Sunday, December 19, 2010

A busy but fun time

With the Holiday Season in full swing and the Solstice fast approaching things have been quite busy though I am having a great time. Lots of work and lots of fun this time of year and the important bit is to find the balance in it. Everything is good in Moderation and I really wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season.

This week on the Awen's Path Podcast our guest is Selena Fox and we discuss Celebrating the Winter Solstice and how its has been celebrated in times past. It was great to talk with Selena and fun to boot. You can find more info about Selena at http://www.selenafox.com and http://www.circlesanctuary.org.

Hope you all enjoy. Have a great Holiday Season!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

This week and Beyond

Been a great though busy week as stated in my previous post. This week I've had the chance to interview Raven Digitalis for this Sunday's (12-5-2010) Podcast and that went absolutely awesome with some great conversation. Working today on other guests as well as ideas for the show etc.

Along with the work on the Podcast I've been working on some writing as well as with some other stuff on the publishing and marketing sides of our other books. Today Trinity of Wisdom by Mark Knight went live on iBooks and is now available for iBooks in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France and Austrailia. Its just great knowing that all this is happening these days with my publisher, Mark's Book is great and I am still so excited that Rosa's book Taking 1960 got picked to be shelved at Barnes and Noble. If you don't see it at your local store but want it please feel free to request it, I know they plan on starting with a store or stores local to Rosa.

My day job goes on as it does and I keep enjoying the time with my friends and family. Its going to be a great holiday season I can see that now. With luck I'll have some more writing out there in one form or another sooner or later. Lots of work with Kindle, Nook and iBooks. It should be a wonderful time as the year ticks on. I am so enjoying life these days with the Podcast and writing and my wonderful three year old. I am so looking forward to all the great guests we're going to have coming on the show even if I am not sure who are going to be yet. So far its been a great learning experience and I am hopeful that others find it this way while listening. If this contest goes as well as it seems I will most likely be holding more perhaps future ones with other prizes from guests or sponsors of the contests but who knows.

Spirituality and life keep me going and I enjoy it all the time. The wheel of the year keeps turning round and I can't wait to see what it will bring with its turning. Learning from other's views on spirituality has been quite nice indeed and I really am finding it to be a great source of inspiration in my life. Hoping to get some feedback on the podcast some time.


Well until next time....

Monday, November 29, 2010

Been a busy week

Its been a busy week with Thanksgiving and all. Yesterday I posted the new episode of the Awen's Path podcast featuring 2 wonderful UK artists and friends, Seawitch artist (www.seawitchartist.com) and Lusete (lusete.deviantart.com). They were great guests and I interviewed them both early last week thankfully as Wednesday I came down with a bad cold. The bad cold has turned into an infection which luckily now I have medicine for and hopefully will recover quickly as I have to interview next weeks guest (which should be a good one) tomorrow night. I especially hope my voice recovers or I may come across a bit rough in the next one.

With the holiday and all and some time off work it was pretty good other than the being ill bit. Hoping this week will be a really good one.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Awen's Path New Episode and Contest

The Awen's Path Podcast episode 4 with guest Author of Trinity of Wisdom Mark Knight is now live. Also this week a contest is announced and is open to all listeners a copy of the contest info is also listed in this post. Great guests so far in the podcast and many more lined up in the future to keep it going strong. Feel free to tell all your friends about the podcast and the contest.

CONTEST

Grand Prize an Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Green (4th Generation) and signed copies of both of my books personalized as you wish

2nd prize Signed copies of both of my books personalized as you wish

3rd prize a signed copy of one of my books (your choice) personalized as you wish.

How to Enter

1 Entry will be given per person for each of the following:

1. Becoming a fan of Awen’s Path Podcast on Facebook

2. E-mailing me at David@dreamz-work.com asking to be entered or messaging me on facebook

3. Tweeting about the podcast and/or the contest with the tag #awenspath

This allows each person a maximum of three entries into the contest. Each entry will be numbered and the winners selected using a random number generator. In order to win I must be able to contact you either via e-mail or on facebook.

Three entries per person allowed for the whole contest. The contest will run from Sunday Nov 21st until Sunday Dec 12th the winners will be notified by me not later than 6pm Eastern US Time Moday Dec 13th.

Three winners will be chosen for this contest and their names and contact information kept private. If you wish to give me a nickname or have your first name released on the podcast when I announce the contest is over and we have our winners please feel free to request this in e-mail otherwise all contestants information will be kept strictly confidential. If you are chosen as a winner you will receive an e-mail from David@dreamz-work.com confirming you have won no later than 6pm Eastern US Time Monday Dec 13th.

Good Luck!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Dreamz-Work Productions Author Blog: Speaking of 1960...

Dreamz-Work Productions Author Blog: Speaking of 1960...: "Drum roll please. . . . . . . . . . . . I am so happy and pleased to announce that Rosa's book, Taking 1960, has now made it to the physica..."

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Continuing on Awen's Path

Well the podcast is now officially in its third week and seems to be gaining strength and hopefully listeners. Haven't had a ton of feedback yet but it is just starting after all. This week for my third episode I was honored to have Damh the Bard aka David Smith a brilliant pagan folk musician on the show. It was wonderful talking to him and went a little over my usual one hour time limit but what the hell it was fun. The show is exciting and upbeat I really loved doing it and it seems to get more fun with each podcast. I did on iTunes mark this podcast as explicit due to the single use of the word shit. I know it doesn't seem excessive but I did want to make sure it passed all their parental guidelines for sure. Well I am extremely excited because there are tons of wonderful guests coming up through the coming months. It should be a real hoot and a great learning experience.

And everyone go check out Damh the Bard's website at http://www.paganmusic.co.uk its a great site and showcases all of his work and where to get it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

New Podcast

Well I've started a new podcast called Awen's Path the first full episode was published yesterday at www.davidduir.com in the tab marked podcast (beware it loads a little slow) and on iTunes. I had two great guests on the first show Author Rosa Sophia and entertainer Glee Violette. I have many more amazing guests starting to line up and hope to have more soon. The podcast will be published every Sunday and I hope you all will enjoy listening.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Friday, October 8, 2010

Expanse Excerpt



Here is an excerpt from my first book "Under an Expanse of Oaks, A Druid's Journey". I've made a few other youtube videos lately too and will post them here soon. Excerpts and ads. I'm also trying to come up with some more video ideas and such. I'm trying to branch out and show my different sides including a bit of my sense of humor, if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at. So feel free to check out my YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/duir1177. Have a great day!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Timmy.m4v

A while in the Making a video of a character I created quite a few years back animated by an artist friend I met through facebook.




Sunday, August 29, 2010

Walking further down my path

I am walking my path of spiritual awakening and trying to draw from many sources. I personally believe that exclusion of any path at this point would be wrong. There can be many merits found in any path and the importance is finding what works best for you and using it to it's utmost. To this end I am currently reading Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. We will see where this leads.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, August 23, 2010

Three year olds and tie dye don't mix

Somehow my three year old got into a tie dye kit my wife bought. Of course he found the black dye and got it all over his hands and feet. Well after 30 mins of scrubbing and a few tricks from a couple of blogs I have managed to get 99% of it off. Most of what was missed is under the nails and will come out in time. Lesson 1: If your wife buys a tie dye kit and you have small children... Make sure she hides it well. Lesson 2: Never underestimate the power of a three year old to find the messiest thing possible and apply it to his or her body. Lesson 3: Be constantly vigilant with a three year old even when writing and you have no idea that there is a tie dye kit in the normally safe living room. Lesson 4: Note the power of magic eraser in removing said tie die safely remembering to rinse well. Final lesson: when life throws these curve balls try to take it in stride and learn to laugh... Just remember all the crap you got into when you were a kid and realize... Hey I'm still alive.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Working together

Thanks to the miracles of modern technology today I have started work with author Rosa Sophia on a joint work of fiction. I am truly looking forward to this collaboration as I think we will come up with one he'll of a novel. Watch here for more to come.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, August 20, 2010

Documentaries

Watching quite a few documentaries these days. Commentaries will come I am sure.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, August 19, 2010

iPad day 4


Things are going well with the iPad and I've been playing with many of the available apps. So far I am finding it to be very versatile and even rather productive due to it's portability and many useful apps. I am looking forward to further testing and more app usage as time and budget allow. My wife already wants one of her own so I guess I had better start saving up. Perhaps we'll try one with 3G next to compare them.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

iPad Day 2

Ok everyone. I am loving the iPad. The games and such are addicting and its great for video, though I must get myself a case for it and some screen protectors because I want it to last a while. I am going to be playing with the Pages word processing app soon and will let everyone know what I think. I am really liking its functions and finding it to be really easy to use. I think it will be very helpful to my writing as well as just a nifty toy to play with.

With practice I think I will get really good at using it. Its quite an interesting bit of machinery. As I mentioned I have the bottom of the line WiFi model and not one thats both 3G and WiFi so take that in account when reading this so I have no idea how the 3G works. I plan to work on it and perhaps in future I will get one of the more fancy, larger memory units. It really is all about what you want to use it for and where you want to use it. For now, at least, the WiFi suits me just fine.

So Far I give it 5 out of 5 stars. I will let you know if any of this changes.

Monday, August 16, 2010

iPad etc

Well I've broken down and got an iPad. So far I am liking it and not just the fact that both of my books are available on the free iBooks ap. It is an interesting device to type on for sure but I seem to be adapting quite quickly... Must be the Star Trek fan in me! So far I am really loving this device can't wait to really get rolling with it. The exact model I am using is the bottom of the line 16G WiFi model that retails at Apple's online store for $499 and that is exactly where I bought it from. I am surre there will be more posts about this device and how I like or even dislike it to come as I have more time to experience it. Though if you have an iPhone or iPad and get the free iBooks ap then know both of my books as well as many other titles from my publisher are available there and there will be more to come.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Wake Up Celebrity Author Update

Greetings friends,

To those of you who have not voted yet in the Wake Up Celebrity Author competition and may we are now entering the last two weeks of the competition. It ends July 31. To those who have voted thanks. The link to my book in the contest is:

http://www.wakeupcelebrityauthor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=17:spirituality-and-religious&id=119:honoring-the-sacred-earth-a-path-to-spiritual-awakening

Currently I am 186 votes behind the person who is currently in the lead. She has 345 and I have 159, over these next two weeks every single vote counts and I would greatly appreciate it if you could please vote for the book. Also please feel free to invite your friends to this event and/or share the link with them and encourage them to vote, every vote counts and though I am currently in second place it is possible to catch up and even over take the leader in the next two weeks.

Also my book's trailer has been entered into the New Covey Trailer awards (entry #26) and you can also vote for that in their poll. The link to their site is:

http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogspot.com/

Again thank you all for your help and your time. I appreciate you all.

Yours Under the Trees,
Rev. David P. Smith (Duir) /|\

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Rainbow Serpent Project. A Review

Today I watched a Documentary by Tor Webster entitled the "Rainbow Serpent Project". It was a wonderfully put together documentary following Tor's journey to follow the pathway of the Earth's chakras and to at each give a gift and wish for peace. It was enthralling and calls out to those who are undergoing the current shift of consciousness and spirituality that seems to be encircling the globe. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to any spiritual seeker. It gives great insight into the energy pathways of the planet and their relations to our personal energy fields. It also gives great insight as we approach 2012 and the dynamic shifts it is bringing for us.

http://www.rainbowserpent.co.uk/

Friday, July 2, 2010

Wake Up Celebrity Author Info (Would ya Help please?)

As some of you may know, my second book “Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Awakening” has been placed on the Wake Up Celebrity Author Page. The Wake Up Celebrity Author page is a place where you can review the book based on criteria listed on the site such as Cover Art, Title and the Summary listed. This is helpful input that can help with future writing as well as the marketing of this book.
This is also a contest and all your votes would be greatly helpful. Your reviews are given in the form of votes rating the criteria and allowing for your personal comments. If you’d be willing to do this I would greatly appreciate it. The comments are helpful especially if specific.
Just click the link below and then click on click here to leave your vote. It asks for a name and e-mail address (to stop duplicate voting) and they also offer free e-books for the vote. Please feel to vote and encourage your friends to do so, it would be a great help.

If you are one of the people who has looked at this and voted already due to my facebook and twitter announcements etc I just want to say thank you very much.

http://www.wakeupcelebrityauthor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=17:spirituality-and-religious&id=119:honoring-the-sacred-earth-a-path-to-spiritual-awakening

Thanks.

Yours Under the Trees,
Dave/Duir /|\

Thursday, June 24, 2010

From My Publisher

ndependence Day Sale! From now until the end of July 4th, we're offering 40% off the price of all DWP products! Just make your purchases, go through check out and copy this code into the promotion field: IV539FU96A. Hurry and get the books you've always wanted from DWP, and Happy Independence Day!

www.dreamz-work.com

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Wahoo

I am very happy to say my book "Under an Expanse of Oaks, A Druid's Journey" got a great review from Mrs. B. on her Blog Confessions of A Pagan Soccer mom. I truly respect Mrs. B and love her blog. Here is a link: http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2010/06/if-you-are-looking-for-something-to.html check it out!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Vacation winding down

Well interesting vacation. Got sick yesterday and had to go to a clinic. All three of us are sick but thanks to modern medicine we're not slowing down. 2 more days to enjoy before we head home. Tomorrow and Saturday we go to Sesame Place in Langhorne PA for my 2 year old to have a couple days of fun. Well time to head to bed hope to feel even better in the morning. And off to chase a 2 year old around a theme park geared towards him. Yahooo! But at least I am feeling less stressed at the end of these 2 weeks.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

1960trailer 1

Sorry for the long pause

Well its been a while since I've written here been a hectic month with work and preparing for vacation. Well I'm on vacation now and in fact starting the journey home slowly. Currently I'm visiting friends in TN and going to go see some sites. Then its off to Maryland Pennsylvania and Home. I'm still working hard to promote my books and my website and hoping that sales will pick up a bit. I'm also thinking about future writing and of course still planing to start work on a fiction that will be co-authored by upcoming author Rosa Sophia who's first book Taking 1960 will release on August 13th.

I'm enjoying this little break from my day job and feel my stress levels lowering significantly. I am hoping that once this vacation is wrapped up I'll be able to post on a regular basis again.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wake up Celebrity Author Contest

I've entered the Wake Up Celebrity author contest... My direct link is http://www.wakeupcelebrityauthor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=17:spirituality-and-religious&id=119:honoring-the-sacred-earth-a-path-to-spiritual-awakening.

Please feel free to go there and cast your vote and tell all your friends about it and that they should vote too. Its a nice contest for newer authors like myself as it helps with exposure and should I win it would be some great promotional help for the book. Please cast your vote and of course vote on others if you wish as well and please do encourage your friends and family to do the same. I know I'd really appreciate it and if you vote for anyone else as well I am sure they would appreciate it. (though more votes for me please lol).

Thanks a ton.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Exciting times

Sorry I've not blogged as much as I'd like to. Been very busy with many exciting things going on. I've been working on my writing as well as my day job and some art work at deviant art (http://revdavidpsmith@deviantart.com). I've also been excited about all the new books being released by my publisher Dreamz-Work Productions, LLC (www.dreamz-work.com). I've been working hard trying to help promote other people's books as well as my own through the many avenues I can.

Recent titles from Dreamz-Work that have excited me are Legacy of the Cross and Making Kitchen Medicines, Both of them look great and I am sure i'm going to enjoy them. Also I am looking forward to a book called Taking 1960 by Rosa Sophia which will be released August 13th. Taking 1960 is a great Paranormal Mystery.

Along with all of this work, reading and playing with art I've been planning my vacation. Over the first two weeks of June I'll be taking a road trip to Missouri, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, perhaps Delaware and points between for two weeks. It should be an interesting trip. Also looking at a possibly trip in August to Florida for the Release of Taking 1960 . Its been a blast being an author and also working for the publisher. Sales of my books are still slow but then again as I'm still getting my name out there its not overly surprising. I am trying to get more attention over to my main author site www.davidduir.com and also trying to increase my following on Facebook, Twitter, and of course my blogs. You'll notice that this post is on both of my blogs because it really does fit in with both.

I do hope to blog more regularly over the next few weeks and even continue my quote of the week posts. I've just been so overly busy its interesting when live comes at you that quickly. It seems as soon as I get up in the morning the day flies by and its bed time. Hopefully it will pass a little slower when I am on vacation and I'll be able to give a few extra blog posts then as I'll have the computer with me. I'm also trying to get a book signing or two set up though not much luck so far. Just a couple weeks to go before I am off on my little adventure and will be taking lots of pictures.

Thanks to those of you who read this blog and I hope to keep posting and that at least some of the posts will be interesting.

Now as I've missed a few weeks at my duirsforest blog for the quote of the week I'll conclude this post with a few nice wise quotes here.


"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." -Buddha

"Ignorance has always been the weapon of tyrants; enlightenment the salvation of the free." -Bill Richardson

"Not creating delusions is enlightenment."-Bodhidharma

"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity." -Buddha

"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." -Winston Churchill

"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self." -Benjamin Franklin

Sunday, May 2, 2010

IMPORTANT PRIVACY INFO you may want to know

ATTENTION EVERYONE---There's a site called spokeo.com and it's an online phone book that has pictures that you have posted on facebook, home phone number, credit score, profession, home value, income , # of children, profession, age, Remove yourself by the Privacy button on the bottom right on their website. I personal...ly checked it out and just removed my listing. SHARE THIS!!! CUT, PASTE AND REPOST (this was cut and pasted from facebook)

I did check out the site. It had general phone book information along with astrological sign, an age estimate and other info for free and offered credit reports, wealth estimates and much more if you paid for their service and it is not overly cost prohibitive. As the post says you can remove yourself.. I have though you must find yourself first if you exist there. (though I will say they were generous with their estimate of my house value and if anyone wants to pay it (low estimate was 3 times the value and high was 4... I'll take it!

I understand we live in this information age but we need to keep some things private.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Poem





Video of a poem I wrote some years ago accompanied by some photos I've taken. Sorry its been so long since I blogged... life has come at me fast but is letting up now.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

All the places my new book is available

Here are some direct links to all the places my book is currently available. Please feel free to check them out and tell your friends.

Dreamz-Work Productions, LLC

Amazon

Amazon UK

Amazon France


Amazon Germany

Barnes and Noble

BooksAMillion

Also you can get a signed personalized copy from me at The Honoring The Sacred Earth Website for US$25.00 including world wide shipping.

Please note there may be other places. Also the price is currently not correct and they are selling for a bit less everywhere but at the publisher's site, this will be fixed by 3 April I am told so if you want a slightly deeper discount buy them before then.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Honoring the Sacred Earth locations

Honoring the Sacred Earth now Available through many online shops and working on offline physical bookstores too. Here are the direct links to all the places:


http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=4691155832322&query=honoring+the+sacred+earth&where=All&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search

http://dreamz-work.com/products/Honoring-the-Sacred-Earth%3A-A-Path-to-Spiritual-Awakening-by-Rev.-David-P.-Smith.html

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Honoring-the-Sacred-Earth-a-Path-to-Spiritual-Awakening/David-P-Smith/e/9780982553190/?itm=2&USRI=honoring+the+sacred+earth

http://www.amazon.com/Honoring-Sacred-Earth-Spiritual-Awakening/dp/0982553196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269115677&sr=8-

and www.honoringthesacredearth.com

Yay!

Get your copy and tell all your friends as well.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Teaser- Introduction to Honoring the Sacred Earth

Introduction

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth” –Genesis 1:1 (King James Version)


The Earth, created by God, is sacred. Depending on which tradition you follow, you may have a different name for the universal creative force which this line from the Bible names God. Biblically speaking, the Earth is sacred because it was created by God, and then left in the charge of all mankind. This book is meant to show the reader, regardless of his or her individual path, the sacredness of the Earth, and the need for us to preserve it and care for it as it has cared for us for the last few million years. If God is the father, as the Biblical quote says, then the Earth is surely our mother, because:

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” –Genesis 2:7 (King James Version)


Over the millennia that have passed since “Biblical times” we have slowly become more and more separated from nature in our daily lives, and in our religious and spiritual life. Nature has been part of our lives since the beginning, but today we have become such home bodies and city dwellers that we have lost that primal connection to nature. This loss of connection has contributed to many things, from global warming to blockages in spiritual development and even a draw to return to a past tribal society.

Many traditions seek spiritual awakening or enlightenment: from the Western Judeo-Christian faiths, to the Islamic traditions, and even the Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism. Indeed most if not all faiths seek it. These traditions started hundreds if not thousands of years ago, and all seek the same thing in different ways and all started small and grew from there. One may ask, what do they have in common? The answer would be, that they all seek to find spiritual awakening and to be close to the divine force that they believe in.

People in many if not all faiths are beginning to notice that there is something missing in their lives. There seems to be a hole, something missing, something many cannot quite put their fingers on. I believe that this is nature and the natural world around us. We have become out of sync with the world around us and the natural order of things. We have forgotten that the natural order was set into motion by the creative force long before we existed and that it is part of us and we are part of it.

People are beginning to awaken and see that what we have done as a race to the natural world around us has had many profoundly and seriously destructive effects on the world around us. Due to this we’ve started to reduce our waste and energy uses, reuse things we would have thrown away and recycle what we can in order to create a more sustainable environment for future generations. We’ve also learned that we can’t just go around deforesting areas and destroying the natural environment without preserving some of it and replanting and reforesting areas. We are finally learning to take our global responsibility for the world around us.

It is time to learn to listen to the world around us. We need to follow its cycles and the turning of the year. No matter which religious or spiritual views you follow it is essential for us to become one with the Earth again and support and nurture it as it has nurtured us. By growing closer to the earth and its cycles and by supporting it, replanting its forests, gardening, recycling, and helping to sustain our planets resources we can not only grow spiritually but help to repair the damage we have caused to the planet. This will not only help our spiritual development but will help us to sustain the human race.

This book is set up in seven parts, each made up of two or more topics. Each topic will include a quote to start the reader thinking. These quotes will relate to the topic over which it appears, and will help get the flow going. It would be best to read the quote and think it over for a short time before continuing with the topic. There may also be subsequent relating quotes to help bring home the topic.

At the end of the topics there will be a prayer to go along with what the topic has covered. For these the universal creative force will be called God, but please feel free to adapt these prayers to your own belief system, or just use them as a guide and make up your own. There will also be a practical exercise to help you along your path. Some topics will contain a guided meditation to help bring the topic home. Take what you will from these pages and leave the rest. You can read through these all at once or decide to go back to them at a time more fitting to the exercise. You could also complete these exercises in your imagination if you are so driven. Don’t feel you have to agree or follow everything word for word. Do what feels right to you and what fits best with your personal belief system.

I wholeheartedly recommend keeping a journal while working with this book if you do not already. Journaling has many benefits including the ability to go back and see how things presented themselves to you at the time of the writing, and to see if your views have changed since. If you do not choose to keep an actual journal either on a computer or in a book or notebook, you may want a few slips of paper handy to write down important things you want to remember or a highlighter to highlight passages that are significant to you.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Honoring the Sacred Earth Now Available!

My new book Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to spiritual Awakening Now Available from my publisher http://dreamz-work.com/products/Honoring-the-Sacred-Earth%3A-A-Path-to-Spiritual-Awakening-by-Rev.-David-P.-Smith.html and on amazon.com!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Quote of the week 3-5-10

The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.
Anatole France

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Changing Lifestyles

As my spiritual development has grown, I've gone through many changes in life, and I've noticed that I've really never been in shape. I've decided that it is important for me to start eating better and working on getting in shape so I can go further with my spiritual development. I've noticed over the years the connection that is forged within ourselves between our minds, bodies and spirits.

By working towards my physical well-being it can only lead me to greater mental and spiritual well-being. I am also debating some work with Yoga and Tai Chi. That decision has yet to be made and we will see where it leads. Joining me on my journey is my lovely wife Christen who has consented to changing her diet and exercise as well so that we can grow healthier together. I am truly looking forward to this as I believe it will help me further my spiritual development and lead me to new discoveries.

I've ordered a couple of cookbooks and started looking for some beginner classes in my area for Tai Chi and Yoga. I know for sure I can at least return to nature walks and hikes for exercise once the winter weather breaks over the next few weeks. I am greatly looking forward to that because walking always gives me more energy and makes me feel better. Time to work on my body so that my mind can flourish and my spirit soar!

(This is also posted on my blog at http://revdaviduir.com)

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Contest

The Contest for my upcoming book "Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Awakening" http://contest.davidduir.com is coming along great. 41 states and 8 countries are represented. Feel free to join in. I'd love to see all 50 states entered. Right now I'm missing Hawaii, Minnesota, Vermont, South Dakota, Nevada, Mississippi, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Georgia. So to anyone who reads this if you have friends there or are from there feel free to enter. I've decided as a goal if I actually get people from all 50 states I'll add extra prizes to help spread the joy, most likely a couple extra copies of my book.

So we shall see how it unfolds!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Interesting Day

Been an interesting day around here. We started with my son (2yrs old) locking himself in the downstairs bathroom and my needing to play action hero and break in the door. Well there is more bills to pay out so I hope the new book does really well lol. Within a week or so I'll need to pay for a new door and this time a lock that can be sprung from the outside.

We then went out to play with his cousin and had one heck of a time. He had a great day indeed. I've come to find that i need a bit more time for my writing as well so I can keep it all going. Writing, Promotion, fatherhood and a day job definitely keeps one extremely busy. Its been fun and keeps being that way so other than the occasional being tired I really get a lot done.

Life is an interesting journey that keeps you always on your toes, as do two year old children.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Quote of the week 2-19-10

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.
Thomas A. Edison

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Love

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
-Mother Teresa

"Where there is love there is life."
–Gandhi

"To love another person is to see the face of God."
–Victor Hugo



With Valentine’s Day fast approaching I thought a post on the topic of love would be appropriate. Love is a very charged word that has a depth of meaning to everyone. There are many forms of love that exist in the world. Love has launched ships and started wars; love has helped to create some of the most inspired works of art and has destroyed whole nations. Love is indeed a powerful and driving force within the human race.

From the time we are born we begin to recognize love, or the lack of it, in our lives. We learn to love ourselves and love others based on these early experiences and tend to lean towards what we’ve been taught. This can be changed over time if need be or we perhaps it doesn’t need to be because we are happy.

The first thing we need to learn is to love ourselves. If we don’t love ourselves it becomes harder for us to love others and to be loved. All of us have both positive and negative aspects to ourselves and our personalities. When we love ourselves we tend to focus more on the positive aspects and let them shine through more which allows others to see these wonderful aspects.

We need to learn to love others. To love the Divine who loved us enough to bring us into being. We also need to learn to love our families even though this can be hard at times. We also should strive to love everyone in the world. Everyone has the spark of the divine in them and everyone is worthy of our love.

Love must be given freely and accepted freely to exist. You cannot put conditions or rules on love and expect it to flourish. When it is restricted love can tend to fade, love only grows when allowed to do so. So open your hearts and let the love flow for love given only brings more love back in return.

Happy Valentines Day!!
(This post also appears on my other blog www.revdavidpsmith.com.)

Friday, February 12, 2010

Quote of the week 2-11-10

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

-Lao Tzu

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

My thoughts on Education

Well my son is now 2 and a half and has a bit to go before he is school age and it has caused me to look back at my own education and wonder where education might go or need to go in the future. I had a few setbacks here and there in my education some due to my own fault and others by no fault of my own due to changing in circumstances. I have emerged a relatively well educated individual with a bachelors degree and thoughts of going on for a Masters and PhD.

Though as I look back I see a few flaws that exist in the school system, at least in the part of the US I live in, perhaps all of the US. What I find is that teachers are underpaid and though attempts are made they are also not held accountable for the quality of education that they give. This is in no means meant to slight teachers as they have taken upon themselves this great task of teaching the youth of our world and shaping the future but to point out flaws in the current system. Were teachers better paid and education better funded I believe there would be greater accountability and the learning of our nations youth would benefit greatly.

In the past the school year (especially in rural areas) served to educate the children while having them out of classes for the important seasons where farm work needed to be done. This is no longer the case in our society (for the most part) and I believe that the school year should either be lengthened or in order to save funds in climates that get rather cold have their breaks in the winter in order to save on heating bills and the consumption of more fossil fuels to heat the schools.

I also think it would be good to extend the school day so that each school day, like a typical workday is 8 hours long with 2 short breaks and an half-hour to full hour lunch break. I believe that if this happened it would help to ready our children (especially of high school age) for the workforce. I also believe that by splitting days into different subjects as we do we may be doing a disservice. I believe each day should be set aside to teach one subject with breaks giving a more intensive immersion into the subject matter allowing for a deeper understanding and specialization by teachers so that they aren't forced to go all over the place in one given day (especially on the grade school level) and that in each day 2 hours one in the morning and one in the afternoon should be given to physical education instead of making it a "separate class". Each day might serve best being started with physical education to get the blood pumping and mind working, and to help get rid of the wiggly feelings students often feel in school and ended with the same so that they stay focused and go home calmer.

Again these are only my own personal thoughts and ideas on the subject, some may love them, others may hate them but in the end I do think we need to ponder what will best serve our children. This may not be it, or it may I am no expert but I really think its something we should think about.

Though I do Definitely Think that we need to pay our teachers more and fund the education of our children fully as they are the future not only of our nation but of our world.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Busy busy

Its been so busy lately with my regular day job and book promotions and my teaching online that I've barely had time to think. Its good though hopefully it will all be worth it in the end and my writing and publishing career will take off allowing me the freedom to leave my day job far behind.

Most of my energy this week has been directed to launching my contest at http://contest.davidduir.com as well as watching the book specific website www.honoringthesacredearth.com slowly come together. Lots of work to
do yet in the promotions department and even more to do when the book actually comes out.

Been having some fun with the family as well when time allows especially making sure to take some time each day to play with my son. Lots of fun to be had by all.





Well I think that will be all for now. Have fun and don't forget to enter the contest!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010

In Honor of my second book!

In honor of my second book I will be holding a contest through my official author site www.davidduir.com. The direct link is http://contest.davidduir.com . Below you will find a copy of the rules.



Davidduir.com is Proud to Present the "Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Awakening" Contest


Please submit your information on the form below if you wish to enter the contest. This contest will run from Feb 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010. The winners will be chosen at random from all entries on April 2, 2010 and the winners will be notified via e-mail. (April 2 chosen so that no one thinks it’s an April fool’s joke)

The Grand Prize winner will receive one Free copy of “Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Enlightenment” and "Under an Expanse of Oaks, A Druid's Journey" by Rev. David P. Smith signed by the Author. Also the winner will receive a pendant and a tee shirt (Size large or Extra Large)

One First Prize winner will receive one free copy of “Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Awakening” by Rev. David P. Smith signed by the author and a tee shirt (Size Large or Extra Large)

One Second Prize winner will receive one free copy of “Honoring the Sacred Earth: A Path to Spiritual Awakening” by Rev. David P. Smith signed by the author and a pendant.

One Third Prize winner will receive a pendant and a tee-shirt.

One Fourth Prize winner will receive a tee shirt.

None of your information will be shared with any third party for any reason and will be deleted at the end of the contest. I may use the information to send one promotional e-mail or snail mail letter to go along with the contest. If I send a snail mail letter it will most likely include a bookmark and/or other freebies.
No Purchase Necessary.
Please submit only one entry per person.
Please fill out all fields to be a contestant.
Contest has no cash value only the listed prizes are available.
All winners will be notified via e-mail no later than 11:59 PM EST April 2, 2010 if the e-mail listed is not valid or bounces back for any reason the prize will be forfeited and a new winner chosen.
Good LUCK!

Yours Under the Trees,
Rev. David P. Smith

Thursday, January 28, 2010

New Quote of the Week

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Quote of the week 1-21-10

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.
Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Journeying Meditation from my First book

Journeying Meditation

(as printed in Under an Expanse of Oaks, A Druid's Journey by me.. Rev. David P. Smith)



Close your eyes. Now become aware of your breathing, in and out, in and out. Begin to notice of your body, starting with your feet and working your way up to your head as you become aware of each muscle and muscle group feel them loosen and become completely relaxed. (Pause here and give time to relax yourself.)
Now in your mind open your eyes – not your physical eyes but your mind’s eye. Envision yourself in a lush green field with a stream running through it. In the center of the field there is a large tree reaching up to the skies, its roots running deep within the earth itself. You approach the tree feeling its aura and power. This is the legendary world tree and it connects all worlds. The upper most branches of this giant tree reach into the upper world, the roots deep into the underworld, and its trunk in our realm the middle world. When you arrive at the tree, you see a crack in the trunk that opens into the tree itself and seems to lead down a long and winding passage way.
Take a moment to pause and think about this passage and how it looks to you. If you believe you are ready and you feel invited, enter the passage. If not just sit at the base of the tree and ask for guidance. A guide may come forth and meet you here if needed or you may find your guide once you have completed your walk through the passage. If you feel you are not ready end the meditation here and come back to it when you think you are ready, if you are ready proceed into the passage and continue on.
As you enter this long and winding passage you slowly move through the tree in a spiral. You are finding yourself spiraling down farther until you have reached the end of the path and come to another opening within the very roots of the world tree. Here again you see a lush green field, similar but more bright, more intense than the one you left when your downward spiral first began. Here at this field you must wait, you are awaiting a guide who will reveal themselves to you. There may be one or more than one, the guide may be human or humanoid, or even an animal or shimmering being of light. (Pause here and allow your guide to reveal themselves.)
Once your guide has arrived and has revealed themselves to you, greet them, tell them who you are and what you seek. Do you seek to speak with your ancestors or inner guides; do you seek to seek the divine inspiration and what wisdom may be granted by the gods or the faeries? Once you have told your guide what you seek wait for him or her to answer you in some way and lead you on. Here is where your path will diverge. You will continue through this underworld field to your destination, be it the land of the Faery or the land of the Ancestors, or you will reenter the world tree and climb the spiral upward and upward beyond our middle realm, to the upper branches of the tree and the land of the gods. You may ask your questions or wait and see what wisdom is imparted to you, your guide will aid you and tell you how you should ask, but remember to always show respect and be thankful for any knowledge or wisdom given to you. (At this point you will pause and wait until you believe you have learned what you seek to learn or that the guides and teachers have taught you all you are supposed to learn for this journey. You may want to leave space in your recording or pause it, or ask your friend to take a little break for 15-20 minutes or even hours whatever you see fit.)

When the lessons are finished and you have learned this entire particular journey can teach you, your guide will bring you back to the world tree and you can begin your walk back to the field in our middle world. When you arrive back where you started give thanks to the guides and teachers who have taught you and give thanks to the great world tree for allowing you passage through the realms. When you feel you have given thanks in your own way and it has been accepted, close your eyes again, in this world, and become aware of your breathing. When you are ready, become aware again of your physical surroundings, of its particular feelings and smells and open your eyes returned to this physical realm. Take some time to ponder what you have learned and/or possibly write down your experiences in your journal or notebook for later review as well.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Quote of the Week 1-14-2010

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.” –Anne Frank

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Amazed by Avatar!

Tonight I went to see Avatar with my wife. Not only did we see this wonderful film but we went for the really big show and went to see it in IMAX 3D. After getting over the first physical reactions to the motion and heights (not a big heights guy) it was absolutely mind blowing.

In IMAX 3D it really is like you are right there and its larger than life. The storyline of the movie was amazing and I absolutely encourage anyone with a spiritual bone in their body to see it, as well as anyone who likes a great sci-fi/fantasy. I won't give anything major away but the effects were breathtaking especially in 3D. I am definitely buying a copy when its released on DVD. The storyline is great and I truly love the messages it puts out. It definitely fits in with many of my ways of thinking.

Well I do encourage everyone to check this out. If anyone knows me I'm not really at a lack of words, I may be brief from time to time in my writing but I am usually very verbal. When We got out of the film all I could really say to my wife was "WOW". And I still feel that wow feeling today. It was a wonderful trip full of emotion, action and a really great storyline... wait I think I said that a few times.. oh well GREAT STORYLINE!

Well that's it for now but it was great!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Guided Meditations Instructions

Hello all I do plan to add some Guided Meditations to this site so I wanted to add a few basic instructions here for those new to using them when written by another and not spoken.

In order to get the most out of a guided meditation it should really be guided by a voice so either a friend who will read to you or recording it to listen to while practicing it is always great. You may also wish to add music to the background but it should be rather laid back, relaxing and have no lyrics its really there for ambiance and to help you relax and reach that meditative state.

You should remember that your speaker, or yourself if your recording should speak slowly. Don't rush things and if it calls for a pause or a time to think leave some blank space in the recording or just pause if your speaker is live. These are really just some tips you'll find over time what works best for you. Also remember that guided meditations do take a little while some can last over an hour so be sure you have the time before beginning, its never fun to have to end one early.

Of course you could always memorize the meditation and go through it in your head if you are good at memorizing things. Just remember to go with what works for you. If the particular meditation doesn't interest you don't do it, if you find one you really like and want to repeat go ahead and do that.

Some of the meditations will be written specifically for this blog and others may come from one of the books I have written as they both have some different meditations in them. I may adapt them for the wider audience of the blog if they are more specifically aimed. I hope you enjoy them and that in some way any that resonate with you help you along your personal journey.m

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday

Well its a nice lazy Sunday here and I plan to spend most of the day doing some research and thinking about new topics to write about. Don't forget to see the last post regarding my first blog only contest. I'm having fun coming up with new and interesting stuff for the blog. I am also looking for a couple new automated features in order to make things around here more interesting.

You may have noticed if your not new to the blog that my URL has changed to www.duirsforest.com as a friend of mine convinced me that it looked better if it had a custom URL and I had to agree. I really do enjoy writing these blogs and sharing my feelings and the status of my writing with you all.

The cover art of my second book is well under way and once its all done I will be announcing the title of the book and showing it off. Edits are still under way in the first step of a 2 step process. Some may know and others not that my first book is now coming out in its second edition already sometime next week due to some grammar gremlins that squeezed by the proofreader and we've don our best to fix it quick. This time I am looking to use an editor with an sterling reputation and keep the errors to an absolute minimum. We all know things can slip through from time to time but far too much slipped through the cracks the last time.

Well I truly hope I can keep this blog nice, light and interesting for all of you who read it. I enjoy writing it with all my being and I hope to continue on for many years to come.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Blog Only Contest

Greetings,

Well I've started my quote of the week feature and now I am going to hold a little contest. This has nothing to do with the quote of the week lol.

Ok this contest is open to anyone who reads the blog and wants to enter. There will be one prize. The prize will be a nice little pendant and with it I'll send a bookmark and perhaps something else a little special if I can find something suitable but I am only guaranteeing the pendant and bookmark.

To Enter First you need to post a comment to this thread saying that you want to officially enter. Second you have to send an e-mail to david@dreamz-work.com stating that you want to enter and answering the following questions that can be found by perusing my blog:

1) Who was my first quote of the week from?
2) When Is my Birthday?
3) What was the Title of my first Blog Post?
4) What is the title of my book currently in publication?

That's all you need to do and if this works out well I may hold other contests from time to time specific to the blog, especially around the time book 2 releases.

All Entries must be received in my e-mail by 11:59 pm EST on January 31, the winner will be notified by e-mail on Feb 1 and I'll ask for the info on where to send it then.

GOOD LUCK ALL!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Quote of the Week

Hello there this is new feature I mentioned in a past post called Quote of the week. The quote will have something to do with writing, nature, spirituality or just something really profound.. they may also have been used in my next book and now for the first quote of the week!

“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
–Mahatma Gandhi

Monday, January 4, 2010

New Year New Blog stuff

Well as 2010 starts I'm planning some new features to this blog such as the quote of the week, where I will pick a famous quote most likely related to nature or spirituality and post them once a week. Some of these quotes will be found in my new book (I should be officially announcing the title and blurb from the back of the book cover). Also shortly after my new book's trailer will be available as well.

With any luck my posts will become a bit more verbose as and entertaining. I'm trying to evolve my art for the new year and keep up with writing. Who knows, perhaps I'll have a book three on the way before we know it. A lot of work to do these days and trying to promote books definitely starts to take time, research, and quite a bit of thinking, investment and legwork. Hopefully these posts will start to really come together and after the new book comes out I should hopefully be able to come up with some other features relating to it as well as the quote of the week.

Every day many thoughts go through my head especially about my "day job" and of course how to promote my books so that I can hopefully quit my "day job" eventually and become a full time author. I really do enjoy the writing and feel the surges of inspiration which come along with it. Its quite an exciting and emotional catharsis getting my ideas out on the screen and then into print. My whole life I've dreamed of writing and others enjoying my writing. I truly hope that even one person, other than myself, will like my work, because then it truly is worth it.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year and Status

Happy New Year everyone! As we enter this New Year I am working on the first edits of my second book which I personally believe is far superior to the first and definitely is aimed at a much wider audience. I will be revealing the title and the blurb written for the back cover once the cover art is finished and the final edits are underway, hopefully in just a couple of weeks.
I want to wish anyone who reads this an extremely Happy and Prosperous New Year filled with joy and love. I hope that everyone is well and though my posts are short I hope you all find them at the very least informative.
So far we have had a wonderful New Year and my 2 year old son even made it to midnight to see in the New Year for the first time. He marched proudly around our living room shouting "NEW YEAR, NEW YEAR" when he heard us shout Happy New Year. It was a marvelous experience. Today is also my sixth wedding anniversary and I am so grateful for the loving wife and son I have on this first day of 2010.