Gaia Community: Diana's Blog

Where is your favorite place to hide?

http://diana.gaia.com — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:38:30 GMT

Behind the screen of my Mac. When I feel like not talking it does not always mean that I don't want to be informed about what is going on out there with my friends and what kind of conversations they're having :)

Tags: QaR, hiding, secret, mac

YES WE CAN!

http://diana.gaia.com — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:29:34 GMT

I had a great feeling this morning when I woke up to find out that Obama was the new president of the United States.

I thought about it all day: What must be going through his head? I mean it is not only the fact that HE was elected but who he is! A black president! What a chance he has, what a challenge for him! What a courage he will have to show during this first 4 years! What everyone expects from him?! The actual financial crisis, the wars, america's infrastructure, mother earth's suffering, people hoping finally for a CHANGE... the preassure under which he will have to live and work with...

And he gave us all an answer that will surely stay in our minds for a loooong time ... like the sentence from Martin Luther King "I had a dream", or the one from president Kennedy "I am a Berliner" ... Obama said: YES WE CAN ... and I see this sentence is already running through the net ... even avatars are already being changed: look at http://kathysmith.gaia.com/

Yes we can! What a simple but powerful affirmation!

Wishing Obama, all my american friends and the rest of the world a lot of positive energy to help this man's sentence come true for the sake of our planet, for the sake of humanity.

For those interested in hearing his speach and read the transcripts, please follow this link: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html

Diana

Tags: obama, usa, election, environment, green

Running the numbers VS Drowning by numbers?

http://diana.gaia.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:19:07 GMT

Just got this article via email from wie.org (Online Magazine from What is enlightenment). They just renewed their website ... looks really good by the way!
OK now, back to this amazing subject:

Chris Jordan's (art)work seeks to expose the alarming degree of consumption and waste in America. While such concerns may not be new, Jordan's distinctive method of conveying them certainly seems to be. His "Running the Numbers" series of digitally composited photographs takes abstract statistics about American society and translates them into stark and shocking visual images. "My hope," he says, "is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone." Given how hard it is for human beings to conceptualize massive numerical quantities in a meaningful way-be it the number of stars in the Milky Way or the number of plastic cups used by airlines every day-it seems that Jordan may be pioneering a medium that can finally get such messages across...

Have a look at this amazing photographic art about an american self-portrait !

This emediately made me think about an old movie title: Drowning by numbers ... would fit this art exhibition as well ...

Hope it doesn't frustrate you too much ... even if it should in fact ;-)
People like to be shoked? So let's shock them ... I am affraid to say that those images are almost beautiful again ...

Depicts 115,000 mail order catalogs, the number mailed in the U.S. every minute!!!

Tags: Chris Jordan, consumerism, art, chocking, awareness, america, americans, photography, photograph, photographs, green

What do you prefer to do with others?

http://diana.gaia.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:08:42 GMT

Talk! Talk, talk, talk ... exchange ideas, meditate on a theme. I love to hear other's opinions, especially if they don't agree with me (more interesting). Not that I like to argue or start the kind of "but I will convince you that I am right" conversation. I like to try to understand other's points of view to enrich my own.

Sharing great moments together, a movie a walk a diner is always interesting too.

Tags: QaR, sharing, alone, others, joy

What has been your relationship to awareness and activism?

http://diana.gaia.com — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:53:14 GMT

Be the change you want to see in the world! - Mahatma Gandhi - is one of my favorite quotes. Awareness and activism are therefore both extremely important and one cannot live without the other. To raise awareness is the job of the aware who on his side has to focus on "being the change" in his own life.

Tags: QaR, awareness, activism, Gandhi

On what do you most enjoy spending money?

http://diana.gaia.com — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:32:35 GMT

On something I have wanted for a long time and on helping others get on with their lifes. I joined Kiva since they started advertising on Gaia and I am really happy that such organisations exist. Micro-financing with Kiva is easy and it is a joy to watch your friends grow on the other side of the planet. I also love to give extra tips for good work. If I believe that what I am paying for is not enough to a certain work done I tend to give a little bit more to the worker :)

Tags: QaR, money, spending, finances, enjoyment, life, Kiva

Interested in speed reading? Try spreeder.com

http://diana.gaia.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:27:05 GMT

The absolute gadget for learning to speed read online and this for free!
Great idea in fact and very easy to use. You can set your own speed and progressively get faster. Don't miss to read the instructions of course.

Take a big text, throw it in and read it!
It is worth a try so what are you waiting for ?! www.spreeder.com

;-)

Tags: spreeder, speed reading

What is the most important story in your life right now?

http://diana.gaia.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:13:05 GMT

The story of humanity ... where it lead us and where it is going to lead us. Is global consciousness, as mentioned by contemporary philosophers, going to be humanity's salvation. Are WE going to win at the end and save Gaia and ourselves? I don't think that I will live long enough to get an answer ... a never ending story?

it's later than you think

Tags: QaR, stories, life, inspiration, hope, humanity, gaia

What gets in the way of us connecting with others?

http://diana.gaia.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:11:24 GMT

Our "pain body" !

For those of you not familiar with Eckhart Tolle here's the best and suitable explanation about the "pain body" I found on the web:

"First, there is the field of complete consciousness.

This then expresses itself in an organic form.

From here it loses itself in organizing the physical environment around it.

It begins to split into mind, and mind then splits into ego, and ego then believes itself the origin of consciousness.

As ego, arising from thoughts of limitations, fractures itself against obstacles, it develops what Eckhart Tolle calls the pain-body.

The pain-body then becomes an unconscious entity within. It seeks to feed on pain to survive. It makes a person feel pain and it causes this person to inflict pain on others."

Source: Saleem Rana - Reflections On Eckhart Tolle's Concept Of The Pain-Body

What follows next to that is that you start labelling everything as good and bad, as right or wrong ... and you continue feeding your ego with "how right you are about what you think" and how bad and/or wrong the other person is ...

Well, living in this daily battle with our "pain body" is for me the main reason why we have trouble connecting with others.

Tags: QaR, community, connection, relationships, understanding, pain body, Eckhart Tolle

What sort of people have you been communicating with?

http://diana.gaia.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:14:46 GMT

With ALL sorts of people as always ... and I am thankful for this. I love the melting pot of friends from different cultures and different consciousness levels I am surrounded with. This is such a wonderful experience.

I remember this was a challenge when I was in my late teens because I liked to hang around with all sorts of people and I was constantly being asked by my friends ... how can you hang out with those people ... I heard this from both sides of course and sometimes it made me sad that I could not bring those groups together.

One day I realized what a rich experience i was having by hanging out with completely different kinds of mentalities and that in fact I was the most lucky person ! From this day on, I never ever tried to bring together my different friends since for me it was a great experience to live in different communities, surrounded by different thinking people and at the end come to the conclusion that we are all ONE!

Tags: QaR, people, others, differences, societies, cultures, connection

What does independence mean to you?

http://diana.gaia.com — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:10:23 GMT

Independence? …an old ideal, old values, … no longer worth half of what it meant when nations declared independence in the old days … surely an important act during those periods of time … but today? We know, or rather should know, that we are all dependent from each other … this word doesn't mean anything to me.

In fact, quite interesting reflection: Our biggest independence as a WHOLE, as ONE, will be achieved the day we realize that we all depend from each other … :-)

Freedom by Diana Calvario

Tags: QaR, freedom, independence, independent, values

Mastering the power of now - a FREE online course

http://diana.gaia.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:59:01 GMT

If you ever wonder what Eckhart Tolle has to do with Centerpoint .... well, here's the answer !

www.masteringthepowerofnow.com/

"Seven world-famous spiritual teachers reveal powerful information and practical steps you can take right now to experience the spiritual awakening described by Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth, The Power of Now, and his online lessons with Oprah. "

What? you missed the Oprah lessons?! I really recommend you to go thru them - it was an amazing and helpfull experience with loads of insights and aha moments.

Back to mastering the power of now. Oh, the teachers?

Genpo Roshi, creator of the Big Mind process, a method for quickly experiencing profound transcendent states of awareness (what Tolle calls Presence) usually taking decades to master...
World-famous philosopher, author, spiritual teacher, and founder of Integral Institute and the Integral Spiritual Center, Ken Wilber...
Renowned spiritual teacher and meditation master, Diane Hamilton...
Enlightenment teachers, authors, and workshop leaders, Saniel Bonder and Linda Groves-Bonder...
Sally Kempton, Yoga Journal columnist and one of today's most insightful and experienced teachers of meditation and spiritual growth...
And , Bill Harris, Director of Centerpointe Research Institute and creator of Holosync meditation technology.

I invte you to join me on this course if you have time and why not go over to the power of now pod and join the discussion :-)

Tags: Eckhart Tolle, power of now, centerpoint

What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

http://diana.gaia.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:06:13 GMT

I would like to introduce you to the best quotes I found at Gaia and on the web concerning knowledge VS wisdom:

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant
Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life. Sandra Carey
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. Dr. Henry Fischer
These days people seek knowledge, not wisdom. Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future. Vernon Cooper

Well, after reading those quotes over and over again I would be tempted to say that some knowledge is important to get wise ...
And if I quote Eckhart Tolle, the more knowledge you have, the more wisdom you need to stop labeling things and enjoy everything "as it is" ...

Oh, and I have another one: ... and this one is sooo true!
The biggest difficulty with mankind today is that our knowledge has increased so much faster than our wisdom. Frank Whitmore

Tags: QaR, life, wisdom, knowledge, wise, Eckhart Tolle

Is your mind a safe place to be?

http://diana.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:42:32 GMT

Minds are very dangerous places to be in general I would say. I see my mind as THE unsafest place to be! All those thoughts crossing my mind (good and bad), all this noise! My mind is the playground of my painbody and therefore a place only to visit while in deep mediation - thoughtless, to enjoy the emptyness, the vast space...

... and yes, I am an Eckhart Tolle reader :)

Tags: QaR, mind, safety, judgment, cricitism, love, life, world, eckhart Tolle, pain body, Diana Calvario

Where do you find art in your life?

http://diana.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:51:44 GMT

ART is everywhere in our life. The ART of living, of talking, of expressing yourself, of loving, of compassion, of anger, of fear ... it could go on and on ... every thought and every movement is ART!

My effort to bring art into the world and express my feelings can be seen here:

http://dicalva.deviantart.com/

http://www.redbubble.com/people/dicalva

I also invite you to go to our pod:

art @ zaadz

Thank you Siona for that question :-)

Tags: QaR, art, life, world, discovery, create

How do you handle change in your life?

http://diana.gaia.com — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:04:31 GMT

I am open to change since every change contributes to my evolution... so let them come !

Now seriously, it depends on the changes and on my mood. We're just getting a new kitchen and this is a hell of cool change! But even those changes that are not welcome and although they may put you into shock for a while have their reason to be ... changes are part of our daily life, we have to live with them ... good or bad, we have to take them and embrace them as it is ... we have no choice :-)

Tags: QaR, change, life, transitions

In what kind of world do you want to live?

http://diana.gaia.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:50:13 GMT

After waking up of a wonderful dream about my dream world - I confess that I closed my eyes for some seconds and imagined this wonderful and perfect world I would like to live on right now - I admit that I love the way everything is on earth. With all the pros and cons it has, it's defaults and positive sides ... our earth is a prefect place to evolve and I love the feeling of witnessing this evolution, this global awakening that would not be possible if there was no challenge, no dysfunction, if everything was perfect.

So I will stay here and embrace the world as it is and be thankful for being part of it.

Tags: QaR, life, world, future, living, earth, thankful

Monsanto - another silent tsunami

http://diana.gaia.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:50:23 GMT

Yesterday I saw a documentary on television produced by ARTe and I admit that it was the most horrific video I saw in the past years!

Do you know about Monsanto? Are you sure? If not I would really recommend you to have a look at the 12 video episodes (+/- 10 minutes each) I have uploaded to Gaia - you're welcome to come back and leave your impressions afterwards.

This is really freaking scary ! And how can we still tolerate all this? This is at least as worse as global warming ... in fact, it really fits it all ... but here we have some guys we could take by the guts ...

This genetic polution (modified crops) are really destroying the rest of good stuff we still have on earth ... and no one is stoping it! India is already infected and crying for help, the corn in Mexico is being destroyed one little corn at a time, the farmers are screaming and nobody is hearing them! I can't believe in so much human ignorance and am starting to conform myself with the fact that we humans are really stupid and that we deserve to suffer and die and leave this planet alone so it can recover from human stupidity ...

The only way we could fight this mafia is by counter attacking them with organic food but the problem is ... is there still organic food available that has not yet been infected with modified genetic plants? Anyway, if ther's still a hope our purchases are the most powerful way to force change in production so more than ever I am convinced about buying organic where I can.

And than there's this milk story going on in the US. I wouldn't dring milk anymore if it was not from my own cow in my garden ...

I am really curious about what your folks have to say to this theme and will surely post this thread somewhere and let you know afterwards ;-) --> I posted this blog on the Realizing Health Pod for discussion if you're interested.

If you want to get more scared: read Dr. Lou's blog here at Gaia...
Here's another interesting blog about prices spiking for farmers.

Diana

Tags: monsanto, crime, green, environment, earth, health, cancer, global warming

How do you bring out the greatness in others?

http://diana.gaia.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:31:21 GMT

I bring in space while I listen. This allows the greatness in others to become visible and to flourish.

Tags: QaR, greatness, potential, others, support, encouragement

GlobalShift University - Classes begin 2009!

http://diana.gaia.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:40:13 GMT

When you joined Zaadz, Gaia today, you wanted to make a difference and change the world, right? Well, now you can join the Globalshift university and start saving the world! Finaly after a long waiting a dream is coming true! Yes, the University courses are starting next year!

The Institute at GlobalShift University™ is an innovative, non-traditional university for people who want to become positive change agents and effective leaders in a transformed world. GSU will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sustainable Transformation, based upon a powerful, newly developed curriculum called MacroShift Studies. Students successfully completing the course of study will be able to work effectively towards the solution of the world’s most vexing and universal problems, those undermining the attainment and sustainability of productive, happy and healthy human life, ecological equilibrium and world peace.

How is The Institute different from other universities? It is the goal of traditional schools to turn out highly competent individuals who go out into the world to make their way and perhaps make an impact. By contrast, GSU will use 21st Century tools and techniques to create a continuously interconnected network of highly and specially trained “catalysts” who will work in tandem within existing and newly created public and private institutions and companies towards the achievement of a common set of goals. GSU will be a “change accelerator”—every graduate’s effort will be multiplied by the number of people they directly touch and indirectly influence through their ever-widening web of enlightened individuals.

Ervin Laszlo, founder of the Club of Budapest talks about it here:
http://www.globalshiftu.org/

Globalshift University ShiftShots #1

Globalshift University - ShiftShots #2

Globalshift University - ShiftShots #3

Tags: globalshift, globalshift university, lazlo, education, sustainability, global warming, earth, green