Me, Myself and I!

You'd think after several (not saying how many :-)) decades of living in this body, putting up with the aches and pains, and screwed up relationships it's had with just about anyone and everybody on the planet with whom I've had the chance to meet up with, that I'd have at least an inkling of an idea what I'm all about.

Not a chance!  I change my mind about every 15 minutes - the weather has nothing on me.  I'd probably do it more often, but it takes about that long for me to get into one mood and become bored with it, to move on to the next.  Call it a permanent case of AHDH (which, according to the shrinks is something they made up anyways).  I used to blame it on being a Gemini - still do sometimes when it's the best excuse I can come up with at the minute.

I have a few constants in life:  I love coffee, just about anything sweet that doesn't have honey in it (it's lethal to me), chocolate for sure - currently have a batch of Mimi's famous brownies in the oven - and music (except for rap and hip-hop).  Beyond that there isn't much that I can say that at one point I may have liked, but don't now, or that I didn't like, but changed my mind - maybe several times back and forth - and have settled now for perhaps the next few days on liking again. :-) Say that five times fast and see if it still makes sense.

So about the only way I really get to know me is to attempt to know those around me and those with whom I communicate - vis-a-vis that we are all supposed to be reflections, in one way or another, of one another.  Being that I also act like a hermit most of the time (another constant that I just discovered in thinking about it), it's a very slow process.

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On the financial side, I've lost a lot of money, some of it, admittedly, because of my own stupidity, but much more because of the stupidity and mostly greediness of others.

On the humanity side of things, I've lost my parents - dead and gone, and in spite of being fairly tuned into the "other" side, neither of them appear too interested in contacting me.  Best that they move along, and in retrospect of my life association with them, I'd say it's a DO NOT REPEAT lesson, here or hereafter.

Along with them, I've lost my brother - still alive, but dead as far as any love I might have ever had for him, which in retrospect, probably was more than he deserved.  Why ??? - because he has torn my son away from me - don't know if that is permanent, but it appears it may be so.

My brother, also, along with my Mom when she was alive, had pretty much turned the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) away from me - which was very evident a little over two years ago at my Mom's funeral, and since NO ONE has bothered to return phone calls or mail, it's pretty evident that they don't want me in their lives.  Probably doing me a favour, because I have a feeling the stress of having to deal with them would have been more than I could have handled and remained sane, anyways.

Most of the aforementioned people call(ed) themselves "Christians".  So what I have also lost (probably a very good thing, actually), is the idea that Christianity is of much, if any, value.  My daughter and son-in-law, on the other hand, tends to keep me from throwing the whole lot into the fires of purification, though, because they actually do try to live up to at least some of the tenents supposedly laid out by Jesus.  I used to be proud to call myself a "Christian", but it's been a long, long time since that felt good.

So, along with Christianity, I've pretty much tossed most other religions in the bin as well.  I cannot say I am athiest, though, as I do believe in some sort of "higher" power, but I'll be damned if I worship it in any organized, dictated fashion.  I guess the best way to describe my present mind/heart-set in that reference is being open to spiritual guidance and giving appreciation for the people and things who do inhabit my life with grace.

The views of Patriotic Australian Prime Minister

The whole world needs a leader like this!


"Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..

"Separately, Kevin angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'

"Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

"We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

"This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

"If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted."


Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths. 

If you agree, please SEND THIS ON and ON to as many people as you know. 

Especially send it to your leaders - Your President, Your Senators, Congressmen/women, The Canadian Prime Minister, Provincial Premiers, and Provincial and Federal Elected Parliamentary Ministers.  Let them know you are FED UP with immigrants coming to our countries and whining about "back home" and what's happening there, or worse attempting to foist their customs over ours.  I may not be Christian, but I will defend to my last breath the Christian's right to have a Christmas Tree in a public school, city square, or any other building where the public attends.  North America was settled by mainly Christian faith peoples - if you've chosen to come here to live from a non-Christian country, respect that or stay out!

If immigrants are so worried and warped about "back home" - well - if this is NOT your home, maybe you should go BACK HOME!!!!  I'm tired of my tax dollars being spent on peacekeepers on our streets in downtown Toronto attempting to keep the rest of us safe from every belly-aching whining ex-pat from other countries almost endlessly.  I'm tired of seeing our young men being sent over to these foreign lands to try to keep peace (where no one seems to want it) and getting blown up for their efforts, while the so-called men of these countries, especially the Muslims, uphold archaic laws such as Sharia law and beat and murder their women, and yet haven't got the intestinal fortitude (or gonads to go with that) to stand up and fight the bad guys (well, maybe THEY ARE the bad guys!).

Two years ago I landed here, directly on the Holosync Pod.  I floated down, settled in, and THEN discovered that there was soooooo much more to this place - a virtual village of sorts, where I could post and connect.

I am still a member of that pod - actually it's the only pod to which I now belong.  I have been in and out of at least a dozen different pods (groups as they are called now at Gaia), staying with some longer than others.  I cultivated one and moderated one for a while.  I found that most of the time I was a disruptive element, and had I not left most when I did, would probably not be writing this brief blog at this time, because I'd be wearing one of the "team's" shoe leather on my derriere.... LOL!!!  God knows, I gave you guys plenty of reason and opportunity to clip my wings - so ya'll must be a really patient lot! :)

I have always found it difficult to "express", even in the blogs.  Occasionally, when I was REALLY creative, I figured out how to turn off javascript and actually posted in larger, coloured type-face.  But it's such a pain, and the risk of losing a post to cyber-space became so annoying, that I just stopped doing that.  But the tiny type-face, with no selection of fonts or colours has really cramped my style.  I also would have liked an easier way of importing "smilies".  I have tonnes of smilies that I've never been able to use here.  If anyone here has seen my other blog-posts on other net's, you would understand this lament.  Oh well.....

I've taken a couple of sabbaticals - most recent this past month for almost two weeks.  I logged off, so that I would really have to think about it before logging back in and commenting on someone's blog - or, God forbid - start one of my own.  I finally caved in today when one friend's blog presented such a challenge to my thoughts of late, that commentary burst from my fingertips!

I really appreciate each one of the friends who's icons show up in my friends list, and some of those others who from time to time have provided a kind word here and there.  I've lost a few along the way too - some have left Gaia altogether, some have been booted off, and others have just, apparently, given up on me for one reason or another.  In their shoes, I probably would have done the same. ;)

The jury is still out as to whether I'll be here for a "third" anniversary.  My online time is becoming quite limited (hence I am typing this at 1:30 on a Sunday morning).  At the same time that I started my almost two week sabbatical from here, I removed myself from almost a dozen other social-network homes.  No sense taking up cyberspace real-estate when most of them had turned into ghost-towns anyways.  I am still involved with half a dozen "business" networks, though.  That's my main reason for even being on the internet these days - and if I'm not learning something or earning something from the interchange, then it's pretty much time to pack it in.

And that brings me back to deciding if I stay or if I go.  Two weeks ago I held the mouse arrow over the "de-activate" button here for almost 10 minutes.  In the end I decided to log out and give it some more thought.  So, to make it clear, the jury is still out on that decision - and letting go of people and places has become something I've been doing a lot of lately, even with family, and it's becoming easier all the time.  I think in the end, I'm going to need to travel light, with few attachments to anyone, any place, or any thing.

So I'm here for now.  As another blog I wrote a while ago stated - hiding in plain view.

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This blog actually started out as an answer to Meenakshi's blog post regarding Global Governance, but it became too long, so I decided to post it as a separate blog, for those interested in reading beyond my initial comments.

While religions may have survived longer than even the mightiest empires, it must also be noted that many of those mighty empires were brought down by religious institutes, ideologies and outright barbaric-ness of some of its leaders.  Who started the Spanish Inquisition?  Which religions in todays world still push for sovereignty thru force and threat of annihilating "the infidels" on a shrinking globe (and one of them actually has more followers, globally, than the rest combined, and I'm NOT talking about the Christians)?

How much choas and blood-letting are we prepared to endure, if this "globalization" is to take place?  Even in a country as large and populus as India, there is a deep division between three different religions - Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu, with the added burden of - having been colonized by a the British - the Christian religion, and all of its sub-divisions!! Then next door to India, you have the Republic of China, who stubbornly resists ANY religion being practiced (at least outwardly) by its population.  By contrast, it is quite easily seen that neither way really works, although I feel eventually the Chinese will find a workable balance within their own boundaries.

My own thinking on this is, that as long as there are religions underpinning the belly of ANY sovereign state (and which sovereign state with any power doesn't have this today?), there is little hope that the type of globalization of which the author speaks, will ever come to bear fruit.  At one point, it was thought this would be the role of the United Nations, and to a fair degree, in spite of it's failings on some fronts, it has at least fostered the idea that we are our brothers keepers for the last 60 years.  However, as the author pointed out, the arbitrary way "veto's" are handed out, is why today it is more like a kitchen-table, where the kids go to squabble, and most of the time the parents throw up their hands and say - "well, we tried". 

Without might of arms, some much less militaristic individuals at the helm, and certainly with ALL religions either staying out of the pot, or at least being recognized as "equal" partners in the stew, this is not a recipe that will work - there are far too many parties who don't want to see "democracy" work, including many of the worlds current religions.  And there are far too many greedy individuals who are not now, nor probably ever will be, prepared to share their plate of stew with their siblings.

The latter are the ones who have created this maelstrom, with the clear intent of enslaving a large part of the world to do their bidding for the least amount of cost.  They have been implementing a plan for the last 150 years, which has been succeeding in bringing even the strongest countries, and most powerful employers (and their employees) to their knees.  The leaders of these countries are either complicit, or have been blinded - dare I say hypnotized - into thinking they are assisting a formula (as currently being fostered by both the USA and Canada) that will bring stability to the worlds finances.  The price to tax-payers for "fixing" the banks will virtually enslave them for generations.  The price of the "fixing" of the auto-companies, by virtue of taking away wages and benefits from the workers, and then grabbing money from the public coffers to prop up these behemoths, who have resisted anything BUT the gas and oil guzzling way of propelling their products for the last 60 years (while all along there were many different GOOD ideas brought forward, that were outrightly killed), will also contribute to this enslavement by virtue of controlling future wages, not only of the auto-workers, but of everyone else in that huge food-chain, AND by taxation in general.

So while this "globalization" may be an idea worthy of further thought, I'd say that unless you rid the world of competing religious ideology, and deport the money hungry bastards who started this whole thing OFF the face of the planet, it doesn't have a snow-ball's chance in hell of ever succeeding.

Just my thoughts...

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I'm sensing Spring in my life at the spiritual level.  This is the best time of year for me to bring forth new efforts, and to rejuvenate old practices that have fallen by the way-side.

So this year, for today - being the first full day of Spring in the Western hemisphere - I have decided to dedicate the day to the spiritual side of life.  Very early this morning I started off with my Holosync meditation.  I am making effort to keep my thoughts focused on love and beauty, in all that I do today.

Later today, probably mid-afternoon, I am going to sit with a DVD I received over 18 months ago - it is one of the Big Mind presentations by Zen Master Genpo Roshi.  A couple of years ago I became interested in the Big Mind process, having watched and listened to a few shorter versions of it, and ordered the DVD, and then packed it away with a dozen other courses I've ordered and then packed away.  It is now time for me to haul these all out - but I felt it was especially time to do the Big Mind one first.

I am not at all sure how all of this will pan out.  I have been receiving encouragement, mostly through whispers in my ear, from The Herald to pick up the "spiritual" part of my work here - although I also feel that my Hypnosis and NLP work have a strong spiritual overtone.  I have too long sat on information that The Herald have provided over the last 30 years, and it is time for me to make a firm commitment to complete the books and audio-books.  So I guess what I am doing with Big Mind will perhaps help clarify why it has taken so long to finish these projects and move into other ones - at least hopefully I'll get some clarification for myself on this.

Just couldn't resist this one - food plays probably way too big a part of my life - and other than eating it, I find it a fascinating subject at times.

1) What did you have for breakfast?  I MUST have variety to start my day - the main essential ingredient is coffee, generally flavoured.  My day can then get started.  Next one of the following:  a decent sized bowl of micro-waved oatmeal;  a toasted cinnamon-raison bagel with cinnamon spread (but not too thick); a couple of slices of home-made almost whole-wheat bread with Velveeta, Havarti or Motzerrela cheese slices melted quickly in the micro-wave; two eggs easy-over with whole-wheat toast; PB and jam on toasted whole-wheat.  Stuff like that.

2) Have you grown your own food?  Many years ago I made a stab at gardening when we lived out in the country - unfortunately city-dwelling makes it hard to do that.  I used to occasionally grow my own alfalfa sprouts - but in apartments these tend to attract insects, so it's been a while, although I love doing it and having them fresh for salads and sandwiches.

3) What is your favorite beverage?  What else!? Coffee - almost any flavour, cold, hot, must be sweet with at least milk, preferably cream.  Funny though, I don't like expresso or capacinno.

4) Do you like to cook?  Mostly yes - I think it's the clean-up afterward that stops me from doing more of it than I do - but I rarely eat out, and I eat fairly well - certainly healthy and home-made most of the time.

5) What is your favorite vegetable? Cooked broccoli - cooked just to the limp stage - if it has any crunch left, it's under-done, with lots of butter and modest salt.  Don't like it raw at all!  On the raw side of things - sweet red peppers and English cucumbers.  Other than carrots, I detest most root veggies.  If it's green and tastes more to the sweet, it passes well.

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1) What was the name of your childhood pet?  Briefly, for about three weeks, a black kitten named...  what else...  Blacky.  My Mom got fed up with the cat-poo and my brother was allergic to it (and he tried to drown it in our kiddie pool), so we had to take it back to my Grandparents' farm, from whence we had toted it home in a Shredded Wheat box, mewing all the way!

2) What was your favorite toy(s) during childhood?  Pre- going to school, I liked to play house, and had a big doll with gorgeous deep blue eyes, a dress to match and lovely flowing "real" black hair.

3) Did you grow up with brothers and sisters?  Yes, unfortunately - a brother almost four years younger, who to this day (over 50 years later) is still being a royal pain in the butt!

4) What game(s) did you like to play?  As above - also in winter I liked to ice-skate and build snow-homes in the snow-banks the plows left behind.

5) Did you have an imaginary friend?  Lots of them - probably not so much imaginary, except that grown-ups were just too blind to see them.

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My first name, Sheila, is Irish - meaning lover of music, and I'm sure I pre-programmed that one into my Mom.  Although my Dad misspelled it on the birth certificate application, someone was wise enough to fix it - but it's really funny the number of people in my life who don't seem to get the "e" and "i" in the right sequence. ;)

My second name, Mae, is also Celtic - and the equivalent of "Mary".  It is also the second name of one of my Mom's younger sisters.

My birth last name (which I won't provide here, for privacy sake) is Welsh in origin, as far as spelling goes, with a meaning pre-dating back to Israel, of "person/man of God".  To say more than that about it would sound pretentious and speculative, at best. ;)

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1) Who has served as a role model in your life?

My grandmother, because she wouldn't accept being pushed around by anyone.
My daughter, because of how deep she loves, and how freely she forgives.

2) What book (s) have inspired you?

As a pre-teen, the "Trixie Beldon" books - always gave me hope that there was something better out there, which carried forward into my adult life.  The "Seth" books by Jane Roberts were a great inspiration for my channeling back in the '80's.  More recently books by many of the "self-help" crew have been my motivational sidekicks.

3) What are you excited about today?

The prospect that within the next couple of months (hopefully sooner) I will be opening up my own Hypnosis and NLP Centre and Training School.

4) Does music inspire you?

Yes - it is part of my blood and my breathing!  When I severed the end of my index finger recently, the pain of it happening, before I got it stitched back on and the bone was reset, was far overshadowed by the painful thoughts of possibly never being able to play the piano again.  It is still painful to play the piano, but I am taking it slow, and eventually I will be able to play as well as I did before.

5) What qualities inspire you in others?

Commitment.  Honesty.  Enthusiasm.  An Integrity that overshadows everything else in the life.  These are qualities I strive to have in my own life, although I need to do a better job on most counts.

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