The Celtic Knot

There are various Celtic knots: the Trinity knot, the Celtic tree of life, the Celtic love knot, and the list continues... For this post, I will write about the Trinity knot or the Triquetra knot. The Trinity knot means different things to different people. But ultimately, it means everything comes in three. To someone who is religious, it may mean father, son, and holy spirit. To another person, it may mean the earth, the sea, and the sky. A mystery surrounds the Trinity knot. No one knows where exactly it comes from.

According to Wiki, this symbol was used around the 4th century in Persian ceramics. It has also been used on buildings and coins, and cut into stones. You can tie your necktie in a Celtic knot. People sometimes tattoo various versions of it on their body. It has appeared in the movie Charmed, The Lord of the Rings, and Hunger Games. The English rock band, Led Zeppelin, used the Celtic knot on the cover of their fourth album.

As for me, this is not a religious symbol because it predates various religions. When I bought my necklace, the salesperson said that the Trinity knot is part of the ancient Irish culture. It means that there is no beginning or end, and that life is eternal. It is a symbol of connection and eternity, and has good energy. Sometimes people buy a Trinity necklace or bracelet for a friend as a symbol of deep connection, and a bond that cannot be broken.

But there is no need to travel to Ireland to buy this. You can find it on etsy, amazon, and other websites. 

    

 

The Guinness Storehouse

Guinness is an important part of the Irish culture, but you don't need to go to the Guinness storehouse to experience a part of Irish history. You can find it served pretty much everywhere. the founder was Arthur Guinness. He started his successful business in mid-1700s, and by late 1800s, the company went public.

The company's logo is a golden harp, trademarked in 1876. The Irish free state government was formed in 1922. So, when the government decided to use the same harp on official buildings, their passports, and coins, Guinness filed a complaint. So the government had to flip the harp image.The above photos show the differences between the two harps.

The Guinness storehouse is super crowded with tourists knocking you around, and jumping carelessly in front of your camera. A few might offer a nonchalant "sorry," but good luck trying to get a decent photo. I had no plans to come here, because it's a tourist trap, but at some point, I thought skipping it would be like coming to Los Angeles, and not visiting Hollywood. It had to be done. And if I wasn't there with my friend Dominika, I would have left after 45 minutes.

There is a cafe, a restaurant, and a bar. For extra fees, you can have your picture displayed on your Guinness, sample drinks at the tasting room, and learn how to pour Guinness. It also has a shop with an array of souvenirs.

My favorite part was the rooftop bar where they give you a free Guinness, and you can kickback, and enjoys the views. Dominika and I only had a few sips, because it was too early in the day to be drinking, and the classic Guinness is super strong like a mixture of heavy espresso and dense beer with bitter undertones.
 

This was interesting. A car competing with a horse carriage. Most carriage horses are abused. When we went down, we looked at the two of the carriages. Those horses did not look happy, and now that I know better, I would never ride one. 

 

 

CE-5 Global Peace Meditation

 

This information was emailed to me by volunteers who work with Dr. Steven Greer. This Saturday, September 7, plan to go out anytime between 9 p.m and midnight in your time zone (there is no specific time as people may need flexibility) with a group of friends, an existing CE-5 group, or on your own to form a continuous light around the world reaching out in Universal Peace. Two of my prior posts on this subject are here, and here. 

So, why tomorrow? Because there will be tens of thousands of people doing this across the globe on the same day. This is a group effort. To make a change, we need to do it together. If you're not at all familiar with the CE-5 protocol, don't worry about it. Simply follow this → https://ce5-protocol.com/ It's really easy. Anyone can do it.

An opportunity to meditate with others across the globe doesn't come by everyday. You don't have to be a powerful lobbyist or a politician. a genius or a rocket scientist to do this. All you need is a pure heart. So join me and tens of thousands of people from around the world, and let's do this together to shift the universe towards peace. (photo credit: Peace Media for Future)

 

It takes a day to make a friend 

I'm getting ready to go to Dublin soon to do research for a new book. So, my life has been a bit hectic for the past month as I try to get some things out of the way, leaving me little time for social media and blogging. My mom used to be my travel buddy because we got along well on trips, but since she passed away, I travel on my own, and meet people along the way. (Photo credit: Diogo Palhais)

It's hard to keep in touch with those who live abroad. In my lifetime, I have met hundreds of people all over the world. Good-hearted people, fun to hangout with. But at the end of the day, you know that once you leave the country, life kicks in, and you lose touch. Except that once in a while, there comes a person you befriend for a day or two, and you may not talk for years, but you may still reconnect. That happened to me in Hong Kong when I met my friend Dominika. (photo credit: Robert Anasch)

 

We met on a tour with Danny. I wasn't sure if she would even remember me because it has been six years since we last spoke. She lives in London, not too far away from Dublin. She told me long ago that if I ever wanted to travel again, to let her know. So, I texted her, and to my surprise she not only remembered me, but she wanted to meet up for two days. We're both really excited to hangout again. (photo credit: Michal Pokorny)

 

We already made plans for what we're going to do on the first day when we meet. I know that it's just two days, but still...Obviously, I'll be in Dublin for longer than two days. I don't think I'll be doing all the touristy stuff. My main goal is to learn about the Dubliners, their city, and their culture, and to figure out the logistic of where everything is located. It should be an interesting trip. (photo credit: Karsten Winegeart) 

(Photo Credit: Valerie)