Looking to downsize and donate things?

So I want to get rid of a lot of stuff and just couldn't figure out who to donate the things to. And then I found a great site that explains where things like cars, computers, office furniture and many other products can be donated in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

Check it out:
http://www.charitablechoices.org/whoaccepts.asp

Hierarchy of human consciousness - Where do you fall!?

In the book Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins, there's a hierarchy of levels of human consciousness.From low to high, the levels of consciousness are: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, pride, courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, enlightenment. While we can pop in and out of different levels at various times, usually there's a predominant "normal" state for us.

Shame - Just a step above death. You're probably contemplating suicide at this level. Either that or you're a serial killer. Think of this as self-directed hatred.

Guilt - A step above shame, but you still may be having thoughts of suicide. You think of yourself as a sinner, unable to forgive yourself for past transgressions.

Apathy - Feeling hopeless or victimized. The state of learned helplessness. Many homeless people are stuck here.

Grief - A state of perpetual sadness and loss. You might drop down here after losing a loved one. Depression. Still higher than apathy, since you're beginning to escape the numbness.

Fear - Seeing the world as dangerous and unsafe. Paranoia. Usually you'll need help to rise above this level, or you'll remain trapped for a long time, such as in an abusive relationship.

Desire - Not to be confused with setting and achieving goals, this is the level of addiction, craving, and lust — for money, approval, power, fame, etc. Consumerism. Materialism. This is the level of smoking and drinking and doing drugs.

Anger - the level of frustration, often from not having your desires met at the lower level. This level can spur you to action at higher levels, or it can keep you stuck in hatred. In an abusive relationship, you'll often see an anger person coupled with a fear person.

Pride - The first level where you start to feel good, but it's a false feeling. It's dependent on external circumstances (money, prestige, etc), so it's vulnerable. Pride can lead to nationalism, racism, and religious wars. Think Nazis. A state of irrational denial and defensiveness. Religious fundamentalism is also stuck at this level. You become so closely enmeshed in your beliefs that you see an attack on your beliefs as an attack on you.

Courage - The first level of true strength. I've made a previous post about this level: Courage is the Gateway . This is where you start to see life as challenging and exciting instead of overwhelming. You begin to have an inkling of interest in personal growth, although at this level you'll probably call it something else like skill-building, career advancement, education, etc. You start to see your future as an improvement upon your past, rather than a continuation of the same.

Neutrality - This level is epitomized by the phrase, "live and let live." It's flexible, relaxed, and unattached. Whatever happens, you roll with the punches. You don't have anything to prove. You feel safe and get along well with other people. A lot of self-employed people are at this level. A very comfortable place. The level of complacency and laziness. You're taking care of your needs, but you don't push yourself too hard.

Willingness - Now that you're basically safe and comfortable, you start using your energy more effectively. Just getting by isn't good enough anymore. You begin caring about doing a good job — perhaps even your best. You think about time management and productivity and getting organized, things that weren't so important to you at the level of neutrality. Think of this level as the development of willpower and self-discipline. These people are the "troopers" of society; they get things done well and don't complain much. If you're in school, then you're a really good student; you take your studies seriously and put in the time to do a good job. This is the point where your consciousness becomes more organized and disciplined.

Acceptance - Now a powerful shift happens, and you awaken to the possibilities of living proactively. At the level of willingness you've become competent, and now you want to put your abilities to good use. This is the level of setting and achieving goals. I don't like the label "acceptance" that Hawkins uses here, but it basically means that you begin accepting responsibility for your role in the world. If something isn't right about your life (your career, your health, your relationship), you define your desired outcome and change it. You start to see the big picture of your life more clearly. This level drives many people to switch careers, start a new business, or change their diets.

Reason - At this level you transcend the emotional aspects of the lower levels and begin to think clearly and rationally. Hawkins defines this as the level of medicine and science. The way I see it, when you reach this level, you become capable of using your reasoning abilities to their fullest extent. You now have the discipline and the proactivity to fully exploit your natural abilities. You've reached the point where you say, "Wow. I can do all this stuff, and I know I must put it to good use. So what's the best use of my talents?" You take a look around the world and start making meaningful contributions. At the very high end, this is the level of Einstein and Freud. It's probably obvious that most people never reach this level in their entire lives.

Love - I don't like Hawkins' label "love" here because this isn't the emotion of love. It's unconditional love, a permanent understanding of your connectedness with all that exists. Think compassion. At the level of reason, you live in service to your head. But that eventually becomes a dead end where you fall into the trap of over-intellectualizing. You see that you need a bigger context than just thinking for its own sake. At the level of love, you now place your head and all your other talents and abilities in service to your heart (not your emotions, but your greater sense of right and wrong — your conscience). I see this as the level of awakening to your true purpose. Your motives at this level are pure and uncorrupted by the desires of the ego. This is the level of lifetime service to humanity. Think Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. At this level you also begin to be guided by a force greater than yourself. It's a feeling of letting go. Your intuition becomes extremely strong. Hawkins claims this level is reached only by 1 in 250 people during their entire lifetimes.

Joy - A state of pervasive, unshakable happiness. Eckhart Tolle describes this state in The Power of Now. The level of saints and advanced spiritual teachers. Just being around people at this level makes you feel incredible. At this level life is fully guided by synchronicity and intuition. There's no more need to set goals and make detailed plans — the expansion of your consciousness allows you to operate at a much higher level. A near-death experience can temporarily bump you to this level.

Peace - Total transcendence. Hawkins claims this level is reached only by one person in 10 million.

Enlightenment - The highest level of human consciousness, where humanity blends with divinity. Extremely rare. The level of Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus. Even just thinking about people at this level can raise your consciousness.

Just in case.......please read these tips!

Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation... This is for you, and for you to share with everyone you know.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

· If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

· Be aware: look around, look into your car, at passenger side floor, and in the back seat

· If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

· Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

************ * Here it is *******

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ---- This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted

Weekend with Krishna Das

Krishna Das says,
'At what would turn out to be my last darshan of Maharaj-ji's physical body, I was petrified with fear about returning to the U.S. after so many years. Then after a minute or so he looked over at me, smiling sweetly, and asked, 'So, how will you serve me?'
'My mind was blank. Then the words came to me, 'I will sing to you in America.'

I just returned from a Memorial Day weekend retreat with Krishna Das at Yogaville, VA. It is an annual workshop Krishna Das, commonly known as " K.D.", attends yearly:
Memorial Day Weekend Chanting Workshop

I had fallen in love with KD's voice while listening to his songs during yoga classes. I had never before heard a voice so filled with love and longing for the Divine. As he chants the various names of Ram, Krishna, and Hanuman -- to honor his beloved guru Neem Karoli Baba -- he evokes something deep inside my heart that longs for God. Its like he awakens my soul and makes me feel more alive.

And so, I signed up to see him this year at the annual retreat, only one week after returning from Jivamukti Teacher Training. I had to leave my kitties once again and drive four hours deep into Virginia rural country. I went with my friend Dawn, who had finished my first yoga teacher training with me, and who had accompanied me on previous crazy adventures (like sweat sessions/boot camps otherwise known as Power yoga workshops).

We got to spend the car ride up to the ashram catching up on each other's lives. We got into some great discussions, so great in fact that I nearly ran off the road more than a couple of times......Half way there, we did our required lunchtime stop at Charlottesville's Whole Foods, and then drove around looking for a Starbucks but instead were directed by a cute shirtless construction worker to a local coffee shop - Greenberry's Coffee and Tea Company. It was perfect. And then we got into the car again, made some more driving faux pas; but we finally made it, without getting lost at all (unlike last time!).

Immediately that evening, at dinner, we ran into a great girl named Erin with whom we immediately hit it off. Before long, we three had become fast friends and spend the weekend laughing and immensely entertaining each other.

That night we were introduced to KD. We got great front row seats, not knowing what to expect. We were all blown away. He is simply the most hilarious, genuine, and spiritual person we have me in a long, long time. And his voice is EVEN better in person!

Oh, the stories he shared with us. Memories and reminisences of his times with Neem Karoli Baba, his beloved guru. I won't even attempt to repeat them since he tells them so well. I highly encourage you to go see him in person!

Sometime on the last night, Dawn and I came to the conclusion that we HAD to cut our hair and it HAD to be on Monday, during the drive back. So Erin pulled out her magazines and helped us find the perfect haircuts and we were pumped. We started telling ourselves that we were gonna find the perfect hair stylist, who was immensely talented but not too booked, and waiting exactly for us to show up. And guess what- we did just that! Of course, we first spent around 2-3 hours driving around Charlottesville and running into closed hair salons. But then we found HER. She was at a hair salon in the local mall, and it was open til 9pm!!! Audrey was fantastic and cut us both with perfection.

And so we returned home - shorn and filled with the shakti of KD. Not bad for a Memorial Day weekend, huh!?!?!?!?

Krakow in the news!

Check it out! The New York Times finally is recognizing the jewel of Europe, my own old hometown, dear Krakow............

May 27, 2007
Poland's Second City Is First Choice for the Young
excerpts:

On a cool night this past fall, the crowd was sexy and self-possessed, with enough bell-bottom jeans, clunky belts and gorgeous blondes to populate a runway. The men were stylishly disheveled, with hip-hop hoodies and chiseled good looks. The women were chic and funky, with impossibly high cheekbones and long legs.

"There's a lot of creative energy here," said Garrett Van Reed, 25, a writer from Pennsylvania, who is part of a growing expatriate community that is turning Krakow into Eastern Europe's newest bohemian capital. "There's tons of artists and street performers. And there's always something going on in Rynek Glowny," he said, referring to the picturesque main square. "You're constantly stumbling upon something new."

That's easy to do when there are some 300 watering holes in Krakow's Old Town, many of them former World War II hideouts that only the local intelligentsia seem to know about. But word is getting out. The airline service into Krakow has increased dramatically in recent years, especially among low-cost carriers like easyJet, which recently added more than a dozen weekly flights to Krakow from cities like London, Belfast and Newcastle.

And with the euro climbing against not only the dollar but other foreign currencies, too, younger travelers have another reason to flock to Poland's second city. At about 2.9 Polish zloty to the dollar, Zywiec beers are still under $2, dinners rarely exceed $10 a person and a hostel bed goes for $15 a night.

Krakow's pleasures, however, are not confined to after nightfall. Unlike in Warsaw , which was largely destroyed during World War II, Krakow's stone churches and castles — some dating back to the 10th century — remain gorgeously intact. Older Poles still talk about how the occupying Nazis had apparently rigged the entire city with dynamite, but fled before detonating a single charge.

As a result, Rynek Glowny, which ranks among the largest medieval squares in Europe, looks pretty much the way it did in the Middle Ages. Dominated by the twin-towered St. Mary's Basilica and the behemoth Cloth Hall, the market square is also surprisingly un-touristy, even when the stone-paved expanse is thronged with tourists.

The same ethos holds true for Kazimierz, an old Jewish district southeast of Old Town. A tightly packed warren of crooked cobblestones and peeling facades, its hauntingly preserved streets came to attention in 1993 as the setting for Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List."

As with other former Jewish districts throughout Europe, Kazimierz has emerged in recent years as the city's alternative artistic center. After languishing for decades, its dingy tenements and wooden doors have been pried open and are slowly being converted into gritty pubs and sleek restaurants, with names like Le Scandale and Propaganda.