The UNIVERSAL FLAG Song - A Celebration for PEACE DAY Every Day!

The Universal Flag was created as a symbol of our Interconnection and Oneness with All. It is a signpost to help us remember the Truth of who we are. By consciously remembering this truth, we can begin to eliminate the fear and violence that exists, and make our world a more peaceful and harmonious place for our children and future generations.

The Universal Flag embraces All, and can therefore, never represent any one particular group, race, religion, creed, or anything that creates the illusion of separateness. It is a symbol that transcends differences, while honoring the uniqueness and commonality of all people. www.universalflag.com

☆┌─┐　─┐☆
　│▒│ /▒/
　│▒│/▒/
　│▒ /▒/─┬─┐
　│▒│▒|▒│▒│
┌┴─┴─┐-┘─┘
│▒┌──┘▒▒▒│
└┐▒▒▒▒▒▒┌┘
　└┐▒▒▒▒┌┘

Listen With Your Heart

An Invitation to Join Us in a Walk Through Our Garden--August 2, 2011

My hubs David and I love to garden and when we moved into our home in the fall of  1996 the yard was barren. We have worked together ever since then to turn it into our sanctuary. Now the yard has mature trees, water ponds, cozy getaways and we love spending time in our  'outdoor living room' during the warm weather.


We love gardening and landscaping and it is always a work in process but as has been said it is only work if you don't like it and we enjoy puttering around...a lot!

Unbound - Robbie Robertson (Tribute to Shakti)

Shining Star

Gentle With Myself-Positive Affirmations-

``````.-"```\\
`````/▒▒▒●)
`````\\▒▒\\▒)> A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
`````,)▓▓▒\\ it sings because it has a song...
````/▓▓(▒▒\\ Hold fast to your dreams,
```/▓▓)▒▒▒) for without them life is
``/▓▓/▒▒▒/ a broken winged bird that cannot fly....
`/▓/▒▒▒/
`/_/``" Fly high and free with your own wings and reach for the stars.
░★░░㋡░★░░㋡░★░░㋡░★░░㋡░★░░㋡░★░░㋡­­ 

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Peace and wonder, my friend,

Chakra Grounding & Cleansing Meditation

What Are We Capable Of?

July 12, 2011 Celebrating 20 years of marriage.

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary and we are grateful for the friends on and off line who sent warm, anniversary greetings. Here are two special ones that were made by friends on our social forum on the Ning network. The first one was from Victor Cheong:

The second one is from Gaby...thank you both so much. David and I will treasure them forever.

David and I are often told that our love and bond is an inspiration to others and we are touched that we have together moves people that way. We understand that because after our first marriages broke up we said we'd never marry again. When we first connected it was by phone. One of David's coworkers told me to contact David when I was considering buying a computer. We started talking about everything else along with computers and our chat time was very intense for 6 weeks before I actually mustered the confidence to meet him in person.

I could feel myself falling in love with him over the phone and was concerned that the "magic" I felt might not be there when we saw each other face to face. Thankfully when David came to my apartment and I opened the door to see a 6 feet tall handsome guy standing there I was thrilled and the rest as they say is history.

Not that our path has always been smooth and easy. Quite the contrary David and I have had our fair share of family, personal, professional, health and financial challenges. What carried us through is our love and a dogged determination to work things out...because of our love for each other.

We met on July 15, 1990 and made a commitment then to keep the romance and magic in our relationship and we have. We are hopeless romantics and will be celebrating our the monthly anniversary of the day we met on Friday. 252 months and happily counting. We were married a year later on July 12, 1990.

When we are asked what makes our relationship work the first and most important thing in our view is openness and trust. Trust allows us to be who we are without fear of reprisal. Trust is built by congruency with what we say and what we do. Another thing is a respect for differences.

David and I do not want to be two souls in one body we are happy that we are strong, independent and different in some areas otherwise it would be mind-numbingly boring. Our differences keep our relationship fresh and growing and our individual strengths are better for a healthy union and our weaker areas are strengthened by the other. When we counsel  couples who are conflicted they are usually trying to remake their partners into an image of themselves rather than respecting the ways they are different.

Another key aspect in building healthy, honoring relationships is an ability to admit when an apology is due. Being able to admit that no one is "right" all the time nor is someone "wrong" all the time. We often ask..."would you rather be right or happy?" When ego governs relationships it will eventually erode things. David and I learned to ask ourselves whether what we say and do is a loving or unloving act ore response. Loving another involves sensitivity, self-responsibility and accountable choice making.

Walking our talk and being 'real" adds to trust levels and shows that we are heard, understood and accepted whether we agree or not. Open, honest communication is the way to resolve conflicts and once they are resolved let the issues go and move on. Going into revisionist history can lead to selective memory and dredging up the past can eclipse the joy in the present.

So friends those of you who have asked us how David and I are able to live and work together...those are some of the reasons why. Besides that we are best friends and there is a lot of truth in the quote that happiness is being married to your best friend. If any one of you has more tips and ideas about what makes and creates successful relationships please share them in a thread.

David and I are heading off to the beach tomorrow and are taking the rest of the week to do fun things together. We have traveled a lot of interesting roads during our 21 years and hope to be graced by Source with many, many more. We not only value the bond we have but all the friends on and off line that add sweetness, purpose and meaning that add so much to the quality of our lives. Whether you are in a partnered relationship or not you are in loving relationships with a lot of other people and that is something to celebrate. Whether it is family, friends, coworkers, community or pets loving and being loved is the greatest blessing of all. May we always remember that.

I BELIEVE

Give It A Day

Oneness Blessing....

deZengo - The Art of Beautiful Living: Calendar & Announcements:Open teleconference 4 tho...

deZengo - The Art of Beautiful Living: Calendar & Announcements:Open teleconference 4 tho...: "Calendar & Announcements:Open teleconference 4 those wanting 2 learn more about the Stellar Code Polaris! C U there! http://t.co/07o37nx"

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DELVING INTO POND LIFE AND MAKING ONE OF YOUR OWN

By Coralie Raia Darsey-Malloy

This article was published  in my column Perspectives on Healthy Living years ago when David and I first moved to the country after leaving life in Winnipeg...a large urban city where we were raised. We have since graduated to much larger ponds and we love them. We have one that is around 900 gallons and it is an eco- pound. The smaller one is where we have fish and for anyone so inclined we highly recommend the time and effort it takes to create a pound...even a small one. They add so much beauty and tranquility to any space.

So here is our foray into ponds and pond life:


Water ponds are fast becoming the latest trend in gardening. I was not aware of this until David  and I moved out to the country and wanted to have a tranquil water setting in our own yard. When we decided to pursue our goal we found there was a considerable amount of information out there. Much of this focused on how to dig the pond, lay the liner, fill it and there you go. We decided to be different and use an old ceramic bathtub. This became the first step in our adventure the creation of an outdoor pond. We began digging, digging AND digging! The first thing the reader should know is that you need to be in relatively good physical condition to get your pond into the ground. If not, find someone who is!

After the tub was in, we did not like the look of it because it was, obviously a white bathtub sitting in the ground. Even though we tried to vary the way it looked by angling the position--it still did not create the right ambiance. Attempting to change the appearance is not a simple task. If anyone is contemplating a similar move here are a few things to remember not to do. Do not try to paint the tub to change the appearance.. We could not find anything on the market that will adhere to the ceramic base once the pond is full of water. We made the mistake of trying to change the color of the tub by spraying it with a fleck-tone paint in an earthen color. It held around the edges, but has continued to flake off into the water and we have been unwilling to risk pond-life. As a result, we ended up using a small circulating pump to keep the water from becoming a mosquito pond.

The other error we made was filling the bottom with limestone and bricks, which we later found out can leach into the water and be unhealthy for plants, fish, snails, etc. At the end of the season, we did discover four salamanders hiding among the plants. So we strongly advise against making the same errors in judgment if you want to have a healthy pond.

The next problem we had to confront was how to fill the holes where the taps and plug were. My partner, David got a metal plate and used a silicone sealant to cover the holes and put a rubber bathtub plug in the bottom. The sealant did not hold, and the pond can only be filled part way. We learned afterward that it would have been better to put rubber underneath and around the plate before sealing it. Too late now, so you might want to try that if you happen to find a ceramic tub that you want to turn into a water garden.

Fall came early last year that year in Manitoba. An pre-winter snowstorm came at the end of October, and we did not have time to empty the pond. As a result, the water was murky with debris and needed bailing out in the spring. The water plants did not over-winter properly, so we were back to square one. Undaunted, we marched off to a local greenhouse to try again.

We bought a number of plants and decided to make a couple more ponds. At the end of last season we had purchased some very sturdy wading pools. We made a tactical error by placing one pond in the front yard--just in time to catch all the seeds from the trees. OOPS, something else we had not considered. Deciduous trees nearby make keeping the pond clean much more challenging than if placed further away. "Oh well, this is all a learning experience," or so we kept telling ourselves. After a few days of observing the plants, and thinking the water would be fine, we decided to add a couple of snails and a fish. The fish died within twenty-four hours. The snails were hardier. They continued working hard all summer to keep algae in check and are continuing to do so in our indoor aquarium over the winter.

Positioning the third pond correctly made it easier to maintain. We kept a few plants and snails, in it but no fish or salamanders. The one lone salamander left in indignation when we put the fish into HIS turf. Once he bumped heads with the rather large black plycostemos (algae eating bottom feeder) recently placed in the water, he scrambled up and out of the pond. At that point we were feeling discouraged because we had inadvertently killed a fish and annoyed a salamander and we had no creatures in any of our ponds. We were beginning to wake up to the fact that this type of gardening is somewhat more demanding than we had originally thought. However, that did not stop us.

We went to Minot, North Dakota for a few days for a mini-vacation. We found a steal of a deal on a 185 gallon pond, and proceeded to bring it back to expand our pond horizons. More back-breaking ground breaking. Dig, dig, dig and dig some more. Make sure it is level, with no rocks to pierce the plastic. Fill it up and bingo--another chance to make things work. Another alternative is to purchase pond liners to fill the hole for the water. Areas or “shelves” for shallow plants need to be built in, which is why we opted for a pre-fab mini-pool. There are a number of excellent books that illustrate how to lay the liner correctly if anyone is interested in going that route.

Filling the pond is the easy and fun part. Once the water level is where you want it--then what? What do you put in it? Deciding whether it will be can echo-pond, a fish pond, or an ornamental pond is an important first step. Things are much easier to set up with a sense of direction. We did not have any when we started, and had to learn along the way. After two years of trial and error with all three we have concluded it is just a matter of time, money and pre-thought. Outlined below are the three types and some of the pros and cons of each.

THE ECO-POND. This type of pond is the closed to the way Mother Nature sets up her water systems. The environment in this pond is maintained through plants and whatever amphibians, snails or reptiles you might be fortunate enough to attract. If things are set up properly-- they will come. I recall how excited we felt when David found salamanders gobbling up insects in our little back-yard pond. We did not have to advertise we had a water space for rent, they knew. We were all happy with their residency. Suggestions for this type of pond are:

(a) As mentioned earlier, place any pond as far away from deciduous trees as possible. The spring pollination and falling leaves can be a real problem. A small pond will quickly be full of debris from nearby trees that will decompose and algae will form.

(b) Do not put anything in the water for at lease 48 hours after the first fill. The chlorine and fluoride are very unhealthy for anything. Let it sit. Then look into water oxogenators such as duckweed, horns-wort, water lettuce or parrot plants which can be purchased at many garden centers. These float in or on top of the water and help to establish a natural environment. Other plants such as water hyacinth, lilies and water iris are also oxogenators and are attractive as well. They provide shade for frogs and salamanders who need relief from the heat and direct sunlight. Adding snails to the water help keep the algae under control.

(c) Once a pond is established it is not a good idea to fiddle around with the water. Never drain a pond after things are in place. Let nature take its course. Adding fluoridated water to an eco-pond can be disastrous. There ere are micro-organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. They need a stable environment to survive. Many greenhouses are catering to the needs growing interest in water gardening. These centers can be a wonderful resource to help handle any problems that arise. There are products that break down algae blooms if it becomes too prolific.

FISH PONDS. The idea of having fish in our pond was very appealing. . So we proceeded to stock our pond. Getting them through the first 48 hours is the difficult part. We learned the hard way (after losing a couple of really attractive ones). It is stressful for fish to be moved from their existing water to a new site. They are very temperature sensitive and need time to acclimatize.

When bringing them the transport bag is usually filled with water from their original source. Float the bag on top of the pond for at least a half an hour so the water temperature can stabilize. If you have a thermometer that can read the lower temperatures of your pond it you could ask the pet store to take the temperature of their water. This makes it easier to avoid dramatic extremes in water temperature.

If there are extremes, then float the bag for 45 minutes. Usually, 30 minutes is adequate. After that time period, open the plastic bag and add about a cup of water from your pond. Then close the bag back up and float it again for 15 minutes. Continue adding water to the bag every fifteen minutes until the bag is full of water from the pond. Then slowly open the bag and let the fish out into their new home. There are also products on the market that help to reduce the effects of environmental changes and keep their gills healthy. There are different types available. Make your own inquiries--it is the best way to learn. Do not feed the fish for about 8 hours after their initial entry into their new home. They need time to settle down and not having their digestive tracks burdened while under the stress of being acclimatized Some things to consider for this type of pond listed below:

(a) Fish need care and attention. I was appalled by one person’s attitude when I asked them what they were going to do with their fish over the winter. They casually said, “Just let them freeze, I will buy some more in the spring.” I am sorry this cavalier attitude about wildlife is part of the reason we are losing them at an alarming rate. Granted fish are not as cuddly as a kitten or a puppy, but they are a life form, and a responsibility.

We chose to buy a 135 gallon aquarium to over-winter our seven that survived out of the ten we had. They will not be going outside next year. We decided it too difficult to maintain a fish pond when we wanted to go camping. They need to be fed, the pond needs to be cleaned and the filters monitored so they do not clog up. It is also necessary to purchase a filter-pump system for fish. The filter removes excess particles from the water. The pump re-cycles water to the surface of the pond. This is necessary to keep oxygen in the pond so the fish can breathe properly. They breathe in the water. If the water is unhealthy, the fish die. It can be a challenge to find the proper balance in a filter that adequately breaks the water, but does not splash too much on the plants. Many of the water plants do not like to have their leaves pounded by the water from a fountain.

(b) Fish need shade from the hot sun. This requires healthy plants such as water lilies or water lettuce, which can be expensive. Then these plants also have to be over-wintered if you live in a cold climate. We have not had much success in over-wintering our water plants and for the two years we have been dabbling we have spend a small fortune on them.

ORNAMENTAL POND

This type of pond is nice if you have a large enough area. Setting up a fountain in the middle with marginal water plants around the edge looks attractive, especially once the lilies and hyacinth start to flower. Other floating water plants can help to keep the algae in check. The sound of a rippling water fall is very relaxing when a pond is set up close to where people like to congregate.

Another positive side to the fountain that birds attracted to the sound of running water. They bathed and drank in the pond and added so much to our garden. Some ornamental ponds have fish in them, others do not. It is all an individual choice. The criteria have been discussed previously. The set-up for this pond is the same as the other two, but the advantage to they type of pond is that there is less responsibility. Keeping the algae down and giving the plants some fertilizer once a month or so is about all there is to it.

Our water garden is a source of great pleasure. It is a place we go to still our minds. We put ornamental lights around it and sit beside it on our swing. The green and blue lights give the pond a mystical feel and the sound of the water gently breaking the water creates a great meditative space. At the end of a hectic day the pond is there. In the early morning the joy of seeing birds bathing and chirping in the day made all of our challenges in setting it up well worth our time and effort.

If you decide to set up any kind of a pond you might just find a few frogs and salamanders who also appreciate your creation. If you are fortunate enough to have them come, be thankful. Frogs and salamanders are environmentally friendly pest controls. They eat massive amounts of insects that normally ravage the garden. Some of our friends were squeamish when we proudly informed them of our guests. We just leave them alone, they will do not harm anyone and they do a whole lot of good for your pond and your garden. In the fall they will bury themselves under a rock and wait until the spring to rejoin the rest of the wildlife that will be sure to be attracted to your enchanted corner of the universe.

Here's a photo of one of our ponds. We now have two and enjoy the peace and serenity they add to our yard.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SELF-HEALING TECHNIQUE CALLED EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT)

David and I were first introduced to EFT by a friend a number of years ago. We use it on ourselves and have shared this remarkable self-healing method with clients and they have received the same benefits we enjoy. There are times we use it less and periods we use it more but whatever we are wanting to "clear" and release we find EFT does it.

We know a number of friends here are struggling with a variety of personal, health and financial concerns and we wanted to set a group up that will inform others of the wonderful shifts that occur when people use the emotional freedom techniques on a regular basis. 

 

One needs to be realistic and know that we heal in the reverse order of the illness, imbalance or disorder so consistency is key to achieving desired outcomes. For those who are already aware of EFT and practice it please set up your own discussions sharing your experiences and allowing others to ask questions.

What is EFT?

EFT is a powerful new discovery that combines two well established sciences so you can benefit from both at the same time:

1. Mind Body Medicine
2. Acupuncture (without needles).

In essence, EFT is an emotional version of acupuncture wherein we stimulate certain meridian points by tapping on them with our fingertips. This addresses a new cause for
emotional issues (unbalanced energy meridians). Properly done, this frequently reduces
the therapeutic process from months or years down to hours or minutes. And,
since emotional stress can contribute to pain, disease and physical ailments,
we often find that EFT provides astonishing physical relief.

• Try it yourself by  It gives you all the basics and allows you to test drive EFT on your own issues (although at a beginner's level). If you wish
  to save time and dive right in you can  They will take you from Beginner’s level all the way
  to Mastery. Interestingly, this process is so easy to use that no previous
  training is required. Caveat: For people who are emotionally or physically
  frail, qualified health professionals should be consulted before using ANY
  health procedure.
• Peruse the many studies and experiments on our 
• EFT's possibilities are experienced by those who try it and use it regularily.  already been There are a  wide variety of successes. This is why I tell clients to , "Try it on everything." It is as close to a Universal Healing Aid as anything I've seen.

More benefits...

• You can make enormous strides by introducing EFT into your emotional therapy process (whether you are a professional or a client). Instead of taking months or years using conventional "talk
  therapy," EFT often does the job for you cleanly and thoroughly in
  one or two sessions ... and we sometimes achieve noticeable results in
  a few brief rounds of EFT. We label these near-instant results as
  "one minute wonders."
• Once you have seen how well EFT clears out emotional debris, your next step is to notice how physical ailments start to fade. Headaches, back pains and other discomforts often tend to improve or
  vanish as emotional issues improve (this is the essence of Mind Body
  Medicine). Your vision may become clearer and everyday stress may take
  less toll on your system.
• Accordingly, you can apply it to just about everything. That is one of the most astonishing things about it. You use the same basic procedure for your fear of public speaking as you do for improving
  your golf score. You can also use it for everything from the common
  cold to multiple sclerosis (consult your physician, of course).
  Further, we have had reported successes for nearly every emotional issue
  on the books...including fear, trauma, depression, grief and
  schizophrenia. Some consider it the missing link in the pursuit of health
  and happiness.

Possible EFT limitations

I'm not saying here that EFT is perfect. We don't get 100%. But it usually works well and the results are sometimes spectacular. Because of its unique approach, it can work where
nothing else does and, to many, it represents a Doorway to a new Healing
High-Rise.

You will find that EFT is usually quite gentle and you can often achieve substantial relief with little or no pain. This is not true for everyone, however. Some people's issues are so
intense that the mere mention of them causes emotional or physical pain. But,
given time, even these may be resolved efficiently with EFT.

A small percentage of our population (best estimate is less than 3%) have serious emotional and physical disabilities and thus newcomers to EFT are advised to exercise common sense in
this regard. While you can use EFT to generate impressive relief for many
people, please consult qualified health practitioners where appropriate and
don't go where you aren't qualified.

About Gary Craig

Here is information about Gary Craig the founder of the EFT Movement  his own words: Please know that I am neither a psychologist nor a licensed therapist. Rather, I am a Stanford engineering graduate and an ordained minister and, although we don't pound the table for God here, I do
come at this procedure from a decidedly spiritual perspective.

My ordained ministry is with the Universal Church of God in Southern California which is non-denominational and embraces all religions. I am an avid student of A Course In Miracles but at no
time is any EFT'er asked to follow any specific spiritual teaching.

Other details: I was born April 13, 1940 and have been intensely interested in personal improvement via psychology since my age13. That was when I recognized that the quality of my thoughts was mirrored in the quality of my
life. Since then I have been self taught in this field, seeking only those
procedures that, in my opinion, produced results. EFT is my latest finding, the
core of which I learned from Dr. Roger Callahan. I also have high regard for
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in which I am a Certified Master
Practitioner.

Gary Craig decided to step down and close his site in January of this year because he feel the EFT Movement has its lets and there are enough people practicing and promoting it that he can step down and allow others to carry the torch from now on. His goal was to provide a natural way for people to be able to heal their lives without any financial cost.

Here are some photos of the basic "tapping" positions to stimulate the energy and meridian points within the body.

ANOTHER SIDE TO THE BENEFITS OF VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN DIETS

In my personal and professional experience I have come to the conclusion that  vegan and vegetarian diets are not for everyone.  As a reporter it is my job to gather the facts, keep personal bias sout of the copy...and let the readership decide for themselves. I decided to post this discussion after writing  an article for my column on the many health benefits of bison meat.

Oddly enough one of the editors is a Vegan and he did everything in his power to keep my article from running...because of his personal bias and activism in the animal rights movement. In good journalistic form the board out-voted him and my article came out in the June edition of The Aquarian paper where I have a column called Perspectives on Healthy Living.

The vegan/vegetarian band-wagan is rolling along...and many more are climbing on it. Consequently there is a lot of erroneous, misleading information floating around out there.  I recently responded to a discussion where a vegan is accusing people who claim to love animals and still eat meat of hypocrites...and even immoral. I donot agree with that position at all, but that is a whole other discussion and maybe one I will post at another time.

As a life coach in the health and wellness field I know from working in cooperation with a variety of health and medical practitioners that many vegans and vegetarians are unaware that their diets do not provide enough B12 unless they supplement. Red meat, chicken, turkey and salmon, bison/buffalo meat are among the best sources of B12 and iron. Even with proper food combining many vegetarian diets do not provide adequate amounts of these nutrients. If someone is deficient in  B12 they may not know it until they are diagnosed. If left untreated it can cause irreversible neurological damage. This is information that many are not privy to and one of the reasons I am opening this topic for discussion.

Even well informed vegan websites have alluded to this fact. Check out http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/intro for more information. Some claim that were never meant to eat meat...but our teeth indicate that our bodies were designed to eat both. I also find that odd being that the order of the universe has natural checks and balances within predation...(predator and prey). As one among many along the food chain...doesn't it seem odd that humans would be the only ones who do not fit into that order of things? Also if we were meant to live on a vegetarian diet...why do deficiencies develop on that eating plan...that do not occur when adequate protein from animal sources are consumed?

The complexity of amino acids and proper assimilation of proteins is another reason some people end up with deficiencies on vegan/vegetarian diets. Some of my clients
could not break down the grains, are allergic to the gluten  and could
not digest soybeans and/or tofu. The vegetarian diets they were on did not promote health...but deteriorated it. Once they included moderate amounts of lean protein in their diet their symptoms were gone. There is growing concern about the amount of soy products consumers are ingesting and how they are having a less than positive impact on the hormonal balance within the body.

It is important to understand that I am not saying that anyone should/or should not be a vegetarian...or should/or should not eat meat. All I am doing is offering another perspective...and you can source out your own information and decide what is right for you.

In my view it has nothing to do with morality and health involves  knowing what our bodies  need  to go beyond surviving...towards thriving! Do what works for you is the approach I take with most everything in life....because everyone has an opinion...or a judgment...and who is right or wrong...well even that is just an opinion!!!

Just for the record I was a vegetarian for years. Through time I lost muscle tone, became anemic and was told by the Naturopath who  became my mentor...that I could stick to my ideals...or choose to add animal protein to my diet and regain my health. I decided to follow his guidance...and I am healthier as I age...than I ever was in my vegetarian youth.

So if I say that I eat some meat because it supports my body...and I do love animals. Does that make me a hypocrite? From the last post I responded she would say yes. Well, everyone is entitled to their own viewpoint.

I have included a photo of just one of many domesticated animals in the farming area where we live. Even though some animals are abused...many are not. The prevailing view of most of the farmers I have interviewed in this area is this..."Farming is a business...if we do not take good care of our animals...and the land...we will go out of business." Something many who are not exposed to rural, farm life do not understand...or even care to investigate. As I have said there is a lot of misinformation out there and making smart choices involves gathering information and looking at both sides of any issue. 

RESPONSIBLE CHOICE-MAKING

Whenever David and I are in private or group life coaching sessions the idea of responsible choice making always comes up.  Oftentimes  people to think of responsibility in terms of whom they are responsible to or what they are responsible for. They state that responsibility involves being a 'responsible person.' Their understanding of responsibility is focused on their work, being a good parent, friend, worker or whatever else they think defines their levels of responsibility. Unarguably that is definitely one aspect of it.

By now some of you have figured out that I also like to look at things from of course...another
perspective and here we go again. When you look at the work responsibility it breaks down to...response---ability. If you switch those to words around you have within it the idea that we have the ability...to choose our response. In the work we do our goal is to assist others in understanding (and accepting) that behavior is a product of choice...based on values rather than being a product of their conditions or feeling.

The difference in how people respond is affected by whether they choose to be proactive or reactive. Reactive people are much more affected by their environment. For example when
life is going well...the weather is good and interpersonal relationships are running smoothly they feel good. When outward events are troublesome it can affect their attitude and overall performance.

Proactive people do not allow things like the weather, other people's reactions and life circumstances to affect their mood because they are not subordinate to impulses. So I am interested in hearing what responsibility means to you and what you think about the idea that we
may not be able to control what happens to us...but we do have a choice in our 'ability' to respond in whatever way we choose.

I'll close with two quotations that summarize the theme of this topic. Eleanor Roosevelt observed, "No one can hurt you without your consent."
In the words of Gandhi, "They cannot take away your self respect if we do not give it to them."

So our level of responsibility has to be outwardly directed for sure...but when all is said and done it is our willing permission or consent to how we respond to what happens to us far more than the event itself. To me it is important to keep the lessons...but release the experiences and move on. As we change our attitudes and beliefs...we also change our lives.

APPRECIATING THE MANY GIFTS WITHIN OUR SIMPLE ABUNDANCE

David and I were watching an episode of the television series "Saving Grace." Grace has a guardian angel and  each week there are some moving scenes about the complexities of her life as a cop and the moral and value judgments she has to make as her Angel assists her on her life path.

This week Grace had to say goodbye to her beloved Aboriginal grandfather. During the last couple of days of his life she took him out of the hospital to the place he wanted to make his transition. As they sat out in nature she thanked him for all the lessons he had taught her and then they sat and looked around at the many blessings within the natural world. Her grandfather said in a quiet voice; "How can anyone look at the sky, the earth and feel the unlimited abundance that Source provides for us and doubt the existence of a Divine Source? That statement is something that my mother instilled in me from and early age and it is something that I am mindful of every day.

As David and I love working in the garden. Each time we are out there we're reminded  why this hobby is such a passion for both of us. We are out in the natural world enjoying life in the rolling hills of the Pembina Vallley. The birds and butterflies flutter by as we dig, plant as we  observe all the perennials and shrubs returning to add so much to our lives for another season.

Yesterday we had spats of rain between sunny periods and the ions in the air combined with fresh rain filled the air with the most luscious scents of lilacs and other flowers and shrubs that are blooming right now and my nostrils were filled with the magnificence of it all.

On the way back from Winnipeg we saw a dragon in the clouds and then as the sun set on the gently twirling windmills I asked David to stop so I could experience the night sky and sounds and capture the moment with my camera.

Yesterday a butterfly landed on the upper deck and it is a reminder that loved ones who have transitioned are flying high with their own wings in the next realm and it is a comfort to me to know that life is eternal and that we are all united within the Oneness.

So my friends...these are just a few of the many gifts of life that i appreciate as we begin another week. I hope you will find many along your path in the coming weeks, months and years. I have included some photos of the gifts David and I have received this week alone.

The more I keep my mind, heart, eyes and ears open the greater my gratitude becomes for blessings great and small.

Here are some of the photos of life's gifts:

Our garden as summer unfolds:

The lilac bush we planted in memory of Mom when she passed 5 years ago...it is pink..her favorite color and every year I am reminded that life goes on and that there is no death...only other realms.

This was the first butterfly of the season on our upper screened area:

A young robin watching from the hydro lines above,

The dragon image in the clouds:

Serene settings at the end of day:

INSPIRATONAL POEM BY ORIAH FROM HER BOOK THE INVITATION

This is a beautiful and inspiring reminder about loving and living from heart-centered awareness  It is a wonderful reminder about how to keep our priorities straight during the holiday season.
by Oriah from her book THE INVITATION

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments."

TAKING MULTI-TASKING TO A NEW LEVEL

In some of my previous posts I have fessed up to the fact that David and I have been spending some time on Facebook and expanding our network over there. We have had some new members join us from FB and I hope we will continue to have more.

I set up five fan pages there...two for our forums, one for my book and another to promote the Manitoba Chapter of the White Ribbon Campaign. While we were scouting around that forum David and I discovered a few games we enjoy playing.

When  a close friend  got sick and passed away David and I processed our grief but also used our professional life to keep life in balance.   Now that everything has returned to a more normal pace David decided that I could have the best of all worlds by gifting me with a netbook and up-grading my laptop. Now I sit in my office listening to brain-sync CD's, with my two monitors, the laptop to my left and the net-book on the right and I am able to key  and picki up emails on the second monitor.

I am having a blast and feel happy to be taking my multi-tasking skills to a while new level while feeling grounded, calm, happy and creatively satisfying with the cats dozing around me in the two big chairs and our dog Tashkie coming up for play time and snooze time as she feels like it. The calming tones of the brain wave music and vibrations keep my body relaxed and my brain clear.

So friends, I am ready and able to enjoy the best of my interests and friendships and plan to be around more now I can do so much more.

Here are some photos to show you my office and how it is  setup.

HOW ABOUT CREATING A CONSPIRACY OF LOVE AS WE HEAD TOWARDS 2012?

We are also extremely optimistic that even with the global economic climate that there is a true "conspiracy of love."  There is a movement within the Universe that is resonating a message of love, hope, respect for differences, unity, peace, compassion and hope that is not showing up in mainstream media. 
We are choosing to believe that as we head towards 2012  that there is a spiritual movement that is leading us towards cooperation, consensus and unity. There are  whole new world because of the many Light-Workers and Way-Showers who are making a difference that we can feel even when others cannot see it...YET!

So as we continue our journeys around the sun in the coming years may we  move away from duality and polarity with respect for differences and a celebration of our Oneness.

L(¨`•.•´¨) May love shine in your heart and lift you high
O`•.¸(¨`•.•´¨) To soar like an eagle and touch the sky!
V¨`•.•´¨)¸.•´ There are no limits to how high we can fly
E`•.¸.•´ As we release it all to soar into the sky!

 (¯`v´¯) Thank you so very much for connecting with your beautiful resonant soul.
♥. `•.¸.•´ ♥ ԼƠƔЄ
♥¸¸.•´*`•.¸¸♥¸¸.•´*`•₪✯♥

╔═════════ ೋღ❤ღೋ═════════╗
◊ ೋ ❤❤❤ LOTS OF LOVE ❤❤❤
ೋ ◊

GOAL SETTING AND GOAL GETTING WITH THE DIAC MODEL

This is a copy of the an article from my column Perspectives on Healthy Living.  It has been reprinted her with permission from the Aquarian newspaper.

Hope gives wings to our dreams – but it is action that makes them come true.

Some say that the greatest enemy of action is the lack of a plan. But it can also be said that the greatest enemy of a plan is lack of action. Goals become merely wishful thinking unless you further define them as objectives with specific measurements and act upon them.

Within the models my husband David Malloy and I use in our life coaching sessions, we define goals as an intended outcome that requires action and satisfies needs.
If goal is not the preferred word of choice it can be substituted with objective, target, performance, outcome, vision or mission. All these terms represent a desired outcome.
Goals are formed by a process of questions and internal dialogue. 

We are constantly scanning the world around us to try and understand how things work and from there we decide on a chosen objective. We help our clients discern between their needs (which impact on the quality of life) and their wants (which are in the “nice to have” category).
Once clients decide that something is desirable, they also have to assess whether it is possible to attain.
As a life coach, I consistently work with clients who find it difficult to achieve success in some areas. Consequently, David and I developed a simple but effective equation called the DIAC Model to assist clients in meeting their objectives.

The DIAC Model gets you moving
Desire + Intent + ACTION = Change. This is a proven and practical way of setting and achieving goals. The desire can be anything ¬– from a wish to a resolution. When there is a clear intention coupled with a plan of action, changes occur. Without the action part of the equation, goals are rarely achieved.
Let’s use the example of a desire to improve physical fitness.

Desire: To get in shape.

Intent: Options are considered and the decision is made to purchase exercise equipment for the home or to join a gym. Coming up with a weekly schedule of exercise augments the intention. This is an example of how desire and intention are coupled.
The intention has some action within it and fuels the desire to reach the goal but it is not enough. If that were all it took to get in shape, the home equipment would not end up being used as a clothes rack. And deciding to go to a gym is not enough either. Some fitness facilities count on the fact that a high percentage of their clientele will quit within short order.

Action: This is the challenging aspect of the DIAC model yet it is the key that opens the door to change. If you do not follow your objectives through to completion then it is time to do some self-questioning and examine which part of the DIAC model is weak – desire or intent.
We tend to make time for what is important, be it family, work, interests and hobbies –so if we don’t make time for our goals, we have to look at the emotional resistance. We can use journaling or talking to friends about our resistance or we may choose to air things out with a counselor. If the goal is important, it’s worth the extra time, energy and resources to achieve it.

Change: The DIAC model can be applied to anything on your goal-setting/goal-getting agenda. Whether we call them goals or resolutions, the desire is the easy part. Intention adds energy to the desire and with a realistic action plan that is maintained, it is likely that your goals will come to fruition.

Tips on how to decide your goals
One suggestion is to sit down and write your own obituary as you would like it to be. This can be an effective way of prioritizing goals and achieving them.
The movie Bucket List holds appeal because the story shows how elderly friends decided to make a list of one hundred things they intended to do before they “kicked the bucket.” I often suggest that clients watch that movie to jump-start their goal planning – and it works!
It is important to use discernment in setting goals by not aiming too low or too high. You can always raise your expectations as you go along. Often the decision is based on self-image and can be influenced by the perceptions of others.

Ways to overcome resistance and move beyond the comfort zone
When we use the DIAC Model in private or group life-coaching sessions, clients frequently bump into patterns of resistance and make excuses not to continue with their action plan.
Some of the underlying reasons may be:
Emotional Safety. How will people react and can I handle their reactions if I do or do not succeed?
Belonging. Will I still feel like I belong and what will I do if I don’t?
Self-esteem/Self-Worth. Do I deserve this? Will my social status change? Will I have more or less influence?
Identity. If I have defined myself as being one way, can I accept the new “definers” that the achievement of this goal will bring?

There are many ways to uncover underlying patterns of resistance.
Here is the Yes/No exercise for you to try when you feel stuck:
Write: I want to do (goal) but I can’t because 1. _______. The next step involves saying the positive part either aloud or silently then writing down a second excuse. Repeat the process to get as close to 20 excuses as possible. Aim for quantity of excuses rather than quality. Although this sounds odd, it helps your resistance come to the surface more easily. When you evaluate your excuses, you can see how many are emotional inhibitions and how many are practical (like I need more information to do a certain thing). Also, look at your last excuse. Often this is what is really holding you back.

As you reference back to the DIAC Model, it becomes easier to assess whether short-term things that feel urgent are taking priority over your long-term goals. Yes, short-term goals may relieve short-term pressure but if they divert attention away from the action part of the model, they will interfere with the achievement of the larger objective.

It is important to remember that achieving goals is one of the key ways to feel good and improve our sense of self. The same feel-good emotions arise when we anticipate that we will hit the mark with our chosen target. Anticipation is a good thing because it is a natural motivator as we envision the changes we expect to achieve.

With the combination of desire and intention, plus a solid and realistic plan of action – positive life-affirming changes can and do happen. Think DIAC; enjoy success.

Coralie Darsey-Malloy is a freelance writer, author, life coach, seminar leader and public speaker. For more information check out her Fresh Beginnings website at www.fresh-beginnings.com or call (204) 242-3373.

A VIDEO I CREATED TO CELEBRATE SHREK AND COMPANY

I LOVE SHREK AND COMPANY!

I am a big Shrek fan...for a lot of reasons and I know of A lot of other Shrek-kies as well. My appreciation for Shrek and company comes from an appreciation for Shrek's growth process in each of his movies. 

I love Shrek and his friends and loved ones some of the following reasons..

..He was willing to take some risks and make changes in his life.

..He opened himself up emotionally and started to let the world see his true colors inwardly and outwardly.

..He stands up for what he believes even when others disagree.

..He speaks his mind even when it puts others off.

..He learned how to make friends and  put up with their idiosyncrasies.

..He opened his heart and took the risk to love and be loved.

..He has the courage to be true to himself and walk his talk.

..He will help those in need.

..He built a soul community of friends by respecting their differences.

..When he lapses back to old ways he overcomes and goes forward again.

..He feel in love and now he has a family and has crated a lot of "fresh beginnings."

I could go on but those are just a few of the reasons I have Shek collectibles and spent the better part of today making a Shrek video.

THE SHOE-BOX..A TOUCHING STORY ABOUT TIMELESS LOVE

THE SHOEBOX
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.
They had shared everything. They had talked about everything.
They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little
Old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had
Cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but
One day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said
She would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took
Down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.
She agreed that it was time that he should know what was
In the box. When he opened it, he found two knitted dolls
And a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents.

'When we were to be married,' she said, ' my grandmother told me
The secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that
If I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and knit a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two
Precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two
Times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with
Happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money?
Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

A Prayer.......
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death,
Because I don't have time to knit!

THE BIOLOGY OF HUGGING

In our work as life coaches and group leaders David and I write produce and present a variety of dynamic, healthy, spiritual living seminars in the "self-health" field.

One of the courses we really enjoy presenting is Humor, Health and Healing Attitudes. While doing research on the biology of emotions I discovered that there is a biology within hugs and touch. When we hug each other or our pets there are specially healing responses that the body experiences that improve our health and well-being.

Some may say that this hug group is to share graphics...but those of us who live and have our being within energy-based awareness know that the warm fuzzies we experience from loving exchanges with our on-line friends has a similar effect. If we did not have feel good moments within the communities we build on line I doubt if there would be the desire to participate and connect the way we do.

So Gaby I send big kudos to you for creating groups like this one so we can drop by and give and receive energetic hugs from each other any time we feel like it. I am deeply appreciative.

So anyone up for a big, loving group hug. I sure am!


In our work as life coaches and group leaders David and I write produce and present a variety of dynamic, healthy, spiritual living seminars in the "self-health" field.

One of the courses we really enjoy presenting is Humor, Health and Healing Attitudes. While doing research on the biology of emotions I discovered that there is a biology within hugs and touch. When we hug each other or our pets there are specially healing responses that the body experiences that improve our health and well-being.

those of us who live and have our being within energy-based awareness know that the warm fuzzies we experience from loving exchanges with our on-line friends has a similar effect. If we did not have feel good moments within the communities we build on line I doubt if there would be the desire to participate and connect the way we do.

So anyone up for a big, loving group hug. I sure am!

LIVING AN AUTHENTIC LIFE

By Coralie  Darsey-Malloy

You cannot find yourself until you face the truth.

--Pearl Baily

This concept is something that has become central to how I endeavor to live. I began a spiritual quest to discover my own truth after growing up in
a family where nothing was ever as it appeared. My father's alcoholism
and my mother's enabling created a quagmire of inconsistencies within
our family's inner and outer worlds. Within the seeming 'dysfunction'
of my earlier years I have learned that it was a gift...because it set
me on a path of discovery that would not have been possible without our
'shrouded' family dynamics.

My father abused me sexually, mentally and emotionally to the point that my innate sense of self
became extremely distorted and I began looking for love, acceptance and
approval from outside sources. I developed the compulsive coping
patterns anorexia and bulimia...and abused myself the way my father
abused me. It took years of searching and questioning before I slowly
began to understand that looking for answers and acceptance through
parents, friends, authorities, organized religions, the medical model,
the fashion industry, image-management..only to discover nothing
outside us will ever fulfill inner needs.

My first epiphany among many other light-bulb moments came when I had starved my body
down to 89 pounds. I thought being skinny would bring all that I was
yearning for...but it did not. The truth of my skewed perception was a
hard thing to accept. My fantasy about thin-ness translating into inner
peace turned out to by a myth...because everything else in my life
remained the same. Family problems remained, lack of intimacy remained,
my life was still unbalanced and off-track. It has a hard reality to
accept. But I was living a lie...I'd believed to be true. What a
turning point that was!

From that milestone moment I decided to change my beliefs...and change my life. I was able to overcome two
eating disorders and years of laxative abuse by deciding my life wishes
were stronger than my death wishes. From there a commitment developed
to live an authentic life and create congruency between my inner and
outer worlds..and it remains today. I know from personal and
professional experience that no one will achieve complete fulfillment
until they accept who they are from the inside...rather than allowing
others to define them from the outside. The process to becoming 'all
that we are' is achieved through conscious living, and contemplative
self-awareness.

Awareness is very curative and the foundation for all change and discovery, Learning to let go is the method that
eventually leads to an expanded sense of self. In the material David
and I present we suggest that anyone or anything that attempts to force
an ideology or dogma on another will eventually lead to an inauthentic
lifestyle In the most basic terms our view of spirituality is...a
matter of self-discovery..rather than of becoming something...or
someone other than you are.

Internal conflicts frequently leads to alienation with others and whatever interpretation we put on our
association with Source. How can we ever expect there to be peace in
the world if we, its inhabitants lack inner peace? A lack of harmony
within our inner and outer worlds...cannot help but be projected
outward to a perception of "us" versus"them?" The divisiveness within a
confused sense of self fosters judgments of others. "We" are
right...and "they' are wrong..our religion, political beliefs, health
models are the 'right' and only way...and all else is inferior.
Comparison always leads to discontent, confusion and...of course more
judgement.

To truly live an authentic life we need to learn how to release self-deception. That involves complete honest with ourselves
and the rest of the world. This level of integrity requires
conscientious attention, emotional maturity, self-accountability,
responsibility for the cause and effect of our choices, self-knowledge,
a willingness to change and an ability to be discerning and practice
sincere internal scrutiny. A classic Buddhist question puts it this
way: "Who were you and what did you look like before your parents were
born?" Looking at ourselves without form...and as a spiritual being
within a body it becomes easier to accept that...at the heart of you,
me, every single person, and all the creatures great and small there is
a pure light of love. That inner radiance reflects our essential nature
is the larger truth of who we are...sparks of Divinity that are given
life and a chance to celebrate our uniqueness in inwardly directed and
authentic ways in this journey called life.

This innate luminosity is our essential Self..and as has been said before...God/Goddess
does not create junk. Accepting that opens the door for anyone to live
their best life...on their own terms. Because we are, from my
perspective bright sources of energy...going through our various human
experiences. Wouldn't we have a lovely world is we could celebrate who
we are...and everyone else within the Onesong of our humanity?