November 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Before you go looking for easy rock guitar tabs to play you need to buy a nylon string acoustic guitar. The reason your first guitar should have nylon strings is that they are easier on your fingers when you are learning to make chords. Also an acoustic guitar is a little harder to play in some ways than an electric guitar so it will be better training for you. Now, when you go looking for easy rock guitar tabs to start your guitar playing career off, bear in mind that you will be just strumming simple chords on your acoustic rather than playing scales and riffs, but at the same time you need to find the tabs to some popular songs that your audience will recognize and enjoy.
Let me run some songs by you that I found by doing an internet search for “most popular songs”. There are actually hundreds of songs that people think are the most popular, but here is a list of songs that you could say fall into the Rock N Roll category: Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger, I’m a Believer by the Monkees, American Pie by Don McClean, Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, Johnnie B. Goode by Chuck Berry, Angie by The Rolling Stones, Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, I Remember You by Skid Row, Come As You Are by Nirvana, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan, Horse With No Name by America, A Day In The Life, Here There And Everywhere and Hey Jude by The Beatles, I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash, Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton, Gloria by Van Morrison, Hotel California by The Eagles, Behind Blue Eyes by The Who, White Room by Cream, Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart, Thank God I’m a Country Boy by John Denver, and Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix.
This list is for you to keep for further reference after your guitar playing skills have grown beyond the beginner stage. Out of the above list, the songs that fall into the “easy” classification are: Angie by The Rolling Stones, Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, A Day In The Life, Here, There And Everywhere and Hey Jude by The Beatles, I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash, Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton, Gloria by Van Morrison, Hotel California by The Eagles, Behind Blue Eyes by The Who I Remember You by Skid Row, Come As You Are by Nirvana, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan, Horse With No Name by America and White Room by Cream. According to some guitarists, Horse With No Name is THE easiest rock song to play, using only two chords.
For the easy rock songs I have listed, you only need to know the chords of G, C, D, Am, Em and, for playing Horse With No Name, F#m7sus which is harder to write down than it is to play. So armed with your list of easy rock guitar songs and your short list of basic chords, you can buy your tabs in a music store or take advantage of the wealth of free guitar tabs available on the internet.
Ricky Sharples has been playing guitar his whole life, and is presently engaged in building a blog which features free guitar lessons, videos, articles and reviews to help you Learn The Guitar for free. Ricky updates the blog constantly so if you are interested in learning to play guitar there will be an enormous variety of tips, tools and tutorials for you.
November 26th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
50 Cent, of his real name Curtis Jackson, is an American rapper born in the Queens of New York, July 6 1978.
The origin of his pseudonym, 50 Cent, comes from a New York gangster. When rapper 50 Cent was 8 years old, his mother dies, his father abandons him and rapper 50 Cent begins to sell cocaine to survive, while rapper 50 Cent was brought up by his grand mother. Despite this difficult childhood, rapper 50 Cent hopes to one day have the money and the glory that he has always dream as a rapper.
After a few forth and back in jail, it is 1996 that rapper 50 Cent meets Jam Master Jay of group Run DMC which label is JMJ Records. But the association with Jam Master Jay didn’t last, what is more rapper 50 Cent agreed with another label Trackmasters, already known in New York as a powerful label and having already worked with artists such as NAS or Jay-Z. Label Trackmasters signs rapper 50 Cent, who prepares his first album Power Of The $, with Columbia Records in 1999.
There are some rapper 50 Cent singles with success such as: « Your Life’s on the Line » and « How to Rob». Because of this last single, rapper 50 Cent was almost dead in front of the house of his grand parents in Mai 2000, people shot at him 9 times, and 3 bullets hit him, one in his hand, one in his back and the last one in his face, without physical damages but would have given rapper 50 Cent his style of voice. rapper 50 Cent still keeps sequels of this attack. However, a number of rappers hardly believe him.
Columbia Records, who was about to release rapper 50 Cent album, gives up. The two following years, rapper 50 Cent sets up his own group G-Unit with Tony Yayo as well as Lloyd Banks, two artists with whom rapper 50 Cent will perform in freestyle and mixtapes and afterwards, when Tony Yayo goes in jail, Young Buck joins the group.
In 2002, rapper 50 Cent meets Eminem, who, after listening to some mixtapes of the artist, immediately signs him at Shady/Aftermath (Label of Eminem and Dr. Dre). His first success is the single “Wanksta” which was on the original soundtrack of film 8 Mile.
In 2003, rapper 50 Cent releases his first LP with label Shady/Aftermath, with songs such as “P.I.M.P”, “In Da Club” or “21 Questions”. The success is instant: 800 000 sales the first week. It is also the biggest success of 2003 with nearly 12 million copies sold. The same year, rapper 50 Cent releases his first LP with his group G-Unit, the album Beg For Mercy. Once again the success is there. In 2005, rapper 50 Cent follows with his second LP with Shady/Aftermath, The Massacre, 1,14 million albums are sold in 4 days. It is the sixth best performance of sales ever. Rapper 50 Cent also establishes another record (like the Beatles) with 4 singles in the top 10 sales. The rapper 50 Cent albums are sold at more than 8 million copies.
Rapper 50 Cent then creates his own clothing line named like his group: G-Unit Clothing, signs contracts with Reebok and other brands and set up his own production label, G-Unit Records. In 2006, is released the film about his own life and of same name as his first album with Shady/Aftermath, “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’”. Despite a certain success with the public, this film has been found several weeks in the top 50 of the worse films noted by site IMDB.
Rapper 50 Cent has had a child before becoming famous between two stays in jail, which gives him the wish to stop dealing cocaine and to invest himself in rap music. Rapper 50 Cent has had a relationship with actress Vivica A. Fox. But she was so jealous of the other girls that were around rapper 50 Cent, especially in his video clips, that she leaves rapper 50 Cent.
Rapper 50 Cent counts today as many fans that as many enemies. Indeed, his rap is the object of numerous critics. The real hip hop fans found rapper 50 Cent too commercial, because most of his sounds are made for the clubs, and his rhymes are more and more easy. What is more, rapper 50 Cent put some rappers back, especially New Yorkers: Jadakiss, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Nas, Sheek Louch and Styles P. Rapper 50 Cent doesn’t hesitate to provoke and criticize them in his titles such as “Piggy Bank” from album “The Massacre” (2005). His power and his notoriety allowed rapper 50 Cent to compromise the career of rapper Ja Rule, with whom rapper 50 Cent was in serious conflict.
Since a few months, rapper 50 Cent is in conflict with rapper The Game (Los Angeles), protected by Dr. Dre.
The situation is therefore very complicated, it is one of the very few times that two artists from the same labels are in open conflict. The 2 rappers have collaborated together in the past and they have even sold quite a bit of their singles « How We Do » and « Hate It Or Love It ». The Game has denied on the radio that 50 Cent has contributed to the success of its album “The Documentary” (2005) while according to rapper 50 Cent, it is thanks to him that the album did sales.
Despite all these problems, rapper 50 Cent can still count on a good number of producers such as Dr. Dre, Cool & Dre, Scott Storch, Eminem, and Havoc, with whom rapper 50 Cent entertains good relationships. The rapper from the Queens has also many friends in the rap since he kept signing talents like on his label G-Unit records, which has in no time become very big. As a result, rapper 50 Cent has already signed and collaborated with Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Ma$e, Spider Loc, R&B singer Olivia… Finally rapper 50 Cent still entertains good, not to say very good relations with Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck (the 3 initial members of G-Unit), as well as with Jay-Z and Missy Elliott. Rapper 50 Cent belongs to the Crips, a street gang present in Los Angeles, and a little bit everywhere in North America.
If you are a rapper 50 Cent fan and love to listen to rapper 50 Cent, then you can customize your cell phone by downloading rapper 50 Cent ringtones. Ringtone Jam Jam Famous Singers has it all: 50 Cent music, 50 Cent lyrics, 50 Cent pictures, 50 Cent videos, 50 Cent songs, 50 Cent g unit, 50 Cent wallpapers, 50 Cent news, 50 Cent album, 50 Cent biography, , 50 Cent posters, 50 Cent movies and 50 Cent ringtones.
November 14th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Tod Haynes’ 2007 docu-drama “I’m Not There” is a poetic meditation on the life and career of Bob Dylan. In tone and structure, the film is a radical departure from traditional music biopics.
Haynes’ screenplay accepts as its basic premise, that Dylan’s story is too enigmatic to be summarized in conventional narrative terms. His solution is to cast six different actors to portray different aspects of Dylan’s personality, at various stages in his lengthy career. The characters are given alternate names (like Jude Quinn, or Billy the Kid) and their stories take liberties with Dylan’s life (one of them is an actor, not a musician) in order to convey the shifting nature of Dylan’s art. The actors include both an African American boy and a woman.
The woman is Cate Blanchett. Along with Heath Ledger, they deliver the two most solid Dylan incarnations in the film. Blanchett was nominated for an Oscar for her vivid portrayal of Dylan in the mid-sixties. She brilliantly conveys the alienation that comes with fame, and the pointlessness of celebrity.
Ledger, on the other hand, plays Dylan later in life– after he had turned his back on pop music. His scenes depict the breakup of Dylan’s marriage, and the inherent difficulty of balancing a public persona with a private life. Ledger’s performance is introspective and understated, like Dylan’s albums in the early seventies.
The other performances are good too, but none can overcome Haynes’ self-conscious, reference-stuffed script. He incorporates many allusions to the real-life Dylan which are disorganized and lacking context.
Using song titles as dialogue, for example, strikes a particularly hamfisted tone. In one scene, Cate Blanchett’s Jude Quinn is confronted by a crazed fan with a knife. When a groupie subdues the fan by smashing a bottle over his head, Quinn quips, “Just like a woman!” Winks and nods to real-life Dylan trivia needn’t be so cringe inducing as that!
It begs the question as to whether Haynes’ entire approach is even necessary. Surely a traditional biopic like “Walk The Line” feels genuine (in part) because Johnny Cash talks like a real person. If he cuddled up next to his wife June and whispered in her ear, “I walk the line… because you’re mine,” no one would take the film seriously.
Fortunately, for each such misstep, “I’m Not There” corrects course with a sure-footed step. (Richie Havens delights in a brief singing role, and David Cross steals a scene as poet Allen Ginsburg.) But by the end, writer/ director Haynes has meandered too much. “I’m Not There” offers only a vague semblance of a musician and his art. Maybe this is all one can expect when the subject of the piece is as enigmatic as Dylan.
Yet we are left to wonder: perhaps seeing six different sides of Bob Dylan is simply another side of Bob Dylan too many.
Grade: B
Written By Jacob Destree
Do you love the cinema too? Go to Jacob Destree’s Movie Blog and read all about the latest blockbusters and classic movies. Only at jacobdestree.wordpress.com!
November 9th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
One of the most popular young stars in Hollywood today is Miley Cyrus. As most people know she is the star of the wildly popular Disney Channel television series ‘Hannah Montana’, as well as the daughter of country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus. She burst on the scene in 2006 and her fame soared like a rocket along with the popularity of her TV show. Though she comes from a showbiz family of sorts, the amount of fame and popularity she has achieved in just her first couple of years in the public eye is astounding.
Her Name
Many people wonder where she got the name Miley from and some are surprised to find out that it wasn’t her birth name. She has legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus now, but she was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. Her parents called her Miley as a nickname because she was such a “smiley” baby.
Her Career
She has stated that she had wished to be an actress from the time she was about nine years old. She got her start in acting when she appeared in her Dad’s television show “Doc”, sometime later she made her film debut in the movie “Big Fish”. She auditioned for the role of Hannah Montana and also the role of her best friend and at first was turned down because she was so young. She eventually won the role with her personality and her stage presence. On the show she also sings many songs, some of which she has written herself. She went on to put out a couple of albums based mainly on her television persona, but has gone on to release material under her own name now. Her initial concert tour and movie made about the concert tour were huge hits as well.
Her Personal Life
She has an incredibly close relationship with her family and for that reason as well as her young age is with them a great deal. She has made many friends with co-stars of her show, stars of other Disney Channel shows, and also people associated with her live performances. Like any young star in Hollywood, she has had to deal with her share of scandals too, but none so bad that they have wrecked her squeaky clean image as Disney’s teen star of the moment.
With her incredible personality and huge popularity, there is nothing that can keep her from achieving all the career accomplishments she wishes for herself. She has shown the talent and drive that is guaranteed to serve her well long after she finishes her run as a teen pop culture icon.
Mark Allen writes about a number of subjects, some of which are even interesting. You can find out interesting stuff that you don’t know about a number of subjects by visiting 7Things! Including 7 things you don’t know about: Miley Cyrus
November 8th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
If you were born in the Year of Monkey (1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004) as per Chinese Astrology Horoscopes, know your Destiny in 2008 in your Career/Business, Health, Wealth, Harmony, Love and Studies. Be aware of your strengths and be warned of the negative energies that you may have to face, to plan your strategies well ahead. Get to know the Feng Shui Enhancers and Cures that can help you, too.
Annual Forecast & Feng Shui Remedies for 2008 : Wu Zi, Year of Yang Brown Earth Rat – Monkey Sign (Chinese Zodiac)
The Chinese Zodiac Astrology is ancient, interesting, accurate and loved by millions across the world. The Chinese Zodiac is based on cyclic concept of time : a cycle of 12 years, repeated again and again. The 12 Years are associated with 12 Celestial Animals : Rat (or Mouse on Mongoose), Ox (or Buffalo or Bull or Cow), Tiger, Rabbit (or Hare or Cat), Dragon, Snake (or Serpent), Horse, Goat (or Sheep or Ram), Monkey, Rooster (or Hen or Cock or Chicken or Phoenix), Dog and Pig (or Boar or Hog). The animal names occasionally differ with the Oriental Country they originate. The Chinese Yearly Horoscopes are basically built around these 12 Animal Signs.
Your Chinese Astrological Zodiac Animal Sign is directly based on the Chinese Lunar Year of Birth that you were born. The Chinese New Year is mobile and could start anywhere between 21st January and 20th February, depending upon the year. If your Date of Birth falls into any of the following Chinese Lunar Years, then, because you are born in the Year of the Monkey, you are symbolically identified by your Celestial Animal, the “Monkey” :
From 02 Feb 1908 to 21 Jan 1909
From 20 Feb 1920 to 07 Feb 1921
From 06 Feb 1932 to 25 Jan 1933
From 25 Jan 1944 to 12 Feb 1945
From 12 Feb 1956 to 30 Jan 1957
From 30 Jan 1968 to 16 Feb 1969
From 16 Feb 1980 to 04 Feb 1981
From 04 Feb 1992 to 22 Jan 1993
From 22 Jan 2004 to 08 Feb 2005
In Chinese Hsia Calender, 2008 is the 4705th year and significantly, is also the fifth year of the New Feng Shui Land Luck Cyclic Period 8. The forthcoming new Chinese Lunar Year is from 7th February 2008 to 25th February 2009. The next Chinese New Year, Ji Chow, the Yin Brown Earth Ox will begin on 26th January 2009.
Enjoy the Annual Forecasts and learn about the suggested Feng Shui & Crystal Remedies that you may need for the coming “New Lunar Year 2008 : Wu Zi, Year of Yang Brown Earth Rat” :
CAREER
An year of highly fluctuating fortunes and changes in all aspects of life. Accept the changes happily, willingly and open-mindedly. Many opportunities will come your way, but you will have to cross many obstacles too. In spite of systematic planning, careful supervising and hard work in implementation, it will be quite tough to reach the set targets. This year the office politics will be quite severe and many devious characters will go out of the way to point finger at you, spread rumors and gossips about you, hurl accusations at you and stab you in the back mercilessly. Do not allow them to distress you – just ignore them. Place a Rose Quartz Crystal Ball or Egg in the West, to downsize these negative energies. Your inventiveness and loyal contacts will see you through the year. Take the opportunity to observe and learn through enrichment courses, pick up new skills and do some serious research. The intellectual adventures that you indulge in this year will pave way and pay dividends next year. The salaried workers will face many setbacks in their achievements and those in business will struggle to sustain the existing clients. Install the special Sacred Geometry Yantra for Career/Business Success and for Overcoming Obstacles/Blocks. Carry a set of 3 Fortune Flower Coins to help you stay in focus of your targets. Certain scheming, shady, vile characters are “eyeing” you this year. Wear an Evil Eye Beads bracelet and carry the genuine, energized photograph of the White Tiger for your protection.
MONEY
Average money luck. Try and preserve what you have. Plan your budget properly. Avoid lavishness and put off large purchases. Cut down expenses and save up for the rainy day. Invest wisely. Do not go for loans and if you definitely have to, make sure you have understood the terms and conditions of the loan. Do not lend money. Do not stand guarantor for anybody. Do not indulge in illegal money schemes, as you may end up with a legal suit. You don’t have much windfall luck this year, so avoid gambling and the share market trading. Plant a Double Phoenix Coin Tree for new financial opportunities and carry a set of 3 Batlock Coins for a better cash flow.
HEALTH
High stress and emotional instability coupled with long hours of hard work lands you with sleeplessness and a deteriorated mental and physical health. You need to relax and take a lot of rest. Meditation and TaiChi will help you too. Quit worrying and cut down on tobacco, hot drinks and sex. Infections and problems related to nerves, liver, kidneys and eyes are areas of concern. While the males may get bladder problems, the females are likely to have gynecological problems. Avoid cold, raw, canned food. Watch out for traffic accidents. Place a set of 3 Sau Health Coins under the bed.
LOVE
Good romance luck. Singles should propose only with serious intent of settling down, as the proposal is likely be accepted. Careful selection of an auspicious wedding date is a must. The married monkey should be loyal to the mate and resist infidelity. Third party involvement and love triangle problems will surface easily, with such strong Plum Blossom Luck. Add to this the intentional spreading of rumors and gossips and you are looking at a very disharmonious picture. Install the statues of Male QuiYong on Dragon and Female QuiYong on Phoenix in the South West of your bedroom and place a set of three Harmony Coins under your bed, for increasing the marital harmony.
STUDIES
Natural biological changes, daydreaming and unwanted relationships will contribute to the fall in your marks and ranks. Self-confidence and trust in your tutors and elders will turn the tide in favor of you. Be wary of new comers around you. Do not get involved in gossips and rumors. Some of you might be subjected to stressful interrogations from officials. To regain your motivation and concentration, display the Dragon Head Turtle carrying Pagoda Tower in the North East. To resist the rebellious thoughts welling from inside you, carry a set of 3 QuiYong Coins with you.
Compatible Sign for 2008 : Rat, Dragon
Auspicious Direction for 2008 : North, South East
Auspicious Color for 2008 : Black, Yellow
Auspicious Number for 2008 : 1, 5
Wealth Gods to pray in 2008 : Tian Hou Sheng Mu, Yu Huang Da Di
NOTE ABOUT REMEDIES : The above analysis has suggested some remedies/cures for reducing the impact of negative energy and has recommended certain enhancers for increasing and improving upon the beneficial energy of the year. For the remedies/enhancers to be effective, they should be cleansed, energised, blessed and programmed not only for the particular individual/family but also for the specific purpose/problem. They should also be placed in the indicated location, to derive the maximum benefit. Any or all of these remedies can be reused for the forthcoming new years, but they may have to be repositioned according to the specific new year.
Janarrdhana Guptha is an Energy Consultant, Kabbalah Energy Numerologist, Crystal Master, Vaastu/Fengshui Researcher, Tarot Reader & Clairvoyant Karma Reader. He channels Cleansed, Blessed, Energised & Programmed Remedies like Feng Shui Enhancers & Cures, Crystals and Sacred Geometry Yantra Talismans, which are directly Programmed to the User, for best possible results. His speciality is permanent Karma Energy Correction through custom-built Crystal Energy Fields. His E-Mail : crystalvaastu@yahoo.com His websites :http://www.crystal-vaastu.com/home.htm, http://www.newage-kabbalah-numerology.com & http://www.fengshui-remedies.com.
November 7th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
As the Republican Nominee for President in 2008, this four term senator has reached the pinnacle of his career. Now with the election only two month away, we are being bombarded with commercial messages telling us what this man is like. The question is, just what is the driving force behind this national figure? Read on and see what his Astrology Numerology combination says about John McCain, possibly the next president of the United States.
Astronumerology; Numerology and Astrology in Combination
The best method I know for learn what someone is really like if I can’t meet them in person is to turn to Astronumerology. This science combines the subject’s sun sign fro Astrology and their Life Path number from Numerology to derive one of (108) different personality types. Determining someone’s Horoscope sign is easy once you know their date of birth. Likewise, finding their Life Path number just involves summing the values of their Birth month, day, and year, and then reducing the total sum with fadic addition. In the case of John McCain, since he was born on August 29th, 1936, his Astrology Numerology combination works out to be Virgo with a Life Path value of (2).
Virgo (2) – The Constructive Consultant
People born with this combination are very private people by nature. They have a hard time sharing their innermost thoughts with anyone but a very select inner circle. These souls are usually journal keepers, and will record their inner thoughts privately rather than sharing them openly. Virgo twos are very hard on themselves, always second guessing their decisions, but hiding even that from the world. They tend to underestimate their own abilities, and be modest and self-effacing to those around them. These souls rarely give themselves the credit they deserve for the hard work they do. They have a rich fantasy life, but they hide it along with the rest of their personal moments.
The other side of the coin is the keen drive to serve others that these souls possess. Virgo twos seek out responsibility and obligations in the world, seeking real and meaningful work that they can accomplish. This work helps them deal with their own worst critic; themselves. Their lives tend to be quiet and orderly. Their peers usually recognize that these souls are excellent mediators, and will come to them with their differences that they can not resolve themselves.
Conclusion
John McCain’s Astrology / Numerology combination shows that he has the making of a good president, particularly when the country needs someone to mediate the differences that us so effectively. His drive to serve others, and his modesty would be refreshing qualities after the last eight years.
Keith Abbott is the developer and owner of -Numerology 4 You- where you can order your own Numerology reading, as well as the free Numerology Chart of over 500 celebrities. Visit him on the web today at http://www.numerology4you.com
November 5th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
As the man slowly walked away, I faced my own future as well, and I entered the subdued and inviting cave; I had a lot of work to do. I was already adept at the Four Material Calms of – applied and sustained concentration, rapture, equanimity and bliss, and equanimity and mindfulness – but I had no idea how to approach the remaining Immaterial Calms. I was a weevil trying to burrow into solid granite. I knew that my logical, thinking mind could not penetrate these immaterial calms, and that every one of my thoughts, every attempt to understand with my mind would be useless. And I knew that my inner work was all that I could rely on.
For three years, I practiced with great determination, working tirelessly on the material and immaterial calms, eating very little. A few villagers occasionally gathered at the entrance to sit silently in my company after offering food, but they showed great respect and never caused me to break my silence.
The quiet and undisturbed atmosphere proved extremely effective. So much so that one day shortly after I first entered the cave, I was able to go deeper than I had ever gone before into the Fourth Material Calm of Equanimity and Mindfulness. While in this deep state, I saw, for one brief moment, the Infinite Space that was behind my concentration and surrounded it. This happened when my circle of light disappeared.
As soon as this happened, something dropped into my heart, opening my intuitive eye for just a moment as I incredibly slipped into the First Great Immaterial Calm of Infinite Space.
In that brief moment I could clearly see that the previous Material Calms of Applied and Sustained Concentration, Rapture, Equanimity and Bliss, and Equanimity and Mindfulness were dangerously close to the world and material existence; too close to the seeds of rebirth. I intuitively then replaced my object of concentration that served me for these many years; my circle of light, by the Infinite Space surrounding it. Then, when I fell into this Infinite Space, it felt as if a hole became unplugged! Yet, I was able to maintain a piercing awareness. In this state, my “wanting,” or my desire for anything in the material world was totally abandoned.
Now my inner work was becoming mature. My mind was becoming very deep and still, and the great Source of wisdom that rested within me, the Reality, was making itself known. I was truly that great “Source” of all things. Or rather, It was all of me. There was nothing that the old self, the old “king” could do except relax and begin falling into the arms of this “Source.” I had great confidence it would take me to my key.
The months flew by, and my inner work intensified in the uninterrupted, silent atmosphere of the cave. I trusted these peaceful surroundings. There were no surprises or disturbances, and interestingly enough, no feelings of emptiness or loneliness as I dropped into deeper and deeper states.
After concentrating intensely on ‘Infinite Space’ for a year, my awareness suddenly shifted to the ‘Consciousness that pervades this Infinite Space.’ These sudden attainments and shifts always came as great, unexpected surprises, and this particular change occurred with an immediate recognition – I understood that Infinite Space was too uncomfortably close to the Material Calms, and that this new ‘Consciousness Pervading Infinite Space’ was much safer. As my mind then concentrated on that Consciousness, I was able to attain the Second Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Boundless Consciousness.’
While this was all happening, the connections to the Source, the very same seven centers that caused my illness and near demise on the mountaintop, began to open naturally in my body. My focus on the ‘Consciousness that Pervades Infinite Space’ became very concentrated, and one afternoon while in this deep state, my mind caught a glimpse of Nothingness – or the Void. The ‘Consciousness that Pervaded Infinite Space’ had now disappeared and there was nothing. Everything was gone. Everything was entirely empty, and nothing was left as I fell into the Third Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Nothingness.’ My exceedingly lucid mind became exceptionally clear; so clear that it realized the previous ‘Great Immaterial calm of Consciousness’ was merely an observation, and actually there was only nothing; just emptiness.
While focusing on this new area of ‘Nothingness,’ I again detected a sensitivity in parts of my body; the centers near the crown of my head, my forehead, my throat, heart, solar plexus, the area just below my naval and the base of my spine.
As I concentrated on each of these centers, each for a few months at a time, I learned more about them. The top of the head was seen as the most stunning with its light orchid splendor surrounded by radiant white and gold compliments, all flowing, and vibrating at intense levels of activity. I knew that this area was the key to unification with the Source of all there is, with Reality.
The purple forehead center appeared to be the most important but not easy to explain. It seemed to reflect my inner being in some way. It caused attachments to disappear and I could recognize the origins and outcomes of situations. There was a blurring of the opposites of power/weakness, love/hate, and so forth, as their differences became non-existent. Nothing bothered me any longer and I experienced bits and pieces of vague scenes, seemingly from past lives or existences, some of which appeared to be from the perspective of a plant or mineral; all very difficult to explain. I also envisioned beautiful colors of all kinds, vast landscapes of flowing, brilliant hues, sometimes in the form of flowers or designs. I also heard voices in my mind – similar to the voice that that told me, “You are completely healed” – and they came up regularly while concentrating on this center.
Many of the things I heard were not immediately understandable and definitely not from my mind, but after some experience the insightful nature of their meanings at times became clear. The ringing in my ears that had been audible since my illness on the mountain became louder and constant, with two distinct tones ever-present, a high pitch and a low hum. This forehead center also made me feel that I was ready to flow with the wind, experiencing some kind of difficult to explain loving aloofness. It caused me to surrender to complete conviction, ready to engage myself fully in life at a new, wonderfully expansive level.
When working on the bluish silver throat, I had boundless hopefulness, experiencing steady serenity and seemingly impervious to ailments. There were no longer any worldly aspirations and I could clearly differentiate between truth and falsity.
The golden heart brought up extreme compassion toward all beings as I experienced other’s happiness and grief as if it were my own. Sleep was now required in only small increments, as my interest in the world completely dissolved.
Attention to the green solar plexus resulted in passages to strange places, descriptions of which would be difficult to comment on. There were also visions and dreams depicting incredible freedom, soaring through the air like a bird. I always would think, during the visions, that since it is so easy to fly, why haven’t I always done this? There was a definite feeling that I would only go forward now with no chance of backsliding, and that any problems in the future would never again be my individual difficulties. They would merely be tribulations of the human existence.
Odd intuitions were produced by focusing on the orange area below my naval. I couldn’t quite put my finger on them but they seemed to be both threatening and liberating at the same time, as if I was caught between them. Sexual attraction was also mysteriously replaced by empathy, patience, and mercy.
During my focus on the base of the spine, which was red in color, and which I felt intuitively between my legs, I surprisingly found myself relieved of my previous flaws of self, clinging, gluttony, lust and rage.
But this time I followed Sahmad’s instructions to the letter regarding the correct way to open, and above all, close the energy centers. It was essential to close them every time after the inner work, so without fail at the conclusion of each session I visualized each center closing similar to blowing out a candle, starting with the base of my spine and ending with the forehead, leaving the crown open.
During my second and third year I was often visited by immaterial beings in the form of silent points of light. They would simply land near me in the cave or hover silently. I had always hoped that Ariya would drop in again but she never did. However, during one very extraordinary full moon night, a being did visit by appearing to me in a vision during my inner work.
He was tall, young, and very handsome with a shaved head and wearing an orange robe. His demeanor was that of a great sage as he floated in from the entrance and stopped directly in front of me, hovering above the ground to my right.
The sage was sitting cross-legged with his right foot over his left thigh, and as he closed his eyes he began to speak in a strong, compelling voice, “There is the Truth of Discontent, which affects beings in the material and immaterial worlds. There is the Truth of the Cause of this Discontent. There is the Truth that a Cure for this Discontent exists. There is the Truth of a Way to Cure this Discontent.”
The presence of this powerful teacher and these simple, commanding words reinforced everything I felt over the years as I sought after the key.
“The cause of this constant discontent is wanting and craving,” continued the sage. “There is a cure for this constant wanting and craving. The way to realize this cure is to follow a life conducive to opening oneself to the Source of all there is. In this new life, you must first acknowledge your own discontent, realize the cause of this discontent, believe that there is a solution, and embark on a quest to achieve this solution.
To this end, you must cultivate energy, joy, tranquility, equanimity, concentration, investigation, and mindfulness. You must think in terms of renunciation, absence of ill will and absence of cruelty. You must abstain from false, slanderous, harsh, or frivolous speech. You must abstain from killing, from taking things that are not offered, and sexual misconduct. The quest for the key must be your only concern and you must arouse energy to this end, striving for the non-arising of evil and the abandoning of evil that has arisen.
“You must strive for wholesome states that have not arisen and the development and perfection of wholesome states that have arisen. You must cultivate the Great Calms. You must contemplate your body and mind and maintain constant, unbroken mindfulness. You must always be your own teacher, relying on yourself and not relying on others to help in the actual work. Only Truth must be your guiding light.”
The sage stopped speaking and opened his eyes. He smiled, then handed me a small, white flower, communicating an unspoken bond between us, after which he floated back toward the entrance to the cave, facing me until he disappeared.
Everything he mentioned reinforced my efforts and gave me great confidence to go on, so I therefore tried to remember every word. This vision was another turning point in my mission, instilling within me self-assurance that I would somehow be successful in the end.
I put the flower down and returned to my inner work. I put the flower down! . . . My heart soared as I grasped the enormity of what had just happened. The flower was real! What I experienced was not merely a vision! This cave was truly remarkable, and the fact that masters guided me to it only reinforced my undying pledge to live up to their expectations. The key would be mine.
Before long, three years had almost gone by. Soon I would be leaving this cave. My mind, now sharpened to a razor’s edge, was able to go very deep, deep enough to discern that the seven Calms that had so far been achieved were merely perceptions of the mind, and subject to change, and therefore not peaceful. The instant the mind saw this danger, it thought “Peace,” and realized that only in the complete cessation of Perception, and in the complete cessation of Non-Perception could this danger of “the influence of things,” whether they were seen, perceived or felt, be finally resolved. With this incredible, deep understanding, I was able to attain the last of the Great Immaterial Calms by absolutely exhausting everything that could be seen or perceived in any way. Then I attained the last Great Immaterial Calm of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception.
Sahmad’s prediction proved true about the cave; I achieved the Immaterial Calms and the Seven Centers, acquiring my razor sharp Sword of Concentration. Having accomplished these rare attainments, then, my attention now focused on the strange drawing given to me by the holy man on the mountain.
I studied it again: A sketch of a man and then next to the man was a picture of the man’s head with four more pictures above it; a hand in a fire, a hand which apparently had been burned and was in pain, a man looking at his burned hand, and a man using fire to cook with. This strange sketch must have something to do with what was ahead.
Three years had passed far too quickly and the day arrived when it was time reluctantly to leave the cave. I emerged triumphant and walked directly to the stables where Conqueror was waiting. The old, crippled horse tried to run in his excitement but stumbled and fell, and as I helped him struggle to his feet, tears of gratitude streamed down my face as I put my arms around the neck of my gallant, undying companion and best friend for all these unbelievable years.
The villagers were saddened to see us go, but I insisted that there was some unfinished business to be taken care of; business that would make me a better teacher. The elder said I was good enough right now, but I just smiled, thanking him and his villagers for their generosity.
We left the village with everybody bowing and as we made our way past the cave, I caught a glimpse of something hiding in the trees. It was watching us intently, and when we were almost out of sight, I turned around and waived a final goodbye to a beautiful white tiger.
E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com
November 4th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
The ABBAs were probably the most influential bands during the 70s where youngsters were concerned. The band always has been perceived as two beautiful couple much in love and making melodious music. The band comprised of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, also known as Frida. ABBAs history is as interesting as their music and takes us through the lives of four people all of whom spent most of their lives making music.
Benny Andersson was a member of the ‘Swedish Beatles’ band called the Hep Stars from 1964 to 1969. He met and formed a songwriting partnership with Bjorn Ulvaeus, who was a member of a well known rock group called The Hootenanny Singers. Both were successful in their bands and when they came together, wrote songs and working as producers for Polar music. Frida was a local celebrity with her solo singing career in Stockholm, and had formed a band called The Ann-Frid Four with bass player Ragnar Frederickson. Agnetha was singing with bands in Sweden since the age of 15 and belted consistent hits since the age of 18.
By 1970 Bjorn and Agnetha, Benny and Frida were in love and were living together while maintaining their solo careers. Polar Music was headed by Stig Anderson, a well known Swedish music business entrepreneur who had contributed more than 2000 songs in the 60s and 70s. When Stig’s partner died, he invited Bjorn to be a replacement who bought Benny along. Meanwhile, Bjorn and Agnetha moved into theatre and gave a massive hit “don’t know how to love him” in the Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1972, Bjorn and Benny gave a big hit in Japan in the way of “People need love”. Owing to their great popularity, they were invited to the Eurovision song contest in the 1973 Swedish heat, the band was then named Benny &Bjorn, Agnetha & Frida and they entered with the famous “Ring Ring”. The audience loved the song, though the judges placed it at number 3. Due to the following public outcry, Swedish Eurovision entries began to be chosen through public voting since then.
The following year, Benny, Bjorn and Stig wrote and performed “Waterloo” and walked away with the Swedish Eurovision heat. The song became the first Swedish act to win the heat and “waterloo” launched ABBA as the first international pop act who performed in a language other than their native tongue. Their songs would always open at the top of the charts in the USA, UK, Germany, Scandinavia and they were as popular in the English speaking nations as in the non-English speaking countries. Despite their individual divorces, the band continued to make great music. Songs like “knowing me, knowing you”, “I have a dream”, and “lay all your love on me” were hits on both sides of the Atlantic. All their albums were a major success Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The visitors which was their last album together.
In 1982, ABBA took a break from being a band and each member continues with a successful solo career even today. For several years, ABBA was only next to Volvo in being Sweden’s biggest export earners. They have been revered and remain a legendary and most accomplished rock bands ever.
Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.
One of his latest ongoing projects can be viewed at http://www.abbacostumes.org
October 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
One of the favorite mystery shops that I ever did was at Lowe’s. In fact, I was waiting for a mystery shop at the store because of the bad experience that I had whenever I was shopping there prior to beginning my mystery shopping career. Once I saw the Lowe’s store shop pop up on the radar, I was quick to accept it as I was sure I would be able to get a little bit of revenge on the people who had treated phrase so poorly in the first place. Now I know that mystery shopping is not about seeking out bad experiences, it is about evaluating people for the job that they do. Here’s how my mystery shop at Lowe’s ended up going for me.
Whenever I entered the Lowe’s store the first thing that I was supposed to do was to find three different people in order to see if they would help me or not. I walked up and down the main aisle of the store, looking up each individual aisle to see if I could find an employee that was not busy at the time. Even though I had had a bad experience at the store before, I wanted to give them a fair opportunity to be able to get a good evaluation. As it turns out, my first experience with the store ended up being fairly typical of every experience that I ever had. The first person that I walked up to pretended not to see me and simply turned around and walked away. The second person that I walked up to did the same thing, so I followed them into another isle. They ended up spears me spears times. The third person that I walked up to ended up talking on their personal cell phone, something that was definitely against the rules.
Every mystery shop has a particular department that you are going to want to single out. For this particular shop, it was the kitchen Cabinet department. I walked back into that department, looking like I was interested in purchasing some cabinets or least asking some questions. According to the instructions that I received ahead of time, I was to wait around for at least 10 minutes to see if anybody was going to ask me any questions. After several people walk past me without acknowledging the fact that I was there, I finally decided it was time for me to approach someone. The person that I approached not only was uninterested in my questions, they were not knowledgeable about anything in the area.
I know that a mystery shopper is not supposed to feel satisfaction when giving a bad report, even if they are out for personal revenge. In this particular case, however, giving them bad marks was quite appropriate. All I had to do was to answer each of the questions accurately and to provide them with names of certain employees. I felt as though I was giving the company what they truly wanted, an honest evaluation.
For more information on how to become a mystery shopper please visit http://www.mysteryshopperguide.org
October 11th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Trying to stay in shape while pregnant is no mean feat, and until recently had been considered somewhat taboo.
However, with the press coverage of many celebrity moms and moms-to-be like Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie showing off their in-shape bodies, many women would like to discover what the secret is on how to stay in shape while pregnant.
Now, I don’t want to dwell on these celebrity moms, ‘cos let’s not forget that they are surrounded by some of the most highly paid personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors and the like, who make their money from keeping these women in tip top shape – basically their career depends on helping them to stay in shape while pregnant. So comparing yourself to them is not the way to start.
However, there are some simple steps that you can follow to help you to stay in shape while pregnant, making you and your baby healthier, and having an easier labour and delivery. Below, I’ve highlighted the top 3 things you can do to stay in shape while pregnant.
1. Control Your Cravings
Controlling your cravings is one of the most important things you’ll need to do if you’re looking to stay in shape while pregnant.
Pregnancy cravings are perfectly natural as your hormones are going haywire, and your body is telling you it needs certain foods. However, unbridled eating and submission to those cravings is one of the main reasons for excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
Choosing foods that have a low Glycemic Index (GI), like oatmeal will give you a slow and sustained energy release throughout the day, as opposed to sugary foods like chocolate that give quick bursts of energy and then trail off quickly, giving you that tell-tale emotional “drop” that always accompanies high-glucose, high-fat foods.
Try substituting some of the high GI, high fat foods for others that are lower on the scale. For example, eating a cold fruit smoothie or non-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice-cream; whole grains breads with a little jam instead of doughnuts and pastries…things like that.
Eating good regular meals will help you to avoid unnecessary snacking which often contributes to consuming high sugar foods, and making it more difficult to stay in shape while pregnant.
Feel free to indulge sometimes though, your baby needs it. And pregnancy is about the best excuse you’ll ever get! 
2. Diet = Bad….Eat More = Good!
If you only take one piece of information away from this article, let it be this…Pregnancy is NOT the time to be dieting. Going on specific diets in order to stay in shape while pregnant is dangerous and can harm your baby’s health as well as your own. Most diets were never designed to be used during pregnancy, so please avoid using them.
However, there are some things you can do concerning what you eat and when you eat it, that can help you to stay in shape while pregnant.
We’ve already discussed the importance of controlling your cravings, but did you know that eating more regularly can be more beneficial to you than eating less when trying to stay in shape while pregnant?
Snacking is probably the single biggest reason for excessive weight gain during pregnancy, so how can you beat it? Try eating smaller meals more regularly.
You see, the traditional 3 meals a day works well in theory, but as you know, with such hectic lifestyles these days the practice is very different. If you miss one of those meals, let’s say lunch, you are now going several hours without eating…at which point the snacking begins.
Start your day with a good healthy breakfast that will set you up for the rest of the day. Make sure you eat a good lunch and dinner, but slightly smaller portions than normal. In between the 3 meals you can set designated times to have another “meal” – not really a full cooked meal as such, but something like a banana, small salad, pasta…stuff like that. This should help you to stay in shape while pregnant without the need for dangerous diets.
3. Exercise
Beyond making better food choices, getting regular exercise will help you to stay in shape while pregnant.
The amount of exercise you should be doing while pregnant depends on your situation and whether you were particularly active before your pregnancy. Therefore I recommend you consult your doctor before going straight out and busting your tail in the gym or something.
Types of exercises for pregnant women vary, but there is general agreement that stomach crunches and sit-ups are at best risky, and at worst dangerous, and should not be performed. As are any exercises that require you to lie on your front or put pressure on your belly.
Swimming is excellent and there are many pools with classes that cater for pregnant women. Yoga can also be performed which will help you to relax and relieve the back pains that are common while pregnant. Again, make sure you find a qualified Yoga instructor that specialises in pregnant women.
There’s no need to go through your pregnancy feeling overweight and unattractive. Find out How To Stay In Shape While Pregnant from a pregnancy expert with over 15 years experience.
For some free exercise videos showing you how to stay in shape while pregnant and a free e-course go to my website–>http://www.squidoo.com/lose_weight_while_pregnant
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