Mindfulness

A couple of weeks ago I read a book (Zen Druidry by Joanna VanderHoeven) which resonated very strongly with me. So much so that I wrote the following poem;

Mindfulness

Be mindful, I hear you say;

Be mindful throughout the day.

Mindful of what I eat,

Mindful of what I wear,

Mindful of what I do,

Mindful of what I say,

Mindful of what I feel,

Mindful of what I sense,

Mindful of what I think,

Mindful throughout the day.

Mindfulness brings its own rewards

Of peace, of balance and harmony.

Be mindful throughout the day.

 

 

Obstacles and feelings

After my lovely few days away I came home to various small problems. Some were easily dealt with via a phone call but others have seemed to linger on and one in particular has been ongoing for several months now. As a druid I try to go with the flow, to see small obstacles or problems as part of life’s journey. But larger problems which don’t go away bring up various emotions like anger, frustration, feeling a lack of control over my life as well as other feelings.

How do you deal with the little problems that life throws at you? Do you get angry, shout or just shrug your shoulders and get the problems sorted out. If we let feelings of anger or frustration continue for a long time, this can affect our health. It certainly affects our everyday life.

My larger problem is really out of my control but I have asserted myself about getting the necessary repairs done. Responsibility comes in here too. How do you deal with things that go wrong but which are the responsibility of others to deal with? This can be quite tricky but so far I seem to have dealt with the problem as best as I can and now wait in hope for a positive result. Staying positive and visualising the problem solved has also helped. There is always something positive to be found when things go wrong so look for what is positive about the problem. Is it teaching you something about yourself and the way you react to problems?

My photo this week is of the oak woodland just starting to come into leaf. The oak seems to be coming out much later this year. I wonder if the ash is out first. Oak before Ash, summer a splash or Ash before Oak, summer a soak.

As usual your comments are welcome.

Time out and being still

Taking time out is important for us all. Many people rush around all day and often until the late evening. It is as if they have to always be on the go and find things to do so that they are always occupied. Are you one of these people?

Do you find it hard just to sit and be still even for a few minutes?

I have just been lucky enough to have three days away, time out for me but also time for my writing without other interruptions. However I also found the time to explore the woodland, to sit and watch the birds and trees. I also walked the labyrinth, each time in silent meditation.

If you learn to be still for just a few minutes every day, all kinds of things start to fall into place and life becomes easier and less hectic. Worries become less as your time out increases. The stillness helps you to get your life into perspective. Do you need to rush everywhere? Do you need to do all the mundane things in your life? Look at what you do every day and find a small space where you can just sit and be still. Watch the birds, listen to their singing or just sit with your eyes closed. See if it makes a difference to your life.

My photo this week is of one of the ponds in the grounds of Launde Abbey. I sat there for hours watching the reflections move in the water. Could you have done the same?

Wanting and needing

During and after a Beltane meditation, the difference between needing and wanting came up. If you don’t have a lot of money then the question of do you need something or do you just want something can often cause quite a lot of argument between people.

In today’s world we all seem to want everything that is available for us to buy and many people get into debt because they feel they have to have what they want. As I’ve grown older and delved deeper into my spiritual side, I now find the decision of needing something much easier to deal with. But for many this kind of decision is much harder. Of course, the wanting or needing something can apply to jobs, holidays and other things such as relationships as well as the purchase of material goods.

There are other ways of looking at this kind of choice but you have to be honest with yourself. You can look at the ethical side of the holiday or goods that you buy. Do you really need whatever it is? Why do you need it? Is it a good buy or the kind of bargain that falls apart after a few weeks?

I was brought up with parents who believed that you bought nothing until you had saved enough money to buy it. The only exclusion to this was the mortgage on the house. There was always enough food despite the post-war rationing and my mother made my clothes as well as her own. My father grew vegetables in the garden and enjoyed walking in the local parks. We had no TV so there were no adverts to try to persuade us to buy things we did not need or even want. There is so much pressure today to buy things we don’t need, to take holidays abroad and to do things we don’t really want to do.

Does your respect for others and our natural world influence what you buy and how do you choose whether it is a need or a want? Does your spiritual path influence this as well?

I’d love to hear your ideas on this theme. This mornings photo is of the trees at the back of my garden just coming into leaf. They give me hope for the changes in the world that I would like to see.