The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

This piece was shot by Terje Sorgjerd when he spent a week capturing one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years.  It was shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park which borders Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures around -25 Celsius.

Enjoy

Other posts you might like to have a look at:

10 free ways to enhance your life

How many gurus will you notice today?

It’s a foggy old morning outside today [see above pic] – sort of how we can feel sometimes within ourselves.  That misty feeling we get where we cannot seem to see things clearly.  Where if we try to look too far ahead of where we are it all seems blank, murky and unsafe.  A time when taking it slow and being a bit more cautious seems thrust upon us like a big heavy blanket, weighing us down as we walk.  All around seems to say ‘be still’.  When the fog comes to our surroundings, quietness seems de rigueur, the wind doesn’t blow, the birds don’t make much noise and there never seems to be anyone out and about.  Nature appears to shut down, to have a post slumber slumber…sort of a Sunday lay in even though it may not be a Sunday.

Yet often these foggy mornings give rise to a fabulous afternoon of glorious sunshine; one which seems to have more hours in it than it should, appears to last longer and ends up being very productive.  There appears to be more life around, more movement, more laughter and activity; the lethargic fogginess of the previous hours is long forgotten as we make use of the bright sunshine that now seems to cocoon us and inject us with cheerfulness and vitality.

So, if like me, you are feeling a tad foggy this Monday morning – brace yourself.  The haze will soon lift; our inner sunshine will shine bright and where earlier we could not see what to do next we will soon be seeing into the distance.  Imbued with renewed energy after our inner lay in……ready and eager for all that is ahead.

Enjoy

photo by B

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Some previous postings you might like to read:

Life is in the doing not the having

Delight in all the turns of your life

Simplicity Thursday – 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle

In the silence are all the answers you seek

20 ways to make life harder

Every now and then, the tussle of showing externally what we understand and know within can feel like trying to blend oil and water.  No matter how hard we try it seems to not make any difference to our current actions.  Our inner calm will not be heard and we react in the moment instead of making a conscious decision and acting from a centred point.

Hard enough as it is to struggle with self imposed hurdles and boundaries, those which appear to be put in front of us by others can often be even harder.  When confronted by people who we perceive to be ‘pushing our buttons’ we can become frustrated and our reactions can intensify over time.

Yet, if we take a moment when we are not in reaction mode, we can see that all things/people/events etc are presented to us as an opportunity to learn; to grow.  That maybe, our increased frustration towards a certain something or someone is merely a combination of that opportunity making itself a bit more obvious [because we haven’t already learnt from it what we should] and our external self puffing up to appear larger to meet the assumed threat to its dominance.

If we wish our inner self to grow we should recognise the learning and growth in all; especially those situations where we may feel we need to inflate.  As a defence a toad can puff up until it is too big for the predator to swallow.   What sort of defences do you put up when confronted by the actions/attitudes of another?

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Photo by Sam Fraser- Smith via Flick (cc)

Some previous postings you might like to read:

Life is in the doing not the having

Delight in all the turns of your life

Simplicity Thursday – 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle

In the silence are all the answers you seek

20 ways to make life harder

Around about this time of year, my thoughts often start to wander as I begin to recall what I have accomplished during the year and if there is anything I would like to put extra energy into and finish up before the year is out.  With you know what fast approaching, it is a good time to get jizzed up about any projects that you may not want to carry over to the new year or have to bother with during the coming festivities.

We all need a bit of a boost every now and then and with only nine days before December begins it is a great time to flick the old inner switch for a bit of extra motivation/power.

I really enjoy all the stuff that goes on during December and try to make the whole month about catching up and doing nice things with friends and family – sort of like a bonding month.  Of course other more mundane things still need to be accomplished but even with those I try to imbue a sense of seasonality into them – after all, it is about enjoying life and not just going through the motions.

photo by fRandi-shooters via creative commons

Some previous postings you might like to read:

Life is in the doing not the having

Delight in all the turns of your life

Simplicity Thursday – 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle

In the silence are all the answers you seek

20 ways to make life harder

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Micro productivity, for me, is not only about utilising all those unoccupied moments it is about recognising them.  Being mindful enough about the happenings during the day that I notice when I’m not living the moment.  It’s about living in the now.

So here are 20 to start you off and hopefully give you a few ideas:

At home

1. Throw out any old newspapers etc hanging around

2. Put away that coat or jumper that has been dumped on a chair

3. Fold a few pieces of washed clothing and put them away

4. Empty the bin

5. Wipe your kitchen sink or bench

6. Load the washing machine

At your desk/computer

7. Delete something unwanted from your desktop

8. Put away the file that has been in your tray for awhile

9. Put new paper in the printer

10. Decide what the next step is of something you really don’t want to do is

11. Take the first small step of the thing you really don’t want to do

12. Sit up straight as you type or browse

Anywhere, anytime

13. Drink a glass of water

14. Sit and breathe deeply for a minute

15. List all you are grateful for in your life – in your head, on paper or computer

16. Text someone just to say hi, thinking of you or to say thanks

17. Jog on the spot for a minute for a burst of cardio

18. Delete a few messages on your phone

19. Relax and let who you truly are come through

20. Visualise achieving a goal/goals

If you have any other suggestions on how to fill the odd spare moment then please leave a comment

Enjoy

Other postings you might like reading:

Are you are participant in your life or a bystander?

Are you living your true self 24 hours a day?

Honouring your core values

Simplify your wardrobe

~ ~ My contribution is on page 12

Enjoy

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Other postings you may like to read:

Simplify your wardrobe

Do you have a theme for 2010?

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There is a rhythm to nature as we all know.  What we sometimes fail to remember is that we are all part of that natural world and likewise our lives have a rhythm to them.  We must sleep, eat, take in fluids etc regularly so our basic functions can be realised daily.  Like all other things in nature we have more to do than just our own basic requirements; we must fulfil that which others rely on to complete their basic requirements.  If plants did not grow no one could eat them; if bees did not pollinate some flowers there would not be certain fruits.  Similarly if there was no one who felt compelled to write we would have no idea what else is going on in the world, if no one wanted to be a scientist nothing new would be discovered.

When each of us is listening to our ‘natural voice’ we are guided to fulfil our own personal path for being here.  Each one of us has a slightly different role to fulfil during our lifetime and it is important to everything that we fulfil it to the best of our abilities.  We are part of the eco system of the world and just like any other living creature/thing (no matter how microscopic) we must all do what we are meant to do in order for everything to operate smoothly.

We are ourselves, yet at the same time we are part of a vastness that stretches beyond what we can imagine.  Through this connection we become vast; we become more than our physical self.  We are important.  Without each of us in the world, the universe is not complete.

Enjoy

Beautiful photo courtesy of Mary B

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Other postings you might like:

You don’t have to save the world

Do you live a quantity or quality life?

Honouring your core values

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view from Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo 01.01.2010

Twenty ten has a fantastic ring to it.  It seems more than any other year of late to be filled with such promise and a go get attitude.  There seems to be a feeling in the air that each of us is beginning to understand  what is truly important and to concentrate less on materialism and showmanship.

On the first day of each new years a few of us go on a big drive.  This year Croagh Patrick in the west of Ireland was the choice.  After about an hour of climbing I stopped for a good while and looked back at the view and the surrounding area; the word ‘majestic’ came to me.  The view was peaceful and beautiful and I decided right then to endeavour to make each day of 2010 feel as majestic as the first one.  Not only in the bigger things – like climbing a mountain- but in the smaller everyday activities as well.  How will you decide to live each day this year?

Life is wonderful; a miracle.  Honour it and above all

enjoy

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Other postings you might like reading:

Allow your inner voice to speak

Take at least a small step each day

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Each of us is born with gifts.  All varied from one to another for the most part and unique to the individual and their purpose for being here.  We all have a purpose in life, a gift.  When we use that gift we honour it and ourselves.   We honour those around us and further afield – the world; we honour the part we play in the world.  We take the energy that surrounds us and we concentrate it (we are the channel) through our purpose.  It grows as it is channelled, it becomes more focused and we become clearer as to what we must do and how we must do it.

All things (big, small, good, bad, emotional, and tactile) have energy.  We absorb this energy from everything and impart energy back.  Some things, eg certain people or unhealthy behaviour, take energy but do not return any – they drain, they are negative.  Doing these activities or being around people or situations which take energy moves us away from fulfilling our purpose because it stalls us, makes us doubt our true selves.

Our natural movement is towards fulfilment and likewise our purpose.  That is why we often feel this pull towards doing certain activities; it is life letting us know why we are here.  When we let positive energies surround us we flow with the natural movement of things.  When we do not its like trying to swim upstream against the current – that’s why negative energy is draining – you are swimming against the natural flow of things.

Find out what gives you energy; what makes you buzz.  Surround yourself with energising things.  Approach all situations with positive energy and resist negative energy from situations and people.  Go with the flow, for it brings you to where you should be and helps you fulfil the why of what you are doing here.

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A river sings a holy song conveying the mysterious truth that we are a river,

and if we are ignorant of this natural law, we are lost

~ Thomas Moore

We become used to living according to the ways of the external world; a world where it is more important to prove that one is right not wrong, to have something bigger than another, to totally control the surrounding environment or to dominate rather than to live together in harmony.  A world where what is on the outside is seen as far superior to that which is within.  Human consciousness has been slowly changing, evolving if you will, into an understanding of an untapped energy that is within us all.  An understanding that the true gift of life is not in our external differences but in the similarities that are within us all.  For we live on this world together – not just we as human beings but all forms of life and nature, we are all of one with the world and each other and not separate.    Although we each have a unique role to play we are all inextricably linked via that which is within us.

By acknowledging this link, our own journey becomes infused with a deeper understanding of its importance and just how vital it is that we fear not those feelings of greatness from within.  It is a small life that is lived externally and as linked individuals we are much more than that which can be taken from us or superseded.   We have more to offer others as well as ourselves than what we can give in a materialistic or governed way.  For it is our unique calling that is all that we can truly offer the world and the journey to letting it have its voice is our irreplaceable contribution to the world in which we live.  Fear not when you hear your own call, it is your time to begin to show the world how wonderful, unique and important you really are.

Where your talents and the needs of the world cross lies your calling ~ Aristotle

Related post:       The external life is so passe