Some Random Thoughts

Summer is here again, very hot and sticky weather, thunderstorms, torrential rain and some dull cloudy days. Typical British weather and typical of the British we also complain about the weather. It is too hot, too cold, too windy and so on. It seems as if we are never satisfied.

So today is one of those dull cloudy days with a drizzling of rain. But the rain is good for the garden and enables the plants to grow and also means I don’t have to carry a watering can around to water the flowers.

I lay in bed this morning thinking yet again about choices. As I am retired and live alone I can do what I want when I want so if I wanted to I could stay in bed all day and do nothing. But that is not the kind of person I am. I am a get up and go type of person although I do take time out to relax. But it is my choice to get up, what to have for my breakfast and what to do with the rest of the day. It is my choice to write this blog, to do the filing later and to enjoy reading a new book and the latest family history magazine.

Obviously when I have appointments with the dentist and the osteopath my choices are defined but I also make a choice to go and visit these people. Life is all about choices. The choices we make, define us at that point in time. Some choices we make might be good ones while others may not be as good but we make these choices and they give us our path to follow.

Many years ago now I chose to follow a druidic path with a dash of Native American ideas within it. I chose to learn about Reiki and other stuff such as astrology and numerology. These choices have defined my life ever since and I still make choices about what else to learn about, what to read about and whether to become more involved in some of these things. I believe that we learn something new each day in one way or another and that does seem true. Recently I have learned more about insects and also learned more about how vaccines are produced. I have a thirst for knowledge of one kind or another. I think that is a very good thing but others might not agree with me. There is a saying something like better the devil you know than the one you don’t know. So I learn as much as I can about things that interest me even if that interest does not last long. I don’t think I’m unique in this but I do get funny looks sometimes!

How amazing is the natural world?

I spend some time every week out in a nature reserve somewhere with my son and there is always something that fascinates me. This week it was the Brimstone butterfly. I have known for some time that it lays its eggs in buckthorn. We were watching a female brimstone on Thursday fluttering around the hedge in a local reserve. It went from one to another then found one to settle on and lay an egg. She flew off and flew around before coming back to another similar branch of buckthorn. Now what fascinates me is this – how did she know which branches were buckthorn? Does the branch exude some kind of smell or what?

There are other things about nature that have happened recently, like the frogs and toads going back to where they were spawned. How do they know where to go? We, so-called superior beings, have to use maps or a Satnav to find places yet the humble toad and frog head off crossing roads and fields to get back to where they were born.

In the summer I spend hours watching dragonflies and damselflies during their mating dances and the laying of eggs. I have watched the birds displaying their mating dances too. How fascinating is all of this. They do these things naturally and know what to do and when. How clever they are. We do not understand a lot about our natural world but it fascinates me whether I understand it or not. I feel that we underestimate what animals, birds and insects can do. Photo taken by my son who has given his permission for me to use it here.

Knowledge and understanding

These two words, knowledge and understanding have been on my mind quite a lot during the week. So what is knowledge? Knowledge is about facts, information, skills etc., that have been acquired through education or experience and it is also about being aware of things. Anybody can learn a load of facts by reading or searching the internet but facts alone don’t really mean much at all. Understanding where those facts came from and how they were made is important.

I am a great reader and I am always searching for books to read, many fiction ones but also a lot of non-fiction where I can learn about different places and things. I love to know why people made new machinery or discovered new places to visit. I want to know how things are made and how they are used. I might admire a painting but I want to know why the artist painted that particular landscape or portrait. So for me knowledge and understanding go together.

Knowledge and understanding both appear in the Druids Prayer and with them comes the word justice, but I’ll save justice for another time. But there is a different kind of knowledge that we have, an inner knowledge or knowing when things are right or wrong. Some months ago I was asked a question and I answered but was then asked how did I know. I just know was my response. Deep inside there is another form of knowledge which may come from the past or from other sources as yet unknown.

For many years I knew about auras and how they could be sensed and seen but it is only recently in terms of science, that this kind of thing is becoming fully understood. I always knew about the effect of different colours on my feelings but science took time to work that out. Sometimes I feel that science is now confirming much of what I have known for years but where did my knowledge come from? It came from this inner knowing. What are your thoughts on inner knowing?

Ancestry

As a family history researcher I know a lot about my ancestry. DNA has shown me a lot more as well. Luckily I don’t seem to have any ancestors who rampage in other countries or had slaves or made money from trading in slaves. But not everyone else is so lucky.

Going right back to our origins, we all had a dark skin and it was only as we moved into different climate areas that our skin colour changed to adapt to the climate. Cheddar Man who lived around 9000 years ago had a dark skin.

We are all one and come from the same source and it is time to acknowledge our ancestry whatever it is. I did not study history at school but have learned much more about Great Britain since then. Some of it is not good reading. How can a man live with himself knowing that he had captured natives from another country and sold them as slaves? I suspect it was all about power and money as much of England’s wealth came from slavery. I have researched some slave plantations in Barbados and Jamaica and what I find is heart breaking. When slavery was abolished the owners were compensated for the loss of their slaves and many received thousands of pounds in compensation. Yet the slaves were still not free and served apprenticeships for very little pay.

Today many are looking back at this history and want past injustices seen and heard as well as the injustices of today towards people who are a different colour. Many are beginning to understand that what we were taught in school or read in books and newspapers is not always the truth and these people are now looking to find the truth. This is a good thing. Governments cannot push things under the carpet and hope the public don’t notice. This applies to many other facts ans figures. If you have time to research some of this you can see for yourself how many lies have been told about the past as well as in the present.

The Druids prayer talks about knowledge and justice and the love of all existences. I feel strongly about all three. I know that we are all One, we all share a spark of the divine whatever colour or creed we are. We all come from the same source. Let us treat each other as equals and share love and respect for all.

The joys of nature

The sun is shining and it is quite warm. It makes me feel so much better. This week I have watched a family of plump baby blackbirds  learn to feed themselves getting worms out of the ground and now they have flown off to make new lives for themselves. As blackbirds have more than one brood I suspect the parents are now getting ready for the next brood.

I have also seen a pair of goldcrests which look as if they are nesting close by. They come into the garden several times a day. And there are many butterflies including some orange tipped ones.

There are also lots of other garden birds too and plenty of insects of various kinds. A question posed by my son yesterday has made me do some thinking. How do the butterflies know which plant to lay their eggs on. Some butterflies only lay their eggs on specific plants so how do they know they have the right plant? The more I look at the natural world around me the more I am amazed by it and the more I realise that I don’t know about it.

I’ve also seen quite a few bees which is good. I am trying to make my garden friendly for bees and other insects but it is going to be a long job as I am limited in how long I can work in the garden at one time. But at least I have the joy of sitting and watching what is going on in the garden and that makes me feel very blessed.

Words from the Druids Prayer

I have spent some time this week thinking about the words of the Druid Prayer. Some words stand out clearly, knowledge, justice, truth, love. There are many versions of this prayer but they all have the same intent within them.

At this time in our lives and in our chaotic world, then these words are ones we need to hang on to. I am not sure what order I should put them in as for me they all have equal impact. However, truth and justice are extremely important at the moment. How do we know what the truth about a situation really is? This is where knowledge comes in of course. But don’t take everything you read as being true. So many lies are told nowadays and so many truths altered to make people think differently. Brainwashing was a term used many years ago but it is inherent today. You have only got to look at adverts on the TV.

If we are really spiritually aware and awake then we will have that inner knowing of what is truth and what is a lie. Work on this so you get better at it! So what about justice? There is not much of that about at the moment so we need to make sure it happens in whatever way is right for you. Last week I wrote about protests and the word protect came up as an alternative word. I think this word ‘protect’ fits in here. We need to protect our justice system and make sure it is not contaminated by wrong thought.

Knowledge is something we gain over the years although many of us who go deep inside know that we all have an inner knowledge that can serve us well. Dig deep into your inner self and find that knowledge. You are going to need it.

Love of course is a word often used and misused too. Unconditional love is so important and we need to work at this more. Putting all four words together can make a powerful statement whatever order they are. Let’s concentrate on these words today and all days until the world changes for the better. One word I missed out is understanding but for me they all come together in understanding, and for me understanding is also part of knowledge, truth and justice.

 

 

 

Moving forwards with the light

The shortest day brings the return of the light. Now is the time to look forward and to move forward too. It is time to look at what being a druid really means. For me being a druid is not just about connecting to the natural world but is also about the connection between us all. Every one in the world has that divine spark within them even if they do not know it or acknowledge it. Whatever faith or colour, we are connected even if we disagree about the ways of the world.

Others may not think the same way as I do, they may not agree with what I do, they may hate me for what I am and do. But hating them back is not a good way to go. Gandhi said that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Hating others because they think differently, breeds more hate.

Ancients druids were peacemakers. They had love,understanding, tolerance, compassion, respect and knowledge. These are qualities that I hope I am achieving. It is not easy to stand back some times and avoid the conflict but that is my aim. Getting angry is no good either as that makes more anger and anger is no good for any one.

History is repeating itself again, that is the turmoil in our world. Some are provoking others with their actions. The media are good at this, saying and writing things deliberately to provoke others into anger and hate. If you are strong in your beliefs of fairness, tolerance, respect, compassion and love, then you can withstand these attacks.

May this solstice bring you peace, love, understanding, respect for others, tolerance, compassion and knowledge.