Wednesday 6 January 2010

Atlantis - Part 3

I am going to sidetrack a little from the main topic of where Atlantis is, in order to bring you the people of Atlantis. I noted that a lot of you have the feeling that you are from there; some may have even had past life regression experiences, similar to myself.

Who are Atlanteans? …

Atlanteans are considered the first people to have ever inhabited the earth. It is not sure that they called themselves Atlanteans and there are several theories surrounding their appearance…in fact speculation is such, that their very existence is a mystery in itself.

One of these theories, is a spiritualist one, which claims that the first Atlanteans were, in fact, Lemureans who inhabited the continent of Atlantis from 250,000 BC until 10,000 BC, as a challenge and divine experiment to see whether celestial beings could live in a mortal body and still keep their connection with God. This theory speculates that the experiment was started and terminated 5 times before the final destruction, and disappearance, of the island, simply because the incarnated celestial beings fell into the age old trap of greed, wars, corruption, black magic and other such atrocities.

Essentially, Atlanteans were, originally, a peace loving people, a united community who drew together as a singular unit in order to help each other. Each member of the community was adept in one, or more, of the Holistic Therapies area. Some would be adept in the art of Reiki healing, some in the art of Crystal healing, some could use the infinite powers of their mind to heal others; other Atlanteans would be adept in kinesiology, some the art of visualisation, most Atlanteans lived by the principles laid out in Ayurveda, and so forth and so on, but they all shared the common communication language of telepathy and they drew their communal power and strength from pyramids and crystals.

Telepathy is considered a means of non-verbal communication that occurs when souls vibrate at the same frequency and on the same level. It could be said that souls have a hierarchy of transmission frequencies, along which path they can communicate with some people, in this manner, yet not with others.

It is said that there are 5 types of telepathy

1) Mental Telepathy – Between mind and mind.

2) Emotional Telepathy – The connection is between the solar plexus centers of the individuals involved. It has largely to do with ‘feeling’, i.e. between people emotionally attached as in mother/child – husband/wife – groups – good friends, and in events when one ‘feels’ what has happened to the other. This form of telepathy is transmitted on the astral level. Friendliness, love, menace, fear, etc. is usually expressed this way. You can physically feel this type of telepathy in ‘the pit of your stomach’.

3) Between Soul and Soul – This is an advanced form of telepathy, where contact is made through the super conscious level of mind between souls, beyond the workings of the conscious mind.

4) Between two or three of these aspects of telepathy simultaneously.

5) Verbal Telepathic Communication – Which is words converted to symbols for use by the mind, which must be decoded back into ideas or thoughts as received.

However, it is believed that, even nowadays, we all have this telepathic ability. It’s just that some people become too caught up in their own thoughts that their “enlightened” energy channels become blocked thereby disengaging the ability to transmit. Also, fear of receiving unrecognisable, or unidentifiable thoughts from another person disengages the ability to receive.

One of the most detailed descriptions of the Atlanteans’ use of a mysterious instrument, called the Great Crystal, was given by Edgar Cayce, who mentioned it many times.

The crystal was housed in a special building oval in shape, with a dome that could be rolled back, exposing the Crystal to the light of the sun, moon and stars at the most favourable time. The interior of the building was lined with non-conducting metal or stone, similar to asbestos or Bakelite, a thermosetting plastic.

The Crystal itself, the Tuaoi Stone, or Firestone, was huge in size, cylindrical in length, and prismatic in shape, cut with six sides. Atop the crystal was a moveable capstone, used to both concentrate-incoming rays of energy, and to direct currents to various parts of the Atlantean countryside. It appears that the Crystal gathered solar, lunar, stellar, atmospheric and Earth energies as well as unknown elemental forces and concentrated these at a specific point, located between the top of the Crystal and the bottom of the capstone.

The energy was used for various purposes. In the beginning it was used as purely a spiritual tool by initiates who could handle the great energy. The early Atlanteans were peaceful people. As they developed more physical material bodies, they used the crystal to rejuvenate their bodies and were able to live hundreds of years while maintaining a youthful appearance.

Later the Great Crystal was put to other uses. Currents of energy were transmitted throughout the land, like radio waves, and powered by these, crafts and vehicles traversed the land, through the sky and under the sea at the speed of sound.

By utilization of other currents originating from the Great Crystal, the Atlanteans were also able to transmit over great distances the human voice, and pictures, like modern television. In the same manner, even heat and light could be directed to specific buildings or open arenas, giving illumination and warmth by seemingly invisible means.

There is some speculation that the first pyramids were built over 10,643 years ago.

Even though it is very hard to accept, during their time on earth, Atlanteans became the forefathers of technology, medicine, warfare and science etc., more so than our society today. At the height of their societal corruption and during their darkest hours, they created nuclear weapons, they cloned animals and people, they waged wars in the name of blood thirst glory and so forth and so on.

Laura Knight-Jadczyk tells us …

The Cassiopaeans have emphasized the importance of Frequency Resonance Vibration. They have also indicated that the Self Serving Negative Hierarchy meddles with it by way of rituals, by way of “beliefs,” by way of tampering with DNA via “abduction” processes, and so forth. They have indicated that the Service to Others alignment acts in accordance with the natural order of things.

Fulcanelli tells us over and over again that Plato was an initiate, and he drops clues everywhere that the “Egyptian” version - as it is promulgated - is not the true source of higher positive knowledge. The clues are given to us in Plato’s writings that the Atlanteans were an “evil empire” that attempted to conquer the world, and were defeated by the “Athenians,” giving rise to the archetypal legend of Perseus and Andromeda.

In fact, it is speculated that around 50,000 BC – 52,000 BC, one of the periods when one of Atlantis’ experimental eras came to a close, it did so because of its gross misuse of power; it is said that a series of nuclear bombs were set off underground, which caused the earth to shift on its axis and divide the continent up into 5 islands, one of which is, possibly, the island that Plato mentioned in his account that we read about in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

According to Diana Cooper, during the last era of Atlantis a temple was raised in the mountains of Atlas, which was surrounded by seven mountainous peaks that represented the seven spiritual laws of:

The law of one – no separation from God

The law of Karma – there is always a spiritual way to work things out

The law of manifestation – thoughts, words and deeds attract experiences into the physical life

The law of Grace – Unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness

The law of Responsibility – Taking responsibility for own actions, thoughts, words etc.

The law of unconditional love – Love and acceptance without boundaries and;

The law of intention – gaining clarity and understanding in order to find resolutions.

Which were meant to be a reminder of the purpose of Atlantis and its people. Sadly, once again greed took over and this time the island was flooded for good, as we all know, but it is believed that a great proportion of Atlanteans survived and scattered to the four corners of the world.

Constitutionally and chemically, Atlanteans were said to have certain DNA make-up comparable to lizards and certain amphibians, in fact it is believed that they possessed fin like scales, on their skin, similar to those of fish, in order to breath. In conformity with this theory it has been proposed that those with Blood type RH 0 negative are the original descendants of Atlantis.

I found this article I thought you may find interesting with regards to this:
http://think-aboutit.com/health/DISCUSSIONOFBLOODGROUPSANDTHHUMANSPECIES.htm

The genii is about to be released, as it becomes general knowledge that human cloning has been practiced for generations.

In fact, prior to the current historical epoch - beginning about 200,000-years-ago - there was direct intervention against the peoples of Earth for that very reason, which is demonstrated by the Rh+ factor in humans. Genetic experimentation (largely directed by EBEs) was so successful, that most of Earth’s remaining original inhabitants were eventually wiped out.

Nearly 85% of all human beings have RH positive blood. Which merely indicates that their red blood cells contain a substance called the RHesus (rhesus) blood factor. Simply put, their positive blood contains a protein that can be linked to the Rhesus monkey. It is acknowledged that blood factors are transmitted with more exactitude than any other human or animal characteristic. It is not generally known from where the negative RH factor derived, although tantalizing evidence exists that it arrises from genetic experimentation a little over 5,000 years ago.

The highest concentration of RH negative blood occurs in the Basque people of Northern Spain and Southern France, and in the Eastern/Oriental Jews. Only 15% of the entire world´s population is known to have the RH negative blood factor. While it is known that RH negative blood - (type ‘O’) is the purest blood known to mankind, it is not known from where the negative factor originates, as it is generally theorized by evolutionists that there is an unbroken bloodline from early human prototypes (pre-humans) to present day human beings.

When we separate the ‘O’ types into ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ we find that ‘O’ negative (the universal donor blood) constitutes less than 7% of the world´s population. Science at this very time is attempting to create a synthetic RH negative ‘O’ blood, but without success. For while the protein in positive blood can be cloned, that of negative blood cannot - which is quite interesting, and may be indicative of an alien origin, or more probable, from early genetic experimentation during previous advanced human civilization(s).

Some similarities among those who have RH negative blood -

· Predominance of green or hazel eyes that change colour like a chameleon, but also blue eyes, piercing.
* True red or reddish hair
* Low pulse rate & low blood pressure
* Keen sight or hearing
* ESP, UFO connections, Abduction, Para-normal occurrences
* Extra rib or vertebrae
* Love of space and science
* A sense of not belonging to the human race
* Empathetic illnesses
* Compassion for fate of mankind
* A sense of a ‘mission’ in life
* Unexplained body scars
* Capability to disrupt electrical appliances

None the less, despite all this information, my personal experience is, that as an Atlantean, I have always been able to recognise other Atlanteans and I am always drawn towards them, more so than other people.

Long live the “original” philosophy of Atlantis ….

I will get aroud to writing Part 4 now that I have more research material and the motivation to do so.

Atlantis - Part 2

Ok, just to recap on what was mentioned in the last part.

It was noted that the earliest documentation we have of Atlantis is by Plato written in 355BC but that it supposedly existed 9000 years prior to that date.

We noted that Plato’s legend had Egyptian origin, because Solon visited Sais, where he “was very honourably received” by the priests of the goddess Neith and the story was related to him. We, also, noted that in mythology Poseidon divided the continent up into 10 regions, each to be ruled by a son, so, theoretically Atlantis was much bigger than described by Plato … BUT …..

…..the narrative continues:

“That sea (the Atlantic) was then navigable, and had an island fronting that mouth which you in your tongue call the Pillars of Hercules; and this island was larger than Libya and Asia put together; and there was a passage hence for travellers of that day to the rest of the islands, as well as from those islands to the whole opposite continent that surrounds that the real sea. . . . In this Atlantic island, then, was formed a powerful league of Kings, who subdued the entire island, together with many others, and parts also of the Continent; besides which they subjected to their rule the inland parts of Libya, as far as Egypt, and Europe also, as far as Tyrrhenia. The whole of this force, then, being collected in a powerful league, undertook at one blow to enslave both your country and ours, and all the land besides that lies within the mouth. This was the period, Solon, when the power of your state (Athens) was universally celebrated for its virtue and strength; for surpassing all others in magnanimity and military skill, sometimes taking the lead of the Greek nation, at others left to itself by the defection of the rest, and brought into the most extreme danger, it still prevailed, raised the trophy over its assailants, kept from slavery those not as yet enslaved, insured likewise the most ample liberty for all of us without exception who dwell within the Pillars of Hercules. (Bibliography: Timaeus & Critias – Plato)

In 1909, in response to an ever emerging interest in the lost Continent, an anonymous contributor to the Times, pointed out that there was resemblance between Plato’s Atlantis and the island of Crete. This anonymous contributor based his whole theory on the argument that the Egyptian priest’s legend reflected the geographical make-up of the island of Crete, Cretan sea-power and the pirate attacks that had occurred along the Egyptian coast during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties. His theory spread rapidly. It was very liked and adopted by many archaeologists, for many centuries.

In fact, in 1912 Paul Schliemann, grandson of Heinrich Schliemann, the famous archeologist, who excavated Mycenae and the legendary city of Troy, revealed that his grandfather, on his deathbed, produced a mysterious bequest for any of his heirs willing to devote their life to proving the existence of Atlantis. He claimed that he had spent years following up on this and he left secret letters behind, locked away in a bank safety deposit box.

Schliemann Jr claimed he had found Phoenician hieroglyphics to support his grandfather’s theories but the truth is the Phoenicians used a phoenetic writing system. He claimed he had found artefacts in the ruins of ancient Egypt but the truth is nothing was ever produced, as evidence and given modern science an technology, the whole theory was called a hoax and people continued to prefer the theory of the Crete being Atlantis.

Lets see why …

Crete is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardegna and Cyprus. It is about 160 miles long, and varies in breadth from about 35 miles in the middle to 10 between Retimo and Sphakia, and only 6 miles in one place between the Gulf of Mirabello and the coast of Hierapetra. The northern coast is characterised by deep gulfs whilst the southern coast is very mountainous and rocky. Mount Psiloriti, (8159 feet), reknowned for it’s dense forestry and, also known as the ancient Mount Ida, can be found almost in the middle of a ridge of hills that go from east to west of the island.

“sea above two thousand. And this district of the whole island was turned towards the south, and in an opposite direction from the north. The mountains around it, too, were at that time celebrated, as exceeding in number, size, and beauty all those of the present time, having in them many hamlets enriched with villages.” (quote)

The ancient capital of Crete was situated at Knossos, near Candia, on the north. In ancient days the island was four days’ sail from Egypt and two from Cyrenaica. It may well be said of Crete, as of Atlantis, that “there was a passage hence for travellers of that day to the rest of the islands, as well as from those islands to the whole opposite continent", which we saw in the narrative quoted above and the prosperity of the island kingdom, of Crete, depended on its sea trade, until after bad relations with the Egyptians, Crete was overrun with raids and the Cretan sea traders eventually vanished to give way to the Phœnicians.

However, during its prime time, Crete held supremacy in sea fairing and commerce. It was the prime-trading link between the Middle East, Asia and Europe. This, of course, is all in a nutshell, as there is far too much more history which time and space does allow me to go into here.

Crete was, also, famous for its sacrificial bullfights; as was Atlantis; and the method by which both civilisations caught the bull, (i.e. without weapons), was another similarity used to support the Cretan / Atlantis theory.

“As there were bulls grazing at liberty in the temple of Poseidon, ten men only of the whole number, after invoking the god to receive their sacrifice propitiously, went out to hunt swordless, with staves and chains, and whichever of the bulls they took, they brought it to the column and slaughtered it.” (quote)

Archaeological evidence does suggest that the island has been inhabited since the 6th or 7th millennium BC, there’s still a little dispute among scientists, about the accuracy of these dates. Evans, a renowned archaeologist who excavated Knossos discovered hand made ceramics dating back to the 5th millennium BC, which, (for him), marked the beginning of Cretan civilisation. He named this period, in history, the “Minoan Era” after King Minos, who in Greek mythology was a semi-legendary king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa.

There is, also, a theory which claims that when the Greek island of Minoan Santorini erupted it sent out a huge tidal wave which hit the north coast of Crete, mainly Elounda, where artefacts are still hidden under the sea but can’t be retrieved due to a ban on diving in Eloundan waters. Rumour has it that the volcanic ash buried remnants of the old continent.

Ok, it’s time for me to just point out a few things here:

1) Even if artefacts, described and documented, as having been from Atlantis, were, supposedly, found in this region, given our knowledge of Cretans as leaders in sea fairing and commerce … could it not be possible that the artefacts found were, in fact, something like a stock inventory for ancient day import-export or even goods purchased from the continent of Atlantis, for European, or global, distribution. Could it be, at that time, that Crete was used as the first, and original, free trade zone? … Remember they were the trade supremacy between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

2) Solon visited Egypt over a thousand years after Crete had been stripped of its ancient supremacy as a maritime power, and the aged priest of Sais evidently repeated to him traditions regarding it. Umm…. I’m thinking time frames and calendars do not coincide here, just as Kenneth, quite rightfully pointed out in the last forum, please read his comment if you have not done so already, it will help to clarify a few points.

3) Plato told us that Poseidon founded the continent of Atlantis and divided it up amongst his sons for ruling. King Minos was not one of Poseidon’s sons; he was the son of Zeus.

4) Crete is too small in dimensional size, even if we only refer back to Plato’s account. In actual fact he told us the island was 300 miles by 200 miles.

5) Crete is in the Mediterranean Sea and not the Atlantic Ocean, which is where we discovered the continent, derived its name from.

There is no doubt about Crete’s supremacy, ancient history, glory and pitfalls but that Crete is Atlantis … I do not believe so …

Atlantis - Part 1

Last night, after our usual Buddhist meeting, a few of my friends and I went out for a drink and we got caught up in a debate about many topics; among which Atlantis.

I have spent years researching the topic and have previously written a number of articles about the subject. My AdlandPro friends will have read these articles already ... but my new friends haven't so, I am reposting them here in Facebook.

The lost continent of Atlantis has been the topic of speculation for decades. Theories are abundant all over the world but not one has ever provided concrete, substantial, evidence of its whereabouts or even of its existence at all.

There are theories that Atlantis is to be found near Crete, another that claims it is in South China Sea somewhere, another saying that it lays under Antarctica and yet another near the Açores. There is, also, a theory that Atlantis never even existed at all.

All the information available on this topic is too vast but I will put together a 2 or 3 part condensed series to help you come to your own conclusions. The ultimate decision to believe what you will is up to you.

The first ever documented reporting of Atlantis dates back to 355 BC with the philosopher Plato, who was a student of Socrates until the latter died in 399 BC, after which time Plato travelled extensively, especially throughout Egypt. In 387 BC, Plato founded an academy for science and philosophy that became the model of modern day universities. His most famous student was probably Aristotle whose philosophies prevail in modern day societies.

Two of his Platos’ dialogues, Timeaus and Critias, hold the only known original references to the island of Atlantis, which is said to have existed 9000 years before Plato’s time and, which apparently had been forgotten by his current Athenian society. These dialogues are, basically, conversations between Socrates, Hermocrates, Timeaus, and Critias about ideal societies and Plato’s way of airing his discord about Athenean ruling of his time.

In the dialogues, Egyptian priests conveyed the story of Atlantis to Solon. Solon passed the tale to Dropides, the great-grandfather of Critias and Critias learned of it from his grandfather also named Critias, son of Dropides.

Here is one of the extracts from the dialogue that refers to Atlantis:

Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded of your state in our histories. But one of them exceeds all the rest in greatness and valour. For these histories tell of a mighty power which unprovoked made an expedition against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Hercules; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the Straits of Hercules is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent.

Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire that had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Hercules as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power, gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars.

But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island. (Bibliography: Timaeus & Critias – Plato)

The fact that the Atlantic ocean is mentioned, by name, and the fact that the “Pillars of Hercules", referred to here, is what we now call the Straight of Gibralta, coupled with the fact that Plato spent most of his travelling time in Egypt and the evidence suggesting that the tale was handed down by an Egyptian priest, rules out any possibility of Atlantis lying anywhere other than the Atlantic Ocean and close to that side of Europe, undermining the theory of Atlantis being in the Indies and the South China Sea.

The story continues:

Poseidon had established that nation and fathered five sets of twins on the island. The firstborn, Atlas, had the continent and the surrounding ocean named for him. Poseidon divided the land into ten sections, each to be ruled by a son, or his heirs.

This suggests that Atlantis was a very large continent and not a mere drop in the ocean but it also contradicts slightly with Plato’s account of the island being 300 miles long and 200 miles wide, (480 km by 320 kms).

However, another theory, according to Rainer Kühne, a German physicist, satellite photos of southern Spain suggest that the “island” of Atlantis was in fact a region of the southern Spanish coast that was destroyed by a flood between 800 B.C. and 500 B.C. The only problem is that Plato wrote about it in 355 BC and it is said to have existed 9000 years prior to that, so for this theory the dates do not coincide.

Ulf Erlingsson, a Swedish geographer, believes Plato combined elements from different times and places in the background description for his utopia. The distribution of the Atlantean empire seems to match that of the megaliths (large rough stone monuments) in Western Europe and North Africa. The geographic description of the island Atlantis, he suggests, is based on an island that is still standing today—Ireland, that shares the same dimensions and features a central plain that is open to the sea.

“I have looked at geographical data of the whole world. Of the 50 largest islands, Ireland is the only one that matches Plato’s description of the landscape,” he added.

The only problem with this theory is that Ireland has never suffered any serious enough volcanic activity said to have destroyed the lost continent.

So where is Atlantis? We know it is somewhere in the Atlantic sea, but where?

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Sow the Seeds of Love

The world is not for those wise of mind but for those wise of heart.

Although it may appear that the wise of mind rule, it is with the heart that we plant seeds of love and spread kindness to one another.

Seasons come and seasons go and the growth of our seeds may be threatened but if we tender to them well and offer them shelter from harsh conditions, we can protect our crops and eventually harvest the fruits of our labour.

When love truly resides within our soul, there is very little anyone can do to ever destroy it. Sometimes, it may feel like it waivers, like it’s absent for a moment or two but the flame never dies. We find our inner strength when we need it the most, when we trust in ourselves most and when we find that every answer we ever needed is contained within ourselves.

It is in love that we extend our hands to one another as brothers and sisters sharing one world where we all reside; breathing the same air, sharing the same oceans, admiring the same beauty of magnificent flora and fauna.

Nothing makes our enemy despise us more than to see our resilience and yet, in truth, we have no enemies because we are all the same. We are ever changing. We are ever evolving and with love we can ever evolve our relationships with those around us.

Ignorance: the lack of information is the root of all our differences. Knowledge: is power. Inner knowing, inner recognising and inner truth bring us closer together and make us see each other for who we were, who we are and who we will be. You and I are one and the same.

We come into this world the same way. We are made of the same substance. We cry the same when we are sad, we bleed the same when we are wounded and one day we all come to pass.

Our time on earth is too precious to waste on futile pursuits that drive us further apart. There is much to be learned in sharing, in proximity, in communication and in co-existence. There is a difference between arguing and debating. One leads to destruction, the other leads to construction.

We gain so much more by freely giving and freely receiving from others than by fighting or by clinging to that which we cannot or will not ever possess of free will.

If I can call you friend and if I can call another friend a friend then you can call my friend a friend too, because we all share common ground.

May 2010 bring peace, love and prosperity to you all.

Saturday 28 November 2009

Lies, Lies, Lies ...

Throughout my whole life, I’ve found myself somehow blessed (or cursed) to be fitted with a kind of innate lie detector. Yet the older I get, the more attuned it seems to be.

Every time I hear a lie – even if it’s a little white one - it’s almost as if a string of red lights start flashing at the back of my eyes and a stream of alarm bells, similar to those of Notre Dame, start ringing inside my head. My whole body starts to oscillate very subtly as if it’s on a frequency of its own.

Although I smile politely and say nothing - as if I believe every word I’m being told - I cringe to the very core of me. My teeth shudder and my bones feel that same eerie discomfort as they do when someone scrapes their fingers along a board of polystyrene.

In my younger years when I didn’t really know what I was dealing with, I use to find it very painful and uncomfortable; especially if the person telling the lie(s) was a loved one or a friend. Nowadays, although it’s still painful to an extent, I just accept it as a part of every day life.

Let’s face it, at some point we’ve all lied about something. We might have lied at a job interview just so we could land the job of our dreams. We might have lied on a first date just to make a good impression. We might have lied to our parents when we snuck out one day. We lie to ourselves all the time when we lead ourselves into false believes. The biggest lie of all is when we say: “We never lie.” We may not like to admit that we do or we may be so self-conceited that we convince ourselves that we don’t; but we all do at some point. It’s a natural part of being a human being. Of course, there are also compulsive liars out there who can no longer distinguish truth from fiction; but I’m not even going to go down that road here.

Even with the best intentions in the world of committing, from this day forward, to never lie again; at some point in the future, we will all lie about something whenever we believe the circumstances dictate that we should do so - even if it’s just to safeguard someone we love from something – Telling a lie for the greater good. I don’t have a problem with that kind of lie; even though technically it’s still a lie.

Personally, I don’t really condone the telling of lies. Yet, even though I cringe to the very bone, I move past them and accept people as they are. However, on the one hand, there are times when I do question if my silent acceptance of someone else’s lies makes me instrumental in their continuation to carrying on telling them. After all, we are all pawns in each others’ chess games. On the other hand, each and every one of us is solely responsible for ourselves.

What I find fascinating, is the motivation behind the act of telling a lie. It intrigues me. I find it contemporaneously amusing and sometimes very sad; amusing because motivations vary and sometimes border on the ridiculous; sad because it can quietly install a deep sense of distrust and insecurity between people, which can push people apart and be very difficult, or virtually impossible, to rebuild.

So just why do people tell lies? – Well, here are just a few of my suggestions, which I’m sure you can add a whole load more to:

To hide the truth of a situation
- Because telling the truth about a situation might hurt someone else.
- Because the person in question doesn’t really want to admit the reality of the situation to themselves; let alone to anyone else.
- Because the truth of a situation could be compromising for the person in question or other people around them;
- In matters of the heart, it could be because the person telling the lie is indecisive or a player who just wants to keep all their options open; to ensure the opposite sex never strays too far away from them.
- Because the truth of a situation may mean admitting defeat or failure to one’s self and/or to others.

To make an impression;
- To be liked by others;
- To land the dream job where an extra push is necessary;
- To be promoted at work where maybe a lack of “actual merit” is present;
- To be regarded/respected in some way to make up for something else lacking in another area of someone’s life. Or, for lack of sufficient self-belief that just being one’s self would be enough;

To protect
- Parents sometimes lie to their children to protect them from harm, i.e. the classic bogie man story.
- Children lie to parents about where they’ve been all night.
- Boyfriends/Husbands lie to Girlfriends/wives (and vice versa) about trespasses, illnesses, job situations, finances etc.

The lists could go on forever and I’m sure you could all come up with a whole range of categories. I‘ve just jotted these down off the top of my head.

As a Buddhist, I took a vow not to lie. Yet, oddly enough, there is an exception clause in the case of necessity for the greater good. However, for me that is a very grey area because what might be considered the greater good for one person may not necessarily be the greater good for another. Who can make that call?

When all is said and done, there are no guidelines in life for lies; not for telling them nor for being on the receiving end. We can only take responsibility for ourselves. Before we say something that isn’t true, we can only explore what is motivating us to be untrue, put our hand on our heart, listen to our conscience and see if we can truly live with what we are about to say.

by Venerina Conti
www.venerinaconti.com,

Friday 13 November 2009

Where have all the good men gone?

I’ll see you in 6 months were the last parting words we said as we looked into each other’s eyes one last time; before we kissed and went our own separate ways at Dubai airport. I watched him as he walked off towards the boarding gate that took him back to Australia before I made my way back to the UK. It was the year 2000 and the last time I had a real relationship with anyone.

It was the first time since 1998, when I split up with my ex partner, that I’d brought myself to trust a man. My previous relationship had been on the rocks for some years. My ex partner and work colleague had slowly been on a downslide path to alcoholism and well, any woman who’s walked alongside someone on that track knows just what it entails; the fights, the anguish, the heartache and the violent streaks; not to mention the emotional and psychological blackmail.

My tall, dark, handsome, mysterious Australian beauty (as I use to call him) called me everyday while I was in the UK. He said he was coming. He never made it. His business took him everywhere around the globe except the UK. I got sent to China. He said he was coming there. He did make it there but only after I left. In fact, he made it to the UK after I left. His business had a way of keeping us apart all the time. I finally moved to Madeira. He told me to wait here. He told me he was coming. So, I did and I’m still here but then, the unthinkable happened. His business folded. He went bankrupt and stopped calling.

After waiting patiently for 3 years, then despairing, and then finally giving up, I met someone online who was such a great friend and such great company to be around. It seems though that I was only to be a friend in times of need; when disaster struck or when nothing better was going on. We’re still friends. I met an Italian Guy with whom I am still friends. I briefly dated a Tunisian guy who ended up spitting in my face and hitting me so hard I heard my back crack; and all because I asked him to hold me.

Then, I met another beautiful man online who captured my heart. After some time, we proposed to take things into the real world. He decided to come here and spend some time in my world. I made the decision to go and spend some time in his world and we agreed that if things worked out then we would take it that one step further and make a commitment to each other. Ten days, or so, before he was due to fly out here he went back to an ex girlfriend. That was Christmas 2006.

In the meantime, my Australian friend and I are back in touch but the trust I had in him has gone. He asked me to move to Australia but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. How could I trust a man who didn’t trust me to still love him when he went bankrupt? To my way of thinking, you don’t love someone because they have money. Many may, but that’s not what I’m about and I felt that he should have known that. Maybe I expected too much of him.

So, it’s now 2009. Somewhere between 2007 and now, I fell in love with another beautiful man who, coincidentally, I never even dated. Another “case closed” before it even started.

It’s very rare in this day and age, for me personally, to be able to say that I would trust my life in the hands of someone. Yet, it seems the very few that I would have trusted it with always end up breaking that trust in some way. I have to ask: “Do I have standards that are too high?” or “Is it because men just aren’t what they use to be?”

I have tonnes of male friends. In fact, I probably have more male friends than girl friends but no one special man in my life. I’ve put my personal life on hold since the year 2000. It’s been mine choice entirely and I don’t regret it, nor do I feel sorry for myself. I’ve dedicated my life to helping others since then and reaped rewards that no one man could have ever given me.

However, I’ve now decided to make that change in my personal life, and on the suggestion of an “eccentric” but adorable American personal coach friend of mine, I’m launching a worldwide campaign to find my one special man. I was told there are 6 million people out there, so it’s a question of trial and error. So, I’m going to try. They say: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”

For once, I’m taking my own advice; picking up the pieces and moving on. My grandmother use to say to me that if someone wants you, they’ll find you. I don’t think that’s true anymore. Times have changed. We live in a different world and different times. It seems that if we want something, sitting in the sidelines; waiting and hoping for the good ones to notice just isn’t enough anymore.

So, where are all the good men?

I’m a simple woman really – although I can be a minefield of complexity in my sometimes irrational but logical thinking. You just have to get to know me.

It’s the little things make me happy - your smile that lets me know you’re happy to see me. A please and thank you, a good morning and good night; a kind gesture, a thoughtful act, a walk in the park or through the forest. I don’t need you to buy me flowers but I do need some sign of appreciation every now and then. I don’t need gifts but I do need hugs to remind me that you care.

I don’t need you to call me or text me or email me every 5 minutes but a hello once a day would be nice to let me know you think about me because I’ll be thinking about you. I don’t need to see you every day, but it would be nice if you surprised me by showing up on my doorstep for a cup of tea once in a while.

I am a Buddhist, so please don’t try and convert me. Don’t be jealous of my friends. If you are that special man in my life, there will be only you for me. I will be faithful and you will always have my loyalty. However, please try and understand that you are only one person compared to the thousands I promised to help. So, please give me space to help them or help me to help them.

One last thing, I may run away from you but I won’t run after you. So if you know in your heart of hearts that you’re afraid to love whole heartedly it’ll never work. As a friend of mine once said about me; when I give, it’s 150%. So, think carefully before you contact me.

My heart’s been broken too many times. I’ve been disappointed and let down too many times. You don’t have to be perfect; just perfect in my eyes. I believe that if something is worth having, then it’s worth going all out for. Do you? Then show me! Actions speak louder than words.

By Venerina Conti (www.facebook.com/venerina)

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Thursday 12 November 2009

Where is justice?

1.2 million Tibetans dead. 125,000 counted in exile by the 1996 census. 2,500 seek asylum every year. Thousands suffer malnutrition, depression, anxiety and persecution syndrome. Thousands never see their home or their families ever again. Thousands die in exile because they never recover. Thousands die because the living conditions in exile aren’t adequate enough.

How many more have to die? How many more need to suffer before something is done? Where is human justice?

I’m not a political person. I never have been. Yet, I will stand up and be a voice when I think something needs to be heard.

The invasion and illegal annexation of Tibet began in 1949. You can read the full story here: http://www.tibet.com/whitepaper/white2.html

Since then, Tibetans have fled mainly to Nepal, India and Bhutan in search of asylum. Although, there are circa 9,000 refugees living in the United States, 8,000 living in Switzerland and a few thousand scattered throughout other parts of Europe and Canada. However, recent census figures are unavailable at this time. (Macalester College)

This year, I visited Nepal and was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with several hundreds of Tibetan refugees. I even visited one of the Tibetan refugee camps just outside Pokhara. Believe me when I say, the Tibetan people are beautiful, kind, loving and peaceful people. They open their doors, their hearts and their homes to strangers. They have little or nothing to give and yet they give everything.

Despite their ordeal, they are not driven by vendetta, resentment or hatred. They are not motivated by capitalism or materialism. They pray for their enemy. In fact, despite the invasion of Tibet and the Chinese occupation, they don’t even consider China their enemy. During one of the retreats I took part in, I was told to pray for China. It was I, as a Westerner, who had to confront that part of me, which unlike them, was reluctant to forgive and forget. Tibetan people resolve matters with loving words, with prayers and with hope in their heart.

Although the Tibetan refugee camps are well organised with small handicraft factories, a prayer hall and basic living quarters for everyone; they are not really a place to call home.

The particular refugee camp I visited was founded in 1962 and yet the people who live there are still not officially recognised by the Nepalese government. To this day, most of the Tibetan people, living there, have no citizenship. They are no longer Tibetans because Tibet is now Chinese. They are not recognised by Nepal because they are asylum seekers. So, they belong to no country.

Citizenship would mean the possibility of a legal job. It would mean being able to travel backwards and forwards to Tibet and visit their family. Yet, it costs Tibetan refugees a tremendous amount of money to get a citizenship of Nepal. A monk friend of mine recently told me it was around 800 Sterling Pounds - if they're lucky enough to get one. Considering the monthly income is around 50 British Pounds – for some not even that - it’s an unthinkable amount of money to spend. So, they're forced to decide between living essentials or citizenship.

They mainly rely on the sales of handcraft items to survive. Monks and nuns don’t earn anything at all. They rely on the kindness and support of donations and sponsorship to survive; and the willingness of monasteries and nunneries to look after them.

During the low tourist season or during times of recession in Europe (like now) - people aren't spending much money - so many Tibetan families barely manage to make ends meet. This is something that I feel wouldn't necessarily happen if the Tibetan people were in their own country in "real" jobs - (whatever they may be defined as.)

While I was there, a Tibetan woman put all her pride aside and asked me for my clothes. She also asked if I had any sheets or other items I didn’t need. She wasn't a beggar. She was a beautiful, polite lady selling jewellery on the streets who was just trying to provide for her family in the best way any mother or grandmother would.

If a family member becomes ill, the medical bills put an enormous strain on the whole family’s total monthly expenditure.

We can say that poverty is everywhere in the world. I know this, but this is a poverty that could be avoided if the people of Tibet were allowed to have a place to belong to - a citizenship - an employment.

Worst of all, where is their voice? It seems that every time someone speaks of the Tibetan situation it’s pushed under the carpet. In fact, one day in Nepal, four of us went down to join a protest march for free Tibet. By the time we got there, everyone had been arrested and thrown in prison.

Now, President Obama is going to visit China and the Tibetan situation isn’t even on his agenda; despite his closeness to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

What kind of human rights is that? Where's the freedom of expression? I believe everyone should be allowed to have a voice.

Like I said before, I am on the side of the people - not governments and politics. I believe in human beings and their rights to the basic human necessities of life.
So, I ask: “Where is justice?”