Walking your talk

So many people promise to do things but never actually do what they say. I know of many who offer help but don’t follow through with the help and I find that very disappointing. There are many who say they will change something for the better but again that never happens.

I get lots of invitations to join groups on social media but I try to choose ones which may help me or where I can help others. I don’t like just reading posts and not commenting or clicking a button. In the past I have helped to organise or actually organise, various activities.

Organising such activities can take some time and the activities were such that you needed a yes or no response so that you knew how many would attend. I found that some people joined the group with no intention of actually attending but liked to say they were a member of that group. If you join a group that has an activity or activities then surely you want to take part in those activities. I find it disappointing when people join but don’t join in with the activity.

I used to run a distant healing group via email and had many people willing to send out healing to those who asked for it. So I sent out an email with details of those requesting healing each week and hoped that my members would actually send out the healing energy. After some time I discovered that this was not actually happening. If you make a promise to send out healing each week then you should do it. It doesn’t take long. If you don’t then I feel that you are not walking your talk.

I try to do as I promise and help others along their paths. I am told that because I do this for free then people don’t value it and that I should charge for the healing. Many of those asking for help cannot afford to pay and my reward is to see them having a better life. Money is meaningless when you don’t have any. I offered some soft toys I have knitted during the last 18 months to a charity which helps those less well off mainly refugees. The look on the woman’s face as I made the offer told me how much this was appreciated and that is all I need for doing this. So in the next few weeks I shall be sorting out my stash of knitted toys to take down to this charity so that children with no toys can have something to cuddle to help them feel safer. I am walking my talk or at least I am trying to do that.

Labyrinths

Over the years I have been able to visit and walk various labyrinths. I think the first ones were with a friend Coifi who has long been passed over and enjoying life in the otherworld. He used to draw them in the sand and then we walked them several times. I learned how to draw simple ones this way too.

Then I visited Wing Maze in Rutland. This is a turf-cut maze situated on the edge of the Rutland village of Wing. It is better seen as a labyrinth rather than a maze. It is around 14 metres in diameter and consists of a single grass path that winds and backtracks around in a circle before finally leading to the centre. The age of this particular maze is not known but it may only date from the medieval period .

On a visit to Launde Abbey in Leicestershire, I saw that they had built a labyrinth of some kind in a glade in the woods. This was built using stones. There was a notice at the start about how to use the labyrinth and you could choose a stone from a large pile. You walked with the stone in your hand around the labyrinth putting all your worries and sad thoughts into the stone. When you reached the centre you could leave the stone there and walk back unencumbered. Since then the Abbey has laid out a new one in the wildflower meadow so when you walk it in the summer you are surrounded by wild flowers.

Recently I was able to visit a labyrinth set out on private land. It was a beautiful day and walking this labyrinth was very special. So what do I mean by walking a labyrinth? Labyrinth walking is an ancient practice used by many different faiths for spiritual contemplation, and prayer. Entering the winding path of a labyrinth, you walk slowly while quieting your mind and focusing on a spiritual question or prayer. One local vicar told me that each corner or turn was a turn in your life and when you reached the centre you had reached God. Whether you believe in God or not, it can be a very profound experience and also an experience of joy. On my last visit I felt a very deep connection to the earth and found myself chanting ‘Mother I feel you under my feet, Mother I feel your heartbeat’. So walk a labyrinth if you get the chance or draw one in the sand and walk it.

Stress and the wonder of nature

It has been a very stressful week for various reasons but which started with last weeks blog which triggered someone else’s agenda and led to acrimonious discussion. But less of that, it is gone now and is in the past. I live in sheltered accommodation, that is, a complex of flats for the elderly with alarm buttons and other safety aspects. We are in the middle of having new heaters installed and then during the same time frame asbestos is being removed from the airing cupboard so new water tanks can be installed and then a new bathroom. This kind of work is going on for several months and can be quite stressful. It is better to be out of the flat when work goes on especially when the asbestos is removed. So let’s hope the weather stays good so we can sit outside and enjoy the bird song and the sunshine.

A trip to a different nature reserve this week led to seeing flowers and dragonflies I had not seen before. I cannot believe I have reached my old age and never seen a bee orchid before. What a beautiful flower it is. There were lots of damselflies as well and it was a good day despite the humidity. My small patch of garden here is doing well too. There are a lot of buds on the plants and they will soon be opening ready for the bees and butterflies. I have also learnt to identify small beetles and other insects some of which are quite fascinating. And they all have some kind of purpose as we do.

One of the things I love about being here is the sight of red kites in the sky. Every day one or two can be seen flying around and soaring high in the sky. So nature helps me with the stress and that is very good.

Fear and the new normal

I am going to stick my neck out as the saying goes and write about things I normally shy from. I read avidly about everything I have an interest in as well as other reading which I read for information. All this reading over the last 18 months or so has led me to many different beliefs than many of my friends. But I don’t think I am alone in my thinking. Fear has been dominant over the last 18 months and fear breeds obedience. Think about that first. Fear can cause many different illnesses as it depletes your immune system. Nowhere in the last 18 months have I seen a recommendation to boost your immune system. If you have fear about something then you need to change the story about what you fear and make it a happy story so the fear disappears.

Earlier this week I came across a cartoon which said a lot of what I think. It stated that most people don’t really want the truth, they just want constant assurance that what they believe is the truth. There were two desks in the cartoon, one had a large queue at it. The heading over the desk was ‘comforting lies’ and the other desk had no queue. That heading was ‘unpleasant truths’. The truth can be uncomfortable to know but knowing it is important. It is easy to be satisfied with what you hear instead of looking to see whether what you hear is the truth or not. Reading and researching is good to do but sometimes you just know that what you are being told is a lie.

Last month I wrote a new poem called ‘A New Normal’. Here it is.

Is this how it is meant to be?
Men and women staying in
Cowed and afraid to go outside
Just in case they become ill.

Why have they obeyed so fast?
Why have they stopped thinking?
Why do they believe so many facts
Even though they are often false?

How do they change and go outside,
Learn to laugh and hug again,
Learn to tell truth from lies,
And to trust their inner selves?

I don’t understand
Why people don’t question
What we are asked to do.
Have they lost their ‘knowing’
In the chaos of life
Or don’t they care any more.

If we took more care of our bodies and minds
Our lives would change for the better,
So think about this and get outside
To find joy and beauty for ever.