Camelot Gypsy Chronicles

A Book Review By M. Joyce McMenamin: HAPPY FOR NO REASON

HAPPY FOR NO REASON?   

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Happiness can always begin with a good book.

A New Inspiring Book by Marci Shimoff                     

most of you will remember best selling author, marci shimoff from the secret. she also appears in the opus which we’ve had the pleasure of

presenting to our readers and radio show listeners during the past 2 months. there’s a great quote in marci’s new book:

there are two great days in a person’s life - the day we are born and the day we discover why -  william barclay

the quote is from chapter 8: the roof - live a life inspired by purpose.

isn’t that everybody’s dream? to find their purpose. their dharma. in  westernized cultures we have come to a place where everybody wants to have it all and we’re constantly instructed that we can “have it all”. i was interested in reading this book and when it was delivered and unwrapped i thought to myself: “oh here we go again! another self-help book about the same old stuff!” so in fact i was pleasantly surprised to find this book to be different than what we’ve been seeing lately.

it is fresh!

sometimes i open a book and even though i know it probably has a great of valuable information - if the information is difficult to find -  if it isn’t well planned or presented i just can’t read it! one of the elements that makes marci’s book easily digestible is the layout. plus there are great short stories from people that remind us that nobody has a “perfect” life and that challenges and obstacles that people face are frequently the catalyst to a higher level of self-transformation.

i believe marci’s new book will have a profoundly positive affect on many people who might otherwise mistake an obstacle for a permanent setback. being happy for “no reason” is a great way to start your day—everyday!

copies available online at: www.happyfornoreason.com/MyBook and in book stores.

A Book Review By M. Joyce McMenamin: LIVING DEEPLY

If you’ve never been ‘there’ - Think of this book as Your Official Introduction into

The Transformative Process.

INTROSPECTION & HEALTHY CURIOSITY.

An Awesome Study & Timely Book by

THIS IS A STUDY VERY WELL DONE  AND PRESENTED IN A MANNER THAT IS EASILY READ AND ABSORBED.                      

Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D. and associates

Reviewed by: M. Joyce McMenamin,

WHILE READING THIS BOOK, I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT THE AUTHORS AND PUBLISHER HAD FAILED TO INCLUDE AN INDEX. THEN I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT A CROSS-REFERENCED INDEX, TO A BOOK OF THIS SCOPE, WOULD POTENTIALLY BE AS LARGE (OR LARGER) THAN THE SUM OF THE TEXT ITSELF. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT. THAT STATEMENT, IN AND OF ITSELF, PROPOSES THAT THIS BOOK IS A CULMINATION OF PERSPECTIVES ON A MASSIVE SCALE. YES, IT IS.

the major theme that brings it together is the practice of self transformation and the wisdom of those, from various cultures, traditions and religions, who have been publicly recognized for, or who feel they have experienced their own transformation at a very deep level. those who one might say: live deeply.

IN A WORLD THAT HAS COME TO FOCUS MERELY ON THE “INTENTION” SIDE OF LIFE, THE AUTHORS HAVE REMINDED US THAT THE KEY ELEMENTS TO ANY TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESS ARE AS FOLLOWS: INTENTION, ATTENTION, REPITITION & GUIDANCE. NOW, LET ME TELL YOU THAT I HAVE NEVER READ A BOOK THAT DIDN’T COME TO ME AT THE RIGHT TIME BEARING THE SEED OF PERSPECTIVE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO  BELIEVE THAT, OF COURSE  - BUT THAT IS, SIMPLY: MY TRUTH.  SHORTLY BEFORE THIS BOOK WAS DELIVERED TO ME, I HAD BEEN DEVELOPING A NEW PROGRAM FOR CONSULTANTS, COACHES, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS & CORPORATE FACILITATORS, THROUGH MY SENSITIVE PIE PRODUCTIONS DIVISION AND I HAD SPECIFICALLY OUTLINED THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF ANY TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESS IN A SIMILAR LIGHT, BUT IN A DIFFERENT “ORDER”. TRUE TO MY OWN VERY DEEP, VERY PERSONAL & CONSTANTLY EVOLVING TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES, THIS BOOK CAME TO ME AT THE RIGHT TIME - TO HELP (PERHAPS) VALIDATE MY OWN INSTINCTIVE DIRECTION. THAT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. I SHARE THIS ONLY TO HELP MY READER UNDERSTAND THAT MY ROLE, IN REVIEWING THIS BOOK, IS JUST A SMALL PART OF WHAT LIVING DEEPLY IS ALL ABOUT.

THE INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCES PERFORMED A DECADE LONG STUDY TO BRING THIS INFORMATION TO THE MASSES. I CAN ONLY SENSE THAT, IN DOING THIS, WE HAVE COME TO A PLACE WHERE, IN ONE BOOK, ONE NOW HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO A MAJORITY OF THE DOCUMENTED HISTORICAL PRACTICES OF THE PAST. PERHAPS THIS WILL HELP FREE INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP, OR VALIDATE, THEIR OWN UNIQUE & HIGHLY INDIVIDUALIZED TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESSES. TRUE SELF-TRANSFORMATION, NEEDN’T RELY MERELY ON HISTORICAL PRACTICES  -  IN DOING SO, ONE WOULD BE CONSTRICTED TO HISTORY AND WOULD NEVER FIND THE FREEDOM TO ACTUALLY TRANSFORM  AT A LEVEL THAT IS NEEDED FOR THE FUTURE.

WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE FEW PEOPLE HAVE AWOKEN FROM AN EGO-BASED OR SURVIVAL-BASED DREAM. TO THIS END, I WOULD INVITE THE ‘WORLD AT LARGE’ TO A CRAM COURSE IN SELF-TRANSFORMATION, WHICH CAN CERTAINLY BE OBTAINED IN A LITTLE MORE THAN THE TWO HUNDRED PAGES THAT ENCOMPASS THIS REMARKABLE AND COHESIVE STUDY OF EXISTING TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESSES. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS WORK EVENTUALLY FELT, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING MORE, SOMETHING YET UNDISCOVERED ON THE TRANSFORMATIVE SCALE. PERHAPS THIS BOOK WILL SERVE AS A CATALYST IN UNCOVERING THE NEXT LEVEL OF TRANSFORMATION. AT A MINIMUM, THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT PRIMER FOR THE INDIVIDUAL.

AT NO OTHER TIME IN HISTORY HAVE WE BEEN AT PLACE THAT IS SO FREE AND YET SO VOLATILE. THE PROCESS OF SELF TRANSFORMATION, IN FACT, AS THIS BOOK REMINDS US -  HAS LESS TO DO WITH EGO AND MUCH MORE TO DO WITH A GREATER GOOD. YET, TRANSFORMATION, ONE MIGHT SAY, BEGINS ‘AT HOME’ -- AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME FOR INDIVIDUALS TO USE THE POWER OF TRANSFORMATION AS A CATALYST FOR SELF-GROWTH ON THE EDGE OF WHAT, FOR SOME, MIGHT APPEAR TO BE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE AND FOR OTHERS WILL CERTAINLY APPEAR AS A MORE TRAUMATIC TIME.

ONE MIGHT ALSO SAY THAT TRUE TRANSFORMATION IS IN THE HEART OF THE ONE EXPERIENCING IT & NOT NECESSARILY BOUND TO A SPECIFIC PRACTICE.  AFTER ALL, PRACTICES THAT STILL SOME, MOTIVATE OTHERS. IN THE WORLD OF TRANSFORMATION, I BELIEVE THAT THIS BOOK LAYS THE GROUNDWORK, JUST IN TIME, FOR INDIVIDUALS TO SEE THAT THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE TODAY ARE, INDEED, THE SEED OF THEIR OWN TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS, WHICH COLLECTIVELY WILL DETERMINE THE UNIVERSAL OUTCOME FOR HUMANITY & THE PLANET WE CALL HOME. 

                                                            visit the site at: www.livingdeeply.org

LINK IN TO LINKEDIN's New Network Abundance Group

Hey - LINKEDIN has a great tag line: "Relationships Matter"

Connections matter too...  why? Because you have to make connections before you can build relationships, right?  How do you make connections outside of Cold Calling these days? It's amazing how many new connections one can make using certain Web 2.0 vehicles. Of course we did that little study -- which we lightly introduced in the last issue of ZiNE MasterTM at the Network Abundance site and we'll wrap the details up in May's Special Issue (will tell you later why that issue will be entirely 'special'). But here's part of what we found out at LINKEDIN.

LINKEDIN doesn't allow one to make "new" connections easily -- in fact it is really a site designed for people who already know each other - from past associations. In fact, part of LINKEDIN's recommended practices is "only invite connections you know" (in fact they have rules about this that can shut one down completely as a LINKEDIN user) - while I have found LINKEDIN to be highly credible - I realized that GROUP associations are a powerful way to network there. Mind you - their 'Groups Directory' isn't really as accessible as one would think - they're working on that part. But it was not an easy task to get a NEW GROUP setup on LINKEDIN. You need to go through an 'approval process' -- and frankly I was thrilled when we got approved in November 2007. Here's the funny part -- we were so busy here that we never got a chance to invite anyone into the group until we posted an invitation on our Network Abundance site a few days ago. So when we get some time this week we'll need to do that -- but here's my personal invitation to you to join in - joining a group can connect you to new people - because the focus of Network Abundance was to do more than produce eco-friendlier virtual periodicals and a radio talk show - our hope was that professionals could become connected "at a higher level" vs. just another static "Web 2.0 profile"! Through our magazines and radio show (and sometimes through me) we introduce people to prospects and other professionals in a deeply meaningful manner - by providing a professional avenue where consultants, authors, speakers and coaches can display work, ideas, latest projects and "connect to a wider audience".

April is right around the corner - and the economy is reaching a very interesting level; if you're not LINKEDIN yet - all I can ask is, why not? It takes a few minutes of your time - it's free and you'd be surprised who you might connect to there!

Have fun today!

MJM

This is Your Moment - Get in on The Next BIG THING!

They're calling it the next "Secret" - at Network Abundance we've been interviewing the cast and producer of THE OPUS MOVIE since January when we linked up with a great PR professional who gave us the scoop! We're running a behind the scenes OPUS Special Section in February, March and April's NoNicheTM and just posted our exclusive interviews that were aired on our radio show, Network Abundance RadioTM in January & February. These are full length and in-depth interviews with Dr. John DeMartini, Marci Shimoff, Doug Vermeeren, Bill Bartmann, Morris Goodman and Dr. Joe Rubino. We've pulled them together into 90 minute MP3 collections that are filled with wisdom and direction from some of the best leaders in the motivational field. Fact is - we're charging $8 for each collection - we consider each collection to be "priceless" of course... but the advice listeners will get is literally worth hundreds, if not thousands of dollars at today's market rate! Where else can you get this level and quality inspirational, movtitational and insightful information these days for less than $10? We believe and are predicting that THE OPUS will become a much larger phenomena than the Secret ever was - our Podcast Collections and Virtual Magazine Special Sections on THE OPUS are destined to become "a collector's item"... don't doubt it for a minute!

Visit us at: www.NetworkAbundance.com and see why we're being touted with starting a small revolution in the online publishing industry!

More exciting events coming very soon.

My corp's motto: "We create new possibilities everyday" and ya know what?

We actually do! Even better - often the new possibilities come to us now!

Take care!

An Energizing - Ever Ready Lesson in Judgment. It's Not Just "Negative" You Know!

When you hear the word "judgment" you have been socially trained to consider only the 'negative' aspects of the word. Look it up. It has a benign meaning with only a caviat of 'criticism' linked to it.

Everywhere today people tell us not to be judgmental. The Bible commanded that we 'not judge' - right? But let's consider this. Are you being judgmental when you say 'something is great!" -- of course you are!

Think of the role of a judge. Not the criminal court kind -- let's think about the kind of judge that judges the Olympic athletes. Whether they provide a high+positive or a low-negative score - they are in fact being judgmental. They are judging.

To release all judgment is to simply "be" and appreciate the "beingness" of others. Most of us were trained to do just the opposite. In fact, our survival in a social setting or work related endeavor rewards us for judging, being judged (taking it with a stiff upper lip or seeking approval through compliments about our looks or performance). We're rewarded as parents and our children are rewarded by society when we are forced to 'not let them be' -- but to encourage and weigh judgment concepts in all aspects of their social and academic education.

We are all guilty of this. See... I just judged the entire human race! LOL:) 

See how easy judgment comes to us?  Ever ready (we are) to judge!

We don't even think about it and unfortunately so many people these days just don't take the time to consider the meaning of their words or actions. "There I go again" - judging!

I guess I'm one of the worst culprits - being a Virgo and all (would that be 'self-judgment'?).

Geez I wonder what the real difference between self-judgment and introspection are then -- there is a fine line there (another judgment). Perhaps discernment is different (but isn't that still just more judgment?) Still I wonder if their is another fine line between "opinion" and judgment -- worth a think, I'd say!

So think about it. (That's a request - we can chat about that later:)

LOL:)  Take care and have a wonderful Holiday this Spring!

MJM

4 Days for R&R is Not Enough.

Yet 4 days is the average amount of time, we Americans, typically find, per year for Rest, Relaxation and Restortative exercises. It wasn't always that way for me -- but for the past few years this 4 Day retreat was the first R&R session I have had since the Christmas of 2004.

Am I whining? Maybe a little.

Should I be outraged? Probably a little more than I am.

LOL:)

I spent my 3.5 days and four nights at Harbin's Hot Springs which I have come to know for the past 7 years, as a place where healers go to be healed. It took all 3.5 days and four nights to settle in -- once settled it was time to leave. I read a few good books, took a few walks, a couple dips in the warm, hot and cold pools and slept alot. I drove to a former home in Sonoma County to begin the unwind when I couldn't sleep that first night, visited Armstrong Woods and realized that it was one of the last places, where, I really feel as though I can breathe anymore.  You may laugh... but if have not been there -- then you must visit before you laugh. Like most good things, the woods, the retreat and my respite are all small.

Still it took another 2.5 days after returning "home" to get back into the swing of work -- the vacation had been too short. As usual, several really wonderful stories came from my travels and I did the back and forth along the Silvarado Trail --- one of the most beautiful car rides/trips on earth...  I lived near there once and truly miss my spa days at the Silvarado Country Club. I was never a member -- but they allowed me entry, for a small fee, into their gym/spa facilities back in 2002 --- and the space became a refuge for me 3-4 times per week back then -- when I really needed one. Harbin's was a refuge for me then as well. No doubt why the memories remain pleasant and the experiences remain calming.

Have a great weekend! Like most of us -- you probably deserve it after a long tough week.

The economy. Don't ask me -- you won't get happy news -- reality sucks sometimes, and having vision can be troubling too --- LOL:) Always a silver lining -- everywhere -- if you only ask, listen, look and act:)

That's all I know today:)  God Bless you!

MJM

Imagine. Yourself. With a Voice that Transcends Boundaries.

Imagine. Don't you love that word?

Why? Because it encompasses all that you are and ever hoped to be.

Remember. This space is my personal blog. A glimpse inside - me.

Poets allow one the glimpse "inside". I began that way. As a poet, an artist.

Still, I remember writing 'slogans' long before understanding what a slogan really was.

Mine were written on "all" of my album covers. My albums back then consisted of Chopin, Beethoven, and many other classics. Still my first "45" -- was "Eleanor" (I think the Turtles did that -- going from memory I could be wrong on the specifics:) In the midst of the world that we lived in back then, post Kennedy era -- my slogan came to me like this and I wrote it everywhere for a good year: LOVE+HATE=PEOPLE  (WOW! Nobody wants to hear that do they?)

Hey I was a little kid! -- but look around today and see how so many people still just don't geddit. The reality that LOVE+HATE=PEOPLE is here and was seen through the eyes of a child more than 40 years ago -- isn't it sad that the equation just could't read: LOVE = PEOPLE?

I lived 10 miles from Kent State, as a child, riots seemed to be everywhere! A television sat in our lovely historical and colonial dining room so that we could view the 'nightly news' while we dined -- that practice (I am told) stopped, when one night during dinner I stood up and began screaming after viewing a particularily violent espisode from the Vietnam War (TV and newspapers were graphically violent then -- still I don't remember the incident personally -- but there was certainly a dichotomy between the life I lived as a child versus the reality of what was happening around us - not unlike today)

Would you like a deeper glimpse? As a child, around the age of 6-7, I had already lived an extraordinary life. Someday I'll expand this concept further. But this I know. I had a unique and extraordinary experience as a child as a (a) world traveler (b) I lived in a Sylvan-esque world where ecology was a 'given' - not simply an 'idea' and (c) I lived in a world that understood 'business', ecology, personal and social responsibility and comfort -- all at the same time -- this was more than 40 years ago.  In my mind the world is slow in catching up to where 'we were'. Imagine!

I went to work with my father (which was not a poplular theme back then among his "employees") and by the age of 11, when my mother became ill, I helped my father entertain business associates. This was the best part of my education. My foundation. My childhood. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

That's all today. Just a personal message. Just an idea.

But just imagine. If every child on earth could look back at their childhood, despite the challenges they face later on and say: "The foundation my parents provided was the foundation that meant the most to me in every aspect of my life" -- Imagine.

Imagine a world where children are once again allowed to be children, artists and poets and not simply "accountants in the making" -- and then imagine the rapid progress that would ensue.

Til next time. Think about it:)

MJM