Archive for October, 2006

envision and the meaning of life

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

Time keeps on ticking…. 

Where’d the summer go, and why are there so many leaves on the ground? 

It’s kinda like that Tim Horton’s commercial where the girl is walking along and suddenly screams as she spots a leaf falling to the ground.

But I digress… So for any of you that have been following this blog since its inception.. I am still keeping track of the meaning of life contest. Neither of the two entries I submitted have yet to be selected and there are only two more selections/months left.  In other words, I’m not holding my breath.

I have been quite disappointed by the entries that have been showcased as of late (aside from the fact that they weren’t mine) but these two more recent ones I thought I would share.    

“The Meaning of Life is…to discover your gifts and give them away.”  ~Erik Carlson, Rocklin, CA

“The Meaning of Life is…knowing the meaning of life and not having to
write it to other losers on a stupid website.”  ~Lucas Bitter, Rochester, MN 

So really.. is this guys’ last name Bitter? If so, that’s awesome! He has obviously found his gift and giving it away!   

A lot of things have been in the works these past two months some of the highlights being:

My yoga teacher training is coming along fabulously, every day I learn more and realize that I have not even scraped the tip of the iceberg.  My body is changing rapidly and I continue to recognize more and more habitual tendancies held in my body and mind.

I have booked my trip to PANAMA!! Two glorious weeks of fun, sun, beach, surf, tropical rainforests, volcanoes and countless adventures to share with the lovely lady :)  

I am also hoping to add some new goodies to my triplegem line of meditation and yoga products www.triplegem.ca  I already have a few 100% Hemp Yoga straps available, with some other fantastic eco friendly goods in the works… stay tuned.

So speaking of yours truly and triplegem.. I am very fortunate to appear yet again in the latest edition of Envison Magazine. Check it out! 

The Envision Magazine October 2006 Table of Contents:

We are pleased this month to include the following articles: 

what can anger do for me? - Joanne O’Brien
embrace myspace - Jason Etheridge
the world by bike - Robert T. Norton
crystal being, human soul - Kristie Mullens & Rachel Scoltock
divine discontent - Jan Janzen
honor role - Vaughn Loeffler
the four pillars of quantum inspiration - Stuart Long
living reiki: be honest - James Wells
dna activation, healing & enlightenment - Sol Luckman
the spirit of halloween - Erin (Imagine)
connects: artist x
breath and journal entries for smarty pants - Sebastian Kowalik pg 41
snafu - Mario Nuñez
tarotscopes: the outlook for october - James Wells
journeys of light: creating sacred spaces in our lives - Carter Hammett
the recovery - Michelle D. Cruz-Rosado
artist feature: Mark Hobson
cambodian landmine relief fund - Paul Jewitt
 You can download it from here…

http://www.envisionyourfuture.com/magazine.html

I also want to mention a great cause and wonderful contribution that the founders/editors of Envision are making out in their current home of Belize.  They have been gathering donations and school supplies for a recently opened school that is providing an education to children from disadvantaged homes.

If you have any supplies or donations to offer please see the note written by Laurie below..they will wind up directly into the hands of the children :) 

Peace! 

On September 4, 2006 Holy Cross School opened here on Ambergris Caye, Belize.

With help, they (Francis and Vernon) managed to get 3 buildings up on reclaimed swamp land and  enroll 100  kids who may have otherwise not been geting any education. These kids are from disadvantaged homes are now able to get the education they deserve.

The School has a breakfast and lunch program running, as it is well known that poor diet can affect learning ability. The kids are are getting a healthy breakfast, a fruit snack mid-morning and a balanced lunch, free of charge.

Since Paul and I have become involved to help out with the school, so many wonderful people have stepped up to help us by making donations, sending school supplies, cheques and prayers.

The help these kids need is ongoing and we appreciate everyone who is able to help make a difference in any way. (you can see pictures of the school and the kids in my photos section http://envisionmagazine.zaadz.com/photos )

A few ideas for people that want to help….

Chalk, color pencils, crayons, markers, pens, regular pencils and erasers, rulers, stickers, pencil sharpeners, anything for arts and crafts, glue sticks, kids scissors rubber stamps/ink pads, paper, notebooks, paper, elastics, any library books ages 5 - 12 or so.

Beyond just school supplies to things like: Fist aid kits, band-Aids, topical ointments, children’s vitamins (much needed), tooth paste, tooth brushes, drinking cups,  as all that stuff is much cheaper stateside.

Anything that school kids and teachers would need back home they can use here. Francis said the difference is here getting note books for school coming from a poor family, could mean the price of dinner.

Cheques are welcome too.

Checks can be made payable to: Holy Cross Anglican School and sent to:

Mrs. Francis Wilson
Anglican Diocese of Belize
PO Box 535
Belize City, Belize

Please contact me for mailing address and any other information you might need.

envisionyourfuture@hotmail.com

Sincerely

Laurie Norton
Co-Founder
Envision Magazine

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Why triplegem? 3

Thursday, October 5th, 2006

As per a previous blog I wrote a few months ago, given my company and website name, I’m often asked two questions that sound similar but have very different answers:

1) What is the Triple Gem ?

2) Why triplegem?

So, I’ve adressed #1 and am now going to take you on a roundabout tour with #2

I’ve always had a spiritual affinity for the number 3.  As I got a little bit older and a tiny bit wiser I began to see how powerful and everpresent this number has been in my life, especially the way its always popped up in my search for what the meaning of “this” all is.. 

So let’s begin….

I am an only child, from a very small family. So my childhood was basically the interaction of mom, dad and me. Just the 3 of us.

I was raised Catholic so the foundation of everything was found in the Holy Trinity.  Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  

While on the topic.. I always told myself that if I was to ever have a daughter I would love to name her Trinity (this was way before the Matrix I swear) Oh and a new one.. the Matrix is my favourite movie.. and yes its a trilogy!

3 main states of consciousness Waking, Dreaming, Deep Sleep

Past, Present, Future

Body, Mind, Soul, although I now prefer to use Matter, Mind, Spirit

the sacred word OM is also known as AUM. Each of the three letters has a significant meaning. Among them is that the A stands for creation, U stands for preservation and M stand for destruction. 

Look at the symbol of AUM, it sure looks a lot like a 3 to me.

This leads nicely into the trinity found in in the Hindu Dharma of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva which as above correlates with the creator, maintainer, and destroyer.

Adding to the Hindu and yoga themes there are 3 tendencies of the mind called “Gunas” being tamas, sattva and rajas

In the zodiac I am an Aries associated with the ram and fire.. interestingly enough in the chakra system the 3rd chakra called the manipura (to which my birthdate supposedly corresponds) is the chakra of fire and its seed mantra is the Ram.  It is recognizable as it usually contains a red TRIANGLE… how cool is all that!!! 

Ever hear of something called the THIRD EYE?

A triangle is the strongest geometric shape and of course we have the pyramids

combine the two above and think the all seeing eye of the Illuminati which can be found on the US dollar bill

in GOD (3 letters) we trust

Ken Wilber’s 4 quadrants can be reduced to the I (subjective truth), WE (intersubjective truth) and IT (the objective truths of the I and WE via forms of empirical science)

also used by Ken Wilber and found in various wisdom traditions are the notions of gross, subtle and causal energies which make up matter mind and spirit

what form does the body take when sitting in meditation?

now let’s move into Buddhism..

Trikaya = the three body doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism being: Nirmanakaya body which is the visible historical form of the buddha (physical), Sambhogakaya which is the celestial or archetypal body of the buddha (realm of the mental/subtle energy), and Dharmakaya being the Truth body, empty of all finite characteristics corresponding with Shunyata (emptiness)

3 karma types: good, bad and neutral

three main forms of ignorance: clinging, aversion and delusion

the three universal truths being: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (unsatisfactoriness/suffering), and anatta (non self)

All the notions and observations above then culminated into what I experienced as a great catharsis that began on the first day and first time I took refuge in the Triple Gem 

It was my first silent 10 day retreat and the insights and experiences I had completely opened my eyes to a greater vision;  A fuller understanding where I realized how much all sentient beings suffer and most importantly an understanding that there is a path to the cessation of suffering. 

From that moment going forward my spiritual growth became more of a priority in my life. 

Coinciding with this inner transformation also came the inspiration to start my little business and create the Sati-Collection of eco friendly yoga and meditation products that attempt to reflect my growth and respect the interconnectedness of all things. 

But what to call this extension of me? What means alot to me? What name can capture my constant struggle to awaken and inspire me to continue to evolve and how can I incorporate the number 3 into it?

It then seemed so perfect…The TRIPLE GEM, aka The THREE JEWELS, in them I seek refuge, and through them I seek my Truth, my Dharma.. 

and so sebastian’s triplegem manifested and continues to evolve and grow

May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering

May all beings be happy

May all beings dwell in peace

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