1.
Wingnut_3: why do we ignore the ones who admire us and admire the ones who ignore us?No matter who you are, what people want the most is to be admired. That’s one of the highest feelings there is. So it’s safe to say we’re constantly looking to feed that admirable fix. It won’t always happen in the presence of those who already admire us. We’re too used them. We see it so much we don’t see it anymore. We want to earn the admiration of strangers and the envy of enemies past. It is through them that we would experience a higher sense of accomplishment (at least, on a superficial level.)
If you learn to admire everyone for always doing their best, even in their failures and in times of their most confused moments, you will quickly find the whole world admiring you for your compassion. There will be no need to pick and choose whom you ignore and whom you chase after. You will awaken to all the rare beauty and skill that everyone has to offer.
2.
trulytrayce: do you dream in color?I do! Lately I’ve been falling asleep to surf films. They keep me warm and happy when I’m on a bus from Rapid City, South Dakota to Bozeman, Montana – far from the reaches of the beaches. Surf movies tend inspire surf dreams. Go figure. Luckily I’ve been dreaming of surf on a slightly more difficult level. The waves are bigger and I’m riding backside, which is something I’m not very graceful at. The dream often begins on the take off, in time to bend down and grab the rail, turn left and start driving. What never happens in my dreams nor reality is the part where I’m received on the beach by my surf crush, The Eloquently Expressive Kassia Meador. That would make a more interesting dream sequence. See Kass and a sea of soul surfers in
The Present, a new film by the fabulous Thomas Campbell.
3.
cassmraz: .. I'm currently unemployed, not in college & looking for my purpose in life!! how'd you KNOW music was your calling?!I was just thinking about this recently. Just a few nights ago I was laying in bed, a low lying sunken cradle of a mattress that vibrates over the rear wheels of the bus, a place I frequently trip-out, practicing gratitude to the max after a long day in any given arena. On this occasion I was remarking typically about how crazy this life has turned out to be.
I always knew that music and entertainment was where I was at my best, fully expressed, really alive, (but I never anticipated the scale I’d get to play on.) I knew 14 years ago while in college that original music was what I wanted to focus on. I knew in high school that music is what I would do in college. I knew in middle school that I wanted to be in the choir in high school. I knew in elementary school that I loved to entertain.
My oldest memory finds me in my primary-colored-scary-clown themed bedroom communicating with the night skies through open blinds. I was somewhere between 3 and 5 and I was confident in my praying, introduced then to a voice that would speak to me for all my days. That dialogue between mystic and toddler is the very same conversation I continue today in my songwriting. It even guides me here in these blogs. So to answer your question, I think I was born to do this.
To you, my fun-employed friend, I encourage you to sit for only a few minutes and listen to the voice inside of you. It knows exactly what it wants to do. YOU just have to stop getting in its way. Forget how difficult your dreams may seem to achieve. Ignore the idea that your family and friends will think you’re weird. Drop all your doubts about financial concerns and just start living your life according to your purpose. The only thing that has to be in place for you to BE IT now is your attitude. Your life is your movie. Be your own hero and make it your favorite film to watch.
4.
SillyCee: with all the travelling you do for tours and pleasure, what does your passport look like?SillyCee, I’m super bummed, sort of. I just recently had to retire my passport after 10 years of loyal service. I was so proud of that handy document, mainly because I didn’t lose it ever, but I had also acquired more than 120 stamps, had numerous visa’s and folds and creases in it, from Hong Kong to Macchu Picchu, and I had as many pages added as you are allowed. It was my little blue almanac, bruised and battered. I got to keep it as a souvenir after the feds punched a few holes in it to secure its invalidation.
In celebration of the crispy new edition that won’t expire until 2019, I put extra effort into my reflection on picture day. Here’s what I’ll look like for the next 10 years of travel.
5.
ompurnamidam: Do you have a personal astrologer - and do you have your chart done regularly? I’m surprised I’ve never been asked this before. Yes, I do have a personal astrologer. For the past 7 years, I’ve frequently checked-in to see what might be going on in the cosmos that could affect certain mood-swings, ailments, relationships, and “natural” disasters. It’s all quite fascinating really.
At the exact moment you were born, all the planets, moons and stars were in a specific place in the sky. This is a specific picture an astrologer uses known as your birth chart. The month you were born (as its related to the sun) determines your sun sign, which is the basic horoscope you read in the paper. An astrologer goes deeper and reads into the entire scene, gathering data from all the space dramas out there, revealing possible events that have happened or will happen at certain ages based on the path the planets will take throughout your lifetime.
Each planet has its gravitation hold on you as well as profound energies that instigate thoughts and actions, even stress. Then there are wonderful and sometimes lethal combos of planets in transit, where two or more great gods team up on you to praise you or teach you something new.
If you think its craziness, just zoom out a little until you’re outside of our solar system and respect the overall size of things. And, on a cellular level, we, like quartz crystal, are made of silicon dioxide, a mineral that attracts energy and fuels communication. So in essence, everything’s cosmic. Humans are merely another miraculous being that evolved to communicate. Who’s to say something else isn’t feeding that energy and pulling the strings on occasion? What gave birth to the human after all other than the big bang and the natural elements?
Lets take an aside and see how the power of positive or progressive thought could actually heal a situation. If “love” or life-energy could be measured, it would change humanity for good. Western thought and medicine works only to dull symptoms and ease pain. Ancient and “alternative” medicine uses natural ingredients from Earth, herbs and stones, meditation and prayer to purify the soul, which in turn corrects the imbalance itself. At heart, we are natural beings that thrive on nature. Unfortunately we spend most of our time and resources starving ourselves of natural resources. Astrology is as vital a tool in conscious living as it aids to live in harmony with the flux of all the energies pushing and pulling.
And, fear not, astrology is still just data. By your own volition you decide whether or not to go left or right. You get to add your own instincts to the equation. You are cosmic after all.
6.
maaja: what smell does you nose love?Salty Air. About halfway to the beach from my house, I can catch a trace scent of the California coast. The air becomes thick and like the rim of a margarita, I can taste it on my lips. For some strange reason, the hint usually triggers the need to take a dump. I don’t know.
7.
ms_abinal: Do you have any advice for Obama?Sure. Forgive all the nations for whatever they did that’s keeping our missiles, tanks and soldiers armed and in combat. Lead the world into a new direction of peace by demonstrating a powerful example of compassion. Apologize to all those invested in oil and nuclear power and invite them to join in the building of a new efficient clean earth. Build more schools, increase the number of Arts programs, and pay the teachers anything they want. Also, Keep the Internet free, put a kitten on the US Flag, and make everyday “Casual Friday.“
8.
oddlybuoyant: you've travelled all over - what place/landscape makes you feel most connected to your higher purpose? or just amazed? WhyTo date, I’ve been most amazed on the Incan Trail en route to Macchu Picchu. You get so deep in the mountains that you come to life with spirit and vitality. 4 days walking in prayer helps of course, but the landscape is stunning and the energy in the Andres is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. The Himalayas is next on my list of places to be elevated by every sense of the word.
9.
ahneedscoffee: QOT. How old would u be if u didn't know how old u are?I’d like to say 23, but my foot falling asleep as I type with my legs crossed makes me feel older, more aware of an aging body. Plus, there’s no way my memories from the past three years could convince me I’m younger than 30. Life shows up for me just as it is, therefore the unlimited truth celebrates my being 32 – which, incidentally, is the inverse of 23.
10.
onedancinblonde: what's your musical guilty pleasure?I fancy the Yacht Rock. This is specific era of music that was recorded and released from the late-70’s to the mid-80’s. Artists such as Loggin’s and Messina, Christopher Cross, and the Doobie Brothers were at the literal helm and had all at some point managed to have an album cover or video featuring them on a sailboat. Itunes has a great Yacht Rock playlist to get you started on the sea of smooth. Also, there’s a hilarious series on YouTube aptly titled,
Yacht Rock, which gives a dramatization of the events that took place that in turn inspired the heart rock hits. Heads up for the backhand of Hall & Oates.
The usual Wednesday Conservation about water will resume on Thursday. Or shall I say, Thirst-Day. and with only 2 weeks left in the tour, I am committing to two more rounds of “12 questions,” thus completing the series in 12 parts.
And thanks are due to everyone for asking great questions, and those patiently reading and taking interest in this community. I am humbled by your listening. - Jm