Life's Journey

Hi my name is Phoenix68.A while ago I met a lovely young lady,on a site similar to this,I didn't realise ,at the time ,how much impact that she would have on my life.
Life can throw,some curve balls,but we have always managed to just be there for each other and to support each others hopes and dreams.That is why we have opened this forum,to give people a place to come have a chat,grab a cuppa and meet some amazing people with some amazing stories.I'm having a cuppa ,won't you join me for a chat.

Hi,everyone and welcome to The Zen Den,my name is Phoenix 68 and we are happy to see you here .
I live in Australia ,I enjoy a range of interests,I am currently doing a design course,which has inspired me to go down a different path,from writing for a while ,just to see where this journey can take me.
I have a cat named Mojo ) and a dog named Nexy:))
I live in a small country town about 15 mins to the beaches.
It is Spring time here and after some much needed rain,the flora is looking rejuvenated.
So ,let's get this ball rolling.
Share a story or two.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.Have a fantastic day,Take care Phoenix68

Hello world! You can call me Laurelite
My dear friend Phoenix68 and I have banded together to create this forum, we hope that the right people will find it and that it will be an uplifting and safe place for like-minded souls to connect.
A little about me, I live in a small seaside town in the South West of England. I am in my final year of university studying for a BA honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Writing and reading are two of my greatest passions, to have my own novel published one day would be a dream come true!
I love tea, coffee, chai tea, herbal tea - all kinds! It’s autumn here now, a favourite season of mine. Nothing like cosying up with a good book, a cup of something warm, and a blanket. Candles burning (or even better, a log fire!), the smell of cinnamon and spice filling the air...ahhh bliss!

We have lots of ideas for this forum, various art projects we’d like to do, an online book club (a dream come true!), weekly catch-up’s/chats, and plenty more.

So please pop in and say hi, we’d love to have you here.

Laurelite

Hello everyone, I am "Sat-chit-Ananda" (which is originally written "Sacchidānanda" in sanskrit but I prefered using its transliteration). I chose that nickname because it represents : existence, consciousness and bliss which are meant to be the subjective experience and unchanging reality according to Hinduism, Anyways, my dearest readers, I don't want you to be that confused in this, my very first post (ever on a forum!).

I come from the southernmost country in south America also known as "Chile", a long piece of earth located in south America physically far from almost every single country due to its natural borders: on one side the vast pacific ocean and on the other side the Andes; a large mountain range that is a sort of natural border with our neighbours.
I live in a small port city called Talcahuano, which means "thundering sky" (it really means that, believe me, my dearest reader). I have lived in different cities within the chilean territory, which has taught me many things about life and it also broaden my horizons because all I knew before moving there was the fact that vegetation was a common thing and the prototype of landscape from the southern regions of Chile: green and bushy. I explored the unexpected territories of the Atacama desert which made me realise how wise is mother nature and how important is water for our lives.

To make a long story short, I love reading books, analysing them, make them part of my life even if it just the unconscious life or a part of the short stories or poems I write sometimes. You (my dearest reader) may think that I am a devoted believer by judging my username, but don't get confused, I am an atheist with a tendency on reading religious books because I consider them an important part of our history, despite what my thoughts are about them. I also believe you can learn many useful things for your daily life from these ancient books.
I love everything related with gardening, yoga, meditation, learning languages, movies with a high content of philosophy (especially interested in existentialism; nowadays reading "The second sex" written by Simone De Beauvoir who was not only a recognised feminist but also an existentialist), but I don't consider myself a "die hard" fan of these things, I am very flexible about what to "consume", but always with a critical point of view (critical thinking is very important for me).

An introductory text isn't enough for describing your whole "essence" as human being, which is why I won't write further about myself (on the other hand I believe that's a little bit egocentric , Don't you think?).

Finally, here's a Buddha's quote about friendship that I'd like to share with you;
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”

Greetings from Chile,

SAT-CHIT-ANANDA

Dear Sat-chit-Ananda, (love the transliteration)

Thank you so much for joining and for introducing yourself, I’m glad you’re here.
You’re reading ‘The second sex’ by Simone De Beauvoir - I think that’s great! If you’d like, you can post in the Book Club thread and let us know your thoughts on the book, it would be great to get your review.

Thank you for your wonderful introduction. I’m sure others will join in soon and you’ll get to ‘meet’ more like-minded people, which, is what this forum is all about!

Have a great day,

Laurelite

Hello,
Greetings,
My name is Urgen. I am a Tibetan living in Ladakh.
Glad to be here!
And I love reading, writing, singing, watching movies, hiking, making friends, having discussions that matters and that bring joy.

Ciao, my name is Perseo and I write from Italy.
I love Art, nature, trees, books and history.
I always wanted ( in my small way) to change the world. I believe that kindness is the way to go to change the world.
I have been planting trees and flowes in the area where I live, for create small forests where animals can find food and shelter.
I believe in the power of Art and Culture, the power of hope and love and I believe that " Beauty will save the world"
I hope to find ,in this forum , people with a pure soul and a golden heart.
A greeting to all of you from Italy . Ciaooooooooooooooo
Perseo

"Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - San Francesco d'Assisi.

Hello everyone, thanks so much for saying hello! It really means so much to me that you’re all here. Just a few short years ago I found myself feeling completely alone in this world, I had no one that understood me or that I could talk to. I prayed for like-minded friends, people I could share stories with and have deep, meaningful conversations with. People that understood me and saw the world the way I see it, with an open heart and an open mind. Words can’t express how blessed I feel to know you all. To have you all here on this forum, to me, it’s as if we’re all in the same room I hope that you all find something here, whether it be a friend, some good advice, or just a place to share your stories.

Best wishes to you all,

Laurelite

Dear all,

I enjoyed reading your introductions a lot, and I'm excited to be part of a network of like-minded people who share the same notions and interests. I used the username Britannica because I would consider myself anglophile, particularly with regards to literature, culture, art, and language. I don't even know how I developed into this, but I claim the Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter novels I read in my childhood. I live in a small city called Jena in Germany. It belongs to the former East and thirty years ago exactly on this day fell the Berlin Wall and people from the GDR could travel freely to the West. I didn't experience this day since I was born a little later but it must have been an overwhelming event. Considering this strive for unification leaves me sometimes baffled how many people still think in boxes of West and East Germany, and after thirty years, there is still a divide. Anyway, history is a major interest of mine, and Jena has plenty of history to offer. I'm studying history of art at the University of Jena in an MA course, and I love the university a lot. It was founded in the 16th century and Goethe and Schiller were once professors here. Jena is the place where the early Romanticism movement began. Nowadays, hardly anybody knows the town, but there was a time when it was an intellectual centre with thinkers like Hegel, Fichte, and Schelling. Even Karl Marx was a PhD student here, though absent due to exile.
I love towns and cities through which you can stroll and breathe history on every corner. Since my special interest belongs to the history, and particularly art history, of the UK, my favourite places are all in England.
I'm sorry for this little 'Exkurs'. Like Laurelite, I'm a fond reader and writer. I enjoy writing academically, creatively, and most of all I love handwritten letters. I'm critical about the digitalisation and try to stay out of social media as much as I can. However, I love the idea of this forum and hope to exchange ideas and motivation with supportive people in a sometimes harsh world where people seem to feel lonely although they're always connected.

Dear Britannica,

Hello and welcome! Thank you so much for joining us and posting, I really like what you wrote about exchanging ideas and motivation with supportive people. I agree, when we are without like-minded people in our lives it is easy to feel lonely in this world. That’s why I am so grateful to know you all

Looking forward to making some great memories here on this forum. Best wishes,

Laurelite

Willkommen Britannica!,

Schön, sie zu lesen! (Mein deutsch ist so schlecht haha). It would be interesting sharing our "masterpieces" in the future since I also consider myself a writer (I mostly write short stories and poems... oh! and also letters).
I couldn't resist not mentioning that history is a fascinating field of studies, I wouldn't say I know the history of every single country but I try to do my best to increase my knowledge about world's history by reading books and/or chatting with locals. Through my life I've had many german pen pals and friends with whom I have met in real life, which explains why I am interested in german language, culture, traditions and history.
I am sure we will learn from each other throughout our conversation in this forum!,

eine große Umarmung aus Chile!,

Innisfree

"Muss es sein? Es must sein! Es must sein!" (The unbearable lightness of being, Milan Kundera)

Hola Innisfree, mi español es malo.
Thank you for your kind welcoming and sharing your interest in German language and culture. I was learning Spanish with a teacher from Chile, but it was only a course for beginners. Anyhow, I just watched a documentary about people living in the most southern towns in the world in Chile and the landscape looked magnificent. It was still "pure" and not yet full of tourists. I'm fascinated by how many writers are here and agree that we should share our masterpieces some time.

Much love,
Britannica

Dear Britannica,

I would have suspected that you speak a little bit of spanish! wunderbar!. I don't think it is as bad as my german haha!, schade!. I can't believe you were learning spanish with a chilean teacher! too many coincidences in just one phrase haha, it is awesome though!.
There was a big european immigration in the southernmost regions of Chile in the past centuries since chileans didn't want to inhabit these wild lands. Most of them were germans, italians, austrians and swiss people. The german influence is strong in certain places, you can actually see architecture from certain areas of Germany (I believe it is mostly from the south of Germany). Nowadays you can see many "german stores" all along the country, most of them are bakeries (Christstollen is extremely delicious!).
I recommend you to see documentaries about the Atacama desert , I bet it will look like nothing you've ever seen in your life! I lived near the desert three years ago, it was such an enriching experience.

That would be nice!, can't wait to read your masterpieces. It is nice to meet you Britannica!,

Tá go fóill (good day),

Innisfree

My goodness, I do apologise that I am late with this! Well a very, big hello to you all here, my name is James. It's so wonderful to be part of such a lovely group of like-minded individuals. :')

Ever since I was young, I felt that I was different from others around me but I could never quite figure out in what way or how. It was only when I started secondary school, that I noticed these feelings of being different grew stronger. I often found myself alone for most of my first year of secondary school, as I felt I simply couldn't connect with most people my age. I wasn't into a lot of the things they were into and I felt uneasy around many. Being by myself, I felt safe and rather than feeling alone felt a sense of contentment and peace. Slowly I began to make a few, close friends (two of which are still my best friends even now). They accepted my 'old-fashioned' quirks and behaviour and accepted me for me. Even though they didn't fully understand where I was coming from, I still felt comfortable around them... It felt right. I absolutely LOVED history back at school, and still do to this day. There's something so fascinating and intriguing about the past; the lives of our ancestors, people who lived life way before we did. What did they think? What did they believe? What made them believe what they did? So many questions and interesting thoughts would often run through my mind. I'd watch documentaries on the Ancient Egyptians, life in the 1900's. I'd look at how people used to dress, the way they would interact with one-another and speak with manners and common courtesy. There was a strong pull towards the past, of wanting to emulate those who had walked before me. The more I became fascinated with history, the more I wanted to return to the past and discard modern day society. The more I learnt about history, the more the connection and the admiration for it became stronger and stronger.

It was at college whilst undertaking my A-Levels, where I felt a very powerful and indescribable change within me and my way of thinking. I had selected Religious Studies as one of my A-Levels, as I loved learning about different religions and found looking at their beliefs and practices immensely interesting. We focused on ethics and the philosophy of religion, looking at the views of Plato and Aristotle, Emmanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham to name a few. I can't quite put my finger on what triggered this change, but as time went on, I felt this wave of spirituality begin to develop and take shape within me. It made me stop and smell the flowers, made me acknowledge the beauty of the world around me, from the very big to the very small. It made me realise the beauty in every life, even in a creature as small as a ladybird. I yearned to discover more about myself and who I was, asking myself what my purpose was on this earth. What was I meant to do? What was I put here for? I questioned things more, and this shift in mindset made me feel so much compassion for those around me. It taught me the importance of love and friendship, how kindness and simple acts of compassion, can create such a huge difference in the lives of those around me, and it was a beautiful thing to witness.

So now to the present day, well I did feel quite lost for a while after my A-Levels and to an extent I still do feel lost. I feel as though at times, I am driving down a road with no road-signs. I just keep driving and driving, hoping to get to my destination (what destination you ask? I'm not too sure). I'm just kind of going with the flow, trying to take each day as it comes. I've learnt the importance of being grateful, for the things we have in life and the people in our life. I've come to learn that it's people that matter, and not things. 'Things' should never become a priority over those we love and hold dear to our hearts. I've learnt to take a much, slower approach to life because what's the point of rushing? In doing so, we miss the beauty that is all around us each and every day. I still feel as though I belong elsewhere, that maybe I had come from another time... Another place. Maybe that's why I feel so disconnected from this modern world because this is not my home, because I know I belong somewhere else. Where I simply don't know. Maybe I'll find out someday, but whilst I'm here I might as well enjoy it and be grateful for every day that is given to me, to enjoy with those I love the most. <3

About Me
Just an average guy, trying to make sense of the world around him. A shy and reserved guy to begin with, I tend to come out of my shell more as I become more comfortable with others. I try to live by the traits of kindness, compassion and acceptance whenever possible. What is better than being kind and accepting a person for who they are? The world had enough badness, without adding to it. I love being outdoors in the fresh air, listening to music of all kinds. I also enjoy writing poetry, cooking and baking (especially the eating part hehe!) ;p I love travelling and going for long drives, as well as reading up on history and daydreaming, stargazing, searching for quotes to learn from and taking life easy.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the extraordinary, the wonderful, the humble...James!

Dearest James, thank you so much for being here with us - my heart is full

I adore your introductory post and for telling us about yourself. You are right, there is nothing better or more important than being kind to others and accepting them for who they are. This is how we'll change the world my friend ' I yearned to discover more about myself and who I was, asking myself what my purpose was on this earth. What was I meant to do? What was I put here for? I questioned things more, and this shift in mindset made me feel so much compassion for those around me. It taught me the importance of love and friendship, how kindness and simple acts of compassion, can create such a huge difference in the lives of those around me, and it was a beautiful thing to witness.' This really moved me, it is wonderful to read such words and to know you have experienced such a shift. Hurray for you!!

Here's to making wonderful new memories as a community, on this forum and beyond!

With huge hugs and love,

Laurelite

Say hello to our newest member and mascot... Kiara Koala!!  

After the devastating news in Australia I was inspired to create a little mascot for our forum, to help spread love and awareness to and for the Koala population.

She loves eating, sleeping, and of course, reading but most of all Kiara loves to connect with like-minded individuals, spreading good vibes and helping to raise the consciousness of our Mother Earth, Gaia.

Hope you like her

Well here goes nothing. Hay my name is Dale, and I'm a pretty average guy. I'm 25 and just starting a whole new life. A classic 6ft 1 clumsy machine that constantly trips over his own feet 80% of the time the other 20% I just blame gravity. Just moved down to a small seaside town (known as Weymouth) Beautiful place. I'm a very open minded person who is willing to learn new skills and develop others. Being a novice Photographer I would like to get advice and criticisms to help me improve my work. would love to one day get into film production , I have worked in Charity for around 6 years Now and it's been the best experience of my life. I love listing to the stores that people bring in ( heart braking to true love) and its helped me grow to the kind person I am today. so if my love of film and photography doesn't get me far I'm looking to get into charity work abroad, Wanting to devote my time to just help others.

A shy guy is what most of my old friends say about me first. ( it does take a lot to get me to be human around others) but I am finally pushing the boundaries and willing to meet new people. so here I am , Hello world and Hello you beautiful people in the Zen Den.

P.S I adore Calcifer ( even got him tattooed on me)

Hi Dale or Calcifer and welcome to the forum ..... I hope you can find a place to talk and be happy. .... I read that you like photography! beautiful! do you have any favorite photographers? .... I really like your project to help others. I hope you can make it happen and maybe combine the passion of photography, film and charity.

Perseo

Hi everyone,

It was so lovely reading your introductions and life stories. A big, big hello to you all! You can call me Hawa. I am a Malaysian, who is currently living in Perth, Western Australia. Growing up, I don't think I ever felt like I quite fit in in Malaysia. Even though I adore the culture and am fiercely patriotic about our food, I always knew that my journey would take me elsewhere. After high school, I completed my A-Levels and had the choice of either moving to the US, the UK, or Australia. Traditionally, my family have all studied in London, and would move back to Malaysia afterwards. Breaking the mould at the time, I decided to move to Perth, Western Australia. I had visited Perth on a previous trip and just knew, somehow, that this city would be right for me. It's all beautiful beaches and warm sunshine, but it's the laid-back lifestyle that appealed to me, as I am a bit of a homebody and introvert.

A bit about my interests. Growing up, I was always surrounded by cameras. Not that I was a celebrity or anything, ha! My mum owned a film production company and would often make us move houses so that she could have new "shooting locations." As a result of being in that environment for so long, I grew up really loving stories in general, whether it be in books or films. I adore horror movies (even though I spend a week after that sleeping with the lights on), psychological thrillers (I studied psychology, so I can't help it!), action movies (I was convinced I'd marry Tony Stark), and foreign films (as I love learning about different cultures). I really enjoy watching Bollywood movies, Studio Ghibli, and one of my favourite films of all time is Pan's Labyrinth, which is a Spanish movie. I love books, particularly fiction, poetry, self-development, romance, and fantasy. I write poetry from time to time, and have just started a YouTube channel that is all about mindful and sustainable living. I have a strange fascination with tiny houses and nomads, and love love, absolutely love, travelling. One of my favourite places I travelled to was Bavaria, Germany, where I got to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle was so beautiful that it inspired my dream to one day go back to Germany, and from there, start castle-hopping throughout Europe. London is probably where I have travelled to the most, but I definitely want to travel to Italy, Greece, Egypt, Japan, America, South America, and South Africa. I also speak Malay and can read Arabic, although I'd really like to learn to speak Arabic soon. I took a little bit of German and French in uni, although the only French phrase I remember now is how to order coffee or wine (neither of which I drink, which is not helpful...), and for German, I remember learning, "Die katze sitzt auf dem sofa," which considering my deep love for cats, it makes sense that that has stuck with me.

I hope I didn't bore you with this long intro! Most of my close friends are scattered across the world, like in Malaysia, South Africa, and in Dorset, so I am always looking for more pen pals and friends that share similar interests to me.

I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum more in the future and speaking with all of you!


Sending good vibes your way,
Hawa.

Ciaooooo Hawa and welcome among us!
This is a simple message to give you a warm welcome to our forum; I'm really happy you are a part of it.
I liked your presentation very much🤩 and I hope we will be able to talk about various topics.

Welcome Hawa/ Benvenuta Hawa!

Ciao from Italy
Perseo

ps: I'm really curious about your name. Does it have a particular meaning? I had never heard of this name and it intrigued me.

Hi Perseo!

It's so lovely to e-meet you, and thank you so so much for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it!

I'm very excited to speak with you and everyone here more. Looking at your introductions, I think we all have very common interests of loving books, travelling, art, history, and just overall looking for other kind, like-minded people to connect with.

Thank you for your question about my name! My name does actually have several meanings. The English name for Hawa is Eve (first lady), as in, the wife of Adam. In Hindi and in Malay (my native language), Hawa means "air" or ("aria/vento" in Italian). In some other languages, it also means "desire" ("desiderare" in Italian). I used Google Translate for the Italian words, so I hope I got those words correct. I'm sorry if I didn't!   If you don't mind me asking, does Perseo have a meaning to it? I have not come across this name before  


Warm wishes from Australia,
Hawa.

Ciaooooo Hawa
Interesting the explanation of your name! I really like the meanings of your name, especially " Air"! The translations in Italian were perfect!

Perseo is not my real name, but I have always been fascinated by the particular names that I usually discover by reading books. I chose this name of the mythological hero, who defeated Medusa. Symbolically it can represents the one who defeats the fears of humanity! ... and then I adore the sculpture of Perseo by Benvenuto Cellini.

Aaaah I am very happy we have so many interests in common and I hope we will be able to talk about all our passions.

I really like kindness! I think it is a simple but effective way to change the world . Anyone who receives a kindness feels good and is tempted to be kind too.

Ciao from Italy
Perseo

Hi Everyone, it is so great to see a whole heap of new people here.
I'm sorry that I have been away for a while ,but as you are all aware ,this Spiritual journey takes us on roads and paths that we do not see coming.
My journey , has been a bit of a roller coaster, with stagnent, hermiting lows, to the white knuckle ride of the incredible heights that we can achieve.
At times ,it still leaves my head spinning.
So, here's my year.
On my morning walks I met a elderly gentleman that had been gone through the wars , literally.
We soon became friends , we would stop and chat if we saw each other along the trail.
I was telling him about joining a Indigenous Art class to get in touch with my culture and heritage.
When ,I was explaining to my friend about the course, he asked to see ,some of my work, while he explained, that he wanted to commission someone ,to do paintings on his shed.
I landed the commission ,which at the time was terrifying, I had never done something this huge.(I had only been doing my course at that stage for a month, never done Indigenous Art before.)
I grabbed all my fears from within ,released them all and started painting.
There were 3 paintings all up , each one flowed , like I was automatically painting.Which now when I look back, was exactly what was happening. I would look at the canvas, channel and create the image that the Universe had provided for me.
This was a completely new thing for me.I was astounded at what I had created ,the beauty , the meaning behind the 3 paintings , the message in Light Language that adorns ,Gaia's hair.
It all seemed so surreal.
With the paintings finished, they were taken to a professional photographer, who put them into digital format, they then were taken to my sons workplace, he is a signwriter.
From there they were put onto Vinyl then attached to Aluminium panels each panel was 1200x 1800cms
Which were then installed onto my friends shed.which we also painted.
Since the installment, I have channelled a few more paintings, I'm looking forward to see ,what comes out next.
I'm looking at getting posters done spread the message further a field.
I definately did not see this coming, but it has provided me with strenght, the will to succeed, confidence within myself, pride plus a whole heap more things that I was lacking.its opened my world right up.
It's amazing how the Universe puts people on our path to help us grow.if we take the time and have patience to see the signs in front of us.
I have found a gift from the Universe, which has left me with nothing but Gratitude for this journey and everyone on it.
About the paintings,
Painting 1, is my interpretation of Gaia creating Life, with Light Language in her hair.
Painting 2, is the Tree of Life, that looks like a Lady.
Painting 3, is of a beautiful waterfall, about 1 1/2 hrs from where I live.
Putting them all together, The story goes.
Gaia , breathes life into the Tree of Life , which provides us with the abundance we need to prosper.
I will try to put up some pics ,if I can work out how to do it hehe.
I'm looking forward to hearing what people experience when they see the Art .
I hope everyone has had the most beautiful love filled Christmas and New Year.
What were your highlights for the year? Zen Denners.
To all the Zen Denners, Have a lovely light filled day ,Take care ,stay safe.
Phoenix68