I would like to invite everybody from now until the end of May to take photographs on any theme that they like.  And then I encouraged all to post those photographs in their blog.  You could have one blog or more throughout the month of May in participation in this event.  I would like to call this event, "GAIA GAIA PHOTO MAIA".  We all know what Gaia means and the word photo.  Maia is a goddess from whom the name of the month of May may have been derived.  One criteria though is the photographs you will be posting are the ones you have taken after reading this blog.  Do not use your previous works.  Then when you post your photos in your blog, you can include poetry or any meditations and reflections you may have.  Then I suggest for those doing this to put the word, "maia", in their blog tag so that we can see all the blogs in one column and see the photos of those who participated.  How?  Well when we make a link like this it will work,

http://www.gaia.com/blogs/tagged/maia

You can type up the same address above in all your blogs pertaining to this month long photography celebration so that you have a handy link to see what others have come up with and then comment on each other's posts..  You can even have party in your blog for your photography exhibit.  Be creative and imaginative.

This is an open invitation to all whether you are a professional or amateur photographer.  The idea is to have fun, foster friendships, raise awareness thru our photographs, and promote photography as a hobby.  You can use any kind of camera especially digital camera and even your cell phone camera.

Oh and one fun challenge, I suggest for anybody who can to take a picture of anything on May 11, 2008 Sunday at 1:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.  Then when you post it put a caption that you took that at such date and time.  Thank you!

"A picture is worth a thousand words."  Just to give you information on what events are being celebrated during the month of May worldwide, click here.

Now I will click on the link below occasionally  to see who has their own entries so far.  If nothing, I will still make my own creative journeys.

http://www.gaia.com/blogs/tagged/maia

Namaste,
In L'akech,
In Oneness,


Samme

I am surprised!  I could have never imagined this what I am going to tell you.  Because of my blog below i got contacted by a Canon PR representative thru email saying that I am going to receive a "free gift" which is a Canon digital camera EOS Rebel xsi and a telefoto lens.  I thought it is one of those hoax on the internet or those stuff where you will be shown all these products and services hoping that you will buy or sign up in all those.  I have tried those before and given up and just close the browser because the products and services being shown does not seem to end.  I thought, " Okay am i going to receive a free laptop or what?"  I was going to delete the email and report as spam but something told me not to.  But anyway, the 12.2 megapixel Canon camera and telefoto lens arrived on my doorstep without me having to buy anything.  It says it's because of my blog which is below this one that I am promoting creativity and photography.  Well I responded I said it's not even popular.  They said it's not about popularity but in doing what the heart desires no matter if others are going to appreciate it or not.  They got my email address from my profile page at Facebook because I also have a link to my Facebook account on my page here at Gaia.  I am so speechless and happy.  Now I am going to promote creativity and photography even more.  And of course, Canon cameras.  Thank you!  I am cool with that.  Hey if you received a free gift like that wouldn't you promote them?  I would!  Wohooooooooo!  Thank you friends,
Samme

P.S.  I also asked how did they find my small blog.  The answer is thru "tags".  Folks, there is a science and art of tagging.  Learn about it.  I was at the bookshop and saw this book about tagging two weeks ago.  My friend said, "Now why will you waste your money on buying a book about something as simple as tagging?"  I am a passionate learner.  I even buy those books on Ipod for Dummies and Zune for Dummies even though I already know how to work them.  My thing is, I want to harness to the max what I might be able to learn from those books.  Also I have the Facebook for Dummies, even though I know how to set up my profile page at Facebook.  But come to find out there are lots of stuff I do not know yet and would have never learned of it if I did not read the book.   I listen to my heart.

photo taken by Samme S. S.
http://www.gaia.com/blogs/tagged/maia


THE POET

He is the link between this and the coming world. 
   He is
A pure spring from which all thirsty souls may drink.

He is a tree watered by the River of Beauty, bearing
Fruit which the hungry heart craves;
He is a nightingale, soothing the depressed
Spirit with his beautiful melodies;
He is a white cloud appearing over the horizon,
Ascending and growing until it fills the face of the
   sky.
Then it falls on the flowers in the Field of Life,
Opening their petals to admit the light.

He is an angel, sent by the goddess to
Preach the Deity's gospel;
He is a brilliant lamp, unconquered by darkness
And inextinguishable by the wind.  It is filled with
Oil by Ishtar of Love, and lighted by Apollon of
   Music.
He is a solitary figure, robed in simplicity and
Kindness; He sits upon the lap of Nature to draw his
Inspiration, and stays up in the silence of the night,
Awaiting the descending of the spirit.

He is a sower who sows the seeds of his heart in the
Praries of affection, and humanity reaps the
Harvest for her nourishment.

This is the poet --who asks naught of
Humanity but a smile.
This is the poet--whose spirit ascends and
Fills the firmament with beautiful sayings;
Yet the people deny themselves his radiance.

Until when shall the people remain asleep?
Until when shall they continue to glorify those
Who attained greatness by moments of advantage?
How long shall they ignore those who enable
Them to see the beauty of their spirit,
Symbol of peace and love?
Until when shall human beings honor the dead
And forget the living, who spend their lives
Encircled in misery, and who commune themselves
Like burning candles to illuminate the way
For the ignorant and lead them into the path of light?

Poet, you are the life of this life, and you have
Triumphed over the ages despite their severity.

Poet, you will one day rule the hearts, and
Therefore, your kingdom has no ending.

Poet examine your crown of thorns; you will
Find concealed in it a budding wreath of laurel.


~from The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran

For U.S. residents, tomorrow May 10, 2008 Saturday is Stamp Out Hunger Day started by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).  What you can do is just to leave canned non-perishable food items in your mailbox and your letter carriers will pick it up and collect them to give to poor families across United States. 
Thank you,
Samme

Lady, Woman, Sister, Daughter, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Love

By Samme S. Samareta


Happy Mother’s Day to all the women in the world
Because women’s nature is to “mother” and give love
This day is not just for those who have kids and siblings
Every female is honored on this day and everyday
Every woman is a mother, a goddess, capable of giving life
And nurturing life, that is a mother
You are all beautiful, the greatest wonder of this world
And all the worlds and universes
If you want to know the mystery of a woman
Just love one and you will know and respect them
And love them even more.
They are the multitaskers even before multitasker is a word
They are the jugglers who don’t miss a beat
But they do get tired and when they do get tired
Love them and love them even more
Because the only thing that is higher than love
Is love given by a woman, a mother.
I cannot speak for them
You know what to do
Love your sister
Love your mother
Love your girlfriend
Love your wife
Respect your girlfriend
Respect all the women in the world
Their love for you is immeasurable
That no poem can ever fathom.




Feliz Dia de la Madre

I am thinking of joining the Firefox video project where they asked participants to interview people on the streets what kind of browser they use and why?  I would like to be creative here and ask my friends here at Gaia by answering the questions below and add it in the comments.  I will read the answers on the video.  So I guess I do not need publicity release forms here for you to sign since your faces are not shown.  But let's do this, by adding your answers you allow me to read your answers and record on video and be included in the contest.  This is just for something different other than interviewing on the streets.  Thank you for the support friends.

Those who want to join and support me please answer the following questions;
1.  Have you heard of Firefox?  Mozilla?  Do you know the difference?
2.  When did you first hear of Firefox?  From who?
3.  Do you use it?
4.  What specifically do you like about it?
5.  What did you use before you switched to Firefox?
6.  What made you want to switch?
7.  Have you told others to switch to Firefox?
8.  Do you use Add-ons and which ones are your favorites?
9.  How would you make Firefox better?
10.  How would you express your feelings about Firefox (try to capture that feeling through action)?
You can answer the questions you like to answer.
You can be creative too, if you know how you can put a link to an audio of you talking about your answers (like in ODEO), put a link to your photo so I can click on it and put in the video while I am reading your answers, etc. 

Thank you,

Samme

To view photo sources, click on View, then Source. Please wait for images to load.

 

Two days ago, Soulfriend wrote in his status bar that he is seeking prayers for his dad who was hospitalized due to heart attack. I quickly wrote in my status bar as well that I am requesting for circle of friends who happens to see that they may pray or send healing energies to Soulfriend's father. I believe in this kind of acts. Whether they work or not is not for us to comprehend. I believe in wishes, hopes and dreams. No request for me is too "odd". Several people have responded to my act of putting that request in my status bar as well as in Rick's status bar. I would like to thank people who responded to that call and also for those who did not post but did the act on their own of contemplating good thoughts for Rick's father. Rick sent me an email thanking me for posting that request also in my status bar and I asked permission from him if I could post his email to me here in this blog. He has also requested a prayer for his sister who has passed on that she may reach her highest ascension. This is the letter, please read on...,

Absolutely Dear Brother!

That's a fantastic idea so each and every one of us can multiply this act of sharing in the Journey with those who pass on. I carefully note my books that I consider of a Teaching Value. I'll even bring your attention sometime to different pages and thoughts. The author didn't pointedly list it as an exercise to be worked with but shared it as a case study that a soul was working with as one of many techniques used by those on the other side. If people can be taught to pray for those in Purgatory on this side of the Grave toward the other side, my thoughts are let's seek to help with lessons used more specifically. Feel free to write and let me know if this makes sense. I'd love to see a portion of the globe working in concert to effect ascension more effectively this way helping those we related to in Life.

Thank You So Much!


~Soul Friend
~~~Rick
Caspian : Prince Sent about 13 hours ago
by Caspian
Re: Healing for My Dad Since his Heart Attack on Saturday, May 17, 2008

Hi Rick,
I would like to ask your permission to post this letter of yours in my blog. I am going out and buy this book and read it and hopefully finish it quickly. I would like to know how this is done and will invite readers to do the same for your sister and for their own love ones.
I am sending out soul energy, soul love, soul vibrations for your sister’s growth, ascension and highest transcendence. And so it is.
love and blessings and healing,
Samme
Soul Friend : Spiritual Director Sent about 13 hours ago
by Soul Friend
Healing for My Dad Since his Heart Attack on Saturday, May 17, 2008

Hello Samme,

Along with Praying for Healing for my Father I'm also asking support for my Sister's Growth on the other side. There is an exercise or technique that the souls of the deceased can use to reach out to the bereaved who are left behind. I've discovered quite a bit in this book:




The link here on this community to know more about it is: http://books.gaia.com/3088/destiny_of_souls/by_michael_newton

My thinking all along even before this had occurred was to share it with those who might help and seek to work with communicating with my Sister to help guide her to comforting the Bereaved who are left behind. It is resisted be people in the shock of loss and can occasionally break through that barrier. Once their energy is directed successfully in the right way to the Bereaved which is different for each soul, they can help comfort those who are left behind. I'm hoping we can all add our Prayers to Lisa so she might also reach my Dad. That will be the best end because it would empower her to lead him to healing from the other side where she can watch over him always. Odd request I know, but tell me what you think.

With Prayers of Hope and Faith,


~Soul Friend
~~~Rick

Samme: I do have the book here with me now and reading it. It has 400 pages to it. I am thankful that thru Rick I am now reading this book. I am sure there is something here for me that I needed to learn. My dad passed on several years ago and I always affirmed that he reach his highest destination and transcendence. I request for readers once again to pray for Rick's sister that she may be guided by the light to her enlightenment. There is strength in numbers and if not may it still be so that she finds her peace. And you can also do the same, if you post here your request then when other people reads it that we all do our silent moments of affirmations for our loved ones. Thank you all for being here, reading, affirming, praying, posting your comments, and for your presence whether we know it or not.
Namaste,
Samme

     If you are a public school teacher, here is your chance to exercise and show your creativity, imagination and ideas.  Read this letter from Dave Eggers...,

Dear Friends of TED,

Dave Eggers, winner of the 2008 TED Prize, wished to collect 1,000 stories of private citizens engaged in their area public schools. He called upon every adult to bring their time, skill, and energy to bear on the lives of students.  In collaboration with teachers and schools around the world, people are making his wish a reality. Since TED, a number of inspired, creative, innovative public school partnerships are now in the works.  For example: TEDsters are sponsoring books at local 826 chapters, starting programs in schools, creating websites and a number of people have committed to building their own 826-like tutoring centers.  These are partnerships that embody the spirit of the TED Prize - we want to support them and help spur more.  

Join this group. Challenge yourself to participate in the lives of public school students.  Be imaginative, dedicated, and enthusiastic.  Then tell us about your work.  

The leader or initiator of the three projects that best encapsulate the TED Prize spirit - vision, commitment, fun, partnership, and change – will each receive a pass to TED2009 in Long Beach, California.  These are the kind of people we want to celebrate at TED.

Find more information and commit to taking part in the challenge here:

www.onceuponaschool.org/?page_id=191

We look forward to hearing your story.

Best wishes,
The TED Prize Team

 

     If anybody here on Gaia is a public school teacher please let us know if you are interested in joining this.  If you are stumped for ideas, I invite others to share your ideas so that if anybody here is a teacher who would like to join this, they will be able to get some ideas for a project.  Click on the link above for what the other teachers are working on.

Thank you,

Samme

Ladies and gentlemen presenting, the parade of the boots.  If you place your cursor above the images it will tell you who among our Gaia friends they are or you can just click on the images and you will know wo they are.  These are the Gaians who get united for fun and stomping ignorance, fear, injustice, hunger, whathaveyou.  Participants are Satya-seer, Peridot, Sprite, Doug, Ayla, Julia, Janet, Ladybear, etc.  Some of these boots are furnished by Satya-Seer's Fabulous Boots Foundation.  Are you ready boots?  Start walking...,
                                                                                
                                               Satya-seer is inviting you here here (click here)   

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn ' t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Good news! I am being a change by joining Kiva.org.  They are one among a cluster of microlenders all around the world who give loans to poor people to help them establish their own business and be self-supportive.  So far, I have given a loan to two people.  My goal for 2008 is to give a microloan to 20 people all around the world thru Kiva.org.  See my Kiva  portfolio here.  Another one of my goal is that I am hoping that I can inspire 5 of my friends or readers of this blog to become a member of Kiva.org and be able to give a microloan to at least 1 person.  I believe in Kiva.org and that I would like to contribute to the self-sufficiency of the financially poor  thru Kiva.org.  I am not a spokesperson for Kiva nor would I get benefits for doing this pitch.  I would just like to share with you a wonderful way of helping people and changing the world.  And by inspiring 5 more of you to join me I am hoping in turn that they will inspire more people for doing so.  Isn't that good news?
Thank you and Namaste,
Samme

In the tradition of my neverending peace poetry, started on July 22, 2006,  I have posted a haiku in my grapevine.  This is the kind of haiku we are going to use: three lines where the first line has 5 syllables, second line has 7 syllables and the third and last line has 5 syllables.  Okay, see your haiku and thank you for your peace and friendship. 
Creativity
Is what we're going to be
A nice chemistry

love,
Samme

HAIKU THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE ~ available only for a limited time

I would like to invite all of you dear friends to meditate, chant mantra, pray, say affirmations over and over (online or offline) for the full, safe and healthy recovery of our dear friend Dryad.  I proposed every half hour on the hour for those who would like to participate to say over and over that,
"Winnie is getting healthier and healthier."
Dryad is getting healthier and healthier, Winnie is getting healthier and healthier.

Say it over and over for two minutes up to 5 minutes maximum whatever you are doing.  You do not have to be here in my blog.  Just keep this in mind.  All we can do is pray and pray we must for our dear friend Winnie.  You can substitute Winnie's full name for Dryad which you can find out for yourself in her profile page.   You can do this until Dryad fully recovers.  I will. 

Doing this at least for five minutes maximum every half hour on the hour collectively and synchronistically will maximize our good intentions for her healing and recovery.  One day she will touch the hearts of many!

Thank you for being here and for doing this collective consciousness whether or not you know Dryad.  Namaste.  Thank you.
love and blessings,
Samme
You are all powerful!!!

Please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. I may have not done something like this to you, but believe me I am praying for your welness whenever I learned what is going on with you. Thank you for allowing!

I play while I work and I work while I play.



PLAY POD IS OPEN ! IT'S TIME!  COME IN … COME IN!
http://pods.zaadz.com/play_pod

There are people who asked me how to do the scrolling effect on the status line.  Here it is;

On your status line, type this first
<marquee>
then your message, then at the end of your message, make sure you have still room to type this
</marquee>
and click OK.
Do not worry the <marquee> and the </marquee> will not show on your status line.

This is just the basic tutorial.  There are other stuff that you can do but we will begin with this.  Those who want more can email me.

Ok?  Now for those of you who would like to embed stuff on your profile page like slides that you can make from slide.com and photobucket.com to name just a few, email me  and then I will email you the instructions on how to "disable javascript".

Fibres of Light



I do not know why, but when I say 'Hail, Master!'

the sun and stars seem to run in my breath,

my muscles are as if fibres of light,

my being flies to strange lands and waters,

my lips touch gardens of flowers, my hands I

exchange with some other hands,

a stranger moves my tounge.

The Universe runs into me, and I into the Universe.

I seem a strange misty form. Like vapor I pass into

the being of others, and they passing within me

become my guests.

It seems fair forms of rolling beauty roll as waves on

the sea -- Hail, Lord! All are each other's!

Our shape and limbs run into each other.

I find my bones at times strike within me against the

bones of someone else.

Our deeds and thoughts jostle and run into each

other.

I see a hundred souls blend in me, and I interchange

my blood and brain thus with a hundred more

in a single breath; and , calm in solitude, I find

a society.



~ Anonymous

GODDESS LOVE
by
Samme S. Samareta


This is the century of the women
Where balance and equality reigns
O goddess rise up from your seat
And descend down from the heavens
Take your place in the firmament of souls
Hera, Hecate, Durga
Venus, Athena, Kali
Quan Yin, Tara, Magdalene
Yin and feminine will ring
Lift up your veil, O you penitent soul
I am the sinner, you are the song
You are the mighty river flowing to endlessness
Take away this filth and bitterness
Just a little smile from the Mona Lisa
Can end this utter hopelessness
You are the song, you are the dance
You are the singer behind the trance
You are the dancer towards liberation
The music that you play is the nectar
Of communion.
Mary, Inanna, Vesta
Isis, Brigit, Minerva
Hildegard, Therese and Theresa
Bless the yin and the yang of our duality
Give us common vision ‘til eternity
Let us have our peace and sovereignty
May we all acknowledge our divinity
As we embrace and protect Gaia
Trinity, unity, femininity
The soft touch of your hands
Can bring peace to humanity!


~ Saturday May 31, 2008
Composed at 4:05 am after a prayer for Dryad
copyright ~ S.S.Samareta 2008
Dedicated to all my GAIA friends present & future