Shifts in consciousness

This week I feel I have seen a some little shifts in consciousness around me and within me. Shifts in consciousness involve opening up to aspects of our being that we have hidden away. I suspect that really I have just got back to where I was earlier in my life but have deepened what I already know and do.

I have had a busy week meeting friends for the first time in over a year. I have had discussions about healing energies, past lives and other similar themes. I have been out in nature as well and have noticed more of the tiny insects that are out there. I have been chanting in the mornings, something I have not done for a long time. I feel more at peace and even more at one with the natural world than I have before. So is this a shift in consciousness?

I think it is although I am not really seeing things in a different way but in a more deeper way. I have loved to see the different kinds of insects in their environments and learn what they eat and how they live. I feel all of this is important as we learn about the connection between everything that lives including plants and the land itself. Without understanding this connection we cannot change anything and change is important as long as it is the right change.

On another level but still connected I decided to spend a lot of money on good shoes. My feet are deformed and walking is painful but I know of a shoe company that produces the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. If I want to do a lot of walking in woods and around lakes then I need comfortable shoes. I have already noticed the difference. As I walk better and without pain I am able to notice more of what is going on around me. And that is all good.

A new day

What a beautiful morning it is. The sun is shining, the blue sky is dotted with small white clouds, the dew is sparkling on the grass and the plumage of the starling is stunning. I stood for some time by my open window breathing in the fresh air and letting the new day soothe me. I noticed a red kite high in the sky soaring then swooping to catch its prey. What a wonderful world it is!

What more could I want or need I thought. But there is much I would like to see in our world. I want to see people going out and about enjoying the natural world around them. I want them to talk to each other, to hug and embrace and to share both good and bad. I want to see an end to war but we don’t seem to learn from the past as war follows war and then another war somewhere else. I want to see an end to the hatred, the racism, the feeling that we are better than others.

It doesn’t matter where we come from, who we are and how much money we have, we all came from the same source and we must learn to honour each other. We need to show our children the right way to live. Some years ago now I read a book by Kent Nerburn ‘The wolf at Twilight – An Indian Elders Journey through a land of ghosts and shadows.’ In this book the elder named Dan talks about teaching our children by giving them a vision of what is right and wrong, and teaching them to help the weak and that giving things away brings wealth. He also states that we need to let them know that they are an important part of the circle of life and if they do not play their part then no-one else can. We are all part of the circle of life and we are all connected in this circle. We need to remember this connection as we go through our daily lives.

Where do we go from here?

This is the title of a blog I wrote some time ago during the Brexit hysteria in the UK. Most of it is relevant for today so I am reposting this blog with a few edits.

Ignorance breeds hatred and hatred breeds violence as we have often seen. But why do people stay ignorant of the real facts? Mainly this is the fault of the media and various prominent persons who encourage people to hate and look down on others. Some newspapers have admitted in the past that they have distorted the truth or even told lies in order to make sensational headlines. But the number of people who believe these headlines are true is amazing. We need to encourage all people to ‘read between the lines’, to find out what is true and what is just to gain popularity for some kind of cause.

When we learn to discern the truth then we can learn to respect other genuine points of view and learn to live together in peace. At the moment this seems a long way off as so many of our politicians, not just in the UK but in other countries, change the facts to suit their cause whether what they say is true or incites hatred of others. Then they wonder why violence occurs.

We had come so far in our society, understanding that colour and creed and sexuality are not the important things but that we are all human beings living on the same planet and should all have the same opportunities in life. But this week I think that what happened in America shamed the whole world. I look at what is going on in my own country as well and wonder if we are being brainwashed in some way. Have we lost our power of perception so that we do not see the truth around us? Where do we go from here? It is time to reflect on our path forward, to connect with the natural world around us and to join together to bring peace to our world.

Deep within the still centre 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.

The joy of being outdoors

I started to walk a short distance a couple of weeks ago and after walking each day I can now walk a bit further and get into my local country park. What joy to be out there! There is so much space and I connect to Mother Earth via my feet and look up at the sky. The trees are green, the birds are singing and the small river/stream is burbling away. I am so lucky to be able to do this as there are many who do not have that pleasure because of where and how they live.

I love the space and always have done. I hate being confined and I do not like lifts or elevators as they are called in other countries. It took me around 50 years to discover why I did not like to be in small spaces. But doing some work on the emotional ties connecting me to my mother I realised that this hate of confined spaces was because I was born during the war and my mother would not go into the bomb shelter but huddled in the space under the stairs. I remember this space well and it was not very big. So there was my mother huddling while pregnant and then after my birth I was taken into the space with her. No wonder I don’t like confined spaces.

But back to my walks in the park. There are the joggers and the dog walkers all keeping the distancing as required but we nod greetings to each other as we pass. I love to stand by the old stone bridge and watch the stream rippling away in the sunshine. I have seen thrushes which I don’t get in the garden and squirrels playing in the trees. It is so good for me to be out there and any depression I may have soon lifts. It is well known that being outdoors is good for mental health. I have chatted with friends this week keeping our distance as required but we have had some interesting discussions about our new world which is on the way.

I shall continue my walks as long as I can and enjoy the open space and clean fresh air. I am looking forward to when I can see the demoiselle damselflies which can usually be found by the stone bridge. I keep looking but they haven’t hatched out yet.

I hope you are able to get out into some green open spaces, they are so good for you.

Summer Solstice!

At last the Solstice is here and so is the sun this morning. There has not been much sighting of the sun recently in the area in which I live so to see it this morning is a lovely surprise. I was up early, not for the sunrise but early enough to catch the dew on the grass and plants.

So today is the longest day when the sun reaches its highest in the sky. For me it is a time for a deep connection with the land and all that lives on it, the plants, the insects, the birds and the small mammals.

I recently visited a small wood where I have always enjoyed the beauty in the wood. It was tiny and quite young but always had a real feeling of connection with spirit. Last week when I visited I was  shocked to see brown earth and destruction between a huge part of this tiny wood. One side was still as it had been in the past with cow parsley and bluebells and birdsong. The rest was brown and silent. I retreated and went into the cafe on the site and asked for a pot of tea. I then made a comment about the state of the wood, asking if they had been cutting back the undergrowth. I was told it had been sprayed and that only the fact that there was a bird nesting in the other part had stopped the spraying of that part also. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was speechless and extremely sad that someone could do this, not understanding the deep connection between everything in the wood. (I have done something about this wood)

This deep connection with nature is so much a part of me and my druidry and I wish that every one had the same deep connection. If we all had this, then the world would be a different place. Nature is amazing and my photo this week is of a flower that I find very delicate but beautiful. Please think about your trees and garden and try to understand how it is all connected. Happy Solstice!

Starting the day

I love the early mornings. It is often still and peaceful and it is so uplifting to watch the sun rise. This morning was such a morning, still, peaceful and easy to connect with all that is.

I have a morning ritual and have done this ritual in different forms for many years. Some days I just welcome the new day, another time I welcome the sun and the warmth and light it brings. On wet days I give thanks for the rain as it is generally needed to water the earth and enable the plants to grow. Other times I may welcome each direction in turn thanking them for the gifts they bring. Another way I sometimes use is to thank Mother Earth and Father Sky and offer them tobacco. Whatever I do, my day seems brighter and I am more able to cope with whatever life throws at me. The short time of stillness and connection stays with me throughout the day.

Do you have morning rituals? If so, what do you do? If not, why not try it and see if it makes any changes to your life. Here are the trees this morning with the early morning sun shining on them.