Vampires are in style once again. Seems like every generation has to go through a period when they are fascinated with vampires. In the last year or so, we have seen the popularity of the Twilight series as well as a television show here in the United States called The Vampire Diaries.
Back in the 1990s when I was in college, we had the whole Anne Rice series that dealt with vampires. There was a popular film made that was based on one of Rice’s books. It was called Interview with a Vampire. To be candid, I loved the books and the movie.
The three major characters, I thought, represented three types of human beings. You had the one who loved being who they were and made the most out of it. You had the one who was constantly questioning what being a vampire was all about and over analyzing everything. Then finally, you had the one who was so angry with how life was they were always finding ways to take it out on others. We all know people who fit these categories.
Being that I used to be fascinated with the whole vampire thing, I decided to give the new generation of vampire movies a shot as well as the television show. I hardly made it through the first twenty minutes. The new vampires struck me as too brooding and too dark. I found myself thinking “just get over it…so you are a vampire, just cope…we all have our issues.”
Yes, I know…if there were such a thing as a vampire, it would be hard to be in the world and not want to drink everyone’s blood. I get that but that does not mean you have to walk around all moody and dark.
One of the things that has always fascinated me was that we human beings have a tendency to over-complicate things. We think that if we are overly intellectual that means we are smart. We over analyze things to the point that we can take something so simple and turn it into something very puzzling.
We even have done this with every aspect of being alive. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a deep thinker but there is a problem when people over analyze things to a point that they are not really doing anything. The best example of this can be found in two areas….happiness and spirituality.
Happiness is quite simple. It truly is and trust me…I spent a good portion of young life trying to find it, only to realize that it was in front of me the whole time. Happiness is not a mathematical formula. It never was nor will it ever be one. Happiness is a feeling and yes, it is a state of mind. However, you can have the right thoughts but if you are lacking in feeling, you will never be happy.
In order for a thought to have power, it has to be backed up with a feeling. You can think all the positive things you want until you are blue in the face but if you do not feel the happiness…the thoughts will mean nothing. It’s like having a car without an engine.
Positive psychology is a popular field now and many people have books on how to be happy. I have read quite a few of them and they always strike me as trying too hard. Life is a matter of perception and yes, you can train your mind to look at things differently. But if your heart is not in agreement with your mind, then you will be stuck.
Yes, the mind is powerful but the heart is even more powerful. A mother who sees her child in danger suddenly can become a superhero due to the love she feels. The mind will not do that for you. I mean…I can think as much as I want that I am Wonder Woman but if I don’t feel it, my superhero powers will not do a thing. The power of belief/feeling is what moves a mountain…not thinking about it.
As for how we have complicated spirituality….well….it is simple. Either you believe in a Higher Power or not. Whether the thought process is logical does not matter. Let me give you an example. Years ago, one of my cousins read a book on spirituality and analyzed it from a scientific point of view. Listening to him talk about it literally gave me a headache.
Granted, to be fair, my brain really does not do well with mathematical approaches to life. Either you believe certain things or you don’t. It is that simple. The full reality of the human experience is something that none of us truly knows. In many holy books it is said that the Divine cannot be fully known for it is too immense for us to comprehend.
The ways of God are based on things that probably are too powerful for us to understand and we just need to accept that reality. Furthermore, does it really matter in your day to day experience why God does what he does? How can your limited intelligence fathom an intelligence that has no limits?
In Buddhism, it is encouraged that you test out the theories in order to see if they make sense to you and there is a lot of wisdom in that approach. The only way for a person to know anything is to try it. You can read all you want about New York City but unless you go there and walk the streets, you will never know what it is like. The same is true for life. You will not fully understand the dynamics of the human experience unless you live life to the fullest.
This brings me back to the importance of feelings. Pain and suffering are two conditions that none of us want to feel. Yet we all have felt it. Often, when we experience pain, it hurts us so much we never want to feel that way again. So we shut down. We close off our hearts thinking that we are protecting ourselves. The sad reality is that we are doing the total opposite.
When I was a teenager, after a guy that I liked made it very clear he did not feel the same way about me, I was heartbroken. I locked myself in my room and cried for hours. When I was done sobbing, I swore to myself that I would never ever allow myself to get this hurt again. So I locked my heart away in an effort to not feel pain. This simple decision created a decade of not so healthy relationships. Because what you feel, you attract.
If you are emotionally closed off, we will only attract people who are the same as you. Only when you begin to really allow yourself to be in touch with your emotions, will you attract emotionally healthy people.
In my case, only after years of learning to reconnect to my heart, did I meet a man that was emotionally available and stable. You attract what you feel. If you feel like you are worthless, you will draw people who will reinforce that belief and then you will think it is a fact.
Allow yourself to see and feel the beauty that is you. We all are beautiful in our own way. No one is lacking in merit or talent. Some of us are just more in tune with our possibilities than others but that does not mean it is impossible.
The best and most secure investment you can ever make in life is in yourself. For if you do not believe in yourself, who will?
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Hi Nadia!
Great minds think alike
But hec, you added vampires into the mix and that rocks! I skimmed through all four Twilight books because my stepdaughter had to have someone to gush over Edward with…I had the same feeling, “get over yourself already” (and I wanted to give Bella a good shake in book two…and tell her to snap out of it…)
Anyhoo…after experiencing the “I’d rather die than go through this” divorce, I learned I had to become the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I couldn’t just say I want a man with integrity and a commitment to excellence – I had to BECOME that and BELIEVE that in order to attract those qualities to me.
Imagine that…it worked. Because I married him three years ago.
Last night at what’s becoming the Wednesday Night Dinner (we had 10 family members at the table) I was talking to my sister-in-law about this very thing – because she has no idea how to stop attracting the bad boys…the brooders…the men who are not emotionally available. She says she wants someone like my husband (her ex-brother-in-law – I have a confusing family tree) but she doesn’t believe it yet.
Awesome awesome post!
Peggy at Serendipity Smiles´s last blog ..Belief
Hi Peggy,
Yes, great minds definitely do think alike!
Thank you for letting me know that my views on Edward are not unique. Considering all the positive things I heard, I felt kind of surprised that I felt so differently.
Good for you for becoming what you wanted and feeling it with every ounce of your being. Totally awesome. What we see and feel, we attract. It is a law of life.
Hope all is well!
I love how you used the three main characters in Interview with a Vampire to characterize people’s approach to life. When you read the book or watch the movie, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Lestat is the “bad guy”, when in fact, he’s just loving life..errrr…death and wants to share it with his companion. I think that’s an interesting analogy to the way we sometimes treat other people in our lives. When people are different from us, we tend to think they are odd or “bad” in some way, simply because we don’t understand where they are coming from. If we can learn to see things from their point of view, it brings us closer to them, and suddenly they don’t seem like such bad people after all.
Jay Schryer´s last blog ..Loving It for What It Is
Hi Jay,
You are so right with what you wrote regarding Lestat. I personally thought Lestat was awesome. He just did his own thing and made the best out of what he had. Ironically, my appreciation for Lestat was always greeted with disdain. Often when someone does something differently, many people automatically judge it as being bad. Actually, as someone who marches to the beat of her own drum, I get that a lot from some in my family. It is hard to be different but no one has ever asked why I do what I do. They just assume something negative and the judgment begins. People do things for reasons and their reasons are based on their perception of reality. So you are absolutely right!
So many great tidbits in this post. Feel happy. Believe in a higher power or don’t. Stop reading about it and try it. You attract what you feel.
I love vampire movies, although some of the recent entries to the genre have bent or broken some of the classical rules. You should check out TrueBlood. It’s an HBO series, but since I don’t have HBO, I caught the first season on Netflix.
Eric | Eden Journal´s last blog ..Mish Mash Free for All – November 2009 Edition
Hi Eric,
I have heard about “True Blood” but never saw an episode. We don’t have HBO either so I will try to find it another way. Thank you so much for the recommendation.
And as for the tidbits, glad you liked them. Hope all is awesome!
Nadia,
This is right on the mark! Straight to my heart….and I had to laugh about all the Vampire stuff…it took 4 tries for 2 nurses on 2 days to get a catheter into my veins last weekend…I joked maybe a vampire sucked out all my blood the night before (this started on Friday the 13!) But eventually they found a good vein and I bled perfectly and my heart was still pumping…and every beat of my heart says to me…feel it all, everything, every pain, itch, tear, giggle…feel it all. It is so simple. Somethings, like God are a mystery…knowing that is enough, plenty…happiness is right here in each breath as we expand and release…not far away…right here.
Namaste, shining one,
Laura
Hi Laura,
When my mom was alive and fighting with cancer, she used to have weekly blood tests. Sometimes they had problems finding a vein and it would take time. It was kind of painful for her too. So reading your experience reminded me of what my mother went through. It is great that you were able to make a joke out of it. That is such a blessing.
And yes, God and happiness is in each breath and always with us. We just have to simply see it and feel it.
I’m blown away. I want to cry now, from relief that someone knows what it’s like to feel like this. It will be the first time I’ve cried about anything but pain and loneliness in 2 years.
Hi Aaron,
I am happy that you were so touched by this post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I have some knowledge of this, as I not only have read those novels of Vampires, but have played Dracula on stage with some acclaim. It’s fun to freak people out still with my “evil laugh” from it.
Dracula, to me, is a representation of the emptiness almost all of us feel inside. The emptiness that cannot be filled by other people or by things. An utter cosmic loneliness that is desperate to be healed but seems to know that anything external we try to fill it with will do nothing.
That said, I would say that happiness isn’t really something easy to just step into. We all want it to be, and those who want to be known as an inspiring, helpful person generally have some investment in that idea. Why not – who wants to tell someone else they have a rough time ahead of them? But to me it’s a paradox – the more you embrace the inner suffering, conflict, false beliefs, and emptiness, the more easily they flow away, and when they flow away, the natural state is joy. Ideas can’t do that. And it’s not something you can “just do”. The surrender and trust it takes to do that requires lifetimes of wisdom – even if it is a simple thing to do.
Matthew @ Step into the Flow´s last blog ..Status: The measure of value we present
Hi Matthew,
I understand what you are saying but I don’t think you understood what I was saying. To be happy is easy. For in our natural state we are happy. It is our issues that block us from seeing that natural state of being. We all have a spark of the Divine within us. Our ego just gets in the way and we hold on to the illusions of our so called pain. Trust me, it took me years to work through my issues and be happy. As I got more into spirituality, I realized how society has complicated things for no reason.
So the difficulty of happiness is an illusion. To say that you need lifetimes of wisdom is too limiting. Someone may not have acquired wisdom through many lifetimes, yet they still are able to achieve full happiness. There are no limits to what we can achieve if we really want something badly enough. Just remove your ego and you will be happy.
The ego wants us rooted in our misery and a part of it’s power is to make us think that happiness is difficult. When I realized how happiness was in front of me the whole time, I was kind of amazed because if I had not dwelled so much in my pain, I would have been happy much sooner. That said, no regrets for how my journey has been. One of the benefits of having gone through all of that is the desire to spare other people from taking too long to discover that what they are seeking since they already have it deep within them.
guess what, I’m from Transilvania,Dracula’s home and the place where vampires come to live muhahahhaahha
Yes Nadia, the mind is powerful and the heart is more powerful, in fact the mind is nothing compared to the heart. Law of attraction no longer works when you use your heart. Heart is like something from space compared with mind. You can use the heart when you want to erase something from the unconscious(a habit or …) by forgiving yourself and others. You all ready know the unconscious is neutral and types in your personal character whatever feelings you send out.
We don’t know anything. We only know about, not what it’s like to be something. You have to become that thing. Think about describing a bird, you can only know about it, not how it’s like to be it. I’d love to be a bird, but not a bat
Hi Florin,
That is so cool how you are from Transylvania! I knew someone who was from there too and they told me about what it is like to live there. It was very interesting.
You are so right, the mind is nothing compared to the power of the heart. That is so true and I am often amazed when people put more value and faith in their mind. Then again, I have always been the kind of person who was more drawn to the heart.
And I am with you about being a bird….much better than a bat!
Nadia, As usual, I can so relate to what you wrote, especially the part about the traps of the mind. I have always had a tendency to overanalyze, and learning to find my heart and surrender have been the big themes in my own spiritual journey. Now, I still love to philosophize, analyze metaphysical ideas, etc. but it is just an exercise, that I enjoy, like dancing, I don’t think of it so much as a path to truth. It is still a trap I have to watch for, though. Whenever I feel stressed about a decision, if I stop and breath I can see that the stress is usually because I have gotten myself wrapped up in some big elaborate ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ list in my head. And then it’s time to go with my heart!
As for the latest vampires series, I’m with you on the unnecessary broodiness thing. Although I did force myself through the entire Twilight book series last year, on vacation. I wasn’t that into it until the very last book, where there is a big gathering of vampires, and they all have different powers, and that part was fascinating. And they do finally learn to be happy too, so some extent!!
Lisa (mommymystic)´s last blog ..What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To…
Hi Lisa,
I know exactly what you mean. Learning to surrender takes practice and time. I am much better than I used to be but there is still room for improvement. Stress is often a great force which makes us more prone to go with the mind as opposed to the heart. But then again, it is also an opportunity or a test to see how we cope with it. Usually when I start to get stressed, my body reacts to it and then I realize that I just need to let go and just trust the process. As long as my conscience is clear…meaning I did my best given the facts of the situation, it is much easier to just let go of the outcome.
And thank you for letting me know that things come together in the last book of the series. I did not know that and you are right, who knew that each vampire could have different powers. Very cool.
Triple Yes! Yes! Yes! Because this post gave me goose bumps.
We need to believe in ourselves even when no one else does. Most of my family doesn’t think I can create a business around the concept of work happiness. Boy are they wrong. I know they are wrong because in my heart I know that it’s needed.
I needed someone to help me with my work happiness when I was fresh out of college. It took me ten years to make it happen. My hope is that it happens sooner than later, but I’m sticking with it no matter what.
Thanks Nadia. I needed to read this post today.
Karl Staib – Work Happy Now´s last blog ..Be One With Your Work
Hi Karl,
You are most welcome. I am so happy you found your passion and you are doing what you can to make that dream become a reality. Your love for your work shines through and I am sure your dreams will come true. Endurance, passion and patience always pay off.
This one subject could probably be a blog post on its own, but I can relate to your experience with your cousin! I was sharing the things I was learning, reading, listening to with a friend of mine and he is a college professor & physicist. It was interesting to see how two different people would react to the same thing (just like how there are so many different reactions to your post here!). I was so frustrated I stopped talking to him about it and he didn’t understand why. I didn’t know how to explain it to him.
And yes, I’ve read all those vampire books too. Although I liked some of Anne Rice’s other books better than the vampire series. The Twilight series I approached as “summer reading” and I enjoyed it on that level, I admit.
Hi Rhonda,
You are right…that one issue could be a post on its own. Like you, I wanted to explain my reaction but the words did not come to mind. It was kind of obvious too that no matter what I said, his mind was not going to change. You can sort of tell when someone is flexible to another thought process.
And thanks for sharing your thoughts on the vampire books. I love how we all have our own point of view. I always learning something by the experiences of others. Hope all is awesome!
Oh Nadia, it is so cool to hear you say; “Get over it.”
We do have a tendency to make a drama of our life, to have life be like television and have people fussing over our difficulties. We seek negative attention just like children are naughty to at least have us react.
Hello, hello, life is simple, uncomplicated and as you say everything is right in front of us.
Simple and uncomplicated is NOT boring and beneath us, get over that!
Love the combination of your eloquent writing AND your practical ‘get over it’.
A hug to my practical yet eloquent friend, Wilma
Hi Wilma,
Thank you for the kind words and the support. I spent so many years lamenting my pain….it did no good. Only when I made the conscious choice to just get over it, was I able to finally break free. So I talk from experience. Life is definitely simple and beautiful….we so often forget that.
Hugs to you, my friend who is full of love and support.
Hi Nadia,
I’m in the middle of Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire right now – I had always wanted to read it and finally made time to do so. I love it thus far!
Anyhoo, I agree with Wilma (hi Wilma!), it was fun to hear you say, “Get over it.” Everybody has their own way of doing that, but I agree that sometime it’s easy to fall into the over-complication trap.
As I’ve moved through my own struggles the last few years, I’ve learned that each set of circumstances is different for each person and situation. I think I’m really torn about that, actually, how I process my own ’struggle’ as well as trying not not to be judgmental over how other people move through their ’struggle’.
I think that’s why I trained to be a scientist, it usually involves a yes or no answer by experimentation and controlled studies. I’ve never been very good with grey areas or even understanding human psychology or spirituality.
Sorry – I kind went on a tangent there. I really enjoyed this post, Nadia, thanks for letting me express myself here!
Lots of love to you… ~xo
Lori´s last blog ..Proof: Extraterrestrial Life Exists
Hi Lori,
That is so cool how you are reading “Interview with a Vampire” right now…talk about timing!
I know what you mean about the differences with how people process struggle. That is very true. Each person’s pain and suffering is just and each person is entitled to feel the way that they feel. There is no doubt in my mind about that. That said, I think it is essential that at some point we overcome our pain. No one is immune from pain and suffering. We all have experienced it and yes, some of us have had it much harder than others. No doubt about it. However, there is no need to be stuck in the pain.
I talk from experience. I spent a good portion of years stuck in my pain. I felt justified and right. It did me no good. Only when I made the choice to break free from it was I able to break free from it.
And you did not go on a tangent at all. No worries!
Hi Nadia
‘Human beings have a tendency to over-complicate things’. Absolutely. I’ve been in that camp, mixed up in drama, martyrdom and stories that do not serve. I’d dump everything I could possibly find into the mix and end up with paralysis by analysis.
I am getting over it.
Simplicity rocks. It brings clarity and way to move forward out of the chaos.
I agree Nadia happiness IS simple. You just got to choose it.
Hugs to you.
Ann-Marie´s last blog ..Ann-Marie on Intimacy on Blogs
Hi Ann-Marie,
I know exactly what you mean. I used to do that too. Actually, I think I spent most of my teenage years and early twenties stuck in that “paralysis by analysis”. I loved how you called it that…that is just so perfect.
And yay for simplicity! It definitely rocks and makes life so much more fun.
Hugs right back at you!
How very timely……..I had someone challenge me just this morning with
“Don’t you think you’re putting yourself on a bit of a pedestal?”
My response?
“No. If I don’t think I’m special how can I expect anyone else to?”
Heartbreak happens. We just need to re member how special we are, regardless of the
imbeciles out there who can’t see it. That’s their loss, not ours.
Great post.
Live Life Happy!
Jacqueline Johns – Happy Life Mentor´s last blog ..Happy Me
Hi Jacqueline,
Amen to that! I always tell people that if a relationship does not work or a job does not pan out, it is meant for a reason and it is the other person’s loss. We each have value and if someone does not appreciate our value, we are better off without them in our life. So good for you for standing your ground and recognizing your specialness! You go, girl!
I have to confess that I do not enjoy the prospect of scaring myself, so horror movies or books do not appeal to me. Nonetheless, your post got me laughing at some parts. It is really about the belief and feelings that matter and not the thinking, isn’t it? And oh yes….the thing I like best about Buddhism is that I am encouraged to go experience it for myself. Since I have a tendency to be skeptical by nature, Buddhism works well for me because I need the benefit of experience to know what Truth is
As always, an entertaining and educational read! Thanks, Nadia!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog ..Feed has moved
Hi Evelyn,
I agree with you at not wanting to scare yourself. I am of the same mindset and none of the vampire books I mentioned had horror in it. It was more like a story of ordinary people who just happened to be vampires. It was like reading about a fantasy world. At least, that was my impression. So you just never know what something is like unless you try.
Buddhism so rocks! There more I think about Buddhist thought, the more in awe I am of Lord Buddha. He lived 5,000 years ago and described human behavior so well. That even now all these years later, the concepts still apply. I am glad that Buddhism works well for you.
And thank you so much for the kind words and support. Both are very much appreciated.
Hi Nadia,
I love the comparisons you made to Interview with a Vampire and the three basic personality types. I also like your point about spirituality–that you either believe in a higher power or you don’t. Those who want to pick things apart and argue the validity or possibility of every point give me a headache, too. I’m all for questioning as a way of opening doors but not that type that is only seeking to tear down or complicate things. As for investments, you are so right that the best investment we can make is in our self. The more we love who we are and the more we believe in who we are, the more we can love and believe in others. This was a fun post. Thank you!
Jodi at Joy Discovered´s last blog ..Forgiveness, Letting Go, and Freedom
Hi Jodi,
I loved how you described the process of how some questions are meant to tear down or complicate the issue for no reason. Questioning is valid when the intention is right. But some ego’s want to just discredit something because they feel that their point of view is correct and they want to justify their perspective. The beauty of life is that we each are entitled to our perspective. The more we build a dialogue to understand, the more peace we generate. But if we just tear each other down, then there is no way to have harmony.
Hope all is awesome!
Hi Nadia – I never expected vampires to come back into fashion. My daughter is addicted to Twilight.
I like what you say about happiness and spirituality. All the different instruction books and advice have become a bit overwhelming to me. I feel like I’m so busy trying to follow the rules sometimes, that I’m no longer myself.
Hi Cath,
Thank you so much for being so open about how when you are busy trying to follow the rules, you no longer feel like yourself. I think you are not alone in that. It is so important that we accept who we are and work with what we have. I will never be Einstein. My brain just cannot do math. Linear thinking is so foreign to me and anytime I have tried, my head starts to hurt.
I used to feel really bad for not being good at math or for not being very logical. I always have been much more of a creative person. I used to struggle with that because the environment I was in did not respect the arts. So I used to pretend to be logical and it was horrible. Only when I accepted the fact that I am more artistic and will never be the kind of person who looks at things with the mind, the better I felt and the more free I felt.
People have to be true to who they are and once you are cool with who you are, happiness is possible and it will be the kind of happiness that is perfect for your style. Happiness is truly just a form of inner peace.
And cool that your daughter is addicted to “Twilight”. She must be excited to see the new movie that is out.
Whoops! Nadia,
This is a lovely piece of writing, containing so much truths, hints and whatever one can only wish for. Your style reminds me of Alistair Cook’s –“Letters from America”. He could also start a post out of a scratch and suddenly switch to in a magical way to most serious and relevant things that truly matter to all of us. All this was done with a captivating ease, without
conscious and tiring efforts, which rob you from the pleasure of doing it in the end (Salinger).
When you say –“You will not fully understand the dynamics of the human experience unless
you live life to the fullest”, Emily Dickinson begins ringing a bell to me:
I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.
I never spoke with God,
Nor visited heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were give.
Another story, about the struggle between the Mind and the Ego is also indicative and to large extend explains some of the fundamental issues you are writing about in your most revealing post. This is the story about Madjun and his camel. Madjun wanted to move forward
in his pursued way, so that he could reach his point of destiny –his sacred love Leila. However the camel was trying feverishly to return back to her baby camel , which she left in the opposite way. So Madjun lost nearly 60 precious years from his life moving into vicious circles before he decided to jump of the camel, to free himself and finally was punished by braking his leg. Rumi’s comments are worth quoting:
O railer, how long will you continue to give
Your invitations to the world.
From now please don’t give this madman advice,
For I’ve had enough of this deceitful talk
That departs me from my Beloved.
I’ve had it enough, how long shall I have it more?
Only if I go insane will I grow closer to Him.
Fetter my leg, for I’ve torn the chain of reason.
Bring two hundred ties, and I’ll rip them all,
But for the one that is the curls of love.
For the time is come for me to quit my human form,
And take to my spirit.
Finally one can generally speaking , state the following :
No Better Love
No better love than love with no object.
No more satisfying work
Than work with no purpose.
If you could give up tricks and cleverness,
That will be the cleverest trick.
I guess that what I was trying to say is, that through Nadia’s posts , apart from being a unique learning experience , I begin to realize that her insights – “The power of belief / feeling is what moves a mountain …not thinking about it “ + “Divine cannot be fully known for it is too immense to comprehend” + “The best and most secure investment you can ever make in life is yourself. For if you do not believe in yourself, who will?” are more than fantastic and never to be forgotten or underestimated!
Hi Mike,
Thank you so much for all the kind things you wrote about my writing. I have been writing for nineteen years and have spent so much time perfecting it. Many people tell me how open and easy is my writing style and I always like to tell people, it took years to get it to be like that. Anything that looks so easy usually has a lot of work behind it. So please know how grateful and humbled I am by your compliments.
I also appreciate the poems and stories you shared in your comment. I never really cared much for Emily Dickinson when I was younger but as time went on, I have come across more and more of her work and my attitude towards her has changed. Considering how she never left her house, it is awesome the amount of work and insight she was able to generate and share. It is truly admirable.
As for Rumi, I do not know much about him except I do recall coming across a collection of his poems on love and thought it was interesting. I also enjoyed the story about the camel.
Hope all is well with you!
Hey Nadia!
I love vampire stuff, not the recent stuff as much but I was always a big fan of Angel and Buffy. Tonight I’m taking a very special date out for her birthday to see the new Twightlight movie. (Wish me luck!)
You talked about trying things for ourselves and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always had a slogan which I always use for me….” The only way to know is to try for yourself” which is also why I tried my alcohol experiment…I had a feeling that it was not right for me but how else would I know unless I try (of course naturally there is a limit to the things I’d try simply because they have no interest to me!)
I often have debates with people about creation, god etc and one of my friends wrote a great piece on his policitical blog called something along the lines of does it actually matter if there is a god or not? (let alone what his name is!) and how true is that! I actually find that my beliefs and understandings of physcis compliment my spiritual beliefs nicely. I do believe however that the secrets of the universe are so simple that only a child could really understand them because as adults, without returning to that innocence, we do complicate things so.
(speaking of which I notice you didn’t put a song up today…i would’ve recommended enigma – return to innocence)
What you mentioned about the mother saving her child, that for me is where the ‘why’ comes into it. our reason dictate our actions. It’s the leverage we get and when that leverage is strong enough we’ll pretty have the capacity to do anything!
I’m in lovey mood today so loads of love to you and all your lovely readers!!
Amit xx
Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..How To Be Drunk Without The Alcohol
Hi Amit,
Have fun on your date and my advice is to always be a gentleman…women really like it when a guy treats them well. So as long as you treat her well, you will be fine.
It is awesome that your beliefs about physics compliments your spiritual beliefs. I do believe that there is a connection and harmony between science and spirituality. Especially with Quantum Physics. I think many people think being scientific means not being spiritual. The irony is that many great scientists were spiritual. I guess it is one of those things that no one wants to talk about.
And I do agree with you…our reasons do dictate our actions. People always do things based on what they feel is right. If someone knew better, they would have done better.
Hi Nadia!
What a powerful and beautifully written post! Great tie-in with all this vampire hoopla too! I couldn’t agree more – today’s vampire’s, well, they just don’t make em like they used to! ha!
And boy oh boy, the tendency to create drama in our lives – eeegads! I’ve made a mission to remain calm and positive tho the worst falls before me (as per my last post). It isn’t easy but it’s finding that core of simple focus that can make a tremendous difference for yourself and others. So many people over-think, as you mentioned, and miss so much by doing that! I love your message here!
Hi SuZen,
I loved how you wrote about finding a “core of simple focus” That is so true. Life is truly very simple but I think people feel it is supposed to be tough. So they create drama for no reason. I used to do this too so I talk from experience.
Hope all is awesome !
Hi Nadia .. I’ve never read any of those books – didn’t much like the idea of vampires! But I can now see how authors write their stories based on characteristics of humans (past and present) and how as readers – we grow to like or hate various styles of writers and their characters.
Regarding your cousin with the glass half full or half empty .. people don’t listen – even if they disagree .. but this constant negative is too irritating! Life is for living – and your words rang a large bell: The only way for a person to know anything is to try it. – so many people don’t do anything with their lives, except day to day ..
Interesting – thanks Nadia .. Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Hilary´s last blog ..Iron Curtain or a rich Green Natural Wilderness
Hi Hilary,
You are right, some people don’t listen. Actually, some people just do not want to listen either. Not many people are flexible enough to hear and consider other points of view. But we are all works in progress and just do the best that we know.
I think many people would like to try new things but thoughts of fear and/or limitation get in the way. Many people feel safer with doing what they know.
Hope all is well!
Well said Nadia. I did see Twilight and I chuckled when I read your observations. I knew nothing about this movie going in except that all the teenage girls were crazy about it. And while I did make it through the whole movie, I too share in your opinion about the characters, and not even the vampire ones, being just so darn down. LOL – like yes, just get over it and have some fun!
My favorite part of this post was when you talk about over complicating things – well are we good at that or what. That is why a simple approach to life in all areas draws me in so much. It just feels so much better
Evita´s last blog ..Following the Blissful Brick Road
Hi Evita,
Thank you so much for letting me know your thoughts. I had such high hopes for the movie based on all the things I had heard and the fact that so many teenagers were raving about it. So I rented the movie and I had to turn it off which is so not like me. I usually have the patience to sit through something with the hopes that it will improve. But for some reason, this movie just annoyed me so I had to put it off.
And I totally agree with you about the appeal of a simple approach to living. There is something very liberating about being simple.
Hi Nadia:
Another great post. A college girlfriend of mine was big into vampires in the early 90’s. I liked Interview w/the Vampire but didn’t get any further with Anne Rice’s books. I watched most of True Blood’s first season and man, it is twisted and disturbing. Unfortunately a lot of people really connect too well with the dark brooding outlook – is it called goth? (I’m flashing back to high school and early college) I agree with you about the human tendency to over complicate things…and overanalyze. I’ve been there. But yeah, we have to realize that we have a lot to do with who we attract and allow into our lives. Thanks again for your post and I hope you have a great weekend!
Hi Tim,
I have not seen “True Blood” so I have no clue what that is like but I do agree with you that many people do connect with the dark and brooding outlook. Maybe it has to do with how things are in the world? Today I was out at a few stores and even though all of the stores are decorated for the Holidays, no one seemed to be in a festive mood. There is too much fear going on given how things are. May it get better and may people reconnect with joy sooner than later.
And we definitely are mirrors and magnets. What we think and feel, we draw to us. Have a wonderful weekend too!
Hi Nadia .. thanks – as well as can be expected with my 3rd!! Had to break in to let the ambulance in .. for my neighbour .. I think she’s ok and is back home .. but had another day in hospital with her and obviously ongoing slightly – she can’t move much, but hasn’t broken anything .. cooking supper etc, making tea, etc .. I hope not too long!
What I wanted to say was .. that one of the subjects on Mastermind tonight was on Stephenie Meyer and her 4 Twilight books .. next time if it’s repeated I should look … and I see there’s a Wiki site – not as good as this post!
Hilary´s last blog ..Iron Curtain or a rich Green Natural Wilderness
Hi Hilary,
I assume that Mastermind is a show over there in the UK. That is cool that they featured the author and her books. Even though I may not love the movie, the fact that she wrote four books is quite admirable. I am sure she is enjoying her success. And thank you for the kind words about my post. It is much appreciated.
I also hope that your neighbor recovers quickly. Have a great rest of the day!
Boy I was not sure where you were going with that vampire stuff in the beginning (I’m not a huge vampire fan… must be the blood and late hours they keep!), but found myself nodding along as I continued reading. I can attest to how quickly things manifest when we add feeling to the mix. Our minds are powerful tools, but our hearts – or rather what we feel deeply – magnetize our destiny to us.
I felt very inspired as I read this tonight, so thank you, Nadia, for being a full moon on an otherwise chilly and dark night. (Wait… full moons are werewolves, right?!)
Lots of love to you!
Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s last blog ..Read. LAUGH! Repeat.
Hi Megan,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reading the post even though you had no idea where I was going since I mentioned vampires. It is funny to me how vampires get viewed negatively. It is just creative symbolism to some degree. I mean…don’t we all know people who feed off the energy of others? I was a literature major in college and have a tendency to view things like vampires as being symbolic and not literal.
And I have no clue about who loves the full moon…vampires or werewolves!
You are sooo right about NYC, it is a wild and wonderful indescribable experience.
We do often tend to make things so hard, don’t we? That’s why it is so important to become aware of feelings and find our way back to our core of love and light.
xo
P.S. vampires, missed bote the 90s wave and today’s (thankfully.)
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Bag Children At The Park
Hi Jannie,
Yes, we are all at our core a source of love and light. We just lose sight of it due to all the junk that we think is more important.
And glad you loved your time in NYC. One of the best cities in the world.
Nadia,
Since you said you liked the story about Majnun and his camel as an illustration to the duality of the human nature I decided to tell you the whole story
which I find revealing.
“I remember one verse Rumi wrote. There was a person named Majnun that he made up stories about. Camels were considered part of the mundane reality of life, creatures of habit. He begins quoting from memory:
“…as the story goes, Majnun is trying to reach his longed for Laila’s
house. Steering his camel works fine while he remains alert, only
as time passes Majnun more and more is absorbed in his passion
for Laila. The camel knowing Majnun is not watching, turns on
her track, saunters back to the village where her foal is kept.
Every time Majnun travels over the hills, he falls into his reverie.
The camel always returns to her foal. For three months, back and
forth he is wandering, never getting any closer to his intent.
The heat, and the distance, and his yearning makes him decide.
He’s had enough of this back and forth. He jumps off the camel,
shouts, ‘This camel is the undoing of me.’
When the camel and him have parted, he wanders over the hills
singing:
‘My camel has her desire with her.
Mine’s up front.
It was our purposes that were crossed.
We should relate no more.’”
“That’s how I remember the verse,”
My comments to the story go a bit further:
Sometimes as it happens in life, two friends, being radical opposites try to go together. This in principle does not make any sense . Thus the soul is tortured ,since it does not want to leave the body and depart from it when necessary. Oh! Humble human being. Your soul is in real trouble, and your body resembles the camel bound to her earthly and material world. The
Spirit is trying to soar into the heavenly heights, but your body is dragging it down to earth.” Oh! Camel, dying out of love
for your young! While you are around, my heart will be far away from Leila. Just like Mosses’ people stayed for years in the desert , so my days are passing endlessly by. My beloved is only two sacred steps away, but due to your treachery I am standing 60 years in the middle of the path, without being able to overcome these two decisive steps. I am on the path and the goal is close, but I am already very late. I got tired of this senseless riding. So said Majnun and jumped off the camel. ‘I can’t bear burning in this pain, I am burned out already!’ But the great field on which he landed was too tight for him and our hero
fell on a big stone and broke his leg badly. Nothing could however break his determination.” I will turn into a stone and roll myself to my point of destiny, he reassured himself courageously.’
Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that thus our Creator punished him, for not getting off the camel in time. Is it possible
that God’s love can be more insignificant than Majnun’s love for Leila? Become a ball and roll yourself towards the Divine Truth, let love’s stick roll your ball to the point of destiny. Once you have jumped off the camel, your journey continues through the will of the Creator!
And this makes an enormous difference, since it can not happen with the help of friendly spirits, nor through any human efforts. It is only God’s blessing that will bring you there.
Hi Mike,
Interesting intepretation. I personally do not think God punishes people…it is rather that people do actions sometimes without thinking and therefore have to deal with their karma. God is merciful and loving. Punishment is more of a human concept rather than a Divine concept. At least, that is what I have learned and believed. That said, there is such a thing as destiny and the only way to to fulfill one’s path is to be true to oneself and to the journey. When a person is true to their path, the right people and resources inevitably do show up. What does around definitely comes around. And in the end, it is all about love…Divine Love.
Hope all is well!
Nadia, I love the idea of investing in yourself. You know, when I made my living doing mostly speaking a while back, I had a tendency to get nervous when no gigs lined up in specific seasons (holiday months, mid-summer, etc.) This was doing me no good so I decided to take that down time and invest in myself. I started calling that my “education” time. A time to focus on growth, learning, study, even research. Instead of idle or worry time, it was take care of me and learn a thing or two time. I loved it. Still do. No worries, no hurries, just time to be me.
Hi Jan,
Thank you so much for sharing with all of us how you came to realize the importance of investing in yourself. It is amazing to me how so many people do not take out the time to fall in love with themselves and see the beauty that is within them. I think if more people did that, we would see more happiness in the world.
Nadia,
In the lines of your reasoning you are completely right, since God is not a human being himself, but cosmic ocean made of “live “, conscious of itself primal Light.” Therefore God is Love and can ” punish” someone only by missing him , since this someone has turned his back to God, without being aware of the fact.
If , I understand you correctly?
Hi Mike,
God does not punish. God is unconditional love and unconditional love does not punish. What people deem as punishment is simply karmic payback. So it is the actions of a person that causes the punishment, not God. So even though someone may turn their back to God, God does not punish that. For He understands why it happens and lovingly waits for the return of the person. Each action that a person does generates some type of ripple effect. Do something bad, then the ripple effect will be a negative…hence, what we call punishment. What goes around, comes around. It has nothing to do with God but more with how we choose to behave when in the world.
I think when it comes to thoughts and feelings, it is about balance because they are interconnected. The problem is that if your thoughts are negative, they influence how you feel which then influences your thoughts, creating a circular system. The theory in Cognitive Behavioral Psychology is that if you begin to change your thoughts, you are changing the system, or the balance to get to more positive feelings. Also, a book is never a good substitute for actual therapy and often misses the major point to psychological theories.
I think the brooding thing in the current vampires relates to the whole teenage angst and teenagers are the targeted demographic whereas Anne Rice was more adult driven. I think it is cool how you saw the vampires in Anne Rice’s books as representing personality types!!
lena´s last blog ..The Best Gifts are Creative Gifts
Hi Lena,
I hear what you are saying about how thoughts produce feelings and how they are interconnected. I agree with that…usually thoughts do influence feelings. However, many people who tend to want to promote happiness fail to mention the importance of feelings. I have seen many people write about the importance of having positive thoughts but whenever I have read what they wrote, I have not gotten the feeling that they were truly happy. You know a happy person when you see one and the same holds true with writing. You can tell a lot about a person based on what they write. The tone is very obvious…at least to me. Some people have a huge disconnect between their thoughts and feelings. Not many people want to feel so that part of themselves gets shut down. I think maybe that is why some people do not benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
And thank you for the compliments regarding my views of the vampires in Anne Rice’s books. To me, vampires are all about symbolism. It is a powerful image that often gets overlooked since they suck people’s blood and so on.
Do vampires ever go out of style?
> I have read quite a few of them and they always strike me as trying too hard
I think it’s because they make it … about “the happy.” I like to think of happiness as a by-product … it’s what happens while we’re giving our best where we’ve got our best to give, and making the most of what we’ve got.
J.D. Meier´s last blog ..What 16 Movies Can Teach Us About Life and Leadership
Hi JD,
I agree with you that happiness is a by-product of making the most out of life with what you have. When a person lives like that they are bound to feel happy because they are fully engaged in life. Most unhappiness is based on focusing on what is lacking as opposed to seeing that life is a matter of just making the most out of any given moment. For this moment will determine the next moment and so on.
Hope all is awesome!
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