In parapsychology and spiritual practice, an aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object like the halo or aureola in religious art. The depiction of such an aura often connotes a person of particular power or holiness. It is said that all objects and all living things manifest such an aura. Often it is held to be perceptible, whether spontaneously or with practice: such perception is at times linked with the third eye of Indian spirituality. Various writers associate various personality traits with the colors of different layers of the aura. It has also been described as a map of the thoughts and feelings surrounding a person.
That, according to wiki, is what the aura is. For me, a more simple explanation is “the aura is the spiritual energy you radiate which influences you and those around you.
When I was a little puppy, the world was simple. There was you, your school, club, family and neighbors and if you where lucky enough holidays. These where the places you had aura related influence and here your friends were found. Relations where forged in your immediate surroundings often not reaching beyond your own town or country and if vacations where abroad they could be forged in that small area or that camping site in Cumbria or Antalya.
Oh my, did the times change. Nowadays we travel the world and surf the net and it is the last that opened up the Global Aura Network (mind you, this term did not exist before I wrote this blog, no use googling it)
I believe that people radiate their personal energy to others in all what tey do and energy, as you might know, can travel in many ways. Therefor it is my believe that when we comment on a blog, talk to people on Facebook or Skype etc or in other ways directly interact with each other our energy is reaching them through the means of cable and broadband ethernet, yes… I do not joke here. After all, fiberglass, copper and those materials are perfect transporters of energy and there is no energy stronger than that of your own. I believe that this is what makes real friendships over the internet possible, friendships with people you never have seen or never would have met if it wasn’t for the internet.
We can make use of this global network, we can do good with it because it is also my firm believe that this energy is not limited to the person you address. Did you know that the reach of your aura can be several miles wide, all our auras are in some way overlapping (thus creating the G.A.N) and our modern world has opened up ways for us to use this energy simply by making friends, being loyal, kind and positive in all we do on the interwebs. The more we send our good aura into the world the bigger the impact. This is not a short term thing and change will not be today but if we stand fast in how we treat our fellow man and the more we write about the good and wonderful things in our lives we might be able to change something for our children and their children.
Who knows, maybe when the Vulcans come we don’t need them anymore.
and to the two amazing ladies I met on WordPress (you know who you are)
I noticed today that Patty from petitemagique.wordpress.com has won 3rd place in the Hebban Fantasy awards. I think this is a great accomplishment for a début and I must say that I am very very proud and a little sad as well. Imho she should have won first place but I am of course not entirely objective in this.
If you don’t yet know Patty I would suggest following the link I gave above to read some of her poetry, you can also buy her first poetry book (in English) by following the info in my sidebar.alternatively you can go to said link I gave for info on her second poetry book
Patty got this third place price for her début fantasy novel Dragan Duma, zij die hoort (Dragan Duma, she who hears) which is the first part of a trilogy. I was supposed to proof read the second part and have done that for a big part of it, however real life has made it impossible for me to finish it yet. I can however promise you that the part I have read so far promises a great part 2.
I believe that an audio book of part one is in the making and I sure hope that her publisher will have the book translated to english asap because imho this is an epic story that much like the Potter series could become a favorite for young kids, teens and adults alike (heck, I am 46 and loving it my wife is 51 and hates reading but she had read the book in a few days.
I don’t want to give out to much spoilers (sorry you have to wait for a translation) but I can tell you that the story tells about a young female called Jill who one day discovers that she is not just “plain Jane”. In fact she is not from “this plane of existence” at all. She finds herself in a world with dragons and comes to know that she will play a vital role for the future of this world and the creatures and people who are living in/on it. You will find many of the “default” fantasy ingredients like dragons, magic, evil villains (with their companions and beasts) and of course friendship and love but it is at the same time the story of a girl who never fitted anywhere, has no (well, a few) friends and struggles to find her place in life.
Patty dear, for me you are the winner with this book no matter what the rest voted for. I am sure you will have a bright future ahead of you as a writer regardless if you write your poetry or fantasy. Keep on the good work and as soon as I have finished the manuscript I will give my opinion (heck, so far I can’t find anything to “complain” about if you get my drift)
A little spoiler if I may which is a poem from “My Wings” click the image to go to the original post on her own site
What in the name of {fill in name of deity of choice} is wrong with people.
Florida Couple Fined $700, Threatened With Jail For Feeding Hot Meals To Homeless
that is the headline on this post on the Huffington Post . People getting fined and possibly going to jail for giving other people food. I read the article and the comments and I am just gob smacked. When looking at their Facebook page I noticed it is some sort of Christian mission that they belong to, as far as I know it is sort of duty for a Christian to do these type of things. Actually for every one of course but the Bible specifically speaks about such things and I am not familiar enough to tell you if the same goes for other “Holy books” like the Quran or the Bhagavad Gita.
I don’t think I already told about my “religious views” beside the fact I kind of not like religion to begin with. Now I have nothing against people that believe nor against individuals within these organizations, more against the indoctrination that has creeped in over the millennia. Do I believe in a higher power that for lack of a better word could be called “God”? yeah, although for all I care you call him Joe or Jane. Do I believe in Jesus?..yeah I do but not in the same way as most Christians do.I believe a person like Jesus has existed and that he has shown us how we are supposed to live.I don’t believe he is “THE Son of God”, I do however think he is “A Son of God” as we all are his children. I also think there is a small part in the Bible where he lays out the story about what we need to do to “claim” our spot in heaven, or in terms I see most Christians like …”On which grounds we will be Judged”
Mathew 25
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
So you see, You can consider yourself Christian and point your finger towards atheists, LGBT people, Muslims or “Cristian Black sheep” like me and say we will all go to Hell because we do this or that but you are wrong, you are dead wrong and if ANYTHING that you believe in is true you are in danger to lose your place on the right hand.
The good Lord will not look who you married, he will look who you gave water
The good Lord will not look what you smoked or drank, he will look who you fed
The good Lord will not look what you have read, he will look who you gave a place to sleep
The good Lord will not look if you shop on Sunday (or Saturday for some others), he will look who you visited that was sick or in jail
The good Lord will probably not even CARE if you believed in him or not, if you followed Jesus or not, he will care if YOU CARED. IF we all are his Children he will not send people to hell for what they believe or who they love, he will look kindly upon those that did show they understood what it means to be the caretakers of this world and everything/body on it
I hope and pray that there will be a time that we all understand this message, saying you are Christian and love your neighbor is one thing, showing is another. Please look at yourself and look deep inside? Would you qualify for the right side or the left. It’s not to late to change your ways
It is almost mother day so I thought I dedicate an every day heroes post to mothers. It actually is kind of funny I do this since my biological mother didn’t want me and my foster mother,.. well, she raised me and gave me all I needed, She loved me tat I am sure off but a son? no after the first few years and certainly after I became homeless I never got the feeling that I was her son. |I love her to dead though and I have a huge respect for her and my foster dad, she gave me all I needed and more out of the goodness of her heart with no strings attached as you might expect from a mother I guess my own path in life has something to do with the feelings I have about “not feeling a son” and I have decided a long time ago to not hold that against her.
What is a mother::Etymology
The modern English word is from Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr (cf. East Frisian muur, Dutch moeder, German Mutter), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (cf. Irish máthair, Tocharian A mācar, B mācer, Lithuanian mótė). Other cognates include Latin māter, Greek μήτηρ, Common Slavic *mati (thence Russian мать (mat’)), Persian مادر (madar), and Sanskrit मातृ (mātṛ).
Biological mother
In the case of a mammal such as a human, a pregnant woman gestates a fertilized ovum (the “egg”). A fetus develops from the viable fertilized ovum, resulting in an embryo. Gestation occurs in the woman’s uterus from conception until the fetus (assuming it is carried to term) is sufficiently developed to be born. The woman experiences labor and gives birth. Usually, once the baby is born, the mother produces milk via the lactation process. The mother’s breast milk is the source of anti-bodies for the infant’s immune system and commonly the sole source of nutrition for the first year or more of the child’s life.
Non-biological mother
Mother can often apply to a woman other than the biological parent, especially if she fulfills the main social role in raising the child. This is commonly either an adoptive mother or a stepmother (the biologically unrelated wife of a child’s father). The term “othermother” or “other mother” is also used in some contexts for women who provide care for a child not biologically their own in addition to the child’s primary mother.
Adoption, in various forms, has been practiced throughout history. Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to be governed by comprehensive statutes and regulations. In recent decades, international adoptions have become more and more common.
Adoption in the United States is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries). In 2001, with over 127,000 adoptions, the US accounted for nearly half of the total number of adoptions worldwide.
Motherhood in same-sex relationships
The possibility for lesbian and bisexual women in same-sex relationships (or without a partner) to become mothers has increased over the past few decades thanks to new technology. Modern lesbian parenting (a term that somewhat erases the bisexual case) originated with women who were in heterosexual relationships who later identified as lesbian or bisexual, as changing attitudes provided more acceptance for non-heterosexual relationships. Another way for such women to become mothers is through adopting and/or foster parenting. There is also the option of self-insemination and clinically assisted donor insemination, forms of artificial insemination. As fertility technology has advanced, more women not in a heterosexual relationship have become mothers through in vitro fertilization. Note that in the Netherlands it recently became much easier for Lesbian couples to be equal parents for the child (as in same sex marriages) without the need of long lasting expensive legal procedures. (as an extra note to all religious nutcases that ar against same sex marriage and motherhood http://www.impactlab.net/2010/01/22/do-children-need-to-be-raised-by-a-mother-and-father-to-do-well/ )
The proverbial “first word” of an infant often sounds like “ma” or “mama”. This strong association of that sound with “mother” has persisted in nearly every language on earth, countering the natural localization of language.
Familiar or colloquial terms for mother in English are:
Aama, Mata used in Nepal
Mom and mommy are used in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Philippines, India and parts of the West Midlands including Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
Mum and mummy are used in the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Ireland. Charles, Prince of Wales publicly addressed his mother Queen Elizabeth II as “Mummy” on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
Ma, mam, and mammy are used in Netherlands, Ireland, the Northern areas of the United Kingdom, and Wales; it is also used in some areas of the United States.
In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply:
Synonyms and translations
Maa, aai, amma, and mata are used in India
Mamá, mama, ma, and mami in Spanish
Mama in Polish, German, Russian and Slovak
Māma (妈妈/媽媽) in Chinese
Máma in Czech and in Ukrainian
Maman in French and Persian
Ma, mama in Indonesian
Mamaí, mam in Irish
Mamma in Italian, Icelandic, Latvian and Swedish
Māman or mādar in Persian
Mamãe or mãe in Portuguese
Mā̃ (ਮਾਂ) in Punjabi
Mama in Swahili
Em (אם) in Hebrew
Ima (אמא) in Aramaic
Má or mẹ in Vietnamese
Mam in Welsh
Eomma (엄마, pronounced [ʌmma]) in Korean
In many south Asian cultures and the Middle East, the mother is known as amma, oma, ammi or “ummi”, or variations thereof. Many times, these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child’s life.
The most famous mother in history (regardless if you are religious or not) must have been the virgin Mary,Did you know that the immaculate conception has nothing to do with her being a virgin or not? It has to do with the fact that she was free of the original sin (or so the bible says)
Do you still have your mother around? Then make sure that on Mothers Day she is the star of the day. Do I hear you saying that you don’t follow these commercially founded celebrations? Then remember this… A breakfast on bed, An extra hug, doing the dishes or vacuuming, this all has nothing to do with commercially but only with showing appreciation and love and thanks for that what she is doing 24/7 year long.Honor your mother, she deserves it.
Did I mention that I am a pothead? I am a pothead and tripper for 10,847 days now. and it will be only 111 days until I have my tricentenial aniversary.
30 years on pot and hashish mushrooms and LSD (although the last two have become a rarity for me to use nowadays), it has been a journey and it has not been finished just yet. Many things have changed since I started smoking. For example, when I started, there was not a place in Holland where they cared of what your age was. Coffeeshops where not much around and in most places the pot was bought at a so called “House Dealer”. These were man that sold the stuff from within the privacy of their own homes and I can’t recall the number of times I came into such a house to be greeted by a bunch of very high and/or stoned people sitting around a table with on the table the following items.
Owning a gun is illegal in my country btw 😉
It was during my stay in the smaller towns that I visited house dealers. When in Utrecht I always went to one of the most legendary coffeeshops in the world. No I am not talking about the Bullshit…uh…Bulldog, I am talking about Sarasani
As you can see, Sarasani was founded in 1968 and is regarded to be the first coffeeshop in the Netherlands, it was exactly 2 weeks older than me and I was born within about a 100 yeards from it. It was a place where everyone was welcome regardless if you bought something or just came in for free coffee, apples and a place to hang out. It was located in a warf cellar, small but long with a podium at the end and a big filmscreen on the wall behind the podium where 60’s 70’s and 80’s music was played during opening hours
Unfortunatelly Sara (as it was called in town) was closed down in 2007 after the owner was tricked by the police to sell a few kilo’s of marijuanna, this methode is, unlike in the USA, not allowed in the Netherlands but the judge decided to “overlook” that fact.
I am sure that with the way I have lived my life, without the Mary J I would have gone insane and would probably not have done the things I have done and achieved what I have achieved. I understand that for many people outside the Netherlands this must be a strange concept. Weed after all is a drug, a gateway drug no less….. that is what is being told and repeated over and over again, well it just ain’t true. It is totally depending on the person using it. Just like with alcohol, most people can handle it, some can’t.
Let us check a few myths to close my article
Myth: Holland and Portugal have legalized marijuana
Fact: The Dutch have never formally legalized marijuana. They have an official policy, since 1976, of not enforcing existing laws against possession of small amounts or coffee shops, about 700 of them, selling small amounts. But growing, distributing and importing pot is still a crime in the Netherlands. While Portugal decriminalized all drugs, that is not the same thing as legalization. Acquisition, possession and use of pot are administrative offenses in Portugal, punishable by civil sanctions such as fines or community service.
Myth: Marijuana use leads to dependence or addiction
Fact: It’s possible to become dependent on marijuana, but this only happens in a minority of the already relatively small category of heavy users. Research suggests that about nine percent of marijuana users became clinically dependent at some point, compared to 15 percent of cocaine users and 24 percent of heroin users.
Myth: Marijuana is completely harmless
Fact: Heavy use can be harmful. Since pot smoke is chemically very similar to tobacco smoke, heavy pot smokers are at risk for some of the same health effects as cigarette smokers, like bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Again, though, the risks are from smoking, which isn’t the only way to use marijuana. Another hazard: car accidents caused by driving while high, though the risk is lower than from drunk driving.
Myth: Marijuana is a dangerous drug
Fact:Study after study has found that pot is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, much less “hard” drugs like cocaine and heroin.
I (re) discovered this short poem in my pictures. I guess my statement was not entirely true. THIS was my first poem ever.
When I talk to people about Whizzy, the wolf that is within me, they often look bewildered and confused. The idea of an alter ego in the first place is something many can’t grasp. If I tell them that this alter ego is not just “in my mind” the confusion only grows.
In a night like this (full moon, Blood moon soon rising in the USA) I can not sleep. Primal feelings are conflicting within me. Rage, anger and frustration are swapping constantly with love, peace and kindness. The two wolves of love and hate posted before (and here again ;)) are fighting for victory. The full moon, actually the days before the full moon and the days after as well, are among the most tiresome for me. Sleeping seems impossible and the energy is overflowing.
Spirit wolf by Jocarra from deviantart
In many cultures their are spirit animals and their are many explanations on “how to find your spirit animal or spirit guide”. For me, the wolf presented itself in a vision I had when I was camping alone in the Belgian/Luxembourg forest the Ardennes. I still can recall this vision in my head although I would have a hard time describing it to you. It made itself known a Blaez which I later learned is old Breton for Wolf (did you know that Adolph means Noble Wolf? what a wrong name a certain dictator got) and it was a big dark brown wolf I guess twice the size of a German Shepherd. It took me on a journey and showed me the beauty of our precious mother earth. I have never seen waterfalls in real life, nor have I seen the canyons or fjords up close, yet during this vision they all where presented to me.
Wolfs Magic by ted786 from Deviantart
Now some of you might say that the mushrooms I took that night might have something to do with it and I agree, however.. mushrooms are when used properly, nothing more then a tool to awaken that what is inside us already.
I created Whizzy to represent my “evil” side thus Whizzy is a werewolf. However, since I met Blaez I noticed my “evil” has gone for a great part. I am in no way perfect. Just as everybody else I make mistakes, hurt people, say the wrong things etc. However since that day I also have much less of a problem with just loving people, giving hem my trust and becoming friends with them. I stopped looking at who they are but rather focused on what they represent to be.
What also happened that day si my connection with the animal world. Dogs, cats, birds and deers alike often come to me without me calling them. I can approach almost any animal I encounter without being fearful it will harm me (ok ok I haven’t tried lions and hippos yet) and when I go to the park it can happen that doves/pigeons will land next to me on a bench or even on my shoulder
I love my spirit wolf, Blaez is one of the best things that ever happened to me and I truly wish everyone could experience such an event although I do not recommend using the mushrooms if you never did that before.
The Spirit Wolf:
Through the transient fog of the dark winter night,
peered haunting blue eyes with their soft glowing light.
The powerful stare with its brilliance and intricacy,
brought on a shivering response full of caution and mystery.
They seemed to float through the air with great charm,
in an effort to announce that “they meant you no harm.”
Yet as subtle as the movements had tried to be,
an eerie feeling of desolation abruptly overtook me.
As I fell to the frozen, unforgiving, forest floor,
I noticed those two eyes had been accompanied by two more!
Soon there were three enchanting pairs upon me,
watching and listening, gliding through the trees,
With one final shiver the dark night became black,
I knew as I slept, that I would not be coming back.
I dreamt of a thousand things that night,
mostly about a past I wanted to fix and make right.
The bright morning sun was the next thing I saw,
which was followed by the touch of a rather large paw!
And after providing a steaming kiss on the nose,
the wolf disappeared, and I arose.
In the snow at my feet, there were paw prints all about,
and the surrounding outlines of the bodies, which helped keep the winter out.
The howl which followed, echoed forever it seemed…
conveying the heartfelt message, “you are important to me.”
Mavadelo's mindscape 