Unless expressly stated, all original material, of whatever nature, created by J. Michael Brown (John-Michael) and included in this weblog and any related pages, including the weblog's archives is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
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"The privilege of a lifetime is BEing who you are.” Joseph Campbell
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Subsequent to twenty years of marriage, and a career in management in the Financial Services Industry (investments, life insurance, and financial planning), I have invested myself in the pursuit of what Joseph Campbell calls "My Bliss." And my bliss is in living, loving, writing, and mentoring.
I find joy in awakening Imagination and endorsing the expression of Emotion in children ... as well as arousing Emotion and awakening child-worthy Imagination in adults.
I live a very simple (some would say primitive) lifestyle. In my solitary and simple life, I enjoy genuine, intimate, and meaningful friendships.
My dream is to write a syndicated column responding to life and living questions posed by individuals seeking a responsible grasp of their personhood and a fuller enjoyment of their world. I would inhabit a cabin or similar place of dwelling, overlooking some body of water, where I will spend tranquil and gentle hours rowing, writing, drawing, and communing with Life.
With their "putting out the 'Welcome' mat," by Listing me on their blogs, these folks have inclined me to visit them Daily.
(One does like visiting where "Welcomed," you know.)
ultimate social bookmark
Gallery of Significants
Jimmy Carter
about my "lady muse"
You will hear me, quite often, make mention of ... and give respectful credit to ... my Muse (oft referred to, by me, as my Lady Muse.)
In Greek mythology, the Muses are Spirits, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process.
In the Christian doctrine, the ‘Holy Spirit’ is depicted as a 'Counselor' or 'Helper', guiding people in the way of the truth. The Holy Spirit enables a person to access his or her own innate abilities. Through the influence of the Holy Spirit a person sees more clearly the world around him or her and can use his or her mind in ways that exceed his or her usual capacity. Earlier in my life-walk, I was comfortable with this “Holy Spirit” verbiage. I now find it exclusionary. That is, it excludes others of other faiths and persuasions. And, inasmuch as I have come to a personal recognition of the universality of such an influencing ‘Inner Voice’ … I am far more comfortable with my use of the term ‘Muse.’
My personal references to my ‘Lady Muse’ always convey my appreciative respect for Life’s voice (without regard for any single sectarian label), ‘heard’ by my consciousness and made clear in my awareness. My use of the feminine in referring to my ‘Muse’ simply reflects my comfort with a feminine ‘Presence’ in my mental and spiritual functioning.
My ‘Muse’ may speak to me through the voice of another, a book, poem, song, some element of Nature … countless ways. I have found that all that is needed for me to ‘hear’Life speaking to me through that ‘Still Small Voice’ within my Being, is my willingness to “Be still and know …”
Gallery of Significants
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
“The hardest battle you're ever going to fight is the battle to be just you.”
There Is Still Sufficient Time For Sharing Our Thoughts
“Time has no meaning in itself unless we choose to give it significance.”
..... "his light shines" award .....
A lovely, and all-to-kind Expression of the marvelous respect and Love that is our Friendship ... from My Darling Joni.
expressing "namaste" in person
"NAMASTE"
NAMASTE' "The Spirit within me, bows to, and honors ... the Spirit within you."
Embracing Our spirit-kinship
With My 'Brotherly' "Thank You!" ... to Kimberly Drever
“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.”
Gallery of Significants
Albert Einstein
I welcome and encourage your email to me
Please feel completely comfortable with sending me an Email with any comment, suggestion, or idea that you want to share with me. I will, most certainly, send as prompt a reply as is possible. My Email address is:justbnmebrown@juno.com
NAMASTE
“Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.”
___kind heart award___
From My Cath-Daughter
"comments" and "responses"
Allow me to tell you how I approach this business of "commenting" on your articles.
And how I respond to "comments" that you graciously make on my submissions.
Deliberately ... caringly ... and ONLY after understanding the definition of what my Spirit wants me to see ... I write.
So, I read what you say. I go to your Profile (though I have seen it before.) I refresh my sense of "who you are." I return to what you wrote. I listen for a clear 'voice' from within my Self. And THEN (and ONLY then) I write a "comment" or respond to one.
Yes! It takes time. It takes effort. It takes an investment in You.
But to do less ... would be to show less respect for who you are and what you think ... than I could ever allow my Self to know.
So, I beg your patience, if am a bit slow in my comments or responses. Like the old tale of the Tortoise and the Hare ... this old Tortoise will eventually get there.
NAMASTE
"YOU MAKE MY DAY" FROM ROSE
This "You Make My Day" Award Wrapped in Hugs by Darling Rose
Gallery of Significants
John Jordan 'Buck' O'Neil
“Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself.”
joni's "blogging with purpose" award
With Joni's loving embracing of my "Wheat," and forgiving of my "Chaff."
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
NITEBYRD'S PERSONAL " DUST BUNNY IN THE WIND" AWARD FOR BLOGGERS OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD
Awarded (With all appropriate ceremony) by NiteByrd (HerSelf!)
“A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world.”
A Very Generous Award
Presented by San Merideth
“There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control.”
“Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.”
Gallery of Significants
Mother Teresa
My "Adoption " Recognition
We Are Now Cath-Daughter (CD) & John-Dad-Michael (JDM)
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it!
Because what the world needs, is people who have come alive."
Please note that all quotations presented in bold, italics are the work of Leo F. Buscaglia
Leo F. Buscaglia
Gallery of Significants
Joseph Campbell
joseph campbell quotes
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”
“The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”
“Love is a friendship set to music.”
“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.”
“Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”
“I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”
“When you follow your bliss... doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else.”
“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.”
“Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is Whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.”
“Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood metaphorically. But when it gets stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble.”
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
“When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.”
“I think the person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave.”
Gallery of Significants
Louis Daniel 'Satchmo' Armstrong
Before You Go, Please Let Me Say
Your decision to invest this moment of your life here, with me, and my thoughts ... is a compliment and an honor, for which I humbly say "Thank You!" I do hope that you will do me the honor of a return ... real soon.