E.T - THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL

O alquimista está muito perto, cada vez mais perto de conseguir descobrir o segredo alquímico para a sua vida.

Este ano tem sido absolutamente fantástico, cheio de sentimentos bons e pacíficos, pleno de novos e profundos conhecimentos e experiências. Cheio de realizações.

Tenho sentido que o mundo em meu redor, é apenas um cenário, onde eu posso ser chefe de realização e mudá-lo, interagir e relacionar-me com outros personagens como quiser.
Tenho sentido que cada passo dado é um passo certo, e era mesmo por ali que queria ir.
Tenho-me sentido tão confortável no cenário.
Tenho sido encontrada.
- Onde estiveste todo este tempo?
- Aqui – respondo eu!
Este ano já voei de bicicleta em frente ao luar, em encontros com seres espaciais com os quais tracei o inicio de caminhos para galáxias inexploradas anteriormente. É bom acompanhar amigos no seu regresso a casa!

Já não me recordo da última viagem que tenha feito em grupo e me tenha perdido.
Tenho viajado a maior parte das vezes sozinha, parto já perdida, e encontro-me depois em diferentes centros alienegenas.
Às vezes nessas viagens, o extra terrestre também me visita!
Por vezes não compreendo porque não parto com ele, porque não fica ele comigo, mas afinal quem é o extra-terrestre?

Decidi parar de viajar, ficar num lugar e deixar que me visites, que me queiras visitar e saibas onde me encontrar. Parar para poder dizer a mim mesma coisas que precisava de ouvir. Parar para ouvir os outros. Para abrir todas as caixas que trouxe das minhas viagens e todas as janelas da minha casa. Estender a mão e acenar dizendo “Estou Aqui!”

Muito cedo decidi que só iria parar quando me conhecesse bem a mim própria e soubesse o que queria fazer. Durante muito tempo, toquei mundos paralelos e senti compreender melhor quem era ao fazê-lo. Sinto que cheguei a casa!

Agora sei que poderia dar a volta ao mundo sozinha, poderia continuar a construir o meu projecto de vida sozinha, mas que justamente chegou o momento de partilhar tudo o que descobri, tudo o que quero continuar a descobrir e que o melhor da vida são justamente os momentos de partilha, sinergia e congregação com os outros.

Agora sei que podia andar muito rápido, podia adaptar-me facilmente a cada novo lugar, mas o meu ritmo é mais pausado, e o momento sei-o, sinto-o mais profundo para que possa apreciar o ar que respiro, a ideia que transpira, a emoção que se solta, a palavra que digo, que escrevo, mas sobretudo ter tempo, sentir que tenho todo o tempo do mundo para mim, para nós.

Todos temos uma peça dessa construção lindíssima da natureza que nasce quando o Sol e a chuva acontecem simultaneamente, tal como na vida real a luz de diferentes cores aparece sempre que equilibramos o certo e o errado. Em contínuo desenvolvimento conjunto temos hoje tudo o que precisamos para um processo alquímico global. Basta que acreditemos na célula mais básica e elementar que trazemos connosco -o amor, para que descobramos o ouro a cada passo que damos rumo ao fim do arco-íris.

Ainda me lembro do gozo que me deu aprender sozinha a atar os atacadores das minhas botas, de experimentar, de não me prender, de observar bastante antes de agir, de tentar perceber diferentes modos de estar, de percepcionar vários níveis de realidade... Hoje dá-me gozo olhar para trás e perceber porquê, para quê e poder partilhá-lo com o mundo

Já plantei uma árvore, já escrevi um livro, ...

Em 1982 fui pela primeira vez ao cinema e este foi o primeiro filme que vi.
Ficou no coração.

AMOR.


ENGLISH VERSION

E.T. – THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL


The alchemist is getting closer and closer of discovering the alchemic secret of his life.

It has been a fantastic year, full of peaceful feelings and enlightening deep knowledge and experiences. Full of Directed Actions.

I’ve been feeling the world around me as just scenery where I can become the Director and change it, or interact and relate to the others as I please.
I’ve been feeling each step is done with the right foot and takes me in the exact direction I wanted to go.
I’ve been so confortable in this scenery.

I’ve been found.
- Where were you all this time?
- Right here- I answered!
This year I flew with my bicycle just up by the moonlight in encounters with spatial beings with which I started to trace ways to further unknown galaxies. It’s good to make company to your friends on their way home!

I don’t remember if I felt lost in the last journey I’ve made with a group of people… Most of the times I’ve been travelling alone, already lost in departure and found afterwards in different alien sites.
Sometimes during the journey is the alien that visits me!
Sometimes I don’t understand why I never decided to go with him, or why he doesn’t stay with me. After all who’s the extra-terrestrial?

I’ve decided to stop travelling, to stay in a place and allow you to visit me, allow your wish to visit me and ease up your way to my home.
To stop so I could say something to myself I really needed to listen to.
To stop and to listen to the others.
To open all my travel boxes and to open the windows of my house. To take my hand and wave, saying “I’m here!”.

Very early in my life I’ve decided to stop only when I’d know myself better and would know what I wanted to do of my life. For a long time, I’ve touched parallel worlds and felt I could know myself better through it.
I feel I’ve arrived home now!

Nowadays I know I could travel around the world on my own, I could build my life project alone, but the moment of sharing has arrived. Of sharing everything I’ve discovered and all the rest I will discover from now on. The best in life is really all the sharing moments, the synergy and congregation with others.

Now I know I could walk very fast, I could adapt very easily to a new place, but the rhythm of my heart has a softer pace and I recognize it. I want to feel it deeper so that I can appreciate the air I breath, pay attention to the upcoming idea, to the unleashed emotion, to the word I say, to the word I write, but more important to always feel I have all the time to myself, to us.

We all have a piece of that beautiful natural building done by nature which appears when sun and rain come together, like in real life different rays of light show up when we manage a balance between right and wrong. In continuous group development we all have today all the tools we need for the alchemic global process. The first step is to believe in the basic and elemental cell we all bring in ourselves- love- so we can then discover gold on each step we do towards the end of the rainbow.

I still remember the feeling of joy when learning by myself how to tie my boots’ shoe lacers, of experimenting, of not attaching to people, of observing deeply before behaving, of trying to understand different ways of being, of viewing different layers of reality... Today it feels real good to look back and understand why, what for and be able to share these reasons with the world…

I’ve planted a tree, I’ve written a book...

In 1982 I went for the first time to the cinema and this was the first movie I saw. I guess it stayed forever in my heart…

LOVE

MATRIX - It's not this system. It's another system!

If you're in a hurry, stop!

Time passes so fast between so many opportunities/ choices…

To live time in balance it means to follow our passion. Passion is the single emotion that makes us assume a compromise, by assuming it we discover the meaning of our existence and become responsible & conscious about our life project.

How many people know their passion?
How many people are following it in this exact moment?

We are body, mind, soul, emotions, aura and much more!
With which depth do we know these perspectives of us and what can we make of them? In truth it’s not life that controls us, we control life!

But, which percentage of us is controlled by the system?
Do we live our entire life as agent 421?

The matrix dictates the co-ordinates of infinite possibilities that lead us to the same patterns, that don’t answer to the true needs of the individuals, that do not teach how to think by themselves, how to deal with emotions and how to relate with the others.

Like this, we are all swallowed by a fast rhythm, that makes us work too many hours per day, without having time for family, friends, community, nature, that tires us by its complexity and the pollution, that doesn’t allow us to sleep and rest enough healthy hours, that makes us run from one place to the other, without having the opportunity to make physical exercise, and without hearing the needs of our body, that makes us run to the cheapest supermarket or to the fast food next door to eat goods that already cross the world to arrive there loosing all its nutrition qualities and that are packed in thousand plastic, cans, card, paper, that makes us use the car, the motorbike, the plane only because we have to arrive fast, because we are in a hurry for that compromise.

BUT, HOW MANY HOURS YOU MISS PER DAY?

WHY THAT HURRY? WHAT ARE THAT COMPROMISES THAT MAKE US LOOK WORRIED, IRRITATED AND LOST IN US?

AFTER ALL, WHO AM I?
WHO DO I WANT TO BE?
HOW DO I RELATE WITH THE OTHERS?
WHAT’S MY PLACE IN THIS WORLD?
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENJOY LIFE AS MUCH AS I DO?

To have time is a right!
To think about the gestures we make and the reasons why we make them is a duty ?
When was the last time that you embrace someone? How long you don’t smile? How long you don’t express what you really feel? When was the last time that you remember kissing someone with here & now conscience?

It’s possible to create another system.
“It’s not this system. It’s another system!” Da Weasel.

The consumption booming and material values, manipulated by information that rarely speaks the truth, commanded by the capitalist system.
The perfect circuits made us avoid making certain questions.
-Where does the breakfast cereal packages go after putting it in the trash?
-Why people travel by plane in a small country or in Europe? Do I know what are the effects of thousand daily of planes on the environment?
-Do I need this new t-shirt?
-Why do I pass so many hours in front of a TV, watching soaps when I could be rotating my own movie?
-Do I need this yogurt of tiramisu flavor?
-Do I need this sun lotion for home tanning?
-Why are my emotion dominated by a football match, where each player wins more in a month, more than the common mortal can win in a lifetime and why do I feed this circus, buying t-shirts, autographed balls and choosing eternally to miss other social appointments just to watch a football match?
-Why these pair of shoes are cheaper on a Chinese store?
-Do I need to use my car everyday to go to work?
-When I go shopping why don’t I ask from where this product comes from, from what is made, how is it made and by whom?
-Do I need to download music for free from the Internet?
-Does it make sense to work 8 hours per day in front of a computer?

-Is this what I really want for me?

-Do I need to use messenger to talk with a friend when I can be flesh and blood with the person?

It’s so easy to loose track of what we are, if we don’t stop to ask it to ourselves or if what surrounds us is a part of our essence, of the way we need to express ourselves and the way we live or is it the way of agent 327?

Individualism and virtual communities exist so that the human being can enter in this process of getting to know better who is he, what needs and what really matters.

People can speak about multiculturalism, can learn how to live in intercultural communities, but in the end people just enjoy the folk and create stigmas.
Each individual to become a citizen should be allowed to give its contribution to the community, and that doesn’t depend of his background culture but of the openness and ability that the hosting community has while valorizing its experience and knowledge, instead of questioning who is he, labelling from where it comes from and disable people of truly getting to know the other.

These and other questions about life in our days were raised in the I Congress of Animation, Arts and Therapies, that took place on 19 - 21 April in the beautiful village of Ponte de Lima - Portugal, candidate to Unesco heritage, (Do you know it? I seriously recommended it!), where more than 250 social workers, artists and therapists share experiences and find the potential of joining these forces for the well being of people. .

There’s no informal, non-formal or formal education. There’s Education!
In this way, to be a social animator/youth worker is also to be paying attention to social and political circumstances. It’s not just to develop social competencies in the individual. Complexity and ambiguity of our days, leads us to a need of a more conscious intervention, the political statute needs to be returned to all inhabitants of this planet.

Educate emotions, respect rhythms and health, teach how to share life with the others in a peaceful way, encouraging knowledge, initiative and change energy for resolution of problems and situations that live inside each person. Making believe that to be happy is attitude and it's possible to be happier than we thought. And this is political intervention!

Combination of cure, education and creativity are to me, as non-formal educator the secret for humanization of human beings of the XXI century. To be a non formal educator is much more than these projects with pre defined rules for intervention and predetermined time, it's much more than projects and polite reports on paper that are not solving effectively the social needs of a youngster that lives on a disadvantaged neighborhood and that are not activating a common youngster for a conscious and responsible future.
Youth workers have a stronger potential as agents of peace and change by transforming Inactivity in activity, Unknowledge in knowledge, and Pessimism in Optimism.

How?
-Unblocking the creative process of each individual
-Potencialize social competences that conduct the individual into action. We are not born citizens we become citizens.
-Conducting the individual to a self-knowledge, knowledge of emotions and how to deal with them.

It’s emotion that moves people! The gesture reflects an emotion, but also a personality and its knowledge. A gesture can be objective based in creativity or in knowledge.
By becoming more conscious of the reasons of our emotions and our gestures, we can start a revolution, that revolution that everybody needs in life, that the world and nature are asking for.
A silent revolution that only works with kindness in our hearts, tolerance and trust in us, in the others and gratitude to a greater force that everyday gives us energy to enjoy life, strength to work hard and attentively and intone with the other beings of universe.

“CHANGE YOUR NUMBER, I’VE CHANGED MINE!
CHANGE YOUR WORLD, I’VE CHANGED MINE!”
Dumb worlds- Da weasel

A smile is the only plant that we can seed in our soul that grows into love in our heart.

This is a free revolution! And it already started!

Would you like to live beyond the matrix, without creating a new one?
Make yourself responsible for your part!




MATRIX - NÃO É ESTE SISTEMA É OUTRO SISTEMA
Se tens pressa, pára!

Viver o tempo plenamente significa seguir a nossa paixão. A paixão é a única emoção capaz de nos levar a assumir um compromisso, através do qual descobrimos a razão da nossa existência e nos responsabilizamos pela construção do nosso projecto de vida.
Quantas pessoas sabem qual é a sua paixão?
Quantas pessoas estão neste momento a segui-la?…

Somos corpo, mente, espírito, emoções, aura e muito mais! Com que profundidade conhecemos estas vertentes de nós e que uso podemos fazer delas! Na verdade, somos nós que controlamos a vida e não é a vida que nos controla a nós!…

Que percentagem de nós é controlada pelo sistema?
Podemos viver uma vida inteira como agente 421?

A matriz dita as coordenadas com infinitas possibilidades que desembocam no mesmo lugar, que não respondem às verdadeiras necessidades do individuo, que não ensinam ninguém a pensar por si próprio, a saber lidar com as suas emoções e a saber relacionar-se com os outros.

Assim embrenhamo-nos todos num tempo rápido, que nos faz trabalhar demasiadas horas por dia ( sem tempo para a família, para os amigos, para os outros, para a comunidade., para apreciar a natureza), que nos cansa pela sua complexidade e poluição, que não nos deixa descansar/dormir o número de horas que seria saudável, que nos faz correr de um lado para o outro, sem darmos uma oportunidade para fazermos exercício físico e escutarmos as necessidades e o ritmo do nosso corpo, que nos faz correr para o supermercado mais barato ou para o fast food da esquina para comer alimentos que já correram mundo antes de chegarem ali, perdendo todas as suas qualidades nutrientes e que vêm embaladas em mil embalagens de plástico, de metal, de esferovite, de cartão e papel, que nos faz usar o carro, a mota, o avião, só para chegarmos mais rápido, porque temos pressa de chegar a um compromisso…

MAS AFINAL QUANTAS HORAS TE FALTAM NO DIA?

PORQUÊ ESSA PRESSA? QUAIS SÃO ESSES COMPROMISSOS QUE NOS FAZEM ANDAR COM AR PREOCUPADO, IRRITADOS COM OS OUTROS E SEM NOS SENTIRMOS BEM CONNOSCO PRÓPRIOS?

MAS AFINAL QUEM SOU EU?
QUEM QUERO SER?
COMO É QUE ME RELACIONO COM OS OUTROS?
QUAL É O MEU LUGAR NO MUNDO?
O QUE POSSO FAZER PARA DESFRUTAR DESTA VIDA TAL COMO DESEJO?

Ter tempo é um direito!
Pensar nos gestos que fazemos e nas razões pelas quais os fazemos é um dever!?
Há quanto tempo não abraças alguém, há quanto tempo não ris, há quanto tempo não expressas o que sentes, há quanto tempo não beijas alguém com a consciência de que estás exactamente naquele momento a fazê-lo.

É possível criar um outro sistema.
“Não é este sistema. È outro sistema!”

O bombardear do consumismo e dos valores materiais, manipulados por uma informação que raramente fala a verdade, comandada por um sistema capitalista.
Um círculo perfeito que nos faz evitar de perguntar:
-Para onde vai esta embalagem de plástico dos cereais de pequeno almoço, depois de pô-la no lixo?
-Porque é que se viaja de avião dentro de um pequeno país, dentro da Europa? Será que eu sei quais são os efeitos que os milhares de aviões diários provocam no ambiente?
-Será que preciso desta t-shirt nova?
-Porque passo tantas horas da minha vida a ver telenovelas, quando podia estar a rodar o meu próprio filme?
-Será que preciso de comprar mais este iogurte com sabor a tiramisú?
-Será que preciso deste creme para me bronzear em casa?
-Porque é que a minha emoção é dominada por um jogo de futebol, em que cada jogador ganha muito mais num mês do que o comum dos mortais pode ganhar numa vida, e porque é que eu alimento esse circo, comprando as t-shirts, as bolas autografadas, e optando ciclicamente por faltar a outros eventos para ir ver um jogo?
-Porque é que este par de sapatos é mais barato numa loja de chineses?
-Será que preciso de ir todos os dias de carro sozinho para o emprego?
-Quando vou às compras porque é que não me pergunto de onde vem determinado produto, de que é feito, como é que é feito?
-Será que preciso de piratar este cd da internet?
-Será que faz sentido ficar mais de 8 horas por dia em frente a um computador?
-É mesmo isto que eu quero para mim?
-Será que preciso de falar com um amigo através do messenger em vez de estar com ele?

É fácil perder o rasto de quem somos, senão pararmos para o perguntar a nós mesmos, ou se muitas das coisas que nos rodeiam no dia a dia fazem parte da nossa essência, do modo de nos exprimirmos e de vivermos ou é a forma do agente 327?

O individualismo e as comunidades virtuais chegaram, para que o ser humano entre nesse processo de saber melhor quem é, que necessidades tem e o que afinal realmente lhe importa.

Fala-se da multiculturalidade, aprende-se a viver interculturalmente, mas caí-se na estigmatização, na folclorização das culturas.
Cada individuo para que possa tornar-se um cidadão deve poder dar o seu contributo para a comunidade, e isso não depende da cultura que traz consigo quando emigra e passa a viver numa nova comunidade., mas da abertura e capacidade da própria comunidade que o recebe, valorizar a sua experiência e conhecimento, em vez de questionar quem é, rotular donde vem e de se incapacitar de conhecer o outro verdadeiramente.

Estas e outras questões sobre a vida nos nossos dias foram colocadas durante o I Congresso de Animação, Artes e Terapias, que se realizou de 19 a 21 de Abril na belíssima vila de Ponte de Lima, candidata a património da Unesco, (Conhecem? Recomendo vivamente!), onde mais de 250 animadores, artistas e terapeutas partilharam experiências e discutiram sobre o potencial da sua acção conjunta para o bem estar das pessoas.

Não existe educação informal, não formal e formal, existe Educação. Deste modo, ser animador é estar atento às circunstâncias sociais e políticas. Não é apenas desenvolver competências sociais no individuo. A complexidade e ambiguidade dos nossos dias, conduz-nos a uma intervenção mais consciente, há que devolver o estatuto político a cada um dos habitantes deste planeta.

Educar as emoções, fazer respeitar os ritmos e a saúde, ensinar a partilhar a vida com os outros de modo pacifico, a encorajar o conhecimento, a iniciativa e a força de mudança para a resolução dos problemas e situações que vive em cada individuo, a fazer acreditar que ser feliz é uma atitude, e é possível sermos mais felizes do que julgamos. Esta intervenção é política!

A combinação da cura, educação e criatividade são para mim, enquanto animadora sócio cultural o segredo para a humanização dos seres humanos do século XXI. Ser animador socio cultural é muito mais do que programas de apoio com tempo e regras de intervenção definidas, é mais do que projectos e relatórios bonitos para o papel, que não estão a resolver efectivamente as carências sociais de um jovem que viva num bairro desfavorecido, e que não estão a activar o jovem comum para um futuro consciente e responsável em tempos de globalização e aquecimento glocal. Os animadores sócio-culturais têm um potencial enquanto agentes da paz e da mudança, transmutando Inactividade em actividade, Desconhecimento em conhecimento, Pessimismo em Optimismo.

Como?
-Desbloqueando o processo criativo de cada individuo
-Potencializando as competências sociais que conduzem o individuo à acção. Não se nasce cidadão, tornamo-nos cidadãos.
-Conduzindo o individuo a um auto-conhecimento de si, das suas emoções e de como lidar com elas.

É a emoção que move uma pessoa. O gesto reflecte uma emoção, mas também a personalidade e os seus conhecimentos. Um gesto pode ser objectivo baseado no conhecimento ou criativo.
Ao tornarmo-nos conscientes das razões das nossas emoções e dos nossos gestos, podemos iniciar a revolução que precisamos nas nossas vidas, que o mundo e a natureza nos estão a pedir...

Uma revolução silenciosa, que apenas funciona, se houver bondade no coração, tolerância e confiança em nós e nos outros, gratidão a uma força maior que todos os dias nos dá energia para desfrutarmos da vida, ânimo para trabalhar árdua e atentamente e sintonia com todos os seres do universo.

O sorriso é a única planta que se semeia na alma, e que desenvolve e faz crescer amor no coração.

Gostariam de viver para além da matriz, sem criar outra matriz?

Esta revolução é gratuita! Já começou!

“MUDA O TEU NÚMERO, EU MUDEI O MEU!
MUDA O TEU MUNDO, EU MUDEI O MEU!”
Mundos mudos- Da weasel

TRAINSPOTTING

CHOOSE LIFE. CHOOSE A JOB. CHOOSE A CAREER. CHOOSE A FAMILY. CHOOSE A FUCKIN BIG TELEVISION. CHOOSE WASHING MACHINES, CARS, COMPACT DISC PLAYERS AND ELECTRICAL TIN OPENERS… CHOOSE DIY AND WONDERING WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE ON A SUNDAY MORNING. CHOOSE SITTING ON THAT COUCH WATCHING MIND-NUMBING, SPIRIT CRUSHING GAME SHOWS, STUFFING JUNK FOOD INTO YOUR MOUTH. CHOOSE ROTTING AWAY AT THE END OF IT ALL, PISHING YOUR LAST IN A MISERABLE HOME, NOTHING MORE THAN AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE SELFISH, FUCKED UP BRATS YOU SPAWNED TO REPLACE YOURSELF. CHOOSE YOUR FUTURE.CHOOSE LIFE… BUT WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO A THING LIKE THAT?



I remember when I first saw television , it was black and white... in the late 70’s I’d go for holidays to my grandparents countryside house in the Center of Portugal with no bathroom, just a wood house with a hole to use for our basic needs. To wash ourselves we would warm up some water in the stowe, this water was coming from the village’s fountain, there was no electricity in the house and at night we would use some candles or petrol lamps to read, to sow, to play cards, to talk… This was the scenery 7 years after the revolution.
Portugal had a dictator that kept the country undeveloped, forbiding people to think and speak of whatever was different to his ideology. His followers were kick off from the Government 14 months after my birth on the 25th of April 1974.

I remember as a child feeling unconfortable when my teacher would beat us when we did mistakes or knocking with my colleague’s head on the blackboard because he had difficulties to learn and he was the only black person in the classroom!

I remember that the same teacher would discriminate the most intelligent and bright colleagues, also the ones that had more money to buy nice exercise books and pens.
I remember being afraid of asking her to go to the bathroom.
I remember feeling different and alone.
I remember then making friendships with and support the excluded ones. Since then I kept within myself this feeling and concern towards the different people..

I remember being discriminated by other children because I dressed differently as my family didn’t have much money… Sometimes my mother or someone known would do me a dress or a new piece of clothes.

I felt differently allthroughout my adolescence and I didn’t believe in belonging to a group if bellonging would mean to do somethings that i didn’t believe in, just because everybody does it or you look cool to others’ eyes if you do it.
I remember enjoying diversity of friends, of worlds, of knowledge.
I remember being interested in so many different topics that I didn’t felt good enough in any.So I kept on going reasearching people!
I remember not understanding hierarchies and the reasons of its existence.

I remember not understanding formalities.

I remember deciding to start to work with 18 years old so that I could pay my university studies.
I remember analysing and testing people with my appearance, i’d enter in a fancy clothes house wearing jeans with holes and I’d receive a rude treatment if I’d enter in the same shop with formal clothes I’d receive a nice treatment
I remember my silence was sometimes not confortable to others.
I remember that my nonformality was sometimes not confortable to others.
I remember how much the world didn’t notice me but I was happy with that, as we have so many egos playing and stealing a place on the world’s life stage.

I remember started to study & do my university written work with type writers, I remember started to work with very basic computers, when I look back 15 years I feel astonished by the evolution of technology.
During University I didn’t understand colleagues that would try to take advantage of you and make you work for them in teamprojects, That did the course, copying, cheating and not being able to think for themselves or even worrying about responsabilities.

I remember buying my first record with my first salary…

I remember having strong beliefs and being faithful to them.

I remember how my feelings were always passionated and strong.

I remember not being attached to matterial things.

I remember having deep considerations about the true meaning of life and thinking that there should be more than studying, finding a job, a boyfriend, getting married, having children...

I remember never being happy enough with myself and with the world.

I remember being too much sensitive.

Something was not right. I always wanted something different. Something else. As my mother says the things that are important to me are not important to the others.

So there were many things that I could never explain and I’ll never will. Logic has its limits, but actions can express a lot about your life philosophy.

Since early age I understood I would never look for recognition, I’d never nourish my ego. But still it has been a difficult fight but now it’s the moment to announce the biggest victory of my life: the death of my ego some weeks ago on the 5th of March of 2007. I feel now in sintony with myself & with the world!

Many persons helped me with such small gestures or words that had made me think during this long hard and painful process of reaching my inner peace and my real freedom.

Someone I knew recently helped me to discover that loving yourself and the others is not enough as you are part of a wider perspective and we all need absolutely to reconnect our spirits with nature & world through unconditional love energy.

Another very special person gave me the last pieces of my puzzle, triggering my mind about the meaning of my daily routine gestures and the reasons behind them, conducting me to reflect on the meaning of the pratice of love in action in our real world...
And all this enlighted contributions made me complete officially the philosophy of the house of happiness project.. My very new professional & life project that puts together personal, community and sustainable development. Integrated knowledge & life experience for everybody!

“THE FUTURE IS NOT SOME PLACE WE ARE GOING BUT ONE WE ARE CREATING.
THE PATHS ARE NOT TO BE FOUND BUT MADE.
AND THE ACTIVITY OF MAKING THEM CHANGES BOTH MAKER AND THEIR DESTINATION.”
JOHN SCHAAR.

And this was one of the most beautiful springs of my life!

FIGHT CLUB

The fight inside me continues while I’ve been trying to land my soul and adapt to my new old life again.

Almost 2 months have past after my return but I still feel that the second person in me is not happy.

I believe as a Leonardo trainee I’ve lived all the phases and challenges I was entitled to. Also these times of changing are part of a bigger process.

Thousand ideas cross my mind but at a point I realized I was again driven away by the unsenseless rhythm of work routine…I tried to open so many doors at the same time that I almost forget to breath… A wise decision came then into my mind reminding me how time for reflexion was so important and significant during the 2nd semester of 2006 while living in Italy.
Somehow now I miss that state of mind and life quality where I could be in constant contact with nature, where I had time to cook my meals, where I could sleep, read and relax.
So in these 2 months I was almost jumping off the cliff, getting edges way from my alchemist mission in pursuit of a deepest way of being happy, and substituting my deepest thoughts and feelings by my usual spirit “everything is all right” and “I can adapt to it” philosophy.

Then I realized I was returning to the same nightmare that made me want to go to Italy, and how much decision is a missing process in my life. I’ve been living happily with things that appear on my way but hardly closing past doors or the ones that I cannot enter, as I cannot cross them all at the same time…

That made me sit down again with some of my phantoms, but out of these complex conversations I understood that they are becoming more friendly and fun. Maybe I can already say that they are becoming my spiritual guides!!!
They are helping me to understand how much in fact I did learn in the last year, how much can I do with my recent achievements, how much energy and happiness I carry with me everyday and that I shouldn’t try to make all changes at the same time because it’s not only extremely tiring but also there are some changes that you just have to let them act in yourself.

Here is a list of how many things I’ve done in 2 months after my return:

-got back to my old job at my youth association but changing roles now I’m using my public relations degree to establish a new communication strategy for Rota Jovem, I’m coordinating the team that will organize the 15th Years of the Association celebrations, I’ve used Open Space Technology in one meeting, I’m delivering some predeparture, onarrival trainings for Leonardo trainees and European volunteers, and I’ll be assuming gradually the coordination of EVS projects in my organization;
-looked for new job proposal and got it and then I had to decide what to do if changing or staying;
-I’ve had the opportunity to develop my personal development project cooperative or company, still evaluating pro’s and con’s of both options. Look for financing and partners that would like to do it with me.
-I’ve participated in a training of Indian Head Massage, so after some practice, I’ll be able to work professionally with this.
-I’ve participated in training course for Laughter Yoga facilitators, which is now giving its first steps in Portugal, so I felt somehow like a pioneer and now I’ve to decide how far do I want to go with this but it seems its going to be one of my priorities.
-I’ve returned to my reiki sharing sessions and I’m starting some classes for I’d like to use it in a deeper way with other persons
-I’ve returned to my hidrogym classes, I’ve to confess that I became a fan of the Italian method.
-I’ve done some serious research and reflexion about moving into Lisbon but I decided its not a priority and so future will tell.
-I got a new laptop and now I’ve wireless internet from home which eventually will ease my comunications and contacts worldwide.
-And on the end of February I’ll do a presentation in my organization about my experience in Calabria, I’m starting to prepare it…

Am I crazy or what? Can I work more? Is this normal? Why do I have so many interests ? What do they mean? Why I cannot dive into one ocean and feel it as mine? Why do I fear my decisions?
The main reason I fear is because I’m afraid of being free!…
Stability versus Liberty is one of the main dilemmas of humanity, but it has been one of the main ones in my life… Never truly feeling none of the extremes, but maybe the solution is about being happy by balancing these ideal situations… But then if its.. why in hell do I not feel happy ?…
Objective for 2007 is to be free of complexity in my mind and crazy daily routine rythm !!!
Bye Bye Brad Pitt, hello Edward Norton…

Love

PLATOON

“I think now as I’m looking back we did not fought the enemy, we fought ourselves and the enemy was in us.
The war is over for me now but I always be there for the rest of my days!”- Platoon

2006 made me dive into my inner world and found out that the biggest war I face is the one I make with myself. We are nothing but mirrors reflecting our needs and emotions…

With 33 years old some people think they are going to die just like Jesus Christ or world famous artists. I felt I had to initiate a changing circle…

-I learnt so many precious things by putting my expectations to zero, by starting over in a new culture, by putting the emphasis not on doing but on the understanding of whys and moods.

-I learnt to rationalize my emotions instead of emotionalise my reasons.

-I learnt about balancing my mental, spiritual, body and emotional aspects.

-I learnt about the real simple things that make my life important.

-I’ve awaken my sense of humour.

-I’ve enjoyed how being different (myself) can be fun!

-I learnt that expressing my opinion and my emotions is good.

-I could understand where my passions and motivations lay.

-I believe in myself and my ability to move forward in quality.

-I’m responsible for my daily life decisions.

-I have new professional interests: self development project house of happiness.

But coming back home was also part of the intercultural experience process. For me it was not easy to return to the same when you feel you’ve changed so much. For a moment I asked myself if I should continue this travel to a different part of the world but the answer is simpler and basically connected to how do I travel in myself, meaning how can I use now all I’ve learnt and proceed.

Answering the how was it question was very complex, all I know is that troubles are meant to make us better not bitter and maybe for the first time in my life this was absolutely what happened.

In our complex routine we don’t have time to fully debrief the complexity of our world and to analyse our reactions. Most of the answers to our complaints are in us. I advice everybody that never had an experience of living out of own country to do it, because its absolutely revealing.
In our complex world we don’t give time for ourselves to relax, to laugh, to socialize and to really appreciate the gift of life.

Lisbon greeted me with warm rays of light, my friends greeted me with the warmth of their hearts and hugs, I got goose skin when I first walked downtown Lisbon and shared the multicultural spirit and the happiness of this season on the streets.
Cascais where I work and the district where I live greeted me with songs from the Portuguese pop band I used to work some years ago. This scenery made me recognize that my traveller’s soul belongs just to one place: Portugal.

Let 2007 give you the things you know you need and also the ones that you don’t know!

…I’m reborn!


“If you judge people you don’t have time to love them” Theresa of Calcuta