Category — Relationships

Floating Lantern Ceremony

The ancient custom of floating lighted lanterns in waterways symbolizes respect for the lives of people who have gone before us, the lit lanterns are meant to guide our lost loved ones along their spiritual journeys. It also represents a light of hope for peace and harmony that we send over the waters of transmigration. This very colorful, but quiet and serene ceremony provides a place to reaffirm our commitment to building a peaceful future and to pay respect to the lost lives at the World Trade Center.

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His Holiness, The Dalai Lama

I wanted to share with you a great passage from a recent interview his Holiness, the Dalai Lama conducted with Deutsche Welle, (the German international broadcaster).

In the interview, the Dalai Lama stated that his main purpose is not the issue of Tibet, “…but rather the promotion of human values in order to have happier individuals, families and communities — and, in that way, a happier humanity. I consider that to be my contribution. I think every human being has a responsibility to better the world. That’s my conviction, and I always try to promote that. My second goal is the promotion of religious harmony. When I teach in India, more and more Chinese come. Sometimes, the Chinese government puts up restrictions to prevent Chinese from coming to India. But despite that, some Chinese always come. Many of them say that, after seeing the Tibetan community, they found big differences to what they had heard in China. Eventually there’s some positive impact.” [Read more →]

Russell Simmons, the godfather of hip-hop at the helm of Rush Communications, a $300+ million conglomerate reaching beyond music to include clothing companies, arts, nonprofit organizations, and diamonds, who in the past has used street smarts and a bling bling Rolodex to achieve social and political goals ranging from overturning certain restrictive New York State drug laws to encouraging voter registration, has published a new self-help book, Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success. In it, he explains how readers can use yoga and Buddhism to find what he calls the “sweet spot”: one’s life’s work and mission. Simmons preaches about the practice of love and encourages readers to listen to their inner voice.

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Sir Richard Branson is on a roll…the President of Virgin Atlantic has delivered the first batch of motorcycles that will help to bring much-needed medical support to small villages and communities in Kenya and throughout Africa.

The money for the motorcycles was raised by Virgin Atlantic’s patrons, the onboard charity appeal and by staff who took part in a wide range of fundraising events over the past year. The money was then donated to support the work of the charity Riders for Health. Riders for Health has been working in Africa for close to two decades and will be purchasing and maintaining the motorcycles. The motorcycles will allow a team of healthcare workers to provide rural communities with improved access to essential drugs and basic health services.

Click on http://www.riders.org/en/html/movies_ewan.php to watch an inspiring film that provides greater insight into the work of Riders for Health. The film is narrated by biker and actor Ewan McGregor. For more information on the work of Riders for Health please log onto Riders.org.

Are you planning your big day, looking for ways to make it memorable while also being good for the planet? Sit back, relax, take a deep breath…we’ve got just the thing that’s going to get the ball rolling. It’s no secret that the $70 billion wedding industry is seeing more and more signs of eco-friendly sensibilities taking root. Books about green weddings are showing up all the time.

From Michelle Kozin’s “Organic Weddings”, Carol Reed-Jones’ “Green Weddings That Don’t Cost the Earth” to Emily Anderson’s “Eco-Chic Weddings” – and of course, let’s not forget the current issue of the bridal magazine The Knot that features a special section on green weddings. Are you looking for a place to register, register for wedding gifts with a socially and environmentally responsible company like Gaiam (800/869-3603). Gaiam offers an array of green products for the home, from hemp rugs to recycled glass dishware. Have everything you’ll need already? Consider asking your guests to donate to a charity/nonprofit in lieu of gifts. A big warm “Thank You” to all our readers out there who contributed by sending in some groovy wedding planning tips of their own…a few we particularly enjoyed discovering:

• Request organic & fair trade. Go local with your food & drink to cut on food miles.
• Source recycled materials for your invitations, or just use e-mail.
• Use biodegradable confetti, or collect petals from flowers a florist was throwing out.
• Offset the carbon emissions produced by your wedding (and honeymoon flights) through

Happy Wedding Day!

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right.

-Hannah Whitall Smith, Inspirational author (1832-1911)