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‘Develop an interest in life as you see it;
the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich,
simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people.
Forget yourself.’
[Henry Miller, 1891-1980]
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Above all else, the best things in the world to me, that which brings me utmost bliss, involve serving others. That is my life’s work - to be of service to all of Creation, human and otherwise. Included below are some websites of various organisations and charities that I have been working with for several years now ... you and I can make a difference in lives of these people; they are my sisters, they are my brothers, I love them - please help! These organisations have been a driving passion in my life, and I cannot rest when I have two hands that can lift and give and mend and heal those around me, and if you will please spread the word, you can be a catalyst for good in the lives of so many in need.
PLEASE VISIT THESE SITES:
DATA - debt, trade, AIDS, Africa
The ONE Campaign
Make Poverty History
White Band
Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Native American Rights Fund
Alliance for Native American Rights
Civil Rights
International Medical Corps
International Resuce Committee
Mercy Corps
Blood Water Mission
A Glimmer of Hope
Action Against Hunger
Global Solutions
Social Groove
United Support of Artists for Africa
Heifers for Relief
The Hunger Project
World Hope
UN Foundation
Keep Children Alive
OXFAM
World Concern
World Vision
Bread.org
Save the Children
Care USA
For those of you interested in environmental issues and animal rights, I'd like to recommend the following sites:
Earth First!
Friends of the Earth
Animal Aid
Ark Angel
... and might I also recommend:
Organics.org
Go Vegetarian
Doves Farm Organics
PETA
PETA 2
WWOOF International: World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
WWOOF: World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms [United Kingdom specific]
Animal Concerns
Plants for a Future
Vegetarian Starter Kit
Vegetarian Recipes
The Meatrix
Vegetarians International Voice for Animals
Spiezia Organics
In Defense of Animals
The Animal Rescue Site
Your kindness, your caring, it means more to me than I can convey - for now, all I can say to all is
namaste’ … which I hope will more than suffice until I can find another means by which to express the potency of my gratitude.
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I have sought out what I want in life - more often than not - rather than merely dismissing it as something to pursue later on. I do not just exist … I live! Anything inspiring, beautiful or of any worth in my life is a result of the inspiring, beautiful and priceless friends I have made over the years and the miles ... they have my ceaseless gratitude, love, admiration and loyalty.
However, if you really do want to know what makes me tick - the various things that fascinate, inspire, captivate and pique my curiousity - then read on:
Many of my interests are also fields of study and work I participate in continuously, whenever possible. I love complementary medicine - I am a certified Reiki practitioner … might I encourage you to check out:
Innersource
Energetic Medicine
The Energy Medicine Institute
International Associaton of Reiki Professionals
The International Centre for Reiki Training
The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
The Association of Reflexologists
Kreative Living Koncepts
Alternative Medicine
Academy of Intuition Medicine
Feathered Pipe Foundation
Omega Institute
Reiki Energy 101: The Basics
Beyond the Rainbow: Tools for Personal Empowerment
The UK Reiki Association
Reiki Place
Kripalu Centre for Yoga and Health
Chopra Centre
Usui Reiki Centre
Yoga Basics
Yoga Movement
Santosha Yoga
Biokinetics
Kinesiology Network
Tribal Ink
... and if you would like additional resources, please do not hesitate to ask and I will send you a more detailed list.
I've also been blessed in having studied yoga (Ashtanga and Bikram, as well as a little Vinyasa) during the past several years, as well as a flirtation with various martial arts - my favourites being capoeira and judo. I love scuba and skin diving, but surfing has become my one of my greatest pleasures. Hiking and camping are divine - anything to be outdoors. In more recent years, some friends in the States have gotten me addicted to rock climbing. I cannot resist dancing - in the rain, in a lift, under the night sky, in my room, in the waves offshore, in a forest … whenever the time feels called to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A surfer in Newquay [Cornwall]
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One of my foremost passions is creating and enjoying art in every form, whether it's cinema and photography - I’m inspired by friends such as Giorgio and D.C. Wilson Photography and I love Ashes & Snow ... drawing, painting, sculpting ... music of all forms - playing guitar, drums, piano, and singing are great creative outlets ... reading classical texts and such - I am a literary junkie through-and-through ... writing - which is probably one of my greatest talents ... theatre patronage and participation. I've being studying several foreign languages since I was quite young - I am proficient in several and finally fluent in some, but improvement is needed in most.
Life is art, learning is art, enlightenment is the goal of all.
Thanks to my secondary-school years where a majority of my mates were male, I have a long-standing intrigue with comic books, as well as occasional anime and manga - not to mention a love for vintage Vespas.
I do not have a need for money, fame, power or any-such-thing to make me happy ... dreams suit just fine, for if I want something badly enough, I can and will make it a reality, as I have often done before.
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Two of my six power animals ... [above and below]
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The photo above and the photo below are of a garden in Kirstenbosch, South Africa.
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More pictures of South Africa [above and below]
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PS: For those of you who like daily inspiration, may I recommend the following sites ... LDS.org , Daily OM , Shift in Action , Great Day , Pathways to Peace , Eclectic Energies , Words 4ever , and Quotations Page
Mesa AZ temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints [above]
Remember
be
PRESENT
be
MINDFUL
be
HAPPY
be
GRATEFUL
it's a beautiful day,
every day!
I'd like to meet:
'You can't stay in your corner of the Forest
waiting for others to come to you.
You have to go to them sometimes.'
[A.A. Milne, from his
Winnie the Pooh works]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have an avid belief that we often encounter people in life with whom we already have a connection ... 'everything happens for a reason.' We are each others' mentors, intentionally or not - our every action influences one or more aspects in the world, no matter how minute, and that in turn affects other things in a never-ending cycle. Hopefully, I will be able to share something with you that will bless your lives, as you do mine. What makes my life shine are my friends, who are truly family to me. They bring out the best in me, pushing me to the edge until I fall over it and I realise I can fly ... I am continually evolving into a better person because of their goodness.
With the consideration that this is just MySpace - which is one of hundreds of websites for networking and blogging, albeit the one that probably inspired most others - I am not here to impress anyone, nor am I here to win affection or admiration ... I am here to keep in touch with friends and family; to meet new people; to learn and observe; to give love, healing, and support to those who may need it; and to express myself through writing, art and spirit.
‘A friend is one that knows you as you are,
understands where you have been,
accepts what you have become, and still,
gently allows you to grow.’
[William Shakespeare]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love the company and insight of people with:
a heart of gold
a desire to change the world for the better
a connection to nature
a tendency towards optimism [or at least an ability to find the best and beautiful in most things]
a gift for spontaneous laughter, dry wit, and good humour
an appreciation for and involvement in fine arts
a passion for learning
a consciousness of the divinity in all things - spiritually, energetically, metaphysically aware people
a different perspective
a love of natural and complementary medicine
a twist of dramatic flair
a liking for sport and the accompanying adrenaline rush
... and people who can enjoy life. Basically, everyone! I like to make friends with a broad spectrum of people - in fact, I 'make more family' than I do friends ... I always have and I suppose I always will. Making enemies is not something I try to do, and I respect all walks of life - I have no respect for insincerity or cruelty, for there is too much in this world already which we inflict on each other and the rest of Creation …
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'We cannot hold a torch to light another person's path
without brightening our own.'
[Ben Sweetland]
'To understand the heart and mind of a person,
look not at what he has already achieved,
but at what he aspires to do.'
[Kahlil Gibran]
'Wishing to be friends is quick work,
but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.'
[Aristotle]
'Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another:
What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'
[C. S. Lewis]
'You can easily judge the character of a man
by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.'
[James D. Miles]
'Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair,
but manifestations of strength and resolutions.'
[Kahlil Gibran]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'There are many ways to seek wisdom.
There is travel, there are masters, there is service.
There is staring into the eyes
of children and elders and lovers and strangers.
There is sitting silently in one spot
and there is being swept along in life's turbulent current.
Life itself will grant you wisdom
in ways you may neither understand nor choose.
It is up to you to be open
to all these sources of wisdom
and to embrace them with your whole heart.'
[Kent Nerburn]
'And in the sweetness of friendship,
let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things,
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.'
[Kahlil Gibran]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Let us be grateful to people who make us happy,
for they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.'
[Marcel Proust]
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'Love creates problems.
You can avoid those problems by avoiding love.
But those are very essential problems!
They have to be faced, encountered;
they have to be lived and gone through and gone beyond.
And to go beyond, the way is through.
Love is the only real thing worth doing.
All else is secondary. If it helps love, it is good.
All else is just a means, love is the end.
So whatsoever the pain, go into love.
If you don't go into love, as many people have decided,
then you are stuck with yourself.
Then your life is not a pilgrimage,
then your life is not a river going to the ocean;
your life is a stagnant pool, dirty,
and soon there will be nothing but dirt and mud.
To keep clean, one needs to keep flowing.'
[Osho]
say something
leave a comment
Music:
et cetera, et cetera, et cetera ... and so forth.
picture it now. // notes to self. // friendly graffiti.
talk to me. // spread the love. // do the math.
run away!
favourite things and all that jazz ...activities //
volunteering, service projects.
being out-of-doors.
art, painting, sculpture, drawing.
surfing, ocean ocean ocean .
yoga, running.
music, guitar, piano, drums.
making people smile.
um - spontaneous stuff ... like breathing?
interests //
interesting people, places, things.
(refer to activities, above)
music //
music that makes
the hair on the nape of my neck
stand on end, that makes chills run
down my spine, that draws my voice
out of my throat, that shakes up
my body. i'm very particular, though ...
be warned. (nb: music makes me dramatic)
television //
i don't watch telly very often
... ask my mates. i get lost in
conversations often enough over this.
please don't ask me about last night's
episode of ... whathaveyou, i don't know.
film //
i am a film snob, end
of story. don't get me started.
books //
anything that makes me a better,
more enlightened person and opens up my mind.
books that get my emotions up and running.
quotes //
talk to me. let's see what we come up with.
stats //
152cm tall (5ft even);
dark brown hair that's sun-streaked with
all sorts of blonde and auburns;
painfully white skin that tans
only on occasion, no matter that i am
in the sun all the time (shame);
average build;
in a relationship with the
most wonderful man in the universe;
active member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints;
i don't drink, i don't smoke;
major junkie of all things literary,
linguistic, artistic, musical, and the like;
known to be spontaneous;
loves nature and being in the thick of it;
and for those of you who
wish to know - i'm a scorpio.
other //
if you want to know something,
ask ... questions are good.
still working on this links section ... but here are some sounds that rattle my bones - enjoy ^
references ...
take action, volunteer, show some love, pay it forwardcharity navigator
just give
the ONE campaign
DATA - debt, AIDS, trade, africa
save the children
UNICEF - the united nations international children's fund
UNHCR - united nations refugee agency
somaly mam foundation
surfrider foundation
earth first!
more links to be added soon ...
introductions, anyone?
hello. my name is ciera.
above all else, the best things in the world,
to me, involve serving others. i like acknowledging
the good in all things and showing gratitude,
in part, by 'paying it forward.'
look for my resurrected list of links (bottom column,
on the right) - hopefully it will evolve back into the
exhaustive list of activist, volunteer, charity, ngo, and
advocacy groups+resources that it once was.
meet my muse. ^
his name is mark.
and he is
everything to me.
thandanani.
love one another.
they know too much.
… as do most people I am rather fond of.
Movies:
About a Boy ~ Amelie ~ Baraka ~ The Big Blue ~ A Broke Down Melody ~ Cafe Lumiere ~ Casablanca ~ Chasing the Lotus ~ Chocolat ~ Citizen Kane ~ City of Angels ~ A Clockwork Orange ~ The Colour Purple ~ Contact ~ Cool Runnings ~ Dead Poets Society ~ Donnie Darko ~ Edward Sciccorhands ~ eLollipop ~ Emma ~ The Emperor's New Groove ~ Finding Nemo ~ Finding Neverland ~ Fried Green Tomatoes ~ Forrest Gump ~ Gandhi ~ Garden State ~ Hiroshima, Mon Amour ~ Howl's Moving Castle ~ The Incredibles ~ Independence Day ~ It's a Wonderful Life ~ Jelly Trousers ~ Kung Fu Hustle ~ La Citudad ~ The Last Samuri ~ the Lord of the Rings trilogy ~ Lords of Dogtown ~ Lost in Translation ~ Love Actually ~ Maria Full of Grace ~ The Motorcycle Diaries ~ The Mystic ~ My Big Fat Greek Wedding ~ Nobody Knows ~ North by Northwest ~ The Notebook ~ The Pianist ~ A&E's Pride and Prejudice [telly] movie series ~ The Princess Bride ~ Princess Mononoke ~ Pulp Fiction ~ Reality Bites ~ Remember the Titans ~ Riding Giants ~ The Scarlet Pimpernel [the old one with Jane Seymour and Ian McKellan] ~ Second Thoughts ~ Shakespeare in Love ~ Shawshank Redemption ~ the Shrek lot ~ the Spiderman set ~ Spirited Away ~ Sprout ~ the whole Star Wars set ~ The Thomas Crown Affair ~ Top Gun ~ True Romance ~ Tsotsi ~ Waking Life ~ A Walk to Remember ~ [the new] War of the Worlds ~ Whale Rider ~ What Dreams May Come ~ What the BLEEP Do We Know? ~ While You Were Sleeping ~ X-Men series ~ You've Got Mail ~ and numerous others ...
Television:
I don't really watch telly anymore, except for the occasional documentary or BBC mystery series ... if and when I do watch telly otherwise, Scrubs is absolute genius, full-stop.
'We have only this moment,
sparkling like a star
in our hand...
and melting like a snowflake.
Let us use it
before it is too late.'
[Marie Beyon Ray]
Books:
'I will love the light
for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness
for it shows me the stars.'
[Og Mandino]
The scriptures, including the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price] ... henceforth it would just be easier to list my favourite authors, as there are more books they've written than there are of the authors themselves - thus, in no particular order:
William Shakespeare ~ Rumi ~ C.S. Lewis ~ H.G. Wells ~ Frederick Douglass ~ Paulo Coelho ~ Jane Austen ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez ~ all of the Bronte sisters [Anne, Charlotte, and Emily] ~ Kahlil Gibran ~ Daniel Goleman ~ Lady Murasaki ~ Henry Lindlahr ~ Carl Jung ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~ James M. Barrie ~ D.H. Lawerence ~ His His Holiness the Dhali Lama ~ William Lee Rand ~ Marianne Williamson ~ Eckhart Tolle ~ Gary Renard ~ Matthew Kelly ~ Phillis Wheatley ~ Pearl S. Buck ~ Osho ~ Edgar Allan Poe ~ Frank Arjava Petter ~ James Redfield ~ Miguel de Cervantes ~ Joseph Epes Brown ~ E.E. Cummings ~ Edwin Harkness Spina ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~ John Major Jenkins ~ Angeles Arrien ~ Confucius ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes ~ Catherine Ponder ~ Thomas Paine ~ Doreen Virtue ~ Mitch Albon ~ Mary Shelley ~ Dian Dincin Buchman ~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~ Donna Eden ~ Laurelle Shanti Gaia ~ Walt Whitman ~ J.R.R. Tolkien ~ Ted Andrews ~ Oscar Wilde ~ Thomas Jefferson ~ Brian Sharkey ~ Leslie Kenton ~ David Wolfe ~ Daniel J. Benor ~ Amy Tan ~ Nick Hornby ~ Susan Jeffers ~ Ella Cara Deloria ~ Deepak Chopra ~ Carolyn Myss ~ Christopher Marlowe ~ Claude Bristol ~ Mark Twain [specifically for his book on Joan of Arc more than anything else] ~ John Keats ~ Don Miguel Ruiz ~ Ralph S. Marston Jr ~ Agatha Christie ~ Candace Pert ~ O. Henry ~ Rudolph Ballantine ~ Richard Bach ~ Chris Stewart ~ Maya Angelou ~ John Steinbeck ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ George Bernard Shaw ~ Dharma Singh Khalsa ~ Cameron Stauth ~ Elaine Pagels ~ Shakti Gawain ~ George MacDonald ~ Anodea Judith ~ Thomas Hardy ~ H.B. Irving ~ Charles Dickens ~ Henrick Ibsen ~ J.K. Rowling [give the woman credit - she's incredibly creative!] ~ John Greenleaf Whittier ~ Benjamin Franklin ~ Jonathan Swift ~ Joanne Harris ~ Albert Einstein ~ Mary Elizabeth Marlow ~ Carlos Casteneda ~ Julia Cameron ~ John P. Conger ~ Thomas Hanna ~ Carrie Hart ~ Stanley Keleman ~ Alexander Lowen and Leslie Lowen ~ Ashley Montagu ~ Jean Liedhoff ~ Pete A. Sanders Jr ~ Marion Woodman ~ Alice Miller ~ Peter Levine ~ Joan Borysenko ~ John Pierrakos ~ Steven R. Covey ~ Starhawk ~ Carol Tavris ~ John Bradshaw ~ Victor Hugo ~ Lousie L. Hay ~ Rudyard Kipling ~ Richard Gerber ~ Sir Thomas More ~ Elizabeth Haich ~ Robert Burns ~ Henry David Thoreau ~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~ Barbara Rose ~ Kenneth Meadows ~ John Neihardt ~ Alexis de Toqueville ~ Mikao Usui ~ Alexandre Dumas ~ Sir Walter Scott ~ Johnathan Swift ~ among several dozen more that I need to reflect on a bit more to remember in full ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Poetry is a deal of joy
and pain
and wonder,
with a dash of the dictionary.'
[Kahlil Gibran]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, worthy mention to a few select comic-books, including the original Spiderman, X-Men, Batman, and Superman, as well as Archie and the gang. Among mangas, I prefer the film noir-ish Clover, the art-house styled Paradise Kiss, the classic Kare Kano, and several such others. As for regular comic-strips, I like The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, and Non-Sequitur.
Heroes:
The peace you give to my heart is that which is known by the earth after tasting the rain.
My daily heroes and inspiration include:
Jesus Christ
my younger brother, Brennan - you are brilliant, you have so much potential kiddo, and I am in awe of you. I am so proud to be your sister ... I love you!
Filip K - you will never cease to amaze me ... thank you for helping find freedom in just living. Namaste' - you know that I am with you in love forever, wherever you go, whatever you do.
Giorgio C - for your creative insight and kind heart ... I keep finding more and more about you that inspires me and draws my heart to you. Ti mando tutto l'amore che c'e.
Terri G - a true sister, friend, mentor, and inspiration to us all
Silvia P - another beloved sister, friend and mentor who has brought much light to my life
Kelly H - my Reiki teacher, and very dear friend ... such a wonderful person, this girl!
Marge and 'Boet' - my 'pseudo-parents', I love you both so very much, you mean the world to me. Ek wil gaan tuis eendag gou.
John and Tanya W, and their family - kind hearts, good souls, loving friends ... we're family, yea!
my grandparents, Arthur and Eunice
my grandma, Lorene
my cousin Jennie, and her family
my aunt Sherri and her family
my aunt 'Red' and her family
Andrew W - I adore 'Drew for his heart of gold; he's one of the kindest blokes you'll ever meet, and an incredible artist of all forms! Loves ya!
Maarten P - because you are just plain wonderful and I absolutely adore you! I am so proud of all the work you do and am grateful for the opportunity you've given me to share in some of your endeavours.
Amy F. and her husband Preston - great friends since secondary school who have always been there for me
Devin D.B. - a friend who helped me understand more of myself, more of the world, and more of life in general. Thank you for helping me to grow up and discover myself - I am so grateful for the times we shared, whether beautiful, crazy or painful.
J. Naegle - a former literature professor of mine, who inspired me to let words just flow
A. Scott - another former literature professor of mine, who helped me realise that perception is a choice ... life is what we make of it
J. Burrell - a former maths professor of mine, whose optimism is contagious
G. Helmbold - a former drama professor of mine, who helped me view the world of theatre in such a way that I was more enabled to be a 'witness' to my own life and the lives of others
the late W. Forrest; his widow, Debbie, and their children
Mike and Wendy S, and their family
Phil S
Sara G. and her husband Ryan
Brooke B. and her husband Jason
Jamie K. and her husband Benjamin
my friends Elizabeth S ... Tiffani F ... Tammy A ... Yahosh B ... Devin A ... Mike E ... Dustin C ... and Chris P
my yoga instructors, Dave Oliver and Ryan Spielman
Willie Lim
... and then the renown heroes, including [in random order]:
Joseph Smith Jr
Gordon B. Hinckley
Martin Luther King Jr
Florence Nightingale
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
Kahlil Gibran
Nelson Mandela
Princess Diana
C. S. Lewis
Abraham Lincoln
Pattahbi Jois
Shiva Rea
Bono [aka Paul Hewson]
William Shakespeare
Frederick Douglass
[Mathamas] Ghandi
Marie Curie
Leonardo daVinci
Gladys Knight
Adrian Grenier [for his contributions to envrionmental awareness]
the late Christopher and Dana Reeves
Paramahansa Yogananda
... and countless others, whom at this point I cannot recall, but I will certainly try to add on once I remember.
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'Courage is not simply one of the virtues,
but the form of every virtue at the testing point.'
[C. S. Lewis]
Other links
I'm fiercely in love with a little indie shop I discovered in Chelsea [in London] - check it out: Wilde Ones - sorry to throw in such a pitch, but I just had to share this delicious little find ... It's the embodiment of me 'on the high street' [teeheehee].
Namaste Cafe - Spiritual Oasis for the Seeker of Knowledge ... this is one of my favourite sites, it's a wealth of knowledge and peace!
Body & Mind: South African Natural Health Directory
Avalon Crystals is one of the highest-quality crystal resources ... and Avalon Crystal has a page full of links I love!
