Confucius birth name was Kong Qiu. His students referred to him as "Master Kong" (Kong Fuzi), which missionaries later translated to Confucius. Emperor Qin Shi Huang banned Confucianism & ordered the burning of Confucian books and buried hundreds of Confucian scholars alive to suppress their ideas.

Paul McCartney's first instrument was a trumpet. He later traded it for a guitar, but struggled to play it right-handed. After noticing a poster of Slim Whitman, who also played left-handed, he simply reversed the order of the strings.

Jon Batiste is an Academy & Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer & composer, born in New Orleans into a renowned musical dynasty. Before his fame, Jon formed the band "Stay Human", known for impromptu subway & street performances designed to directly connect with people through music.

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Dick Dale pioneered the 1960s surf rock sound by blending blistering Gene Krupa drum rhythms with exotic Arabic scales. He regularly blew up standard guitar amplifiers. He collaborated with Leo Fender to create the world's first 100-watt guitar amplifier to withstand his playing.

Kacey Musgraves is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for pushing the boundaries of traditional country music. Before hitting it big she won national yodeling championships. In a 2015 interview, Kacey admitted to having a fear of alien abductions and said she has seen several UFOs herself.

In the 1950s, the owner of the popular Hollywood nightclub Mocambo refused to book Ella because he didn't think she was "glamorous" enough. Marilyn Monroe personally called the owner and promised to sit at a front-row table every night if he booked Ella. Ella performed to packed celebrity crowds.

Lady Gaga's iconic stage name was an accident. Her producer wanted to call her "Radio Ga Ga" (inspired by the Queen song), but an autocorrect on his phone changed it to "Lady Gaga," and she instantly fell in love with it.

I've been getting feedback from industry professionals for 27 years (radio show hosts, bloggers, label owners, podcasters and playlist curators). about the lack of effort artists put into making first contact. But there's one irritating habit that stands above the rest.

During his time in the U.S. Air Force, Johnny Cash was a Morse code operator. While stationed in West Germany intercepting Soviet communications, he intercepted transmissions that made him the very first American to learn of Joseph Stalin's death.

Billie Eilish is only the 2nd person in history to win Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year & Best New Artist at the Grammys. Billie has a neurological condition called synesthesia which means her senses blend together. When she hears music, she sees specific colors and shapes.

"Da Vinci" is not Leonardo's surname; it simply means "from Vinci." As a left-handed, self-taught man, Leonardo wrote from right to left. His famous mirror writing can only be read properly when held up to a mirror, a trick many historians believe he used to protect his groundbreaking ideas.

The name Lao Tzu translates to "Old Master" or "Venerable Teacher" in Mandarin. Modern scholars believe the Tao Te Ching wasn't written by just one man, but is actually a compilation of writings from multiple philosophers over time.

"The Count's iconic hit song 'One O'Clock Jump' was essentially composed on the fly. In 1937, with radio broadcast time approaching & no written sheet music ready, the band simply started jamming on a catchy, improvised groove. They needed a title on the spot, so they called it 'One O'Clock Jump.'

Armin van Buuren holds a degree in law from Leiden University in the Netherlands. He actually completed his degree in 2003, years after his music career had already taken off, simply to have a backup plan just in case his massive success in the EDM world ever faded.

Jack Kerouac typed his 1957 classic On the Road on a continuous 120-foot roll of taped-together teletype paper so he wouldn't have to stop to reload the typewriter.

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is an avid and skilled beekeeper who tends to multiple hives at his home. He took up the hobby because his father used to raise bees, and he finds it a uniquely relaxing way to unwind when he is not touring.

Jean-Michel Basquiat went from panhandling and sleeping in Washington Square Park to becoming a global art icon. He made his very first art sale in 1982 to Blondie's Debbie Harry and her boyfriend, who bought one of his paintings for just $200.

The illustrations for the second book in my meditation series are done! "24 Ways to Calm the Monkey Mind" will be released in January 2026 Illustrator Thaís Suizo has done an incredible job and I can't thank her enough. This photo is a compilation of all the images Thaís has created for the book.

Place a photo of yourself as a baby or toddler in front of you while you’re meditating. Try to remember what it was like to be that child. Practice being that innocent child that knows nothing. It will help you to look at life in amazing wonder rather than through an intellectual filter.

Rose tries to convince Squinty Squirrel that our soul uses our physical body similar to the way an artist uses their brush. Taken from CHAPTER 4 of "Mr. Cow Freaks Out."

"Calming your thoughts allows you to see deeper thought forms that have been hiding behind them. Keep in mind that meditation isn’t creating these thoughts ... it’s showing you these hidden thoughts that have ALWAYS existed. Seeing the many layers of your thoughts is actually a blessing."

The goal of the 4TH STEP of AA is not to dump all the worst things from your past. You're not only the "bad" things you've done throughout your life. You'll receive more healing from this step by keeping things in balance and include the positive things about you when listing your inventory

Meditation is the greatest gift you can give yourself. - it's free - you can do it whenever you want - you can do it for however long you want - you will become more in touch with who you really are - it will calm your stress down to levels you never though possible #meditation #relaxation

Zen monks knew when they gave the monkey mind a problem to solve it would run with it like a dog chasing a car The mind is like a computer. If you hand it a riddle it will automatically attempt to solve it Its search for answers can lead to a peaceful meditation and deeper calm throughout your day

Rose describes to Squinty Squirrel what she believes a successful life to be. Taken from CHAPTER 4 of "Mr. Cow Freaks Out"

SELF-TALK is an effective tools for helping to soften down the monkey mind. Do it when you’re alone. No one will ever know. The benefits from this exercise can be enormous. -------- This beautiful illustration is by Thaís Suizo from the "LET'S MEDITATE SERIES (Book Two: Calming the Monkey Mind).

MEDITATE BADLY When you begin your meditation practice it's important to be realistic with your expectations. You’re exercising muscles you’ve never used before. Meditating badly will relieve a massive amount of pressure. It will allow the practice to be what it is, especially at first, clumsy.

Mr. Cow is concerned about dying suddenly & not having a chance to say his repenting prayer where he apologizes for all the selfish things he did in his life & then asks for forgiveness. He's hoping there's an opportunity to plead his case to a Being of Light before he's assigned to Heaven or Hell.

MILLIONS of people sending prayers skyward every second of every day is acceptable. Receiving an answer is not acceptable. It's crazy. This is a true story.

Gratitude is recognizing what YOU HAVE versus what YOU DESIRE to have. As you meditate, the monkey mind will present endless desires. Counteract these desires by making a list of the things you’re grateful for. The items on your gratitude list will be like light bulbs turning on in a dark room.

We can’t really be angry at our monkey mind because it’s just a mechanism ... a device. It takes a persistent continuous effort to transmute these energy forms and allow them to return to their natural state. Your hard work will pay off. You will reach a calm that you couldn’t have ever imagined.

Most of the expectations causing your frustration are unconscious. They're not even visible yet. Meditation will help these expectations to rise to the surface so that you can work with them one by one and soften them down. ----- This beautiful illustration is by Thaís Suizo behance.net/thaissuizo

Forgiveness is a universal quality. The most common resistance to using the healing power of forgiveness is that either (a) you don’t deserve forgiveness or (b) the other person who hurt you doesn’t deserve forgiveness for what they did. Forgiveness will dissolve both of these powerful beliefs.

They say that behind all anger is FEAR. I say behind all fear is LOVE. Meditation will help you to discover that this is true. -------------- This wonderful illustration is by Brazilian artist Thaís Suizo from the "LET'S MEDITATE SERIES (Book One: Let's Get Started!). #meditation #Spirituality

If you approach your meditation in a serious fashion the monkey mind will bat you around like a cat with a ping pong ball. Humor creates a kinder, gentler receptor --------- This wonderful illustration is by artist Thaís Suizo from the "LET'S MEDITATE SERIES (Book Two: Calming the Monkey Mind).

Some Yogis will recommend that you observe your thoughts as though you’re watching a movie. Let them act out their scenes, but don’t get attached to them. Your non-attachment will disempower these thought forms and will allow you to see past them, ultimately into higher realms of love and kindness.

Mary the Fish attempts to get Mr. Cow to understand that softer prayers are more effective than loud harsh prayers. Mr. Cow explains the reason why he's going to stick with his loud prayers.

Many people have a fear of journaling. Not that some horrible thought is going to sneak past their censor. The fear is that someone is going to read it. There’s a simple solution. Write out your thoughts and as soon as you’re finished, shred the pages. It won’t affect the depth of the healing.

Why would one even consider meditating knowing about all the uncomfortable thoughts they will have to face? Thankfully, people have been meditating for thousands of years and have left us with some valuable tips on how to push through despite the powerful threats of our monkey mind. There is hope

"Humans are multi-layered multi-dimensional beings beyond all description. Meditation is our first step in discovering more about who we are on this level as well as some of the other higher subtler levels." #meditation #Spirituality #SpiritualJourney #spiritualawakening #meditationpractice

Mr. Cow is convinced that if your prayers are not of a high quality The Stream will eventually start ignoring you. Taken from CHAPTER 1 of "The Stump Near the Stream."

The Ring-Pass-Not maintains the way you currently are. If you attempt to expand your awareness past your identity, the Ring-Pass-Not pushes back as much as it needs to. Through meditation it is possible to calm these thoughts down and become more aware. But it's a process. It takes a while

Recently I connected with an illustrator from Brazil named Thaís Suizo. Thaís's illustrations were so amazing. I thought there was no way she would ever want to work on such a small project as mine. She said she would love to be a part of the project and was excited and I'm so grateful for that.