Higher Passages

The root cause of piracy in Somalia

2009-04-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Paraphrased:
Illegal fishing is happening off the coast of Somalia. Fishing boats from France, Spain, Greece, UK, Norway, Russia, Taiwan - it's a free-for-all. And those countries' navies and warships are there, protecting their own illegal fishing vessels. A tremendous injustice.

Toxic dumping, industrial waste dumping, nuclear dumping has also been going on for the last 30 years. To avoid strict environmental rules in their own countries, where else to take it, but to countries in conflict or weak countries who could not prevent them or who could be bought.

When the marine resources of Somalia were pillaged, when the waters were poisoned, when the fish was stolen, and in a poverty situation in the whole country, the fishermen felt that they had no other possibilities or other recourse but to fight the properties and the shipping of the same countries that have been carrying on the fishing piracy and toxic dumping.

Mohamed Abshir Waldo, interviewed by Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/4/14/analysis_somalia_piracy_began_in_response

Nature as property

2009-04-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Quote:
Our environmental movement has always been based on nature as property. In other words, owning ten acres of ground in the United States, carries with it the legal ability to destroy the ecosystems on that ten-acre piece of property. What is increasingly growing is a realization that for a real environmental movement to occur, ecosystems must have legally enforceable rights of their own.

Thirteen municipalities in the United States now have passed local laws that say that nature and ecosystems are no longer property, but actually have legally enforceable rights of their own. And Ecuador became the first country in the world to take that concept of moving to a rights-based environmental protection system and ensconce it into their national constitution. It’s now law.

Thomas Linzey, interview by Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/4/21/envision_spokane_coalition_works_to_get

it will be forever

2008-11-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.last.fm/music/Nat+King+Cole/_/When+I+Fall+in+Love?autostart=1

When I fall in love it will be forever
Or Ill never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before its begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun

When I give my heart it will be completely
Or Ill never give my heart
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.

Change the world

2008-10-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGnMC5mlsLU

If I could reach the stars I'd pull one down for you
Shine it on my heart so you could see the truth
That this love I have inside is everything it seems
But for now I find it's only in my dreams

CHORUS:
That I can change the world
I would be the sunlight in your universe
You will think my love was really something good
Baby if I could change the world

If I could be king even for a day
I'd take you as my queen I'd have it no other way
And our love will rule in this kingdom we have made
Till then I'd be a fool wishin' for the day

CHORUS:
That I can change the world
I would be the sunlight in your universe
You will think my love was really something good
Baby if I could change the world
Baby if I could change the world

- GUITAR SOLO -

CHORUS:
That I can change the world
I would be the sunlight in your universe
You will think my love was really something good
Baby if I could change the world
Baby if I could change the world
Baby if I could change the world

Breath in, breath out

2008-08-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

Picture a tree. The top of the tree sways as it blows back and forth in the wind.
If you look at the top of the tree you might think it unstable.
When you look at the trunk of the tree you see it is very stable.

We are like that.
When the emotions are running through us
we can remember that is not all we are.
We are also the trunk.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

new music discoveries

2008-06-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Gogol Bordello
Gypsy Punk
http://www.slacker.com/?sid=stations/2157741/1214002584

Avett Brothers
Bluegrass Punk
http://www.slacker.com/?sid=stations/2157741/1213908042

slave mentality

2008-06-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

... if we could cure ourselves of the slave mentality...
Malcolm X

Daily NASA Photo

2008-05-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Beautiful photos from NASA. One new one every day.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/

the life force power of the universe

2008-05-08T17:18:00.001-07:00

Who are we? We are the life force power of the universe. With manual dexterity and two cognitive minds. We have the power moment-by-moment to choose who and how we want to be in the world.

The more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner-peace circuitry of our right-hemispheres, the more peace we will project into the world, and the more peaceful our world will be.

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

- Jill Bolte Taylor

New moon intentions

2008-05-08T15:56:00.001-07:00

Health. Eating habits. That means cooking.

Morning ritual

2008-05-08T15:52:00.001-07:00

When you wake up in the morning, light a candle, read a passage from a book of daily inspirational readings, meditate for two minutes. Get up, go out for a walk (blow the candle out first). Discover something new, something you've never seen before. When you get back from the walk, log onto your blog and record the new thing you discovered. Do ten sun salutations, shower in your outdoor shower, then go to your favorite cafe and have a juice.

Stay tuned

2008-05-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

No matter what you're doing in the outer world, keep a portion of your awareness on you inner body. -- Eckhart Tolle

One thing, or two

2008-05-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Do I believe in one source that's all good? Or do I believe in two opposing forces, light and dark, one that is trying to help me and one that opposes me?

- Gregg Braden, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief

Work is love made visible

2008-05-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

And what is it to work with love?

Work is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

- Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet

Belief determines muscle capability

2008-04-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

My massage therapist taught me to stretch my shoulders back at my desk, alternating the stretch with effort. My desk is a corner unit. I can stretch my arms wide on the edges of the desk. I was doing isometrics, pushing against the desk. After a while I realized my chair has wheels and it is a simple matter to push my chair back. And with the next push, the chair went back away from the desk. No more isometrics. My belief dramatically affected what my muscles were capable of.

Flying Car

2008-04-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Had a dream this morning. I was driving up a mountain road, a rocky ledge along the side of a mountain. It got steeper and more narrow, the mountainside fell away and it was just a rocky ledge barely wide enough for the car. Had to keep speed up or risk falling backward. Steeper and steeper and finally the road curved back in a loop and the car was upside down. Now we're off the road, falling to a certain death. But we're not falling. We're floating, flying, looking down on a spectacular view of a gorgeous mountain peak. Now I know it has to be a dream, become lucid for a moment, and wake up.

Balboa Park

2008-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

The largest urban cultural park in the U.S. 1,200 acres. (Central Park in NYC is 847 acres.)

The Park is home to 15 museums, several art galleries, beautiful gardens, and the Old Globe Theatre. Also residing within the park are San Diego High School, Naval Medical Center San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and two golf courses.

The Panama-California Exposition: 1910-1916
California Pacific International Exposition in 1935

Adjacent to many of San Diego's neighborhoods including Downtown San Diego, Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, North Park, South Park, and Golden Hill.

If you don't know me by now

2008-04-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you don't know me by now
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
1972
play now

If you don't know me by now
You will never never never know me

All the things that we've been through
You should understand me like I understand you
Now girl I know the difference between right and wrong
I ain't gonna do nothing to break up our happy home
Oh don't get so excited when I come home a little late at night
Cos we only act like children when we argue, fuss, and fight

If you don't know me by now
You will never never never know me

We've all got our own funny moods
I've got mine, woman you've your yours too
Just trust in me like I trust in you
As long as we've been together it should be so easy to do
Just get yourself together or we might as well say goodbye
What good is a love affair when you can't see eye to eye

If you don't know me by now
You will never never never know me

Unprocessed hurt demands attention

2008-04-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Debbie Ford spoke at the Seaside Center for Spirituality Friday night. She says there is no point in trying to get rid of our bad behaviors; instead we must love them, see the value in them. Jung said, "I'd rather be whole than good." She says unprocessed hurt from the past causes us to sabotage ourselves, to demand attention and resolution.
www.debbieford.com

Fear incapacitates the brain

2008-04-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

I met this woman a couple weeks ago. She seemed intelligent and independent-minded with great ideas, fun to talk to. I met up with her again two weeks later and in the intervening period she had lost her job. She was a different person. She was unclear, thought process disorganized, unable to make good decisions. She also expressed considerable worry about finances. It occurred to me, it was the fear that incapacitated her thinking ability.

Material Beliefs

2008-04-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

I set aside my human opinions and material beliefs.
- Ernest Holmes

The world must respond

2008-04-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

My world must respond to my thoughts, for that is the law of mind.
- Ernest Holmes

New Moon

2008-04-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

A burst of creative growth for MapTeam. Our Florida client gave us some new ideas: the motivation index, and the NAR convention. We've decided to aim for the NAR convention in Orlando this fall. This gives us focus and renewed vigor.

Baraka

2008-04-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Baraka
a film by Ron Fricke
1992

http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/baraka.aspx

Baraka, roughly translated as blessing, a common word in many middle eastern languages. Beautiful 70mm photography of spectacular scenes around the world, no plot, non-verbal. Director Ron Frick says the movie is about man's relationship with the divine. I was most taken with the rituals in diverse cultures. I still can't get over the opening scene of the monkeys in the hot springs.

Believe you have already received it.

2008-04-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have already received it.
- Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth