Gaia Community: caralena's Blog

By which 'sense' are you most affected?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:02:35 GMT

All of them! Visual is extremely important to me as I cannot imagine not being able to enjoy the beauty of the sky, sunsets, clouds or the diversity in nature and smiles! :) I also tremendously enjoy art of all types. On the other hand, I cannot imagine living without music for it connects all of humanity at a deep level. There is never a day when I do not listen to music. Then there is the enjoyment of hearing the birds sing, the ocean waves, the animals talk. Being a touchy-feely person, I rely on close physical contact/hugs with my friends, and animals, as well as enjoy the feeling of beautiful fabrics, stones, trees, anything with texture. So all in all, I guess I could say that there is not one of the five senses that is more important to me than the other.

Of course these have their negative components as well--the sights and sounds of war, grief, poverty, not to mention the physical violence of rape and secual abuse that occurs among people. Any of them affects me to the point of also touching my soul in a way that my heart aches for humanity. But, I choose to focus on the beauty................

Tags: QaR, senses, touch, taste, vision, sound, sensation

What role do dreams play in your life?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:09:48 GMT

I love dreams. They are the portal into other worlds. (Funny this question was asked on my birthday) Dreams have always been an important part of my life. The one thing I love about dreams is that you can do things which in physical life are impossible. Take flying for example. At times, I start off running, then rise into the sky flying like superman, only to glide slowly to the ground. At other times, I rise vertically straight up into the sky and then when I reach a certain height, bring myself back down. It is really the best ride! Another thing is that you can be in one location doing one activity, and then in an instant, change to a totally different location, moving into yet another dream scene. Sometimes, emotions are also very vivid, so much so that I awake with a smile on my face. :) Then of course there is dreaming while "awake" which is fun--it is called imagination. Some of my favorite activities are playing hide and seek in the clouds and romping with the animals in the wilderness. Dreams are one of God's beautiful gifts to us.................

Tags: QaR, dreaming, dreams, sleep

Who, on the whole, do you find happier: children or adults?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:39:09 GMT

Most definitely children! They are closer to the Creator's essence as they have not been in this world too long. Even children who experience hardships in their life seem to be more resilient. They tend not to hold grudges as long as adults and are more forgiving. They are more playful, imaginative and laugh more often. Of course these are very general statements but overall I would say that for the most part, children are, without a doubt, happier than adults

Tags: QaR, happiness, children, adults, happy, emotions, laughter

What is the role of media?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:00:56 GMT

Don't get me started! The media's role today, as it has been for at least the past 50 years, is to manipulate, control, and frighten the people. Certainly not very good values in my opinion. It manipulates people into buying products they do not need (or even necessarily want), such as unhealthy foods and taking unnecessary and more often than not, harmful pharmaceuticals.. It instills fear by only relaying negative pictures of the world and events going on around us. Of course I am talking mainly about the big guns--and then mostly television stations and large newspapers, as opposed to specialty magazines, cable, adn the like. Yes, the media should portray the news, but in a truthful way.

My dad was a journalist and I always remember a story he told me about one time when he wrote an article for a newspaper in which he had gone to a lecture on the customs of a certain African tribe. He said it was extremely interesting but when he went to work the next day, the headline read something like "Sex rituals of savages." Can you believe it! My dad was furious and went to the editor who told him that they were in business to sell newspapers! In other words, whatever it took, that's what they printed. And this was sometime in the late 30's or early '40's!

Things haven't progressed much since then. Ever since I heard that story, I have mistrusted all major media forms. Now the media CAN BE a very powerful tool if used to educate and inform people in a positive way. Although this is changing very slowly in the mainstream media, there are some smaller magazines, and independent networks that are bringing messages of hope, spirituality, and healthy living. So I guess there is hope.

Tags: QaR, news, media, television, tv

If you could rename the internet, what would you call it?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:24:11 GMT

Hey someone mentioned the letter U and someone else the letter E so................ how about putting them together and coming up with Electronic Universe.

Tags: QaR. creativity, internet, naming, connection

What made you choose your profile picture?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:12:44 GMT

Well, first of all, I do not really have a good digital photo of myself--therefore, I thought it only appropriate to post my baby boy Brie, my adorable pom whom I fell in love with at first sight when looking into his beautiful eyes. Plus his spirit reflects my spirit as well--which is one of total loyalty and trust!

Tags: QaR, images, photography, profile, photos, self, picture

What do you need to change the most in your life?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:45:25 GMT

I need to change my limiting, self-sabatoging beliefs. And I am working on that. But it seems to take time and a lot of work and is not something that just happens. I know without a doubt that if I can learn to allow myself to really love myself and accept myself as I am that I could move mountains and shake up things. I also need to get out of my comfort zone. I have always been a person who is interested in many things/activities but for the last 3 years or so i have been basically following the same routine day in and day out (even on weekends). I am trying actively to change this too as I want to attract to me the kind of life that I really want--more of everything!!!! So that I can give back more of everything!!! Of course we never stop growing and stretching, so there will always be things to change. However, I feel that these are the most crucial for me right now. Oh, and did I mention giving up smoking?? Yeah, still got that nasty habit....

Tags: QaR, life, living, change, resolutions, commitment

What, for you, represents the most good in the world?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:37:24 GMT

The unceasing love and care of humans for other life forms. Yes, it often seems as if that is not the case, however, we must remember the hundreds of thousands of organizations working for the betterment of humanity, animals and nature. To me, it all comes down to a loving heart, which is the greatest good.

Tags: QaR, goodness, good, represent, values, representation, self, world

Do you relate to your Zodiac sign?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:11:45 GMT

This question is too general. Astrology is so multi-faceted that to just relate to your sun sign alone would be like saying you only relate to one part of your body. However, because the sun sign represents the "outer" person or personality, I will say that, yes, I am definitely a Sagitarius at heart--gregarious, fun--loving, independent and loyal. Of course those are just some of the positive qualities. I'm in the process of transforming the negative ones so eventually there will be none! Ha!! LOL

Tags: QaR, zodiac, sign, astrology, beliefs

Would you prefer to go to heaven, or be reincarnated?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:17:57 GMT

Well that is certainly a loaded question! And there really is no easy answer. I do not believe it is an either/or choice. After studying various schools of metaphysical thought over the last 30 or so years, I have come to the conclusion that we really do not know the whole story. Kabbalah teaches that we are here to correct our "tikkune.," Many traditions speak about karma and reincarnating in order to learn specific lessons. Although this physical life certainly has its grand moments, it is also definitely one of struggle, challenge and pain. Supposedly, when we actually "finish" our tikkune or karma, we ascend to a higher level of consciousness and are free from bodily consciousness. That sounds great to me. I think that the body consciousness holds us back from really seeing the whole picture and that we are aware of such a small fraction of what "life" is about. Kabbalah also teaches that there are five aspects to the soul, each one higher than the next. So each of these aspects will not necessarily "reincarnate" together into the same body. It is obviously much more complicated than that. Then there are the schools that say we are in a sort of "resting place" or bardo before we move on either to heavenly realms or to reincarnate in a body. Bottom line for me though is frankly, I would rather go on to a place of higher consciousness and reside in some sort of heavenly realm with the angels...:)

Tags: QaR, heaven, reincarnation

Right now, who do you miss the most?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:13:35 GMT

Definitely my father! I can certainly relate to many other responses here of those who miss their dads as well. My dad really was the one special person in my life. He made his transition almost 12 years ago when he was 93!! I still can't believe that it has been that long already. He had such a beautiful spirit. When I was a teenager, he and I used to stay up at night talking about the "world"--all the why questions. He introduced me to metaphysics (back in the 60s) before it was fashionable or studied by many people. He was in the advertising business and once told me that he had no interest in being president of a company, he just wanted a nice home for his family. He loved meeting people and would always strike up a conversation with anyone he met. He was generous, caring, debonaire (even at 90) and I really miss being able to go to him when I have questions about important things and seeing his smile. I could go on for pages but you get the idea............

Tags: QaR, missing

What was the greatest spiritual challenge of your life?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:16:32 GMT

I don't know if it was the greatest spiritual challenge, but about 4 years ago I was laid off and was out of work for 8 months. After about 4 months I had gone through all my savings and the only income I had was unemployment, certainly not much to live on. It paid my daily bills and enabled me to eat, but my mortgage went unpaid for 3 months. With still no job in sight, I decided to go ahead and sell my condo in order to obtain some money as I did not want it to go into foreclosure. I must say that making that decision was very difficult. I had to totally rely on faith and the fact that God would see me through and surrender to the process. Needless to say, I started a new job one week before the sale closed and was able to then go and buy another condo--not quite as large or upscale as the one I had sold, but still, comfortable and nice. That really reinforced my faith that all is not as it seems at the time and we must have courage and certainty that things will turn out.

Tags: spiritual, testing, test, challenge, trust

Whose smile makes you happiest?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 19:57:39 GMT

My dad's smile always made me happy. He left this earth almost 13 years ago now but I have a picture of him smiling his smile and it always makes me happy. But just about anyone smiling makes one happy because it brings a smile to your face as well. I love smiling people

Tags: QaR, smile, joy, delight, happiness

When would you prefer to be recognized?

http://flamencogirl.gaia.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:28:06 GMT

I would much prefer to leave a legacy behind that will make a long-term impact on civilization and the lives of others. It is all too easy to be "known" while still on this earth. The challenge though is being remembered after you leave this earth.

Tags: QaR, recognition, legacy