Carl Sagan quote “We are one species” from Zeitgeist Addendum

“An extraterrestrial visitor examining the differences among human societies would find those differences trivial compared to the similarities.

Our lives, our past and our future are tied to the sun, the moon and the stars…We humans have seen the atoms which constitute all of nature and the forces that sculpted this work…and we, who embody the local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings of the cosmos, have begun to wonder about our origins…star stuff contemplating the stars, organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms, contemplating the evolution of nature, tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness here on the planet earth…Our loyalties are to the species and to the planet. Our obligation to survive and flourish is owed not just to ourselves but also to that cosmos ancient and vast from which we spring.
We are one species. We are star stuff harvesting star light.”

Carl Sagan (1934 – 1996)

What is Reiki?

What is ReikiWhat is Reiju? Usui Reiki Ryoho vs. Usui Shiki Ryoho

Reiki is a Japanese Healing Art. It means ‘Universal Life Force Energy’ whereas ‘rei’ means ‘Universal Energy’ and ‘ki’ (chi, prana, energy) means ‘Personal Energy’. Reiki can also mean ‘Enlightenment’ since you are joining together the Universal Energy with someone’s Personal Energy. Reiki orginates with Mikao (me cow) Usui (oo sue ee) many years ago. He was a Martial Artist, Kiko (Chi Kung) Master, and possibly a Shinto Priest. He channeled the Reiki energy from the Universe and began giving healing treatments to people. He taught his method, which was initally called “Method to Achieve Personal Perfection” to people. Depending on the student is how he taught it. So many students could learn differently. He used Reiju (which means ‘give/receive spirit’ as ‘ju’ can be written two ways: ‘to give’ or ‘to receive’ and ‘rei’ of course means ‘Spirit’ or ‘Universe’). Reiju is an Empowerment of passing the gift of Reiki onto someone else and/or to strengthen their connection to Reiki.

Usui trained a Japanese Navy Medical Doctor named Hayashi who created his own form of Reiju which was a four stage “attunement process”. It is also believed that this medical doctor, and some of Usui’s last students who were also from the Navy, had trouble grasping Usui’s usual training techniques so Usui, in all his wisdom, adjusted his teaching so they could understand it the best. Which meant he taught these students to use Symbols for giving Reiki to others as a way of focus. Hayashi, in turn, trained a Hawaiian Japanese woman named Takata. Takata learned Hayashi’s translation of Reiki and she brought it to Hawaii, and, in turn, America. American then learned this way of Reiki which follows her lineage called “Usui Shiki Ryoho” or the “Usui System of Natural Healing”. Takata and her lineage then learned to use attunements instead of Reiju and to incorporate the Reiki symbols and keep them hidden and sacred.

It is worth noting that my idea of the symbols is simply this. If two people are standing next to each other loutside at night and person 1 says, look up, do you see that star. Person 2 looks up and points to the sky with their hand and says ‘yes, I see it.’ They both are observing the same thing, but just differently.

Usui and his lineage from Japan is “Usui Reiki Ryoho” or the “Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method”. Around the time of Usui’s death a Reiki Society was created in Japan called the ‘Reiki Gakkai’. It is said publicly that Usui himself created this society and was founding President. This is mentioned in the history of the Gakkai and on Usui’s tombstone. However, it is believed that Usui never created this Society and that Hayashi and the three naval officer students created it in honor of Usui and to continue his lineage. Either way, it exists but only in Japan.

It is also worth noting that in Japan Reiki can mean many things. So you would call Reiki in Japan as Usui-Do (Way of Usui) as it is common to name a system after the founder’s name. Usui is usually referred to as Usui-Sensei since he was a teacher (as what ’sensei’ means). Most of these things are common knowledge to people in the Usui Reiki Ryoho lineage. People in the Usui Shiki Ryoho lineage know things that they were taught from Takata and are less aware of the true beginnings and live more out of a ’story’ of Reiki as they are told. Reiki is Universal Life Energy that a practitioner can channel or focus onto a certain person, time, or event. You can send the energy to yourself or to someone at a distance (different room, state, country, etc.) and also send it to a past event in time or to a future event. The energy can be sent to cars, objects, things, rooms, spaces, etc. It is used in healing people at hospitals and works on four aspects of your body-temple. Mind, body, emotions, spirit.

British lingo: Fortnight

My co-worker is from England and likes to use his fancy English words. Today’s word is Fortnight (fort night) which means 14-days. In America we do not use this term but it is used in other places around the world. You also need to take into consideration that people who learn English as a second language in College learn British English, but watch American television. So you may hear these words come from non-Westerners as well.

The fortnight is a unit of time equivalent to fourteen days. The word derives from the Old English feorwertyne niht, meaning “fourteen nights”.[1][2] Fortnight is a commonly used word in Britain and many Commonwealth countries such as India, New Zealand and Australia where many wages, salaries and most social security benefits are paid on a fortnightly basis.[3] The word is rarely used in the United States, but is used regionally in Canada. Payroll systems may use the term biweekly in reference to pay periods every two weeks. The terms fortnightly and biweekly are often mistakenly conflated with semimonthly. In many languages, there is no single word for a two-week period and the equivalents of “two weeks” or “fourteen days” have to be used. In Spanish, Italian, French and in Portuguese, there are the terms quincena (or quince días), quindicina, quinzaine and quinzena, all meaning “fifteen days”. Similarly, in Greek, the term dekapenthimero meaning “fifteen days” is also used. The Hindu calendar uses the Sanskrit word “paksha” to mean one half of a lunar month, which is between 14 and 15 solar days. In Welsh the term pythefnos, meaning “fifteen nights”, is used instead. This is in keeping with the Welsh term for a week, which is wythnos (“eight nights”)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortnight

Free Hugs!

The Free Hugs campaign was started back in 2006 with Juan Mann in Australia. He walked around public shopping malls holding large signs saying “Free Hugs” and he would give everyone who approached him a free hug. Soon shopping centers began to ban him as the city said that he did not have permission nor insurance should anyone get hurt while he was giving him hugs. After receiving 10,000 signatures on a petition he was allowed to continue giving free hugs to people. His movement has spread across the world and there are now people organizing Free Hugs events in most major cities. Check out the video below. The background music is from Sick Puppies.

This video is proof that one individual CAN make a difference – not only in the world, but also, in someone else’s life.

One Love.

Why Worry About Someone Else Who is Worrying?

The other day I was getting ready to head out for a weekend excursion out of the country. I was going to be gone for two days and was talking to my girlfriend on the phone who was up visiting her parents for the week. She was very worried about me taking care of everything at the apartment or while on my trip. Leaving something plugged in at the apartment, misplacing my apartment keys, not being careful in a foreign country, leaving the lights on at the apartment, the list goes on and on. I had no problems whatsoever but regardless, while I was in transport I was thinking worrying about my girlfriend. I was thinking about all the things she was worrying about and why she was worrying, why she kept repeating everything and double checking and just on and on. Finally, a spark of wisdom fly in and I asked myself, “why I am worrying about her worrying?” It was brilliant.

You see, other people worry. A lot of people in my life worry. That’s just how they are – how they choose to be. And I accept that and try to let them be as I do not worry as much about similar things that others may more often than not, worry about. However, in accepting someone and allowing them to be who they are it is not for me to get caught up in their own life or play out their own character in my mind. My mind’s eye is for my own energy, my life, and what I wish to create. Not so spend my time dwelling on the energy of others. So I accepted and allowed my girlfriend to be a worrier and than I continued onward with my trip and enjoyed it very much.

So when someone else is worrying, or angry, or sad, or happy – accept and allow them to be who they choose to be and know that it is up to you to choose to be who you wish to be in that moment, as well. You have your own life which you are responsible for – so live it fully with your own energy. And then, you will see that you are able to create magic. = )

Did You Know?

There has been a video from YouTube circling around the Internet more and more recently even though it was original posted back in 2007. It has been updated at least three times since then with current statistics. It was originally titled “Did You Know – Shift Happens, Globalization, Information Age”. I believe the video posted below is the lastest version titled “Did You Know? 3.0″.

The Largest Market in SE Asia

I currently live in Bangkok, Thailand and we have the largest, and second largest, markets in all of South East Asia. The largest market I have been too a few times and it is nicknamed JJ Market from the one spelling of the name: Jatujak Market. It is also spelled Chatuchak Market. JJ Market is mostly a weekend market, Saturday and Sundays, and there are around 5,000 stahls and an estimated 100,000 visitors at this large outdoor market every weekend. It is a large flea market. Becareful of your belongings when you go and spend some time browsing around. There are free maps available from parking lot gates and people walking around handing them out. If you need anything for the apartment, souverinor, or gift for someone – this is where you get it. Below is a video that I shot with my Canon digital camera and then composed using Windows Movie Maker to make a less than 5 minute video. Check it out and feel free to leave a comment below!

Welcome to Truthisthyself.wordpress.com

I have had many websites and domain names. Time was approaching for me to re-register a number of my domain names and my hosting account. I didn’t have the money in a U.S. account – only Thai baht. So I thought, what would happen if I lost my domain names and hosting account. And I realized – I would just lose my domain names and hosting account. So I let them go. In their place I have created one, single blog. This is that blog – and it is my only website. All of my previous domain names have either expired or been redirected to this blog until they, too, expire. This will be my online prescense for personal, professional, and travel. It helps me really focus and to not be so scattered and multi-tasking on many different domains and using various files in a hosting account. I have one space and it is here. Although, I do use a few social networks…