Spreading love and peace

There seem to be more wars going on around the world than ever before. For centuries there have been wars and then we had the one war that would end all wars. Well, that didn’t happen as there have been quite a few wars since then. History just keeps repeating itself and we do not seem to learn from our mistakes.

As a druid I am all for peace and love, respect for others and a fairer world. Our thoughts are energy so thinking about peace and love sends ripples out into the world and reaches others often through their subconscious minds which in turn stimulate them to think about peace and love.

There are songs around, some of which have been around for years like ‘Imagine’ and ‘Love is all you need’. Keep singing these and it will have an effect but the more of us who do this, the quicker there will be change. All over the world are little groups of people doing this and each time we send out peace and love it moves through the whole world.

To change the world you have to be the change. Change the way you work with words and send positive thoughts of peace and love out all the time. It only takes seconds to do this. It is all about intent. Stand up for what you believe in and intend that the world is peaceful and fairer for all.

There is an old video on youtube worth watching. It is still relevant today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-HbtxumvLM .

Sadness

I feel a deep sadness at the reactions of many in our troubled world and I also feel a deep need for time in the woods to replenish my spirit. Earlier this week I penned a few words about my thoughts. Here they are:

Why do we talk with hate and fear?
It only breeds more of the same,
The words peace and love are what we should hear,
Peace and love in our name.
Let the words of peace ring out in the world,
Spreading far and wide.
Let the feeling of love spread out in the world
So we all stand side by side.
Respect and love for all on earth,
Let us value each others worth,
Peace and love spreading out to you
Hold it close, pass it on, please do.

If these words resonate with you, please share this blog. We need to stand together to stop history repeating itself yet again.

Let your love and peace spread out like the ripples on the water reaching all around the world.

This week

The week started with sadness as we remembered those who died in the many wars we have had. Then on Friday we started with Children in Need which always makes me feel sad. Why do we have to raise money for those in need when our governments should be using the taxes we pay to do this? Then later that day, the terror attacks in Paris.

I feel a deep sense of sadness within me. What is happening to humanity? I think of the words of Gandhi ‘An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’. I think of the words of Martin Luther King JR ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.’

How can we break this cycle of violence? What happened on Friday in Paris and in other parts of the world will lead to more violence. There has to be another way but I am feeling very tested about my beliefs in finding a peaceful world. Everywhere in our world there is someone who is hurting. Everywhere, not just Paris or here or in America.

Here is a druid prayer for peace. Let it resonate throughout the whole world.

Deep within the still center of my being,

may I find peace.

Silently within the quiet of the Grove,

may I share peace.

Gently and powerfully,

within the greater circle of humankind,

may I radiate peace.

Acceptance and compromise

Acceptance is something we possibly do not actually think about but just accept things as and when. But acceptance is about accepting things as they are in reality and it is not always an easy thing to do. Acceptance can also be the key to finding happiness. But let us take a look at what kind of things we accept without question. We accept our families and what they do generally, we accept the fact that we have food and clothes and other things which we consider to be essential to our lives. But what happens when something happens that we find hard to accept? This can be when a friend or family member decides they no longer wish to part of that group, or when illness strikes and you do not want to accept that this will change your life.

There is a saying about acceptance –  change what you can change and accept the things you can’t change. So this brings in the idea of compromise. So how do you compromise? In this sense, compromise is about finding ways to learn to live with whatever it is that you cannot accept. Where I am concerned, this has meant that I have had to accept the fact that I can no longer climb or walk in the mountains but that does not stop me from enjoying the natural world via books, films and other means and also enjoying the short trips out into the countryside by car. I have also had to learn how to do things in the home without making the pain worse and this again is a kind of compromise. I get people to help with the things I can’t do easily by myself but I have learned how to adapt to working in the kitchen and preparing food.

But it is very hard to accept some of these things that are happening in my life. Some days it seems easier than on other days but even though my spiritual beliefs as a druid keep me going, I still find some things very difficult. Being an indoor druid is totally different from being one who can go outside whenever they wish and work with the trees. I work with the trees in my memory when I can’t get near to one but when out I do love to give them hugs and appreciate their healing energy. Being housebound, however, has made me appreciate so much more the things I used to be able to do and also appreciate it more now when someone takes me out.

How do you feel about acceptance and compromise and have you ever been in that position where it is really hard?

Ancestors

Now is the time of honouring our ancestors but what do we know about them. Are they ones we feel we should honour or are there some who we would not wish to honour?  As a family history researcher I know quite a bit about my ancestors and how they lived. Each one of these has given me something and is a part of me. But there are a lot of them. One thing that many people do not realise is that each time you go back a generation the number of ancestors doubles. For example, we have four grandparents, eight great grandparents, sixteen great, great grandparents and so on.

Finding out what you have gained from each of these ancestors is too big a subject to discuss here but one thing that is noticeable where I am concerned is the structure of my face. Some time ago, my son said in surprise, ‘you look like grandma’. I do look like my mother and my grandmother too. My grandmother was a Davis and maybe it is her genes that are dominant.

One thing that has always puzzled me  is the fact that I am musical and do have some musical talent. My mother had this too but no-one else so where did it come from. Somewhere along the line I must have had a musical ancestor and I honour them for passing this talent along even though I know nothing about them.

Some years ago now, I read a book called ‘The Seven Daughters of Eve’ by Bryan Sykes. At the same time, one of the family history magazines offered a DNA test to see which of the clans of the seven daughters of Eve that you belonged to. I took this test and found out that I was a member of the clan of Katrine who had lived 15,000 years ago on the southern slopes of the Alps. near Venice. Reading about Katrine and her supposed life, much resonated with me. It allowed me to understand my connection with mountains and how they are important in my life. Later it was found that Otzi the Iceman was also a member of this clan so I can say I am related to Otzi

One other thought about ancestors is this. If you believe in reincarnation and also that each soul reincarnates in the same group for many lives, is it possible that at some time I was my own ancestor?