As the world continues to turn, you'll find more and more people resisting scientific explanation and turning to faith based explanations which can be detailed in recent events such as: The Flying Spaghetti Monster, The Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese, perhaps those who are still denying Global Warming or the NY Yankees being the greatest baseball team that ever existed.
An interesting paper created by a Yale Psychologist and a Yale PhD candidate (Paul Bloom and Deena Skolnick Weisberg) states that it's because those of us who do it, think like children. Here's an excerpt:
"The main source of resistance to scientific ideas concerns what children know prior to their exposure to science. The last several decades of developmental psychology has made it abundantly clear that humans do not start off as "blank slates." Rather, even one year-olds possess a rich understanding of both the physical world (a "naïve physics") and the social world (a "naïve psychology"). Babies know that objects are solid, that they persist over time even when they are out of sight, that they fall to the ground if unsupported, and that they do not move unless acted upon. They also understand that people move autonomously in response to social and physical events, that they act and react in accord with their goals, and that they respond with appropriate emotions to different situations.
These intuitions give children a head start when it comes to understanding and learning about objects and people. But these intuitions also sometimes clash with scientific discoveries about the nature of the world, making certain scientific facts difficult to learn... "
Mata over on the Blogher network wrote a post that just blew my heart out. Here's the best of it:
I was in the midst of an ordinary conversation with him, and I started bitching - er...complaining...about something that had happened in my day -- about someone who had been discourteous. He stopped me and said, "What would you be saying if you loved that person?"
I went to the grocery store the next day. A young clerk was in the EXPRESS line, and I was eager to get back to my car and on to my next pressing errand. Yet she dawdled over each item, as though she was not really there, making errors as she went. The woman behind me in line started muttering. My temperature started to lift. Couldn't this girl see I was in a hurry? Why did they put a slow bumbler in the EXPRESS lane?
I was starting to fume.
Then I heard Andy in my head: "What would you do if you loved this person?"
Everything I had been feeling snapped into a different place. Kaboom.
I asked her "Honey, are you OK?"
She looked away for a second, but when she turned back her eyes were brimming and she said "I'm so sorry -- I just got news that my aunt died and I am just not all here."
I reached over and touched her hand "It's OK..no need to apologize. Can you go home?"
"I have 10 more minutes and I am out of here." Then she looked in my eyes, covered my hand with hers and said to the deep part of my heart -"Thank you."
There is lots more wisdom in the comments. So, the next time you feel like opening up the can of whoop-ass and serpent's poison, you might want to ask yourself, "What would you be saying if you loved that person?" And feel free to use that on yourself!
Whatever you do to celebrate the full moon, make it count and let yourself be focused by the moon's brightness and fullness, and let it amplify your thoughts and desires!
I had dinner tonite at IHOP with a Buddhist Monk.
I tried to eat my pancakes in a very mindful way.
I wonder if he noticed?
Which makes me think, that there is really no difference in the way you eat a pancake from the outside, it's how you eat a pancake from the inside. I love the idea of eating at IHOP with a Buddhist Monk.
Did you know it's the 30th year anniversary of Star Wars? I think we have sufficiently assimilated it into our collective unconscious. RCrawford created a top 10 list of things he learned from Star Wars and it's pretty good.
1. Never sleep with a Wookie
2. Make sure my Lightsaber is fully charged with new batteries
3. Do not cross Jabba the Hutt
4. Don’t ask Sandpeople for directions
5. The Millennium Falcon is not a Bogart movie
6. Storm Troopers are not short
7. Extra dry clothes are a must when visiting Yoda
8. Everyone has a bit of Darth Vader in them
9. Always bring a Jedi with you to a fight
10. May the “The Schwartz” be with you ——ops wrong movie!
There's a testosterone patch newly available in Britain and Canada called Intrinsa, and it's designed for women who have low sex drive due to "surgically induced early menopause," i.e., they've had their ovaries removed. The drug failed to gain FDA approval in the U.S., not because it isn't useful to women in that circumstance -- it is -- but because of fear of excessive off-label use. And they're right.
Many valid arguments can be made against tampering with nature, about the intrinsic differences between the horniness levels of men and women, about the pharma companies, like other consumer businesses, that try to get us wanting more, more, more. And the most compelling argument condemning this product I've heard is the one that goes, "Instead of chasing the next Viagra, why aren't they working harder to develop drugs to treat cholera and malaria?" Well, because there's no money in that, silly!
When I was in my second trimester of pregnancy -- both times -- I was SUPER MEGA horny. I'm talking about the wearing out my husband, subscribing to multiple Internet porn sites, coming seven times on the vibrator and still wanting more kind of horny.
Is this what it's like to be a guy? I wondered.
Actually, it was what it was like to be a super-charged female. I mean, when is a woman more womanly than when in the full bloom of pregnancy?
I've read somewhat nature-worshippy arguments against Intrinsa too -- that women don't need to put any more artificial hormones in their bodies, etc. But let me counter with this: sometimes nature doesn't have the most logical plan.
Wouldn't it make more sense for a woman to get the gimmes around, say, her ovulation period, when she could potentially get pregnant, rather than during the second trimester, when she is already as pregnant as can be and the horniness doesn't really accomplish anything aside from amusement value?
The FDA was right. I found it immensely amusing to be that horny -- for a while, anyway -- and so did my husband. If I could get Intrinsa from the corner drugstore, I'd grab it in a flash, and no, I haven't had my ovaries surgically removed. I just like feeling sexed up.
Syncretism: noun : the combination of different forms of belief or practice
Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term may refer to attempts to merge and analogize several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity.
These days most people I meet are syncretics, but they don't even know it. All the belief systems, self-help development programs, religious beliefs and New Age practices that abound these days give people a choice of moral guidance, practices and philosophies to pick and choose from. More than just "One Way" to Enlightenment, more than a "Middle Way" - there's a proliferation of DIY belief systems that allow people to rationalize and choose what philosophy works best for them.
I've been doing something thinking about Paris. Usually I don't give a celebrity a thought. In my world, they no different from anyone else, except they are usually stupider than the general populace and by nefarious means have risen to their position of celebrity. In Paris' case, she was born into it. She doesn't know what a normal life is. Just as we have no concept what it must be like to be brought up in Paris' situation.
Some people say, she could do so much good with her position (and money). Imagine if she decided it was important to reduce her gasoline usage and sent several of her cars off to Reverend Gadget in Culver City?
But that's not who she is. That's not her authenticity. She is a party girl caught in a torrid world. She's the victim of meanness. The paparazzi, the public, you want to see her destroyed. She's fighting for her life - for her worldview to go on with her life as it has always been.
What will you think if she find Jesus in the slammer? If she returns with a cause to celebrate? What if she returns to her old ways? What if the roles were switched? Wouldn't you be terrified of jail? Wouldn't you feel you were being overly harshly treated? Would you turn to Jesus? Would you fight to maintain your status quo? Or would you acquiesce, learn and see where it takes you. (For at least a month, you won't have to worry about paparazzi following your every move.)
The trend for c-sections gets support from a surprising ally in Asia - astrology!
Meanwhile, medical advances that have made the procedure safer and more routine have also, paradoxically, helped reinforce age-old superstitions. Couples in Chinese-influenced cultures have long tried to time births for auspicious years. Now, many can refine their choice to the day and minute.
And here's a scary thought:
After cross-checking with Thai and Western astrology books, Apinya settled on the first day. As she explained, according to Chinese astrology, a child born then "would support his parents and be easy to raise."
The Zen Master says everything is connected, but we see good and evil every day. Constantine noticed the duality the other day. Is the Zen master blind? If seeing is believing, then who is right?
There is indeed "world opposite duality" and "everything is connected" at the same time. They are games played on different levels. Think of the layers of an onion. Each layer is part of the onion just as a different layer is part of the onion at the same time. On one layer of the onion is the world of duality: good/evil, love/fear, growth/death and etc. On another layer is the world of connections. Everything is a tweak of something else. Good and evil do not exist. There is no duality, everything is connected.
You have a choice. You can decide which layer you want to play in. You can play the game of good vs evil (and even choose if you are a good or evil character). You can strive to be the Zen master and understand everything as connected. And then you will see connections everywhere you go, to everything. You can even play on multiple layers at the same time. Playing the good Angel and seeing the connections all around you.
The onion is all fine and yummy (especially dipped in batter and fried!) but I'm currently interested seeing beyond the metaphor. What beyond the onion? Probably a whole farmer's market of choices.
And finally, here's an article that continues the God/Science discussion. You know, the one where scientists are saying they can prove the existence of God? Except this time, it's really a syntactic remapping of terminology. A proven metaphor. It's quite interesting.
The author goes on to propose that Mary’s virgin birth of Jesus, as described in the Bible, could be explained by XX male syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder that results in a male possessing only his mother’s genetic material. Tipler also thinks the resurrection of Jesus could be explained by a body’s sudden conversion into neutrinos, or elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light and lack electrical charge.
I find this very interesting. I don't believe in God in the traditional Judeo-Christian way. My God is a force that moves through everything, is a part of everything, and at the same time supersedes everything. Individuals can ascend to the level of God, but at that point, the individual characteristics do not necessarily apply.
But I'm less interested in proving God exists, than manifesting my full possibility set. What about you?
Spring is here, which means fresh air, open windows, and filthy, disgusting flies.
I was brought up a Buddhist, which means I do my best to regard other beings with compassion. I have even at times managed to muster some compassion for the fly – for example, when I’ve seen one haplessly banging its big-eyed head into a window again and again. It’s clear that all he wants to do is go back outdoors, and that's where we agree -- I want him outdoors as well.
But when a fly is nowhere near a door or window, and just wants to trample my food supply with its turd-encrusted feet, it's time for drastic action.
It’s a common misconception that Buddhists believe in nonviolence under all circumstances. In fact, Buddhists do believe that acting self-defense is not only acceptable, but at times obligatory.
So I rationalize my murderous intentions towards the musca domestica by telling myself that I was not only defending my family’s health, but also accelerating another creature’s path to reincarnation. Never mind that I don’t personally believe in reincarnation – the flies don’t know that. But if reincarnation happens to be real, maybe the flies will get lucky and be reborn as cockroaches. Then they’ll be tougher to kill and have longer life spans. Or maybe they’ll hit the reincarnation jackpot and be reborn as humans. Then they’ll get to experience the pleasure of killing bothersome flies. There is nothing like the thrill of landing a clean midair strike on a fly that's just awakened you from a deep slumber. Take that, disease bag! That's what you get for puking on my pepperoni!
Yesterday, two people came to my door selling religion. I could tell that's what they were up to before they'd even made it to the doorbell. They just had that look about them. I can smell 'em a mile away.
But their approach was different. As their opener, they said, "We're students, and we're doing a project and we'd like you to fill out this survey."
They clearly meant for the survey to be the starting point of a conversation, but I wasn't in the mood. I did, however, fill out their wacky survey form.
Question 1: Are you religious? If not, would you like to be?
Question 2: What religion are you currently? Are you satisfied with your current religion? Are you interested in finding a new one?
Question 10: Some people say that current world problems (AIDS, global warming, natural disasters) are prophesied in the Bible. What solution do you think is the best way to deal with these crisies?
(a) Faith in God (b) Buiding an "ark" (cities in space, under the sea) (c) don't know.
For question 10, I answered "b" and circled and double underlined "cities under the sea." I think that's a fabulous idea that's not discussed often enough!
Plenty of people come to my door wanting to talk about Jesus, but not nearly enough come wanting to talk about building undersea cities. How refreshing it was.
After I completed the form and handed it back to them, one asked, "Do you have any questions about the survey?"
"Nope!" I cheerfully replied as I bade them farewell and closed the door. What questions could I possibly have? I'm firm in my belief that we need undersea cities and we need them now, so there's not much more to talk about.
No matter how bad you feel, sometimes you come across something that reminds you of those happy moments from your past that changes that horrible feeling, reduces the stress and just makes you feel warm again. After a few weeks of nothing but stressful events in my life, and a period of saying, but not getting, "I need a vacation" or a Calgon bath, I found that thing that brought that warm feeling.
I used to spend hours and not much more than a few dollars playing video games like donkey kong, frogger, space invaders, centipede, pac man, mrs pac man, mr do, space harrier, moon patrol, popeye, outrun, etc..., in a small pharmacy called Howard's, but all the kids dubbed it Randy's after the nice old man who ran the soda fountain booth inside. I used to love spending my afternoons there after school. These were my moments of tranquility.
So, while doing some research, I came across a few of these classics, playable, just like they were in 1980, but only via the internet - and for free- I suppose that's the trade off for not getting the joystick and button.
Tsuki no kokoro is usually translated as a mind like the moon. This refers to the necessity of maintaining surveillance over one’s surroundings at all times. As the bright illumination produced by the unclouded full moon as it reflects its light earthward, so the mind must be aware of all conditions surrounding it. This is often described as zanshin or kan-ken futatsu no koto, or “perceiving with both the eyes and the intuitive mind.”
Zanshin (kan-ken futatsu no koto or tsuki no kokoro) Literally "remaining mind/heart" or "reflecting heart or mind", also, "mind like the moon." A state of complete, balanced, continuous and relaxed readiness, awareness and alertness, where you are "present in the moment. . . Zanshin also relates to your awareness of your position within your environment, and to the world around you. You notice the people around you (their body language, expression, voices) because you need to be prepared to interact with them socially, politically, economically and spiritually.
Here's the latest from Arhata Osho straight from the Venice Boardwalk:
“If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a
prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a ay where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.”
If you are the average human, you can’t seem to escape the inner friends you’ve created such as judgments, self condemnation and pity, angers...all those ‘habits’ that keep looping endlessly to create a deeper and deeper imprint or incarceration that seemingly can’t be escaped. Love your enemy … for is he not within!
All our real selves are consciousness - mixed with the ego (ie., YOU) that you’ve created (and some of it is good) ...and keep feeding without discernment. I suggested yesterday that the real marriage is the merger of the ego and consciousness.
A friend wrote me and implied that that created a lot of problems! We all need an ego, but... why not reshape and rebuild it to the point of loving not only ‘our new creation’, but finding the hidden love ... of ‘consciousness’. It’s waiting.
here is no end…. And the beginning hasn’t started…. Not just yet! Everyone’s free to just be!
I was sitting at the Chevron station today getting some gas, when I heard a woman scream. I turned my head in time to see a car pull out on the other side of the pump from me. The attendant screamed again, clutched her back and dropped to her knees.
Everyone within earshot twisted around to see what had happened. The woman behind me jumped out of her car. I heard someone ask, "Did she hit her?" then to the attendant who was hunched over and writing in pain on the pavement, "Did she hit you?"
"Yeah, she fucking hit me," she cried. "Oh fuck."
My first reaction was-- it must have been an accident.
I'm in the tech industry and many of my friends have a vest for life and travel. They take on virtual clients or projects for a limited time and then pop off to Thailand or Asia or Europe for a couple months of travel. Tim Ferriss talks about these mini-retirements in his book: The 4 hour Workweek (mentioned on daily mantra here).
For Friday, here are some inspirational travels in progress or travel plans. I've written about the Tuxedo travels before. Two guys traveling around Asia in a tuxes. Their blog is updated with their recent adventures: a visit to a Tibetan village. Here's an excerpt for your enjoyment:
I met the villagers, most of whom were happy to see the display of my digital camera after I’d shot a photo and then they would instantly request that I take more – ahh how they’d missed their chances as models… Despite the language barrier, hanging out with the men of the village I could see the same characters as you get in our own societies:
There was the organiser, who would instruct everybody else what to do and then sit back and “supervise”.
There was the grafter, who would follow the organiser’s instructions and actually do all the work whilst the supervisor needless watched on.
Then there was the village idiot who would try to help and often eagerly watch, but in all honesty was probably more hindrance than assistance (they even tried to get me to take him up the mountain because his workload would not be missed in the valley). But like all decent communities they take care of the weaker members because that’s what a good community should do.
Then this morning I came across "on the luck of seven" a blog dedicated to this idea:
On 07 July 2007, I will depart my apartment for a journey around the world to learn from you. For seven months, I will stand on the seven contents, dive into the seven oceans, and contemplate seven topics of freedom. While in the way, I will be documenting the journey through stories, photos and video. While nothing will stop me from going on this journey, I am looking for 700 people to donate US$11.11 for a total of $7,777. In return, your stories, your connections, and your friends come together into OUR story. Maybe we will produce a book, maybe a musical, maybe a movie, nonetheless, this will be our exploration of our home we call Earth.
Happiness is all the rage. But how do you know if you are happy. Do you experience happiness in the moment or in retrospect? If you're interested in finding out how happy you are (and you like taking quizzes) you may find Martin Seligman's site Authentic Happiness interesting.
After free registration at the site, you can take various questionnaires. You won't find out what superhero you are or what color you most resonate with. Instead you can take the Gratitude, Grit or Optimism tests.
So, go find out how happy you are. It's free to register and take the tests.
Are you worried about something right now? Are you making pictures in your mind about what negative thing might happen, or what challenge or obstacle lies ahead? Most people, even on their happiest days, when asked "are you worried about something?" can conjure up a litany of worries, if given a few minutes to focus on it.
What is worry?
worry (verb): 1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
I define worry as focusing thoughts and energy on the undesired result, and the potential that it might happen. Can you say, "self-fulfilling prophecy"? To me, to give in to worry is to give in to fear, and giving in to fear means blocking out or obscuring SOLUTIONS. Most things we worry about never come to pass, and yet we focus on the negative possibilities and allow ourselves to react emotionally to them - as if they were real, and in advance of anything actually happening.
How to defeat worry? Focus on solutions. Make a plan and be confident in sticking to your plan.
Last Friday night, I had to host a midnight screening of a film I co-wrote, which was playing as an official selection of the Visual Communications Film Festival in Hollywood. Who would come to see a small, independent foreign film at midnight on a Friday? Would I even be able to stay up that late to do my introduction or Q&A session when I tuck my pregnant self into sleep at 11pm every night?
If I focused on the "worry" - I'd have been in a prolonged state of stress and anxiety the entire week before. But as it was, I made a plan - I sent out email blast to as many people and networks as I could, inviting people to the film. I made a decision to "reframe" a small audience to be a "private Hollywood screening" of my film. I took a nap. I have the 3rd coffee I've had in my entire 30 weeks of being pregnant. I conserved my energy. I trusted that if I did these things, made these choices, and was confident about trusting myself to execute on this plan, I'd be stress free and things COULD turn out for the best. We had more than 20 people - maybe even 90, which doesn't seem like a lot but was by no means empty. And I had plenty of energy. It wouldn't have done me any good to worry at all.
Yesterday a brush fire started in the Hollywood Hills. It turned into a wild fire, flames licking up the hillside leaving a steaming blackened crust. I saw the fire raging. I pulled to the side of the road to let the firetrucks pass. Homes lost power, people were evacuated, historical gardens were destroyed. Fire coverage became national news. My mom called me to make sure I was ok. It was another day in the life of heathervescent for me.
When something like this happens, I always wonder why people freak out (or maybe it's the media freaking out, over covering the story). I love fire. I love nature. I love seeing nature in action. Yeah, it's sad to see a forest burned, but it's not like the forest will never grow back. (I know the environmentalists are going to kick my ass on that comments...)
I wonder why I feel this way. Why a hillside on fire evokes feelings of awe, beauty and power, not fear and survival or in the case of the media, a scrumptious nugget of coverage. I applaud the firemen working to contain the fire. I know it sucks to evacuate your home with all your possessions. But there is something liberating, leaving it all behind. Leaving yourself behind. In the face of a disaster, drop your preconceptions, the masks of who we think we are and in those times discover who we really are. The person you used to be burned up in the fire, while the person you want to be emerges from the flames.
“Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.”
- Jorge Luis Borges
I wish there were more opportunities for this everyday. And there are, they just aren't as dramatic as a the Hollywood hills on fire.
The B'omarr monks are a very secretive sect, whose ultimate goal is to achieve enlightenment and to probe the mysteries of the universe. They also desire to find the "Ultimate Truth", which they are constantly in search of. They participate in almost constant meditation until deemed "enlightened" by their peers. Once this stage is reached, the monks' brains are removed from their bodies and placed in jars, thereby freeing them of the bother of maintaining a body, and giving them greater freedom to ponder the imponderables. Occasionally a brain jar is attached to a spiderlike droid, allowing it to roam about the palace. The walkers are controlled through signals from the brain itself. Receptors allow the disembodied monks to hear, and they can speak through speakers. The disembodiment process can extend the monks' lifetimes by centuries. The monks are very careful not to betray any of the secrets of their order, and it is rumored that they have mysterious psychic abilities. Members of the order are generally human.
A brain in a jar being carried around by a spider like creature!!! Sounds like something out of science fiction movie doesn't it? Well, it should, because they are. Want to learn more? They remind me of the Matrix and 12 Monkeys.
What I didn't like about "The Secret" - all the hype of "ancient knowledge" in the beginning, and one more thing - mostly it focuses on, and hooks people in because of - greed. So many of the suggestions of the uses of the Laws of Attraction focus on material gain. Doesn't seem very holistic to me.
I have to admit, I haven't seen the movie yet, and after reading her review I don't know if I'll waste my time. The entire premise sounds like the standard feel good self-help rah rah motivator movie. (Maybe I don't care about the secret because I've created my own methodology to get your heart's desire. And you don't have to buy a movie to get it. )
Then I came across a website and presentation that was the Official Secret Seminar Affiliation Program. If that sounds like a mouthful, then don't expect to swallow the drivel they as slopping as self-help. The titles goes something like, "The Teachers featured in the Secret, give you the science of getting rich." I'll tell you their secret to getting rich: it's called a pyramid scheme preying on the hopeful and ignorant.Scam artists do the same thing.
Why is the new age industry looked at with disdain? It's because it's easy for predators like the secret people to extort money from fools. But it's not really much different from the pharmaceutical industry... translating hope in the form of a pill and extorting sums of money from your health insurance company thus chaining you to a job that provides benefits...
When you think of Vegas, religion and spirituality are probably not the first things that come to your mind.
"Las Vegas is a shrine to 'anything-goes' behavior, but the great part of it is that people are very accepting of other people and what they do," said the Rev. Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Christian Church where more than 12,000 people worship on any given Sunday.
So, here's a bit of news in the psychic world from the past week or so. Again, some of these stories are funny, some are interesting, and some poke fun at the whole idea. In any case, all are worth a bit of your time.
First, The following movie review for the movie Next starring Nicolas Cage as a psychic, has the author trying to poke holes in the film's story, and basically challenges some of the logic of the film, a story written initially by one of my favorite authors -a crazy genius -
Philip K. Dick (this link by the way goes to a documentary about him). His stories are a bit bizarre, and sometimes only begin to make sense decades after he's penned them. However, recently, his stories are turning into movies, some of whichI think have been great, such as Blade Runner , Paycheck and Imposter and some films which were not anywhere near as good as the book, such as, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report and Total Recall. Anyway, point I'm hoping to make is, this review is a bit weak and I would have really liked to have read a scathing review from the now defunct: Self Made Critic.
4. An astrologer with his own online radio program is using his astrological education and applying it to his teams in fantasy league games. After 5 weeks in the season, he's in first place with 2 games (Yahoo.com's fantasy league and Sportsline.com's fantasy league) and in the top .5% in the Sporting News game. See more about this here. And yes, that's a bit of pimping for our sister site but, really, I am shocked at how well he's doing especially since he's basing everything on the "Stars". The top .5% in the world!
I like finding the bits of awareness in life. I'm not convinced that people walk through life with awareness, so when I come across a bit of light, I like to share it. Here's what I found during my morning blogstroll. The post started out pondering about smoking, the climax realization and the final observation.
Just as I put the cigarette to my mouth, I realized the initial hook - with the unlit cigarette held between my fore finger and middle finger, I gently pressed it to my lips, giving myself a little "kiss" if you will. Try it, you will see it is like a small dose of false affection. It is a brief sensation of pleasure, and you immediately fool yourself to thinking that the cigarette likes you back.
Then as you inhale, you are collecting a mixture of toxins in your lungs (even though my cigarettes were labeled "natural") and depleting the normal amount of oxygen that goes to your brain, a natural high. Your breath smells bad, your fingers are stained with the scent of tobacco, the room need airing. This repetition numbs you and the oral fixation, the hand to mouth motion, the seductive pose of hollding a lit cigarette between your fragile fingers like they do in the movies....it takes hold of you.
one final kiss goodbye, before moving on to happier times -
I made a list of things we could spend money on instead of cigarettes that would bring greater pleasure and happiness to our lives - we could buy fresh flowers every week, get pedicures once a month, and purchase pricey exotic fruit like papayas, mangoes and passion fruit.
Doesn't that inspire you? It does me, and I don't even smoke.
Maybe you think being burned at the stake for witchcraft is something of the past, but according to this article, it still happens - and more than you might think.
It seems that everyone is looking for the perfect man - especially online. Dating and matchmaking sites abound. Advise blogs can be found everywhere. And now, you can have your own perfect man - in his own manQuarium. Yes, you heard me, an aquarium for your perfect man.
I'll admit that I'd like more body choices, because the man in my manquarium is not necessarily my perfect man, but his compliments crack me up. Go create on for yourself. (Disclaimer, yeah, it's sponsored by the Venus Breeze razor, but don't let the corporate sponsorship turn you away, it's still very entertaining. Good job Gillette.)
Oh and as an added bonus - he even calls you goddess.
Think you don't have time for meditation? Think again! All you need is one minute. You can even do this at work if you have headphones or an office. I really liked the Focusing my Thoughts. And it really took less than a minute. It was over before I realized it began and I felt calmer and more focused afterwards. Meditation really works. Try it out. Here's an example of what you might expect.
7 Steps to Stillness
Take a moment to be comfortable in your environment.
Keeping your eyes open, gently rest them on a chosen point somewhere in front of you.
Withdraw your attention from all sights and sounds.
Follow the thoughts suggested on the commentary
Acknowledge and appreciate the positive feelings and thoughts which may spring directly from this exercise.
Stay in these feelings for a few moments.
End your meditation by closing your eyes for a few moments and creating complete silence in your mind.
There are many more choices. Want to re-energize? Let go? Have a positive focus? Or maybe just relax for a moment? Then be sure to visit the site. It just takes a minute.
San-sho shi-ma means the three obstacles and four devils that obstruct Buddhist practice and lead people onto the evil paths. The three obstacles are the obstacle of earthly desires (bonno-sho), the obstacle of karma (go-sho) and the obstacle of retribution (ho-sho). The four devils are the devil of earthly desires (bonno-ma), the devil of the five components (on-ma), the devil of death (shi-ma) and the devil of the Sixth Heaven (tenji-ma).
The speculation is not surprising. Paris has been seen 
The word of the week is Tsuki no kokoro.
The word of the week is worry.
(this link by the way goes to a documentary about him). His stories are a bit bizarre, and sometimes only begin to make sense decades after he's penned them. However, recently, his stories are turning into movies, some of whichI think have been great, such as 
Think you don't have time for meditation? Think again!