Gaia: Wrops for Writer Operations

Re: I need books

http://jilljj.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:53:23 GMT

It always happens at these blogs, I end up replying to myself....Oh well

I would just like y'all to know I have some updates to this: The
agreement can be gotten at
http://www.jilljj.com/ZenCart/author-agreement.pdf

View current book store at www.jilljj.com/ZenCart/ebooks

and the rest is about the same, but just to be sure, any updates I will
post to my profile page before going to each group, so please check
there, and I am still looking for more Authors, so please do email me
if interested.

Jill

I need books

http://jilljj.gaia.com — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:05:33 GMT

this might sound a little wacky at first, but I think it makes for a
good way to market your books. I have been wanting to have a bookstore
online because i am a voracious reader interested in the topics on
Gaia. I have a fledgling website from which I now sell artwork, and I
want to add books, but have not the time to write. The book storefront
would be at www.jilljj.com/ZenCart
in
it would be your ebooks: descriptions, titles, pics, prices, etc……The
site now is sad, no books, but don’t worry, I am great a web design and
that will change soon as I get authors……….
Now, I worked for a while
as a cost estimator at a college text book company and I know what a
tiny pittance goes for author fees. Instead of 6 to 10%, what I propose
here is that you get to keep is 60%. I personally have had a hard time
finding a central location for books of this subject matter, which
means we could have a niche! The benefit for me would also be
increased traffic to my site and hopefully you authors let me read your
works while we are at it. Of course this is something to which we both
need to agree, and I will have paper works to sign to get us through
all the red tape.
Please email me if you’d like to jump in or have ideas.
Jill

Re: Drop in and share whats been going on

http://seladyne.gaia.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:22:09 GMT

Busy with the holidays and a little one this week But looking forward to getting back on the horse here next week. I've got so many plans and aspirations for the new year.

Anyone else?
~Samantha

Re: Introductions

http://seladyne.gaia.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:19:49 GMT

Well I suppose I'm just another newbie around here.

Not a newbie writer as I am a published fiction author but lately life is feeling disconnected. So here I am and hoping to connect with other writers to create a network of colleagues and friends here.

Currently I'm working on two fiction projects. One is a sequel to my published novel The Tempest's Child and the other is the start of a fantasy series.

Also I'm about to begin a journey on The Artist's Way. Anyone is happy to join me. I'm thinking of trying to find a community on here for that or maybe starting one.

Anyway, hope to meet some of you soon.
~Samantha

Joyful fiction story about physical immortality

http://vivaever.gaia.com — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:39:56 GMT

" THE SONG OF LIFE "

INSTANTLY he woke The crash had sounded as though it

came from just beneath the bedroom window. Who could be

out there at this time of night. He cautiously peeked

through the curtains. There she was - the most beautiful

women he had ever seen. Her long chesnut hair cascading

over her bare shoulders, the pale blue chiffon nightgown

flowing opalescent over her lithe body. She looked up at

him giggling and apologising for making such a clatter,

asking to come in. Was he dreaming. He pinched himself.

Ouch. he was definitely awake. Who was she. As he studied

her face more closely a memory started to surface. She was

the women he had seen walking past the cab as it pulled

up at his house that afternoon. He had felt tingles go up

and down his spine when he saw her then. Time had been

suspended, or so it seemed, for when his attention came

back to the present she was still giggling and beckoning

him to open the window. Without further delay he flung the

window open and held out his hand to assist her. She was

real - my god ! or was it goddess.

Standing only centimetres away, her gaze reached deep into

his soul. His body vibrated. Timelessness enveloped him. Her

words, that were beyond words, filled his entire being.

" The secret of life is in your heart"

She was gone. INSTANTLY.

His body felt weird. It seemed to be singing a new

song, one that was harmonius and joyful. It felt like

dolphins chirping happily together. Yeah he'd swum with

dolphins a few times, it felt like that only more

powerful. And energy - he was full of it. He glanced in

the mirror. He definitely looked different. Younger. Who

was this women. Had he dreamed her. No way. He'd held

her hand when he helped her through the window. She was

solid flesh. How had she disappeared.

So many questions. Maybe some sleep would help him

assimilate this strange event. The bed felt cosy and

normal, he fell asleep feeling his definition of normal

was in the process of evolution.

The memory of his mysterious visitor was still

vivid the next morning. He'd had some unusual dreams

about a place he'd only heard of yesterday - Glastonbury

in southern England. He'd been visiting a friend and the

conversation had turned to the legends of the holy grail

and that Joseph of Aramathea was reputed to have buried

the cup from the last supper in Chalice Hill, Glastonbury.

What was the holy grail really. His friend had mused that

it might have something to do with having an open, loving

heart. And then the women last night had talked of

the heart.

His friend was going to do some work on his car

while he was away so he'd caught a cab home. The cab

driver was unusually talkative and had enquired about

his holiday plans. He'd remarked that England was nice

at this time of the year with all the autumn leaves

especially in counties like Surrey. How strange that the

driver had mentioned that at almost the same moment

he'd first seen his beautiful visitor.

He started to feel that the universe was

suggesting he go to this town of Gl;astonbury during his

holiday break. If it mean't he'd see that women

again he'd go to the restaurant at the end of the Multi-

verses!

Alhough intent on packing his suitcase, he immediately

heard the muffled sound of

her laughter accompanied by a gentle knocking.

Opening the door he was startled to see that not only

was it 'the woman' but she was carrying a suitcase.

'Can i come in? My name's Marie, I didn't get a chance

to tell you that last time, I was whisked away rather

quickly'

'That's an understatement. I've seen a few unusual exits

before but never one like that. Was it teleporting - like

they do on Star Trek'

'Yeah - I can't do it by myself yet, I was assisted,

sort of like a tandem sky dive. I'll tell you more about

that later, i've got other things to tell you first , if

you'd like me to.'

Like her to - every cell in his body was yelling YES,

couldn't she hear it?

'Of course. Sit down. Would you like a cup of tea. My

name's Kelvin'

'Green tea, thanks. Yes, I know, Kelvin Troup, journalist

with the 'New Milleniun' magazine. You've been doing some

wonderful articles on physical immortality, that's why i'm

here'

'Are you interested in it' he attempted to sound calm.

He poured the boiling water on the tea bag, enjoying the

delicate aroma of jasmine that wafted from it.

'Yes, I've been studying and living physical immortality

for around 15 yrs now. Death is very much a choice, many

people are awakening and choosing physical immortality. My

feeling is that over the next hundred years all of the

earth's population will evolve into this knowing.'

He placed the tea on the table in front of her and sat

opposite. She certainly exuded a vibrant zest for life.

Her body seemed to pulse aliveness and her eyes danced,

sometimes with a hint of mischief.

'You said the other night the the secret of life is in

your heart. Is that like the open, loving heart being the

holy grail that grants physical immortality?'

'Sounds very mystical when you say it like that, doesn't

it? It has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. It's

really quite simple though - the more we open our hearts

to each other, embrace our differences and, in so doing,

love all aspects of ourself, the more aliveness our

physical body has.'
'We fully connect to the divine matrix of 'All that is'.

Physical death is replaced by embracing
the 'litle deaths' of change and flow. We continually re -

invent ourselves, without needing to re-incarnate.'

'We also learn to be more present emotionally in the now moment.'

'Hmmm that all makes a lot of sense'

'We thought you'd think that'

'Who's we' he looked around nervously, wondering if

someone was about to pop in for a cup of tea, without

coming through the open door'

'Relax' she laughed 'she's not here this time'

'You mean she was the other time?'

' Yep, standing right next to me, that's how i was able

to teleport'

'Who was she? I guess I couldn't see her because she was at an energetic frequency beyond my visual range.'

'That's right. Windera has been physically immortal for

many centuries so she's learn't lots of tricks. She can

dematerialise her physical body and rematerialise it

wherever she wants. She gave me the experience. We both

thought you'd get a kick out of it and that it would

heighten your interest. It was also a really cool

experience for me.'

'I'm sure it was. Do you run into these advanced

immortals often?'

'She's only the second 'advanced' immortal i've come into

contact with. 'Advanced' immortals like to keep a low

profile. They are not into hierarchies and see all of us

as their equals - they just happen to know a few more

tricks than we do. Occasionally they will assist us if we

need it. They don't want us to give our power away to

them.'

'Yeah i totally get that! Humanity has been doing that

for way too long.'

He glanced at her suitcase.

"Oh Windera said you were going on holiday to Glastonbury.

I'm writing a book on physical immortality and it's

awhile since i've been there. I was wondering if i could

go with you? I know a lot about the grail legends. Did

you know that the Glastonbury area is the energetic heart

chakra of the earth?'

'No i didn't. Of course you can come with me. You can

show me around.'

"Cool. Do you think we can visit America on the way

back. I've been wanting to visit there again for quite

some time.'

'Yeah let's do that. I belong to an internet discussion

group called Reconnections, we can say hi to some of the

members. They're an interesting lot, have you heard of

them?'

'Yes i often tune in. I'm sure they'd be wanting to

hear my tales of Windera. And reconnecting is sooo what

i'm talking about!'

He made her another tea then went to the internet to

adjust the plane tickets. He watched her sipping the tea.

She started softly singing - i'd like to teach the world

to sing in perfect harmony...

The melody touched the deepest region of his heart -

harmony was non-judgement, non-judgement was heart's home.

Sighing with the contentment of the now moment he

wondered about the next verse in the song of his life....

hmmm was a partner dance about to begin ....... Life is

one big adventure..... maybe it would be exciting to be

around a few centuries or more......

I

An Enriching Sequel to BEGINNER'S LUKE

http://sol.gaia.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:24:55 GMT

THE TOY BUDDHA: An Enriching Sequel to BEGINNER'S LUKE

Janet Pearson, Apex Reviews, www.apexreviews.net

The Toy Buddha, Book II of the Beginner's Luke Series, picks up where its predecessor left off: with the fearless Luke Soloman continuing his trek down the Experience Trail. In this compelling set of adventures, though, Luke's journey is as much physical as it is metaphysical.

At a festive Halloween party hosted by his imaginary friend, Billy, Soloman trips out on acid. At the height of his delirium, Soloman witnesses a glowing Buddha statue passing nearby, but its significance seems, well, insignificant, and Soloman writes off the experience as per the typical side effects of a bad acid trip.

Time goes on, and Soloman's inward quest for self-discovery takes a few quirky turns: he mysteriously grows six inches overnight, begins playing basketball regularly, and, inevitably has his heart broken by both his heart's one true desire, Vanessa, and his trusted imaginary friend. In the midst of his emotional grief, he witnesses the Buddha once again only this time the statue actually speaks to him, offering only the following terse axiom:

“You can't travel the path 'til you've become the path.”

Before he has a chance to delve the depths of the statement, Soloman suffers a near fatal accident After he awakens from a dream-filled stupor, he reconciles with his friend and beloved, begins to mend, and eventually enjoys the pleasures he has heretofore only imagined with the lovely Vanessa. Unable to deny the significance of the Buddha's recurrence in his life, though, Soloman soon ventures off again, on a continued search for even deeper meaning–if there is any at all.

The Toy Buddha is an enriching sequel to Beginner's Luke, helping to further define the original tome, as well as make its mission that much more clear. Luckman's writing continues to be emboldened by his charged plunges into the abstract, and his playful, yet sincere, treatment of the ethereal continues to make for an enlightening read. If Book III of this engaging six-part series is anything like its progenitors, Luckman's cadre of devoted readers is destined to only grow.

The Adventure of an imaginary lifetime began with Beginner's Luke. Now Luke is back and better than ever in this stand-alone, mock-epic, enlightening spoof of all things held sacred in American culture. WARNING: The Toy Buddha may cause vertigo, euphoria, lunatic laughter. May fundamentally alter you so the old rules no longer apply, so it's okay if clothes become optional, okay to make love not war, okay to set fire to your country club, dig up your neighborhood golf course, plant an organic garden and build your new community one puff at a time …

Download your FREE copies of Beginner's Luke and The Toy Buddha today at …

http://www.beginnersluke.com/page7.html

Re: Introductions

http://kelseyelizabeth.gaia.com — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:43:41 GMT

Um, hello! I write mostly fiction, and music. For me writing is both a hobby and a form of therapy. It is amazing how problems can dissolve once you start writing.

Inspiration:My book is a finalist in the Book of the Year Awards!

http://40daystototallifetransformation.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:24:52 GMT

Hi all -

I haven't been around much, since I have been having to do so much book publicity, but I wanted to inspire all of you who are pre-authors or new authors or just authors in general - that writing dreams DO come true!

I just found out that my book, The Flow: 40 Days to Total Life Transformation has been chosen as a finalist in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards!!!

For those of you that are not familiar with ForeWord Magazine, it is a magazine that is designed to bring the acheivements of books that are independently published (not published with the "big 5" publishing houses).

I am soooooo excited about this, and I wanted to share, because I know that when I was writing and getting published, I heard over and over again that "writing is hard." "It's tough to get published." "Writers are poor." (and on and on - I am sure you have all heard all of them!!)

I refused to believe it, stayed true to my personal vision of what I believed my book could be, and now, I am not only fortunate enough to hear from people every single day how my book has changed their lives, but I also am a finalist in this Award, and nominated for 2 others (waiting to hear on those!! :0))

Anyway, I am always around to help if you have questions about the publishing process, how to make the most of what you are doing,. need inspiration, or whatever. It usually takes me a couple of days to respond to things, but I always respond!

Much love to all - and please, let this inspire you - you, too can do this!!! I promise!!!

:o) Tara

Re: FEB POETRY RETREAT IN THE WOODS--UPDATED

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:51:30 GMT

And also:

wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com presents:
THE CURIO COAST SPRING POETRY PRIZE

Curio Coast Productions specializes in arts and education to challenge and encourage social change in areas such as sustainability, human rights, etc. To introduce CCP to poets we’re offering this general topic contest. Future contests will have themes, such as animal rights, feminism, intentional community, Earth-based spirituality, etc.

Prize & Fees:

Prize: $100. Winner & 2 honorable mentions will be published on wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com

$10 fee per 3 poems, no poem more than 2 pages each. One writer may send more than 3 poems, $10 per each group of 3.

Each poem should be printed in a 12 point, easily readable font. The writer’s name, address, phone number and email address should be in the upper right hand corner of each page--front or back is acceptable. Folding to fit a letter sized envelope is fine. Simultaneous submission and previously published work is welcome--We want your best! Please keep copies of your work. We do not return submissions.

Judging:

We will be looking for fresh, specific imagery, economy, rhythm, interesting subject matter and overall poetic craft. Tone can be edgy or inspirational. Any topic is welcome. Submissions will be reviewed by Wren Tuatha and Curio Coast Productions volunteers.

Deadline & Submission Address:

March 20, 2008 (spring equinox) Prize Announcement: April 20, 2008

Make check payable to Curio Coast Productions. Mail submissions to:

Curio Coast Spring Poetry Prize
Heathcote Center
21300 Heathcote Road
Freeland, MD 21053

FEB POETRY RETREAT IN THE WOODS--UPDATED

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:07:55 GMT

wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com
Presents a

POETRY RETREAT IN THE WOODS

Feb 23-24, 2008
Heathcote Community Conference Center
Nestled between Baltimore, MD & York, PA

Feb 23 10 am to 6 pm
Feb 24 10 am to 6 pm

**FREE READING & OPEN MIC Feb 22, 7:30 pm**

This weekend workshop will explore economy in poetry, and the art of “show, don’t tell,” giving the reader or audience our thoughts through imagery.

Join us in Heathcote Community’s historic mill for a weekend of reading, writing, playing and performing. Bring your old favorites and works in progress for our critique sessions!

Join us for two days of experiential intensive, with critique sessions, writing periods and visceral workshops on finding fresh images, economy of language, show/don’t tell, writing from instinct and rewriting with detachment.

This weekend is for any writer who wants to take her/his poetry to the next level, especially for publication or performance. Who is your audience? What are your goals--Are you trying to communicate specific ideas or hone poetic craft? Do you get quagmired in or avoid rewrites? Come to the woods and dance poetically outside of your comfort zone!

I minimize lectures and work more as facilitator. Poetry is like film--There are endless genres and audiences. Your own approach is not wrong. But let me take you on a challenging ride to the unexpected image that guards the core of your poem!

Rustic, communal lodging for participants will be provided in the workshop space. Bring your own bedding. Meals are vegan/vegetarian and organic, provided in Heathcote Community’s popular kitchen and dining room.

Registration will be limited to 10 participants.

Please mail this form to:
Poetry Retreat in the Woods
Heathcote Community
21300 Heathcote Road Freeland, MD 21053

Optionally, include up to 3 samples of your poetry.

FEES

workshop                    $100        $100
lodging
Fri nite                    $10        _____
Sat nite                    $10        _____
Sun nite                    $10        _____
meals
Fri dinner                    $5        _____
Sat breakfast                $2        _____
Sat lunch                    $3        _____
Sat dinner                    $5        _____
Sun breakfast                $2        _____
Sun lunch                    $3        _____
Sun dinner                $5        _____
airport transportation
arriving                    $20        _____
departing                    $20        _____

                    YOUR TOTAL    _____

Please make checks payable to

CURIO COAST PRODUCTIONS,
or pay via paypal, to
curiocoastREMOVE@comcast.net.

Work exchange & potluck available. Email any questions.

About the Facilitator:

    Wren is Artist-in-Residence at Heathcote Center. Her poems have appeared in The Baltimore Review, Digges’ Choice, The Baltimore Women’s TImes, The Green Revolution and the anthology Blood and Tears. She received a Young Authors Award in Poetry from The Courier Journal. She is a founding member of Baltimore’s Sunday Salon critique group. She wrote a stage play from her poetry, This Is How She Steps on Snakes, which she performed in Baltimore and at Towson University. The journal Grub Street awarded her first prize for slam poetry.
    Wren Tuatha is principally a screenwriter, under the banner Curio Coast Productions. She wrote the feature scripts Bacca Blooms, Strands of Emily, This Is How She Steps on Snakes and My Second Simone. She is currently developing feature film scripts for collaboration with Rattle the Cage and others. She studied poetry, as well as Electronic Media and Film at Towson University and education at the University of Louisville. Her short films, “Totems of a Road-Colored Goat” and “Sparrow, Like Everyone,” are poem treatments.

    Her poems and projects can be viewed at:

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com/

Re: Military Campaigns Begin

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:15:38 GMT

Nice & tight. Strong images. Good economy. Powerful observations well said!

Wren

Peter with Oranges

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:17:42 GMT

Peter with Oranges

I’ll pivot.
Thanks for the oranges and advice.
The citrus of it drips on the latest patch of
my same old rash.

These ones are tart, picked early for
importing, maybe.
But they boost me.

You, picky Peter in the pond,
treading water and explaining the
one cylinder diesel engine while
I-as-Lorelai swam naked circles around
you, pond moss in my dreadlocks, in
your beard. Hikers on the arteries diverted eyes.

We are organs of that larger hungry animal.

You can be the brain, if it would please you.
I’ll be the lungs--belly lungs,
the goddess of the yoga breath.
And words, for me, will cease to be symbols,
just handsome howls and organic grumps.

A corsage over a splinter.

--Wren Tuatha

Invitation to Poetry Retreat in the Woods!

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:08:37 GMT

POETRY RETREAT IN THE WOODS:
Feb 23-24, 2008
Heathcote Community Conference Center
21300 Heathcote Road Freeland, MD 21053

Feb 23 10 am to 6 pm
Feb 24 10 am to 6 pm

This weekend workshop will explore economy in poetry, and the art of “show, don’t tell,” giving the our reader or audience our thoughts through imagry.

Join us in Heathcote Community’s historic mill for a weekend of reading, writing, playing and performing. Bring your old favorites and works in progress for our critique sessions.

42 in Poetry: How to craft your “answers to life, the universe and everything” in a poem

Whille this retreat isn’t a study of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it happens that I’m turning 42 the day before the workshop. And since “42” is Adams’ answer to the “ultimate question of life, the universe and everything,” I must be a vessel of great poetic knowledge. If not, at least there will be birthday cake!

Communal lodging for participants will be provided in the workshop space. Meals are vegan/vegetarian, and organic, provided in Heathcote Community’s kitchen and dining room.

Email Wren Tuatha through zaadz for fees and details!

About the Facilitator:

Wren Tuatha’s poems have appeared in The Baltimore Review, Digges’ Choice, The Baltimore Women’s TImes, The Green Revolution and the anthology Blood and Tears. She received a Young Authors Award in Poetry from The Courier Journal. She is a founding member of Baltimore’s Sunday Salon critique group. She wrote a stage play from her poetry, This Is How She Steps on Snakes, which she performed in Baltimore and at Towson University. The journal Grub Street awarded her first prize for slam poetry.

Wren Tuatha is a screenwriter, under the banner Curio Coast Productions. She wrote the feature scripts Bacca Blooms, Strands of Emily, This Is How She Steps on Snakes and My Second Simone. She is currently developing feature film scripts for collaboration with Rattle the Cage and others.

Wren is Artist-in-Residence at Heathcote Center.

Poetry Retreat at Heathcote Community

http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:03:24 GMT

Hey all! I'm going to be offering a 2 day Poetry Retreat/Workshop next month at Heathcote Community. I'll post details as they're approved. You can watch the site linked below for details.

Heathcote Community is an intentional community in rural Maryland near Baltimore. We have 110 wooded acres and the retreat in in our historic mill. Heathcote also has several openings for residential membership. You can learn about it here:

http://www.heathcote.org/default.htm

Peace and Happy New Year,

Wren Tuatha

Re: envisioned graphic novel needs graphics

http://radiate-soul-light.gaia.com — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:29:03 GMT

are you looking for someone to assist in the graphics?

if so......

check out

www.sanctuairesoulssanctuary.com/Artwave.Vision.htm

There is much we can do to assist.

Blessedly BE

Roni & YOUr Soul's Family

envisioned graphic novel needs graphics

http://libramoon.gaia.com — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:22:52 GMT

Are you aware that my envisioned graphic novel, Acts of Desolation, is awesomely evolving, bit by bit, yet still has no graphics?

Let me know how I am doing:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977172809

Brought to you by "Expanding Metaverse" Emerging Visions visionary art ezine Issue #10 (tenatively emerging in late November)
meanwhile, enjoy Issue #9, Mindful Design

http://emergingvisions.blogspot.com

Life, Death, the Pursuit.

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:34:34 GMT

Here we are again, or rather, here I am again. You are here only through these pages, but maybe you are here on the level of higher consciousness. Doesn’t matter. We are together at this point! Life and Death and the pursuit. What a strange strange thing that life turns out to be. I want to ask, tonight, what is life? Of course in the biological sense, its easy to describe. We convert matter to energy and use it. Not much exploring needed on that topic, rather, I would like to look at the metaphysical side of things. The side of things that define the moment when we say we feel alive. What is the goal of our individual lives, or does that goal even exist? Darwinists would tell us we are nothing more than animals, who will evolve into something else and have no higher purpose than any other animal. Humanists would say that we are higher than other animals and because so, we have an obligation to be just in our actions. People have chrysies within their lives all the time because they “don’t know why they’re here”. I think this is where I’ll start.

I cannot accept the idea that we have a general purpose while we are here. We are beings of change. Nothing within our lives is ever stable by any means. I don’t believe that it would be half as much fun if we were stable, and our lives were more understandable. I find it thrilling knowing that I have no clue where I will be in a year. Some say that this is a bad thing, and I should plan farther ahead but I tell them no. My future does not lie with in my security of money or stability. My future lies within the realm of exploration. There lies a world beneath our feet that begs to be explored. A sun that lights it up for us to see the darkest corners. No my future does nor lie on the 405 Freeway or a nice coffin and a tombstone that said he made a million dollars and drove a BMW. My future lies within the dirt on which you stand. My grave will be of earth and my headstone of the plants. If you were to ask them they would tell you he saw more than most will ever know, and that he cried and laughed and left the world with few regrets. Maybe this is my goal throughout my life, to seek this journey, but once on it, would my goals not change? I think that we quantify life with these goals, and in turn, when we reach them, we find ourselves striving for a new goal. We hear those say my life no longer has meaning. I find a sadness in that. We have goals set by our society that once we meet, what do we do? Once I grow up and have a beautiful wife, three car garage, 2.5 kids, a green lawn, and a house with shutters, what’s left? Well, its easy. Happiness. Our life is not quantified within these small goals that we set for ourselves. It is summed up in the end, not by the amount of goals in which you finished, but by how happy you left this earth. We all know those older people who are sad and cynical. They may have started to realize they got caught up in a realm of B.S. If given the chance, they may do it all different. Then we know the old person who is happy and still enjoys every ounce of life. They do the things the love and when they die, that’s what they leave with, but they also leave that within us. Love that we strive to create within our own lives.

I think we also need to address that this overwhelming happiness and satisfaction in life is found in different ways. Don’t use that expression as a way to justify something you know you don’t love but are forced into doing either. I know you might because I would. We can all find this happiness through different mediums, and these mediums need to be respected. I find it utterly sad when someone tears something away that they love because someone else told them they shouldn’t love it. A prime example is religion. People have their ideas of god because of the experiences they have had and within these ideas they find a solstice. You can find this in the arts with people varying tastes. You can find this within practically everything. These opinions and loves must be respected. We can debate them but we must not tear people down because of them. I’m sure we all know people like this, who cannot see the other side of the story. We have all been victim to that sin. I think we must see though, that the quality of a Christian god and the quality of a Islamic god are different yes, but neither is more right or wrong from each other. They are both ideas of an abstract concept that people must use their heart to decide with. We must also look at the fact that what is done with these ideas are not reflections of the ideas themselves, but of that of the persons heart. We all have different hearts, and in some we will find more black than others. I in no way claim to understand or have an idea of what to do when we come to a situation where we find a man who finds love in killing. I do not think killing is a good thing, but I don’t claim to know what to do with this man. I only claim that we should tread lightly when it comes to the ideas of others.

So here I come to a crossroads of sort; reflecting on my own goals. I love things that are not in my life at the moment, such as family, the idea of true love of another, nature, and many other things. Things I have that I love include music, a few close friends, writing, the thought that someone can relate to that writing, as well as many other things. It would clearly be more virtuous of me to seek out these things I know I love and to bring them back into my life but then something else crosses my mind.

I am an explorer of loves.

I do not wish for the same things in my life everyday! I wish for new loves. I wish to seek them out and throw myself into them. To engulf completely in the sheer beauty of them. To find the ones that that utterly fascinate me and hold on to them and to know that when I die, I will have loved many things, but only truly loved the great ones.

I am an explorer of loves.

There is more truth here than we shall ever know.

FREE Art Spotlight for November 2007: SACRED VOW

http://sol.gaia.com — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:31:29 GMT

Dear Friend,

We are coming to the season of the year where we traditionally enjoy many of our celebrations of giving, love, and communion. SACRED VOW by fellow MFAer C. G. Walters is a novel of connections beyond conscious awareness, focused on the multidimensional nature of our loves and relationships.

In honor of this time so energetically significant to our culture and psyche, the author is motivated to offer anyone interested a FREE full-length PDF of SACRED VOW, which takes place during a time of breakdown of the Collective Consciousness … a rift occurring because people are dissociating from those around them, from the world they live in, from other life forms, and from the impact of their thoughts on their own reality–much like our world these days.

Request your complimentary copy of SACRED VOW at:

http://www.cgwalters.com/spirit_story.htm.

Learn more about C. G. Walters here:

http://dragonsbeard.zaadz.com.

MFA on Zaadz is a top grassroots pod on Zaadz with nearly 2,600 Members. You can join us here. And if you’d like to be considered for an MFA FREE Art Spotlight in the future, or would like to nominate one of our peers, just let me know.

Let’s change the world with Marvelous FREE Art!

Artfully,

Sol

Re: Introductions

http://spiritquake.gaia.com — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 04:37:27 GMT

Nonfiction is my writing of choice- I write on spirituality and social issues mostly. A bit of marketing as well. A book coming our next year on marketing for the equine [horse] industry.

Looking forward to meeting some new folks! Welcome to me and you too !

patty

Re: Drop in and share whats been going on

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:49:01 GMT

Well, I've been working a lot more than I'd really like to. The whole 8:30 to 5:30 thing isn't very conducive to getting much else done. I have way too many hobbies to fit into the evening, and I probably haven't been getting enough sleep. But, oh well. I'm young.

I usually finish off the evening with writing, sitting in bed with my laptop until my eyelids get too heavy. I've been trying to get at least one page a night.