Cute Loop!

I hope this brightens your day. It certainly brightened mine.

UPDATE: OH NO! It seems that the original cute loop doesn't exist anymore. It was kittens on a slide and a mama cat carrying them back to the top. If I can find it again, I'll repost it. Otherwise you'll just have to use your imaginations.  >^w^<

Namaste and Goodnight, 

Luna

Beautiful People

Hello all,

I haven't been updated in awhile, so I wanted to take this opportunity to very quickly explain why.

First of all, my computer went into a coma last week. As of yesterday it is completely out of commission. In the time that my computer has been unusable I have had access to a family computer during very select hours of the day. This limited access made it rather hard for me to find material and to post.

I was not really planning on getting a new computer, but the project I have been working on requires one. Therefore, I have purchased a new laptop. After I get my new computer tomorrow night, I will be able to update you all much more regularly. I might even throw in an update about the beautiful design of my new laptop. :)

The other reason I haven't been able to update recently is that I have been prepping for my move to Chicago this Saturday.  I have never lived in a large metropolitan area before. To be honest, I have been rather anxious about it. However, I've both met and heard stories of some pretty spectacular people that live in the Chicago area, and my roommates have been amazing about preparing our apartment for my arrival. They are committed to creating a happy home for me, something I desperately need at this point in life, and due to their hard work I am much more relaxed.

I guess I was just worried because I have been witness to a lot of hate and cruelty lately, and I didn't want to face that alone in an unfamiliar territory. These beautiful in my life have but my fears to rest; I am not just speaking about my roommates but also the other citizens of Chicago I have come across, many of whom I haven't even spoken to. They have just shown out as strangers with kind hearts; and as long as strangers with kind hearts still exist, I have nothing to worry about.

To all of you who show kindness to others, who value the happiness and lives of others and not just your own, all of those of you share your compassion and generosity and humility and love and courage, who chose to do the right thing instead of the easy thing, regardless of who you are or where you are from or how easy or hard your journey has been thus far: You are beautiful.

You are the most beautiful thing in the world. I commend your efforts, and should you ever feel unappreciated or hopeless or like the work you do does not matter: know that your lives and your effort fill my life with beauty and light and purpose and strength, and make my journey easier.

I truly and deeply thank you for that.

Namaste and have a good evening,

Luna

An Underrated Movie

Hello All,

After my laptop decided to die yesterday, I spent my usual routine of staying up early into the morning hours watching a movie that I hadn't seen in a long time. I think it may have been the first movie I had ever watched on Netflix Instant View and I had forgotten why I had given it a 5 star rating. I remember now.

 

The movie is Phoebe in Wonderland. The title is apt for several reasons, the most obvious of which is an underlying connection that the main character of the movie, Phoebe Lichten (played by Elle Fanning), has to the character Alice of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone, so I will just say that it is a beautiful story a loving family trying to deal with the very difficult issue of growing up when you have a few extra struggles and aren't quite the same as everyone else. Phoebe in Wonderland is still available on Netflix Instant View, so if you have Netflix and you have the time please watch it. 

Namaste and Goodnight, 

Luna

A Lesson from Crayons

"We could learn a lot from crayons:  some are sharp, some are pretty; some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors... but they all exist very nicely in the same box."  Anonymous

The above advice should be shared with everyone. 

Namaste and Goodnight, 

Luna

At last I see the light.

Hello all,

I love Disney movies and last night I had the pleasure of watching Tangled again. I love Tangled for a wide variety of reasons. Most of which I won't go into here. However, I really wanted to share one scene with all of you that haven't seen the movie. (Hopefully, it will be fun for those of you who have as well.)

I know that a few weeks back I posted a poem by Li Po about being alone and all the fun that one can have without anyone to keep them company. While I still do believe this is true, I am actually quite the hopeless romantic at heart and I was a huge cry baby when I first heard this song.

The context of the song is as follows: Rapunzel has been locked in a tower since she was a baby. Every year on her birthday these magical lights float into the sky, and she can't help but feel that they are for her. Some guy stumbles into her tower on the run from the law. She knocks him out and forces him to take her to the lights. The two of them get into all sorts of shenanigans and have a jolly old time and then eventually they reach the kingdom the guy is on the run from. Once night falls the guy, Flyn Rider, takes her out on a boat to watch the who kingdom release paper lanterns into the sky. Will there be a love connection? Watch the video and find out.



It is stuff like this, ladies and gentleman, that can melt even a cynic's heart. So to all my single friends out there: I wish you the best of luck on your quests for love. (That is of course if love is what you are searching for.) For those of us who want love, I am sure we will find it some day. :)

Namaste and Good Evening,
Luna 

Valerie

"But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. With all my heart, I love you. Valerie"

Just a good quote from V for Vendetta.

Namaste and Goodnight,

Luna

I want to see the world through these.

So I have eliminated my quota for now. :)

Quotas aren't natural. :p

I will update this blog as I see fit until further notice.

Anyway, I love these glasses and would like to find a way to own them. However, they are from Japan.

They are replica frames of Bayonetta's glasses from the Sega game Bayonetta. I think they are beautiful. 

Anyway, that is all I have for you tonight. 

Goodnight and Namaste, 

Luna

Back?

Hi all,

I am back... kind of... and I don't have anything super special, but I have a semi good reason: I am writing a book. Hopefully, it will actually be a series of books and I am very excited about writing them. (As are the people I have shared the story with thus far.)

Anyway, this blog isn't meant to be about me it is meant to be about beauty.

So today I'm going to share the youtube page of a beautiful and inspirational lady. Hopefully, she never finds out that I shared it here because she might be rather embarrassed if she saw that I put her on a blog in the middle of random cyber space. (In honesty though I have never met her in person, so I don't know maybe she wouldn't mind.)

Her name is Glenny and she is a transgender woman living in the UK. She has a stunning smile and has inspired and helped many other people in similar situations without even really having to do too much. I'll share her first video from a year ago in this entry. If you want to see more, I highly recommend you head over to her youtube page ( http://www.youtube.com/user/missglenny#p/u/2/GhnSKJQFncA ) and check out the rest of her videos.



Namaste and have a good afternoon,
Luna

Hiatus

Hi all,

Sorry this isn't a real post just letting you all know that I will be gone for a day or two trying to figure out my next move in life. I will do my best to have a worthwhile, special post when I get back. :)

Namaste and good night,
Luna

A Small Hillside Town

Hello all,

Once again I am a little busier than usual. If my schedule keeps continuing as is I may have to cut down to one post a day.

Today I would like to very quickly share with you a few photos of my favorite town in Italy, Asssi. It is a quiet, calm, little town on a hillside full of history. Due to my time constraints today I 'm not going to be able to share that history with you in this post, but I highly recommend that you look into the history of Assisi. If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Italy, please consider visiting this gorgeous town.

(None of the above photos are mine. They were found on various travel sites. For more information on the sites or photographers feel free to contact me and I will point you in the right direction.)

Namaste and be well,
Luna

It's okay to be alone

This past year several of my friends went through some very rough break ups. Today another one of my friends called me to tell me about some problems he was having with girlfriend, and eventually we reached a point in the conversation where I remembered that it is okay to be single.

I am not suggesting that people shouldn't be in relationships. Love is an amazing thing and the perks of having someone to spend the night with aren't half bad either. However, having some time to yourself to figure out your life and to be beautiful on your own can really be a blessing.

And to prove that you can have fun all by yourself and that people have been able to for centuries, I would like to share with you a silly poem by a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty named Li Po.

"Drinking Alone in the Moonlight" 

Li Po 

(701-762 C.E.)

Beneath the blossoms with a pot of wine, 

No friends at hand, so I poured alone;

I raised my cup to invite the moon, 

Turned to my shadow, and we became three.

Now the moon had never learned about drinking, 

And my shadow had merely followed my form, 

But I quickly made friends with the moon and my shadow; 

To find pleasure in life, make the most of the spring.

Whenever I sang, the moon swayed with me; 

Whenever I danced, my shadow went wild. 

Drinking, we shared our enjoyment together; 

Drunk, then each went off on his own. 

But forever agreed on dispassionate revels,

We promised to meet in the far Milky Way. 

Well I feel even better about being single now. If Li Po could have that much fun with no friends in the eighth century. I think I will be fine for awhile without someone special in my life - less drama and more dancing with my shadow in the moonlight.

I hope all of my single readers are enjoying themselves and I hope that all my readers in a relationship are living drama free and happy lives as well. 

Goodnight and Namaste, 

Luna

P.S. - I do not encourage frequently drinking alone, especially outside at night... but a girl has got to have fun by herself every once and awhile. ;)

Evergreen

Hello All,

Busy day, so I only have time for a very quick post.

The following is a gorgeous animated music video about the original source of beauty: Nature. It is currently 86 degrees outside where I live, and a little bit intense for me. However, I do suggest everyone find a way to get outside and enjoy the warm, summer weather while you can. Just make sure you try to keep cool while you do it. :)




Namaste. Enjoy the sun,
Luna

The Impressionist's Mirror

Hello All,

Sorry that I didn't get to keep up with my two posts a day quota. I was out of town without the internet, but now I am back with more to share. :)

Tonight I'd like to show you a selection of works by the painter Berthe Morisot. A member of The Impressionists, Morisot completed the majority of her works in Paris between 1860 and 1890. Her works were directed at a contemporary, French female audience and reflected the restrictions of her gender and class during the period in which she lived. Some of the recurring subjects of her paintings included landscapes, scenes of domesticity, intimate scenes of women in their private spaces, and portraits of her daughter, Julie Manet. (Morisot was married to Eugene Manet, the brother of her friend and colleague Édouard Manet.)

The selection I have chosen to share with you are three paintings of women with mirrors.

I decided to share these works with you because they reflect both my search for truth and beauty as well as the construction of beauty that has become synonymous with femininity in modern culture. The outward appearance of the women in these paintings is not what makes these paintings or the women in them beautiful - although the women are certainly outwardly gorgeous as well. What makes these these paintings and the women in them beautiful is the way they are portrayed: the paintings' reflection of the women's inner beauty, the little flaws in the near perfect construction of their public selves, the reflections in the mirror.

Hopefully, you can find truth and beauty in the works of Morisot beyond the mere paint on the canvas. Without further ado, here are three beautiful works by Berthe Morisot.

"Psyche" 1876

"Lady at her Toilette" 1875

"Jeune Femme Au Miror"

(If anyone knows the date when this painting was painted, I would really appreciate that information.)

As always, I encourage you look at more works by the artists I share with you. Morisot created many more amazing paintings that are definitely worth viewing. 

Namaste and good night, 

Luna

"It takes guts to be gentle and kind."

Good Morning World,

I hope everyone had a wonderful morning already. My poor puppy is feeling sick, so my morning was filled with a little unwanted excitement.

I know that I just posted something from So You Think You Can Dance two days ago, as my first post, but as I was thinking about what to post this morning, I decided that I would like to cover a beautiful moment from this weeks episode while it was still fresh. The piece is a contemporary routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and performed by Marko Germar and all star Allison Holker to Jeff Buckley's "I know it's Over".

 I've included the entire video for you here - the set up, dance, and feedback - because the effect this dance has had on people is really amazing. Lady Gaga was crying. Marko was Crying. Allison was crying. Mary Murphy was crying. Marko's mom was crying. My mom was crying. (You get the idea.)

I'll try to let the piece speak for itself. I just felt that I had to share something so powerful that it could bring so many people to tears.



Also, on a barely related side note. In this same episode Caitlyn danced a foxtrot with Tadd in a gorgeous old Hollywood style dress that I would like very bad. So, just for fun, I have posted a few pictures of that dress as well. :)

Namaste and be well,

Luna

As You Are

Hello all,

I'm posting a little early tonight because I have plans to be out and about. The following is a unique song about pulling down facades and being yourself.

There have been plenty of songs out recently by big name artists about the inherent beauty we all have. However, for some reason this hidden gem has always stuck out to me when I think about songs about self love.

Many songs encouraging self love are for the underdogs who have gotten picked on throughout their lives and tend to visibly feel down. While I feel that those types of songs are extremely important, this song is extra special to me because I feel that it also encourages those with strong exteriors to be comfortable with their own weaknesses, to abandon their tough facades, let people in and be themselves. It is the type of song that could stop hatred if those doing the hurt could actually take it to heart.

 The song is "As You Are" by an adorable, quirky, smart duo called "Garfunkel and Oates".

I am a big fan of theirs, and although most of their other songs are just plan silly, I highly recommend you visit their website and check them out.

http://www.garfunkelandoates.com/

Namaste and have a good night everyone,
Luna

Desiderata

My Truth for today comes from a poem by Max Ehrmann entitled Desiderata. I first heard this lovely poem from one of my personal heroes, Kate Bornstein, when she came and visited one of my classes during college. I feel that the poem presents us with some good advice on ways to live a calm and fulfilling life in an increasingly fast paced and chaotic world. 

 I would like to point out that this poem makes a reference to "God". I want this blog to be accessible to people of all religions, philosophies, and beliefs. Therefore, I recommend that you take whatever truth from the poem you can based on what you personally believe. If you believe in a male god this will be easy for you. For those of you who do not it may help to replace the "him" in the line following "Therefore be at peace with God" with "her", "him or her", "it" or "them". If you do not believe in any deity you can think of these lines as saying "Therefore be at peace with the universe". 

I promise I will not put this disclaimer before every semi-religious thing I post in this blog. In future posts I will reference back to this post with my views on the subject. The original text of the author should be honored and as such I have posted it in its original form. However, just because we may not share all of his views does not mean there is not some truth in what he said. Thus, once again I suggest that you pull your own meaning from the words he has inscribed for us and suggest that you analyze, discuss, and reinterpret his work in the way that best helps you grow.  

Namaste and be well,

Luna

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Silence

I have always thought dance is a powerful and beautiful art form. I've been watching So You Think You Can Dance since season four, and this piece was one of the first dances I remember that literally left me speechless. Thus, I have chosen it as my first bit of beauty to share on my new blog.



Namaste and good night,
Luna