The Mindfulness Movie

Mindfulness has evolved within America and is becoming more and more mainstream. Leaders around the country are implementing it in early child development, the military, education, politics, neuroscience, medicine, healthcare, business, prisons, at-risk youth, and psychotherapy. There’s even a new magazine that just launched called Mindful that highlights all the latest people and developments around how this is changing our nation and the world as we know it.

Now a movie is coming out this summer called The Mindfulness Movie, by Paul Harrison, that puts together 35 of the world’s mindfulness leaders into one film looking at its effects in neuroscience, psychiatry, relationships, sports, psychology, and quantum physics. Interest in mindfulness has also fueled scientific interest in compassion and self-compassion.

Here is The Mindfulness Movie trailer:

Oh Please! ENOUGH Complaining about PETA!

I'd like to discuss one of my pet peeves within the vegan/animal rights community.

I have been a vegetarian-then-turned-vegan since 1982. At that time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals--aka PETA--was about 2 years old. I can't remember when they started to add sex to their animal rights advertising or other controversial methods as their way of getting the message out about animal cruelty but for as long as I can remember, the animal rights community has always been complaining about them.

Of course we all know that any group, business, person, etc. that is number one in popularity in any field tends to get sticks and stones thrown at them most, just by being placed at the #1 spot because of jealousy, but more than that, the animals rights community has been bitching and moaning about PETA for decades as PETA has pretty much ignored them all and still do what PETA has always done.

Other animal rights groups

If you can't stand PETA's actions, wish they would change or wish they weren't so well-known or frankly would just wither away completely, pissing and moaning about them, insulting them, sticking pins in PETA voodoo dolls won't make them stop their actions or make them go away (well, OK maybe using the voodoo dolls will work, but you have to be very, very careful when using poppets--what the dolls are really originally called--as it is a very serious thing..but I digress). PETA will continue to go on being PETA with their ways so get used to it and live with it!

I find it interesting that some of these people who put down PETA that are "leaders" in the animal rights movement (you know who you are, and animal rights people know who they are) are virtually unknown in mainstream society. I know because I have asked people--even animal rights people of many years--if they have heard of these animal rights leaders--NOPE. The ONLY animal rights movement that is a well known name in mainstream society is PETA (I don't think the Humane Society and ASPCA consider themselves an "animal rights" group). And I would say probably almost every animal rights person knows something about PETA.

Instead of using so much time and energy bad-mouthing PETA (as if suffering animals in the world have time for the bickering!), these vegans/animal rights people who write articles, blog, do podcasts and other things should concentrate on becoming more vocal and present in the mainstream world by doing animal rights work in the way they feel is right, thereby educating more people about animal cruelty.

There's a saying in the psychology field that goes:

You can't change another person but you can change yourself.

In this case, you can't change PETA or make them do--or don't do--anything, but you can change your behavior and be more mature about this by being aggressively pro-active and doing high profile things, similar to what PETA does but without the sexual provocativeness. PETA doesn't have to be the only large, well known animal rights group in the world. There are other animal rights activists who are affluent that have the means to get another large, ethical vegan group going.

Don't sit around insulting PETA, pleading them to stop their tactics. Concentrate on your own group and be the best you can be. Form an absolutely phenomenal ethical, animal rights vegan group that will rival PETA because it's done in a way that doesn't offend any sex, and that's done in a serious, mature way if you feel PETA isn't doing this. It's not like PETA can stop people from being as good--or better--in public than they are. Find ways of charming people in an honest way, getting people to see how great your animal rights organization is and the rest will follow.

As Gandhi said:

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

Instead of wanting PETA to change, be that change.

Spiritual Signs

My favorite spiritual podcast on iTunes, Psychic Teachers, had a topic on really paying attention to signs in your life as that's one of the many ways the spirit world sends us messages. And to especially notice signs from your hobbies or interests.

While listening to that, I suddenly had an "ah-ha!" moment, regarding how I became vegan.

I can remember it vividly. One weekend morning in 1982, I was watching a TV "movie of the week" called Tell Me My Name. It was a familiar storyline about an adopted teenage girl who went looking for her real mother. She found her mom, and while spending Thanksgiving Day with her mother, her step brothers and her mom's husband, she started acting out in a rebellious way. The teen said, while looking at the dead turkey, how the turkey was slaughtered...giving explicit details. The two brothers were so sickened by it they left the table, "ruining" their Thanksgiving Day. This scene lasted about no longer than a minute, but it really effected me so much that I literally became a vegetarian right then and there, then became vegan in a year. Funny thing was, the teen wasn't even a veg; she just said that (which is the truth about how turkeys are treated) to upset the family.

I often thought that was a pretty weird way of seriously becoming veg for life as most become veg by way of reading animal rights/veg books, or by people telling them about animal cruelty/veganism.

But after listening to Psychic Teachers, it made me realize since the spirit world knows that I love watching films, that was the perfect way for me to become enlightened to becoming veg as I am a huge film buff, watching at least one film daily.

So watch for signs, especially in your hobbies/interests. You never know what the spirit world wants to tell you.

Active Meditation

As I was reorganizing my books, I came across this old little gem of a book, published in 1999 by Globe Mini Mag (are these impulse-buying-at-the-grocery-counter booklets around anymore?). The author, Linda Fine Zeman, defines walking meditation perfectly!

The title of the booklet, Prayer Walking, is a misnomer, as she really only discusses prayer walking meditation on two pages as the rest of the book mentions all kinds of active meditation, with mostly discussion on the type of mediation I love: Simple walking and observing using all senses in the moment. No judging or dwelling on anything seen, heard, having smelled, tasted, or touched. Just observing using all senses. Zeman goes in great detail about how to do it effectively. And when the meditation is over, she explains in detail what you should do afterward, including then you can start to think about what you have experienced during your walking meditation.

It does cover every kind of active meditation that one can think of to do (even anger walking meditation!), plus the author talks about how to dress, meditating with others with you--like your companion animal, child, family, friends, or other groups. Zeman mentions safety too. She also shows you how to get started in your walking mediation (including what to do prior to your walking meditation and of course after) and ways to keep you motivated. For a 66 little page booklet, it sure is very comprehensive! I can't believe I paid only $1.09 for it!

I can't find it anywhere for sale online--even Amazon doesn't have it. Maybe it's been repackaged and is sold under a new title--I don't know. I just am so happy I kept it and will look to it regularly for inspiration in my daily walking meditations.

I believe I have mentioned this book, Living in the Moment, before but it deserves repeating. This book, by Anna Black, also discusses active meditation very well. She doesn't really talk specifically about walking meditation, but all other kinds, like meditating while doing housework, or any kind of activity--even eating and drinking, meditating on your body, paying attention to all your senses, etc., and she has many exercises in the book. After reading the book, you get the idea on how to actively meditate when doing anything, including walking.

Both books are well worth owning, especially if you're interested in a more active meditation than a still meditation.

"Plant-Based" and Veganism

I keep hearing people say they are "plant-based". This term is so ambiguous. It really means nothing. People who eat meat also eat vegetables, and frankly, although I'm a vegan, my partner Jeffrey who eats meat, eats much more veggies than I do, and you can truthfully, correctly say that his diet IS plant-based, as he eats more plant foods than meat.


But from my understanding, these "plant-based" people claim to not eat meat as well--at least that's what they want you to assume, but sorry, they are not making sense. The word "based" means that's your foundation, major source of something; it doesn't meant that's all you eat. A big meat eater can also be called a plant-based person, as long as they mostly eat plants as the foundation of their diet.


I once informed a self titled "plant-based" blogger but I think she remained clueless as to what I said. Whatever, but if a person is going to call themselves something and shout it out proudly in public (even to a degree of sounding holier-than-thou), they shouldn't be surprised if they are corrected in public--because of their ignorance--by telling them the correct definition of "based".


Speaking of terms being defined incorrectly, it seems to me people have forgotten what the word vegan actually means. I was reading a blogger today and she posted:


"I went vegetarian on-and-off until I was 19 years old – I gave up meat for good and became a vegan not long after.As with many vegans, I thought the ethical choice was simple – don’t kill other things to eat them, don’t eat the products of animals cruelly confined and exploited for food. While animal rights are a good starting point, a truly ethical diet must take other factors into consideration. Plant-based diets are touted as being an environmentally-friendly choice..."





I replied this to her:


Veganism IS about being environmentally-friendly–always have been. Also veganism is about wearing cruelty-free clothing, and buying cruelty-free cosmetics, preferably from cruelty-free companies.

Veganism has ALWAYS been about all these things almost since the word vegan came into existence. I really don’t know why it’s been in the last decade or so that people tend to look at veganism as just what you put in your mouth.

I’m old-school; I’ve been a vegan since 1982 and back then, when a person said they are vegan, you automatically KNOW that means they are food/clothing/all products/environmentally cruelty-free. Now, it seems like one has to say they are “Ethical” vegans to define this, as oppose to “dietary” vegans or “environmental” vegans.

If a person ever said to me, "I'm plant-based", I'm going to say, "Oh. But do you still eat meat?" Plant-based is a meaningless name. This is why I love saying I'm vegan. There's no confusion. No bull. It's an original, meaningful name.


I think some people need to dust off their dictionaries and get reacquainted with it.

6 Weird Superstitions Attached to Animals

This link came to me in my email box from the Online Psychology Degree Resource Guide:

6 Weird Superstitions Attached to Animals

Thanks for the email! I really appreciate it.

Actually, although this is a good, legitimate link, it was in my spam mail box. I very rarely check my spam box, so good thing I checked this time to see the above link!

The Blessing of the Animals at The Grotto (From: July 16, 2012)

The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother, popularly known as The Grotto is a beautiful 62-acre Catholic sanctuary on Sandy Boulevard at Northeast 85th Avenue, Portland, Oregon. The sanctuary sets both at the foot of and on top of a cliff. It is a non-profit organization supported solely by the proceeds of its gift shop and by donations. It is administered by the Order of Friars Servants of Mary, USA Province.









A large meditation hall whose main chamber is at clifftop level extends down to the foot of the cliff; a cross on the hall is visible many miles away. In addition to a church, there are several thousand feet of trails, including a trail of the Stations of the Cross, along which the faithful may pass in contemplation.





The Grotto is open daily throughout the year. (Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas following the celebration of Mass.).

Yesterday, The Grotto had their 29th Annual Blessing of the Animals in the Grotto Plaza, which is always held on the third Sunday of July (rain or shine) and offers individuals with pets an opportunity to reflect upon the positive impact animals have on our emotional and physical well-being. This annual event attracts a wide variety of animals and their human friends. Individuals of all faiths are invited to bring their companion animals, properly restrained, to The Grotto for the Blessing of the Animals. All animals are welcome.

Jeffrey and I brought our Chihuahuas, Tico and Paquita, to be blessed. It was actually Tico's second blessing, as he was blessed last year when he was less than a year old (Paquita will be a year old later this year).