News, change, negativity and more

There has been so much going on this week in my mind. First of there was Storm Doris who swept through our area at a rapid speed demolishing objects in her way and bringing down many trees. I had hoped that she would sweep away all the negativity but that has not seemed to have happened as the news is full of it.

I understand that good events are not good news but they should be. I can look at a newspaper and find lots of items about bad events but not very much about good ones. No wonder we all feel negative. I try not to get emotionally involved with the news but try to stand back and look at what is stated overall. Facts are important but we are now in the age of fake news. Journalists seem to have forgotten about truth and reporting in a factual manner but make up things to get good headlines and more readers even though some of what you read is blatantly untrue.

What sort of a world have we made? What happened to truth and compassion? How can we turn the negativity into positivity? Is it right to keep revisiting the past or should we be looking only to the future? Now that is a question that could bring a lot of discussion. What has happened in the past makes us who we are today but should it influence how we go forward and if so how?

We are going through a period of rapid change in our world. Change in the way we live, the way we travel and the way we spend money. We need to accept that without change we cannot grow. Change is a good thing not a bad one and from each change we make, we learn something which helps us to lead a better life. It is so easy to get in a rut and stay in what feels a safe place. Sometimes risks have to be taken in order to move forward. Please tell me your thoughts on all of this. I love to read your comments which often help me to change things too.

Silence

Yesterday I was talking to a friend about something she had shared on social media. The item was a photo of a protest in Turkey. There was no shouting or talking and no placards. The people stood there in silence and those in authority did not know what to do. I hope that those standing in silence were all thinking the same thoughts of peace, truth and love. Silence is a powerful thing. I have spent time in places where others have been having a silent retreat. No talking to each other even at meal times.

This leads me to thinking about how much noise there is in our world. This morning for example, I first hear the central heating boiler come on, then the noise of a car in the street. Later there was the noise of children next door. The fan heater makes a noise, the fridge and freezer make noises as does anything mechanical that has a thermostat. If I open the door I can hear the noise of traffic on the dual carriageway. I am writing this blog on mny computer and the fan is running making yet another noise. Our worlds are so noisy it is a wonder that we can think properly.

I feel that it is time for me to take a retreat somewhere that is quiet and the only noises are the sounds of nature, birds singing, the running water of a stream and so on. Have we let the constant noise in our lives change our lives? Do we take time out to be silent or as silent as is possible? It is much easier to think about things if there is silence around us and when you can find the silence within you then that is even better. Many of us are able to find that deep silence within us wherever we are at that time. But I find it much easier if I am out in nature even if there are many other people around me. How do you feel about all the daily noise? Do you find time to be in silence? Does it make you feel better and think more clearly?

A blanket of calmness

Friday evening there was an eclipse and a full moon, the Snow Moon as well as a meteor the following morning. On Saturday morning I woke up to a thin blanket of snow on the ground. Very apt as it was the Snow Moon! Everywhere seemed so much quieter, peaceful and calm. I have noticed this many times before. The blanket of snow mutes the sounds of traffic and people and seems to calm everything down to a slower pace. It led me to thinking what a wonderful thing it could be if this happened in places that needed calm and quiet.

Words, thoughts and actions are all forms of energy. Have you ever noticed how the energy around you or a group of people, changes when you chant? Do you use singing bowls or other items which make resonating sounds? If so have you noticed how the energy changes when you use them? So how would the energy of our world change if there was a blanket of calmness around it and on it?

When you are calm you can think better, decide what is right for you and how you can change the things that are wrong. Calm brings clarity of thought, it brings peace and understanding. Maybe those who are protesting or protecting could send out this feeling of calm energy, the feeling of peace and the feeling of togetherness. Some protectors are doing this by holding sacred ceremonies and by praying. Is this the way to go?

Your thoughts as usual are welcomed.

Spring brings hope

The phrase ‘hope springs eternal’ has been going through my mind all week. So I have taken the words ‘hope’ and spring’ away from that thought and that is what I am writing about today. But the original quote is about hope always being there even if we forget about it, it says’ hope springs eternal in the human breast’. However bad things get there is always hope within us that things will get better.

So what about Spring? I can feel that Spring is in the air. I go into my back yard in a morning and you can smell the difference in the air. It might be cold or wet but that smell of spring is there. And when the sun does shine, you can feel the warmth too. I can see tiny buds on branches and the crocuses are coming into flower.

So if I put the words together I get Spring brings hope. It was the celebration of Imbolc during the week. For me this is always about hope and looking forward to the coming lighter and longer days. I look forward to being able to create in a better way, to being able to get out more to enjoy the natural world and above all to enjoy what the season brings. It gives me hope that the future will be different and better although I am not silly enough to expect it to happen all at once. I know and understand that things often get much worse before they start to improve and I feel that is what is happening now. But the bad changes occurring at the moment are awakening people to their real reason for being on our planet and hopefully that will bring about the changes. Many people have just lived their lives squandering and wasting resources as if there was no tomorrow but now everything is coming home to roost as we say. So take hope from the coming of the longer days and the burgeoning of nature and know that eventually the world will become a better place as more people find their real place in our world.