First All Blacks Defeat Of The Season

As I said earlier, the Wallabies cannot be written off so easily and this weekend, they proved exactly that. They inflicted the first defeat of the season on the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup/Philips Tri Nations match in Melbourne last weekend.

The loss would take the pressure off the All Blacks in this World Cup season as going into the RWC unbeaten for the season would be counter-productive. The following is the match report from the All Blacks official website:

All Blacks Silenced By Resurgent Wallabies
30/06/2007

New Zealand paid dearly for the loss of prop Carl Hayman in the middle stages of the second half of a torrid Bledisloe Cup/Philips Tri Nations contest against Australia in Melbourne and suffered its first defeat of the season 20-15.

(All Blacks captain, Richie McCaw baing taken down)

Hayman was sin-binned for playing the ball in the tackle and the Australians pounced to score two tries and snatch the lead from the All Blacks.

Earlier, Australia had seemed bereft of ideas of how to breach solid All Blacks defence.

But suddenly it found the loss of Hayman created the space it needed and it scored through wing Adam Ashley-Cooper and replacement back Scott Staniforth to take the lead with 10 minutes left in the match.

At that point Hayman returned and New Zealand tried to regain the control it had lost at his departure. But it had given the Australians too much leeway and was unable to find the openings that had been more available earlier.

Skipper Stirling Mortlock gave an outstanding display for the Wallabies and set the crowd of 79,322 alight with his decisive line breaks.

The first try, to Ashley-Cooper, was the result of intense movement of the ball from the penalty that saw Hayman dispatched, but the second came from centre Mortlock's second backline bust of the evening.

He beat makeshift centre Luke McAlister with disarming ease and kept racing toward the goal-line, finally unleashing the try-making pass to Staniforth.

New Zealand could look back at numerous lost opportunities due to handling chances in the first 60 minutes of the game that should have seen it well in front.

The play, in the first half especially, was frenetic at times with several of the New Zealanders making powerful surges with the ball in hand. Captain Richie McCaw and prop Tony Woodcock were outstanding, with McCaw giving his best display of the season to date.

At the first lineout, moments into the game, No 8 Rodney So'oialo secured clean ball to flanker Jerry Collins, who then set up skipper McCaw for two powerful surges at the line.

Fullback Mils Muliaina set up the maul when fed an inpass and then it was Woodcock who drove over to convince the television match official that he had grounded the ball.

From the re-start Australian lock Nathan Sharpe took Troy Flavell out and the penalty was awarded. However, Australia secured the lineout ball and mounted a series of assaults at the New Zealand line, but fine All Blacks defence saw the Australians fail to get past the advantage line.

Australia came back with some well-directed play from first five-eighths Stephen Larkham. He fired a well-placed kick to the corner and flanker George Smith did well to follow up and secure.

While no try was forthcoming, the All Blacks backs were penalised and Mortlock made no mistake with his second attempt.

Moments later, however, the Wallabies on their own 22m line interfered with halfback Byron Kelleher as he attempted to clear the ball. Carter made no mistake with the goal after 16 minutes.

Mortlock kicked a second penalty after 19 minutes when the All Blacks were penalised at the scrum.

The Australian scrum came under pressure, twice conceding penalties and on the second occasion after 25 minutes, Kelleher took a quick tap and the ball was moved quickly with Woodcock prominent again charging ahead.

Then with the quick turnover, McAlister, who had set the whole momentum with his superb intercept and run into the Wallabies 22m, took the tackle and fed right wing Rico Gear in for the second try.

The situation might have been even worse for the Australians had the All Blacks not left the ball exposed at the back of a ruck which allowed the Wallabies to clear out, but then when the All Blacks recovered, a superb build-up created by Muliaina broke down when So'oialo dropped the ball.

But at the resulting scrum, the All Blacks powerhouse destroyed the Wallabies scrum and turned the ball over.

Mortlock made a superb break, went through Muliaina's tackle and set up the chance but the opportunity was lost as prop Guy Sheperdson drove to the line, but was ruled to have made a double movement.

New Zealand then replaced Woodcock, hooker Anton Oliver and lock Flavell with Neemia Tialata, Keven Mealamu and Ross Filipo.

Clearly the coaching staff were looking to counter the possible effects of the travel associated with the return from South Africa but ultimately, the New Zealanders were unable to finish at the pace they achieved to come from behind in South Africa last week.

Scorers:
Australia 20 (Adam Ashley-Cooper try; Matt Giteau con; Stirling Mortlock 2 pen)
New Zealand 15 (Tony Woodcock, Rico Gear tries; Daniel Carter con, pen)
HT: 15-6

A Tiger Weekend In Taiping

I was in Taiping over the weekend from Friday, 29th June to Sunday, 1st July. It was supposed to be a trip to watch the KEVII Old Boys versus Present Boys rugby game on Friday, attend the KEVII Annual School Sports on Saturday afternoon and the Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner in the evening, before attending the OE Association AGM on Sunday morning.

It was supposed to be a weekend with fellow Tigers. A busy weekend was planned; coupled with the fact that on Sunday I had an appointment at 4.30 pm in KL with a house-owner to view his property and Tiger Captain Azmi's daughter's wedding at Subang Sheraton was at 7.30 pm, it was expected to be hectic. Hmmmm..............Plans!!!

Friday, 29th June:

Was supposed to be in Ipoh by 4.30 to meet Tiger Mariappan after coming from KL with Tiger Patmanathan so that we could be in Taiping by 5.30 pm, in time for the rugby game. By the time Pat found the workshop in Klang that his car was being repaired in, it was already 3.30 pm. That put paid to the game as we only managed arrive in Taiping at around 7.00 pm.

After a quick dinner it was time to ceremoniously go off to the Taiping New Club bar. The usual bunch of Tigers would be there. They were there! The "tani" session which ended at 3.00 am was followed by the compulsory supper at "Siang-malam" (or "Burung Hantu", as it is sometimes referred) near the market. The latest OE "Datuk", Tiger Datuk Shalimin was at the club and though he was supposed to be the guest of honor at the Sports the next day, he was with us till the end. That speaks volumes for his Tiger Spirit.

Saturday, 30th June:

(Tiger Mohaideen in his office)

The previous night, I had picked up a "straggler"; as is very common and has virtually become a tradition in trips like these. Tiger Randhir (our ex-Olympian hockey player & coach) was in need of a bed for the night and I obliged since I had another single bed to spare in my room at the Panorama Hotel. I must admit this is the first time I slept with a Baii!!

(Gowdh & Randhir)
After breakfast we visited Tiger Mohaideen at his shop and found our Tiger Dr Gowdh already there discussing plans for the 125A. Interestingly, Mohaideen explained the points raise in the Edwardian_Tigers eGroup regarding the 125A. I now have a better picture of what is happening. Gowdh also presented some of the artwork for car stickers, souvenir T-Shirts and caps, etc.After breakfast we visited Tiger Mohaideen at his shop and found our Tiger Dr Gowdh already there discussing plans for the 125A. Interestingly, Mohaideen explained the points raise in the Edwardian_Tigers eGroup regarding the 125A. I now have a better picture of what is happening. Gowdh also presented some of the artwork for car stickers, souvenir T-Shirts and caps, etc.

(CK Loh, Teck Boo, Michael & KS)
Tigers C.K. Loh, his brother, Tiger Michael and Tiger Teck Boo arrived at around lunch time and after lunch at the Casual Market, we went to the school at about 2.00 pm. The weather was bloody hot and there was no sign of the infamous Taiping afternoon showers. We did not stay for long and was soon off in search for refreshing famous Taiping cendol.

(Tiger Datuk Shalimin)
However, we did manage to catch Tiger Shalimin's speech and the march pass. It was an obviously pissed-off Shalimin as the Headmaster, Haji Yahya Liman was absent because he had to accompany his daughter to UTM or something! This was bloody ludicrous and typical of the headmaster. Shalimin showed his magnanimity by donating RM7,000 to the alma mater.

(Saluting the VIP)
We also managed to go round the school grounds taking photos of buildings that had changed so much in our memories and also in reality; much renovations had been done in the past 3 decades. The school hall somehow looked and felt smaller but then again, it was probably because we were now much bigger than we were then. The plaques on the walls looked the same apart from having 30 or so more names.

(Head Prefects through the years)
The "red and black" school colors seem more pronounced throughout the school grounds yet I had a feeling that most of the students I came across did not know the actual meaning of being part of the great Tiger tradition. All the signs were in red and black, as were some motorcycles, most T-shirts, posters, etc.

The basketball court had been refurbished but sadly the great hockey pitch we used to have has been reduced to a patchy turf with two broken down hockey goalposts at both ends. This is a far cry from my days when the pitch was the best in the state! It is such a waste!

Though the appearance of the school had changed somewhat, there was no mistaking the feelings of belonging, as were went around the school. We left the school premises after taking more pictures of the Sheffield Block and as we were about to walk though the main gates, the sign below probably sums up what KEVII School has become today; "neither here, nor there"!

A call and a commitment to improve the command of English through speech. Unfortunately, the sign must have been approved by an English teacher and I think the emphasis should not have been on the "THE".

With that, we decided to go further back in time by visiting the Primary School building on Station Road.


The primary school buildings and grounds (including the Angsana trees) were immaculately maintained and credit must be given to the headmaster, whoever he is. Though C.K. and Teck Boo were never in KEVII Primary, I am sure they too felt they belonged there. The "tiger spirit" was seemingly pervading the air surrounding the premises.

The OE Dinner that evening was the usual fare but I was surprised to see only about 22 tables of which 2 were empty! The guest of honor was former police officer, Datuk Hairuddin and Tun Ling Liong Sik was also present. Somehow, the atmosphere was drab and I get the impression that most people, especially those at the main table were just waiting for the occasion to be over. But then again, I could be wrong.

For a last dinner before the 125th Anniversary Dinner in August next year, very little was said about the programs for next year. The only things positive about the evening were the speeches by Tiger Datuk Hairuddin and Tiger Datuk Salimin that acknowledged the sorry state of the school; the two have made a commitment to do something. Tiger Salimin mentioned that there was no school in Malaysia which has produced 4 Education Ministry Director Generals and yet, the way the school is today does not reflect that. He wonders why.

(Tiger Lian Tai Teong, 2nd Left; Tiger Raja Lope, Far Right) On a personal note, I got to meet an old family friend, Tiger Lian Tai Teong after more than 20 years. He has now settled in Sydney. I remember him as one who was so sure he would not live past 40; I think he is wrong by quite far.

Sunday, 1st July

The OE AGM was held as scheduled but I did not stay behind to attend. It appears those who are supposed to be voted in would easily get voted in. Sunday was a day fraught with miscommunications and by the time I got back to KL, I was too late and too tired to attend Tiger Capt. Azmi's function at the Subang Sheraton. Looks like I missed the wedding of the decade!! I think next time, I shall drive to Taiping myself.

All Blacks Beat Springboks In Durban

The Springboks and the New Zealand All Blacks are proving to be the sides to beat this season. With the Rugby World Cup just months away, the rest of the world does not appear to have anything that can match these two sides, even if injuries weaken them.

The aging Wallabies are always in with a chance and will punish any complacency. There is so much depth in the All Blacks squad and the youthful Springbok side can only improve with each match.

This time I think they lost 21-26, mainly through inexperience and I do not think the All Blacks can ever take them for granted. The Boks have also a set of veterans like, Bobby Skinstad, Percy Montgomery, Os du Randt, and Bakkies Botha who should stabilize the squad. The following is the match report from the All Blacks website:

All Blacks fitness sets up win
24/06/2007

An outstanding last 15 minutes carried the All Blacks to a 26-21 victory over South Africa in the Philips Tri Nations Test at Durban.

(Dan Carter stepping up) Down 12-21, the All Blacks responded with two superb tries, the first to captain and flanker Richie McCaw and the second to wing Joe Rokocoko, a reward for tenacity, and superior fitness.

With South Africa playing an effective game of patience, the All Blacks committed many uncharacteristic unforced errors but a decision to up the pace proved its worth as the Springboks struggled to handle the tempo.

The expected lineout disadvantage did not materialise and the All Blacks scrum was a vastly superior unit.

But it was the determination of the loose forwards that set up the recovery. No.8 Rodney So'oialo proved the spark with a magnificent run out of the All Blacks 22 that saw him race into the Springboks half. He passed to the fast following flanker Jerry Collins and from that point it was a case of All Blacks rampant.

The ball moved to the left corner and as the ball popped out of the back of a ruck it was a low-flying Richie McCaw who scooped up the ball and drove over for a 68th minute try.

(South Africa Flag)

Three minutes later, Rokocoko ran the ball out of the All Blacks 22m, linked with replacement fullback Leon MacDonald who kicked downfield. The ball was blocked but it arrived for Rokocoko to race away to score the match winner.

Throughout the first 68 minutes New Zealand didn't lack for opportunities but uncharacteristic handling problems, spread across the team, and disappointing ball security several times eased pressure on the South Africans.

South Africa opened the scoring when lock Troy Flavell was penalised at a ruck on the All Blacks line and fullback Percy Montgomery landed the goal. Halfback Ruan Pienaar extended the lead after 19 minutes when fullback Mils Muliaina didn't release the ball in a tackle 52m out from the line.

First five-eighths Dan Carter rewarded some better All Blacks build-up work by landing his first penalty goal after 29 minutes.

New Zealand, after some initial hesitancy and fumbled ball began to assert greater control with superior passing and driving especially among the forwards.

But again, 33 minutes into the half, the Springboks held onto the ball too long in the tackle and Carter had a chance but missed his third attempt.

Three minutes he was more successful from the right hand side of the field when lock Bakkies Botha was penalised at the ruck and the scorers were leveled.

The All Blacks looked to break out from their half in the last moments of the spell, but the ball was turned over and with a kick to the corner and a lineout, it was the South Africans who mauled their way to the line for flanker Schalk Burger to score for an 11-6 halftime lead.

The All Blacks immediately trimmed the lead after the re-start when second five-eighths Aaron Mauger calmed dropped a goal.

However, Mauger, two minutes later made a bad mistake after some clever work when a quick lineout was taken. Tackled in midfield, he threw a pass when lying flat on his back.
But it was Butch James who intercepted the ball and raced 30m to score with Montgomery adding the conversion.

New Zealand lost one positive attacking scrum chance when referee Alain Rolland ruled the ball had not been carried back into goal and forced by Pienaar when television evidence clearly showed the infringement.

South Africa rang the replacements and two of them were immediately involved in New Zealand's next scoring chance. Francois Steyn came on at first five-eighths and dropped his first pass resulting in a five-metre scrum to the All Blacks.

Moments later, Pedrie Wannenburg, who had replaced Bobby Skinstad, was sin-binned for a ruck infringement which saw Carter land his third penalty goal after 55 minutes.

Montgomery kicked a 66th minute penalty goal, but that merely served to inspire the All Blacks to greater heights as their fitness undid the home side.

Scorers:
New Zealand 26 (Richie McCaw, Joe Rokocoko tries; Dan Carter 2 con, 3 pen; Aaron Mauger dropped goal)
South Africa 21 (Schalk Burger, Butch James tries; Percy Montgomery con, 2pen; Ruan Pienaar pen).

HT: 6-11

Happy 17th Birthday J.J.

My Dear Son,

Tomorrow is your 17th birthday. As you pass this milestone in your life and are yet another year closer to Manhood, be proud that you have been “man” enough to express your inner feelings the way you did in your blog.

Reading it, I am mindful that your intention of writing it was to help you rationalize your internal and external environment as you navigate through this awkward phase in a boy’s life. Believe you me, I too have been there!

We all know we are only human, yet it takes true courage to admit openly (as you have done) we are fallible. That is an important aspect of growth; you then go about improving yourself and trying to avoid repeating the same follies in life.

I am glad you have experienced that life is indeed not always a bed of roses; it cannot be. I can see you are wrestling with your thoughts and feel frustrated at times when things are not the way you prefer them to be. In the final analysis son, thoughts are all we have; thoughts are all we own; thoughts are all we can control. Thoughts are all we need!

You wrote, “Darkness may reign over me and may embrace the world in gray”. Let me share with you a sad reality that I learnt the hard way; the world exists in gray. There are very few things that are clear cut; good and bad are relative, right and wrong depends on which side you are on. Let me explain.

Someone once said, "Each of us are the sum total of all the decisions we have made to date". Well, decisions are the product of conscious or subconscious thought. As sentient beings, humans inherently have a strong self-preservation mechanism. This is in-built in our psyche. “Peace of mind” is part of self-preservation and in order to achieve this "equilibrium", as humans we need to be able to “reconcile ourselves with ourselves” so to speak. We do that by justifying things to ourselves and we do all that by making decisions in our thoughts! This relates back to what I said earlier about “thoughts”.

Son, because of the above, it is most pertinent to keep in mind that the biggest word in the human dictionary may well be: "JUSTIFICATION”! We can always justify to ourselves ALL our own thoughts, and resultant decisions and actions, regardless of whether the outcomes of those decisions/actions are good or bad. That in itself is very dangerous because it can lead to disaster.

Fortunately, there are two beacons that we can use to guide us. One is KNOWLEDGE and the other is that little voice that always accompanies our conscious mind called, CONSCIENCE.

Son, try to gain as much knowledge and always have a “heart”. These are my words to you on your 17th birthday.

Happy Birthday son; be assured that I always have your best interest at heart.

Papa

NEW AGE Part I

The first time I heard of the term "New Age" was when I was browsing through CDs at my regular music shop. Being interested in jazz, my "hunting ground" was usually amongst the instrumental section and it was not long before I chanced upon a "new" genre of music labeled "new age". That was in the mid-90's. 

Interestingly enough, New Age music had its roots in the 70s, with works of free-form jazz groups such as Oregon, the Paul Winter Group, etc. before evolving into the synthesizer driven electronic music age with Yanni, Vangelis, Kitaro, Georgio Moroder, Jean-Michel Jarre and the like.

It was also about the same time when interest in the haunting and mystical vocals of Enya and the trance-like Gregorian and Celtic sounds, was beginning to take hold amongst music enthusiasts. Instrumental music set against the background sounds of nature (flowing streams, birds, rain, etc.) also became common, as did soothing oriental chanting for meditation like Chant of Metta.

One could not blame me for having the initial impression that New Age only meant a certain genre of music!

Then one day, I asked My Better Half what she knew about New Age. At the time she was undergoing a transformational phase in her own life that would eventually lead from being Reiki Master/Healer and beyond, to where she is at today; a budding spiritual healer of the New Age mould. Even after about 10 years now, her journey has just begun. What she told me then opened up a whole new perspective even for me, and started me on my own academic exploration.

So began my own path of discovery; mainly through books, the WWW and more recently, open minded discussion with New Age practitioners. One observation I made is that New Age spirituality must be "felt" and no amount of theory can substitute for first hand experience and encounters. It is always easy to dismiss the inexplicable as sheer coincidence or self-delusion but the great number of people moving towards New Age beliefs cannot be by mere chance.

While I am not a New Age practitioner like My Better Half or our Daughter, I consider myself a well-informed collaborator with enough knowledge, experience and objectivity to be an interested passenger, chronicler, and a foil in their New Age journey.


***********************************************************************

NEW AGE MOVEMENT

The Beginning

New Age Spirituality, otherwise known as Self-Spirituality, New Spirituality, or Mind-Body-Spirit is characterized by an eclectic and individual approach to spiritual exploration.

It was by no coincidence that this form of spirituality became popular since the late 60's and early 70's at a time when Western Pop Culture "collided" with Oriental spiritual concepts and practices. Those were heady days of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Ravi Shanker, Joan Baez, marijuana, the Hippies, anti-establishment, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, Nuclear Arms Race, the Baby Boomers; it was a turbulent time of uncertainty that precipitated new attitudes towards established institutions like the clergy and governments.

Suspicion about the governments was rife and the sense of despair about Christianity (the main religion of the West) was slowly but surely pervading.

The advent of television brought the horrors of what Man does to his fellow Man into Western living rooms and Christianity could no longer provide acceptable answers and guidance. At the other end of the spectrum, the Secular Humanism Movement lost credibility and was deemed to have failed to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future; the spirit of altruism needed to be sustained by something more permanent than voluntary choice.

People began to look within for mollification and peace, which eventually led them to their discovery of Oriental spiritual concepts, values and practices; the reticence and tranquility. Of course, this also sparked renewed interest in ancient traditional Western beliefs like Wicca and emerging Neo-Pagan practices.

What started as individual pursuit of tranquility and self-discovery became known as the New Age Movement; the term commonly used to designate the broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture, which unlike most formal religions, has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy, geographic center, dogma, creed, etc.

The New Age is most definitely a heterogeneous movement of individuals. It is in fact a free-flowing spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat similar beliefs and practices, which they add on to whichever formal religion that they follow.

Today, New Age has developed a modality of its own that is characteristically dynamic yet distinctive in its make-up. Given that the world faces yet another tussle for the soul of humankind in the ongoing ideo-political conflicts that saw the occurrence of 9/11 and its repercussions, this New Age Movement can but only grow. It is expected to expand, promoted by the social backlash against logic and science.

The world will eventually realize there is no place for fundamentalism and this is already apparent from the numerous inter-faith dialogues going on internationally. Personally, I think this could be reflective of mainstream religions (especially Christianity) in the throes of struggling to maintain relevance against a tide of new individualism, personal awareness and choice. Indeed in the US, New Agers comprise at least 25% of the population and are the third largest "belief" group.

Perhaps John Naisbitt puts it best when he said:

"In turbulent times, in times of great change, people head for the two extremes: fundamentalism and personal, spiritual experience...With no membership lists or even a coherent philosophy or dogma, it is difficult to define or measure the unorganized New Age movement. But in every major U.S. and European city, thousands who seek insight and personal growth cluster around a metaphysical bookstore, a spiritual teacher, or an education center."




New Age Beliefs



A number of fundamental beliefs are held by many New Age followers; individuals are encouraged to "shop" for the beliefs and practices that they feel most comfortable with. An individual identified with New Age thinking may subscribe to one, some or all of the following, depending on their own sense of what is right and wrong:

Monism: All that exists is derived from a single source of divine energy. All humanity—indeed all life, everything in the universe—is spiritually interconnected, participating in the same energy.“God” is one name for this energy although the preferred term is usually just “the Universe”.

Pantheism: In relation to the above, ALL that exists is God; God is all that exists. This leads naturally to the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we are all Gods. They do not seek God as revealed in a sacred text or as exists in a remote heaven; they seek God within the self and throughout the entire universe.

Panentheism: God is all that exists. God is at once the entire universe, and transcends the universe as well.



Reincarnation: After death, we are reborn and live another life as a human. This cycle repeats itself many times. This belief is similar to the concept of transmigration of the soul in Hinduism. Death is not the end; there is only life in different forms. What some refer to as an afterlife does not punish but teaches us, perhaps through the mechanisms of reincarnation or near-death experiences.



Karma: The human mind has deep levels and vast powers, which are capable even of overriding physical reality. “You create your own reality.” Nevertheless, this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as the principle of cause and effect (karma). The good and bad deeds that we do add and subtracts from our accumulated record; our karma. At the end of our life, we are rewarded or punished according to our karma by being reincarnated into either a painful or good new life. This belief is linked to that of reincarnation and is also derived from Hinduism. The ultimate level of human potential has only been realized by a few spiritual masters.



An Aura: is believed to be an energy field radiated by the body. Invisible to most people, it can be detected by some as a shimmering, multi-colored field surrounding the body. Those skilled in detecting and interpreting auras can diagnose an individual's state of mind, and their spiritual and physical health.



Ability to Heal and/or be Healed: Everyone of us has potential healing powers which can be developed to heal others through touch or at a distance. Meditation, yoga, tai chi chuan, reiki, and other Eastern practices are valuable and worthwhile.



The Food You Eat: has an effect on your mind as well as your body. It is generally preferable to eat fresh organic vegetarian food which is locally grown and in season. Raw food and sprouted seeds have a particularly spirit enhancing quality. Fasting can help you achieve higher levels of consciousness.



A Cosmic Goal: There is typically a belief that all entities are (willingly or unwillingly) cooperating in some cosmic goal of achieving a "higher" or more complete coherence with a cosmic "consciousness" (or some other goal state of "goodness"), often described as an evolutionary process or simply to learn. This underlying cosmic goal gives direction to all events, reducing the concept of coincidence to one of ignorance of hidden meaning. There are no coincidences. Everything around you has spiritual meaning, and spiritual lessons to teach you. You are meant to be here, and are always exactly where you need to be to learn from what confronts you.



The Human Purpose: An individual has a purpose here on earth, in the present surroundings, because there is a lesson to learn. The most important lesson is LOVE. Ultimately every interpersonal relationship has the potential to be a helpful experience in terms of our own growth. We learn about ourselves through our relationships with other people by getting to see what we need to work on ourselves and what strengths we bring to the other party in order to help them in their life. All our relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healed, if necessary over many lifetimes. As Souls seeking wholeness, our goal is eventually to learn to LOVE everyone we come in contact with.



Personal Transformation: We have a responsibility to take part in positive creative activity and to work to heal ourselves, each other and the planet. A certain critical mass of people with a highly spiritual consciousness will bring about a sudden change in the whole population. A profoundly intense mystical experience will lead to the acceptance and use of New Age beliefs and practices. Guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and (sometimes) the use of hallucinogenic drugs are useful to bring about and enhance this transformation. Believers hope to develop new potentials within themselves: the ability to heal oneself and others, psychic powers, a new understanding of the workings of the universe, etc. Later, when sufficient numbers of people have achieved these powers, a major spiritual, physical, psychological and cultural planet-wide transformation is expected.



A Positive Attitude: that is supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything.

Spiritual Beings: These beings (e.g. angels, ascended masters, elementals, ghosts, and/or even space aliens) exist, and will guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance. Intuition or "divine guidance" is a more appropriate guide than rationalism, scientific skepticism, or the scientific method.

Western Science: wrongly neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health. Science and spirituality are ultimately harmonious. New discoveries in science, e.g. evolution and quantum mechanics, when rightly understood, point to spiritual principles.

Dreams and Psychic Experiences: are ways in which our souls express themselves.



The Indigo Children: Children are being born today with a more highly developed spiritual power than earlier generations.



Ecological Responsibility: A belief in the importance of uniting to preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia, (Mother Earth) a living entity.



Certain Geographic Locations: emanate special energy, which may be male or female in character. Many such places may have been considered sacred in the world’s religions or as healing places by indigenous native populations. This may involve traveling to ancient religious sites and performing rituals through sacred travel.



Rocks and Crystals: have special psychic energies and can be an aid to meditation and healing.



Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality exists, and all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality. The universal religion can be visualized as a mountain, with many sadhanas (spiritual paths) to the summit. Some are hard; others easy. There is no one correct path. All paths eventually reach the top. There exists a mystical core within all religions, Eastern and Western. Dogma and religious identity are not so important. They anticipate that a new universal religion which contains elements of all current faiths will evolve and become generally accepted worldwide.

Ancient Civilizations: such as Atlantis may truly have existed, leaving behind certain relics and monuments (the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge) whose true nature has not been discovered by mainstream historians.



New World Order: As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, a New Age will develop. This is a time of great transformation for the Earth and human consciousness. Certain dates have a special significance in these changes. 1986 and the Harmonic Convergence was one, and there are others to come in 2011 or 2012. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, and end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty. Gender, racial, religious and other forms of discrimination will cease. People's allegiance to their tribe or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world and its people.


New Age Practices

Many practices are found among New Agers. A typical practitioner is active in only a few areas:



Channeling: A method similar to that used by Spiritualists in which a spirit of a long dead individual is conjured up. However, while Spiritualists generally believe that one's soul remains relatively unchanged after death, most channelers believe that the soul evolves to higher planes of existence. Channelers usually try to make contact with a single, spiritually evolved being. That being's consciousness is channeled through the medium and relays guidance and information to the group, through the use of the medium's voice. Channeling has existed since the 1850's and many groups consider themselves independent of the New Age movement. Perhaps the most famous channeling event is the popular A Course in Miracles. It was channeled through a Columbia University psychologist, Dr. Helen Schucman, (1909-1981), over an 8 year period. She was an Atheist, and in no way regarded herself as a New Age believer. However, she took great care in recording accurately the words that she received.



Crystals: Crystals are materials which have their molecules arranged in a specific, highly ordered internal pattern. This pattern is reflected in the crystal's external structure which typically has symmetrical planar surfaces. Many common substances, from salt to sugar, from diamonds to quartz form crystals. They can be shaped so that they will vibrate at a specific frequency and are widely used in radio communications and computing devices. New Agers believe that crystals possess healing energy.



Meditating: A process of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself from conscious thinking. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a mantra, or focusing on an object.

New Age Music: A gentle, melodic, inspirational music form involving the human voice, harp, lute, flute, etc. It is used as an aid in healing, massage therapy and general relaxation.



Divination: The use of various techniques to foretell the future, including I Ching, Pendulum movements, Runes, Tarot Cards, Angel Cards, etc. Astrology: The belief that the orientation of the planets at the time of one's birth, and the location of that birth predicts the individual's future and personality. Belief in astrology is common amongst New Agers, but definitely not limited to them.



Holistic Health: This is a collection of healing techniques which have diverged from the traditional medical model. It attempts to cure disorders in mind, body and spirit and to promote wholeness and balance in the individual. Examples are acupuncture, crystal healing, aura cleansing, reiki, homeopathy, iridology, massage, various meditation methods, polarity therapy, psychic healing, therapeutic touch, reflexology, etc.



Human Potential Movement: (a.k.a. Emotional Growth Movement) This is a collection of therapeutic methods involving both individualized and group working, using both mental and physical techniques. The goal is to help individuals to advance spiritually. Examples are Esalen Growth Center programs, EST, Gestalt Therapy, Primal Scream Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga.


..................to be continued

Boks and Wallabies Open Tri-Nations Campaign

As expected the Springboks scalped the Wallabies at Cape Town in the opening match of the 2007 Tri-Nations but it was only because of two brilliantly taken drop goals by new 20 year old star, Francois Steyn late in the game.

This is a good prelude to the Boks/All Blacks game at Durban, S.A. next Saturday. The Blacks had a good "practice" session by routing Canada, 64-13 in a game which saw star first five eights, Dan Carter running in 3 second half tries apart from 7 conversions.

The following report on the Boks/Wallabies game is from the All Blacks website:

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Steyn denies Australia in last moments
16/06/2007

Two dropped goals from 20-year-old Springboks rising star Francois Steyn (picture) denied the Wallabies an historic Tri-Nations victory, Australia falling 22-19 to South Africa in Cape Town.

The Wallabies led 19-16 with seven minutes to go before Steyn came off the bench to slot a fabulous 40-metre dropped goal from near the sideline in the 74th minute to level the scores at 19-all.

Three minutes later he calmly kicked the winning points from 25 metres out on the other side of the field to the delight of the sold-out Newlands stadium.

However, for most of the match, the Cape Town crowd sat in silence as the Wallabies made a mockery of pre-match predictions of a massacre to upstage the home side through determined and disciplined play.

The Wallabies led the Springboks 16-10 at half-time after an entertaining first 40 with both teams scoring a try each. An epic territorial battle developed in the second half with the Wallabies ahead 19-10 via two penalty goals to centre Stirling Mortlock.

Fullback Percy Montgomery kept the Boks in touch with two penalty goals before Steyn ensured himself instant hero status with two great strikes from his right boot.

Australia soaked up relentless pressure in the opening 10 minutes as South Africa took advantage of a mammoth 82 per cent possession to launch a raft of enterprising attacking raids. The Wallabies defence held firm and the only points on the scoreboard came via a penalty each to Montgomery and Mortlock.

But in the 15th minute, Springboks centre Jacque Fourie took advantage of confusion from a dropped ball in attack, to pin his ears back for the corner and the opening try of the match. Montgomery threaded an excellent conversion from the sideline for a 10-3 lead.

The Springboks threatened again when centre Jean de Villiers strolled through a yawning gap in the midfield, but good scrambling defence forced the attack wide and over the sideline.

The Wallabies eventually worked their way back into the contest through disciplined play, completing simple but effective pick and drives, and consolidating their field position by taking points every time they visited the Springboks 22.

Mortlock kicked another penalty after a high tackle on second five-eighths Matt Giteau by South African loose forward Juan Smith before Giteau went over for a try in the 31st minute.

The Wallabies showed patient build-up through nine phases move play to inside the home side's 22. Hooker Stephen Moore burst then through the middle of the ruck and Giteau was in support to dive over for a five-pointer. Mortlock added the extras to silence the Newlands sold-out crowd at 13-10.

Just two minutes later, Giteau almost scored again after another nicely worked new backline move that saw Giteau wrap around wide and put a grubber kick through for wing Lote Tuqiri and himself, with Boks wing JP Pietersen just beating the Aussie pair to the ball.

Five minutes before half-time, some crafty work from halfback George Gregan caught Boks No.8 Pierre Spies offside. The Wallabies earned another penalty right in front of the sticks and saw Spies yellow-carded for repeated infringements in the 'red' zone.

Mortlock kicked the penalty to give the Wallabies a 16-10 lead at the break.

The Wallabies skipper kicked another penalty to start the second half after hard-running Boks flanker Schalk Burger was penalised for not rolling away in the tackle 40m out from his own line.

Montgomery made it 19-13 just a few moments later when the Springboks earned a penalty inside kicking distance.

Spies' return from the sin-bin seemed to buoy the home side as they started to dominate possession and field position as they had done to open the match.

Once again the Wallabies showed dogged defence to deny the Springboks inside the 22, but put themselves under pressure a sequence of poor clearing kicks, often failing to find touch.

A penalty for a ruck infringement gave South Africa another penalty to make the score 19-16 before two breaks from inside their own 22 gave the Steyn his chance to win the match.

Montgomery made a break down the sideline to put the Boks on attack before Steyn's long-range bomb and De Villiers cut through the centres to take play downfield and on the path to the 77th minute match winner.

Springboks 22 (Jacque Fourie try; Percy Montgomery con, 3 pen; Francois Steyn 2 dropped goals)
Australia 19 (Matt Giteau try; Stirling Mortlock con, 3 pen).

HT: 10-16

Lecture By Dr Karen Armstrong: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, KL - 16th June 2007

Dr Karen Armstrong was in KL this week for the "International Conference On Islam And The West: Bridging The Gap" organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and certain NGOs. I have Mike Naser to thank for getting me to wake up early on a Saturday morning to attend the public talk on the last day of the conference.

The hall was full by the time the session started at 10.00 am with the arrival of Tun Dr Mahathir. In the multi-racial crowd were the veritable "Who's Who" in the local NGO scene and apart from numerous members of the local academia, the various religions were also well represented. Apart from Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Albar, the Minister in the sponsoring Ministry there was a conspicuous absence of politicians.

It was a rare opportunity to hear Ms. Armstrong speak in person and for me, it was more to see the attendant crowd reactions to her talk and how she navigates the tricky differences between the similarities of the three Abrahamaic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. She deftly removes barriers by stressing the futility and folly of trying to "define" (and hence, restricting) God, thereby setting up a commonality amongst the diverse audience.

Often seen in the West as an apologist for Islam and accused of consorting with the "enemy", it is ironic that some of her books are still banned in Malaysia. Yet, it was not surprising to see her at such a conference in KL.

With the presence of Tun Mahathir in the hall, a bigger irony is that a conference which reflects such pluralism would probably not have been encouraged during his tenure as PM.

The subject title was "Role of Religion in the 21st Century" and Karen Armstrong's keynote today was empathy, compassion and tolerance; "love thy enemy..." and "....smite thee on thy right cheek" stuff. She quoted Confucius extensively, especially crediting him with the, "do unto others/do not do unto others" maxim and being one of the earliest to use this "Golden Rule" as a central theme of his teachings. Not surprisingly, the best examples she used when it came to "tolerance" and "compassion" were from the teachings of Buddha. I came away from the lecture with a feeling that she is more inclined towards Buddhism although she publicly claims to be monotheistic.

Indeed, Ms. Armstrong made no "earth-shattering" new points nor provided new perspectives on the subject but her ability to articulate known concepts, precepts and views so clearly was worth the two hours.

I voice recorded the whole lecture and will post a You Tube version in this blog soon. Interestingly, I just read Marina Mahathir's blog on the event and her observations are pretty much the same. Check it out:

http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/2007/06/religion-is-difficult-to-do-well.html

Karen Armstrong's biodata is as follows:

Karen Armstrong is one of the world’s leading commentators on religious affairs. She is a best-selling author, whose books have been translated into forty languages. Her early work focused on the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but she has since begun to explore the eastern religions. Her work is scholarly but written for the general reader, and has been appreciated not only by western audiences but also by Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. She is a broadcaster, columnist, and is much sought after throughout the world as a public speaker. Her focus is not only on theology and spirituality but on the political implications of faith in the modern world.

Karen Armstrong spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun in the 1960s, but then left her teaching order in 1969. She studied English Literature at the University of Oxford, earning the degrees of B.A. and M.Litt.. Since then she has taught modern literature at the University of London, and headed the English department in a girls' public school. In 1982, she became a full time writer and broadcaster.

Her books include: A History of God [1993], which became an international bestseller; Jerusalem, One City, Three Faiths [1996]; The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism [2000]; Islam, A Short History [2000]; Buddha (2001); The Spiral Staircase: A Memoir (2004); A Short History of Myth (2005).The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions (2006); and finally Muhammad: A Prophet for our Time (2006).

Since September 11, 2001, however, she has become chiefly known for her work on Islam and Fundamentalism, particularly in the United States. She has addressed members of the United States Congress and the Senate on three occasions, has participated in the World Economic Forum, and spoken at an informal debate in the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 2005, she was appointed by Kofi Anan to take part in the United Nations initiative “The Alliance of Civilizations” which completed its report on the reasons for the rise of extremism and the best means of stemming this in November 2006.

In autumn 2001, Karen Armstrong was Scholar in Residence at Lowell House, Harvard University, where she also delivered the Tillich Lecture (2001), the Peabody Lecture (2002) and the Ingersoll Lecture on Immortality (2005). In addition, she has lectured at Yale, MIT, Stanford, McGill and many other universities and colleges throughout Canada and the United States. She has recently received honorary degrees at Aston University in the West Midlands, where her books are required reading on the MBA course, and at Georgetown University, Washington DC. In the autumn of 2007, she will become the William Belden Noble Lecturer at Harvard.

For those who have not heard of her or read her books, do check out the corresponding Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong

All Blacks inflict record defeat on France

This is from the All Blacks official website:

Rampant All Blacks forward power and superior attacking skills in the backs ran France ragged in a nine try feast to win by a record 61-10 in the second Iveco Test at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

The All Blacks were dominant throughout playing with much greater cohesion and employing some deft individual touches spread right across the team.

There were moments of looseness which allowed the French to snare ball, as when they scored their 15th minute try in the second half, but the opportunities were generally few and far between and well contained.

Such was the All Blacks dominance that any French success was immediately countered with yet another try.

However, the effort came at a cost as lock Ali Williams was forced to leave the field with a prospective broken jaw.

Scrum time became an embarrassment for the French as the home team applied the pressure to significant advantage, occasionally turning ball over and gaining the feed.

While halfback Byron Kelleher was dominant early, until replaced by an electric Brendon Leonard eight minutes into the second half, it was No.8 Rodney So'oialo who provided several touches of his class to the second half effort in one of his more commanding displays.

The All Blacks proved unaffected by the pre-game warmup setback when lock Keith Robinson was forced to withdraw due to a late calf muscle injury.

The All Blacks went onto immediate attack from the kick-off, but failed to make the most of early chances and it was first five-eighths Benjamin Boyet who rewarded the first French excursion into All Blacks territory by landing a 48m penalty goal in the fourth minute.

From the re-start the All Blacks won a penalty and when second five-eighths Luke McAlister's kick hit the post, centre Arnaud Mignardi attempted to run the ball out but he was tackled.

The All Blacks gained the ball and a series of determined charges at the line followed before hooker Anton Oliver grounded the ball at the base of the posts to score his third Test try.

McAlister followed his conversion with a 14th minute penalty goal.

The moment Wellington fans had been waiting for came when local flanker Jerry Collins hit rampaging French No. 8 Sebastien Chabal with a bone-shaking tackle in the same manner Chabal hit Chris Masoe in the first Test.

Twenty-two minutes into the half McAlister landed his second penalty goal, and from the re-start the All Blacks ran the ball back with fullback Leon MacDonald kicking into the 22m area for the ball to be carried back.

From the five-metre scrum, Kelleher was unstoppable.

Then from the restart, Kelleher was in the action again when chipping over the top of the ruck.

As his French opposite Nicholas Durand attempted an infield pass, wing Joe Rokocoko was straight onto the ball to take the intercept and race 50 metres unchallenged to score and put the All Blacks out to a 25-3 lead.

Two minutes before halftime, some outstanding running from wing Sitiveni Sivivatu and Rokocoko resulted in the play moving to the French 22m area where from a ruck, Kelleher worked the blind, found replacement lock Troy Flavell and he found Rokocoko who strolled over for his second.

France had to replace second five-eighths Lionel Mazars with a hand injury.

France started the second half strongly but couldn't capitalise and it was the All Blacks who struck first when Sivivatu created room on the left, linked with So'oialo, who cleared to MacDonald who raced 30m to score.

Fifteen minutes into the spell, centre Isaia Toeava benefited from a perfect inpass from McAlister to run strongly to score. While he had a mixed time with his handling there was no doubt of the power he possesses to utilise chances.

With the chance taken to get substitutes onto the field early in the second half, some of the fluidity went out of the All Blacks play, but there was little inventiveness from the French with what ball they could secure.

The application of forward drive allowed the All Blacks to rebuild with effect and after several barging runs it was Collins who drove over. McAlister's conversion took it out to 49-10.

Another deft touch from a lineout throw on the French 22m saw replacements, prop Neemia Tialata and hooker Keven Mealamu, use a returned lineout throw to create the try for Mealamu.

Right on fulltime a lineout steal by Chris Jack saw McAlister make a midfield break and feed back in to first five-eighths Nick Evans who capped a fine game with the try.

Scorers:

New Zealand 61 (Joe Rokocoko 2, Anton Oliver, Byron Kelleher, Leon MacDonald, Isaia Toeava, Jerry Collins, Keven Mealamu, Nick Evans tries; Luke McAlister 5 con, 2 pen)

France 10 (Jullien Laharrague try; Benjamin Boyet con, pen).

HT: 30-3