:: Aham Prema ::

Have you figured out what is coming up for you in 2009 yet? Do you see the signs? Do you have the feelings? Or possibly feeling more stuck and confused than ever? Exercise: This week/weekend take a few moments out to check in where you are at. What are the things most calling for you to grow in during the new year? What areas are ready for a step up? What areas are ready for release? So schedule a sesh. Or better yet, take a quick break right now. Pause and reflect this week... what's your plan, man? Grab a fresh sheet of paper and make a mess. Figure it out. And make it fun! First just let out what wants to be heard. Then try this: Note the top three things you want to accomplish. 1. Take something you are doing to a new level 2. Start something totally new that you've put off 3. Give back. Find a way most meaningful to you. Wrap it up by picking out your top intentions. (Keep this handy for when spring comes around....) Have a...

November 13, 2008 The mayan calendar switches to the sixth day today. This day is symbolized as consciousness surpassing technology. If you haven't learned about the amazing beauty of the mayan calendar yet, I highly recommended exploring it for a few minutes. Not only is it an enjoyable new perspective, it is incredibly interesting. To quickly overview, and drastically short-change you on the interesting details, I will share my super-condensed notes from a reality-shifting video I watched a few years ago. Enjoy a short journey of creative ponderance and open your imagination. I'm sure it will be a nice retreat for a few minutes! Calendars such as the Mayan, Tibetan, Hebrew, Egyptian and Maori followed a 360-day Divine calendar. This was based on the flow of creation, breaking up time into cycles of 7 days and 6 nights. Each of these days and nights has an intention. The days are the dawning of an age while the night is the application of it. Their calendars track...

A Collection of Great Quotes These are some of the quotes that have hit me so strongly in times past. Clearing out some old things and wanted to make sure this is in the archives!  *"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love." ~Rumi *"Life is a flower of which love is the honey." ~Victor Hugo *"In the sweetness of friendship; let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." ~Kahlil Gilbran *"Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, Deep-burning and unquenchable." ~Bruce Lee *"If a person loves only one other person and is indifferent to the rest of his fellow men, his love is not love but a symbiotic attachment, or an enlarged egotism." ~Erich...

Autumn is ideal for harvesting and creating spaciousness. I am embodying this in many ways. Spaciousness is the highest priority in my life personally right now. I went from feeling like I lived on an empty field in life (painfully empty) to now being blessed with a full harvest… however this harvest is too much! Now I realize this is much more than I want to maintain. I need time in life to simply enjoy it all more. So I’ve let go. I’ve reduced the amount of time I spend “working” on one creative project or another and am now enjoying the freedom of space. I have a basic weekly template, which provides room for everything important to me. My days are now much more open for time to just be. I feel free. I’ve reached a healthy and fulfilling balance of moving toward my goals and highest aspirations while staying on top of regular duties of life. I’m also going through a six-week O C E A N with Ejuva cleanse right now which is really bringing the process into my whole conscio...

Ayin Jethro (aka AJ SpeedRacer)  Miracle of Life. Beautiful, amazing boy. Passion in my Heart. The Ultimate Joy. Your Meaning to Me. Never Can I Express. Every Moment with You, I know I am Blessed.  ~Danielle Marie Crume 08.21.08.

Loved this...every word! Long, but well worth it. Never read her books, but great read. J.K. Rowling's Commencement Address to Harvard's Class of 2008 President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, proud parents, and, above all, graduates. The first thing I would like to say is ‘thank you.’ Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I’ve experienced at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation! Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners and fool myself into believing I am at the world’s best-educated Harry Potter convention. Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility; or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation. The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormousl...

Friday will be summer already! It is always amazing to me how fast time can go and how much activity can happen so quickly. Use this last week to finish planting your seeds. You have until Thursday to get whatever it is you want to do, started. Even if you just have an Org Sesh (organization session you schedule with yourself), at least get started. Get your seeds in fertile soil to give them an opportunity to grow this cycle. In summer, you will nurture these seeds into flowers and fruit. NewScientist just announced that a 2,000 year old seed sprouted. It was finally just planted in the soil after it's original discovery in the 1960's. The big seasonal project of spring was to redo our goals. I just reviewed mine last week and decided to type them up to hang in my bedroom and to share with others. These are some of the key ones I came up with, which I am most happy about. Personal Goals - Spring 2008 Self Development -Daily focus of energy is creative with a cle...

I recently moved next to a milkweed plant, the one plant that monarch caterpillars eat. I have had the opportunity to watch these caterpillars develop into butterflies several times and have been amazed by the miracles held within this process. The greatest beauty, however, is the symbolism in it all – and the endless possibilities that it could be translated into. The interpretation is infinite. I took a caterpillar into my home and kept it in a special caterpillar contraption designed just for this purpose. I wanted my son to see the miraculous process to open his mind about the unlimited opportunities of life. However, by the end of it all, I realized I was the one who was enraptured and enlightened by this natural process. It was one of the most interesting and amazing things I’ve ever seen. It was even more mind blowing that it all happened within a few weeks. These caterpillars start as eggs, almost invisible to the naked eye. Tiny dots are left on the plant to grow alone...

Look at each day as a blank page. Before making any marks on your canvas, consciously choose what you write, draw, paint, or cut. Have a great palette near with all of your favorite colors. With each stroke, make sure you are enjoying the experience and having fun. At the end of the day, look back at it and make sure you are happy with what you created. Can you do better? Repeat daily. ~Danielle Marie Crume

As spring is the ultimate time of year for planting seeds, I have recently redone my goals. I dug up all of my old notes and made it priority to create a renewed vision of what I’m doing with my life. What a beautiful and empowering process. It felt great to make me such a priority in my life! :) Looking Back During the winter I had come to a few realizations about my self and my life. I saw how much I have developed and removed limits I previously imprisoned myself in. I had truly gone through a metamorphosis and felt empowered within like I could have never before imagined. My creation had taken on a greater level and I had become much more focused on what was most meaningful for me. It was great to reflect before moving forward to know what was most motivating for me now. Looking Forward Over time I had started collecting so many goals that they were overwhelming. I no longer felt motivated for them; they had become outdated. The best part of this goals session was envisio...

Written on 4/08/2008 by Alex Shalman. Great motivating ideas :) And I think we all could use a little enthusiasm at times. Way before the sun peeks over the horizon, a few chosen people awaken from their slumber and dive head first into their day. These chosen few accomplish a ton before the rest of us would ever consider rising from our nice warm beds. Who are these juggernauts that have command over the morning hours? In theory, your productivity level shouldn't differ if you rise at 4am or 11am. What matters is the quality of sleep that's giving your mind and body sufficient time to recover. These early rising juggernauts, these unstoppable agents of productivity, they see things differently. They see these early hours as their chance to lay claim to their share of the day. They rise with purpose, act with determination, and achieve ruthlessly. The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. - Thomas Jefferson The world is in awe of these special people, so let's take ...

An interesting article by Joe Kissell. Gets into a lot of detail, but a fun read :) Love the author’s way of communicating his experience and his philosophy about philosopy…haha About halfway through college, I decided I was going to major in philosophy. I was one of only four or five philosophy majors in my class, and most of my friends simply couldn’t comprehend why I chose such a field. For one thing, philosophy was obviously the most boring subject in the world, and for another, there didn’t seem to be anything you could do with a degree in philosophy. My classmates would say things like, “I’m majoring in psychology, which means I can become a psychologist. I can have an office and an ad in the yellow pages and people will pay to come talk to me. But there aren’t any philosophers in the yellow pages—look it up. How do you expect to earn a living as a philosopher?” I had no good answer to that question. I didn’t think I wanted to teach philosophy, which is the usual way philosophe...

Cute email I was forwarded :) Love the essence that these capture. What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .. Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think: ________________________________ 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8 ________________________________ 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4 ___________________...

Written by Shanel Yang. Nice to check with what I've come to my self.... Seven years ago I came across this list. I don't recall where it came from but I do know that I couldn’t agree with even one of these statements. In fact, I found the very idea of anyone being able to agree with most of them absurd. I thought, “You gotta be kidding me! Who really goes through life THAT friggin’ happy?” For some reason, I kept the list. Over the years, I made it a goal to change myself or my life to eventually be able to say all of these statements with complete sincerity and heartfelt gratitude. I am surprised and pleased to realize I have finally succeeded with most of them. I still struggle with #19 sometimes. And, I’m not exactly sure if it’s such a bad thing to need to compete with others (#10) since competition is a great motivator. But, other than that, I’ve pretty much achieved the rest thanks to my new career as a writer. I’m lovin’ it! And, so, I present this list to you...

My notes from an article by Bill Plotkin I found this went well with the idea of "Seeing the jewel inside every one". Through radical conversation, one can discover more and ever more about oneself and the other, drawing nearer to the mystery of life. Key Points of Radical Conversation: *Assume responsibility for your own well being *Share experience without reproaching partner for past wounds or future expectations *Endeavor to hear, without feeling/being defensive, the other's experience. Full sharing - feeling what it is like to be me while hearing what it is like to be you. Requires: *Responsibility for self *Self-awareness *Strength to withstand genuine encounters. Relationship becomes bigger than each alone. *Innocence and wonder...always changing. *Ability to see own dark side as projected on partner. Find your blocks. Use the sight of them as an opportunity to learn and heal. ~Danielle Marie Crume

Written by David B. Bohl, the author of Slow Down Fast. Basic info, but nice read. In life, there are two paths available to each of us. Which path we travel is determined entirely by our own actions, our decisions, and our priorities. It is decided by our character – the ability to make the right choice, even if it is not the easy choice. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14 In life, we are faced with decisions each day, some that are easy, and some that may be very difficult. The decisions we make and how we choose to deal with individual circumstances determines which road we are traveling. Remaining on the narrow road takes a great deal of thought, concentration, and dedication. An important step in the ongoing process of personal development is to be able to discern between the broad...

Quick write up for a class I took that I thought I would share... I definitely believe that a large personality transformation is possible and very real. Especially when someone loves another, they can use that love as a fuel to help them grow. This has been my personal experience and I have seen it happen to others. My love for another prompted me to grow in ways I couldn’t have previously imagined, or wouldn’t have cared to grow, without the enticement of the love of another. My love for another propelled me to strive for great heights within myself. Many people may have “killed” this part of them that would allow them to love to this extent, perhaps due to extreme pains they have experienced (which is very understandable in this world). To those people, a transformation such as this may be impossible. It definitely depends on the person, their desire, and drive. However, there are others, who are brave enough to try again, and this love can guide them to completely transform t...

This is a long one, yet essential to have in the collection... I learned about this in my Philosophy class and it is one of the most interesting things I will take from this semester. It is a perspective I hadn’t seen yet. I don't totally agree with it, but reading it was eye opening and a great experience in many ways. Great info for anyone interested in any kind of wealth (everyone?) :). Andrew Carnegie was the Bill Gates of his day. He built a huge fortune, from the ground up. Near the end of his life, he wrote a very interesting article titled, “Wealth”. In it, he discusses the only thing anyone should do with their weath. He is talking about huge amounts of accumulated wealth, however I find that there is wisdom that applies to all types of wealth (and all sizes) found within it. He says the other two options are detrimental to all involved, and why. He also discusses that giving a quarter to a “street beggar” is one of the worst actions he’s ever seen in his life. I ...