Two lamps made all the difference by RATON (c)

It sounds maybe silly, but the other day RATON received two beautiful vintage glass lamps to hold at his place and ever since they shared his living space , he started feeling much more at home, more balanced and charmed by their presence. Maybe material things shouldn't count when it comes to feeling well, but RATON's point really was that beautiful things to have at your home can actually make you happy and feel at ease. They are part of a healthy, balanced life. 

Now that could be really anything; an ashtray, a painting, a tea pot, your favorite toy from your childhood or that vintage Ken doll you liked so much growing up . Well , it doesn't matter what it is, important is that you love it.  ... Through 25 years of moving around, RATON was amazed that there were still a handful of items that have not gotten lost in the big shuffle of things. Through out all his travel and jumping from place to place, storage and having to sell some items, there was still a small glass bull dog sculpture, a can of paint which supposed to be a door stopper and piece of art, a healing stone, an angel painting and a wooden man sculpture, which was given to him by his now ailing dad. They all have emotional value and had helped to each new place into a home. 

While working hard, RATON was able to add some new pieces to his home collection, of which he was hoping most of it will stay once he moved into his new and bigger dwelling. In the meantime he had beautified his tiny home and had turned it into a very cool, manageable place, something everyone commented on very positive. His next natural step would be to actually invite friends over, either for coffee or a good cup of Rooibos tea, a small pot luck dinner party would be nice, but the place was so small, that inviting guests over and have them all sit and eat on his bed , would maybe not be so ideal. As a matter of fact he was sure that his friends would not like it. So how would RATON get his precious home social life back in a tiny studio apartment? No matter how creative you think you might be, that for sure was a tough one to pull off and it he realized to start saving his pennies and plan to move into a bigger space soon.

So, overall what RATON suggests to all of his old and new friends is not to short change yourself when it comes to details and enough space in your home. Buy that painting you loved so much, frame those family photographs and hang them on the wall, you had plans to do that for the last ten years. And try out your green thumb and create small green areas. You will be surprised how easy it will come to you, even though you think you don't have the time for it or avoided doing it for whatever reason. Get those hands dirty, even if you got a manicure the day before. Live a little, buy yourself something and use your hands at home and create something. It will make you more grounded, happy and helps you to connect to the space where you rest your head, where you refuel with new good energy to tackle the next day. 

"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body"

Benjamin Franklin 

Even when it rains make the sun shine by RATON (c)

It is always easy to blame other things for why we don't feel how we want to feel . Oh , it was too cold , it was too hot , it was this or that. You know what , that shouldn't really matter and we have to realize, even though extreme surroundings might interfere with our mood, that we are the ones that are in control of each and every moment . We have the power to make the next hour a good one or a bad one .

So try not to get caught up with old memories or associate with what you had experienced in the past.  RATON always caught himself getting down when it rained on the weekend , because it reminded him of those lonely days back home when he was a child . He couldn't help it , it was embedded in him and he always got melancholic when it rained on the weekend, especially on Sundays.

Now , instead of associating lonely Sundays with the rain , he tried to turn it into something more pleasant . For example , instead of standing with a long sad face by the window , RATON grabbed all his favorite food snacks , displayed them nicely on a plate , grabbed his favorite book or took his iPad and crawled back into bed thinking how lucky he was that he had this extra time to read and write , to snack on his favorite foods and to embrace this time alone . It was not lonely time, it was time by himself with himself which is  a different approach.

This different angle , a different approach of thinking helped him to feel much better about rainy Sunday afternoons. When he was done with his Time by himself, he bundled up to go outside and tried to just enjoy the scent , the  smell of the rain , how fresh and cleansing it really was . If he really got rained on and ended up soaked and wet , RATON thought of how great it would feel to get dry again . It sounds all very vanilla and it is not always that easy, but you know what, try to find a way to make it better . Even thou you might not want to take that yoga class or go to the gym , or meet a friend for coffee. Do it , push yourself because most of the time when you actually get out there, afterwards you come home with a really great experience and you realize all you have to do is to show up .

Better results come all with the approach  and yes, there is nothing more  annoying then being Mr or Mrs positive all the time, but if it makes your life even a tiny bit better , try it . You will become a better more happy person because of it . Every little experience counts to flush out the bad memories . Just try it, next time the sadness bubbles up , nipp it in the butt and do something you think you would actually enjoy , alone or with friends. You will see how quickly your mood is going to change , and if you feel you just want to crawl back into bed, there is nothing wrong with that either . Because nothing is right or wrong when it comes to your time, how you spent it and what you want to do with it . It's really as simple as that and it is a given , somthing that is not even up for discussion , just remind yourself how good you can really have it by not falling back into old patterns or memories. Memories are from the past and they can make you sad very easy . Try to stay in the now and you will like everything around you much better.  

“Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out.”
― Criss Jami

What are the 3 most important things in life ? by RATON (C)

What are the 3 most important things in life ?

The more RATON thinks about it, the more confused he got. He was trying to give a really

smart answer, when a friend of his actually did ask him that question, and then he realized 

that his answer didn't really made sense at all. Not even to him ... so the question kept 

lingering on in his head for days, he started reading more about it and he came across one 

analogy that maybe was a thought in the right direction.A lot of people said food, friends and family, which made sense to RATON at , but then he was thinking are there really 3 essential things we need?




As Mike Murdocck put it, that one of them for sure needs to be financial freedom in order to really live out the others. In his mind there is no true freedom without Financial freedom  .... 



and not fire even though spirit purifies like fire. Spirit is not an "it" but rather a Him, The spirit 



We used to call it having  F***  you money , but RATON  was holding his horses and listened. Murdock  basically divided  it into SPIRIT , a PURPOSE and a VISION for the future. Thosewere  the three  most  important things in life ,  which  seemed interesting, his approach that is.






SPIRIT is not like water, yet it refreshes like water, is not wind, even though it moves like it 





is a person not a presence that created us. Our spirit gives us life, it helps us to find our 

higher power and is the only source of true joy, peace and love.  ..... woa , that's some heavy stuff RATON thought, all he wanted was to find out and explore some more what were the 

three most important things in life .....  but it got interesting and over all it was not that easy to define and he got sucked into the whole subject.  So one as it seemed was not Pizza, so the toppings Pineapple, Bacon and Onions had to wait for a bit . Murdock continues saying that our spirit will give us discerning regarding our friendships, increases our patience with other and gives us courage and strength to withdraw from company of foolish people. Furthermore our spirit grieves and is offended by wrong conversations and conduct and withdraws so we won't be able to manifest our presence. Our spirit tends to love singing and provides us with our own language, on one else is able to understand. Spirit therefore is number 1 in importance in our life. 


The 2nd most important thing in life apparently is to have a purpose, that we have assignments that fulfill us and make us happy. Everything created was created to solve a problem . A car solves transportation problems, a telephone communication problems etc. We were created to solve a problem, problems are catalyst for creativity. Somebody needs, wants you today. You are necessary to somebody somewhere today. You get rewarded according to the problem you solve. You are absolutely perfect and genetically accurate for solving a specific problem for somebody on earth. Somebody needs exactly what you have been given. Someone is literally dying emotionally, mentally or spiritually waiting for you to come alomng and rescue them. You are their reward. When you "discover" to whom you have been assigned ,  you will experience great peace, fulfillment and provision for your own life. You discover this by looking for opportunities to heal, strengthen and bless others. 


What you love lost is the clue to your assignment, you will always have wisdom towards what you love. What really excites you, brings great enthusiasmus and happy moments (days) of you life is a clue to  your assignment. What you hate is a clue as to something you are assigned to correct, you cannot really correct and or change something unless you have a hatred of for it ... you cannot change what  you tolerate. Hatred and Anger is passion, you need the most. 


What grieves you is a sign, clue, to something you are assigned to heal. what makes you cry is a clue to a problem you need to change, conquer and heal. Also, where you hurt most is a clue to what you may heal best. Your asignment is geographical (to a place); where you are determine what grows within you. Your weakness or strengths requires a climate to grow ... places matter! Seek to be where you want to, Hourly, daily, weekly. Go where you are celebrated instead of where you are tolerated, when you are with the right people, the best comes out of you and the worse part of  you will die. Your success is always linked to a place - a place of your assignment. Your assignment requires season of preparation, maybe misunderstood by those  closest to you and will always have an enemy because it will stop something wrong from growing bigger. You will only succeed when your assignment becomes an obsession.


Number three and the 3rd most important thing in life is: The Seed.

A seed is a tiny beginning with a huge future; it is anything that can become more. You seed is anything you have received can be treated for something else. Such as love, time, patience, money kindness, prayer, forgiveness... Learn the secret of giving your seed a specific assignment. Your seed is always the door out of trouble. It is anything you do that helps another person to improve life . Information, finace, assignment so that your believes may not waver. Wait long enough for your seed to grow to produce exactly what you wanted, because waiting, reveals trust, you must be willing to trust yourself through the season of greatest blessing came after longest waiting. Be willing to begin harvest with a small seed, begin with what you have. Qualify the soil , the quality of the soil affects the growing of the seed. Sow consistently, when you sow continously, your harvest will become continuous.


Sow proportionate to the harvest you desire; the size of your seed determines the size of your harvest. Always sow with expectations of a return and remember to sow instantly in obedience to your Spirit without rebellion or Negotiations with Him.




Last but definitely not least is Whatever you make happen for others it will happen to you.




out takes written By Mike Murdock

Why [ATMOSPHERE] is so important for our well being - by RATON (C)

We seem to underestimate the importance of our surroundings , how it can make or brake our daily living. If the environment is not set to our liking it really influences our productivity, well being and how we interact with people around us . For me it always has been important, that where I work and rest my head , is in an environment that fits to what I believe in is soothing, comfortable and inspiring.

We all of course have different sets of standards and taste. but my point is that if you don't feel well or good about yourself , try being aware of what your surroundings are . I do believe that wellness and good health, mental and physically, begins with a beautiful home  and working environment. Not always can we choose where we work and what we think our office or work place should look like, but certainly we can dictate and influence our environment at home. Being conscious of what you need at home is just the beginning, and even though budgets might be limited , just the thought of wanting to live in a place that suits you is the first step of creating a healthy and flourishing atmosphere. Make a wish list , or even better have a wish board and collect items you eventually would like to get or even moods how you like to feel. Yes there are virtual sites like Pinterest and others , they are great, but by looking at what you like to have or accomplish every day , you eventually will exactly manifest what you were originally just thinking of . 

  

And once you feel you are set with the right material things around you (try to be humble), start looking at the people who come in and out of your daily life . Well, that might be even more important , but is a whole other blog to write , which I might do at a later time , but for now, we all know we  are only as good as the people around us and the environment we put ourselves in . It's all part of the ... art of living. And don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong really , it is al about how you want it and what decisions you make and it remains a constant always changing challenge . 

“Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley,