Gaia Community: Joy Bringer's Blog

NEW Poem - SOULcializing

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:50:53 GMT

‘SOULcializing’

cc Darina Joy ‘09

Is this luck, chance or serendipity?

When we feel the grace of destiny

Is this a flow of synchronicities?

When we know it is meant to be

Is this a place, a space or eternity?

When silence sings softer than poetry

Is this a touch, a caress or infinity?

When knowing seeps unendingly

Is this a sign, an omen or an initiation?

When things unfold with such acceleration

Is this a call, a leap or an invitation?

When it feels so open for celebration

Is this a door, a portal or a gateway?

When the egos happily get out of the way

Is this a trick, illusion or a great surprise?

When it opens as a blessing in disguise

Is this a test, a play or an unfolding?

When there are no roles, rules, nor losing

Is this a joke, a comic or a sea of laughter?

When we soul dip in an ocean of humor

Is this ‘in-to-me-see” or ‘soulcializing’?

When souls touch gentler than fingers

Is this dancing of desires or heARTS?

When bliss is on the verge & WE emerges…

Tags: poem, new, poetry, soulcializing, in-to-me-see, Darina, Darina Joy, joy, surprise, sharing

Voluntary Simplicity - outwardly simple & inwardly rich living

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:01:49 GMT

Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. ~ Albert Einstein

"The essence of voluntary simplicity: "living in a way what is outwardly simple and inwardly rich. This way of life embraces frugality of consumption, a strong sense of environmental urgency, a desire to return to living and working environments which are of a more human scale, and an intention to realize our higher human potential -- both psychological and spiritual -- in community with others." ~ Duane Elgin

Sweep It Clean, Inside & Out by DR. WAYNE W. DYER

12 ways to simplify your life and set your spirit free!

FOR A MOMENT, let’s imagine what it would be like to be fully alive without a physical shell or any of the stuff we need and desire for maintaining life on Earth. We’d have a mental energy that allowed us to move forward or backward, up or down, instantly creating whatever we desired. We’d be free to wallow in an exquisite existence without time or space as we know it. We’d be in a state of pure bliss, in love with everything and everyone. We’d have no duties or bills to tend to, no fear of losing anything, no one judging us, no possessions to insure, no demands on our time, and no goals to achieve.

What we’re envisioning is actually the world of Spirit, which we experienced before we came here and will return to when we shed our body (or as William Butler Yeats poetically called it, our “tattered coat upon a stick”).

Inspiration is a state of being here now in this material world, while at the same time reconnecting to our spiritual origins. In order to be receptive to inspiration, we need to eliminate the ego clutter that accumulates all too easily for most of us—after all, if we’re preoccupied with events and activities that have nothing to do with inspiration, we’re unlikely to notice its summons. So in order to achieve a reunion with our ultimate calling, we need to emulate the clear, uncomplicated world of Spirit.

This doesn’t mean that we should sit around doing nothing, awaiting Spirit’s arrival; instead, it means having faith that our spiritual connection flourishes in a life dedicated to joy, love, and peace. If our daily activities are so overwhelming that we don’t make these things our priority, then we’re disregarding the value of living a simple life.

MY 12-STEP PROGRAM TO SIMPLICITY

Here are 12 very specific tools for simplifying your life. Begin using them today if you’re serious about hearing that ultimate call to inspiration.

Unclutter your life. You’ll feel a real rush of inspiration when you clear out stuff that’s no longer useful in your life:

If you haven’t worn it in the past year or two, recycle it for others to use. Get rid of old files that take up space and are seldom, if ever, needed. Donate unused toys, tools, books, bicycles, and dishes to a charitable organization.

Get rid of anything that keeps you mired in acquisitions that contribute to a cluttered life. In the words of Socrates, “He is nearest to God who needs the fewest things.” So the less you need to insure, protect, dust, reorganize, and move, the closer you’ll be to hearing inspiration’s call.

Clear your calendar of unwanted and unnecessary activities and obligations. If you’re unavailable for Spirit, you’re unlikely to know the glow of inspiration. God will indeed work with you and send you the guidance—and the people—you need, but if you’re grossly overscheduled, you’re going to miss these life-altering gifts. So practice saying no to excessive demands and don’t feel guilty about injecting a dose of leisure time into your daily routine.

Be sure to keep your free time free. Be on the lookout for invitations to functions that may keep you on top of society’s pyramid, but which inhibit your access to joyful inspiration. If cocktail parties, social get-togethers, fund-raising events, or even drinking-and-gossiping gatherings with friends aren’t really how you want to spend your free time, then don’t. Begin declining invitations that don’t activate feelings of inspiration.

I find that an evening spent reading or writing letters, watching a movie with a loved one, having dinner with my children, or even exercising alone is far more inspiring than getting dressed to attend a function often filled with small talk. I’ve learned to be unavailable for such events without apologizing, and consequently have more inspired moments freed up.

Take time for meditation and yoga. Give yourself at least 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and make conscious contact with God. I’ve written an entire book on this subject called Getting in the Gap, so I won’t belabor it here. I will say that I’ve received thousands of messages from people all over the world, who have expressed their appreciation for learning how to simplify their life by taking the time to meditate.

I also encourage you to find a yoga center near you and begin a regular practice. The rewards are so powerful: You’ll feel healthier, less stressed, and inspired by what you’ll be able to do with and for your body in a very short time.

Return to the simplicity of nature. There’s nothing more awe inspiring than nature itself. The fantasy to return to a less tumultuous life almost always involves living in the splendor of the mountains, the forests, or the tundra; on an island; near the ocean; or beside a lake. These are universal urges, since nature is created by the same Source as we are, and we’re made up of the same chemicals as all of nature (we’re stardust, remember?).

Your urge to simplify and feel inspired is fueled by the desire to be your natural self—that is, your nature self. So give yourself permission to get away to trek or camp in the woods; swim in a river, lake, or ocean; sit by an open fire; ride horseback through trails; or ski down a mountain slope. This doesn’t have to mean long, planned vacations that are months away—no matter where you live, you’re only a few hours or even moments away from a park, campground, or trail that will allow you to enjoy a feeling of being connected to the entire Universe.

Put distance between you and your critics. Choose to align yourself with people who are like-minded in their search for simplified inspiration. Give those who find fault or who are confrontational a silent blessing and remove yourself from their energy as quickly as possible. Your life is simplified enormously when you don’t have to defend yourself to anyone, and when you receive support rather than criticism. You don’t have to endure the criticism with anything other than a polite thank-you and a promise to consider what’s been said—anything else is a state of conflict that erases the possibility of your feeling inspired. You never need to defend yourself or your desires to anyone, as those inner feelings are Spirit speaking to you. Those thoughts are sacred, so don’t ever let anyone trample on them.

Take some time for your health. Consider that the number one health problem in America seems to be obesity. How can you feel inspired and live in simplicity if you’re gorging on excessive amounts of food and eliminating the exercise that the body craves? Recall that your body is a sacred temple where you reside for this lifetime, so make some time every single day for exercising it. Even if you can only manage a walk around the block, just do it. Similarly, keep the words portion control uppermost in your consciousness—your stomach is the size of your fist, not a wheelbarrow! Respect your sacred temple and simplify your life by being an exerciser and a sensible eater. I promise that you’ll feel inspired if you act on this today!

Play, play, play! You’ll simplify your life and feel inspired if you learn to play rather than work your way through life. I love to be around kids because they inspire me with their laughter and frivolity. In fact, if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “Wayne, you’ve never grown up—you’re always playing.” I take great pride in this! I play onstage when I speak, and I’m playing now as I write.

Many years ago I was given a tremendous opportunity to appear on The Tonight Showwith Johnny Carson. The man who took a chance on me, booking me even though I was an unknown at the time, was a talent coordinator named Howard Papush. It was my first big break, and I went on to appear on The Tonight Show 36 additional times. Now it’s my turn to say thank you to Howard. He’s written a wonderful book titledWhen’s Recess? Playing Your Way Through the Stresses of Life, which I encourage you to read. (Howard also conducts workshops that teach people how to play and have fun in life.) In the book, Howard shares this great quote from Richard Bach: “You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self.” I couldn’t agree more—by all means, get back in touch with your real, playful self, and take every opportunity to play! Notice how it makes everything so sweet, and so simple.

Slow down. One of Gandhi’s most illuminating observations reminds us that “there is more to life than increasing its speed.” This is great advice for simplifying your life—in fact, slow everything way down for a few moments right here and now. Slowly read these words. Slow your breathing down so that you’re aware of each inhalation and exhalation...

When you’re in your car, downshift and relax. Slow down your speech, your inner thoughts, and the frantic pace of everything you do. Take more time to hear others. Notice your inclination to interrupt and get the conversation over with, and then choose to listen instead. Stop to enjoy the stars on a clear night and the cloud formations on a crisp day. Sit down in a mall and just observe how everyone seems in a hurry to get nowhere.

By slowing down, you’ll simplify and rejoin the perfect pace at which creation works. Imagine trying to hurry nature up by tugging at an emerging tomato plant—you’re as natural as that plant, so let yourself be at peace with the perfection of nature’s plan.

Do everything you can to eschew debt. Remember that you’re attempting to simplify your life here, so you don’t need to purchase more of what will complicate and clutter your life. If you can’t afford it, let it go until you can. By going into debt, you’ll just add layers of anxiety onto your life. That anxiety will then take you away from your peace, which is where you are when you’re in-Spirit. When you have to work extra hard to pay off debts, the present moments of your life are less enjoyable; consequently, you’re further away from the joy and peace that are the trademarks of inspiration. You’re far better off to have less and enjoy the days of your life than to take on debt and invite stress and anxiety where peace and tranquility could have reigned. And remember that the money you have in your possession is nothing but energy—so refuse to plug in to an energy system that’s not even there.

Forget about the cash value. I try not to think about money too frequently because it’s been my observation that people who do so tend to think about almost nothing else. So do what your heart tells you will bring you joy, rather than determining whether it will be cost-effective. If you’d really enjoy that whale-watching trip, for instance, make the decision to do so—don’t deny yourself the pleasures of life because of some monetary detail. Don’t base your purchases on getting a discount, and don’t rob yourself of a simple joy because you didn’t get a break on the price. You can afford a happy, fulfilling life, and if you’re busy right now thinking that I have some nerve telling you this because of your bleak financial picture, then you have your own barrier of resistance.

Make an attempt to free yourself from placing a price tag on everything you have and do—after all, in the world of Spirit, there are no price tags. Don’t make money the guiding principle for what you have or do; rather, simplify your life and return to Spirit by finding the inherent value in everything. A dollar does not determine worth, even though you live in a world that attempts to convince you otherwise.

Remember your spirit. When life tends to get overly complex, too fast, too cluttered, too deadline oriented, or too type A for you, stop and remember your own spirit. You’re headed for inspiration, a simple, peaceful place where you’re in harmony with the perfect timing of all creation. Go there in your mind, and stop frequently to remember what you really want.

A man who personified success at the highest intellectual and social levels would hardly seem one to quote on simplifying our life, yet here’s what Albert Einstein offers us on this subject: “Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury—to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.”

Wow! I’d say this is pretty good advice, wouldn’t you?

http://www.healyourlife.com/author-articles/wisdom/inspiration/sweep-it-clean-inside-out

Tags: Voluntary simplicity, simple living, inwardly rich, Wayne Dyer, Einstein, Duane Elgin, simplify

My Life According to... QUEEN

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:37:14 GMT

Siona inspired me with Leonard Cohen, Pam Sing tagged me with Creed & smb already used Jason Mraz so here's mine...

(Share yours - I would love to read it! :) (Just choose a musician/group & replace my answers with yours) EnJOY!

MY LIFE According to QUEEN

Are you a male or female?

Doing All Right

Describe Yourself:

All Right Now / Feel Like Making Love

How do you feel:

I Want to Break Free

Describe where you currently live:

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

One Vision / Forever

Your favorite form of transportation:

I Want it ALL

Your best friend is:

Love of My Life

Your favorite color is:

Breakthrough

What’s the weather like?

Coming Soon ☺ / Heaven for everyone

Favorite time of day:

The Miracle

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?

Play the Game

If you could change your name, you would change it to:

Fun It

What is life to you?

A Kind of Magic

Your relationship:

Funny How Love Is

Your fear:

Don’t stop me now ☺

What is the best advice you have to give?

Keep yourself ALIVE

Thought for the day:

Now I’m Here / Somebody to Love

How I would like to die:

Who Wants to Live Forever / The Show Must Go On

My soul's present condition:

Sail Away Sweet Sister

My motto: Spread Your Wings

Tags: Queen, My Life according to, Music, Tags, Darina, spread your wings, I want to break free, Crazy little thing called love, Fun it

Living In Joy ~ Suzanne Roloff & Dance of Aliveness

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:45:46 GMT

"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other." -- Mother Teresa

Living in Joy by Suzanne Roloff

Our lives are meant to be filled with happiness and joy…this is our birthright; for all of us. Joy and happiness are meant to be experienced now. Make a conscious choice to start and end your day with joy to start with. Most of us are so busy and thinking of so many things not of joy and worrying about things that never happen everyday that we completely miss out on the joy and happiness in our life. Take more of those moments filled with joy and happiness; seize them, look for them, expect them, and I guarantee you, you will start to live a joy filled life. You will come to expect it and you will find it in your everyday experiences without looking for it.

Most of us are used to the opposite of joy; we are used to the pain and the struggle and the hardships in life and that is what we focus on and expect. Start to break that pattern in your life. Notice something in your house that really brings you joy everyday; then notice something close to where you live in nature that you see that brings you joy every day, then notice something about yourself that brings you joy, and then about others, and on and on until you start to see the joy in many things and people in your life. Instead of spending time worrying about what “might” happen, spend that time letting yourself feel joyful about something.

It is easy to get stuck in the same old ruts and same patterns that keep repeating in our lives every day. If this sounds familiar, then you need to make different choices and do something different then what you are doing every day. What is that saying? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result…. If we keep making the same choices, our life will be the same, if we choose different choices, it can be different, it is up to us.
Sometimes in order to let something new or different into your life, you have to be willing to let go of something old or that is not working for you. Be willing to give up what is not working for you and try something new or different. Just be willing and open to change and the process will start. Do one thing differently each day, even it is getting up or going to bed at a different time, or taking a different route to work or fixing a different meal. Plant the seeds of change, and know that change is always available to you and you always have a choice. That was one of the most important light bulb moments of my life, realizing that we always, always have a choice, no matter what. Each day we can choose to make different choices in our lives.

Find out what you love to do, what brings you a feeling of joy, peace, and happiness and be in that space as much as you possibly can. If you are so out of touch with any of these feelings that you don’t know what would bring you peace or joy, let yourself think back to your childhood or a time in your life where you did feel these things. Start with what makes you feel good and let yourself do or experience that each day, even if it is for a few minutes and then build on that each day. Put this together with noticing things in your environment or about yourself or others that make you smile or bring you joy. You will soon find that you are not looking for this but it is all around you.
Especially at first if you are not used to these feelings, you may need to make a conscious effort or intention to feel and find joy each day. Like attracts like; what you put out comes back to you. If you are feeling sad and lonely, you need to choose to make a conscious effort to feel otherwise. If you are feeling lack and concentrating on what you don’t have, start with one thing you are grateful for in your life that you do have and build on that.

Here are a few suggestions to help you create happiness and joy so it starts to become a familiar state in your day to day life:

• Let go of judgment, resentment, criticism, unforgiveness, and blame; focus on your own life and your own path; let others have their own experiences and lessons and focus on your own (it simplifies your life greatly)
• Practice random acts of kindness or giving without the person knowing you have done it
• Replace every negative thought and emotion you can with a positive one; try to get in the habit of always doing this, catch yourself with every negative thought and replace it with a positive one
• Get in touch with a Higher Power than yourself each day, look at the big picture in life and don’t sweat the small stuff
• Stay in the now…let the future be the future and the past be the past, learn to live in the now as much as you can
• Give some service or something of yourself to someone that is more needy than yourself (there is always someone else worse off)
• Pray, meditate, go within, and get “quiet” every day; listen to what your higher self wants and needs
• Feel gratitude for something and someone every day; make a list if you can of what you are thankful for each day, just start with one person and one thing you are grateful for each day and build on that; you can also add one thing about yourself that you are grateful for each day.

Be open to miracles and good things happening in your life; believe this is so and expect it. Change your thinking each day from low vibrational energy of pain and struggle and expecting the worst to higher vibrational energy of grace and joy and ease and expecting the best.

Notice what you see in the world, what you see in yourself and what you see in others; notice who you spend time with, how much of your time each day is doing what you should or are supposed to do? How much of this do you enjoy and is actually for your higher good? Do you know how to put yourself first? Give to yourself? Do you believe you deserve to feel joy and happiness? Are you focused on other’s lives and how to fix them and not your own?

You can change your life by the thoughts you think each day. Do you watch the news and read the paper and think of how awful the world is each day? Stop doing that... Don’t watch the news (I guarantee that if something happens you should know about you will find out); read an uplifting book or meditate or take a walk instead, play with an animal or a child or do something for someone else instead; focus on the positive things in your life and in the world (there are always some), choose positive thoughts, people, and laughter as often as you can.

How much joy and happiness do you think you deserve in your life? Think about it….how much joy will you allow yourself? It is up to you to ask yourself this every day…….what you focus on becomes your life and reality.

If you focus on a life of joy and ease and grace, then that is what you will have…..start a life of this for yourself now, there is no better time on the planet to do this….the planet needs us to do this now, it is what we came here for in this lifetime….to find our joy and live our purpose…. the time is now…we are living in miraculous times….choose joy…choose happiness…choose unconditional love…forgiveness…compassion…choose to shift the vibrations of the planet and yourself now.

Everyone is capable of making this shift of bringing more joy into their life and just think how this would transform the planet! Why not start today?

Blessings In Joy,
Suzanne Roloff
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Living_in_Joy.html

Suzanne is an Energy Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher, Theta Healing Teacher and Healer and has been trained in many other alternative healing modalities. She has written many certification programs, one of which is “Living Your Life Purpose Through Joy”. To learn more about this program or Suzanne, please visit her website at sacredhealinglight.com, where you can sign up for her free monthly newsletter and also receive a free Ebook on Living Your Life Purpose With Joy.

Tags: Joy, living in joy, Suzanne Roloff, Dance of Aliveness, poem, Darina, happiness, smile

TED's 10 Commandments - Gr8t For ANY Speakers

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:03:53 GMT

For your reading ease, the 10 TED Commandments are:

Thou shalt not simply trot out thy usual shtick
Thou shalt dream a great dream, or show forth a wondrous new thing, or share something thou hast never shared before
Thou shalt reveal thy curiosity and thy passion
Thou shalt tell a story
Thou shalt freely comment on the utterances of other speakers for the sake of blessed connection and exquisite controversy
Thou shalt not flaunt thine Ego. Be thou vulnerable. Speak of thy failure as well as thy success.
Thou shalt not sell from the stage: neither thy company, thy goods, thy writings, nor thy desparate need for funding; lest thou be cast aside into outer darkness.
Thou shalt remember all the while: laughter is good.
Thou shalt not read thy speech.
Thou shalt not steal the time of them that follow thee.

Whether you're speaking at TED or elsewhere, these are certainly worth following. :)

Tnx to Charityfocus for the link & the insights!

Tags: TED, 10 Commandments, speaker, speaking, curiosity, passion, sharing, laughter, speech, story telling

Turning Inspiration into Action & Life Without Limbs = w/t LIMITS

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:28:01 GMT

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

Let's turn all that inspiration from these videos into playful & meaningful action!

I Love Living Life. I Am Happy.

For more inspiring videos:

http://www.momentoflove.org/051204inspiringvideos

Inspiring Video #1 : Baby Laughing (2 minutes)

Inspiring Video #2 : It's in Every One of Us (5 minutes)

Inspiring Video #3 : Challenge Day (15-minute clip of Emmy Award Winning film)

Inspiring Video #4 : Softball Miracle (6 minutes)

Inspiring Video #5 : W Mitchell (15 minutes)

Inspiring Video #6 : Free Hugs Campaign (4 minutes)

Inspiring Video #7 : World's Best Dad (4 minutes)

TY to Mikey D & all my other friends who never cease to inspire!

Tags: Inspiration, action, inspiring videos, Mikey D, Nick Vujicic, life without limits, joy, joy in action

Something Helpless that Wants Our Help...~ Rainer Maria Rilke

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:33:58 GMT

Just watched a quite dark, existential, weird and multi-layered movie - "Synecdoche, New York", 2008 by Charlie Kaufman that stirred many thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Sharing some intense excerpts here even if they are out of context... Seeing & experiencing the whole movie is probably needed yet I felt the need/urge/desire to share these as they are in text format first...

"What was once before you - an exciting, mysterious future - is now behind you. Lived; understood; disappointing. You realize you are not special. You have struggled into existence, and are now slipping silently out of it. This is everyone's experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter. Everyone's everyone. So you are Adele, Hazel, Claire, Olive. You are Ellen. All her meager sadnesses are yours; all her loneliness; the gray, straw-like hair; her red raw hands. It's yours. It is time for you to understand this. Walk. As the people who adore you stop adoring you; as they die; as they move on; as you shed them; as you shed your beauty; your youth; as the world forgets you; as you recognize your transience; as you begin to lose your characteristics one by one; as you learn there is no-one watching you, and there never was, you think only about driving - not coming from any place; not arriving any place. Just driving, counting off time. Now you are here, at 7:43. Now you are here, at 7:44. Now you are... Gone.

Minister: Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you'll never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. Even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope for something good to come along. Something to make you feel connected, to make you feel whole, to make you feel loved. And the truth is I'm so angry and the truth is I'm so f*cking sad, and the truth is I've been so f*cking hurt for so f*cking long and for just as long have been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own, and their own is too overwhelming to allow them to listen to or care about mine. Well, f*ck everybody. Amen."

Depressing and nihilistic as those beliefs might sound, the film is perplexing and life affirming in its own way. It suggests that too many of us spend too much time trying to make sense of the world and not enough time living in it. We pull back in loneliness and fear when faced with things bigger than ourselves rather than turning to those who can actually help, namely the ones with whom we share our time on this planet...

Tags: Rilke, Rainer Maria Rilke, help, love, truth, Synecdoche, brutal realism, connected, whole

OMG -> If I Were God/dess ~ NaPoWriMo #23

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:38:36 GMT

A belated yet timely take on taking smb else's hat, shoes, body &/or spirit... :)

OMG(oddess :)!

If I Were God/dess

If I were God/dess I would be Clown/ing

I would make you laugh more than anything

I would let you see the funny side of things

I would urge you to humor every little thing

I will enjoy games with words and in-betweens

Show you what real ‘into-me-see’ actually means

I’ll help you see that ‘impossible’ implies ‘I’m possible’

Bring you from ‘nowhere’ to now here, is so simple

If I were God/dess I would play hide and seek

I may even act like a geek and give you a peek

Of a universe that conspires to surprise you

Utterly, surely & unconditionally delight you

I’ll make you an unexpected yet priceless gift

That will cause massive socio-economic shift

I’ll wipe out your hate gene about to explode

And forever deactivate your violent code

I’ll see the election of children leading with gioia

Out of state of paranoia into the age of pronoia

I’ll throw you a Divine L’After Party again

For your brilliant global free hugs campaign

I’ll kidnap your fears and bring you joy tears

Steal your identities and sponsor your dramedies

I’ll stomp your credentials and seduce your potential

Kill your limitations and exceed your expectations

I’m a God/dess of surprises and paradox

I’ll send myself to vacation on a joy detox

I’ll do not one thing that you can’t do already

I am lovingly lazy, so you’d better be ready!

RedNosedNun

Tags: If I were God, If I were Goddess, goddess, fun, humor, laughter, NaPoWriMo, Darina, poem, joy

Listen ~ & NaPoWriMo #24

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:49:15 GMT

"It is the province of knowledge to speak.

And it is the privilege of wisdom to listen."

~ Oliver W. Holmes ~

listen

hear yourself

notice the breath

observe all life pulsing

note the rhythms of nature

open up your senses and heart

take in all this beauty and symphony

simply sense the subtle sounds of your soul

savor the sailing

silence

Tags: Listen, poem, visual, bell, sailing, silence, sounds, Darina, NaPoWriMo, symphony

Gaia Day, Integral Ecology & Planetary Perspectives

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:08:56 GMT

Happy Earth, Gaia & Planet Day!

"Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another."

~ Juvenal, Satires

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

There is so much we can do & not only today.

Consume less & care more as a start.

Here's is a controversial and provocative view of the issues calling for a focus on the us, the humans and polluters and changers rather than Earth itself.

by Joseph Romm from Climate Progress via Alternet.org

http://www.alternet.org/environment/137586/

Then there is the Integral Ecology Center, Framework and web site which I invite you to explore for its comprehensive view and holistic perspectives. We have yet to turn many of those "conversations that matter into actions with sustainable impact" as Albert says.

Integral Ecology Overview

Today there is a bewildering diversity of views on ecology and the environment. With more than two hundred distinct and valuable perspectives on the natural world—and with scientists, economists, ethicists, activists, philosophers, and others often taking completely different stances on the issues—how can we come to agreement to solve our toughest environmental problems? We need a framework to help sort through these many approaches and connect them in a pragmatic way that honors their unique insights on their own terms. Integral ecology provides this framework: a way of integrating the multiple fields of ecology and environmental studies into a complex, multidimensional meta-disciplinary approach to the natural world and our embeddedness within it. Integral ecology unites valuable insights from multiple perspectives into a comprehensive theoretical framework one that is already being put to use around the globe. This framework is the result of over a decade of research exploring the myriad perspectives on ecology available to us today and their respective methodologies. In short, this framework provides a way of understanding the relationship between who is perceiving nature, how the perceiver uses different methods, techniques, and practices to disclose nature, and what is perceived as nature.

And some beautiful rare wonders of our marvelous planet for your amazement & delight...

Tags: Earth day, Gaia, Integral ecology, planetary, perspectives, integral, nature, wisdom, eco

21 ~ NaPoWriMo #21

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:09:26 GMT

a day, every day, for the month of April, World Poetry Month...

My playful take on NaPoWriMo # 21. See why... :)

1. First you come to Earth funnily short of 21st

2. You smile 21 times before they can count to 21

3. You learn your first 21 tricks in less than 21 trials

4. You try 21 sins without getting addicted to (m)/Any

5. You get accepted to 21 schools & you go to 22nd

6. You turn 21 into a driving withOUT influence party

7. You discover the One before being on 21 blind dates

8. You feel at home everywhere despite more than 21 moves

9. You survive more than 21 lay offs, bail outs & f*ck offs

10. You limit your online activity to 21 hours or 21 times per day

11. You can outplay the 21 somethings without needing 21 shots

12. You have seen 21+ billion dramedies & are still kind & funny

13. You juggle well your 21+ daily roles in less than 21 locations

14. You learn how to say thank you & curse in almost 21 accents

15. You intend less than 21 pairs of shoes & less than 21 sex toys

16. You practice more than 21 poses, be they asanas or kama sutras

17. You lost money & friends & found self way beyond 21 times

18. You humor & reinvent yourself more than 21 ways in a place

19. You have surprised, shocked & forgiven others many times by 21

20. You work & laugh in order to make 21 more dreams come true

21. You know better h/now to look 21, laugh like 2 & love like the Only 1 J

So how many of those 21 things apply to you?

If you can dare to share which ones too,

you get 21 surprises in the next 21 days, joking (not) included! J

Tags: 21, poem, poetry, April, NaPoWriMo, Darina, humor, creativity, playful, surprise

Friend Renga - NaPoWriMo #19 & #20 & Passiona di Flora ~

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:11:52 GMT

Double dose of NaPoWriMo - a poem on friendship in Renga format & visual haiku inspired by the Passiona di Flora and Perfection in Pink. EnJoy & share yours! :)

Dedicated to my true and amazing friends I am so blessed to have - YOU!

FRIEND RENGA

If s/he were your friend

S/he would be very honest

Radically so

S/he would be really true

Both to herself and you too

S/he’d be there for you

In times of hardship and need

A best friend indeed

S/he would surprise you more

Than you ever would yourself

S/he would humor you

Fill your cracks with light & joy

Help you love & grow

S/he’d do the impossible

Invite you to go beyond

S/he would defy rules

Allow you to face it all

Let you BE it all

Tags: Friend Renga, renga, haiku, NaPoWriMo, visual haiku, Darina, Perfection in pink, passiona di flora, poem

Word Salad - NaPoWriMo #18

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:44:55 GMT

How about co-creating a word salad with just 50 words arranged in couplets? EnJOY! :)

Chop up some exotic thoughts, fresh ideas and good intentions

Add some funny feelings, spicy creativity and yummy visions

Mix it up with naughty moves and playful action

Spice it up with enthusiasm, humor and passion

Garnish with a touch of erotica

EnJoy & share the Salad A La Poetica

Tags: Word salad, wordle, words, salad, creativity, Darina, humor, NaPoWriMo, poem

The Road to Surprise ~ NaPoWriMo #14

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:43:32 GMT

The Road to Surprise

Nothing is boring on the road

Any one can happen on the journey

All things take shorter than you think

Every body grows on the brink

No trip redeems a traveler

No road refuses a driver

No path repels an adventurer

No journey scares a voyager

Any time satisfies a vacationer

Any place mystifies a tourist

Any event delights a visitor

Any thing surprises an explorer

Let us discover new adventures

May we find in & out ventures

Shall we synergize the journey?

What if we are already t/here? :)

Tags: The Road to Surprise, poem, road, journey, travel, crosscountry, Darina, Darin/a, surprise, share

Blog Talk Radio Poetry Show & April - World Poetry Month Event

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:42:31 GMT

Hope you can join us during this first event of Gaians on the worldwide waves of Blog Talk Radio Show at 8 pm EST/ 5 pm PST on April 13 to celebrate poetry & World Poetry Month and pay tribute to our dear friend Christopher Cobb Chad who passed away 2 years ago by commemorating his amazing creations with his surviving wife and my dear friend Mary Kathleen Cobb during the show. Thanks for being part of all this!

April is World Poetry Month:
Poets from Around the World Unite on Blog Talk Radio

CHICAGO - Poets around the world call for a World Poetry Month. Talented poets from the Gaia.com E-community - Empowered by Poetry - will be interviewed on April 13^th and 20^th from 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time). Ella Curry of EDC Creations, John D. Evans, Dominant Muse of the Gaia.com E-community and founder of The Evans Poetry Collection, and select poets from around the world will unite and call for a World Poetry Month designation for the month of April.

The guest poets for April 13^th will include: Mikey Bergman (Phoenix, NY), Eric Walton (Saint Paul, MN), Seth Kahan (Bethesda, MD), Darina Stoyanova (Olympia, WA), Clayton Lowe (Newark, NJ), Mary Cobb (Cedar Rapids, IA), and Nicola Karesh (Pisgah Forest, NC). The guest poets for April 20^th will include: Evelyn Bourne (Washington, DC), Gael Bage (Rye, England), Siona van Dijk (Boulder, CO), Bernadette Watkins (Roanoke, Alabama), Valentine Snow (Littleton, CO), and Paul MacFarlane (Saint Louis, MO).

The poets will engage in educational, inspiring, and meaningful discussions on poetry and they will explain how poetry empowers. All visitors can chat live in the chat-room during the show live at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Black-Author-Network . Let's make this epic event an exciting and unforgettable one.

“When we take a stand for poetry, we take a stand for beauty. When we take a stand for beauty, we take a stand for peace. Celebrate World Poetry Month and get one step closer to World Peace…” says John D. Evans, Empowered by Poetry group leader.

The theme for the show is a statement of declaration: April is World Poetry Month - A Discussion of Poetry with Poets from Around the World.

If you should have questions about the guests or about the World Poetry Month effort, contact John D. Evans at 877-4MY-TEPC (877-469-8372).

If anyone is interested in calling with questions for the guests during the show, please call (646) 200-0402. Continue to shine my talented friends.

John D. Evans, Group Manager

Empowered by Poetry

Gaia.com

Tags: poetry, poem, World Poetry Monh, Blog Talk Radio, Darina, Christopher Chad Cobb, celebration, tribute, radio

NaPoWriMo #12 - Where did you come from? - BULGARIA acrostic ~

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:01:41 GMT

Prompt for today: Read Write Poem is suggesting to write a poem about where you come from. Here's my take with a BULGARIA acrostic. Would love to read yours!

BULGARIA Acrostic

Beautiful Beyond Belief

Uber-fun & Ultra Underrated

Luscious Land of Laughter

Generous Gamers & Genii

Amazing Artists & Absurds

Radiating Rumors & Roses

Inspiring Inviting & Intriguing

Awakening Always Anew

Tags: NaPoWriMo, poem, Bulgaria, acrostic, read write poem, Darina, share, beauty

Pretendinitis, HDD & BS & NaPoWriMo - better late & why not/w? :)

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:25:03 GMT

April is the National Poetry Month and thanks to John D Evans & all the creative enthusiasts from the Empowered by Poetry group here on Gaia, we are happy to declare it also a WORLD Poetry Month (a special press release about it and the Blog Radio Show this Monday April 13 coming later). What a better reason, season and time than to join NaPoWriMo http://readwritepoem.org/ - and start writing a poem a day for the entire month of April. Better late than never and why not now, right? :) Feel free to join by creating, sharing or just reading the many creative fountains bursting amid all of us in the most surprising ways... EnJOY my latest creation "Pretendinitis, HDD & BS", inspired by a word from an episode of The Office...

Pretendinitis, HDD & BS*

By Darina Joy

April 11, 2009

* Stand for Honesty Deficiency Disorder & Bullshit Syndrome

Imagine yourself really getting sick of lying

Of totally procrastinating and pretending

So you finally choose to take a day off

Not a sick one, but an honest day off

You fill all the forms well in advance

Citing the real reason for the absence

Instead of hiding behind tendonitis

Honestly citing - your pretendinitis

The truth spreads faster than rumor

All your colleagues retweet the humor

Your boss texts you that you are daring

All your friends dig how you are baring

Even your doctor calls to share

How brave of you was to declare

Having Honesty Deficiency Disorder

And no illusions of being all in order

A disease so common and ignored

And deliberately kept off the record

Shifts from chasing hidden suspects

To looking openly for study subjects

You feel suddenly lighthearted

Void of guilt and utterly delighted

So much that you feel adventuresome

To self-diagnose your Bullshit Syndrome

Having started a super chain reaction

Causing massive waves of truth in action

You witness shocking web interaction

That brings startling self-satisfaction

Employers, cops and doctors alike

Now offer cool tips on how to strike

Politicians confess for the epidemics

While comedians juice the new polemics

Pretendinitis gets such huge popularity

That it gets declared a holiday for posterity

You turn in the newest celebrity for sincerity

Winning stunning prosperity for such hilarity

Tags: Pretendinitis, HDD, BS, NaPoWriMo, poem, Darina, World Poetry Month, poet, Empowered by poetry, truth

True Relationship ~ GANGAJI & ELI

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:30:04 GMT

Are we willing to be absolutely alone and out of relationship?

Are we ready to realize that our fulfillment does not lie only in each other?

Are we able to live our commitment to the truth, inside and outside?

Can we discover fully ourselves alone AND together and the love within AND surrounding us in a never-ending relationship and interconnectedness?

Can we really let ourselves overflow & let love?

I think/feel/believe – Yes WE Can! Yes, WE Do! YES WE ARE!

Eli Jaxon-Bear and Gangaji. True Relationship

Here's the transcript of this unique video with Gangaji & Eli:

Gangaji:

In order for each of us to be here we had to be willing to be absolutely alone and out of relationship and to recognize that our fulfillment did not lie in each other. It is really alive, here. And the relationship it is a great bounty to that, but not necessary to that. And that’s part of our relationship and is designed to teach you. And I am glad you are inspired by it but I don’t want the inspiration to be (don’t take it personal) under any illusions.

Eli: Our marriage vows were as long as our marriage supported our realizations and awakening we will stay married and if it didn’t then it would end. And our will was more then tested, because our commitment was deeper than relationship. As long what you are searching for is relationship, you are missing the essential.

Gangaji: It is the beloved you love and it is alive within you.

Eli: When you realize the beloved as your own self, so that everything you want to love out there, you can actually love in here. So that you can actually be loved and love right here without the need for another. And this fulfillment allows for true relationship, with everything. Otherwise the relationship is always dependent on getting something from the outside, either getting love or loving, or needing or wanting to take care of, whatever it is, there is always this unfulfilled something from the outside. So then when you are finished you can find true relationship because you are open, you are not needing anything.

Gangaji: It doesn’t necessarily mean couple relationship, you can find true relationship with an animal, with the world, with the ocean, with a stranger. Because you are fully in relationship. This word relationship is like responsibility. We have certain meaning to it. When actually relationship is actually the nature of self. In form. We are in relationship. But until we discover the fulfillment alone, we misuse our relationships.

You are in relationship. And you discover fully yourself inside yourself, you discover the love that is surrounding you, that is pouring into you. That was overlooked, as you were looking, perhaps, I don’t know whether this is true, for particular form of relationship or look a certain way, be different.

Q: Or is it like an overflow?

Gangaji: An overflow? That’s it an overflow. Yes. This is what we are supporting and inviting. Let yourself overflow. Let yourself out. Come out. It is time to come out. Now. It is the last out. Let it love. May be it was too much for our parents to handle and for the world to handle. But the world is ready and if it is not, it will get ready.

Love is at the core. Love is truth. Thank you for this love.

Tags: True relationship, Gangaji, Eli, truth, love, realization, fulfillment, together, discover, overflow

What Would It Look Like? ~ Global Oneness Project

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:54:39 GMT

What if the world embodied our highest potential? What would it look like? As the structures of modern society crumble, is it enough to respond with the same tired solutions? Or are we being called to question a set of unexamined assumptions that form the very basis of our civilization?

This 25-minute retrospective asks us to reflect on the state of the world and ourselves, and to listen more closely to what is being asked of us at this time of unprecedented global transformation.

For more similar videos, visit www.globalonenessproject.org & www.karmatube.org

What Would It Look Like?

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1494

Thanks to Michael for sharing this awesome image & to Jon Symes, Phil Turner and particularly Ron Monnier for creating this superb "centre-piece" image for the children.

LISTEN to the CHILDREN ...

Tags: Molotov flowers, karmatube, What would it look like?, change, transformation, oneness, potential, children

Why Play is Vital & How it Can Change the Future

http://joybringer.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:42:29 GMT

"You can discover more about a person in a hour of play than in a year of conversation." ~ Plato.

Participating as 'Pronoia' for 48 hours in the Signtific Freespace multiplayer online game organized by ETECH was quite an experience. It was exciting to put my imagination in action and interact with many other similarly minded players. It was worth the time, & energy & harnessing my creativity & pronoic spirit to envision the future where Space is as cheap and accessible as the Web is today. Ending up on top of the Leaderboard with a status of a Legend brought big surprise & plenty of Joy too! To find out more about the game.

Wrap up & brief summary of the initial results in a slide show format 'The End of Free Space' compiled by supercreative Jane McGonigal from Avantgame who introduced me to this new form of online gaming. Thanks to ALL players for the memorable & fun idea sharing!

You will enjoy another synchronistic TEDtalk that was posted today.

A pioneer in research on play, Stuart Brown says humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation and fantasy are more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults -- and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age...

Stuart Brown: Why play is vital -- no matter your age

Tags: Play, online game, multiplayer thought experiment, Freespace, Pronoia, Cubesats, Jane McGonigal, TED, Etech, signtific