FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Commit Yourselves to Causes to Make a Difference



Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com

We are more apt to judge ourselves to be valuable as individuals when we have committed ourselves to causes that allow us to make a difference in the lives of others.

Our ability to make a favorable assessment of ourselves is based on the fact that we have evidence of our worth in the form of the gratitude we have received for our contributions.

As part of something larger than ourselves, we can promote the values most important to us through positive action. We not only give voice to the principles we hold dear but we also ensure they can flourish by providing a foundation of selflessness. Since we feel useful, we can clearly see that the world would be a very different place if we ceased to exist.

The aid and succor you give others today will help you understand how important you are. DailyOM

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Life in a Homeless Shelter - A Work in Progress



Source: searchwallpaper.org

I believe in saying it like it is not because I want to be right all the time - I've learnt to keep my mouth shut - but because I have a duty to myself to be real, to not allow others to believe they can use and abuse me,  intentional or not. 

I just love myself too much to allow that to happen. 

It has taken me so long to get here knowing all the while inside what I needed to be free and be me yet constantly putting myself after everyone else - a holdover from childhood abuse - to allow anyone, particularly a man who says he loves me disrespect me by not keeping his word.

Does that sound old fashioned to you? If so, then so be it. I recognise that my way of thinking, seeing things is not typical but since I've lived with her and grown up with her and have gotten to know her over these past 54 years, I'm going to keep her.

I am who I am even though most of the time I don't know who the heck that is.

I cannot and will not give in to bribery - those compliments that strike to the core of who you are as a woman, that stroke you - and while you're saying ahhh, wow in appreciation you get shat on soon after by the same person turning their back on you because they know they fucked up by not keeping their word and are angry... at you (in this case, me).

How stupid, childish and irresponsible can a person be for heaven's sake!

I find that so intolerable, the puerility of it all and I wonder, this soon-to-be 50 year old with some endearing qualities when he assumes his manhood, why do women in this country put up with this kind of shit.

I even asked him months ago what he thought the three women he had lived with for seven years each thought of him and his unacceptable attitude. He smiled, chuckled admitted the frequent periods of rage on their part "... but they didn't do anything" meaning they did not physically attack him but the relationships ended, didn't they...

I am just very grateful that I don't live with this fascinating fucked up creature.



Source: flowerloving.com

It is shocking to realise that this brilliant incredibly intuitive man, having refused to live at home from the time he was ten years old - yet kept being pulled back into his family circle  - grew up on the streets living that code of right is might with other louts like himself, doesn't know what you mean when you say "you disrespected me".

Isn't that sad? Isn't that frightening?

Even though his mother managed to keep that special child in school although he did not graduate, that question underlines his illiteracy and others like him.

So how do you respond when the normal social behaviour we take for granted is a foreign language to the person or persons with whom you're interacting? I was so taken aback by the question that I responded with a question of my own "do you understand what the word respect means".

As far as he was concerned when I tell him off in public or make him wait or do not respond when he shouts or tell him bluntly what I think about his behaviour, I show him no respect. Yet, if he adopts a similar attitude it's okay.

Do you see something cock-eyed with this picture?

Living in a homeless shelter is fascinating for it's life experiences as I get to meet all these peoples that seem to come from another planet.


However, there's a deeper issue here when you consider the resident population in this 7-storey building  from the drug addicts, alcoholics, homosexuals ostracized (really obscene but small minds = island country), the physically abused, estranged couples, psychiatric outpatients, the undiagnosed mentally ill, and this man, Ferguson the defacto manager/leader, and it's this, how does one effectively communicate with such persons when they live by this seemingly twisted code of respect which bears little relation to what the rest of us know and live by?

This man freely spends what he makes, does not have a bank account, was wealthy once but was also a well-known criminal who now works closely with the police. Interesting, eh. His grandparents have made him "wealthy" in prime property in both Trinidad and Tobago and he is admittedly proud of his status.

His well-built 4-bedroom concrete house exists on a expensive lot of land in the city of Port of Spain, was raided and stripped by known cokeheads when he was in remand yard (prison) for three months awaiting trial for a crime for which he was found not guilty.

When you consider his background, you would think he would want a lawyer but he eschewed a court-appointed one, argued his own case in court and won. That is amazing all by itself and says a lot about the individual.


Source: mysmartshop

I have seen and heard this man in casual, friendly conversation with one of the cocaine addicts who admitted to ripping the guts out of his house, leaving just the bare walls and the roof.

Everyone I know would be hopping mad and would have ensured that that fella and his accomplices faced charges and ended up in jail!


So you see, what he is and represents does not really tell us anything about who he is and I strongly suspect the same goes for many in this Centre although they may not all be as complex as this man.

Life here is a work in progress, communication is key and I am working out the kinks in the "respect zone" at this Centre for the socially displaced (CSDP) to enable me to understand what rules these individual minds.

I think the journey will enable me to get to know my Self even more. Isn't that what life's about though?

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5 Water Rituals to Bless your Life

Lotus - Sandrelli.net

Water has been used ceremoniously since the beginning of time. Without water, there is no life. Beyond its physical necessity, it has wonderful spiritual and healing gifts. You don't have to be affiliated with a religion or spiritual group to experience the purifying or blessing benefits. Here are 5 Water Rituals you can use in your everyday life.

1. Bless Your Water 

Intention, thought and feeling are the most powerful ways to do this. Send some love and gratitude into your water, or imagine light flowing into it, perhaps from your hands, or from the Divine, asking any higher beings you feel connected to bless the water also. Some people place positive word stickers on their water bottles, or symbols and geometric shapes.

You radiate more power than a sticker, so I recommend just taking a few moments to send into the water whatever quality you want to enhance and integrate more into your life. Perhaps that's peace, love, confidence, joy, etc. You may want to use your hands in the process, or just visualize imagery, words, or feelings, floating into the water, for example.  Obviously use purified water or Spring water for a process like this.

2. Enhance Your Drinking Water

As well as the above, and making sure you drink Spring or purified filtered water, you can physically bless your drinking water too, such as by placing a cleansed crystal (take it out before drinking so you don't swallow it!) to radiate an energy quality, flower petals, fresh lemon, orange, mint or cucumber, or a drop or two of an essential oil like Lavender to give it a hint of energy that you feel will serve you at a given time. 

3. Chakra Water Technique

Lie down and place a glass of water on your solar plexus (which is approximately 1-2 inches or so above your belly button). It doesn't need to be full to the bring and do your best to lie still not to spill it. Now imagine flowing out of your solar plexus any negative emotions you may be carrying, such as fear, pain, anger, rage, hurt, jealousy, resentment, or whatever flows out of this area that doesn't feel good, whether you have a name for it or not.

Once you have done so, pour out the water- NOT onto any plants though! Flush it down the toilet or sink.

 Then fill a glass with fresh new water and place glass again on your solar plexus chakra OR heart chakra (roughly center of sternum bone). Do whichever you feel intuitively most drawn to do.

This time send positive feelings and thoughts into the water. Imagine them flowing from your solar plexus, perhaps as light also, or just feeling the feelings, or whatever works for you. Try to really get in touch with the positive emotions and send them into the water - your love, joy, confidence, peace or whatever emotions you would like to enhance and experience more of in your life at this time.

Now drink this second glass of water and integrate the energy of all those positive feelings.

4. Water Energy Shower

Whether physically dirty or not, use water in a shower to cleanse yourself energetically and wash your aura. I find it very powerful in doing so, and sometimes have the shower pointing away from my body to areas of my aura to wash it clean. It's very effective whether you personally are aware of it or not. This helps wash away any energy debris at the end of your day, for example.

5. Water Cleansing with Visualization

You can visualize while washing - whether your hands, dishes, in the shower, etc. and imagine or sense any negativity or unwanted energy/thoughts/feelings/stressful situations flowing down the drain.

You can also do visualization exercises without using physical water, like standing under a waterfall or in a stream, or in the ocean and imagining the water cleansing away anything you want to release, intending it wash away anything inappropriate to your consciousness. 

The "Waterfall of Light" and "Elemental Bath" exercises in the Matrix Shift also use the element of water etherically which is very powerful.

Love and joy,

Aine Belton

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Your Breath brings you back to the moment

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.

~Author unknown

You might be preoccupied when speaking with other people today which could be a result of your scattered thoughts. These distractions may be a way for you to really avoid connecting with other people, and they might even make your interactions all the more difficult.

King Protea - Jenny Hallward

Using your breath as a point of focus while interacting with others could make it easier for you to be more engaged in what is being said and might also provide some relief from your scattered thoughts.

Should you notice your mind beginning to wander at any point today, briefly bring your attention to the point where your breath enters your nose.

Let your mind settle for a few moments on this spot while at the same time looking at the person you are talking with, and this should bring you back to the moment.

Being conscious of our breath allows us to be present in all of our interactions. It is natural for the mind to drift at least part of the time when we are listening to others.

If we have something to anchor our mind, however, it becomes so much easier for us to remain present to other people. Putting our focus on some part of our body and using our breath to briefly attach to that point will aid in this process, enhancing our ability to give others our undivided attention.

The more you train your mind to come to a single point of concentration, the more positive and fruitful your interactions will be today. DailyOM

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Kindness Can Change Things

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. ~Jesse Jackson

Kindness Can Change Things

King Cup flower - Sylvia Slavin

It is naïve to think there is never a time when force will be required or when legitimate power has to exert itself.

Parents sometimes have to use their authority in order to civilize and mentor unruly children.

Bosses occasionally have to fire people who are working against the company's policies and best interests.

Generally speaking, however, the power of human kindness is a superior form of power to brute force. An attempt to lead by persuasion should always go before the last-ditch requirement of confrontation and pulling rank.

Gail Halvorsen was taught these ideas about kindness, service to others, and the like back in Sunday School as a boy. Now a retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, he never tires of telling about a situation where putting his convictions to work helped change the course of history. It helped turn an enemy into an ally.

Halvorsen was a pilot in Europe during and after World War II. In post-war Germany, he was on the ground in Berlin.

Some of the many hungry children in the once-prosperous Germany that Adolf Hitler had reduced to penury flocked around him and his buddies to ask for food. They were hungry. They were begging for a scrap or bread or a handout from the soldiers' rations.

Halvorsen didn't have any food for the group of about 30 kids. He had two sticks of gum in his pocket. He handed them to a couple of the children - and had a bright idea.

The next time he dropped food into the Soviet-blockaded area of Berlin, he dropped gum and candy out for the children as well.

When word got back to his superiors of what he and now other pilots were doing, there was a chewing out for their "unauthorized activities." But one general defended what the pilots were doing. He encouraged them to keep it up. And soon American candy companies were providing chocolate bars and chewing gum by the tons.

As Halvorsen puts it, "It wasn't the chocolate. It was hope!" Little children and their beleaguered parents were encouraged to believe that things would someday be better for them.

Historians of the period have credited the candy drops for helping change the attitudes of the German people toward their recent enemies in war. The same non-government program is also credited with altering American attitudes toward the German people.

Maybe there are children for you to help in your neighborhood, through your company's involvement in the larger community, or in some ministry of your church.

Maybe the people to think about aren't even children.

Maybe there is just someone who needs an act of positive kindness that you can provide. There are certainly no guaranteed outcomes, but it probably won't do harm to be gracious.

Better yet, it could give hope or might even turn an enemy into a friend.   

Rubel Shelly

To learn more about Rubel please go to: www.RubelShelly.com. From Bob Proctor's Insight of the day

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Living a Spiritual Life - Remember Who We Really Are

Madisyn Taylor's Exploring the Soul- Living a Spiritual Life is about what I call everyday spirituality. Finding out who you really are by going within, tapping into that inner stillness to get the answers you seek. They are all there.

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.

~Marcus Aurelius

Bottle brush flowers
Womanofspirit

Remembering who we really are is the first step in awakening to our spiritual path.

Throughout the journey from birth to death, many people choose to question life, strive for improvement, seek out knowledge, and search for the divine. Simply put, this is the essence of spirituality.

One’s spiritual practice can take on many forms, because embracing the spiritual is a very personal pursuit. While many people do relate their spirituality to a God or Goddess, this quest for the divine, or oneness with the universe, always springs from within.

It doesn’t matter where you find your spiritual path. We are all fundamentally spiritual beings and the essence of that lies in knowing one’s true self and finding a peace that comes from within rather than the outside world. It is in remembering this that we awaken to our personal path.

The spiritual path springs forth from a daily routine that reaffirms our personal connection with a purpose or a way of life. Practicing compassion, gratitude, appreciation, forgiveness, generosity, meditation, and taking care of one’s wellbeing can all be a part of one’s spiritual life.

If you are new to exploring your personal spirituality, remember that this is a process. You may want to spend a few moments each day giving yourself a spiritual gift.

Try a new form of meditation, visit a sanctuary, or explore a specific deity.

Accepting the importance of spirituality can be a healthy decision, because a spiritual practice tends to include habits that promote healthy living.

Take the time to carefully determine the action, thought, and ritual that most speaks to your soul. Remember that your most profound spiritual experiences may also come from the simple intricacies that make up your life. See the interconnectedness of all things.

As you explore your “inner work,” you will be walking your spiritual path and feeling your oneness with the universe.

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Inner exploration - Discover more of your past lives and Live Now

When you do things from your soul you feel a river moving in you, a joy. When action come from another section, the feeling disappears. ~Rumi

Peony - Moyariya

Inner exploration on your own is always useful. It enables you to go behind the veil of illusion where you live. That is the only place to find the truth of why things are going wrong in your life. It's sometimes unpalatable, sometimes not but always gratifying. Never beat yourself up over it.



You see, we all lie to ourselves so that we don't have to take action to get our lives in order. We don't want to get anyone upset by changing anything not even ourselves and so, we just go along pretending that everything's okay when it's patently not.

A perfect example is this new friend of mine. We're both of middle class upbringing, educated, I'm non-religious and she is and we ended up living in a homeless shelter for different reasons.

So, we decided to support and push one another to vigorously seek out opportunities which would enable us to quit the shelter by December 2013.

Over the past weeks however, I noticed that her energy dipped. She was moving slower, started acting anxious but denied it, began listening to the blandishments of an alcoholic who is married, began having stupid accidents, was frequently tired and the most telling, has become very critical of those around her which is so very unlike her.

When I brought up these things she denied it all.

She goes to church services twice per day when she's not working but thank goodness she doesn't preach yet she is unaware that she is feeling depressed mainly fosted by the positive signs and contacts that I have been receiving in my daily job searches.

She has now developed, literally overnight, what sounds like a sticky chest cold that hurts when she coughs at night and is losing her voice (inability to express herself verbally). I had told her a few days before that whatever negative (resentment) feelings she was harbouring - over missed opportunities, being swindled by family etc. - she had to "get it off her chest" in order to lift her spirits and gain clarity to move forward.

She is being afflicted by the emotional clutter from the unacknowledged and deeply felt hurt which she denies.

Chucking that garbage out significantly boosts your energy and enables you to see past that comforting, illusory veil.

Pink Hibiscus - Ira Nathenson

Here are 13 simple empowering coping skills and Booster posts to spring you to the next level which may contain a technique you identify with to get you started on the road to where you need to be. This is personal growth at its best.

Real life, living in the Now is all you and I have got and it is the best. Take it from me people. No matter what is happening that you think is so awful, denying it and pretending it is otherwise is perilous to your existence.

When you feel stuck and can't seem to get restarted, take time out to review those false beliefs. The Universe, Source is telling you it's time to discover a brand new world full of opportunities just waiting for you.
Also, Madisyn Taylor suggests a simple technique in her article Memories of the soul to handle those feelings of déjà-vu most of us have experienced at some time in our lives that will help you uncover limiting beliefs you didn't know you had.

To discover more about your past lives, consider keeping a notebook where you can record anything that could be a memory from a different lifetime.

You may also feel drawn to a particular period in history, a seemingly unfamiliar locale, or a new person you’ve met who seems oddly familiar.

Pick a time and choose a place where you can relax. Envision your body being filled with healing white light. Remember that nothing you see or hear will harm you.

Ask yourself what you hope to achieve through regression and connect with your inner vision. Observe what you see without judgment. When you are done, think about how what you experienced relates to your present life.

There may be beliefs from a past life that you are still operating under but are now ready to let go of. The significance of your past life memory may not be immediately obvious until much later. You can make the most of your past lives by learning from them.

While past life regression can be an exciting journey, it! is not a substitute for living in the present where we are most needed right here and now. dailyom

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