10. Taking action

Connecting with the ancestors 

Just a quick additional update. I normally post just one post at the beginning of the month, but things have moved on a little...
I have been busy decorating, my wonderful meditation room is no longer [I am actually sad about that!], it is now a bland and boring as fuck magnolia and white box.
My bedroom is also now completed, again it is boring- just the sort of thing that sells [apparently].
I am in the process of doing the bathroom, so it is a busy time for me right now. But I do feel as if I am taking action...

Work sacked me!!! I have no idea what to do next, but will continue this weekend charging around with paintbrush in hand. I shall start looking for another job on Monday. 
Something HAS to turn up, I have bills and a mortgage. I live [and have done for 4 years] on my overdraft, so obviously no savings. 
My MOT is looming in the background...

Offering

Watch this space!!!  

Talking of watching this space...does anyone read this stuff? 
Leave a comment below if you do, it would be nice to know. Cheers.

You can also 'follow by email', meaning that when/if I post, you get a short message letting you know. See the box, top left...

As this is just a short update, I will leave you with TWO 'thoughts from within'...


THOUGHTS FROM WITHIN;

Know yourself!

The purpose of life is to recreate yourself anew. Challenge your present way of thinking and move into a grander and larger experience of who you really are.

Know yourself…really get to know yourself. I think that spending time alone with yourself can only be a good thing, it doesn't have to be boring, personally I meditate, but you can just sit quietly for a few minutes a day, go for a walk, sit alone in a meadow, try to see yourself how others might see you- ask yourself, is there something I need to change about myself, then work on how.

Yes, you are human, but you are also so much more. In truth you are a perfect spiritual being having a human experience, encountering life in the world of form. That sounds really great, even poetic and magical, but life can be hard anyway. Let’s face it, we all experience the imperfections that come with the territory of being human. Often, we feel like tremendously limited, ordinary people who enjoy occasional moments of spirituality. It’s certainly not easy to practice spotless ways of living all the time so we’re sure to fuck up and have days when our attitude is more than a little self-defeating. And that’s OK.

To be honest, everything is OK, you are you, warts and all. However, there is always a much deeper version of you hiding just under your skin, once you start tapping into who that person is, it is like being reborn, becoming awake. Even becoming FULLY you?

Focusing on what you appreciate can help you feel more spiritually connected. Being or feeling grateful also helps, it is a nice way to live, and you will begin to see more.

The older I get, the more I realise life is quickly over, I have lost many friends over the years, and my years are numbered! There comes a point in everyones life when they suddenly realise that they have probably lived over half their life, then they realise they have lived more years than they have left to live, then the realisation that you have maybe 10 or 20 years left…just 10 or 20 more summers, perhaps 20 more times of walking through the autumn leaves! 

A scary thought, but nothing is permanent, which is why knowing yourself, and finding that spiritual connection is so important- time is running out!

Close your eyes, sit quietly and think. Meditate. Do guided imagery. Stare at the ocean. Let nature inspire you.

It’s hard not to feel the presence of something magical and spiritual when you’re admiring the grandeur of mountains, deserts, streams, oceans, lakes, forests, wild animals, and gardens. Drift away whilst watching the sky, connect with the inner you, the real you, and allow yourself to shine.

Take time - Feel the energy

Start to think what is it that you REALLY want out of life, where do you want to go, what do you want to do, what do you want to experience? Knowing yourself will allow these questions and their answers. We have one life, a life that can either pass us by, or a life that we take hold of and lead us into a direction that we WANT to be heading in. 

Get to know that spiritual part of yourself, and follow your bliss -x- 

Like this? Don't like this? Comment, and let me know your thoughts...

FACEBOOK

I admit that once I actually loved Facebook, and to a degree, some parts of it, I still do. But lately, I am finding it less and less interesting, even annoying!

People post the same old shit, same old scams and hoaxes that have been going for years.

Seeing my friends and families photos, and sharing my own, is what I like/liked most about Facebook, a photo and a caption can generate a belly laugh or bring tears to my eyes.  

But, for me, the annoying part is where you have what you think is a great photo, you might get one or maybe two comments, perhaps a couple of likes as well, then you see a photo of someones dinner or their dog, which has 30 likes and 20 comments! Totally ridiculous, whats the point in me sharing my photos on FB, why not put them into instagram, Flickr or any other site? At least that way, they don’t get lost in a pile of statuses, videos and other pointless shit.

Turning the details of our lives over to Google and Facebook is making them rich at the expense of our freedoms. Most people hate the idea of big brother, yet there we are all offering up our personal info, helping big brother out. Yes, I am also guilty of this, I have said where I have been, who with, and then shared the photos! If the government want to track me, I am actually working for them, and for free!!!

I suppose when a service is free, you are the product! 

Fools are parted from their privacy just as easily as from their money, it seems.... I try to overcome that by not using my real name, I have changed my name on FB half a dozen times.

What about these FB ‘friends’? 

Whilst it is true that through FB I have made possibly 4 or 5 real friends, friends that I talk to and see outside of FB, well for the majority of them, there’s a reason we don’t associate other than on Facebook.  For most, it’s not because of a geographic disparity or because they don’t have an email address or phone number—it’s because we’re simply not actual…friends.

One thing that has really bugged me over the past 4 years is that FB has shown me quite openly and quite obviously, that people, and especially family, either don’t care, or can’t be bothered!

I get very few likes or comments on my photos from family, and if I put a serious status up, as I have the last 3 or 4 statuses, not one single comment from family at all! 

I have been suspended from work, then I put a status up during that time, finally work sacked me! 3 or 4 statuses relating to all this stuff going on and I got just one comment from a family member. I would have liked maybe a friendly word, some advice or anything from my family!!

At the same time, I could see them commenting on bullshit/boring/pointless statuses from their friends. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but a serious status is like a cry for help, doesn't it deserve just a simple comment? Maybe not!

I'm on a mission to simplify life, to slow it down to a pace at which it can actually be consumed, not just tasted.  I don’t want to hide behind the ubiquitous, “I'm really busy” as a badge of honour.  

I want a lower cost of living (not just financially) and a higher quality of life.  I want to limit the number of things that compete for my attention so that I can apply more attention to those things I care the most about.

I am now quite disillusioned with FB, and with myself- for spending so much time on there!

So, although I am not ready to delete my FB once and for all, I am taking a back seat. I will pop on there from time to time, if I can be bothered- we will see.

The fact is the real people in my life will still remain in my life, if they want to and can be bothered. 

I think a phone call, email and especially a meet up, is far more important than anything FB can offer me. I will now see who wants contact with me, as they will have to actually think about me, and pick up the phone or knock at my door…

Peace  -x-

Nature is my church