Related Reading:
Patriotic Father
Adoration
Loyalty (*)

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     As I previously wrote - the healing journey encompasses many facets, where we pursue various means to fulfil the physical, psychological, as well as spiritual needs. Part of the journey for me personally, was / is the connection to God. Ironically I was lucky to have gone through these experiences associated with my health, during the time of Easter. To observe probably the most sacred time for Christians / Catholic Christians. But today as I re-visit the spiritual needs, especially as it is the day of holy ascension of Jesus; which takes place 40 days after the celebration of Easter, I thought about the Muslim religion, Islam and the connections. 

     After a human being passes away, the deceased spirit is also believed to still be on Earth for 40 days, after the body dies. Close family members and loved ones, continue to gather for at least 35-40 days. In a similar way, we can think about how this practice compares with the remembrance of Christ, Jesus' death, the risen spirt, and finally the holy ascension to Heaven. Could this be where the 40 days of remembrance originates from in Islam as well?

    We are also reminded to connect Islam and Christianity with Judaism. To remember that Jesus came for the Jewish people. And when he died his earthly death, Jesus' body was prepared according to Jewish traditions.  

     I write these words not only as a learning for myself, but also to think about present day society, and religious disagreements, that can stem from religion, worldly events such as terrorism or attacks. Because if you really think about it - religion is another form for societal organization. This time we can think about East or West, but then again we can say: Didn't the major religions originate from the East, and simply migrate to various regions of the world? To be reminded of this and how we think about religion, we have to remember the covenant of religions true essence, which is to strip religion away from what terrorists hope to achieve. 

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 30 and 31st, 2019. Image 1 - Web Link 

Related Reading:
Graced! :)
Inflictous Healing

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     Earlier this year I began to write about my physical health. Which I think was and is, quite a learning experience for me. As much of my focus was about psychological well-being. But my experiences showed me, and even acted as a teacher themselves. Where I learned about how psychological effects, can also be physiological. An example would be stress, that turns to chronic stress. Other relatable examples could be those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke. I learned through actual experiences that with dedication, one is able to facilitate healing, and even completely heal. Of course there are variations of pain, or healing that one experiences upon a day to day basis. But many factors such as learning how to manage pain, recognizing warning signs, or indicators that will increase pain, and how to manoeuvre through these, are some of the factors involved in physical healing, as well as keeping our mood elevated. To learn that a human being cannot only heal itself with supports, but also retrain the brain / mind completely. My experiences revealed the intricate connections between mind<=>Body, and also mind, body, heart, and soul / spirit.

    The interconnections of the human body, and its systems exemplify that nothing is separate. While we can isolate to identify and focus, the interconnections reveal that the connectedness must also be carefully tended to. These thoughts don't suggest that we can heal in a single day / minute. Healing is effortful, each and everyday, depending on bodily capacity, and what the body desires to achieve. Healing and the focus upon health as this time of my life, also revealed a difficulty.

    As someone who desires to give back, or be a contributor, and focus on purpose; It meant that I have to take a step back, a few steps, and maybe even some more - to focus upon my own health. This task sounds easier that it actually is. Where there are days of frustrations, mounting anxiety, or relentless efforts, to feeling a state of relaxation. One learns about the body, as it is tended too. Revealing the many stages of birth, re-birth, or even a living-death that the body goes through. The changes of emotional states through growth, to recognize what the natural / spiritual forces are trying to teach us a human beings.  

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 29th, 2019.
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    On this Memorial Day of 2019, I remember my hopes last year (2018), where I decided to take a trip to visit and participate in Memorial Day Services in Detroit, USA. However, the hopes were fallen when I was held by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), for 9 hours. Brutally questioned, searched and was not allowed to cross the Canada / USA border through the port of Windsor. This day will probably always remind me of that time, and also the divisions that can be found within a nation. But when I think of those who lost their lives, for a nation, at least I can say I'm still alive. These images hold deep memories of being so close, yet so far. However, there is no amount of closeness that can be taken away from the heart. I offer these words as a sign of hope, that one day the trip that I desired to make, will also come true. Thank you to all who serve, served, and keep memories alive, through the memorials, and remembrances of Memorial Day. 

God Bless You and God Bless America!
​
My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :) 

*Images taken on May 27th, 2019* 

Related Reading:
Venezuela

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     As I took the time to think about the political crisis in Venezuela, I reflected upon the recent Podcast that I listened to called - El Libertador, with an agreement that to really understand a present circumstance, we have to also look at history to understand how a present moment is formulated. The past is formulated through the present. Any given moment, thought or action in the present, is history in the making. The violence reveals how the nation cried our for social change, freedom, liberation, through revolutions. With uprising that was led by specific individuals. In the case of Venezuela we can refer to Simón Bolívar, Chávez, Maduro and now Juan Guaidó. Political leadership, demand for change, is one factor. But the economic factors / impact, booms to the economy, and the resource which is oil, that can be ignored. 

     As I touched upon this in my previous thoughts, I began to further realize the impact of oil upon the nation. From rags to riches, from riches to rags, and again the cycle continues. We could say that the rich resource was and is the source of political turmoil. As a leading producer in the 1920's, 50's. 60's, and 70's. With this production arrived many friends, and also the development of enemies. The macro situation is or course very serious, with individuals dying from lack of food, poverty, and entrenched violence. But the unfortunate truth is that with any money producing resources, there are unfortunate tensions. Economic boosts and tensions. Where you become despised for the possessions and subjected to envy. This is where we should examine the situation in Venezuela more closely. The resources are there, but the humanitarian crisis' should supersede. Which is why intervention from human rights groups, World Health Organization, United Nations, and countries who are willing to offer foreign aid.

     A political uprising, the change of leadership is needed. Ultimately any change will also affect national and international alliances. A settled leadership is deeply needed. But the talk at this moment is the affect upon the population. Those who are being injured, the poor and needy. The innocent, the vulnerable, who cannot afford to care for political strife, however; are dealing the strife to survive. Whilst sanctions are imposed upon Venezuela, they continue to affect the economy, industry and job losses.

Questions:
​
*How have international sanctions contributed to the creation of the collapse in Venezuela?

*What are the political agendas of Maduro and Guaidó?

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 24th, 2019. Please note that these thoughts are not conclusive and will continue to develop with current events, and also further investigation / research. 
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As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     The truth is that sometimes it does seem like The White House is just an ordinary household, running the usual business of a home - but just at the level of the public. Being in the media and public eye. The criticism and praise from parties at the national level, and the public offices could simply be viewed as other households, responding to what takes place at The White House. In a sense: a tight community, or the simple gossip that takes place within small town communities. To take this to a personal level, I have to admit, I am not one who favours gossip. But the fact is that, essentially what we see as the macro / Governmental levels - where public offices are open to the scrutiny, and praise of others. We can take a current example of the abortion topic. This is a reoccurring topic / debate, where we see laws passed to allow women to abort. To tie the topic to the idea of gossip, we can refer to the following tweet by President Trump: 

Click the image for the link to the original tweet.

As a response to the above tweet I think its an example of gossip, but at the level of the public. But this tweet becomes problematic, when we think about how a personal belief, has the influence to drive political policy, but then contradicts the very essence of belief. The Worthy. The Forgiving.

Click on the image for the link to the original tweet.

     His tweet sends out a sense of judgment, judging, stereotyping, and creating a prejudice towards others, in a sense gossiping about others, or what is disliked, at the Presidential level. But once again we can refer to belief and religious teaching. If on the one hand there is a desire for the perseverance of life, and on the other we are criticizing and stereotyping others, then we are contradicting the belief / teaching system. But the tweet was more hypocritical, because we can go back and forth and talk about the intimate life of President Trump, but then that would just mean I'm gossiping about him, wouldn't it? 

​     With regards to abortion itself, I do have my own views. It is especially a sensitive topic, especially if one desires to adhere to a religious teaching / belief. However, without generalizing or saying / providing a dichotomous answer - I think that we have to evaluate on a case by case basis, and offer solutions, so that life can be preserved as much as possible, because when we examine the final truth, about the desire for an abortion; If there is no danger to the life of the mother, or any reason that substantiates abortion, the act really is about putting one heart to death and keeping the other heart alive.  

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 21st, 2019.
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As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

    The truth is that there has been historic and present day violence in Venezuela. There are probably many reasons than that I know of, but we could say that the handing over of the leadership to Maduro, was also another larger playing factor. Where there was, and still is oppositions. But he was the favoured successor of Hugo Chávez. A leader in his time that brought an economic boom to the economy, and was liked by the public he served, due to his charismatic style of leadership. Today we see a country who is rich in natural resources, similar also to its neighbouring countries in Latin / South America. But face turmoil and tribulations, as there is no peace. Violence and daily struggles leading to the creation of more poverty, death and destruction. I thought as I have in my earlier writings, about nations which are thought of as "third world" or "developing" nations. Naturally they are rich and resourceful. It is the socio-political tensions that turn the focus away from the creation of developing economic resources to that of trying to solve political crisis. But I don't think that Venezuela can be blamed or pin pointed per se. Especially as the nation sought to be helped, was once turned away from America, to rely on Russia and China. However, Venezuela has also learned that cutting its dependance on the USA was not a good strategy (Romero & Mijares 2016). 

     Whilst these relations may have been beneficial at the time, we are only left to wonder, who benefited   from these relations. At the present day we hear / see the current USA administration who is deeply concerned for the crisis in Venezuela. I think that any concern from the USA should be welcomed from Venezuela. The erosions and tensions make us wonder - where is Russia and China, when a trading partner is in need? The fact that they are no where to be found, only makes us further assume that Venezuela was used and taken advantage of.  But the unfortunate part is that the individuals who support the Maduro regime, are probably not aware of this. Which causes the violence to erupt - which is where we see images, and read news media stories of violent eruptions. The case of Venezuela is more than regime or eruptions, it's about a change of leadership, a change of allies, and the creation of relations that are reciprocal. 

​At the level of the micro-cosm as humans we experience a period of disruption, before there is acceptance. The same can be said for the macro-level. Where groups, societies, or nations will disrupt for a cause. For the sake of protecting a nation, or to achieve peace. We can think through this, though a historical lens; such as war. Historically: we have seen what war can accomplish, but what war can also cause. Death. Destruction. To the very lives we cherish, and the environment that we desire to preserve. The unfortunate truth is that internal conflicts are often overlooked, ignored, worsen, before they receive international attention. But we can only once again wonder, why Latin / South America, whose resources, oil rich resources, are embattled in internal crisis. Simply so developed nations, who are the main producers of oil, don't get hit / hurt by what Venezuela has to offer? Or so that other developing countries don't lag behind, as Venezuela possesses the worlds largest proven oil reserve.

     It is with these thoughts I send thoughts of love and support to all who have been affected with the deadly violence, the innocent, who are often unaware of the socio-political, economic factors, and are just trying to survive. 

Related Reading:

The New York Times - Venezuela’s Collapse Is the Worst Outside of War in Decades, Economists Say

World Atlas - The World’s Largest Oil Reserves By Country

CNN - Who gets Venezuela's oil?

Reference 
Romero, Carlos A., & Mijares, Víctor M.. (2016). From Chávez to Maduro: Continuity and Change in Venezuelan Foreign Policy. Contexto Internacional, 38(1), 165-201.

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 18th, 2019.
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As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     Part of thinking about anything is the process of reductionism, where we doubt, or take away from what it is that we desire to prove as true, in order for the thought to be thought of as true. This is exactly what came to mind, when I thought about how politics influences religion, and how religion influences politics. There is no doubt. Especially when we think of the recent massacres. Such as: the Christ Church Mosque in New Zealand, the mass church shootings in Sri Lanka, the fire of the Notre Dame Catholic cathedral in France, or the mass shootings of the synagogues in America. Events and especially patterns of events are a claim to the thought: that there is no doubt. There is no doubt that politics has an influence upon religion.

     This is where we can tie the individual experience, to ensure that there is no doubt. As leaders of congregations, and the carriers of God's messages. We automatically assume that these are policy free, or political policy free. But the fact is that religious speeches are also not free from this. Now I'm not pin-pointing to any specific institution, but I have to say that I was disheartened, actually a bit heart broken with the experiences. To tell you the truth - because I am coming from the point of view as spirit - spirtiaulty; I preferred to practice my spirituality in the comfort of my own living space. But it was a deep desire to be a part of a community, a yearning to feel a belonging - where I desired to be included. But through my experiences I realized the divisions. Even through fellow worshippers. So I retreated. However, even with the experiences, it doesn't mean that one should allow these to seep I the soul. 

    Even if there are political infusions, or acts that dishearten the soul, we have to remember that the houses are built for worship, and are for that very purpose. The buildings themselves do not preach politics. Neither does the one who is desired for worship. Because really if we think about the recent attacks upon religion, we have to think: what is happening within religion itself? 

​​     Religion, speeches, sermons, should never be free form questioning. Nor are they free from politics. So really it's about religious institutions themselves, and how God is being used as a mask / protector, to allow the speeches / acts to be infused, not only religious, but political. In our present day society, especially with all the recent deadly attacks, that have caused hurt, even within the institutions themselves; The task at hand is not only to keep the message of God alive, but also to think how  those  messages and acts can be free from political policy. Where everyone can feel a sense of inclusion, through the sisterhood / brotherhood, and sacred institution of religion - where the soul can feel replenished, nourished, content, with the nearness of God. 

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 15th, 2019.
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Related Readings:
The Paradox
Reflection: The Paradox
Children of God!
Happy Mother's Day!
Feliz Dia De Las Madres! :)
Mother's Day 2019!​

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     I think at the heart of every human is the desire to love and be loved. To love: as we feel a sense of value and purpose. Loved: to feel a sense of wholeness through the very desire to love. We can refer to say - the cycle of love, or reciprocity. But just as humans carry imperfections, so too are our relations, and some simply through the cycle of life: When we loose loved ones, are grief stricken, and feel pain. These loses are certainly felt, especially more when we think / feel memories on special days. I took the time to think about this thought, especially as it was recently Mother's Day. When I also wrote the thought: Children of God.

     The beauty of this thought, and Mother's Day celebrations, was the fact that it is also intertwined with the month of May, where there are remembrances and celebrations of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This remembrance is of particular importance, within the presence of our own mothers or not. Mother Mary, Our Lady Mary is able to interject / intercede - in a sense to perfect the brokenness, losses, or even our own need for our mother. As Mary becomes the spiritual mother for all. So really even in the imperfections of our human relations, we can choose to turn in the face of the spirt - and remember that there is a Mother, an all-loving mother, who sacrificed her child. Who bear the scars and wounds. The greatest of mothers - our spiritual mother. We are reminded through brokenness, griefs or pains, we are never really ever alone. The neediness of unconditional love surmounts. It is forever giving, a fountain. A blessed love, that heals hurts through the spiritual motherly touch. 

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 14th, 2019.
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Related Readings:

The Paradox
Reflection: The Paradox
Children of God!
Happy Mother's Day!
Feliz Dia De Las Madres! :)