not real, and you will fail eventually. But when you are doing it for many others, than you become responsible. And accountable. And then your efforts will be real and you will persevere. You will know which is your limit, but you will go even further that that.

Friday 2 June 2017

About advice, sleep and ideal justice

"Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind."
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge -

I was always thinking that, when it is about giving some advice, make it in the way that the person listening will think that it was his/her idea. It is not about manipulation, but more about the art of providing hints, so the other person listening to reach to that conclusion according to their own needs.

"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep."
- E. Joseph Cossman -

We live in a sleep deprived society, where action is desired, but even if we care about what we eat or how we exercise, this is not enough. Sleep is still one of the most important part of life, and this alone can heal, regulate eating and help with resilience when exercising. Do it properly, and you will see the differences. Try to go to sleep early and wake up early, having 8-9 hours consistently.

"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -

This is the ideal, and thinking about it we can only see that we are still far away of that Golden Age where everything will be how is supposed to be. The real world needs a lot of help, and we need to do the work.

Monday 29 May 2017

21 motivational quotes to choose from...

This blog post is an answer to the news program watched yesterday at work. While i do not pretend they are solutions, you can get inspired and try to mend the modern world. Enjoy it!


1.If people are informed they will do the right thing. It's when they are not informed that they become hostages to prejudice.

- Charlayne Hunter-Gault -

2.Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been known to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature.

- Mahatma Gandhi -

3.Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.


- Marcus Aurelius -

4.There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.

- Helen Frankenthaler -

5.There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.

- Helen Frankenthaler -

6.We can do no great things; only small things with great love.

- Mother Teresa -


7.How strange the change
From major to minor,
Every time we say goodbye.

- Cole Porter -

8.Forever is composed of nows.

- Emily Dickinson -

9.The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man

- Charles Darwin -

10.The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

- Mahatma Gandhi -

11.The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are moments when we touch one another.

- Jack Kornfield -

12.I think most artists in their most personal, private moments in their studio ask, "Whats my purpose on earth as an artist?

- Carl Cheng -

13.We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.

- Desmond Tutu -

14.To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

15.It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

- Frederick Douglas -

16.Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg -

17.Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

18.True peace between nations will only happen when there is true peace within people's souls.

- Native American Proverb -

19.Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world.

- Brene Brown -

20. We cannot create a world we can't imagine and stories are the engines of our imaginations.

- Josh Stearns -


21. Writing is the painting of the voice.

- Voltaire -


Friday 19 May 2017

Random thoughts

"A drop of ink may make a million think."
- George Gordon Byron -

Leave messages, uplifting messages, whenever you can. Be creative, from boards and stick-it on the fridge, to notes and stickers on the toilet's mirror. Find new ways, inside the cupboards, or in the envelopes with the message Open-Me. You will make someone smile, and that is enough to continue.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
- Nelson Henderson -

Make long term plans, big plans, plans meant to change the world. Follow a new one any time you can. You never now what can happen. Something can reach a tipping point, and the humanity as a whole will evolve further. Do your part. And never expect something in exchange. Be the anonymous person who helped everyone.

" When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'"
- Lao Tzu -

This put me in awe. Just the thought that someone like this can exist. Yes, we hear often the 'I wouldn't do it without you!'. But this, this is a subtle way of directing events to happen, a mastery known to many. And now i have something to think about. Life is good.

"I think it's important and I think it's true that our life experience is going to be about our attitude, our thoughts, our beliefs, our speech and our actions. We can transform our life experience simply by changing our language. "
- Jason Mraz -

So simple and yet so effective. Words can kill. Words can also heal. And, if you embrace the positivity, and banish all the hurting, untrue or confusing words from your life, your whole experience will change. You will build something, inside your brain, something majestic. Even if it will take time, and maybe you will fight like you never did before, it is a worthy effort. Change now, change sooner. It is never too late.

Tuesday 2 May 2017

Ideas to improve the quality of life

I continue to keep the cornucopia of technology at arm's length, so that I can more easily remember who I am.
- Kevin Kelly -

As we constantly outsource our brain functions to our smartphone, laptop or intelligent watch, we should start to be aware, and to make small changes. Such as memorizing a phone number or write a birthday in our notebook. Send a postcard on someone birthday instead of a Facebook message. There are many ways to implement change. Keep your phone in another room during the night to charge, so you will not be tempted to reach for it first thing in the morning. Open your window instead and breath properly for ten times. Improve yourself!


We have the ability to achieve, if we master the necessary goodwill, a common global society.
- Mahnaz Afkhami -

What do i mean when i say global? No, i am not referring to some occult organisation aiming to take over the world. I mean solving global problems through local approach. Our imagination is our only limit. Help your children to plan 10 trees, Play one Hour outside or read a book instead of watching TV. Be active. Take care of your body, your emotions and your mind. Let the Nature to do her magic.

Sunday 30 April 2017

Quote of the day

"Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous 'I don't know.' "
- Wistawa Szymborska -

Curiosity didn't kill the cat, just made it aware of other unknown dangers. But also about new rewards. Curiosity can change your life. Can turn a bland job in one continuous challenging and amazing experience. Can raise your awareness, making blind eyes to see, and deaf ears to hear. Can read a story in a heartbeat, or a life in a handshake. A love in a hug, a day in a lifetime. Just ask yourself often, with better and better questions. And see what will happen.

Saturday 29 April 2017

Quote of the day

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. "
- William Blake -

Our eyes often look but they cannot see. Why? Because we are often living in our mind instead of the outside world. We are looking inside when we should be aware of the outside world, but we are also looking outside when we  should be inside.  Our duality will make us to be on the wrong foot quite often, unless we are willing it voluntarily, in order to achieve greatness. Be one with your eyes, your ears or your nose. Feel the wind on your skin, but remember that, while you feel your skin, you are not your skin. While you can feel your body, you are not your body. You can feel your feelings, but you are not your feelings. You can watch your thoughts, but you are not your thought. What are you? You are the silent witness behind everything, but thinking back, you are your predominant thoughts, you are your most used feelings, your body is the mirror of your soul. You are everything and you are nothing. Unite the contraries and you are a step closer. Refine your senses and new worlds will open to explore. Be bold!

Thursday 27 April 2017

Fast or slow?

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."
- May Sarton -

We are living in a century proclaiming speed as a modern god. Fast food, fast cars, fast choice, but speeding through life will not make us to lose some of its quality? I remember when Bruce lee was training with a friend, and seems to be ten times faster then him, and he told him, what you need is not to be faster than me, but slower. Slow your rhythm until you are comfortable with it and you will improve. We need to cultivate the contrary, to have the right attitude, to act like we have all the time in the world. And to do this while we are aware that we are not immortals, we have only one life and we can leave this place in any moment. What a contradiction to solve! Good luck with that.


"The good man is the friend of all living things."
 -Gandhi-

Being kind have numerous benefits, and changing your time perception is one on them. When you are kind, when you think about others instead of only yourself, then all that rush will disappear, and the silence will prevail. Under the waves of the dangerous sea of thoughts, there is a place where is quiet enough, but you need to reach that place. Try it! At least once. (Any mindfulness technique aim to take you there.).

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Quote of the day

"I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do."
- Brene Brown -

You are not perfect. Yes, i repeat. You are not perfect. But you can always try to be the best version of the imperfect you, or you can give up. You can choose to grow, to improve yourself (and here the 1% rule is the best - improve yourself with at least 1% daily), or you can slack through life, finding excuses. We live in a culture that is quick to blame others, but you need to know that the root of every problem and every blessing is you. Only you. As one of my favourite writers used to say: "You cannot even die if you do not agree with that.". Find who you are, relate to yourself, with your own qualities or lack of them. Come in terms with your limitations, but never accept them as a given result. Good luck!

Thursday 20 April 2017

Quote of the day

"At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity."
- Rachel Naomi Remen -

In order to learn how to heal ourselves, we need first to learn why we become sick. When we step aside from our natural state, in any way, we open the door to unseen troubles. Being out of sync is the real problem, because everything around us has a deep layer, where a mechanical heart is beating, behind every cell and atom. We need to subscribe to the same wavelength, and to become one with the Universe. Or we can try the easy way. Honesty. And we need to be honest with only one being, our Self. The inside or the outside journey will bring you in the same place, in the end. But it is important for you to choose your individual way. To enjoy the journey is even more important than to reach the end of it.

Monday 17 April 2017

Bees, meaning and acceptance of life

"The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."
- Saint John Chrysostom -

Nature is wonder. It is an urban legend, or maybe more than this, saying that in the moment we kill all the bees, the whole earth will die. We are all but links in an universal chain of life, slipping though the holes of the intricate weave of reality. Nothing else to say.


 
"The meaning of life is to give life meaning."
- Viktor Frankl -

Do i need to repeat it? "The meaning of life is to give life meaning." We are alive, but not really living, for the biggest part of the day. When were you really excited about the next thing that you are supposed to do? Can you tell me? Was it today? Last week? Last month? Last year? It is a question popping by often for me. Do i really live, or i am just surviving, barely keeping myself alive? What give us meaning? Is the meaning happiness? Riches beyond measure? Love? Think about it and you will see how the answer is changing, given enough time.


"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary it means accepting it as it comes...To accept is to say yes to life in its entirety."
- Paul Tournier -

Yes, it is a common misconception. Acceptance is not fatality, it is just doing your best, and in knowing there, being oblivious of the result. Even if you fail, you will not stress about it, because you did your best at that specific time. You will improve and get better, until achieve the necessary level to complete that challenge. In acceptance is the secret of a life without stress, without infertile thoughts.


Thursday 13 April 2017

Love is all around

"Love is the guardian deity of everything."
- Morihei Ueshiba -

This is another level. You cannot grasp the meaning, as we are very often confined in the limited individual love. But he was saying that we learn to love each person, one by one, until we will love everyone in the entire world. Can you do it?


"Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it."
- Vincent Van Gogh -

And to continue, love has its own rhythm, but not many can see it. And even if you see it, you can perceive it, but you cannot explain it. We need to value our poet, as they are trying to put it in the words, even if this is inconceivable. Some of them even got the rare gift, and they will do that. Read more poetry too, as this will make you to see that love is all around.

That's all for today. Love more. Love often.
G.

Monday 10 April 2017

Wounds, fear and gratitude

"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."
- Rumi -

We are talking about lessons and learning. And somehow it is interesting how a lesson will come for me, again and again, until i learn. If i refuse, it will morph in something similar, trying to trick me, and make me wise. I fight against it sometimes, but i want to improve every day. In order to do that, i will accept the good and the not-so-good in my life. Sadly, we see the benefits only looking back, after everything happen.


"True peace can rarely be imposed from the outside; it must be born within and between communities through meetings and dialogue and then carried outward."
- Jean Vanier -

This reminded me about the US initiative in the 60's to show how jail is to almost every youngster with a problem. To scare them away. But fear rarely works, and half a century later, their research proved that the all hailed method is inefficient, working only on short term, with catastrophic results on the long term. The alternative, as Jean Vanier said, is to communicate, to connect. It will take time, but it is always worked. Now the question is, what can you do to bring a bit of peace in our world?


"When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude."
- Elie Wiesel -

Why gratitude? Because it is the opposite of being selfish. As the late make us to contract and limit ourselves, the first will help us to expand and be open. It will help by making us able to live through new experiences, to rewire our brain and see the big picture, instead of one individual view.

Friday 7 April 2017

Morning feeling

"When you are blessing, you have no time to judge, someone told me today. Blessing are powerful, as some ask for blessings, and people pray for them, and few bless everyone, and they become the blessing. (Yes, i was told that too.) We got a score of angels, guiding us to grow even further, and some of them are hidden in ordinary real persons like you and me. It is the old saying that in order to see the angels, you need to become one. 

What am I talking about? Hey, stop a moment? Am I dreaming? No! I am talking about perspective. Whatever you choose to focus on, you become. So, be wise, and focus on happiness, riches of the soul and a higher quality of life. Because you are the one allowing to suffer all the misery present in your life. You are responsible for everything that is happening to you. Or, as Richard Bach brilliantly say it: "You cannot even die without your own consent."

Leave all the petty things and quarrels, and choose to be happy. Now. Right now. Become the person you always wanted to be. 

Enjoy this beautiful day also.
G.

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Quote of the day

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.

- Edward Abbey -

Why? Because change is good, helping our stress level, immunity and even our brain. We need different kind of noises that the ones we usually hear, but more than that we need silence. We need recovery, and the nature is uniquely prepared to help us with these problems. Go out, far away from any city, go into the woods, go into the dessert. Of course, you need to be prepared, but remember: the boats are made to sail the seas, not to wait in the port. Same with our souls. They need to expand, always and often.


Sunday 2 April 2017

Question of the day?

If your child will be a prodigy, and one university will accept him at 11, will you let him go or will you just let him to do all the classes as any normal child?

My answer is: I will not agree with this, maybe with up to 2 hours weekly under my supervision, but i will still want him/her to enjoy childhood, it will have the rest of life to study more if needed.

You?

Saturday 25 March 2017

Quote of the day

"In a gentle way, you can shake the world. "
- Mahatma Gandhi -

Gentle means caring. Gentle means remembering. Gentle touch can create a ripple effect lingering in the world long after you finished your action. Kindness is a must, in our day, when hate try to win a never-ending war. Even if the darkness is at its peak, one candle can bring the much needed light, banishing every shadow within its reach. Be that light, a candle or a pillar, but do it like a whisper, unknown and without pressure. Be good, do good, and then just follow your way. In or out, depending of the need.

Friday 24 March 2017

Quote of the day

"You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
- Roald Dahl -

Is this true? Our society is more than ever insisting in abnormal, impossible ideals of beauty, which often are not even true (Photoshop anyone?). Even the men, but especially the women are targeted by media and impressed with models that want to be skinny and gracious. But this is not always true. The ideal of external beauty is changing through the centuries, and couple of hundred years ago the ideal it was the voluptuous, fatty kind of woman. Small hips versus big hips. Generous bust versus small bust. There are many ideals of beauty, possible and impossible. And i will not start to talk about the male one, sculpted body, with six-packed abs (which can be obtained by everyone, given the time, training, diet and motivation). But even as we look at the entertainment industry (i know, i know, the bar lowered a bit too much), we are longing for the Uomo universalis ideal of Renaissance. What the heck, we live in a society which believe that beauty and intelligence in the same time is almost impossible. How did we get here? What changed? It is the fault of our education system, or is just the daily bombardment on advertising? In this run after our desires, we keep forgetting to take a peak inside of people, to see that pearl hiding within. Try it, today look around and talk with others, until you find something fascinating in the other person.

Happiness report 2016 (worldwide)

Something interesting to study, even if just to see if you leave in a happy country or not? Are you curious?

There it is: Happiness report 2016 (worldwide) online, or you can download it from here.

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Quote of the day

"Let go of your mind and then be mindful. Close your ears and listen!"
- Jalaluddin Rumi -

With this one we go to explore the mystical side of life. What is mindfulness? How can we let our mind go? First of all, we say 'my mind', so the mind is ours and we are not the mind. We are not the body either, we are a whole of all the things defining us. And our mind, or our way to process thoughts, to be more exact, is one of the primary stress generators in our life. Think at the moment when you are in the rush and everything is going by, as you are absorbed in some kind of tunnel vision, compared with the moment when you are just sitting on a bench, watching boats on the lake. These are two sides of the same rope, but Rumi will give us a hint, to go even further. The key is to slowly retreat from the outside world and to start to explore the inner world. We need to learn how to listen to our body, to the response which is given to different stimuli, such as emotions or thoughts. There are whole books, videos and phone apps about us. But all the informations is useless, if we do not start to practice. Because the knowledge, as inspiring as it is, is nothing without the action. Find 5 minutes, close your eyes and just listen to your breathing. Do this now. And see if you need more of it.

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Message on a wall

"Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can."
- John Wesley -


I like this quote. I am thinking to print it and stick it on my inside part of the bedroom door. So i can read it every morning, on my way out. so it will inspire me, and for me to inspire others in return. Because we need to remember that we are born for greatness, and we are able to do much more than we think we can. And what will seems a small deed for us, could be a majestic help for other. Never stop, never back down. Be a warrior of light, and make this to be your war-cry. Your attitude or habit, and can become a way of life. Be a light in those dark times. Embrace your destiny as a human being. As a humanitarian.

On the same page, i want you to support this person if you can. It is one of his first attempts to help others in this kind of public effort. Check on this page, supporting MacMillan.

Quote of the day

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
- Helen Keller -

Let's talk about ideas. Some ideas can be contagious. They spread around. And, if you want to help others, it is good to learn how to do that. Let's say that you want to bring food to some people in need this Easter. By yourself, you can make one, or maybe 10 bags. But talk to your friends, explain to them what is behind the idea, be inspiring, and then maybe very easy you can do 20, or 50 bags. It is still your idea, but you make it worthwhile. It is much better to reach others, in any major project you do, and ask for help. Especially is it is done for the benefit of the humanity.

Wednesday 15 March 2017

About friendship, hate, fear and unity

"I think there is just one kind of folks. Folks."
- Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird -

We are not so different, we, people with a heart beating in our chest. And in order to solve this distance and racial/gender/nationality perception, i could see some wonderful initiatives around the Globe. I think all started with the Rent-a-Jew event in Germany, slowly evolving in the Human Library, in Denmark, and then all around in the world. What is that? Instead of going for a book, you can speak with another person, out of your circles. You can talk to small people, black people, even LGBT people, and you can see that the labels will not stand, once you can see all around you as individuals. Try it!


"Fear is the glue that keeps you stuck. Faith is the solvent that sets you free."
- Shannon L. Alder -

We can see globally an unprecedented promotion of hate, mostly done by the mass-media, in a relentless effort to gain more profits by promoting the sensational. But this will also divide us in black versus white, Christian versus Muslim, local versus immigrant and so on. We need to understand that fear is the reason on getting stuck in a self belief that will stop our inner growth, and that by choosing to have faith in others, we open ourselves to many beautiful and amazing experiences.


"Deep ecologists assert that there is an ontological realism, that humans are part of the natural system, the web of life, and that we can rediscover our authentic existence."
- Bill Devall -

Let's go even further with this idea of being part of the whole. United we are one humanity, but in the end humanity is only a part of our planet ecosystem. Think about that. You are part of a community, that is part of a nation, that is part of humanity, that is part of the life here on Earth. Isn't that mind-boggling?

Saturday 18 February 2017

Inspiration

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
- Albert Camus -

I needed this, I was thirsty, I was missing the sun and the Summer glow, Summer Glau is still beautiful, but the idea of me, in the middle of the Winter's cold, reaching out to my internal Sun, using the long forgotten art of Tummo, like my Vajrayana master used to teach me. In the end, we are all nothing but a poetry, written by some Unseen Hand on a blank canvas.

Thursday 16 February 2017

Dreams, creams and other ways to die

"Another word for creativity is courage. "
- Henri Matisse -

To be creative is a challenge in a world where changing the rules of the game can make you an outsider. But only when you question the old, you can find a new, better way. So, you need courage to try something different, to not believe everything that you are told, and to challenge your own beliefs, if needed. For the next seven days, try to be creative. Buy a notebook and write few pages with ideas every day. Small or big, good and bad, it is irrelevant, as long as you manage to fill one notebook with ideas. When you did it, check them out and make the best of them happen. Good luck!


"To keep impermanence always before your eyes makes everything sacred, because it always could be otherwise. "
- Kristi Nelson -

We live as we will never die, and we never think that today could be our last day here, on earth. We take everything as granted, and we are full of our own self-limiting beliefs. But this is not always true, and if we realize that we are mortals, and we choose to enjoy every day as it will be the last, we won. Because in the other order, we can find ourselves too old to enjoy life anymore, even if we worked the entire life thinking at our future retirement. Sometime we can even die before retiring, and what will happen then with our never fulfilled dreams? They die with us. It is time to go out and enjoy living. Because sometimes people stop living at age of 25, even if they die at 85. Do not be one of them .


"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
- Eleanor Roosevelt -

So, if our dreams are so precious, why we grow up and forget everything we wanted to be, long time ago when we where children? Because there is some magic in our childhood dreams, and it is our duty to make them happen, even if we are adults now. Make a list with your childhood dreams, doesn't matter how silly they seems to be, and if it is easy, do some of them .Not necessarily the big ones, but you have choices. If you dreamed to be a fighter pilot, take few flying lesson. If you wanted to be an astronaut, go to visit NASA. It is important to be active, to be a person of action. And see the results. I am sure you will be surprised.

Today's gift

Watch this. You will be touched.

Sunday 12 February 2017

Starting, at the right moment, and loving yourself for it

"Initiative is doing the right thing without being told."
- Victor Hugo -

Today we will talk about connection and the relation between dreams and action. Did you observed that you will always do what do you think it is right, if it is about something you like. But why stop there? Once we are fully formed as human beings, regardless of age, we start to know what is right and what is wrong, at least by the standards of the society where we live. And as the perfect version of the imperfect us, we need to be leaders, persons of action, and to do what it is right just because it is, without being asked. Can we?


"Love is the bridge between you and everything."
- Rumi -

The Tibetan way of love, at least how I found it, start with us being able to love our parents, then our lovers and children, but after that we need to go even further, and encompass the whole world in our new found love. When we are able to love everyone, to care about everyone and to see the spark of Life in everyone, then we are ready for the Journey. What Journey, you may ask? Love the entire world, and i will tell you after.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
- Mark Twain -

And even before having initiative, you need to start to do something. Just do it, as the shoes said to me long time ago. I already told you about the idea training (as i read about in one of James Altucher book). Every day write at least 10 ideas. Some of them will be brilliant, some of them not. Do it anyway. After you learn how to do it effortlessly, next step is there. You start to make them happen. And maybe not instantly, but in 6-12 months, you life will change, in a manner you cannot even dream about. you will do in one year what you couldn't do in your entire life, and next year will be even better than the last one. You will start to grow exponentially. You will become You, as you will be closer to reach your full potential. Are you ready?

Monday 6 February 2017

Teaching, testing and using the right tools to fly away

"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless."
- L.R. Knost -

When i read this i said: yes, that is the right approach, as we can teach about kindness, empathy and common sense. I am thinking right now to at least 10 games to increase the latent potential in those directions. Can you think at at least three ways to do it?


"Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity."
- T.S. Eliot -

Yes, anxiety is a tool. A good tool. It is telling us that something, somehow, can be improved. We only need to search and define it. So, next time when you find yourself being anxious, think about the reason behind this. Do not despair, do not become negatively oriented. Find the problem. Find what exactly you do not like. And then, find some practical ways to change the outcome. Use all your tools, and you will be a problem solver, instead of just accepting your fate.


"We believe that if a volunteer has a transformative experience, it will naturally ripple out into the world."
- Nipun Mehta -

Volunteers live longer, better and happier. And very often they are more open to extraordinary, life changing experiences. And because of all these, they are able to change other people around them. You know that moment when you meet someone with a contagious optimism and passion, and you are quite moved, and, for a moment, you want to do exactly the same thing. Being that playing the saxophone or learning Chinese. In reality, that specific thing is individual by choice, and probably worked for that person. But you can search, and you can find your 'thing'. The only choice that will make your life twirling around. If only we will think about this long enough...

Saturday 4 February 2017

Schools of wizardry, fear and brain outsourcing

"When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts."
- Dalai Lama -

Our methods are wrong, and it is nobody there to point it out. We do not learn, most of the time we spend in school, but we memorize and replay what was told to us. You can either do it as the teacher said, or you are wrong. Of course, there are exceptions, but not so many. Mind is just a tool, and doesn't matter how much we know, this will never make us happier than we are now. If i would be asked, i'll tell them there is a need to teach about empathy, awe, kindness and financial education. Mind can teach you about the universe, learning about the ways of the heart will help you to find about the inner universe. Which one is more important?


"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."
- Joseph Chilton Pearce -

Fear of failure will contract you, will get you back to your chrysalis, and you will never become that beautiful butterfly you are meant to be. As humans, our fear is reasonable and ever present. But the real geniuses are the ones that learn from failure, and keep trying, until they reach a tremendous success.


"The human spirit must prevail over technology."
- Albert Einstein -

Technology, in the same way as our own mind, is only a tool in our hands, and need to be used as such, to improve the quality of our life. But, in the same way as one untrained mind, technology is becoming a burden, eating out our time and energy. We do not need to blindly follow something just because everybody is doing it. How many phone numbers can you tell out of memory, if your battery is down? How many of your colleague's birthdays do you remember? Outsourcing your brain skills to a smartphone will only make you to not live at your full potential. And this is just an example. GPS driving, could be a second one. You are suddenly without internet and you drive somewhere? Do you remember how people used to drive before the SatNav? Think about this.