Orangutans, Turtles & PayPal

I watched a Nightline segment that was bitter/sweet the other night regarding a sanctuary for baby elephants. Since I seem obsessed with elephants lately, (I wonder what that is all about), I found myself churning the video of a baby elephant not wanting to leave its dying mother, who was shot and robbed of her tusks. The baby was adopted by this woman (another woman!), and her foundation that has adopted over 130 baby elephants that have been orphaned - many by poachers looking for ivory to feed Asian markets. I was awake for hours. Despite trying to avoid news segments, these stories seem to creep in, affecting me even more deeply than ever before. My way of dealing with this issue is to shine a light on this wonderful woman's work.

I have also been using my PayPal account to send funds in every which direction. I'm going to be in trouble when the bill comes, but the baby Orangutans were in dire straits, and it seemed so much easier to just have the money come out once a month for the turtles through Oceana.

I also find that anything that draws a big reaction emotionally from me seems to pop up everywhere! As with these elephant stories, they seem to find me no matter how hard I try to hide from them. There were three last week alone. I will be scrolling along, minding my own business, reading dumb stories on Huff Post and bam! A story designed to rip everyone's heart out. Naturally I have to read it - for some reason I feel compelled to read every painful story, as if I am not giving the respect due if I don't take it in and make myself feel bad.

But that is not the gist of this post. I think we are all being inundated with negative images, thoughts, and fears. I am not alone in feeling bombarded, I'm sure. So, it's time to talk about ways to feel more centered, to feel joy in the moment, and hope for the future. With that in mind, I would like to ask YOU - what do you do to stay in the moment? What brings you joy?

And by the way, is there an issue that has you obsessed? If so, why do you think that is?

Emergency Prep Find

As most of you know, I have been working on emergency preparedness. I see what is going on in the world and think it only prudent to have some things set aside in case of emergency. In my case, I do not see being prepared as something that is fear-based, but more of being there for my fellow human beings in case the need arises. As we see tornadoes whip across our country, leaving devastation in its path, I'm reminded of how quickly something like that can happen. We had the largest snow pack in 50 years here in Northern Nevada. Weather is changing, there is no doubt about it.

That being said, I wanted to pass along a website to those of you who might be interested. In our case we have some medicine, medical supplies, food, and water. I think 30 days is reasonable and doesn't need to take up much space. I have been dehydrating food that I can use everyday, some canned, and some freeze-dried for long-term storage. One of the things I have been looking for is a high-quality product for eggs. It has been impossible to find - until now. I think this product is a good one, and actually has supplies available. The #10 cans can be opened and the pouches used for backpacking, which is something I really liked. Each can has six pouches, I think. No need to use the whole can before it spoils. You can also buy it in smaller packaging.

Anyway, I thought it a great find and wanted to pass it along to all of you.

Tornadoes!

I think this video and the sounds of the person filming pretty much says it all about the devastating tornadoes hitting our southern states. Please know our hearts and prayers are with you!


4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.

Thinking & Mediation

For me, life is a continuous process of trying to mediate my thinking. I spend time waking up and thanking the universe for another day. When I go to bed I spend time thanking the universe for a soft bed in which to sleep - and wishing for all mankind to have a soft place in which to sleep. When I grocery shop I thank Mother Earth for the incredible bounty in which I have to choose from, and the ability to pay for my purchases. When I drink water, I send appreciation to the water. Crazy sounding, I know. But this is the way that I remain as positive as I can be in these times.

Recently I found a very cool website that sends me little reminders to stay focused on what is important. Looking for the best in humanity is a constant struggle, lets face it. So I really liked the one sent to me today. If you would like to sign up for your own little reminders to stay mindful of all the good in the world, visit tiny Buddha, simple wisdom for complex lives,  or just visit when you feel the need for a little boost.

WHAT WE SEE IS MAINLY WHAT WE LOOK FOR:      UNKNOWN 


Whatever you believe about people and the world, you will likely find proof to support it. 

If you look for selfishness, you’ll find it. If you look for animosity you’ll find it. If you look for injustice, you’ll find it. If you’re invested in seeing the world this way, you can probably explain a lot of what you see with negative interpretations.

Conversely, if you look for good intentions, you’ll find them. If you look for loving gestures, you’ll find them. If you look for possibilities, you’ll find them.

Much of what we see is based on how we want to interpret things–whether we judge people or give them the benefit of the doubt; whether we play the victim or find opportunities in struggles.

So the real question on any given day isn’t why you’re seeing what you’re seeing; it’s why you’re invested in that interpretation.

Today if you find yourself clinging to a negative story about a person or situation, ask yourself: What’s the payoff in holding onto this interpretation? Does it make you feel right? Or justified? Or safe? And more importantly: How might you be able to improve your state of mind or situation if you chose to see things differently?

Turbine Synchronicity

I had one of those moments this week where an old friend's name popped into my head. I knew I needed to call her before I forgot about it, and before I knew it - another year would go by. We had a great conversation, she said her husband had wanted to sell his business and retire, but by some weird circumstance a medium told him to expand it instead of selling it. I got the impression he did that - and maybe now was involved with something she mentioned as being "hot" once people knew about it - a small geothermal turbine that would heat individual homes. At the time I thought that was a great idea... I should mention it to my husband.

So today my husband asked if I had seen the president's plane land (we have a view of the city and landing planes.) Whaaat? Air Force One landed, and I missed it? Yes, he said - he heard that he was here to visit some obscure little company manufacturing some kind of small turbines.

So you tell me - was the President of the United States stopping by our small city to visit with the manufacturer of the same small turbine that my friend had mentioned?

On the other hand - they may not be related at all... What do you think? Synchronicity or just plain coincidence?

Addendum: I wrote this last week and I'm just now posting it - the President was here last week.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays - until recently.

It used to be a time to get up early and watch my children rub the sleep from their eyes, getting excited about their Easter baskets. It was a time to pack up days worth of cooking for the Easter Picnic - which was often in foul weather. It was a family tradition, dating back generations. Often we would drive over the Sierras to California to meet family for our picnic, since Nevada is often raw in the early Spring.

But lately the children are grown, and live 600 miles away. It's just not easy to be together for every holiday. And for some strange reason we forgot about Easter this year and visited our family in Portland last weekend! Why we didn't check the calendar and make it this weekend I will never know.

Anyway, we will do what we did last year and attend a lovely Easter Brunch at the Lone Eagle Grill right on Lake Tahoe. It is always festive, and after a few glasses of champagne I get over the loss of my family tradition. Next year, however, I think it's time to rally the troops and make sure I have everyone together to watch my then-four-year-old grandson compete with his cousins for eggs. I know I'll have to give up one of the other holidays but it will be worth it. I'll make potato salad and milanesa sandwiches, and watch the next generation after our children (whew!), carry on the family Easter tradition.

What do you do?

Where is Spring?

It is still cold here.
It is still grey/brown here.
I have not seen one tulip or daffy outside of the grocery store.
I have color envy as I visit other blogs.
There is still six feet of snow up at Lake Tahoe around our front door.

Where is Spring?

Human Connections

I listened to a Coast to Coast segment with Lynn McTaggart this morning regarding human connections. I found her content very interesting, not to mention timely, considering our discussions on like-minded communities. It seems we are much healthier when we are part of communities and groups. The most at-risk segments of society have nothing to do with money, and much more to do with fitting into the larger whole. I did a review of her book The Intention Experiment here.

We act and think differently when we realize we are part of a whole - it includes a whole new paradigm, in a much larger context, contrary to the way most of us have grown up - which is all about competition and survival of the fittest. We actually thrive when we work together. In other words we are "wired to care, share, and be fair."

However, she also talks about negative intention. It also has effects! It works really well. One example, from a caller, was the power of thought on celebrities - such as Farah Faucett - could all those not so nice thoughts from men regarding sexual fantasies, or negative thoughts from jealous women, have had an effect on her health? She says the way to protect yourself from negative intentions is to go into your "homing thought." That is the place that has to do with why you were put on this planet. Not your job, but that place that has to do with your mission. She says that gives you immunity to negative thoughts.

I downloaded her new book, The Bond, and will certainly let you know what I learn since this is such an important topic not only from an individual point of view, but also from a societal and world view. If interested you may want to catch this segment on Coast to Coast.

Crop Circles & Discloser

Crop circles first gained notoriety in the late 1980's in the UK, but weren't actually studied until the 1990's. They have appeared all over the world, most recently in Indonesia. Some are man-made, often for advertising purposes, but many do not appear to be man-made because of the intricacy and the time-frame in which they appeared, literally minutes in some cases. Also a great many of them cannot be understood until viewed from the air.


I said in a previous post that I would pass on information as I learned more about this phenomenon. Alan Foster in his talk "Discloser, Exopolitics, and Planetary Changes" at the Leeds Exopolitics Expo in London last summer gave his interpretation about what they might mean in an hour and a half talk. It appears as though we are being communicated with in such a way so that it cannot be hidden from us.

Most extraordinary is the complex mathematical equations. Some are Mayan translations pointing to planetary time frames, and some appear to be trying to bridge the different religions. Several show the orbits of the planets around the sun and are stunning in their complexity. One seems to be actually pointing to the date of December 21, 2012. Another, with a Mayan headdress may be pointing to the Mayan Prophecies. One appears to show another planet entering into our planetary orbit.

Some of the stalks in the fields are not just bent, but actually appear to be woven in some instances. 

He makes a good case as to why he thinks they are extraterrestrial communications of planetary changes, and why he feels our government has known about these beings for many years. If you are interested you can listen here for free on CMN, or You-Tube here.

I think crop circles are one of those mysteries where you need to make up your own mind about what they might be trying to communicate. 

Heavenly Hawaii - The Dream Continues

As I mentioned in my last post, Hawaii is on our radar for our shared-resources community. We have found the Upcountry of Maui suitable for growing food, especially the Kula area, which produces much of the island's organic produce. The tropical weather is cooler in the Upcountry and heating is mostly by fireplace or woodstove. Few homes have forced air heating/cooling. The down side is expensive land prices. But not to be deterred, this is my dream after all, so I have envisioned this community to start with my family, and then to grow from there.

I loved these houses, some of which were manufactured in Bali, made of coconut wood, and sold through a company on the island. Coconut trees do not have branches, so the wood is very strong - able to stand up to the fierce winds that occasionally blow through the island. The homes are very small and beautifully carved. Emphasis is on outdoor living in Hawaii, so the lanai is very important.

I would like to start with 5 to 10 homes on about 2 acre parcels, for a total of 10 to 20 acres. The land would be owned by the association, but individual homes would be owned by the occupants. Between the homes would be fruit trees, organic gardens, edible flowers, native flora and fauna, and pathways. A gazebo-like structure would shelter exercise equipment, with a yoga studio on the top deck that would be open on all sides. Of course in this dream we have a (salt water?) pool, (it is Hawaii after all,) and an outdoor cooking/eating/meeting area. The property would have chickens, and possibly a barn for horses and other animals shared and cared for by the inhabitants.

Barter is very important, especially with the larger island community. My background qualifies me to run a pre-school and my younger daughter will be qualified to teach older students. Maybe we have a school on the property, and if we get paid in fish, then so be it. I see daytime retreats and other possibilities - Reiki, holistic nutrition classes taught by my older daughter and her husband who enjoys cooking, a spiritual center, or possibly a place serving healthy, organic lunches in a serene atmosphere.

I would hope that many island friends would live here and/or visit often. One of the problems for the Hawaiian people is affordable housing. The Hobbit houses are very inexpensive, and dirt can be found anywhere. This community would grow and utilize many designs, especially those that are eco-friendly and blend into the environment.

Of course I will write a book about the experience, providing a template for what works and what doesn't, which would be one of my contributions.

Okay. I'm done. Care to throw out an idea or two?

Here are the two companies used in this post:
Mandala Homes (Balinese)
Mandala Custom Homes

Hobbit Houses

http://www.simondale.net/house/

As some of you know, my dream is to have a shared-resource community of like-minded people at some point in our future. (Possibly in Maui, Hawaii.) I've been designing this community in my mind for some time, and was thrilled to hear of the many similar communities popping up all over the world. Obviously, the time is ripe for this idea.

As our natural resources dwindle, and the need for affordable housing rises, we are faced with finding new ways of building eco-friendly communities. In my version of a shared-resources community one would live with others that have similar values and a desire to live in a sustainable environment. This would mean a shared garden, possibly shared living arrangements, maybe communal kitchens for canning, cooking, etc. My idea includes the sharing of cars, trucks, recreational equipment, and farm/gardening tools, but separate living/personal spaces. I like the idea of all ages in this community, as the elderly are often overlooked and underutilized. The very young often benefit from being with older members of society, and the middle years can benefit from household/childcare help while working outside of the community, or doing the heavy lifting, so to speak.

I am aware not all elderly people want to be around young people in their retirement, and in that case this would not be the best living arrangement for them. A senior community would be more fitting. In my world view there is room for all sorts of living arrangements, with no judgement intended.

I ran across this company yesterday while watching the "Cultural Creators" movie. It builds green homes for a fraction of a stick-built home using earth, air, fire and water. These natural elements  lower the carbon footprint of building materials, and actually are better able to withstand earthquakes. They stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

So what do you think? Can you see a planned community with these homes, or how about the one at the top? I love these homes as well. Or better yet, how about a community of all three? 

Feeling Alone?

I found this on Synchrosecrets, and just had to share. For all of us that often feel alone in our beliefs:



Did you notice reference to the dot on my sidebar - The Global Consciousness Project? Click on the dot to learn more.

ADD: After paying the $2 to watch this movie in its entirety - I can honestly say it is life changing. If you are wondering if your dream can come true, or if you feel alone in your beliefs for a better, more sustainable world, this movie is for you.

The Twelfth Insight

I have just finished James Redfield's new book, The Twelfth Insight, so I thought I would do a book review for you.

The Celestine Prophecy, written in 1993 and originally self-published, became a word-of-mouth hit with its  action/adventure style of revealing certain spiritual concepts. In his third book, some eighteen years later, he picks up with the main character, building on the first book.

The Twelfth Insight brings together all the characters we find battling it out on our current world stage. Redfield has all ages, races, religions, and political players involved in a race to discover the twelve insights that will change the thinking of the world's inhabitants before it is destroyed by an apocalyptic group determined to start Armageddon.

Without giving too much away about the book for those that might want to read it, I have to say there were times the narrative seemed a little cheesy, but by the end of the book, finished late last night - I actually had the best night's sleep I've had in a while. It left me with a good feeling about humanity, world events, and what I need to do to stay centered during difficult times. But most of all - it left me hopeful, and excited to find others that feel as I do. I've always known that my spiritual beliefs would be tested and I guess we are at that juncture.

It is time to be who you really are, stand up for what is right, and live in integrity. But most of all, it is so important to be grateful and live in an appreciative state of mind because we are living in some amazing and transformative times. Remembering that we need the bad to understand the good, the dark to appreciate the light, and that this is all an elaborate play, designed to teach us what is truly important in life. We need the evil-doers as much as the light-workers to provide the contrast necessary to bring about the massive paradigm change that is surely coming.

This book would appeal to anyone who enjoyed his first book, to those who wonder what all the hoopla is all about regarding spiritual transformation, for anyone wondering how synchronicity works, and for those that need something that lifts their spirit during hard times.

ADDENDUM: James actually has four books. 

Raining Worms?

Here is an interesting story - a school in Scotland had a cloudburst - of worms. Yep, worms rained down from a cloudless sky. You can read about it here.

I have to admit - I've seen it rain frogs out in the desert. One minute you can be on a dry dirt road, and the next minute hundreds of tiny frogs everywhere after a cloudburst. I've never been able to get a logical explanation - any ideas?

2012 Predictions

Some time ago I did a review of a book written by Carlos Barrios, a Mayan Elder, entitled "Book of Destiny." The review was brief, as most my book reviews tend to be, but Kashonia has written one that has whole excerpts from the book.

Carlos Barrios has not been happy with what some have said about the Mayan Prophecies, including that the world will end in 2012. However, he does believe it will be transformed, as all of the world prophecies are converging. That transformation is already happening, according to Barrios. So if you are interested, you can visit Kashonia's blog and read it in its entirety.

Numerology

I looked up and noticed the time today and it was 11:22 - since that date is also my birthday, I starting thinking about numerology, which is  something that I know little about.  But I remembered this bit of information found on the Carlini Institute website that I thought to pass along. Heather has a wonderful site that also talks about the effects of solar flares, and many other interesting things.

Numerology is a science of numbers.  It has been around for 25000 years or more.  Pathagoras was the famous Greek mathematician born in 580BC.  His theory was to take man from the Level l (egocengtriity) to the level 9 (that of selflessness).   The world is made up of numerical sequences just as sacred geometry shows us and it is one of my favourite subjects.

One of the phenomena which is occurring these days to let us know how our journey is progressing, is the appearance of a series of numbers. The numbers have a message for us to pay attention to.  Numbers have their own vibration or frequency and they speak an energy language.  You may find yourself waking up at night and it is 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44 or 5:55.

According to various sources  these numbers mean the following:

111    New beginnings, showing that the energy is moving in a new direction.

222    It is time to be in the ascension process

333    Decision number.  It is time to make a decision.

444    You have just completed an important phase.

555    Christ conscious energy.  Very significant.

666    Alignment of the body, the mind and the Soul.

777    Integration of the ego with the higher spiritual frequencies of the Soul.

888    Symbolizes infinity where the physical merges with the spiritual.

999    Completion

000    Null zone energy in which you are in a phase shift into a new energy field.

11:11 Beginning a new phase of development.  An energy portal has just opened for you.

12:12 A cosmic connection.  A bridge to the future.

Time to pay attention, in other words, to the journey you are on.

I AM - The Movie

(Portland opening - at my favorite deli with some of his fans, I'm sure.)

Sometimes a story comes along that you know is still in the making, but it makes you smile, and you can't wait to tell someone about it. I think the movie I AM, The Shift Is About To Hit The Fan, which is just now being released in limited venues, is going to be a must-see for 2011.

Director Tom Shadyac was wildly successful with hits Ace Ventura - Pet Detective, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor and Bruce Almighty. Then he had a bad bicycle accident, which started him on the path he is now on - giving his fortune away to those less fortunate, doing away with the private jet, going from a three-home estate to diggs far less grand in a trailer park, and making a movie that just might matter. The money will benefit his foundation. It opened to packed houses in Portland, with standing ovations for Shadyac, who was in the audience.

Here is the trailer: