Envisioning The Future...

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

There Is A Better Way...

I am a 21 year-old student from Finland.
 

It makes me sad to hear how Americans are suffering.

Here, our taxes are high but we all benefit from them.

I grew up in the countryside and always had access to the same services that people in the city did.

My university is known around the world in my field and my education is not only free, but my government pays ME to go to university. Everyone has a right to this.
 

Everyone has a right to the best healthcare, there is no such thing as health insurance.
 

I am young now and able to take risks and pursue my passion because I will never have to worry about starving if I loose my job or my business fails.
 

I know that when I am old my state pension will be there for me so that I can enjoy my retirement.
 

We call this the Nordic Model, and under it we live well and our businesses are among the most competitive in the world.

 

I am grateful to have been born a citizen of a country that cares for its people, and I hope that one day the USA will take example from us.

I am the 99%

 
We are the 99%

 

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder... UPDATE

What painters in the late middle ages thought was the epitome of feminine beauty...

...luscious, voluptuous, healthy, well-fed women who could fulfil their roles as wives, mothers, mistresses of households and reflected credit on their husbands and fathers, for being good providers...

This is what (mostly male) fashion designers now think beautiful women should look like...

...women who have no shape, no health, no female characteristics (including fertility), plucked, shaved pre-pubescent girls, almost androgynous... 

Do these men hate and fear fully grown, mature, natural, powerful women so much?

And why do we women let mal-adjusted males dictate to us what is normal and beautiful in the feminine form?

December 30th, 2010:
Isabelle Caro - the French model whose pictures are the first in the series above - has died from the effects of anorexia nervosa, a disease she had suffered from since she was 13. 

She is the third international model to die of anorexia-related causes in recent years.

Isabelle agreed to be the "face" of a campaign to warn young girls of the dangers of anorexia - she was  photographed and featured on a billboard during Fashion Week in the US in 2007...

 

Rest In Peace, Isabelle...

Out Of The Mouths of Babes...

Birke Baehr show us that garbage in equals garbage and disease out - if we knew how our food is manufactured, we'd be horrified...

Thank goodness for young minds not brainwashed by junk food and marketing...

Call To Tara, Goddess of Compassion...

Praises to the 21 forms of Tara...

Green Tara: 

OM represents Tara's sacred body, speech and mind.
TARE means liberating from all discontent.
TUTTARE means liberating from the eight fears, the external dangers, but mainly from the internal dangers, the delusions.
TURE means liberating from duality; it shows the true cessation of confusion.
SOHA means "may the meaning of the mantra take root in my mind."

Tara (whose name means "star" or "she who ferries across") is a Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female form. 

In Tibetan, Tara is known as "Dölma", or "She Who Saves." In particular she represents compassion in action, since she's in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help sentient beings. 

Tara's mantra is a loving play on her name. According to Sangharakshita, a traditional explanation of the mantra is that the variations of her name represent three progressive stages of salvation:
1. Tāre represents salvation from mundane dangers and suffering. Tara is seem as a savioress who can give aid from material threats such as floods, crime, wild animals, and traffic accidents.

2. Tuttāre represents deliverance into the spiritual path conceived in terms of individual salvation. In traditional terms, this is the path of the Arhant, which leads to individual liberation from suffering. This is seen in Mahayana Buddhism as a kind of enlightenment in which compassion does not figure strongly.

 
3. Lastly, ture represents the culmination of the spiritual path in terms of deliverance into the altruistic path of universal salvation - the Bodhisattva path. In the Bodhisattva path we aspire for personal enlightenment, but we also connect compassionately with the sufferings of others, and strive to liberate them at the same time as we seek enlightenment ourselves.
 
Svaha, according to Monier Monier-William's Sanskrit Dictionary, means: "Hail!", "Hail to!" or "May a blessing rest on!" Her mantra can therefore be rendered as something like "OM! Hail to Tara (in her three roles as a savioress)!" although this may one of those occasions when the mantra is best left untranslated.

White Tara:  

The mantra for White Tara is:
OM. TARE TUTARE TURE. MAMA AYUR PUNYE JNANA PUSHTIM KURU, SWAHA

Tibetans say: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE, MAMA AYUR JANA PUNTIN KURU SOHA

White Tara is distinguished by "her body ... white, as an autumn moon; clear as a stainless crystal gem, radiating light." She has one face, two hands, three eyes. She is described in manuals as having "the youth of 16 years" but is often depicted as more full-bodied than Green Tara. Her right hand makes the gift-bestowing gesture, and with the thumb and ring finger of her left hand she holds a branch of white utpala, its petals on the level of her ear.

There are three flowers in various stages of growth symbolizing the three times (past, present and future.) The first bloom that is in seed, usually on the right, stands for Buddha Kashyapa who lived in a past eon; the second in first bloom stands for the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, whose activity has brought you here today, and the bud on the left symbolizes future buddhas -- the expected one is Maitreya Buddha.

Her hair is dark blue, bound up at the back of her neck at the back with long tresses hanging down; her breasts are full; she is adorned with divers precious ornaments, her blouse is of vari-colored silk, and her robes are of red silk, the palms of her hand and the soles of her feet each have an eye, making up the seven eyes of knowledge; she sits straight and firm upon the circle of the moon, her legs crossed in the diamond posture."

This description (Beyer 379) from the beginning of her sadhana is included as characteristic of the details in texts used as a basis for tantric visualizations. In a Buddhist sadhana, the practitioner is not really worshipping a goddess since the image is his or her own self imagined as a deity.

White Tara is referred to as "Mother of all the Buddhas." This is because she embodies the motivation that is compassion. Her whiteness "Radiant as the eternal snows in all their glory" is indicative of the selflessness -- the purity -- of this compassion but especially the undifferentiated Truth of the Dharma.

Her seven eyes stand for her perception of suffering that is apparent (the two we normally have,) that is psychological/spiritual (the one in her forehead,) and that is inherent in activity (in her palms,) and in what is usually considered as progress (in her soles.)

I Am Strong, I Am Invincible - Where Are The Men?

2,000+ years of the patriarchy, and where has that gotten us?

Seriously - look around you...

The Dalai Lama and indigenous elders all say women will step up, lead and make the changes that need to happen...

But we women have been fighting for eons to bring compassion and sanity back to life, to our societies, to the planet.   We bring life into the world, we do amazing things nurturing that life into adulthood, despite the challenges we face daily.   More is expected of us as mothers than is expected of fathers.   If something goes "wrong" it's always our "fault"...   And we are tired... 

In native cultures, men understand that it is woman's role to bring life into the world, and their role to protect women and that new life, and the environment that supports all life...

It seems to me that it's time for men to get it - get the  whole "sanctity of life" thing - and step up.   Turn this people-planet killing machine we call civilisation around...   And if you won't do it, move over and let us...

First Things First....

Lots on my mind, lots happening in the world that feels really urgent, time is speeding up, lots to write about... 

Been busy, busy, busy out there, spreading the word and vision about alternative realities and inciting revolt and revolution...

Is that because its my calling, or am I avoiding taking care of my own issues in here?

Physician, heal thyself!   Can't save the world if I'm drowning myself... Gotta get my own house in order first....  

So, I'm Taking the Pledge NOT TO INVOLVE MYSELF WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION OR OTHER SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVITIES (except the issuance of media alerts?) until I've finished moving house, gotten my youngster settled into the new school year, caught up with personal admin, planned and marketed some new classes and secured more speaking engagements and 'paid-to-play' projects...

That includes no more activist postings and commentary on other social media, newspapers and blogs (though maybe I will finally write those open letters to Oprah and to Nick Hanauer that've been in my head for about two years now!).

The world will save itself without/in spite of me - yes it will... really!

And I'll be back here in a couple of weeks when the house moving dust settles...

Namaste

(given the exceptions to my own rule that I've already created, how long do you think I'll last???)

Time to Breathe Again (and Create Your Unlimited Life!)

45-minute teaching session offered each Tuesday, focusing on the practice and benefits of breath work, and uncovering limiting core beliefs and self-sabotaging patterns of thinking, choice-making and behavior.

We'll be discussing what, how and why you think, do and say what you do, what are your expectations of yourself and life and what keeps you from reaching your full potential.

We won't just be sitting around; we'll also use experiential exercises to get to profound, deeply personal understandings.

Here's what other participants have said:

"Breathing with Sahila changed my life. I did breath work with Sahila for several months and after each session, I felt like all the stresses in my life had been offloaded and I could go back into the world with a clear mind. Our sessions together were great. Sahila has a wealth of life knowledge so by talking with her and breathing I was able to shift my thinking about my family, myself and my life path and really become OK with who I AM which allowed me to let others be who they are....it is so freeing! Sahila is an amazing person and anyone who works with her will be better for it." - Michelle

"The 2 hour group breathe with Sahila brought me the understanding and insight of the importance of breathe work. The week following my breathe I felt more energized, more connected to my body, and ...felt like I had undergone a great detox! It has brought awareness of daily breathing to the forefront and I look forward to my next breathe session." - Carrie

"I have done breath work with Sahila years ago in Australia and have learnt so much about staying in the present moment and observing myself doing me. I am only sad that she is overseas and we do not have instant access to this amazing teacher and healer!" - Bronwyn


So, if your life isn't going as well as you'd like and you need new ideas, strategies and tools to change that, come and check out what I have to offer.


Time:      6 - 6.45pm

Location: 5 Focus Fitness,
             1009 8th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109

Cost:      $10.00

RSVP:     5 Focus Fitness at 206 631 2818
             Sahila at 206 679 1738

             Sign Up Online Here

For more information on breath work and the other modalities I offer, see my website: www.metamind-spirit.com

And, consider signing up for the next monthly group breathe:

5Focus Fitness

Monday 23 August 2010

6.45-8.45pm

$50

Limited to 15 participants

Bring yoga mat, blanket, pillow

Refreshments provided

And You Thought You Were Keeping Your Teeth Healthy & Strong!

 

 

We've all been told that flouridation of our water is the best way to preserve our dental health...

But when you stop and think about it, how could putting any toxic substance into your body be good for you?

Worse still, how could putting such poisons into our babies and children be good for them and their growing brains, bones, organs?

Doesn't make sense.... unless there's something else going on....