Dream the world anew

We are all dreamers.Not just when we are asleep and our imagination runs loose.Not just when we are daydreamimng or contemplating a wish.We are dreaming constantly,every waking moment of our lives,whether we are aware of it or not.

Dreaming always precedes any kind of action.

For example,suppose you think you'd like a cup of coffee or tea.The moment you have this thought,you also get a mental sensation (visual,auditory or whatever) related to coffee or tea.You might see a picture of a cup of coffee/tea,or get to have a memory of the aroma or taste of it or you might see youself preparing it etc.It all depends on the kind of sensory data you prefer. 

The point is,this is the exact replica of the dreaming process and you are doing it all the time.Your mind,the very same mind that dreams at night,dreams up all of your waking life as well.Everything in this world that was ever or will ever be created originated from a dream.

Here's how it works:

A new thought/wish--->a dream of this thought--->action that brings the dream into our world of reality

Of course,we can always choose to omit the last part of the equation and not do the acting part.In this case our initial dream will stay as a thoughtform in the world of dreams.It won't stop existing in the dream realm.It will continue exerting influence on our physical reality in a more or less subtle way.Sometimes another person or group of people will pick up on that thoughtform/dream entity that we created,decide to act on it and they'd be the ones to bring it to life instead of us who initially conceived it.All our dreams are actually spirit seeking to manifest itself.If we can't or won't do it,the spirit will find another outlet to express itself.

But every time we realise our dreams,they expand the universe,the universe expands and helps everyone else expand and realise their dreams in their turn!And don't forget that what determines the speed at which your dreams become a reality is the intensity of your emotions about and around those dreams!

I love this excerpt from Jessica Mullen's website:

''Your thoughts create your reality.That means you make everything in it.Each person,every place,every experience.Not only do you create it all,but everything you make in your reality then makes more.People you create,think.Situations you craft expand.Feelings you practice,grow.''

So dream the world anew!Dream your world consciously instead of by default.Dream it the way you 'd like it to be.Have fun!Play with possibilities.Life is supposed to be fun!So create lots of fun in that new world of yours,both for you and everybody else.Create your own dream,your own reality!Live in a dream of your own making,not in other people's realities and dreams.

As you go about creating your dream,don't forget to be different,to be independent,to be unique,to be individual,to be you.Because it's your dream,d@mn it!

                 The only limitation is your imagination! Have wild imaginings!

                                                       DREAM!

More now!Unrealistically!More intensely!Dream of somethings impossible and outrageous!Put yoursef in that dream!Never stop dreaming and never give up on those dreams!

photos from here

(This post was inspired by a blog post specially dedicated to me.Apart from being flattered and honored,that story reminded me of the quality that I cherish the most in both myself and in other people:that of the Dreamer of Impossible Dreams!)

Love,peace and dreaming

Eirini

Picture of the week-The Dreamer of Never Ending Dreams

Η ιστορια που μου αφιερωσε ο Νικος στα ελληνικα εδω

 

This is Nick,a very talented young blogger and writer of short science fiction stories,and moi.We met yesterday for the first time (sort of),we've only been online friends up till now.He dedicated one of his short stories to me and I wanted to thank him personally for this great honor!I told him that if he lived in a country any other than Greece,he'd get paid a handsome amount of money for writing scripts!And it's true.His talent and imagination speak for themselves.If you can read Greek,go visit his blog and read the story he dedicated to me here.You'll see what I mean for yourselves.

If you don't speak Greek,don't despair!I've translated the story for you in English below,with Nick's permission of course.Enjoy!

''The Dreamer is inspired by,dedicated to and written for Eirini Haritou,for the unexpected help she gave me with my stories,when I had no idea I needed that help.

Thanks to Eirini I started believing that I am not totally out of place and time when it comes to writing.I could feel some sense of confidence in the fact that what I have been doing all those years was not a hopeless endeavor doomed to fail.

So that I could depict my inspired vision,based on Eirini's unique personality,I had to do something I've never done before:write a story without any elements of terror,fear,death,hatred,darkness,disappointment or pessimism.I utilised a style of writing I've never used before.This is the reason why this is such a short story.I am not used to writing about happy,hopeful,bright worlds.

I have no idea whether I succeeded in putting into words the style I had in mind.All I wanted was to pay tribute to a person that gave me and is still giving me a lot of valuable help.''

The Dreamer of Never-Ending Dreams

In the exact point of the horizon where Imagination and Splendor meet up with the most peculiar passion of Creation,lies and dreams the Dreamer of Never-Ending Dreams.

Still,serene and shining,she lies at the bottom of the highest skies.Nobody has ever seen the colour of her eyes because she has never opened them.She was born dreaming and she will live on dreaming,the Dreamer of Glimmering Dreams.

Her body,transparent underneath the white cloack clothing it.Her hands,crossed over her bossom,are holding a golden heart.Each time a dream ends,the Dreamer squeezes that heart mightily and the heart grows bigger.

Up till now the heart has grown to its full size three times,one for every ten years.And within eight years this dreaming process will be over and will start all over again.Within each moment of light this woman dreams up of a whole life.And each life that the Dreamer of Impossible Dreams dreams up is like a cloud dust in the sky.

How many lives has she dreamed up all those years?How many worlds?How many souls have passed through her heart,how many winds have messed up her hair?If the trees among which she wanders are her wishes,then the clear blue sky hovering above them is the tenderness with which she embraces everything that she loves and is being loved by.And when she is standing on a top of a mountain,smiling,higher than the stars themselves,if she reaches out she can touch her own thoughts and go on a new journey,on to a new life.

The trace of her self leaves a shining trail amongst her dreams.The energy of her life,each one of her many lives that she dreams up,is included in her every step,in each of her new creations.Where the place for an ending is,Irinia puts a new beginning instead.So the circle of her dreams make up a shining,never-ending structure.

How many lives,one wonders,has the Dreamer of Never-Ending Dreams lived?''

                                                          Love,peace and dreaming

Eirini

On being truthful and honest

      If you really stress me out,my most likely reaction would be to take a shit.

No,really.This is no joke.I've been suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS) all my life.So has my mum.And this has cost her a broken bone and a hip operation she underwent a few days ago.ISB can give you intense cramps of your bowels accompanied by feelings of faintness and dizziness,so you may momentarily pass out because of the pain.This happened to my mum,who slipped and broke her hip during an IBS fit.

It started right after the onset of my puberty.Remember those times when you are nervous and stressed about something and you have butterflies in your stomach?Same with me,exept I get colon spasms instead of the butterflies.Now before you start wondering why the hell that should be of any interest to you and what is the purpose of this post,bear with me a little longer and I promise we'll soon get to the worthy stuff.

For me,it is almost invariably stress that triggers the symptoms.Here's the explanation for it,taken from the link above:

''Stress—feeling mentally or emotionally tense, troubled, angry, or overwhelmed—can stimulate colon spasms in people with IBS. The colon has many nerves that connect it to the brain. Like the heart and the lungs, the colon is partly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which responds to stress. These nerves control the normal contractions of the colon and cause abdominal discomfort at stressful times.''...

Researchers have found that women with IBS may have more symptoms during their menstrual periods, suggesting that reproductive hormones can worsen IBS problems.''

I have learnt to live with IBS without any medication or any other treatment (there is no treatment anyway).This is no easy sail,as my problem has this pattern of choosing the most inappropriate of moments to rear its ugly head.Imagine entering your first classroom in your first teaching job ever and being seized by a fit of ISB.Or being in a church for confession as a teenager (that was before

 I rebelled against my religious past) and realising that you have to 'go' right this instant or else.Or being interviewed by a local TV station about your school and having to excuse yourself  in the middle of the interview to pay a visit to WC.And there are countless other occasions that I can't even remember when I had to run like mad to the ''little girls'room'' because of ISB.

The thing is,apart from the physical discomfort which is admittedly very annoying,I suffered much more because I was embarassed by the whole situation.Partly because I had no idea that my 'problem' actually was a disorder and not some kind of weird quirk of  my own,a sort of bad-taste trick played on me by my oversensitive mind.Teachers at school wouldn't believe me when I had to excuse myself during a test and I once spent an entire afternoon locked up in a toilet on campus because I was too embarassed to ask for help and too faint to even walk or stand up normally.

When I finally found out that what I had to go through all those years actually had a name,I felt a huge sense of relief.And anger too,if truth be told,for all those people that either made fun at me or disregarded my problem as something minor or 'hysterical'.Like that doctor at the clinic where I was giving birth to my second child;when I informed him that my body reacted badly to enemas (which is standard medical practice for all medicalised births) and asked to be spared,he made fun of me and when I did have the enema and fainted on my way to the restroom (and already in active labour) he forbade the nurses to help me walk back to bed because he claimed ' I was acting up like a spoilt child'.... 

I was also angry at myself for not being more assertive towards people that disregarded my problem.And for being embarrassed about a physical condition in which there should be nothing to feel embarrassed about.Why did I need to keep it a secret anyway?I'll tell you why.Because I placed too much importance on what other people might think of me if they knew about it.Most of us-ruling out those individuals who feast on their own and other people's pity-want to appear strong and put together to other people.Anything that might threaten to mar this picture of strength and self reliance that we have painted for ouselves is kept in hiding or hushed about.It is only to very very few people we trust that we actually dare to put our defences down and tell them about it.

''And what's wrong with that?'',I can almost hear your objections.''Why should other people become privy to my personal challenges and issues?Isn't the saying true that half the people don't give a sh!t about your problems and the other half are glad you have them?''

Actually,you are not doing this for other people.You are doing it for you.

                                            Why?

This is why.Whenever you are too embarrassed or too overwhelmed or just plain uncomfortable with getting something out in the open,I bet you anything you want that this something is putting a heavy energetic toll on you,limiting you or even crippling you in some way.Everything you cannot own in public,owns you in a BIG WAY! It dictates certain behaviors or attitudes in you,it keeps you from exploring certain others and generally hinders your growth and progress in life.On the other hand,whenever you honestly,simply and truthfully admit it,you are no longer a slave to your ''thing'' and you become its master instead.The freedom and liberating feeling you get from doing that is worth a hundred times feeling momentarily embarrassed when confessing it.

Maybe your thing is your learning disability,or total inability to spell,weird bathtime routines,music preferences,sucking your thumb or wetting your bed.Maybe it's somerthing far more serious,like battling with epilepsy or depression or a food disorder or an addiction.Or maybe it's your sexual orientation that you're totally OK with but you suspect that other people might not be too happy about .Whatever it is,I know it does a great deal of courage and honest to publicly and unashamedly admit it.But the freedom awaiting you after you do it is so liberating that you'll wonder why you didn't think of  it before.

All the energy,mental,emotional and sometimes physical you've been using for hiding it,will suddenly be freed and ready to be used for more important stuff,like the fulfillment of your dreams and aspirations.The more honest and open you are about everything,including and especially about the issues most painful to confess,the more personal power you'll have,as you retrieve all of the life force you've invested in holding together your little or big secrets and false situations.A bonus:telling the truth will contribute to a healthier,sexier you!

As for me,whenever I am faced with a potentially stressful situation,I've simply learnt to say:

-''Guys,this is getting too much for me so I'm warning you that I'll have to use your bathroom sometime soon!''

Τhe fastest way to manifest a miracle

The fastest way to manifest a miracle is through gratitude.

It is simple really.And yet we keep forgetting.

If you want to manifest a miracle concerning your body or health,write down a list of things you are grateful about your body or appreciate the parts of your physical self that are healthy and in perfect working order.

If it is a career miracle you are after,focus on your existing job or past successes and appreciate them.

If you'd like to see a financial miracle,be grateful for the existing abundance in your life,the money you already have or the things you have that money cannot buy,such as your health,intelligence,friends etc.Abundance means living an abundant life in all respects.

If it's a relationship miracle you wish for,concentrate on all the traits and things you love about your romantic partner,even if you have a hard time doing so because of accumulated bitterness.If you are on the look out for a romantic partner,think of and give thanks for all your past relationships and the love already existing in your life.Leave nothing out,including your pet/pets.

Feel deep gratitude about everything and see your world transform before your very eyes.

It is impossible to have more of anything unless you find a way to appreciate what you already have.

Think of it this way.If you give a present to a friend and they appreciate it and thank you profusely for it,aren't you more likely to give them more presents in the future?What about a friend who receives your present,tosses it aside and complains that he'd like something bigger or better instead?How would you feel about them?Would you oblige to their ungrateful demand,or remove yourself from their presence determined never ever to give them anything in the future?

Ungratefulness drives blessings away.Nobody likes to feel underappreciated,why should the universe be any different?

So look around you and start appreciating everything you have.

Give thanks for your now,your past and your future

Feel knee-weak gratitude and apreciation for your life,really feel it,don't just think about it.Send strong,genuine feelings of gratitude towards everyone and everything .Be thankful even for bad stuff  because they are your steering wheel pointing you towards the life you'd really like.

-Appreciate and give thanks for the people in your life

-Appreciate and give thanks for opportunities in your life

-Appreciate and give thanks for past and present pleasant experiences

-Appreciate and give thanks for all the years you've spent on this planet

 -Appreciate and give thanks for our beautiful planet, your country and the town/place you live in

Feel a little grateful,get a little to be grateful for.Feel profoundly greateful and watch in awe as one miracle after another materializes in your life!

                                                                Photos from here

                                                   Love,peace and deep gratitude

                                                                       Eirini

25 things you can do to boost business right now

1.Honor your worth and value by deciding to never underprice your products or services again

2.Forgive someone for mistreating you in a business dealing

3.Forgive yourself for a mistake you did in business over the last few months

4.Pick up a marketing activity and do it right now

5.Write down 10 reasons why you deserve to succeed

6.Send an image of visible light to the image of what your ideal business looks like

7.Close your eyes,calm your mind and ask God/your higher self within for guidance and answers to a problem or challenge you are facing.Write down the first thing that comes to you

8.Throw away 3 things on your desk that do not reflect your aliveness and real you

9.Do an activity that serves your higher purpose instead of a chore

10.Brainstorm business ideas for five minutes.Make sure to write them all down

11.Think of a limiting belief concerning your business and mentally set fire to it

12.Write,email,text or personally deliver a thank you note to someone

13.Think of one of your worst fears or worries and sink deep into it.Imagine the worst case scenario becoming a reality and affirm that you'll still find a way out.When we anticipate a worst case scenario like this,your fears lose their grip on you.

14.Do something that makes you feel good right now,There's direct correlation between your mood and the state of your business at any given moment.

15.Think how far you've come and how wiser you've become along the way

16.Decide that you won't cut corners with your next business project

17.Tell yourself right now that you are open to the idea of miracles and instant manifestation

18.Applaud someone's success or effort and let them know that you do right away

19.For the next hour or for as long as you can be aware and really present and do not operate on autopilot.

20.Do something to serve someone right now

21.Remember and relive feelings of  a past business success

22.Write down 10 things you are grateful for related to your business

23.Take a few minutes to step into another dimension where all your dreams and goals concerning your business are already a reality

24.Think of the 3 most important reasons why you wanted to have your business in the first place.This is a surefire method to rekindle your passion

25.Tell yourself that all outcomes are perfect.Detach and surrender to your higher good

                                                         photos from here

                                                          Love,peace and growth

                                                                   Eirini

Meet my free range kids

                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Warning: lots of motherly bragging and raving in this post

I came across the coined phrase ''free range kids in Helena Post's blog:

'' A friend told me there was an article in the local newspaper about a woman who’d reached her 100th year, and was asked about the biggest differences she saw around her now, compared to when she was growing up. And what she said, was that the children today had lost all their freedom. That really sat with me. And on our forays into the city, and to parks, and libraries, and museums, and all the places that children used to inhabit, I notice more and more the great disappearance of unruly kid energy and laughter…… And where have they all gone?? Poor little buggers are stuck in front of televisions, the internet, and DS9’s, getting madly advertised at and conditioned, and desensitized to death and destruction, while losing their freedom to be just what they are…..children. To play, and ride bikes without helmets, and sit on swings without hovering parents, and make up imaginary worlds, and build cubbies, and play dress ups and all the other kooky and possibly dangerous things that the kids of today are being kept from. Our kids are still free…..very free…..in fact I’d have to call them all free range kids. And as we roam around and find people increasingly impatient with their noise and childlike abandon, I feel sad for a generation of kids that are so quiet and entranced by media and the need for ‘stuff’, that they’ve stopped training the adults around them how to accommodate the needs of the free kid''...

Though circumstances in our lives(mine and Helena's) are radically different,I,too,try to raise free range kids.In fact,our decision to live in my own small town,Serres, instead of Athens,the capital,where my husband comes from,was influenced by the fact that we wanted to raise free range kids.

Free range kids to me means basically that when it comes to their upbringing we trust them,their innate guidance system and judgement more than we let our fears get the better of us.There are only two approaches,actually,in life,fear and love and we have chosen the latter.

We trust them enough to let them form their own eating habits.

Meaning:from the day they are born they can choose what and how much to eat or not to eat.No strict feeding schedules when they are infants and though I breastfed them all exclusively for as much as they wanted to,if and when they decided they'd rather have the bottle,that was fine by me,too.If food on the table does not appeal to them,they are allowed not to eat and are not forcefed stuff because it's supposed to be healthy or urged to finish off what's on their plate or else.

Also,we don't sit down to eat in front of a table unless we have guests or are guests ourselves .We enjoy eating mostly just like ancient Greeks used to eat: reclining comfortably on a couch or armchair or bed,with the food on a table in front of us,resorting to spoons and forks only when absolutely necessary.(I have a saying of my own making,which appals my husband,really:''if God wanted us to use cutlery,he'd have given us knives and forks instead of fingers).

Quite often my kids eat in their rooms because that's where they are busy doing things they don't want to get away from,or the younger ones eat crouched next to me on the couch.The outdated notion of a family only eating together in front of a table sounds as alien and lacking in meaning and purpose to us as consuming solid food does to astronauts.And I also find the idea of a family only talking to each other during family meals pathetic really :there's so much talking going on-both of the frivolous,everyday chat and of the meaningful conversations kind-with us that I'd give anything for just an hour of uninterrupted silence in my home.I believe that our eating habits reflect our sexual habits anyway,so it's even more important to me for my kids to choose their own eating patterns. 

 

Same with bed time schedules.Kids who are tired,go to sleep.If they aren't tired,why should they go to sleep?Even if they do go to bed,they won't be able to fall asleep,same as an adult.If they go to bed too late one day,they'll be so tired at school ,that they'll go to bed much earlier of their own accord the next day.And now that I've mentioned school,I have to say that I am an avid supporter of unschooling.But homeschooling is by law allowed only to mentally and physically disabled kids in my country so this is no option for us.So I make it clear to my kids that I don't trust or like state schools,that their father and I couldn't care less about what marks they get at said schools and that all we want from them is not to fail their class each year,because this is gonna cost them in time.All we want is for them to get over and done with their compulsory education years,so that they can go on following their dreams and bliss.

My three older kids have a PC of their own each and umnlimited access to Internet.Because we believe that real education is only self education.We trust their innate judgement to steer away from b#llshit.And they do.In fact,thanks to the Internet,my two oldest boys speak English perfectly and have each got a certificate in English that makes them quallified English teachers in my country.They have gotten this certificate( which some of my students study real hard for and pay handsome tuition fees and still do not succed in getting ) without studying English properly for a single hour in their lives and in spite of having dropped out of the Engish classes in my school years ago.Charismatic!NOT!They just realised that English was very important to them and delved into it until they were proficient.

Also there are no rules  for my teenage sons for coming home at a specific time at night.They can come at whatever time they wish,so long as they tell me or call me they'll be late or that they'll have a sleepover.I trust them enough not to treat them as inmates of an institution but as free human beings.And they've never abused my trust.My oldest son came home drunk once two years ago,he probably wanted to have that experience.I made no fuss about it  it.The next morning he had the worse case of hangover ever,felt like sh!t all day long and told me that getting drunk was for idiots,it sucked big time and that he had no intention of repeating it.And he didn't. 

More importantly,trusting our kids contributes to their developing a healthy sense of trust for the world,which is important if they are to become balanced and free individuals as it is stated in this quote from Dr Jeremy Hayward(which I got from Rainbow Love Farm:

"In order to communicate very openly with the world, you need to develop fundamental trust. This kind of trust is not trusting “in” something, but simply trusting. It is very much like your breath. You do not consciously hold on to your breath, or trust in your breath, yet breathing is your very nature. In the same way, to be trusting is your very nature. To be trusting means you are fundamentally free from doubt about your goodness and about the goodness of others."

We raise all four of our kids in the same way.And yet,just like every parent of more than one kid knows,they have totally different personalities,totally different outlooks on life.Because just like each and everyone on this planet they are unique and special from the day they are born.

 My oldest son,Konstantinos,Kostas for short,is a health fanatic.His self control when it comes to food is a constant source of inspiration for me.He will refuse to eat anything that he considers unhealthy,like junk food or french fries and rarely any sweets or most kinds of processed food.He's been working out for two years now,goes running every other day,does weight lifting everyday and consistently trains with a dance group that he has formed with his friends.They go to clubs where they are getting paid to perform their electro dance  routine.

Here is a video of him training:



He is aspiring to be an architect.Apart from his regular senior high school lessons (which he couldn't care less for) he's been attending designing lessons in preparation for University studies and his teachers tell me he's at the top of his class.

Kostas(in the picture above at the age of 5 when he still considered it cool to be affectionate to his mum) is the bossy kind,we fight like cats and dogs all day long.That's because we constantly get on each other's nerves.I think he would rather have a more traditional mum,someone who'd stay home all day long,dote on him and bake the best cookies in town.He also hates my 'looney' spiritual theories and attitude in life,but then again I feel the same way about his attitude,so I guess it's mutual.

My second son Giannis (John) has been a blessing ever since he was born,the easiest baby you can imagine,growing up into a quiet type,kind and loving.

When I'm sad or unhappy or just under the weather he's the only kid to notice,wrap his arms around me and tell me it'll all turn out fine.He's as cool as he can be.Because he's got a pretty high IQ,it's always a pleasure for me to discuss stuff with him,but he also has this annoying habit of using his brains to completely annihilate other people's arguments and always prove himself right,which drives his teachers mad and they accuse him of being an insolent brat.

He's also a great graffiti artist and has been comissioned many times by local shop owners to beautify the exterior of their premises.Plus,he's my computer wizzard:he was the one to help me get my first email account five years ago,he was the one that encouraged me to have a blog and set it up for me in the first place (now he's trying to convince me to branch into vlogging) and he's my go-to whenever I have any difficulties with my pc or any other electronic device for that matter.His hacker skills are also awsome:I am not allowed to say more,but he once hacked a hacker and he (my son) went on to explain to him (the hacker) what was the weak point in his hacking scheme.

Son Alexandros or Alex for short,named after Alexander the Great,was the one that gave me my dream homebirth so naturally I have a soft spot for him.He's very social,has a gazillion of friends from all walks of life and all ages,is easy going and lots of fun to be around and always ready to light your day with a smile and make you happy,actually the only one of my kids so willing to run errands and help with practical stuff.

Unlike my other kids who were jealous of their younger siblings when they were born,he protected and loved his younger brother with a moving devotion from the day we brought him home.In fact,although he physically takes after my father in law,when it comes to character and personallity,the resemblance to my late father  is striking.Plus he's a maths genius.Really really.I've been told this again and again by all his teachers since he was a preschooler.As I am hopeless at maths,this talent seems amazing to my uninitiated self.

My youngest,Achilleas,named after the great hero of Iliad, is my shadow,always curled up next to me,even as I write this,touchy-feely and affectionate.And very photogenic!

Too young to tell about his personality traits and talents yet,but he's the most spirited and determined kid you could ever imagine.He never ever quits!And his powers of concentration,ever since he was a baby,are astonishing to watch.He is increadibly focused!He is never distracted!

Because of that I believe he has the makings of a great entrepreneur.He's also inherited my parkour skills!Oh,and I forgot to mention how he has a way with words.

I love all my kids to death.Just like any and every sane mother and father on this planet.We may sometimes foget how awsome they are,caught up in our everyday struggles,but we never ever forget how much we love them.Don't assume that our kids know that and so we don't need to tell them.Let's show them by showering them with a million hugs and kisses and let's tell them,clear and loud:

I love you,my precious babies!

this photo from here

Love,peace and motherly love

Eirini