Jens Petersen's blog

Sri Swami Mayatitananda

2009-11-29T18:16:00.004+10:00

After the rain today I went to listen to the Satsang of Mother Maya in Kenmore Hills. When I entered, "Om" was being chanted and there was a beautiful strong clean energy in the room. She came in, greeted us and spoke to each of the children sitting at the front and some people she knew in the audience. I was struck by her relaxed clear nature, down-to-earth practical approach, and centred presence. "Take two pauses everyday" and "no loaded pauses". Awareness is key: with it through ahimsa (harmony) one becomes more consciously aware of pain and hurt in the world and through acceptance they can be overcome. When she took off her sunglasses protecting her eyes during the talk we could enjoy her warm loving eyes: specially as she closed the session pausing looking at all of us. The mandala that we had just helped to finish and she blessed, looked beautiful. Just before stepping out she paused again turning to us, "Did I forget anything?" with another beautiful smile and we all laughed with her.

Although it has already started she is officially launching her 3 year Living Ahimsa World Tour at the World Parliament of Religions 2009 in Melbourne next month.

Theosophical Society

2009-05-23T19:41:00.005+10:00

Friday evening I finally made my way to the Theosophical Society Lodge here in Brisbane (and listened to an interesting talk by a Finnish-born lady about Blavatsky and the enlightenment of women). I was reminded again of the Society's good infrastructure having been established before the contemporary era. Maybe they had other fortunate factors too but it is hard to imagine modern similar movements being able to gain their own houses any time soon. It contrasts the spiritual social poverty and limited materialistic priorities of our contemporary monetary society. As an afterthought I hope the T.S. will also attract more new and young people to its teaching and membership.

More rain here again last night and from this afternoon.

Crash Course

2009-05-02T08:38:00.002+10:00

My friend slark recommended I watch The Crash Course a while back and I finally finished. It is good with lots of analysis, details and very rational (Orange as Spiral Dynamics would probably say, maybe with a hint of yellow vision). It basically confirms that things are at least as bad in economy, energy and environment as they appear to be, to try to kick start us into taking action to mitigate the risk to ourselves and our communities. If you're still not convinced, the public debt data from the US Treasury shows clear exponential growth in the last decade, fastest in the government sector.

Money is Debt

2009-01-10T20:44:00.004+10:00

Following on from my previous post yesterday on the Zeitgeist and the Venus Project, I should mention Money as Debt (47min animation) which explains the glaring (no, terrifying) distortions of the current fractional reserve monetary system ("Err, what do you mean the money to pay the interest does not exist?!?"). This is also covered in the Zeitgeist films but moneyasdebt.net did it first I guess and explains it more slowly and carefully. The conclusions: only governments not private banks should be allowed to generate money and so control inflation and value, without any usury (interest) as in ancient times.

Zeitgeist and consciousness

2009-01-09T22:19:00.002+10:00

Recently I have gotten interested in the Zeitgeist project (two films and a forum for a movement) for major social change (basically the elimination of money and scarcity by a central automated resource-based global society). There is also the associated older Venus Project started by Jacque Fresco which inspired the ending of the second film. If you are interested in a bright liberated future I recommend watching both the films (watch the right to left: The Movie and then the Addendum if you have time - well worth it if you ask me).

There are a lot of other newsites and blogs out there pointing at many of the terrible things going on in world right now (need I mention the ongoing recession/depression, Israel attacking Gaza, Iraq and the Middle East, etc) that the media is manipulating, but while that is honourable, doom, gloom, and more fear are not going to save our planet. I was reminded again of Ken Wilber's base of checking all the "quadratics" (inner/outer and individual/collective). The changes needed are social, cultural, and very much inner too (development of higher consciousness in individuals and the collective space). I am glad the Zeitgeist Movement touches on this but I think it needs further thought and work since it is very important part of educating and lifting humanity to the next level.

Mozart and the Whale

2008-07-10T00:15:00.002+10:00

A universal love story about two people with Asperger's Syndrome who fall in love. Touching, real, and a lovely cast.

Miss Potter

2008-06-29T00:49:00.003+10:00

Then I got home and connected a usb dvd player to the computer (the main dvd player seems to need cleaning or adjusting) and watched Miss Potter finally. Renée Zellweger is great and Ewan McGregor plays very well. There is a lot of beauty in the film and I enjoyed watching it.

St Mary's, South Brisbane

2008-06-28T22:06:00.002+10:00

It is some years since I went to a service in a church, so it was a pleasure to venture out to St Mary's tonight to attend the weekly Liturgy. I think it must be one of the most forward thinking churches today: with readings from Eckhart Tolle and a meditation segment too. Admittedly I found out about it through the Eckhart Tolle Brisbane Group which I go to and that meets in the church once a week.

Une femme est une femme

2008-06-27T00:12:00.004+10:00

Monday night, I watched Jean-Luc Godard's "Une femme est une femme". It starts slowly but builds up nicely. Very simple story, but a powerful theme and masterly execution as only Godard can do in his unique style. It also gives a vivid portrayal of Paris in the early 1960's, and the beginning of mainstream feminism.

Relaxing weekend with Qi Gong

2008-05-13T00:54:00.002+10:00

I had a great weekend down in Springbrook at the "Relax Retreat" of my Qi Gong teacher. We learnt the short Lotus Qi Gong set. Also I had a great Lomi Lomi massage there: I had to take nap for over an hour afterwards before dinner! I felt like a new person afterwards and coming home. The Feldenkreis roller floor exercises were great too!

The Queen

2008-05-13T00:25:00.002+10:00

Since my father, son, and family from Liverpool were in her presence last week, I thought it was appropriate to watch the film. Well worth watching I thought and very well made: Helen Mirren portrays excellently. They all seem to come out looking a little better than reality? ;-)

What the Bleep and Fahrenheit 9/11

2008-05-07T00:12:00.000+10:00

I watched a couple of interesting films over the long weekend...

I finally got to see What the Bleep do we know - better than I expected and I might even be tempted to watch the extended ("Down the Rabbit Hole") version one day. It is a bit reductionist to the physical realm, but rather better made than most of these things.

Then I watched a provocative documentary film, Fahrenheit 9/11: the "less told" side of Bush's war against the common American people.

I also watched Eckhart Tolle's Living a Life of Inner Peace. Very good and feels a little rawer than some of his more recent recordings. It certainly touched me.

I can see this blogging can be dangerous time-wise: off to bed now.