Quinta holistica

Querem vêr a minha quinta holistica? Vão a http://levada.home.sapo.pt/ e ainda http://fotogeres.blogspot.com/

Livro do mês:

"Man in the Dark" by Paul Auster.

Aborda a complexidade da mente humana e desenvolve o conceito de múltiplas realidades, um pouco para além do conceito da física quântica de múltiplos universos e interligando com o conceito das realidades da nossa percepção. "There are many realities. There's no single world. There are many worlds, and they all run parallel to one another, worlds and anti-worlds, worlds and shadow-worlds, and each world is dreamed or imagined or written by someone in another world. Each world is the creation of a mind".
Paul Auster é sem dúvida um dos meus autores preferidos. By the same author (a não perder): "The New York Trilogy" and "In the country of Last Things"
Boas leituras!

LIvro recomendado:

"Os alimentos contra o Câncer" , original: "Les aliments contre le cancer", Editions Trécarré. Autores: Richard Béliveau PhD e Denis Gingras PhD. FRuto de investigação Canadiana, Universidade de Montreal e Quebec.
MUito interessante e a não perder. Relembra-nos a necessidade de comer couve, alho, cebola, tomate, citrinos, passando pelos omega-3, relembrando os frutos vermelhos como as amoras e morangos, e terminado no vinho e chocolate negro. Acresce que a apresentação é apelativa e é de leitura fácil sem se perder em considerações muito cientificas (embora as apresente tambem). As citações são fabulosas. Algumas:
. O melhor médico é a natureza: ela cura três quartos das doenças e nunca fala mal dos colegas. Louis Pasteur
.Todas as substâncias são venenos; o que diferencia um veneno de um remédio é a dose certa. Paracelso
. Um pouco de vinho é um antídoto contra a morte; em grande quantidade é o veneno da vida. Provérbio persa.
Boa leitura!

Poema favorito

Leio pouca poesia mas de quando em quando releio os meus poemas favoritos. Fazem bem á alma...
Então cá vai o meu eleito:

O VAGABUNDO DO MAR
Sou barco de vela e remo
sou vagabundo do mar.
Não tenho escala marcada
nem hora para chegar:
é tudo conforme o vento,
tudo conforme a maré...
Muitas vezes acontece largar o rumo tomado
da praia para onde ia...
Foi o vento que virou?
foi o mar que enraiveceu
e não há porto de abrigo?
ou foi a minha vontade
de vagabundo do mar?
SEi lá.
Fosse o que fosse
não tenho rota marcada
ando ao sabor da maré.
É por isso, meus amigos,
que a tempestade da Vida
me apanhou no alto mar.
E agora
queira ou não queira,
cara alegre ebraço forte:
estou no meu posto a lutar!
Se for ao fundo acabou-se.
Estas coisas acontecem
aos vagabundos do mar.
MANUEL DA FONSECA

Retorno às origens

Tenho na vida mais que um sonho, uma ilusão: a de vir a ser feliz se me dedicar à agricultura. Não que me sinta uma pessoa infeliz, mas sinto que a vida corre mais depressa do que deveria. A pressão do tempo e as multiplas solicitações desapareceriam se apenas me preocupasse com vêr as ervas a crescer...

Qi-Gong, um caminho para uma vida equilibrada...

Descobri recentemente o Qi-Gong e recomendo como técnica para harmonizar corpo e mente. É óptima para um relaxamento activo...
E pode ser praticada em qualquer idade.
Algumas fotografias de uma sessão de divulgação (e por tal efectuada pela primeira vez pela grande maioria dos fotografados)

SObre o sistema de saude americano...

In the United States, government financing focuses on the poor and the elderly. But public spending on health as a percentage of GDP is not lower than in many countries that provide universal public coverage.
OECD data 2008
Se estão descontentes e acham que o sistema americano é mehor, desiludam-se. Leiam: Sick de Jonathan Cohn, the "untold story of america's heath care crisis".

A fairy tale (by paula teresa)

I
Christine, the fairy

It was time of her pilmigrage to the people's world. What would she take with her? It was permited only one magic object to carry with. What to choose? What would give joy to the world? You don't know yet but she is a good fairy. She wished to make the world a better place to live on! So what to choose indeed? The specially beautiful and valuable jewel? A magic word of hope? The rope that can never be cut? The flower with the most pleasent scent and color? Well... with a sight she decided she woult carry her magic golden powder...

And so
with her magic golden powder
she went into
the world of humans

She landed in a field with a mountain.
And a man was there working. He was carrying a stone up to the top of the hill. Getting on the top the stone would roll all the way to the bottom. And the man would carry it again to the top, over and over... and over...it was his job, always the same, always without a end, no meaning we can think of.
-What's your name? Asked Christine
-Sisifo.
-Ah, I've heard about you in my school books.
-It's possible. I'm famous.
-Are you happy? Christine was curious.
-No.
-Why not, if you're famous?
-Fame isn't everything in life.I need something more to fullfill mine...I just don't know what...
-I can give you some of my magic golden powder! Offerd Christine.
-How would it help me?
-Well, you can spread it on the floor and turn your path brighter! Even your stone would shine!
-Yeah...that would be nice. But what's the real purpose of that?
-Well,if you find it nice you will become happier. That's already a good purpose. And think about this: when you arrive with your stone at the top of the mountain people around will see it shining even far far away. I'm sure they'll smile and feel good and warm seeing this wonderful shining light! Perhaps that will turn their days a little happier too!
Sisifo smiled with the thought. Yes, that could in a way help him go on...
So Christine gave him a little bit of her golden powder.

And went on, on her way.
It was a warm sunshiny day. She felt happy! Her first step on the human's world was well accomplished. She felt so proud! Was it ok to feel vain? She didn't know for sure but she decided it was. So she gave herself a little present... she threw a little bit of her golden powder to the Sun. It turned so golden bright, you could no more look easily at it! It would burn your eyes (of course not Christine's eyes as she was a fairy). Christine was happy with the strenght of the golden light the sun was irradiating...

At the end of the day she arrived by the ocean. The ocean is always so beutiful! The sea is magic in itself. The movement of the waves, the smell, the freshness of the air, the line of the horizon...! She sat and day-dreamt with no particular dreams, just lettin her mind wander and be quiet and calm...
As the sun was setting the sky was turning a beautiful shade of red and purple. She felt tears in her eyes (was she missing home?), and slowly threw a little bit of her golden powder and that painted a golden and bright road on the ocean in direction of what was left of the sun.

She was so excited to be in the people's world that she could not yet put herself to sleep. So she walked throw the night...
The moon was full and the stars were shining. They had a silver fairly bright light she liked, so she didn't change it. Afterall it isn't needed to be golden to be beautiful. She knew that for long. You can't even see the most important beauty with your eyes, the beauty of the heart, of the soul, the feelings... (Noone knows but she imagined the beauty of the soul to be golden!)

She arrived into a farm-house (she loved farms!) and knocked at the door. She was disguised as a young woman, well not too young for not to attract suspicions when people see her walking by herself all alone.
An old farmer woman opened the door. Christine asked for shelter for the night. The woman looked at her and, deciding she wasn't dangerous but wondering what the hell was she doing on the road in the middle of the night, offered Christine a place by the fire and a soup to warm and confort her up. The farmers on that village have a saying:"never refuse a soup and a place by the fire". The husband of the woman, an old farmer-man itself, looked at her, nodded as a hello, and said nothing.
Christine knew from her school-books farmers don't talk much. They understand better than their own human language, the language of the sky, the plants, the wind, even the animals...
"language is a source of misunderstanding" that is also a human saying, thought Christine, that used to study hard her lessons.
Silence involved them and growed.
The fire was the center of this moment. Flames were jumping, tongues of warm yellow light, sometimes with a bit of white, red or blue inside.
When noone was watching she threw a little bit of her golden powder to the fire and it got so wonderfully golden and bright! The farmer's old eyes shined with pleasure looking at that marvel! They didn't ask anything, they didn't even wonder (and that I must say surprised Christine, the good fairy). She learned farmers, like gipsys, are familiar with magic in their everyday life...

After a while they all got tired and sleepy (it was a long, long day for everyone). They all went to bed.
(Christine slept by the fire. It's not safe, but...she is a fairy anyway!)
In the morning, even before the sun rose, but of course after the cock had sung, she said good-bye, thanked the farmers and continued her journey.

After a while she met a group of children wlking to school.
They were walking (for this you can see this happened long time ago, when children used to walk to school), playing, screaming, amusing themselves with each other. Some were energetic, others more quiet, but Christine knew they could hide their inner selves easily.
Christine gave them a little bit of her golden powder, telling them it was magic, and they all believed her and got happy. Some girls put it in their hair to get even more beauty, others made with it little golden cards drowing golden hearts for their beloved, others saved it to think how to use it better. Boys used it in similar ways, some even threw it at each other as in a game. They all were laughing not paying much attention to this so special gift, but they were just kids playing. And Christine was happy with that.

Later on, she met a woman.
The woman was just sitting in a chair in a garden, looking like thinking, absorbed in her thoughts.
-Can I sit by yourself? Asked Christine.
-If you wish, answered the woman.
-What are you doing?
-Just thinking.
-What about?
-My life.
-What's about your life?
-I don't know...
-What do you mean, you don't know?
-I just don't know.I'm tired of living my life and I just don't really knoe why. I have a job, a house, friends, a pet but I feel it's not enough...
-What do you need more?
-Perhaps the perfect person, my twin-soul to rescue me from loneliness.
Christine paused for a moment with astonishment. She didn't know there were such matters in the world! Even in the fairy's world there were no news of the existence of such a being, the perfect twin-soul! That's why the fairy tales always ended like "they married, had lot's of kids and were happy forever". They ended like that because there was no point and magic in telling the neverending difficulties, the obstacles to be climbed, the problems to come, fights, of course the happy moments and wonderful moments of understanding (afterall the fairy tales don't lie, just don't tell everything).
Christine knew the feeling of loneliness very well. They weren't many fairies in the fairy's world and sometimes it was difficult to go on. Something inside her grew and she felt tenderness and closeness to this human being. She tryed hard to find a solution and help this woman. She realized a human would do a better job than her. But all she had... this magic (stupid!) magic powder...
After a while she gave to the woman a little bit of it apologizing. The woman smiled as she felt Christine was doing her best and trying to be a good friend, she didn't know why but friendship doesn't need an explanation. So the woman kept the golden powder as a souvenir and Christine went on her journey.

Christine was a bit sad. She wanted to stay a little bit longer with her new friend but it was forbidden to fairies to stay long with humans. She was also sad because she realized fairies can't do much to change human's world. They just can give it a little bit of magic. Anyway humans can do that too! They can love each other, care for each other, work in a meaning job, play wonderful music, dance, talk to each other, enjoy themselves, ... they can be part of the goodness of the world.
Then she understood it was time to go back yo her world. The purpose of her pilmigrage was achieved. She understood both worlds human's and fairy's were not so different. She still felt she was special but no more vain. (You know fairy's children are very vain because they know they can do magic and even sometimes they play in an unfair way with humans). She realized magic is possible to achieve by every being...
But, like the beuty of the soul, sometimes it's vey difficult to see it.

Respira. Associação Portuguesa de Pessoas com DPOC e outras Doenças Respiratórias Crónicas

Vão a www.respira.pt. Colaborem efectuando inscrição.
A força de qualquer associação depende do número de associados

A EPIDEMIA DO TABACO

February 7, 2008 — The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that 1 billion people worldwide could die of tobacco-related causes this century unless "urgent action" is taken.

The WHO's report includes these global statistics on tobacco deaths:

100 million people died of tobacco-related causes during the 20th century.
Tobacco currently kills 5.4 million people per year.
Tobacco use makes six of the world's eight leading causes of death -- including heart disease, stroke, and cancer -- more likely.
"Of the more than 1 billion smokers alive today, around 500 million will be killed by tobacco," states the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008.

The WHO predicts that, without intervention, tobacco will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030, and 80% of those deaths will occur in developing countries.

The WHO proposes six policies to reduce global tobacco deaths:

Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies.
Protect people from tobacco smoke.
Offer help to quit tobacco use.
Warn about the dangers of tobacco.
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.
Raise taxes on tobacco.
SOURCES: World Health Organization, WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008. News release, World Health Organization.

"Night train to Lisbon" de Pascal Mercier

Não resisto a transcrever alguns excertos deste livro fabuloso de Mercier, professor de Filosofia, nacionalidade Suíça.
"I would not like to live in a worlf without cathedrals. I need their beauty and grandeur. I need them against the vulgarity of the world. (...)I want to let myself be wrapped in the austere coolness of the churges. I need their imperious silence (...)I love praying people. I need the sight of them. I need it agains the malicious poison of the superficial (...)"

relaxamento / meditação

O mundo está a mudar rapidamente e a velocidade das mudanças supera muitas vezes a nossa capacidade de adaptação. Poderemos levantar o pé do acelerador e procurar viver de forma mais tranquila.




Mereça alguns períodos de repouso ao longo do dia, ou no início ou final do seu dia. Concentre-se na respiração calma, ampla lenta, rítmica. Sinta o ar fluir pelas narinas, entrando fresco e saindo aquecido.
Deixe a sua mente relaxar. Os pensamentos vêm à mente, deixe-os sair com suavidade focando a sua atenção na respiração. Visualize algo que o acalme: uma chama, um pôr-do-sol, uma montanha serena, um rio a fluir, e deixe a serenidade e o relaxamento estender-se ao longo do seu corpo.

Se preferir pare 30 minutos por dia para pensar, ou de preferência para não pensar.











UNIDADE

Respire fundo,
Respire fundo.

O ar enche-me os pulmões
O meu sangue recebe
Esta dádiva pela qual
Vivo mais alguns momentos,
Todas as minhas células repletas.

Cada vez que respiro
Parte de mim separa-se
E algo novo
É posto no lugar.

O arroz que comi ontem,
Onde está agora?
Nos meus músculos,
O sumo que bebi
Para onde foi?
Para os braços e pernas e tudo.

No passado
O arroz ondulava ao sol
Noutras terras
E os frutos estavam suspensos
Das árvores em Portugal
Espanha ou longe

E antes disso?
Antes disso a sua substância
Estava no solo
Estava no ar
Estava nos mares
À espera de se transformar em chuva

Tu e eu
Somos principalmente água.
No ano passado
A maior parte de cada um de nós
Estava no oceano.
Circulávamos juntos…

E essa água foi erguida
Pelo calor do Sol
Pelo impacto de fotões

E cada fotão
Provem do sol
Do ventre de uma estrela
Tu e eu fomos estrelas no passado

Portanto quem eras no ano passado?
E onde estarás na semana que vem?
Quem é o teu amigo e o teu inimigo?
E quem será tu no ano que vem?

Respira fundo
Respira fundo

Este ar sou eu
Este ar és tu.
Este ar partilhamos.

Cada vez que respiro ligo-me
Com as grandes florestas.
A minha expiração é o seu alimento,
A expiração deles enche os meus pulmões.

Todos os dias
Recolhemos substância
E continuamos a tarefa
De interminavelmente
Nos reconstruirmos
Uns dos outros.

Todos os dias
nos desfazemos de uma porção
E continuamos o ciclo
De interminavelmente
Nos devolvermos
Aos outros.

Dia a dia mudamos
E transformamo-nos uns nos outros
A substância do universo
Poeira de estrelas e tudo,
Atravessando cada um de nós
E nós atravessando-a

Onde estavas no ano passado?
Respira fundo,
Respira fundo.

Queremos ir por aqui?

Com o argumento de "uma máquina estatal demasiado pesada" está a "desmantelar-se o Serviço Público.
A nível da Saúde assiste-se ao fecho de urgências e a remodelações que tornam o acesso mais dificil ás populações.
Estão criadas as condições para o florescimento da medicina privada gerida pelos grandes grupos económicos como os bancos e basta observar o aparecimento de diversos hospitais privados.
Comenta-se que os médicos irão ser pagos por produtividade e será assustador se isso se traduzir na simples contagem do número de actos. Quem quererá dedicar-se ao doente grave ou complicado que necessáriamente obrigará a um maior dispêndio de tempo?
Quereremos ser consultados por médicos exaustos e sem tempo disponivel para ponderação?

É por aqui que queremos ir?

DEixo-vos algumas estatisticas americanas em contraponto ás portuguesas:
. 59% of population is covered through their employer with health care expenses (300 million people)
. 47,000,000 Americans with no insurance coverage or inadequate coverage
Health care expenses per capita person in USA $5,800.00
. Esperança de vida em Portugal: 77.3 anos, 10,000,000 pessoas, Gastos em saúde:1797 D/pessoa
Esperança de vida nos USA: 77.2 anos, 300,000,000 pessoas, Gastos em saude:5635D/pessoa

Onde está o nosso dito "desperdicio"?

A Christmas tale

Once upon a time, long, long time ago,
In a far away lost land,
There was a hero.
He didn’t look that special, he wasn’t notably handsome, or smart; he didn’t discovered anything, he wasn’t a known or famous poet or artist or author, nothing at all we usually link to heroes.
So sometimes he was sad, asking itself if he was worthy of being a hero. He tried to work hard on being a hero but life has its own ways and kept going on leaving him unnoticed. Sometimes he got tired, sometimes anxious, most of the time he kept going living his life the best way he could. And his life was quite an interesting life if you look at it (afterwards he was a hero): he used to wake up in the morning, kiss his wife, go to work and solve little problems (sometimes the problems were huge but comparing to what goes on in all the world and since the beginning of times they turn into smaller ones), come back home tired sometimes happy sometimes angry, talk to his friends…
But life sometimes got bored and our hero wanted to give up. He wanted to change jobs: to become an astronaut, a scientist, a doctor, a conqueror, he wanted to change the world! How happy he would be! So, he had a dream: to make a difference in life.
He kept his eyes open to the world and doing so he kept learning. He liked to talk to everyone has he knew everyone has his ways of knowledge. He wanted to be a wise man. So he tried to understand the rich and the poor, the good and the bad, the healthy and the sick, the powerful and the homeless,…He a kind of decided to make of his life a pilmigrage, into what? he didn’t know. And life went on…
As everyone knows once a year Christmas come and with it a time of celebration, of Jesus for religious people, of the link between all people and desire of peace in the world for everyone else. And our hero in Christmas evening was preparing for sending his postcards, and gifts, and wishes to friends, looking throw the window at the snow outside (as you know there isn’t Christmas without snow, and if you don’t have it you have to imagine) and suddenly saw a fairy!! How come a fairy was there?! We know there are no fairies in the world and surely not at Christmas stories! So he looked again but there she was: a fairy, a kind of looking cold because you know it was really snowing. So he opened the window and she came inside. She apologised, she got lost from another story. Anyway she could use a little rest and warm by the fire before moving on in her way. He was so amazed he said nothing and just kept looking at her. She quickly slept a deep sleep but a very short one (fairies have their own time different from humans). Then she thanked the hospitality and said goodbye. She was really late to her own story (she probably was Portuguese has everyone knows Portuguese have “brandos costumes” and kept not being on time).
A while after she left he went back to his own business preparing himself for his Christmas evening with his family. He felt happy. Afterwards he had everything worth in life: interesting people to be around, family who loved him and that he loved, friends to feel linked with, and once in a while some fantasy to make life funny. In that Christmas evening he decided to be or not to be a hero wasn’t important no more.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS
Paula Teresa

My city: Oporto of course!