In Search of Simplicity

November 10, 2008

In Search of Simplicity

Posted by johnhaines under Home | Tags: adventure, book, coincidences, happiness, health articles, In Search of Simplicity, John Haines, John p Haines, meaning of life, peace, simple living, simplicity, simplicity articles, simplicity books, synchronicities, synchronicity, travel, voluntary simplicity |
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In Search of Simplicity is a startlingly poignant and inspiring real-life endorsement of the power of thought, belief and synchronicity in one’s life. It has been compared with James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy and Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior. It is a page-turning adventure story and it’s TRUE.

In Search of Simplicity offers a gateway into a world in which your deepest dreams and wishes are fulfilled, even before you are aware of them, a gateway into that place of simplicity where you stop struggling and trying to make it happen and simply allow it to happen.

When you’re in the right place, doing just what you want to do, and genuinely enjoying it, the Universe bends over backwards to ensure your success.

BUY THE BOOK

‘This book has important keys to living well. Far from predictable, it is an exciting read; showing us that living with simplicity can lead to stimulating adventures, fresh insights and a deeper understanding of life.’

Suzanne Stewart, Wellington

In Search of Simplicity 3 Minute Audio Trailer

Here’s a fun, five minute interview that Eileen Kapa of DBFR makes with the author as he speaks about In Search of Simplicity and some of the bigger questions of life the book endeavours to answer. This was made as a small part of a Far North book launch and book signing tour in March, 2009.

In Search of Simplicity

is now available in e-format for only $11.99.

Here’s the link.

From the Author:

My search for simplicity carried me all over the world. You could call it a search for a simpler way of living, a more natural way of being.

The external journey culminated in living for periods of time with two sets of agrarian people, one Islamic, the other Christian—the Hunzas in their Shangri La stronghold at the roof top of the world and the Trobriand Islanders at their doorstep perched on coral islets in the western Pacific. Each of these societies lives with grace and in balanced harmony with nature.

The internal journey took place while staying in Dharmsala, home of the displaced Tibetans and their leader, the Dalai Lama, in northern India. That journey carried me home to the place we’re all seeking, to the source of sustenance spoken of by every mystic, to the Heart of Life itself.

It is a story of import to every human being because it is the journey we are all on, a search for the meaning of life.

The story is filled with coincidences to the point of disbelief. The journey brought me in contact with inspiring people who dared to be different, who have dared to be themselves.

It is an epic adventure. It is a story of love. It has helped me to live my life with a simpler perspective and more meaning. I trust it does the same for you.

Years after the events described in In Search of Simplicity took place, I read The Celestine Prophecy for the first time. It feels like my personal journey is like that of the reluctant fictional hero created by James Redfield. I continue to be swept along on a great adventure (of my own making) to discover and to share the magic and the mystery of life. It’s waiting for us all behind every smile and with every breath of the wind.

Blessings,
John

IN SEARCH OF SIMPLICITY by John P Haines …a truly amazing true story travel/adventure book by a loving and thoughtful man.

Amanda McBroom said this February 25, 2009 on www.amcbroom.com

Amanda is an outstanding actress, singer/songwriter and is the composer of the 1979 worldwide hit, The Rose.

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February 9, 2010

A Stunning Case of Synchronicity: Destiny and Coincidence: Is it Meant to Be?

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: coincidence, destiny, flow, in the flow, karma, luck, synchronicity |
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Three times this story has arrived in my inbox in the last two weeks. I’m getting the message. It’s time to share it. Anyone reading my books or blogs knows I love synchronicity. Here’s a classic example from Dr. Larry Dossey.

Enjoy,

John

For years a book had gathered dust in my library — The Starship and the Canoe, which deals with the real-life adventures of George Dyson, son of Freeman Dyson, the famous physicist. The book describes how George built a replica of the ancient oceangoing canoes called bedarkas, which were used by the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest, and it relates his remarkable adventures sailing the canoe up and down the coast of British Columbia.

Larry Dossey

When my wife and I were invited to speak at Hollyhock, a conference center on Cortez Island off the British Columbia coast, I finally decided to read this book. I felt it would reveal some of the history of the area and make our visit more meaningful. During our lengthy journey to the island, I became mesmerized by the account. I could not put it down, and by the final ferry ride to the island I was on the final pages.

When we arrived at the conference center, our host offered to take us on a walk along the rocky beach. A short distance above the high-tide line was a huge fallen tree, behind which a strange canoe rested upside down. I had never seen anything like it.

Suddenly I was stunned: I realized it was identical to George Dyson’s bedarka, which I’d been reading about on the journey to this particular spot.

“What’s that?” I stammered.

“Oh, that’s George Dyson’s bedarka, our guide replied. ”He parks it here on his trips up and down the coast.”

Go figure.

– Larry Dossey, MD

Author: THE POWER OF PREMONITIONS and HEALING WORDS

From: Coincidence Or Destiny?: Stories of Synchronicity That Illuminate Our Lives By Phil Cousineau, Robert A. Johnson

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John Haines is the author of In Search of Simplicity: A True Story that Changes Lives, a startlingly poignant and inspiring real-life endorsement of the power of thought, belief and synchronicity in one’s life.

February 6, 2010

Seven Top Reasons to Have a Morning Practice of Yoga and Meditation

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: awakening, awareness, enlightenment, good health, meditation, sadhana, yoga |
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1. Your health is your most important asset. You should dedicate at least 1/10 of your day to your physical, mental and spiritual well being.

2. Having a solid spiritual practice is the key to surviving challenging times and there’s little doubt we live in challenging times.

3. Starting your day with mantra and meditation brings clarity and purpose to the other important goals of your life. Sadhana (or spiritual practice) is an anchor for the rest of the day. Beginning the day on a high note sets the tone for the rest of the day.

4. Sadhana is the time you develop your relationship to your Self. Maintaining a healthy relationship with your Self, is the key to strengthening your relationships with others. It’s your light that others feel. Turn it on.

5. The early morning hours have less electrical and mental activity in the air, allowing the mind to focus better and deep awareness to be obtained.

6. Your subconscious mind absorbs so much unconscious information. Conscious relaxation of the mind through yoga, meditative chanting, and deep meditative silence provides the best avenue to consciously enlighten yourself.

7. Great things come with depth. All masters have transcended through the depth of their practice be it in music, business, sports, science, spirituality or Love. The cure for bitterness and disillusionment is discipline. Daily practice with discipline leads to enlightenment.

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February 6, 2010

Sheer Musical Genius: Like Angels Playing with Sound

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: Bobby Mcferrin, jazz improvisation, live musical genius, montreal, playful vocals, Richard Bona |
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Beautiful and truly free improvisation between genius Bobby McFerrin and Richard Bona (Bona Pinder Yayumayalolo) playing live in Montreal.

This sounds like angels playing with sound. My thanks to my friend Doug for putting me on to this. Absolutely amazing!

These two men are quite literally embodying boundless joy while they play with the sound of their voices, guitar and rhythm. Allow them to take you to the same place.

In joy,

John

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February 5, 2010

Dialogue on Awakening with Pete Smith

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs, My Radio Shows | Tags: awakening, eckhart tolle, enlightenment, John Haines, the new earth, the power of now, voices from the north |
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“Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny,

for what could more aptly fit your needs?”

Marcus Aurelius

Pete Smith, renowned actor and filmmaker, returns to Voices from the North and describes with eloquence his recent trauma (heart failure) and hospitalization which led to an extended experience of awakening. This is a tremendously inspiring talk in which Pete will motivate the listener to live in the present; to simply be. In doing nothing, nothing is left undone and all one’s needs are met—effortlessly.

We’re all here to remind each other to wake up from the ego-centred world. The ego draws sustenance from defence and attack, fear and worry and the desire for people and events to be different than they are. Pete’s story is an evocative call to let go of the ‘tapes’ of the past and rest in the stillness and connectedness of now.

Awakening to who we are is what we’re here for. As Pete’s friend Dean Turner writes, “It’s good to be alive when you’re living.”

I urge you to listen as this master storyteller weaves the tapestry of his recent enlightening experiences:

http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25547289-Pete-Smith-Dialogue-on-Awakening

Here’s the link to my earlier blog/interview with Pete Smith

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/11/17/pete-smith-actor-and-filmmaker/

A few related posts are:

The Shaumbra Symptoms

The Call to Awaken

Three Short Steps to Enlightenment

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January 28, 2010

Erwin Alber: Healing the World One Child at a Time

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs, My Radio Shows | Tags: John Haines, swine flu, vaccination information network, vaccine dangers, vaccines, VINE, voices from the north |
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Last night on Voices from the North I had the pleasure of interviewing an extremely selfless and caring man. Erwin Alber is the founder of the Vaccination Information Network (VINE) which has been helping parents and their children for well over a decade. The VINE page on Facebook currently has over 4400 fans. I encourage you to visit and become a fan of this highly worthwhile cause:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vaccination-Information-Network-VINE/69667273997

Erwin Alber in Thailand

I call Erwin a selfless man. He does this work altruistically out of a genuine, heartfelt concern for the risks of vaccines with developing children. For a time around the turn of the millennium Erwin published a quarterly magazine called Informed Choices. He had hundreds of subscribers and in its pages gave numerous examples of the risks of vaccines and the experiences of families within the immunization arena.

There is one message from our interview it is imperative to pass on. Through his work with VINE Erwin has had contact with many families with children who have suffered vaccine-induced brain damage to some degree. In most of these cases there was a severe reaction in the child to a vaccine. This could have taken the form of screaming, convulsions, very high fever etc. When the concerned parents contacted their doctor it was explained that severe reactions are common in some children. And they were encouraged to continue vaccinating. It was the subsequent inoculation(s) that caused the debilitating, life-changing response. I cannot state too strongly here: if your child has an extreme reaction to a vaccination do not have them jabbed again. Take the time to get informed.

And aside from following the Vaccination Information Network (VINE) on Facebook here are two books Erwin recommends that can be very helpful for parents:

Paediatrician Dr. Robert Mendelsohn’s perennial bestselling How To Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor
Raising a Vaccine Free Child by Wendy Lydall

Dr. Leon Chaitow claims in his informative and extensively researched book, Vaccination and Immunization: Dangers, Delusions and Alternatives (What Every Parent Should Know), that research shows vaccines are of questionable efficiency in terms of long-term disease protection. When an outbreak of, say, measles occurs vaccinated children sometimes get the disease and unvaccinated children don’t.

Measles, mumps and chicken pox are childhood illnesses and many claim it is best to allow children to be exposed to these diseases. They then build up immunity for life. Erwin gave an example in the interview of German families getting together to have Measles Parties when there was an outbreak to ensure there children got the disease and then developed a natural, lifetime immunity.

James P. Hilton has written a book titled Burden of Proof : Surviving Cancer, AIDS, and Most Other Diseases. He writes that the viruses causing AIDS, cancers, leukaemia and lymphomas are present in the cultures with which vaccines such as those for measles, mumps, rubella, flu and polio are made.

Erwin has created a couple of offshoots of VINE on Facebook. The first, the Vaccine-Injury Support Network, contains video of neurosurgeon, author and lecturer Dr. Russell Blaylock and more. The second, the Childbirth Information Network, includes stories of childbirth and related issues.

For my complete interview with Erwin Alber visit:

http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25547185-Erwin-Alber-and-the-Vaccination-Information-Network

Some Related posts are:

ALL MODERN “PANDEMICS” ARE CAUSED BY VACCINE NEEDLES

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/09/02/all-modern-pandemics-are-caused-by-vaccine-needles/

Wake up to the Reality of Vaccines

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/10/29/wake-up-to-the-reality-of-vaccines/

Swine Flu Fraud

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/06/29/swine-flu-fraud/

Six Simple Steps to Prevent the Flu

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/10/28/six-simple-steps-to-prevent-the-flu/

A Homeopathic Epiphany on Voices from the North

http://insearchofsimplicity.com/2009/10/04/a-homeopathic-epiphany-on-voices-from-the-north/

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January 27, 2010

The Power of Who You Associate With Determines Your Success

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: associations, friendship, personal growth, positive thinking, Success |
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I just bumped into this post this morning and would love to share it here. This is the second time in the last while this concept has come up. As you grow some friendships endure and others fall by the wayside. You find yourself in different company reflecting the new person you have become. Are you happy with that person? Consider how the people around you affect you. Consider with whom you truly wish to invest your time.

Have a great day filled with meaningful, uplifting interactions.

John

Who Do You Associate With?

It Is Better To Be Alone than In the Wrong Company
Tell me who your best friends are and I will tell you who you are.
If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl.
But if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.
A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.
The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate for the good and the bad.
The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve.
Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.
An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.
As you grow, your associates will change.
Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are.
Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl.
Your friends will stretch your vision, not choke your dream.
Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider This:

Never receive counsel from unproductive people.
Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how.
Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.
You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person.
Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere.
With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it.
Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life.
Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships.
Choose to rise…

Don’t settle … and go for your dreams!!!

Lee Milteer

http://www.milteer.com

Lee Milteer is a Performance and Productivity Coach, Author and Professional Speaker.

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January 22, 2010

Three Short Steps to Enlightenment

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: enlightenment, guru, liberation, secrets of enlightenment, seeker of truth, truth |
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I was on the phone last night with an old and dear friend, Geoff, who recently returned to his home in Wellington after living for a couple of years with his family in London. We hadn’t spoken together since his return. He told me a lovely story I’d like to relate to you here. Geoff has been a coach for a long time. About ten years ago he had the privilege of hosting and being the guide for an Indian man (we’ll call him Michael) who’d come to share some of his knowledge with coaches in New Zealand.

Wellington Harbour

Here’s the story in Geoff’s words:

Michael wouldn’t call himself a guru. He is a little man who is very calm and has much wisdom to share. When he walks across a room it is as if the space around him is lit up. Part way through his visit we were sitting together in a busy café in downtown Wellington. I was drinking a coffee, he a green tea. In the course of our conversation he could hear that I was a keen seeker of truth.

Michael asked, “Would you like to know the secret to enlightenment?”

This got me excited. After all my searching I was finally going to find that which I was seeking. “Yes,” I replied with genuine enthusiasm.

“First of all the word ‘enlightenment’ is wrong. It’s ‘lighten-up-enment’”

I was on the edge of my chair, hanging on his every word.

“You see all the people walking past us. Do you think that because they believe something, it is truth?”

“Of course not. Just because we believe it, doesn’t make it truth.”

“Then what makes you think you have exclusive access to truth, Geoff.”

At this point I was feeling a little deflated; much flatter than I had been earlier.

Michael continued, “OK, here’s the first step to enlightenment…”

I was really eager, ready to absorb the coming pearls of wisdom.

“The first step to enlightenment is that you’ve got to realise you are full of shit.”

I looked at Michael, slightly shocked. This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.

“The second step to enlightenment is that the moment you think you’re right and start using that ‘rightness’ to teach or dominate a conversation go back to step one.”

I was stunned. I sensed there was deep truth in what he said, even if it cut sharply across all my expectations.

“The third step is that the moment you think you’ve got it you haven’t. Go back to step one.

“Keep practicing these three steps and eventually you’ll transcend your ego.”

Have a great day and a great year and may your every step illuminate those around you.

John

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January 19, 2010

156 Countries Sing Together for the Starbucks Love Project

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: Guinness Book of World Records, Guinness World Record, Starbucks Love Project, Starbucks Project, the Beatles |
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On December 7th, 2009 at 1:30pm GMT Starbucks invited musicians from all over the world to sing together at the same time to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. In that one breathtaking moment, musicians from 156 countries played “All You Need is Love” together. Watch now, as musicians from all around the world come together and share a song.

Join the million-plus viewers of a stunningly edited music video of people from 156 countries all singing the same song. This is touching stuff. Love is all we need.

John

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January 15, 2010

Bottlenose Dolphin Magic

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs | Tags: dolphin intelligence, dolphin video, dolphins |
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We’re not the only intelligent creatures on the planet. Check out these dolphins. My thanks to my friend Maureen for forwarding this to me.

Blessings,

John

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January 14, 2010

Folk Entertainer Pete Grassby on Voices from the North

Posted by johnhaines under My Blogs, My Radio Shows | Tags: aardvark ceilidh band, John Haines, mangonui ceili, melodeon, pete grassby, voices from the north |
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My special guest on Voices from the North last night was musician, singer/songwriter, dance-caller and showman extraordinaire, Pete Grassby. Pete is based in the UK but New Zealand is almost a home away from home for him. Aside from last year (when, as he explains, he and his band had too many lucrative gigs in England and Scotland during the Christmas holiday period) Pete has been performing around the North and South Islands each summer for many years.

Pete is a talented hammered dulcimer and melodeon player, although even Pete doesn’t claim to play both at once. We feature selections of tracks from two of his CDs—Cilan and Malvern Hills—during the hour and he sings one ballad a cappella in the studio as well as a set of three songs on one of his melodeons.

Pete will be hosting the Mangonui Ceilidh on Saturday night, January 16^th and if it’s anything like the last time he was here two years ago it’ll be standing room only. And, amazingly, considering Pete’s considerable prowess as an entertainer, admission is still only $2 per adult plus a plate to share for supper. Accompanied children are free.

The selections played during the show were:

The Metalled Road (or The Forty Pound Wedding) (from Cilan)
Orange in Bloom (from Malvern Hills)
The Cottager’s Reply (live a cappella)
The title track from Malvern Hills
A melodeon trio of Jack Robinson’s, The Pleasures of the Town and an untitled Swedish reel
We finished with a bit of the last track from Cilan called Trowie Burn

The complete interview can be heard here:

http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25547074-Pete-Grassby-and-His-Music

For more on Pete and his Ceilidh band, The Aardvark Ceilidh Band visit:

http://www.theaardvarks.co.uk/

Mp3 downloads of their music is available here:

http://indiestore.7digital.com/theaardvarks/

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The author's true, exciting and serendipitous journey through the wilds of Papua New Guinea, the Himalayas, around the planet and into the heart of life guaranteed to change the way you see the world.

In Search of Simplicity