important to understand that

.. small things count

... we all want the same thing - everybody wants a sustainable enviroment:

'shared ideals of humanity'

BTCV ISG meeting - 10/10/04

intoxication: life in the pursuit of artificial paradise

this book is being reissued april 2005, excerpt from new scientist:

Siegel, the author, believes there is a strong biological drive to seek intoxication. "its the fourth drive" he says, "after hunger, thirst and sex, there is intoxication." Whether we are seeking pleasure, stimulation, pain relief or escape, at the root of this drive, he says, is the motivation to feel "different from normal" - what has sometimes been called "a holiday from reality".

Some people reach this state through roller coasters, art, books, sport, relogion, exploration, love, social contact or power. Others use intoxicants. "its the same motivation" says siegel. "we wouldnt live if we didnt seek to feel differerent".

One of the main "different" feelings we want to experience is pleasure. Pleasure, neuroscientists believe, is the brains way of telling us that we are doing something that is good for survival, such as eating and sex. the circuits that create feeling are driven by natural opioids and cannabinoids. no surprise, then that e have a penchant for putting versions of these chemicals into our brains.

breathing deeply - pondicherry poem

they say one of the oldest methods of healing is by breathing deeply, they say while walking over grass to breath in the colour green, which gives you a deep feeling of harmony with the environment.

they say while walking along the sea, to breath in the color blue, not only will the water energise you, but when combined with the colour blue it will heighten your mind.

they say green is one of the positive colours, suggesting abundance of what we need, and a generosity of what we have.

green is associated with giving and receiving freely so that all may be in balance.

green also relates to qualities of the heart, like sympathy, kindness and compassion.

they say its good for the eyes, to walk barefoot on the grss,

they say, well, why not give it a try!

ashram poem - recorded 07/12/04

being

smile, aspire, believe, mediate, love, seek, try, practice, purify, discover, hope, endure, experiment, encourage, improve, devote, admire, strive, praise, wonder, build, adore, start, beutify, continue

travel is freedom

the spirit of travel is not about getting from one physical point to another, but em,barking on the road to nowhere - a future shrouded in mystery.
when this happens, the future seems open and inviting, and the present is no longer closed, but engaging.
no end point is required, just a willingness to live is the here and now.

time implies a future and past.
And travel should be about the now - what takes place in the present. Its all a state of mind.

the present is all we have, soaked with echoes of the past and electrified by anticipation of the future.

so the aim is to make the most of it by letting yourself be transported to somewhere else, somewhere different in time, space, body and mind.
it can be a difficult place to get to, but thats the aim of many a traveller.