When you have nothing

The news and social media are full of people in war zones and disaster areas who have nothing left. Houses are demolished in some way or other and there is no water, food or heating. What do you do when you are at that point? The only way is up of course but that can take some time. It was good to see photos of men repairing the roof of their home. But what has happened in many areas is that people are coming together to help those in great need. The events and darkness around them is also full of light as many awake to the fact that certain things are essential for living while others are not.

Some governments are trying to do things which are inhumane and show a definite lack of compassion. But the people in general oppose these things and see the wider picture of how we must help each other if we are to survive as a race of humans. If we are to survive then we must learn to care for each other, to respect our differences and to share not only our knowledge but our food, homes and most of all our love.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help although I feel you should never have to ask. If you are in need of the basic things for living then they should be available from some source wherever you are. We should all be aware of what goes on around us so that we can see what is needed and where it is needed. During the second world war, people worked together to help others with housing, food and clothing. No-one was left to starve or without a place to sleep. The same applies now, we work together in some way to help those in need. Have compassion for others whatever their religion or colour. The most important thing about them is that they are human beings just like the rest of us and have the same requirements in life. We are all connected and from the same source so do not discriminate in any way.

Sorry if this seems to be a bit of a rant but recent headlines make me feel ashamed to be British.

Gifting

It has been a busy week sorting out things after buying a used chest of drawers from a local charity. They are made of beautiful dark wood and large enough to put in all the stuff that has been in baskets and crates on the floor. So I put the empty crates and baskets on the landing outside my door. A visitor claimed the baskets and a neighbours children clearing out her flat claimed the crates. What a good way to get rid of things. Your junk is often someone else’s most wanted item.

However I get many comments about this asking why I am not selling these items but giving them away. I know what it is like to have very little money so I am happy to help others and see what I give away as a gift.

But this brings me to something else about giving away and money. Many years ago when I first became a Reiki Master Teacher I checked out the current level of charges for this. I
was amazed at some of the excessive prices charged and the advertising about someone’s teaching being better than another. For me Reiki was and still is a gift, one I am willing to share with others freely. But I still get ‘flack’ from others about this saying that I can charge for my time and get money that way. It is not about money! Healing energy is not about money at all. I have this gift and I wish to share it freely and when I train Master Teachers myself I always chose students who have what I considered to be an ethical attitude. I remember looking at a web site some years ago and there were so many different
59 kinds of Reiki all charging a specific sum of money for a distant attunement and a manual. To me that kind of teaching is not teaching at all but this topic can take me down a different road so I will stop there and get back to the giving away theme.

Is it better to give something away to someone who needs it or to throw it away in the rubbish? Our rubbish tips are full of unwanted items so recycling them has to be good. Is it better for me to give away these items now or store them until after I have gone when someone else throws them away?

There are many people in our world who are in great need at the moment due to unfortunate circumstances not of their own making. I am looking through my belonging to see what else I can give away to those in need. I have lots of knitted toys to donate to children who don’t have any. Some people give things away to make themselves look good but that is not for me. I genuinely believe that I help others in one way or another. I don’t need a reward or money only the word s ‘Thank you’. This blog was originally written several years ago but has been edited to make it up to date.

binary comment

Are you ready?

There are many changes ahead. Every day has changes in it, some tiny changes and sometimes a large change. As we near the end of the year and a new year appears, I see that 2021 is a number 5 year in numerology. So what lies ahead? One definition I found states this; ‘THE 5 YEAR is a journey of freedom, change, adventure, new experience, and learning from mistakes. … This year will be quite an experience for you – a new experience. You now stand at the halfway point of an entire nine-year cycle of your life. The first four years are behind you.’

Make of this what you will but change is definitely on the way. So much has happened this year, a lot of it has restricted us in many ways and our freedom to do what we want has not been there. Hopefully the pandemic will soon go away and we can regain our liberties although many of us will have changed our priorities in our lives. Those of us who have done some deep thinking may have realised what is most important in our lives. Some words come to mind, respect, compassion, love, peace, understanding, support for others, healing, etc.

The changes ahead may be bumpy at times but we can believe that it will all be for the good. Positive thought is important too. You get what you think about. The power of positive thought is well known so stay positive, know that the changes that come will eventually be for the better and the whole world will benefit. Above all, have respect for others, compassion for those less fortunate and remember that we are all equal in the eyes of our creator and we are all a part of the Divine.

Finding the positive and the opportunities in the current world crisis.

First of all let’s be clear that fear is not a good thing. Fear spreads quickly and leaves your immune system stressed and less able to work properly. Worry does the same thing. Don’t worry about things you can’t change but change what you can to make sure you stay well. But in this crisis opportunities for change for the good are appearing. Families are able to become closer by caring for each other better, and spend time together if in isolation mode and learn to work with each other. Working from home is becoming acceptable and many who are isolated in this way are welcoming the fact they don’t have the commute to work and that is also helping them to feel better.

Some will pass over but they will only go if their time is right. You go when you are meant to go. There is no choice about this. But you can take precautions as stated in the governments notes. Businesses are failing and people are struggling moneywise but they will then start to look at what life is really about. Do we need new phones and gadgets all the time. Do we need expensive imported foods? Do we need expensive holidays and weddings abroad? What is most important in your life? Do we always have to have the latest fashion fad? These items are often made in countries where labour is cheap and work conditions are like slavery. Think about this.

People have not listened to the warnings about our planet and the way they live so something had to happen to make them think. For over a year now I have ‘known’ that something would happen. I thought it might be a giant earthquake or intensive flooding. We have had the wild fires and the flooding and all that happened was people complained about compensation and getting more money to rebuild in the same way as before. So now we have a spreading illness bringing everything to a halt. Now is your opportunity to reflect on your life, the way you live and how you could make changes. The world will not be the same again. Look for the good things and the opportunities that are there for you to learn about love for the earth, for your family and for others.
And if you get ill, then make sure you recover properly before mixing with others.

Here is a wonderful piece of writing that I came across yesterday. It is long but worth the read.

LOCKDOWN …

by Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM

March 13th 2020

Yes there is fear.

Yes there is isolation.

Yes there is panic buying.

Yes there is sickness.

Yes there is even death.

But,

They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise

You can hear the birds again.

They say that after just a few weeks of quiet

The sky is no longer thick with fumes

But blue and grey and clear.

They say that in the streets of Assisi

People are singing to each other

across the empty squares,

keeping their windows open

so that those who are alone

may hear the sounds of family around them.

They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland

Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.

Today a young woman I know

is busy spreading fliers with her number

through the neighbourhood

So that the elders may have someone to call on.

Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples

are preparing to welcome

and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary

All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting

All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way

All over the world people are waking up to a new reality

To how big we really are.

To how little control we really have.

To what really matters.

To Love.

So we pray and we remember that

Yes there is fear.

But there does not have to be hate.

Yes there is isolation.

But there does not have to be loneliness.

Yes there is panic buying.

But there does not have to be meanness.

Yes there is sickness.

But there does not have to be disease of the soul

Yes there is even death.

But there can always be a rebirth of love.

Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.

Today, breathe.

Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic

The birds are singing again

The sky is clearing,

Spring is coming,

And we are always encompassed by Love.

Open the windows of your soul

And though you may not be able

to touch across the empty square,

Sing.

Wishes for 2020

Wishes is probably not the right word to use however this is what this blog is about. First of all I wish you all a Happy New Year whatever and however you celebrate. A week ago, one of my friends asked us all to give her one word to describe what we wished for her during this coming year. This brought up lots of suggestions and I am taking some of these words to use in this blog. First of all I wish you all peace during the year. This is peace with yourself and peace with others as well as peace around you wherever you live.

I’d like to wish you love as well. Love for yourself and your family as well as for those around you. Love is a powerful vibration and can change lives. So what else do I wish for you? Gratitude; gratitude for what you have. I give gratitude each night for three things that are not the obvious ones like a roof over my head, food and clothes. There are many other things we can be grateful for. Caring and compassion for others is something else I wish for you. In our current world, compassion and caring are extremely important when there are so many who need help of some kind.

I wish good health for you and happiness. With good health comes another wish, sustainable eating and living. This is another very important thing in view of the changes in our climate, living sustainably, not wasting anything that can be used in some way and not buying what we don’t need. Repairing items that can be repaired is good as well. It is better than throwing them away.

I wish also that you gain a deeper connection with yourself, with others and with the natural world around us and also with the spiritual world. Take time to stand and stare, to contemplate and to reflect, to look at the bigger picture around the current circumstances, to forgive and to share. But above all I wish you happiness. Be happy with yourself and then you will be happy with others.

There is a website called http://www.actionforhappiness.org who produce a monthly happiness guide. I am using the one for this month as my photo today. Can you do the things it asks of you?

Standing back

There are many times in a lifetime when you have to stand back and let things go on without your influence.. It is hard to do but I feel it is sometimes essential to stand back and not interfere or say things you might regret later. A couple of weeks ago I was standing in the bus shelter with various other people. A man came along and joined us then started to say how wonderful our prime minister was and how those on benefits or homeless should get a job and stop being idle. My first reaction was to move forward ready to defend those less well-off than myself but something stopped me. There was no response from those standing in the bus shelter either.

So where is this leading me? I could have put my point of view to this man but I could see that he would not listen anyway. There are many like him who are cosy in their own world and do not see what is happening in the world around them. It is easy to become homeless through no fault of your own. You may be made redundant and be unable to pay your rent or mortgage and then end up living on the street. It almost happened to me some years ago when I was told to leave my rented house as the owner wanted it back. This came after repeated complaints from me about a leaking roof so now I am careful about the number of complaints I make about my rented accommodation.

So if I had got in an argument with this man it would not have helped. I hope that we can all read between the lines, as it were, and see the truth about what is going on around us. We should be able to discern what is true and what is fake or just pure lies. Staying true to your own beliefs is important but I hope those beliefs include compassion for those who are vulnerable and need help as well. Standing back is not always the right thing to do but it can help you to see the bigger picture and help you to realise when to stand back or when to say something or interfere. If people had not interfered this last Friday then more people might have been injured or died when a man attacked others with a knife in London. Sometimes it is easy to know what to do especially in an emergency.

I know when to say things to others to try to open their eyes to what is going on around them but I can also see when they are brainwashed into their thinking and unlikely to change or even listen to what I have to say. Sometimes it is better to do nothing and stand back but on the other hand it is sometimes easy to know when to do something. Being a peace loving druid with compassion for others can bring its own challenges!

Injustice

How many times do you hear the words ‘Life’s not fair’? It isn’t though and there are many instances of injustice or lack of fairness. It is not just in our current times as it has gone on for centuries as I found when researching Victorian criminals. There was one rule for some and a different rule for others, generally chosen because they had a bit of education.

Injustice can be seen as an unjust act or occurrence or an unfair action or treatment of someone which violates their rights. People often say unfair things about people they call friends too. But how do you deal with it?

If you feel anger then deal with it and don’t feed your anger otherwise it can make you ill. If you can change an injustice then do so but there are many that you cannot change but that you have to live with. You can feel compassion for yourself and for those who are the victims of injustice but you need to prioritise what is most important. so choose to empower yourselves by separating the facts from your emotions.

In a world of fake news we have to be careful about our reactions to events and discern which are true before we can do something to try to make sure some of these injustices do not happen again.

In our current world, many injustices are coming to light for us to deal with and we are making progress with this If you want to fight injustice then choose one thing that you know you can change. Small changes lead to big changes and we can move towards a fairer world for us all but don’t expect things to change overnight It is a slow process.

Also remember that peace is important for us all so remain peaceful in whatever you do.

November thoughts on our world

It is very cold outside, a howling wind, some sun but some heavy clouds which I recognise as possible snow clouds. Winter is on the way. The trees are almost bare now and there is a carpet of leaves on the ground making it golden in the sunshine. For me this is the time I start to stay inside as it is too cold for me out there. But I spend my time reflecting and writing mainly as well as knitting thick scarves for when I do go out.

But what I want to write about today is something different. As some of you will know I am an avid researcher and recently have been researching the local workhouse which was closed in the 1930s. Although this is nothing to do with druidry, it is to do with our approach to our lives, our compassion for others and our wish to make the world a better place.

During this research, I have read some terrible stories of hardship and cruelty especially towards the poor and the mentally ill who were soon put away in the workhouse or lunatic asylums. Some stories struck a chord within me. In 1912 there was a miners strike. Some miners belonged to a union so were unable to ask for poor relief to help them survive. Other miners did not belong to the union but could not work because of the others. However the Board of Guardians who were in charge of poor relief as well as the workhouse decided that those miners who did not belong to a union, sympathised with those who did, so were not eligible for help.

Food in the workhouse was set by the main Poor Law Board and was just enough to keep you alive. Later there were dietary changes so on Sundays you got meat and potatoes for lunch instead of rice and treacle. You had to wear what can only be called a uniform and you all went to church on Sunday in that uniform so everyone could see that you were poor and in the workhouse. What does this remind you of?

I found a case in 1915 where two young children born in Germany of a German father and an English mother. The mother had returned to England with the children who were born in Germany but she had died and the two children went into the workhouse. The Guardians thought that it should be possible to deport the young children back to Germany. 1915 was the time of the first world war and Germany was not the place to send young children. Did they have no compassion? All they thought about was the cost of providing for these young children.

As for those who were ‘mentally defective’, the words used by those in charge, they were sorted into different types or classes and kept to their own class. Many were sent to what became known as colonies where they lived separate from the normal world.

Has our world changed? I look at what is going on around me and think that we are going backwards not forwards. What do you think?

 

Compassion, support and understanding

There has only been one thing heading the news this week, the refugee crisis in Europe. I shall probably get some flak for this blog. I have already had some on my Facebook page regarding links I have put there. We talk about refugees and economic migrants so think about this. Do you or do you know someone who has moved house to get their child in a better school or moved to a different town to get a better job? Have you lived or do you know someone who has lived in a war zone?

I remember the war and the bombs and the devastation caused. I remember people having to move to find new homes. I also remember when I was at school and one day several Ugandans joined us. There have always been refugees and they are all over the world not just coming to Europe.

As a druid I have compassion for these people. I have not walked a mile in their shoes but the media photos give me some idea of the conditions some of them lived in. But I have been on the verge of being homeless several times in my life, once when my children were quite small so I know how that feels. I know about the feelings of insecurity, the feelings of where do I go next and so on.

People who are running away from their ruined homes need help, support and compassion. Do we put keeping our material assets against being human and helping others?  It was good to see the welcome given yesterday to those entering Germany. tI was better than that given in other countries where potential immigrants from Indonesia and surrounding islands are cooped up in a prison like environment on an island away from the mainland.

These are people we are talking about, human beings just like us but in dire straits and needing help. What are you doing about it? It is a long and winding road travelled by us all not just the refugees.

Compassion

Earlier this week I posted a question on Facebook. What has happened to compassion? But what is compassion? The free dictionary describes it as ‘Deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.’

There are so many disasters in our current world and I wonder if that is why people have lost their compassion for others. Have we become immune to what is going on around us? I am not just thinking of earthquakes and mass drownings of refugees trying to escape death but also thinking about what is happening in our cities and towns. Have those of us with enough or more than enough forgotten how to share with those who don’t have enough? I am not rich moneywise but I try to help others in some way especially those in need.  Items I no longer need can be given to someone who can use them including those tins of food in the cupboard. I feel it is right to share and help those less fortunate. If they are begging on the street, there is a reason why this is happening? We need to look at the reasons behind poverty if we are going to do something about it. We cannot stop earthquakes but we can have compassion for those caught up in them and help in whatever way we can even though we are thousands of miles away. We can try to find solutions for countries that are in turmoil but while this is going on we can have compassion for those caught up in the turmoil.

Do you have compassion? If so, let your compassion grow like the plants in the garden.