Martial Arts & its origin

The Root of it All - Bodhidharma

When starting a journey, one begins at the beginning, the root of it all. And in the Eastern martial arts, almost every tradition traces their legends and history to a single individual.

Almost every book on the history of the Asian Martial Arts begins with a reference to Bodhidharma. Somewhere in time, contact with his teachings has occurred in most of the major branches of these arts. He has been given many names over time. In addition to Bodhidharma, he was Tamo to the Chinese, he is named Pu Tai Ta Mo in Sanskrit and Daruma Daishi in Japanese. In the Buddhist world he is known as the 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism or the First Patriarch of the Chinese Zen Lineage.

The history is based upon many legends and stories, complicated by the many names. I have attempted to provide a summary of these stories as a starting point. The dates vary from the 400’s to the 500’s AD. I have used the most widely accepted dates in this brief history.

Bodhidharma was born a prince in the southern regions of India and raised as a warrior to succeed his father as king. He had been trained in the Kalaprayat technique of martial arts. Bored with his training Bodhidharma began to study with a Buddhist teacher named Prajnatara. On his deathbed, Prajnatara asked him to go to China to re-awaken the followers of Buddha. Some sources say that almost five percent of the population were Buddhist Monks even before the arrival of Bodhidharma. Legends vary in the method of his arrival, some say he traversed the Himalayan Mountains, others say he rode a ship around the coast. Regardless, he arrived around 526 A.D.

Upon arriving in China, the Emperor Wu Ti, a Buddhist himself, requested a meeting with Bodhidharma. The Emperor asked him what reward he had received for all of his good works. Bodhidharma answered that he had accrued none. Bodhidharma was unable to convince Wu Ti of the value of the new teachings he brought from India.

Frustrated, Bodhidharma set out on a northerly direction. He crossed the Tse River, and climbed Bear's Ear Mountain in the Sung Mountain range to where the Shaolin Temple was located. It had been founded forty years before by Buddhist monks and was famous for its translations of the Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Bodhidharma sought entrance into the Shaolin temple. He was accepted after he was able to prove that he was committed to Buddhism.
When he arrived Boddhidharma was appalled to find the monks fat, and without the ability to even stay awake during his lectures. In addition, the monks were unarmed and easy pray to bandits when they attempted to go out into the world to teach. So they decided to stay in the safety of the monastery. This explained one reason that Buddhism was no longer as widespread as it had been.

Legend has it that Boddhidharma then went to a cave and stared at a wall for seven years. He is said to have cut off his eyelids to stay awake in meditation, and so is usually depicted with bulging eyes. Others say that he cut off his eyelashes and that they fell to the ground and became tea plants. Recognizing the ability of tea to help a person stay awake has made tea a part of the practice of zazen.

Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks which involved physical techniques that were efficient, strengthened the body, and eventually, could be used practically in self-defense. When Bodhidharma instituted these practices, his primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both their isolated lifestyle and the deceptively demanding training that meditation requires. It turned out that the techniques served a dual purpose as a very efficient fighting system, which evolved into a marital arts style.

His system involved dynamic tension exercises. These movements found their way into print as early as 550 A.D. as the Yi Gin Ching, or Changing Muscle/Tendon Classic. We know this system today as the Lohan (Priest-Scholar) 18 Hand Movements, which serves as the basis of Chinese Temple Boxing and the Shaolin Arts. Many of the basic moves of both tai chi chuan and kung fu can be seen in the scenes recorded on the walls of the temple.

These skills helped the monks to defend themselves against invading warlords and bandits. Bodhidharma taught that martial arts should be used for self-defense, and never to hurt or injure needlessly. In fact, it is one of the oldest Shaolin axioms that "one who engages in combat has already lost the battle." Bodhidharma also taught medicine to the monks and arranged for Chinese doctors to come to share their knowledge with the Shaolin. In three years the monks became so skilled in both the martial arts and medicine that they start to be feared and respected by the bandits. This went a long way toward continuing the spread of Buddhism and Zen thoughout China and the rest of Asia.

Even the death of Bodhidharma is shrouded in mystery. Legend has it that he was poisoned by one of his followers disappointed at not being selected as the successor. Regardless of the reason, Bodhidharma died in 539 A.D. at the Shaolin Temple at age 57. They laid him to rest in a tomb there.

The strangest legend regarding Bodhidharma is that three years later he was met on the road by a government official, walking out of China towards the Himalayas with his staff in his hand and one of his sandals hanging from it. Having dined with Bodhidharma on many occasions, the official was certain it was him. When the official arrived at the monastery and recounted his experience, the monks opened the tomb only to find it contain just a single sandal.

The forms created and taught to these monks are generally believed to be the root of the martial arts in China. While there is evidence that portions of these movements existed prior to the arrival of Bodhidharma, he was the one who codified and recorded them and from there they have gone to spread throughout the world.

Creating Your Nature Space

One of the best ways to heal a physical problem or reduce emotional stress is to interrupt our daily routines with experiences that reacquaint us with Nature. As we are swept up, captivated, and enthralled by the displays of Nature's wonder, we sense the immutable balance that is our own source of creation, our Spirit.

The difference between normal recreation and experiencing Nature's creative expressions is that in seeking Nature for our own delight, we pay attention to the rejuvenation it inspires us to feel inside. We enter Nature's creative arena in order to recognize our union with it and to be regenerated.

Everything about Nature is impressive, from the bumblebees that aren't supposed to be able to fly but do, to the intricacies of flowers, the wonders of giant redwoods, and the brilliance of the sun glinting off a streambed filled with glistening stones. Everywhere we look we see that Nature is our greatest teacher. Engaging Nature means engaging our roots, which tie deeply into our heritage and allow us to appreciate our Earth home.

Imagine renting a canoe or kayak and going out for a paddle. We quickly settle into a different inner rhythm. Our arms move in harmony with the current, and we forget our worries and become part of the life around us -- an intimate part. When we use chalk, watercolors, or oil paints to express the beauty of our gardens, hills, or snow banks, we flow into the images as we create them. What we depict in images has a greater impact on us than mere words.
Our lives become richer when we allow our senses to be stimulated by the images, sights, and sounds of the natural world. In experiencing Nature's creativity, we open our own vibrant inspiration. Our Life Steward energy is trying to get us to be creative, to participate in Nature's playground. We're in it for the fun of it -- to calm our nerves, to awaken our delight in life, and to get out of our heads and into our bodies.

All of our creative efforts involve Nature in one way or another. When people say that they are uncomfortable in Nature, they are saying they have lost the fit with their own most basic source of creative expression. We have become city dwellers and business people. But first we were cave dwellers and hunter-gatherers. The Earth and the natural world are imprinted in the core of our being.

Finding inner balance comes from returning to the images of Nature and moving in harmony with life around us, not remaining locked away in constructions of concrete and cinder block. It is in our blood, our genes, to be Life Stewards -- stewards and caretakers of the land around us and within us.

When we play music, walk in Nature, garden, hike, or sit quietly in majestic places, we redesign our lives more powerfully than we can through all the thinking and planning and articulating of great and lofty plans. When we find what we love and share it with others we love, our futures find us. When we move out of our inner harmonies by trying too hard, planning too much, wanting too badly, we drop the ball of momentum in our lives.

Activity without the need for achievement or control is the real nourishment. When we do something creative, we're reawakening the rhythms of our lives that are essential to us.

Creating Your Own Nature Space

A Nature space is any place -- large or small, wild or planned, in your office, in your home, greenhouse, or back yard -- that takes you into Nature's splendid mystery.
Spend ten minutes before work admiring or tending your indoor plants in your living room, greenhouse, or porch. Whether you have one plant or twenty-five doesn't matter.
Create window boxes or gardens that can be your Nature spaces, where you attend to yourself by attending to Nature.

Enjoy Nature's wild spaces by sharing a few moments on the way to work admiring and enjoying the sun shimmering through a stand of white pines, a freshly turned farmer's field, or a turtle crossing the road. On your way to work, find and pause for a few moments to breathe deeply, relax, enjoy, extend yourself into the Nature space around you and find renewal there.

If you find yourself too busy to take time in the morning or evening to develop a Nature space, take five minutes before or after lunch to look around your office, or the place where you spend most of your day, and see where Nature spaces appear. Is it in the picture of the Taj Mahal on your wall calendar, or in the bouquet of flowers on your table? Is Nature in the water in your glass, or is the music you hear a takeoff on Nature's sounds? Is Nature in the crackers and cheese on your plate, or in the ant crawling across the carpet?

Find Nature around you, and enjoy the moment.

Animals Teach Us Spirituality

Animals have been the spiritual companions of humans since the beginning of recorded time. The earliest indication of the spiritual significance of the human-animal relationship can be found in the 20,000-year-old cave wall paintings of Cro-Magnon people. In many if not most cultures, animals have served a variety of spiritual functions: They have been linked with supernatural forces, acted as guardians and shamans, and appeared in images of an afterlife. They have even been worshipped as agents of gods and goddesses. Many ancient creation myths, for example, depict God with a Cow. These stories do not explain the existence of the Cow; like God, the Cow is assumed to have existed from the beginning. In this assumption, these primordial people revealed their intense attachment to their animal companions.

That animals touch us in a deep, central place is not a modern-day phenomenon, but one that pervades the history of the human-animal relationship. We sense that we can benefit spiritually in our relationship with animals, and we are right. They offer us something fundamental: a direct and immediate sense of both the joy and wonder of creation. We recognize that animals seem to feel more intensely and purely than we do. Perhaps we yearn to express ourselves with such abandon and integrity. Animals fully reveal to us what we already glimpse: it is feeling -- and the organization of feeling -- that forms the core of self. We also sense that through our relationship to animals we can recover that which is true within us and, through the discovery of that truth, find our spiritual direction. Quite simply, animals teach us about love: how to love, how to enjoy being loved, how loving itself is an activity that generates more love, radiating out and encompassing an ever larger circle of others. Animals propel us into an "economy of abundance."

They teach us the language of the spirit. Through our contact with animals we can learn to overcome the limits imposed by difference; we can reach beyond the walls we have erected between the mundane and the sacred. They can even help us stretch ourselves to discover new frontiers of consciousness. Animals cannot "talk" to us, but they can communicate with us and commune with us in a language that does not require words. They help us understand that words might even stand in the way.

Lois Crisler did not use human words to achieve a spiritual connection with animals. Instead, she used their language. Sitting in a tent with her husband one twilight morning in Alaska, she heard a sound she had never heard before -- the howl of a wolf. Thrilled, she stepped outside the tent and impulsively howled in return, "pouring out my wilderness loneliness." She was answered by a chorus of wolves' voices, yodeling in a range of low, medium, and high notes. Other wolves joined in, each at a different pitch. "The wild deep medley of chords," she recalls, "...the absence of treble, made a strange, savage, heart-stirring uproar." It was the "roar of nature," a roar that brings us back to an essential place we have known but lost. It returns us to nature and to creation, not intellectually but viscerally. We recollect in the cells of our bodies, not in our heads. If we open to it, we can make out the image of our animal kin by our side.

Fulfilling our longing for the wild, our primordial desire to hear "the roar of nature" within ourselves, does not require that we camp out in Alaska, or even encounter an animal in its natural habitat. Spiritual contact with an animal can happen under quite ordinary circumstances.

I once took a yoga class while visiting my sister in Mumbai, in a beautiful studio with floor-to-ceiling windows. As the class was engaged in exercise, we noticed a dog standing outside the window, innocently looking in. The dog seemed curious, and wagged his tail in a relaxed motion. Soon, he was joined by another dog, who also watched us through the window. Occasionally one or the other would bark -- not a loud bark, but a "here I am" kind of bark. For the entire hour-and-a-half session they stood there, noses to the glass, looking in with interest. They seemed calm, but intensely attentive, and clearly interested in joining us. One could assign any number of explanations to their absorbed interest. I think, as did others in the class, that they picked up on some kind of "positive energy" generated by our collective yoga practice. I put quotes around "positive energy" because I don't t have precise language to describe what I think the dogs sensed. And that is the point. They were able to perceive, and experience, something some of us are dimly aware of and would like to understand, but cannot find words to describe. Animals can teach us to live outside of words, to listen to other forms of consciousness, to tune into other rhythms.

It was the rhythm of music that one musician, Jim Nollman, used to communicate with whales. Along with several other musicians, he recorded hours of human-orca music in an underwater studio every summer for twelve years. Positioning their boat so that the whales would approach them, the group transmitted their music through the water. Most of the time the orcas made the same sounds, regardless of whether the music was played or not. But not all the time. For a few minutes every year, a "sparkling communication occurred. In one instance, the sound of an electric guitar note elicited responses from several whales. In another, an orca joined with the musicians, 'initiating a melody and rhythm over a blues progression, emphasizing the chord changes."'

An uncanny meeting with a whale proved a decisive spiritual moment for another person, a retired female teacher who I have enjoyed hiking with in northern California. While hiking along the ocean, she decided to rest on a large, flat rock jutting out over the depths. She lay there, relaxed, listening to the sound of the water and the sensation of the breeze on her body when, she reports, she felt a presence: "The hairs on the back of my neck went up; I was compelled to sit up." Sitting up, she saw a whale, resting perpendicular on her fluke. As her eyes met the whale's, time stopped. As they gazed at each other, the woman entered an eternal stillness, feeling an unmatched intensity. Difference dissolved; words were irrelevant. She felt a deep sense of connection with all of life. No longer restricted by the categories of "them" and "us," she felt herself flow into a seamless web of existence in which all of life is one. In complete harmony with the whale, this retired teacher felt that she inhabited a web of relations some call "God." She had encountered God in, and through, the eyes of a whale.

Cross-species communication may be so extraordinary because we cannot rely on identifying with the creature the way we identify with human beings for connection. Our human relationships are often based on relating to a being like ourselves: We can identify and empathize with each other because we share similar experiences. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this. The ability to identify with others forms the basis for personal relationships, social bonds, and social justice.

Animals, however, offer us a unique opportunity to transcend the boundaries of our human perspectives, they allow us to stretch our consciousness toward understanding what it is like to be different. This stretching enables us to grow beyond our narrow viewpoint. It allows us, I believe, to gain a spiritual advantage. How can we possibly appreciate and move toward spiritual wholeness if we cannot see beyond our own species? How can we come to know God, or grasp the interconnectedness of all life, if we limit ourselves to knowing only our own kind? The goal of compassion is not to care because someone is like us but to care because they are themselves.

Any spiritual discipline, in any tradition, invites us to open our hearts and minds. This invitation represents an ongoing exercise; the desire and attempt to open to others in our midst are the essence of the spiritual process.

Animals can lead us spiritually in a variety of ways. They can teach us about death, participate in our social and moral development, enhance our physical and psychological well-being, and heighten our capacity to love and to experience joy.

The Search for Real Wing Chun

The Wing Chun as described is the power derived through Chi(inner power) to establish a lethal contact.

Over the years many people have attempted to define and demonstrate the "real" wing Chun, only to meet with utter disaster intellectually, physically or most often both. However, these failures are largely individual. What everyone has failed to discuss has been the massive effort undertaken by the Chinese government to discover the real wing tsun through a number of highly scientific means. By scientific, I mean more sophisticated than simply insisting that real wing tsun does in fact exist somewhere and that anyone questioning such an indisputable fact is just an ignorant nut rider. Whatever that means.

Recently, Bullshido's Department of Homeland Security was given an inside look at the multi-faceted government program all across China and in various chinatowns. The locations of the various labs remain classified but I have brought you this report; the first of its kind anywhere and a breakthrough in the search for real wing Chun.

Each of the labs competing to find the elusive wing tchun represents a different lineage of the art. Like the Lawrence Livermore / Los Alamos rivalry of the early atomic age, there is fierce competition for government dollars and bragging rights. Truly, the first facility to reproduce the real wing chun on video or really anywhere at all would put all other labs to shame and be able to lord this achievement over them in lineage wars held all over the internet and even Boztepe-style sneak attacks. The search has primarily been undertaken through four main methods, detailed below.

Chi collisions

So far, the method that has produced the most significant results has been near-lightspeed collisions of ordinary (non-real) wingy chingy students with various other things believed to contain trace elements of the real ving stun. Since these objects are much heavier than the charged particles used in a normal accelerator and cannot be accelerated through conventional magnetic fields, the levitation is powered by increasingly larger and larger sources of chi.

In order to obtain such large amounts of chi, special chambers housing legions of monks have been constructed in many labs. The monks are given identical zen koans to meditate on and immersed in dit da jow to allow the greater transmission of chi (which is like bioelectricity). Above the large pool of dit da jow the air is thinner than normal atmospheric pressure to simulate the mountain air of the shaolin temple, but richer in oxygen than ordinary air (since chi is breathing energy). The monks float in the dit da jow and enter a state of deep sensory deprivation so they can be more in tune with their minds and bodies (since chi is muscle control). One of the many variables in the tests is the koan given to the monks for any given run of the accelerator and the exact secret ingredients of the jow, which are known to vary wildly between labs.

The chi is drained from the monks's centre of gravity and inner ears (since chi is balance and coordination), then collected to be focused through particularly devoted and sinophilic kung fu dancers. An electrode is inserted into the dancer who then focuses the positive and negative chi into opposite ends of the accelerator, creating pockets of net ying and yan and, through great squinting and holding of breath, a levitation field.

So far, the greatest success of these collisions has been achieved at the New Ho King lab where, according to my waiter, the real wing chun was thought to have been isolated for a brief half-life of 23ms before tearing itself apart with what was thought to be a four-dimensional circle step. When the Department of Homeland Security visited the competing Kom Jug Yuen lab down the street, we witnessed an elderly man being collided with a pair of butterfly knives and it was really cool.

Fantasy Completeness

Taking a queue from computer science, several labs have tried to prove that real ving rhames exists at least in theory. Great strides have been made by scientists at the Swatow lab where a class of imaginary constructs was discovered called Fantasy-Complete. The class of constructs consists of various things such as Santa Claus, the liberal jew media, judo groundwork and Tra Telligman's missing pectoral. Swatow also showed that real whinge chun is also Fantasy-Complete, so if any of the previous objects were proven to exist then finding real wing chun would not only be possible but relatively easy to solve. Good-tasting low-calorie cola was thought to have been this breakthrough, but it was later shown that previous proofs of its Fantasy-Completeness had been flawed.

Internet posts

As is plainly evident on this forum, the numerous wing chun lineages have been fighting an open battle across the entire internet to write a lengthy, pointless, fallacy-ridden and backpedalling post who's contents are not yet fully known. It is believed by many top researchers that once the optimal balance is struck between the above characteristics and others that the real wing chiu will be made manifest by the collective contempt of all those who read the post. It is currently unknown if videos that are held up as examples and then later recanted affect this balance. The perfect post has not yet been written, but the labs are known to have several hundreds if not thousands of posters working round the clock to devise it through standard Shakespeare Monkey probability.

Frozen Yip Man

The lab that revealed this last research method to me wished to remain anonymous for fear of scientific espionage and even threats of assassination through bad hash. One technician, his brow drenched with sweat and knees shaking as he told me, has claimed that beneath one of the many labs (not necessarily his) the corpse of Yip Man is stored in cryogenic suspension. Attempts to harvest an intact cell nucleus for a chi collision have so far been unsuccessful, but (and the technician stammered as he told me this fact) the lab in question is working frantically to devise harder and harder mixes of opiates and other street drugs in attempt to revive the corpse.

Whether the undead Yip Man will reveal his true successor or simply consume the flesh of the living through an elaborate affiliate scheme is currently unknown, but makes for entertaining discussion over several pots of cold tea.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007- A Summary of Fool's Day Out

World Cup 2007
A Cup-full of lessons

So how will the first World Cup staged in the West Indies be remembered?
Will it be how Simon Barnes put it in the Times of London, as "the worst sporting event in history", or as Owen Arthur called it: "a tremendous success"? The detached sports writer and the involved prime minister clearly saw it from two entirely different perspectives, which is bound to be the case for most observers.

Certainly, the cherished dream of Chris Dehring, the chief organiser, that it would be the best World Cup ever proved to be an illusion. It was always an unrealistic aim; and even though there were extenuating circumstances, it turned into a nightmare. The vision of Dehring, as all West Indians, was for Brian Lara, showered in champagne and against the backdrop of dazzling fireworks, to be holding the trophy aloft at the remade Kensington Oval as his became the first team to win the cup on home turf.

That script further called for a gripping tournament, filled with brilliant performances and close contests, played in front of large, enthusiastic, cosmopolitan crowds stirred by the spirit of the Caribbean. It was a far-fetched scenario but the eventual reality was even more improbable.
By the time the cup was presented, for the third successive time to Australia, there was general relief that the tournament was over. It was too long, contained too many lop-sided matches and was blighted with bad luck from the shocking murder of Bob Woolmer that threatened its very continuation within the first week to the shambles that was the showpiece final.

It seemed somehow appropriate that it should end as it did, with the disappointment of the first of the nine finals to be shortened by the weather compounded by the ignorance of four highly-paid, supposedly experienced officials that erroneously extended it into the darkness of overtime. By then, the West Indies, ill-prepared for such an important assignment, had been dishonourably discharged and Lara was a week into retirement. There was no doubt who the irritated public held responsible for the mess.

At the presentation ceremony after the final Malcolm Speed, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive, Ken Gordon, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, and Dehring, the chief executive of World Cup, were each roundly booed. Whether such derision was justified is a moot point.

But instead of the tournament being the best ever, it was condemned in the international media as, variously, a shambles, a disaster, and a debacle, to go along with Barnes' hyperbolic assessment. Yet, at the same time and for justifiable reasons, Arthur was in buoyant mood. Avid cricket fan that he is, the cricket in itself was not his main concern. He was fully satisfied with how his nation coped with what he saw as "definitely the most complex thing that Barbadian society, not the Government, has had to do".

When the tournament was awarded to the Caribbean, and the Super Eights round and the final to Barbados, Arthur said it was "an expression of confidence of who we are and what we can do as a people". It was significant, he felt, that the governments of such small states "should pursue the belief that this region should host something as important as a World Cup".

The people, not least those who staffed the local organising committees (LOCs) in the three years preparing for the event and the thousands of helpful volunteers who were a feature at every venue, proved conclusively that they can cope with a global event of this magnitude.

All the pre-tournament doubts over internal travel and accommodation, based on practical experience, proved largely unfounded. Not every bag arrived in every island at the same time as its owner but there were none of the predicted foul-ups, and the use of cruise liners between Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia in the closing stages could be the template for a new method of regional travel. While there were valid complaints from visitors about the cricket and matters related to the cricket, the overall Caribbean experience made an unmistakable impression.

The 6000 or so Australians who descended on St Lucia and Barbados for the last two matches, and the few hundred Irish who celebrated as only they can their team's unlikely passage through the first round in Jamaica, are unlikely ever to forget it. Judging by comments in the press from a cross-section of other nationalities, this is generally true.

But more telling considerations will follow for Arthur and other prime ministers. They have to convince their constituents that their massive financial investment was worth it and that benefits will follow through the much-hyped legacy.

It is imperative that proposals for maximising the use of the fantastic new and renovated stadia be put quickly in place. Otherwise, they will become a drag on the several economies and on the electoral status of governing parties. For those concerned solely with the cricket side of the cup, "tremendous success" was hardly a fitting description, although unforeseen circumstances conspired against it.

Only two things remained constant throughout - the awesome invincibility of Australia and the adversity that stalked the event at every turn. Sandwiched between Woolmer's murder and the fiasco of the final, two of the most attractive teams, India and Pakistan, and consequently their fans, were eliminated in the first round; the keen interest of West Indians was diminished by their team's four losses in five Super Eights encounters, and match after match meandered towards its predictable conclusion.

Of the 51 matches over the six weeks (not counting the unofficial warm-ups), six were won by more than 200 runs, including one semi-final, seven by 100 or more and seven by eight wickets or more. Only four went into the last over.

Bangladesh and Ireland were the fairy-tale qualifiers over India and Pakistan. Their success was spirited, deserved and a tremendous boon to the game in their countries; but it diminished the quality of the cup. In any sporting tournament, upsets are likely and not every contest will be tense and exciting. But such shocks and mismatches were heavy body blows.

If such developments on the field were beyond the control of the ICC, World Cup and the LOCs, matters off the field were not. Anxious to demonstrate the so-called globalisation of the sport and against repeated, if unofficial, advice, the ICC increased the number of teams to 16 and kept the length over six weeks. The tedium typified in South Africa four years earlier was now amplified by the proliferation of dud matches.

There surely must be a review for the next World Cup, in 2011, to ensure that there is more urgency to the contests in the later stages and that the Super Eights are not compromised by matches that end before lunch (or dinner) and feature top teams that omit their leading players with a semi-final in mind.

From the start, the tight restrictions imposed at and around the stadiums, also a complaint in South Africa, and the exorbitant ticket prices rankled fans who saw them as the high-handedness of planners concerned only with gratifying sponsors, lacking a feel for the game and for the uniqueness of the Caribbean, and with little consideration for the pockets of the average West Indian.

These, more than anything else, led to the heckling of Speed, Gordon and Dehring, even though several of the more draconian measures were relaxed towards the end. There were hundreds of lessons to be learned by the ICC, the WICB and regional governments from World Cup 2007. They would be foolish not to heed them!!!

The Legend Coach- Bob Woolmer

Gud Evening! Today i would like you all to have an insight in the life of one of the legendry coaches of all time. The Man named: " Robert Andrew Woolmer" or better known as BOB WOOLMER

Bob Woolmer was the most highly regarded cricket coach in the world. As a consequence he was employed by two leading Test nations, South Africa and Pakistan, and approached by two more, England and West Indies. In addition he was a good enough player to have been signed by Kerry Packer for World Series Cricket. Underpinning his abilities was a schoolboyish enthusiasm for the game matched in recent times, perhaps, by only Colin Cowdrey and Shane Warne.

Few individuals within the game have had to make so many contentious decisions. Joining Packer and hence forfeiting the chance of captaining Kent and England; signing up for the first breakaway tour of South Africa in the sure knowledge that a Test career would never be resumed; turning down the opportunity to coach England in 1999 when the ECB's first choice ahead of Duncan Fletcher. For such a mild-mannered man he was mired in undue controversy - and that was the case even before he met Hansie Cronje. Yet Woolmer never expressed any regret about the course of his life.

It is sad, not least for his family, that such a talented cricketing man will be remembered, at least by those with a passing knowledge of the game, for the circumstances of his death and his association with Cronje, a man who let him down badly. For Woolmer to emerge from his partnership with Cronje with his reputation untainted was testimony to his honest nature. The essential point was that Woolmer would not have done anything to harm the game he loved. He liked his money - which Test cricketer of the mid-1970s did not, given how poor the remuneration was pre-Packer? - but he liked cricket even more.

If he had had any knowledge of Cronje's involvement in match-fixing during his time as coach of South Africa and if there had been any such approach to his Pakistan players, then he would surely have reported it to the board and, doubtless, to the police too. As a natural conciliator, Woolmer would always reason rather than react. He did not have a temper. At The Oval last year, he asked every Pakistan player to swear on oath that he had not tampered with the ball. "They all did and, as they are a religious bunch, I tended to believe them," he said shortly afterwards. "I always feel the game should continue but to accuse Pakistan of cheating brings tensions to the fore. This kind of decision is potentially inflammatory. I was torn between my principles and a desire to help the side." He was on the point of resigning as coach. In retrospect it was unfortunate he did not do so.

One question that will engage the thoughts of English cricket followers is: would England have fared better had he become coach? The reason Woolmer did not take the job in 1999 was because he was immersed in trying to win the World Cup with South Africa. As to whether he would have taken it now, his love of the game, his desire to win a series against Australia - he never achieved this as a coach, although he did as a player - and the fact that he was not financially secure would all have inclined him to do so. The most probable scenario, though, assuming the ECB would have wanted a younger man as Fletcher's eventual successor, was that he would have founded his own cricket academy at a site he had earmarked near the Kruger Park in South Africa. This will now be established through a trust set up in his memory.

In his playing days and in his relationships with administrators and players when a coach Woolmer made friends easily, for all his obvious youthful ambition to play for England. Indeed, he was known in the Kent dressing room, which he joined in 1968, a time when the strongest side in the county's history was being forged, as 'Bobby England.' He was confident of his own ability, but it was submerged at first in a strong batting side. Woolmer's talents first became apparent in the one-day game, as a medium-paced swing bowler who would exert tight control in the middle of an innings with Derek Underwood at the other end. From 1975, when he made his Test debut for England, batting was his stronger suit.

Strange as it may seem now, there was something of the shop steward about him in his youth. He always liked the comfort of decent hotels, was keen on good food and wine and did not care for the ordinary accommodation that was the lot of the county cricketer in the 1970s. When Woolmer signed for Packer in 1977, he was at his peak as a batsman. His three Test centuries were scored against good Australian sides and David Gower, for one, felt he fulfilled his talent. A total of 19 Tests with an average of 33.09, might suggest otherwise. For whatever reason, when Woolmer returned to international cricket in 1980, he was not the same performer and his Test career was over by 1981. He hooked and cover drove as well as anybody in his era, yet was a little loose technically, especially early in an innings, his prominent left arm leading into the drive being executed well in front of his body.

If, arguably, he was just a little short of the highest level as a batsman, as a bowler Woolmer was under-used by England. In the modern era in one-day cricket he would have played in 200 or more internationals. As it was, his career was curtailed by a back injury in 1984, when he was still a fine county cricketer, surveying the field from slip as Arthur Fagg would have done - or Cowdrey. He was to return to Kent as coach in 1987 but insufficient time had passed since he had left the dressing room. Warwickshire were the beneficiaries and, once he had won three trophies in 1994 and shown he could handle Brian Lara, there was bound to be interest from a major Test nation.

As a batsman Woolmer will be recalled for his Cowdreyesque elegance; as a coach, for his innovations, his use of a laptop and the earpiece with which he once communicated with Cronje before it was banned; and as a person, for his gentleness, enthusiasm and generosity with his time and money. He gave too much of himself to too many people, some of whose motives he might not have recognised. Above all he was trusting of the human race and that quality, alas, might have led to his tragic death.

Adam Gilchrist and the art of innovation

Squashing glory

Watching it was like being transported on a magic carpet to other worlds but, once the ride was over, you were left to ponder an innings that was every bit as unusual as it was resplendent. And years from now, we're still likely to be talking about the day a humble little squash ball played its part in one of the great batting efforts of our times, the day Adam Gilchrist scored 149 off 104 balls in the World Cup final.
Dozens of my dear friends have written in to me since, questioning the legality of the innings. "If using a squash ball isn't OK as per the laws of the game, is his innings legal and does it count?" asked one. "And if it doesn't count, can Australia claim to have won a hopelessly one-sided and farcical victory?"
Another concentrated on the minutiae of the laws. "The law specifically prohibits a player from using equipment other than that permitted," he wrote. "And nowhere in cricket's 42 laws is there a mention of a squash ball as a permitted item. If you are not allowed to bowl with any tape or plaster on your fingers, I don't think you should be allowed to have a squash ball in your gloves when batting."
And that's precisely where we enter the greyest of cricket's many grey areas. As long ago as the 19th century, a South African gent by the name of Baberton Halliwell used raw steaks inside his wicketkeeping gloves, a method subsequently emulated by the likes of Alan Knott and Rod Marsh. Batsmen with poppadam fingers, as Nasser Hussain came to be known, have also been known to have extra padding and protection inside their gloves.
According to an article in The Daily Express, it's not only gloves that have been messed with in the quest to get ahead. It mentions how John Wright, the former New Zealand opener who coached India, used to glue his top glove to the handle, in order to maintain the alignment of elbow and shoulder. Even more fascinating is Tim Robinson's account of how Clive Rice, the South Africa and Nottinghamshire allrounder, would wrap strips of lead around the top of his handle to balance what was a very heavy bat.
Gilchrist had his own trick, not up his sleeve but inside his glove. It wasn't the first time that the squash ball had come into play either. At the WACA last November, he flayed the Queensland attack for 131 from 95 balls, but the experiment suggested by Bob Meuleman, a former squash player himself, remained just that until he got to the World Cup final.
It had been a frustrating tournament for him, as he admitted later. Half-centuries against the Netherlands and Bangladesh boosted his run tally to 304 runs, but there was no doubt that it was the other half of the opening combo, Matthew Hayden, that had intimidated the life out of opposition teams.
With his relatively light bat and atypical grip, Gilchrist had started to fall to the strokes that had once been his forte. The sliced drive to point was of particular concern and, on the eve of the game, he decided to give the squash ball another go.
What it did when slipped inside the left glove was make him markedly less bottom-handed in his approach. As Meuleman said in a newspaper interview later, "I've worked with him for 10 years and he an unusual grip in which his hand goes too far around the back of the bat. It [the squash ball] is a great big lump in your glove but it means that you can only use your bottom hand in a V."
According to Meuleman, who played a few Sheffield Shield games himself in the 1960s, the effect was dramatic. "He had a few hits before he went off to the World Cup; he didn't have the squash ball in and he hit them like he couldn't even play fourth grade. He put it in and he then hit the ball so good."
At the Kensington Oval, Mahela Jayawardene was well aware of the wonderful twirl of the bat that sent the ball scurrying to the point or cover fence that came to epitomise the Gilchrist way. Having suffered previously at Gilchrist's hands, Jayawardene blockaded the off side, with an isosceles-triangle formation of backward point, a short-square point and an extra-cover. The aim was to starve him of his main scoring outlet, thus inducing a rash stroke or two.
What the squash ball did was change his scoring areas completely. His last one-day century, against Sri Lanka on Valentine's Day in 2006, had highlighted his off-side strengths - 60 of his 122 runs came there - but he started off the World Cup final with a clip behind square leg and a stunning shot over wide long-on.
By the time he departed, with victory almost assured, only five of his runs had come in that favoured arc from backward point to cover. There were lofted shots aplenty, but most were struck with precision straight down the ground. A staggering 65 runs came from strokes in the V, including six fours and five sixes.
The ICC may have cracked down on graphite strips and the like, but when steaks - rare preferred to medium or well done - and cricket have been hand-in-glove, it's unlikely that the squash ball can be proscribed. Having tried it, as many readers no doubt have, we can safely say that batting with it is no picnic. A bunny with squash-ball-in-glove doesn't a Gilchrist make.

Healing & The Martial Arts

Book Review on "A Tooth From The Tiger's Mouth," Author: Tom Bisio

To many old-school Chinese martial artists, an important part of training was (and is) acquiring an understanding of how the human body works - how to destroy it, and conversely, how to fix it and make it stronger. This tradition is philosophically rooted in Taoist duality - if you know how to maim, you should also know how to heal. On a practical level, the golden age of martial arts was purely based on developing real-world fighting skills, and thus extremely hard core. Students were injured all the time, and in an age before health insurance, hospitals, and doctors in white lab coats, a master had to know how to treat injuries and sickness if he wanted any of his students to survive long enough to complete their training.

Indeed, martial arts masters were often master healers who were called upon more often for their medical skills than their fighting abilities. Sun Lu Tang and Wong Fei Hung are two legendary fighters cast in this mold. Indeed, though Wong's martial exploits make more entertaining movies, his status among Chinese legends has more to do with the fact that he famously had a policy of treating anyone at his clinic, whether or not they could afford to pay.

Martial arts masters/healers treated blade wounds, traumas, sprains, bruises, concussions, and broken bones, and along the way, developed methods of keeping the body healthy and free of illnesses. In many ways, the methods they developed still surpass anything modern Western medicine has to offer. Don't believe me? Observe an elderly old-school Chinese martial artist. He's spry, flexible, alert, and balanced. He can hike for miles without getting winded, and when you spar with him, he still hits like a mule. Now observe an aging athlete from the Western tradition, amateur or pro. He has problems getting out of bed every morning - heck, he probably grunts and groans every time he sits down or gets up. He regularly takes pain relievers for his back, knees, and/or shoulders, uses a brace, and though he hides it well, there are some simple things he simply cannot do anymore. Things like lifting his hand above his head. He's long since given up practicing the sport(s) he loves at even an amateur level, and can look forward to a steady path of declining physical ability, accompanied by a procession of treatments and surgeries that don't really help.

Knowledge about Chinese healing methods has remained largely inaccessible to the West, even though other aspects of Chinese culture - including the martial arts, have become rather popular. There are a number of factors for this. Learning about Chinese medicine requires, first of all, a knowledge of the Chinese language that surpasses basic conversational skills (which is difficult enough for the non-native speaker to acquire.) As well, many materials used in Chinese medicine are not exactly available at your local drugstore. And, Western medicine has had a propaganda-like lock on the public's perceptions of healing for so long that most people believe that the American Medical Association, in association with Harvard Medical School and the pharmaceutical industry, are the sole source of legitimate medical knowledge.

Yet consider this: only in the past 20 years have Western doctors really begun to advocate what Chinese doctors have always known - that the best, most effective form of medicine is preventative and doesn't involve pills or injections or treatments of any kind.

Now there is an easily accessible source for the Chinese medical tradition. Not a complete source, to be sure - that would be beyond the scope of any one book, but an excellent primer, intended for martial artists and athletes, but useful for just about anyone. In "A Tooth From The Tiger's Mouth," Tom Bisio gives an overview of all major Chinese approaches to medicine, particularly in the realm of sports injuries.

Tom covers diagnosis techniques; preventative daily exercises designed to heal, improve, and strengthen; dietary advice; body treatments like acupuncture, acupressure, and massage; specialized techniques such as cupping, moxibustion, and coining; and traditional herbal remedies - liniments, poultices, salves, plasters, and broths.
Perhaps more importantly for the last category, Tom provides herbal recipes that can be understood not just by English-only readers, but by proprietors of Chinese herb shops. No more wondering what some exotic herb looks like in a musty, pungent Chinatown store - simply present the owner with the recipe and let him fill it for you.

The book is written in such a way that a reader can use it as a reference manual, to be opened only to look up a specific treatment to a specific ailment; or, as a primer for Chinese medical theory so that he or she understands why certain approaches are used.

A slim volume, there is clearly an emphasis on the kinds of ailments an active athlete would incur during physical activity - bruises, sprains, tears, cuts, joint problems, and broken bones, along with chronic pain. Ailments such as indigestion and insomnia and serious illnesses are given little, if any coverage in this book.

But Bisio's book lives up to its billing and more, and can be of use to anyone. For when it comes to martial arts and its help to human race, books like this on really makes a layman understand the basic principles of human body and curing it.
Feeling the desire to read it? Go get it!!!

Find Your True Calling and Purpose

If you have attended one of my workshops on intuition or have worked with me in a martial session, then you will know how highly I speak of journaling and teach a specific method of writing that allows you to connect with your inner wisdom। This technique has helped many to attract abundance, romance, a purer connection within themselves, and true clarity, freedom and peace.

Today, I would like to share with you what came through one of my writings recently and if you are searching for your calling, then you will definitely want to read this। If you have a friend who is feeling down and out about their life, someone who is feeling lack of fulfillment, then feel free to forward this edition to them. If you are EVER not feeling clear or blissful, at ease, inspired, empowered, or feeling good, it is because you are not fulfilling the role you were meant for. And know that you ARE meant for great things!

We are all a part of this world just like everyone else and so you truly are meant for greatness, whether you can really get a feeling of that or not। But how can a plumber or an international speaker or a dentist or a doctor or even a sales person be meant for greatness and what does that actually mean? Greatness means fulfilling the role you were created for.

This is why at times you may feel down in your life when you are doing something that you feel is not you or something that you think you need to, should, ought to, better do or just flat out have to do or else! The most common example is working for a company that you don't really want to work for। In other words, you are just doing so because there are few if any alternatives and this is the best of the worst.

This is also why when you are feeling really great, you can be sure that the role that you are playing is one you were meant to fulfill। Fulfilling our role in life is similar to how an actor would fill an acting role. When actors learn a role, they immerse themselves in it. They explore how that character would act and react in a variety of circumstances and in different situations. They explore their characters deeply and are committed to that exploration.

So how can you find out what your role is here? What are you meant to do and how can you fit into this world? And just as important, how can you truly find fulfillment?
The way you can get to know your true role is by asking these four questions:
1. What inspires you?
2. What are you passionate about personally?
3। What do you love doing more than anything else

4। What are you good at?

Take some time right now, to write down your answers! Don't just read these questions and move on। And an important key to remember is that although we are all here to fulfill a role, be conscious and aware that it is a just a role that you are playing and fulfilling. You are much more than just that role. You are much more than your physical body, your emotions, your intellect, your creativity, your relationships, your soul and even more than these entire elements put together!

Many people tend to lose themselves in the role। They get caught in the role and forget that there is much more to them than the role itself. Eventually, if this happens, an individual can end up feeling unhappy, unsure about ourselves, lost, and more often than not confused about his/her direction. This is common with many actors who enter the profession of acting, that they were once inspired by. As they get caught in the glamour and glitz of it all they forget about and lose the passion that led them there in the first place.

Are you truly proud of your gifts, of those qualities that you have that help you to stand out? I hope so... because those qualities are going to help you fulfill the role that you are meant for...

They are your qualities of greatness! Rejoice in those qualities। They are gifts from the Universe so don't be shy about them. And they are not just gifts from God and the universe for YOU and YOU alone, they are gifts given to you so that you could share them with the world.

Allow yourself to fully express who you ARE! For you are eternal and an important part of the unfolding of everyone else's life.
"Inspiration is the expression your soul makes when you are sharing your gifts with the world।" So now is the time to get to know your role, which may mean going on a vision quest, meditating, journaling, so that you can discover who you really are and what you are here for. Pay attention to and be conscious of those things that light you up. Consider how you can take steps, one at a time to utilize your gifts and life skills, share them with the world, and at the same time build a career.

Please keep in mind this important point...
Your true calling is not something that takes great effort, for it is already a part of who You ARE।Just like actors who get to know their characters, project their thoughts, create their lives... so too can you do the same. Recently I was working with a woman who was unsure about her direction in life. She was and is currently (temporarily!) in a sales position. I asked her, what really ignites her? What inspires her? What does she love to do above all other things?

Her answer, was... Singing.
As she started to talk about her experience when she sings, the hairs on my arms stood on end and in that moment, it was as if the whole world lit up for me... I saw it all in a flash... Her entire structure, physically (she is gorgeous), mentally (she is sharp and has great street smarts), creatively (she has a quick wit and thinks outside the box), and her attitude is just perfect to become a pop singer... there are many other qualities she possesses that I could go on about here। It is as if, her entire genetic makeup was created for the soul purpose of singing। And as we talked about this for a few moments, she began to share her insights and passions about singing, something she had not considered before as her soul path or life's path (career if you wish)। Within a few minutes, we both realized, it is the main role she is meant to play

And just thinking about it, makes her feel incredible। Since then, she has taken a few singing lessons, sang for her friends, and is in the process of getting this going। And she knows that she is much more than just fulfilling a role, that there is more to her and her existence than that. But at the same time, it is clear to her that this is her path.

And this is where synchronicity comes in... everything is lining up for her. She has in a very short amount of time connected with musicians, teachers, and people who will help to make this dream a reality. When we are fulfilling our role... all things (people, material wealth, emotional support, physical health and well being) become aligned and as a result we experience pure FLOW.
If you are not feeling fulfilled, fear not, for it is just a symptom and a sign that you are not fulfilling the role you are meant for। And that can change quickly!

So be sure to ask yourself the questions above if this sounds like you. Go through each one and write down the answers that come to you. I know that you ARE here for great things. And I would love to hear about it and share with you in the adventure. Until next time, have a great week, Be-Inspired!, and may you win an Academy Award;)!

Hope for the Earth

The future of the earth lies in our hands, and not only in our hands but in our hearts, our minds, and in the ability that each of us has to contribute to the vast network of light and of consciousness of which we form a part. This network includes every living soul and allows each of us to make more of a contribution to the whole of life than our smaller self would have us believe is possible. Yet, the truth is that each heart and each life makes a difference of immense proportions to the outcome of what shall be.

For this reason, we must each assume responsibility for what we think and feel and come to understand that it is only by purifying our emotions, thoughts, and energy body that a new life for the earth can begin and new solutions be found to the problems of old that have beset mankind and continue to do so. The choice is ours and the possibilities are great. For in every heart there is a wish for peace and in every heart there is distress at the suffering of others as well as at our own.

Yet, our difficulty in conceiving of our own interconnectedness with others and our sense of being small rather than large can prevent the kind of alignment with light that is so greatly needed today in order to bring mankind’s consciousness to the next level of its expression.

Today, there is hope for the earth and for each soul who inhabits her sphere and it lies in this: that through the greater advent of light on earth we are becoming more aware of our inner relationship to each other and with our own souls, and out of this sense of interconnection shall grow an immediacy of love and of responsibility which no longer permits the divisions among groups and among nations that presently exists. This love will display itself not only in outer action, but in inner knowledge, and not only in the wish to do good, but in the wish to become a representative and embodiment of that which is ultimately good, namely, God.

This then, is the call to all nations - it is a call for people everywhere to meet the challenge and the opportunity of this pivotal time in human history with a sense of hope and of vision. It is a call to meet God’s heart from a place within our own that seeks the expression of our soul and the presence of a lasting peace.

Emotional Stress Following Parent-Child Separation

Abduction of Child
Cases of parental abduction post-divorce are becoming increasingly common. Usually, this is the reaction to losing the battle for the custody of the child. The bitterness and frustration that one feels when the law ‘snatches away’ someone who is very close to the heart, gives birth to an urge to decide upon justice outside the court. It is more common among men, and the father abducting the child does it as a statement of his ‘rights’, which he feels are being denied to him. In some cases, the motive is extortion of money from the other partner – but that is less common than the ‘revenge motive’. In their mutual animosity, parents use the child as a weapon to gain a point over the ‘adversary’. After losing the legal battle for custody, a partner avenges himself on his spouse through this act. With the number of international marriages increasing, some parents flee overseas with the child. This is an offence heavily punishable by law in the UK, but anger takes precedence over reason for those who do it. Abducting the child takes a heavy toll on all involved, and professional help is usually advised to help cope with the trauma.
Stalking the Ex
A stalker does not always plan his moves, specially in the case of divorced parents. It may be a way of keeping track out of sheer anxiety or grief at being denied the company of the child. In some cases, mothers who have lost custody of very young children complain of a physical attachment to the infant, a ‘gut feeling’ that the child is hungry, sick or sad. Fathers may doubt the capacity of the mother to protect the child, or provide all that a child needs. In both cases, the lone parent may keep a close watch and physically follow the child or the other partner around just to get the full picture. Sometimes however, there may be a darker purpose. Threatening a partner on phone, sending hate mails, following are all done with the hope of intimidating him or her, so that the child’s safety may be questioned, and the stalker may win over as protector. Once again, the offender knows it is punishable by law, but does it as an assertion of rights that have been violated.
Self Abuse
This is the most common of all the syndromes. Alcoholism, drug abuse, lack of appetite, over-eating, sleeping disorders, smoking are all normal ways of trying to punish oneself for losing one’s offspring. A mixture of self-pity and self-flagellation drives the lone parent towards all acts of self destruction. Though thankfully rare, sometimes this syndrome can prove fatal. Once again, the professional care is strongly suggested. If the person is not in a state to realize it himself, a friend or relative might step in to provide help.
Visiting Blues
How does one decide how much company is ‘enough’ for one’s own flesh and blood? The greatest complication in divorce procedures involves child custody, and the regulations binding visitation (now called contact) is the most hotly contested. Depression following a visit to the child is extremely common, since the parent is bound to feel that it was ‘not enough’. However, mobiles and the internet have helped greatly in these cases, and affection has found an additional support from the virtual world. The idea is to keep in touch and not feel left out from the parental rights, and there are many ways of finding solutions without hurting anyone else.
Joint Custody Duels
Joint custody can not always provide the answers one is looking for, though it succeeds with couples who have an excellent understanding and high level of maturity. The stress in these cases comes from a conflict with the ‘rules of the other household’. A parent may feel that the child is more inclined towards the other partner, and may feel neglected by the child. The emotional turmoil is terrible in these cases, since a parent cannot always voice his or her needs and helplessness in the way a child can. It is impossible to run the gamut of pain, anger, bitterness, and grief of losing out on a life one had created as a lasting impression of love, and remain unscathed. The divorce itself is bad enough, but missing the child is a pang that cuts more cruelly. It is an emotion that can be comprehended only by those luckless enough to have been in such a situation, and they are their best healers.

Conquer Fear in 3 Minutes or Less

There are only 3 things you need to know about fear to conquer it... and when you read this, be sure that you take some time to absorb it, because it will blow you away... so get ready for these because when you truly understand what I am writing here, your fears will dissolve. Are you ready for this?

1. Fear is an emotion about something that we anticipate will happen, but that hasn’t actually happened yet. Think about this, fear is an emotion about something that hasn't even happened yet!

2. Emotions, such as fear, are a creation of the mind and simply put are chemicals in the brain. In other words, they are not even tangible things.

As chemists and quantum physicists have now shown, everything we see is an image that stems from the chemicals that get passed back and forth in the brain on the molecular and atomic level. This means that emotions such as fear are simply chemicals or an illusion so to speak made real by our minds - this means the emotion of fear is actually not real.

3. When connected, as spiritual beings living a human experience, fear doesn't exist and is instead replaced with peace, love, understanding, and divine guidance. Take some time to reflect on what you have just read. And if you haven't already let go of fear here is an example of how you could use these three tenets. We'll use the example of the fear of not having money.

Let's run through these three tenets:

1. Do you have money now? Of course you do or you wouldn't be reading this e-newsletter! Does it mean that you will have money tomorrow, not necessarily, but tomorrow is irrelevant as it is not what you are actually experiencing right now!

2. Since everything we see or think for that matter is created by the mind, the synapses (chemical, biological and neural connections) that are occurring in your brain are relaying the message that you may not have money tomorrow... this means that it is not actually really occurring, but the concept or illusion of it is through chemicals in your brain!

3. In the realm of spirit and connection with the universe and source from which you spring, there is no such thing as lack or poverty! Fear of not having money does not exist anywhere else because it is just an illusion created in your mind. Spirit is infinite and would never fear not having some aspect of itself!

If I were in your shoes, what I would say to myself is the fear of not having money is not real and therefore unfounded. At the same time it is also not actually happening right now, nor is it a truth that the universe even experiences lack. I don't know about you, but that busted apart any fear I have ever had about not having enough money or not having enough security.

Try this out on your own on any fear that you have and let me know how it goes...

The moral of this line is:

Fear is nothing more than an illusion of the mind of something that hasn't even happened yet and it is far more useful to learn how to tap into and trust the divine guidance that exists inside of you that always steers you clear of harms way toward loving, peaceful, and joy-filled experiences and opportunities.

This may be a strong message, but I hope that it has reminded you of your true infinite and unlimited self, within which fear is not real.

Until next time, may you be divinely guided and may you Be-inspired!

Seminars - Do They Really Help?

We are living in an information age and as such you can find a seminar on just about anything that you want to learn, but do these seminars really work? Statistics show us that one person can have a life changing experience from a seminar yet the person sitting beside them will gain nothing. Let's have a look at why that is.

I am one of the people who experienced massive, positive life changes from going to seminars. For example I changed my income from being around the average national income to being five times the average in a period of around 18 months. I did this by directly applying material that I had learned in seminars.

I personally know other people who attended the same seminars that I attended and some of those also made huge improvements in their life, while others made no change at all.

A couple of years after starting to go to seminars I joined a business seminar club. This club ran six major seminars a year with internationally respected speakers. They also held monthly club nights where we would have a 1 hour presentation from up and coming speakers on the circuit and then we would socialize and network with each other.

These club nights provided me with the ideal opportunity to see who was improving their life and who was not. We were all attending the same seminars because they were included as part of the annual club fee. I became fascinated by the differences in results and subtly conducted my own research while socializing and networking.

I discovered two major differences between those who gained major improvement after attending the seminars and those who didn't.
Difference #1. Expectation. The people who gained substantial benefits from attending the seminars had the prior expectation that the seminar was going to provide them with information that they could take action on in order to improve their outcomes. The important point here was that they were fully accepting the responsibility for taking action to change their outcome.
The people who didn't make big improvement after attending the seminar fell into three groups. Firstly there were those whose expectation was that somehow their life would change after attending the seminar. These people were positive but seemed to completely miss the point that they would have to be responsible for the change. They didn't seem to appreciate that all the seminar was going to do was provide them with the tools that they needed.
The members of the second group were approaching the seminar as a social event. They were expecting to have a lot of fun there and to meet other interesting people. They were all enthusiastic and after attending the seminar they would regularly meet with their friends, old and new, who had also attended the seminar and they would talk about how great it had been. These people seemed to be fooling themselves into thinking that being enthusiastic and talking about the seminar was somehow going to change their life.
Then there was an interesting third group who appeared to be attending to reinforce their idea that nothing could improve their life. They would make comments like "I've heard all that stuff before" or "that's interesting but I doubt if it really works" or "these guys never tell you what they are really doing". They seemed to completely miss all the great tips that the speaker had given and as I result they didn't apply any of them.
Difference #2. Action. The people who successfully improved their outcomes were the people who took action on what was taught. They also accepted the teachings on faith and applied them exactly as they had been told too.
Those who didn't achieve the great results from the seminars fell into two groups. Firstly there were those who took action but they decided only to apply some of the teachings and to ignore the rest or they decided that there was an even better way to use the teachings and so they changed them around and came up with their own variation.
It always intrigues me when a person will pay money to get advice from an expert, who is far more successful and experienced, and then they will change that advice around before applying it. Let's face it, if you really knew more about how that advice should be used then you would probably already be a successful expert yourself.
The members of the final group were the people who didn't actually take action at all. This is by far the largest group and also the most vocal in saying that seminars don't really work. Well guess what. A seminar is not a magic wand. They teach you what you need to do and how you need to do it but then it is up to you to actually put it into action. If you don't actually do what you are taught then of course it won't work.

In Summary. The people who gain huge benefits from attending seminars are the people who approach the seminar as a source of valuable information but they still accept full responsibility for applying that information. They also apply the information exactly as presented and don't argue with it, reinterpret it, or try and reinvent the wheel. They just do it!

How to Avoid and Prevent Date Rape?

The crime of date rape is becoming more and more prevalent. Fortunately, extensive media coverage of this crime and so called date rape drugs have made women more vigilant and aware of this potential threat. Still, despite increased awareness, the number of these incidents continues to climb.

Parties, bars and night clubs are prime breeding grounds for acts of violence, assault and rape. With this in mind, these simple safety tips are important to keep in mind and pass along.

· Always get your own drink, and watch it being poured.
· Never leave your drink unattended. If you need to use the restroom and can't take it with you, leave it with a trusted friend-not a new date!
· If your drink tastes funny, do not drink it and dispose of it so no one else does.
· Keep in mind that most drugs used to spike a drink are colorless and tasteless, so not allowing your drink out of your sight is paramount.
· Be aware of how your friends are acting. If they seem more "out of it" than usual, be very wary and keep an eye out for them.

When it's time to leave, you may have met someone you are interested in. Ask yourself if you really trust this person. Can you be sure they won't make you do anything you don't want to do? Are you confident they will take NO for an answer? If you've asked yourself these questions and still want to leave with this person, be sure to introduce them to friends and let your friends know you are leaving with them.

So you've left with this person and you're now in a new location. You could be in a car, your home, their home, the beach, or some other secluded spot.You could even be a consenting participant in a heavy "make out" session. But things are moving too fast, the person's making you uncomfortable, or you've just simply changed your mind. At no point is it ever too late to say NO. Say it firmly and repeat it louder if you need to.

Hopefully, you were right when you asked yourself if you could trust this person, that they wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want to do, and that they'd take NO for an answer. Unfortunately, despite a person's best efforts, it's possible to find yourself with somebody who has fooled you horribly and isn't going to take NO for an answer. This is NOT your fault. However, you do need to act to ensure your safety. If screaming for help or fleeing are not viable options, you need to defend yourself.

I could discuss many self-defense tactics or possible weapons, but for this particular topic, I'd like to tell you about one particular item that can be perfect for a situation where date rape seems imminent. It's a pepper spray disguised as a lipstick. A potential attacker is likely to drop their guard if you switch gears from resisting to saying you'd like to freshen your lipstick. His posture will relax when he sees you reach into your purse and come out with nothing but the aforementioned lipstick. But, the attractive case he sees packs a potent pepper spray. It holds twenty half-second sprays with a range of 10 feet. While you’re potential attacker is temporarily blinded and in excruciating pain, you have given yourself ample time to escape and go for help.

Look for more articles from me discussing potential threats and your options to defend yourself. Or, you can contact me for taking a step ahead by making out those evil headed people in the party. It should be a social responsibility of all to ensure that girls are personally safe, regardless of what situation they may find themselves in.

Powerful Project Managers - Their secrets revealed

I think that the Greeks are really lucky because they have a very rich language. I enjoy studying the origin of words and phrases, and I like writing poetry and stories, but what annoys me about the English language is that many words have a variety of meanings. For example I could say, 'I love my computer,' or, 'I love my wife,' or, 'I love Thai food.' Obviously the word 'love' has a different meaning in each phrase, and so we have to try to work out the meaning of the word by the context. And if we are given a single word instead of a phrase, we can't tell what its meaning is with certainty.

But in the Greek language, they have a whole range of words for each situation, for example the Greek words, 'Eros', 'Zoe', 'Agape', 'Phileo', 'Stergo' and others, are all translated into English as 'Love', but each one has a different meaning. 'Phileo' for example means brotherly love, or love of mankind.

This has an interesting implication for anyone who is familiar with the Bible, and in particular the 'New Testament', because the New Testament (NT) was written in Kone (common) Greek, but then translated into English -- and suddenly a lot of the richness disappears. For example the word 'power' appears in several places, but just like 'love', the original Greek words translated as 'power' have different meanings. The two main Greek words translated as 'power' in the NT are 'dunamus' (meaning explosive power -- where we get our word 'dynamite' from), and the second word is 'exhousia' which means 'authority'. As you can see, two very different meanings, but just one word in English

In project management, when we talk about 'power' we mean the ability of the project manager to influence the behavior of team and other stakeholders. And just like Greek, the profession of Project Management defines different types of power too. Knowing the different types of power in project management, and knowing how and when to use them, can be crucial to managing projects successfully. So if it all seems like Greek to you, please read on…

Types of Power.

Power is not merely the 'dunamus' sledge-hammer power that forces people to obey your every command. There are a number of ways in which we can influence our team members. And remember, willing team-members will do a much better job than people who are beaten into submission. The main ways that a project manager can influence people are by:

Expert Power. In this situation the project manager is an expert on the product of the project. For example, my project management background is largely software development for the financial sector, but I am also a business analyst (before that I was a programmer), and I usually designed the systems that the projects build. So, usually I was the expert, and the team members would look up to me and trust my decisions because I had the knowledge necessary to complete the project -- if someone wanted to know something they just asked me. They knew that either I would know the answer, or I would know where to find it.

Reward Power. With this type of power the project manager has the authority to offer inducements to people to the extent that the perceived value of the reward in the person's mind will outweigh any negative experiences that the person believes they must endure to get the reward. When people think of 'reward' they generally think of money, but -- believe it or not -- experts have demonstrated that money is not the 'ultimate' for many people. So how else can you reward people? You can reward people with status, recognition etc -- but it can be as simple as allowing people to perform other tasks that they enjoy doing, e.g. 'I know you really want to do this section of our Web page -- well as your quality has really improved this month I'm going to let you do it' If that sounds unlikely -- what about game machines in arcades? When I was a kid we would put money in the arcade machines, and if we won the game then we would get some money back. But then some genius came up with the idea of rewarding winners with a 'free' game, instead of money -- pretty clever, isn't it? So reward power is about giving people what they desire so that you can ask them to do something in return. For this to work, the person must believe that the offer of reward is genuine, that the reward is worth enduring the pain of performing the task, ad of course they must believe that they can accomplish the task. Of course the negative side of reward power is withholding a reward if people don't comply.

Referent Power. This one reminds me of the old saying, 'It's not what you know that counts, it's who you know!' What it boils down to is having power over someone because they want to be like you This is the kind of power exercised by some charismatic religious leaders, politicians, celebrities and so on. People holding this type of power can lead groups of people to perform in ways quite different from the norm, as can be seen in the historical records of dictators. So this type of power really relies upon the project manager having particular charisma. The negative side of referent power is the removal of a person from your presence or from the group that follows you.

Representative Power. Note this one often isn't listed, but I've included it for completeness. Representative power means that the group will elect to follow another member of a group voluntarily. This is very similar to referent power, but of course the person chosen by the group to lead them, may not be the project manager! Okay now we start to go over to the dark side.

Coercive Power. With this power the project manager has the ability to inflict punishment on the group. Members of the group may obey if they perceive the pain of punishment from the project manager as being worse than the pain of doing the task. This is the opposite of reward power -- but the goal is the same. For this to work, the person must believe that the threat of punishment is genuine, that the punishment is worse than performing the task, ad of course they must believe that they can accomplish the task.

Legitimate Power. Legitimate come from the same root word as 'legal', i.e. the project manager has been given the power by a higher authority. People respond to the project manager in the belief that they have the right to do what they are doing because they are fully supported by senior management. Note I said 'believe', because for this type of power to work it doesn't have to be genuine, as long as people believe it. When I was in high school I learned early that you could get a teacher to do almost anything for you (within reason), by marching into their classroom and saying confidently, 'The headmaster says…' Legitimate power is based on the idea in the mind of the person being influenced that the person having the influence has this influence because of the values of the person being influenced.

In other words, the influenced person believes that the person influencing has the right to do this through formal authority in the organization. For example, in medieval societies, the king was obeyed because everyone believed he had that authority from God. Although response to this sort of power may have once been motivated by fear, over time the power is changed into a tradition. The person who is the influencer has power over others even if he or she lacks the power to punish and reward any longer.

When a new employee starts to work in a firm, the authority and chain of command in the company is clearly explained to him or her. As long as people wish to work for this company they agree to respect the legitimate authority of those in positions above them.

Can the Feeling of Guilt Destroy Your Relationship?

When the mind allows guilt to take over, it will tear down relationships, especially if the partner fails to come to terms and agreement with self. To determine if your mind is full of guilt you must ask your self-questions. What did you do so wrong that would offend your partner that cannot be forgiving?
Guilt can break the mind down to the point of no return. Guilt is more than a mistake made; rather it is a violation against rights, humanity, belief, tradition, standards, and love. When a person fails in a relationship, they may feel a measure of guilt. Thus, confronting the problem now can remove the guilt and make the relationship work. When people confront their problems, it often leads to workable agreements. When procrastination, or else lying to cover the wrong continues the mind consumes itself with emotions based on guilt.
Guilt occurs when conscious actions or thoughts interfere with someone else’s rights, or else against the own person’s beliefs. Mistakes leading to guilt depend on the situation, but for the most part wrongs can lead to right if humanity exists.
If a person commits adultery, thus the problem is solvable if the person acted out of emotion, rather than thought and commits to restoring trust. Of course, actions, effort, behaviors and habits must show the mate that the mistake will never occur again. It depends on the mate but some will forgive, while others may take the insult of the partner letting them know their worth in the relationship to heart and may decide separation and/or divorce is the way out. Adultery is stating to the mate that you have no worth. If the mate decides to forgive, thus you must do your part and allow the guilt to turn into effort to restore trust. You will need consideration, loyalty, compassion, honesty, and may even need to tell your every move for a while during the course of restore. A person with true remorse will work hard, regardless of what he/she needs to do to restore trust.
If a person violates the right of the partner, thus, it depends on the magnitude of violation, but in most instances, it is workable. People act out of emotions and impulses at times, and will often act out of lust occasionally. When the emotions, impulses and desires take control (depending on the length of time control is enforced), the person may do things he or she ordinarily would not do.
Thus, adultery is a justifiable reason to divorce or separate from the spouse, but looking at the entirety of the circumstance can help a person decide. Was the spouse enticed by another individual to commit the act, while the spouse was feeling vulnerable? Still, vulnerability is no excuse on the spouse’s part, but if enticement is the case, then two people wronged you. Was the other person in the act deceived? Did your mate lead the person to believe that he/she was not in a commitment? Examining the entirety of the act can help the mate determine the direction the relationship is heading, and help the other partner decide what he/she needs to do to make things right again.
Divorce is an attack on the emotions, since a trigger hits the heart and emotions and creates pain, sorrow, hurt, sadness, et cetera. Divorce is showing a disregard for the marriage arrangement unless true reasons for divorce are evident. Thus, divorce should only be considered if the mate commits adultery, abuses the partner, or fails to commit in the relationship arrangement, and/or if death occurs. If you are in a relationship and your mate committed an insulting act against you, such as adultery. Thus, considering the entirety will help you make a wise decision.
If another person enticed your mate on vulnerable grounds, thus consider your partner by asking what were, you thinking at the time. If your mate responds by saying I wasn’t thinking, thus you can ask, what makes me think it won’t happen again? If your mate is sincerely sorry, he/she will let you know by words, action, emotions, thoughts, and tone spoken.