I love fruitcake! There I confess. Despite all the jokes about fruitcake, I think that the holidays are not complete if there isn’t a slice of fruitcake at home. I found this post “The Festive History of Fruitcake” from Figis, very informative and entertaining as well. I am sharing it with you, because “I LOVE FRUITCAKE.”
Man of Few Words, Master of a Timeless Audience
English: Infant Jesus and John the Baptist, Museo del Prado (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: 1950. Oil on Canvas. 94″ x 70″ (239 x 178 cm) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Christmas is near, the time when many religions around the world celebrate Jesus. Although I don’t consider myself a religious person in the traditional meaning of the word, I celebrate Christmas and I like to read what he had to say. In many bibles, Jesus words are highlighted in red, and although he gave many speeches during his lifetime, only a few words can be found of what he had to say, never a long written account of his speeches during that time. This is why I say that he was a man of few words, and since those words have lasted for a few thousands years, he is still a master of a timeless audience. Will continue to be so as long as bibles are printed, downloaded, and his message is preached. Personally, I think that “religion” has twisted his wisdom; however, his words still touch people in a very personal way – despite the many religious interpretations. Maybe the way he intended those words to be received by each and one of us. So in tune with the Christmas spirit, I want to share through this post, my favorite Jesus quotes; here they are.
- “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10
I like this one because it is all about persistence, about keeping on, and never to give up.
- “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
I like this one for the obvious, but also because Jesus made a distinction between heart (feelings/emotions), soul (spirituality), and mind (brain/knowledge) – three aspects of our complexity, our being, and all should be in harmony. But not only that, after he acknowledges our nature, he tell us to love our neighbor as oursselves, hinting that we are all one of the same, all related and intertwined, and all one in God.
- “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” – Matthew 7:12
This says it all; imagine the beauty of this existence if everyone did just that.
- “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34
Love this one a lot; Jesus knew how our little brains work, and he let us know the importance of living today.
- “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:43-47
Even that I find this one so hard to do, it is there and Jesus wanted us to know that yes, it is not all about me, and yes, it is harder for adults to forgive, and little children forgive so easily. In that sense we must be as little children, and let go of a grudge, and keep playing together in this beautiful earth.
- “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Matthew 7:1-2
Our human nature gets in the way, we judge what we see, hear … our five senses get in the way sometimes, and many times we must bypass them, so we don’t judge without really knowing. Jesus knew that well and he needed to remind us.
- “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” -Matthew 6:27
Oh my God, Jesus had to tell this because we all are worry warts sometimes; I know I am, but am learning to work on this human trait that is so hard to ignore sometimes.
- “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:14-16
And this is one of my very favorites, because it speaks of our true essence, of the goodness in us, of the light that is our true being, our divine essence.
There are many other Jesus words that I love, but these are my few favorites and since soon it will be Christmas, what better way to celebrate it, but thinking about the meaning of Jesus teachings.
Blessings,
Inkspeare
Beam Me Up, Scotty
English: Compact fluorescent light bulb (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yesterday, I was reminiscing about my childhood and how simple life was in those days. When you got a cut, all you needed was a band-aid, a bit of iodine and mercury, and you were back running and playing in the green pastures. Then, I started thinking about mercury and all the controversy surrounding this element. To give you a bit of an introduction to the element, I will cut and paste some information from Wikipedia:
- Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is commonly known as quicksilver and its scientific name is hydrargyrum ( < Greek “hydr-” water and “argyros” silver).
Mercury has been used by ancient cultures in medicinal and religious applications, as well as in alchemy. Mercury is used in many instruments and devices and in scientific research applications. It was used or still is used in dentistry as amalgam for dental restoration. It is used in electrical, electronic, and manufacturing applications and according to Wikipedia,
“It is used in lighting: electricity passed through mercury vapor in a fluorescent lamp produces short-wave ultraviolet light which then causes the phosphor in the tube to fluoresce, making visible light” “Mercury is a heavy, silvery-white metal. As compared to other metals, it is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity.“
Mercury does not react with most acids. It is an extremely rare element in the earth’s crust and it does not blend geochemically with elements found there. According to Wikipedia,
“is a part of popular secondary reference electrode (called the calomel electrode) in electrochemistry as an alternative to the standard hydrogen electrode. The calomel electrode is used to work out the electrode potential of half cells.[50] Last, but not least, the triple point of mercury, −38.8344 °C, is a fixed point used as a temperature standard for the International Temperature Scale.”
In everyday applications it is used in cosmetics, fluorescent lamps, mercury vapor lamps, neon signs and of course, in human vaccines. There is controversy about effects in children, autism, and although it has been a bit reduced, it is still found in significant amounts in the influenza vaccine, which pretty much everyone gets yearly. And of course, we all know of high content of mercury found in fish, especially in tuna – the poor man’s food (most of the population).
“The European Union directive calling for compact fluorescent bulbs to be made mandatory by 2012 has encouraged China to re-open deadly cinnabar mines to obtain the mercury required for CFL bulb manufacture” (Wikipedia).
Mercury is also used for ion engines in electric propulsion, and “Owing to its acoustic properties, mercury was used as the propagation medium in delay line memory devices used in early digital computers of the mid-20th century.” In addition, “liquid mercury was used as a coolant for some nuclear reactors.” (Wikipedia)
So, it looks like in its various applications and compounds, through history, Mercury is a wonderful and toxic element and by now (if you are still reading), you may be asking where am I going with all this. Well, I can tell you this – by now, with all the mercury in my body, from amalgam, bandaids, fish, vaccines … and the rest, I must be a walking vase of mercury (and so do many of you, especially children). In a planet that is looking for alternative ways of energy, is concerned about the electromagnetic field, and temperature/climate warming, where part of the population believes in an “ascension” in different religions (no disrespect meant here), we might as well be the solution to all those problems, that is, as walking breathing living vases full of mercury. We will conduct electricity, cool the planet, help maintain the electromagnetic field in case there is a problem with the earth’s crust or core, and of course, facilitate the ascension as a propagation medium, owing to its acoustic properties. Best of all, is that since mercury is a poor conductor of heat, we will not overheat. All that is left to say is,
“BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY.”
Chill Out, Relax – It is all Good!
I think that we all need a little bid of this today, so I am sharing you this wonderful youtube video by yuoaya. Enjoy and many blessings to you and yours.
The Quest for Mind Domination – Our Quest
English: Earth rotation as seen against the Milkyway-background. Animation from 20 single exposures with a DSLR on an motorized, equatorial mount. Deutsch: Rotation der Erde gegenüber dem Milchstrassenhintergrund. Animation aus 20 Einzelaufnahmen mit einer DSLR auf motorisierter, äquatorialer Montierung. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The other day, I was thinking about what makes “me” and inevitably, I went down memory lane, visiting childhood and young adult memories. I saw a young mind being shaped by the people and experiences around it, a series of beliefs, traditions, cultural traits … which began clothing and molding “me.” Although I turned out a decent human being, I realized that I could have shed out a few of those beliefs or ideas, with which I was not totally in tune with (as a young adult and older), but accepted anyway, since they had been passed on by generations and culture.
Many times, we feel obligated to believe or “honor” a system of beliefs/values/information that has been passed along in our upbringing and we end up living our life in a constant silent battle of ideas. Our mind has been dominated by other’s beliefs/ideas and they have nested in us for so long, that even when we feel that we no longer need them, we feel obligated to carry them with us, in fear of dishonoring someone’s memory or culture or social ties. We don’t realize the harm that we are doing to “me” when we keep holding on to ideas that do not fit us anymore.
In being fair to “me” I realized that one can only continue to grow and evolve if one sheds out all that does not feel in tune with the actual self, with the person that is and continues to be, whether that be religious, social, or cultural ideas. Is that an easy thing to do? Not really; most likely, you will encounter opposition from many sides, internal and external, as well as judgement or pre-assumptions. The real issue here is, do you keep evolving or do you “play nice” and hold on to those ideas (which do not serve you anymore) for self-preservation (avoiding judgement or hurting feelings).
It takes guts to say, “I am finally free and I don’t have to believe in anything anymore; I just am.” The key words here are have to. When you feel that you have to believe or accept an idea which you have outgrown you are denying the essence of being; you are reversing the process of creation, of creativity. You may exist, but you are not – you are not creating, you are un-creating. You are denying your essence (I’m not talking about ego here). I choose to believe that I am part of a greater and collective creation, and that in order to honor (LOVE) that essence, first, I must honor (LOVE) my own. To be (part of creation), first I have to know and respect that I am. By acknowledging that, I am opening the door to LOVE, the essence to all.
A Year of Reinvention
December is approaching and I dance with the idea; it is my favorite month. Many a reason for it – the holiday season, the end of the year, a beginning to a brand new year is near, the festive air, crisp cold, the towns getting dressed up, the spirit throughout, flurries … and much more.
For me, it is the time to review this year and meditate about what when on, the goals I achieved, the ones I did not, and time for reflection, much reflection. It is a time to pick up my journal, a new calendar, and think of how I can make next year better. Although it is always a bit disappointing to stare at the goals that did not come true, on the other hand, it is rewarding to look at the ones that did become real. Somehow, it makes me happy to see that I worked towards something throughout the year, something that when I put it on paper on December of the previous year, may not have seemed so real or attainable. I invite you to try this, even if it is one or two things in your list. I have learned to call them predictions for the new year, predictions of the things that I will carry out on that year, or at least, that will take me a few steps closer to a goal. It is a practice that I started years ago, and it works for me. Looking at the end of the year, I can see where my heart was at the end of the previous one, and how I evolved on the issues that seemed important to me, and the things that I wanted in my future. Sometimes, I am pleasantly surprised to know that I made it through that year, and most of the things on that list, were accomplished. Other times, I see that half of them were not, and then, I can ponder why – this always leads to some insight, sometimes, realizing that in truth, it was not what I wanted, but I thought that I wanted at that time. This is why I call it my time for reinvention.
Reinventing myself small steps at a time works for me better than setting out sails for a huge journey, which can seem daunting, exhausting, and many times an illusion. Setting goals every December, and working on those throughout the year, keeps the journey real, and manageable – less intimidating. It is part of the big journey. In retrospect, it is very hard to feel that I “wasted a year” if I go back and see all the progress that I made, and how I worked towards the goals that were on that list – even when I may have not hit the mark with a particular item in the list.
I am ready to make my predictions for the new year, and work hard to make them true. Do you plan or set goals for the new year? Feel free to share your method.
Great Local Blog
Map of Aberdeen Township in Monmouth County. Inset: Location of Monmouth County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was very happy to see Inkspeare featured on Aberdeen NJ Life, a local blog that is full of information, historic facts, entertaining posts, lively images, and much more. This blog is a great resource if you want to know more about the Aberdeen, NJ area. It offers freshly pressed posts of current news/events as well as a more broad view of the area and interesting historical tidbits, many times accompanied by great pictures from the archives. You will also find interesting posts of what is happening on the area at a local level, from neighborly events to recent happenings. Aberdeen NJ Life gives you a broad view and many times, detailed as well, of the interesting way of living in Aberdeen, NJ. Reading the blog’s posts for the past year, I realized how quickly the year went, and how much has happened in our area. It was grounding as well as lovely and entertaining. I also learned many facts about the history of the area.
If you are planning to move or are interested in getting to know more about this area, this blog does a great job at presenting it, and it does it in an interesting, fun, and historical way as well. I want to thank the author for including Inkspeare on this awesome and informative blog. This blog is now on my Favorites, for sure.
Triangulation of Self by Knowledge
Triangulation
A method of determining the relative positions of points in space by measuring the distances, and sometimes angles, between those points and other reference points whose positions are known. Triangulation often involves the use of trigonometry. It is commonly used in the navigation of aircraft and boats, and is the method used in the Global Positioning System , in which the reference points are satellites.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Mind, Body and Spirit form the human triangle, and when in balance, we feel whole. Caring for the mind, body, and spirit is what makes us live balanced lives, and when one of these areas is not in harmony, we start feeling the effects, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. However, to care for our triangle, to balance ourselves, we must welcome knowledge and use it. Information opens the mind, helps in caring for our physical body, and let our spirit soar, develop, grow. We need information, imput, to process with our senses, the world in which we live; after all, we live in a physical body, in a physical world. If we believe in a spiritual connection or world, a spiritual sense, then it is only because we are able to obtain imput through our senses, and internalize that information, while processing it. When we are inspired, are having an epiphany, or when we feel a sense of spirituality and well-being, some kind of information processing is always present. Whether it is an act of faith, or reasoning, feeling or believing, information has been processed. The more you know, the more you open your senses – faith and knowledge go hand in hand; whether your faith rests in a Divinity, the Universe, or Science, information (imput) is present.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NIV) – John 1:1
Building Your Brand – the Rewards
Line art representation of a Quill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As a follow-up to the previous post, I thought that I would mention the benefits or rewards of building your brand. The rewards go beyond the monetary gratification, as brand building touches the entrepreneur’s “soul” (for lack of a better word). When you set out to build your brand, you are strenghtening the process of reaffirming your commitment to your business or craft. To outsiders, it serves as mere recognition of a brand, to the entrepreneur/artist/writer it plays an important part in building not only the business, but the perception in which the endeavor is seen from the entrepreneur’s side, deepening the commitment, inspiration, and serving as a refreshing fountain of energy (fuel) to keep it going.
Branding builds in professionalism, setting you apart from many other similar endeavors, for example, the author that just produces the book, lists it for sale, but never worries about building a brand around it – an author’s website, page, networking, and plenty of marketing, among other things. It doesn’t matter if you self-publish or go the traditional way, brand building is important if you are planning to become a lifetime writer.
The financial rewards will eventually increase with brand recognition, if done right, but it should never be the main goal of building your brand. It goes deeper than that, and if you are serious about your product (whatever that may be), you will understand that while everyone needs to make a living (preferably doing something that you love), it is when you give something back to the reader/customer/client that your brand will become stronger and your endeavor/business will grow. This principle is old and you may have heard of it in the scriptures, popular wisdom … “What goes around comes around,” “You get what you give,” “Give and you shall receive,” and many other variations of it.
If you become serious about building your brand, do it with love, passion, and generosity and the rewards will eventually show up.
Building Your Brand – The Challenges
This post is a follow-up to the earlier – Building Your Brand. It is a challenging task that never ceases; however, most difficulties are encountered at the beginning. These challenges may be concrete or emotional, but they are present during the process of discovery and even after you had set out to build your brand. The more you ignore dealing with these challenges, the slower the process will become, and it may even affect your own “emotional branding” – the way you perceive your brand.
YOU – The Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge that you may meet building your brand is YOU. Even after you have figured out where you are headed, your belief system (in yourself) may be shaken after the journey of self-discovery. There will be the moment when you might say “nonsense” and doubt the entire process. In addition, there is always the negative little voice that tells you to “be careful,” “wait,” “can’t,” “too difficult,” “too expensive,” … you know it. Training yourself to bypass YOU (your fears and doubts) will take some effort, but will make you stronger and give you clarity of perception.
Emotional Challenge
This challenge is tied to YOU, as depending on the process of self-discovery, which is different for everyone, the array of emotions/feelings set free are the challenge in itself. Dealing with those is important to continue building your brand.
Motivation
At one point or another, motivation may get stale, especially when instant gratification is nowhere to be found. In an instant society like ours, we are cued to get results and get them fast. In most cases, building your brand will not yield instant results. So patience and perseverance most be found inside your motivational briefcase.
Family, Friends, and Critics
This is a huge challenge, second to the YOU challenge. Most of us pay great attention to the opinion of our closed circle first, and to the outside circle later. Wether we want to admit it or not, their opinion has an effect in our emotions. This is why it is so important to take a hold of YOU and understand that for them, a process of self-discovery may have not happened yet, and most likely, they may not be able to understand where you are coming from or your perception. I have found that entrepreneurs are more likely to cheer you up, because at some point, they have gone through the process, than people with a job/paycheck mentality. The later group will not be able to understand what you are doing or where you are headed, least how you are doing it. They have not learned the value of a true dollar (or your country’s currency) and they may not understand your true efforts. For this group, time spent = money in the strict sense of the phrase. For you, payment for your efforts have come in many other ways. A healthy dose of criticism is good, but beware of where it comes from and how YOU deal with it.
Time
This is a personal issue and everyone must work with time differently to build a brand. This applies to anything in life, as your perception of time may be different to mine. Timing and time to work on something must be understood separately. Emotional time spent is also important when building your brand.
Money and Knowledge
I linked these two challenges because many times, if you don’t have money to hire someone to do something you don’t know how to do yet, you can always spend time learning it and do it yourself. It is a personal issue, sometimes tied to physical time, but not let lack of finances stop you in building your brand. Today, there are many free social networks, platforms, and online features which are of help when money is tight. Learning is a process that takes time.
Change and Setbacks
This is something that you must be able to accept as part of growing your endeavor and building your brand. Things move different for everyone; it is the cycle of living, and part of the decision-making (past, present, future); however, don’t let that stop your progress. Change may be positive or carry some setbacks with it. It may speed the process or slow you down. It can come in the form of total devastation as in a natural disaster, financial loss, divorce, moving to another state or country, illness … It is up to you to set the emotional pace for dealing with change/setbacks.
These are a few challenges, which may be present when building your brand; however, it is your journey, and your own challenges will appear along the way, of course. There is no growth without challenge; so welcome these.
Inkspeare 