What happened to compassion, support and understanding?

I have noticed this week that many people are angry, so much so that they take it out on others. They get abusive and make nasty horrendous comments about people and events that they don’t know or didn’t go to. Why are they like this? It is getting more noticeable each day and I wonder where we are going to end up with it all. Social media has a lot to answer for.

A couple of years ago I shared a poem and a few words of explanation on a Druid social media group. Now as a druid myself I understand that respect for others is important and I would never abuse anyone for what they might have written or said, even if I didn’t agree. However, some did not like my poem and started to question me and my way of thinking and it quickly became very abusive. I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. I know now that I could have stopped more comments but didn’t know that then. One particular woman, a quite prominent UK druid actually said she had enjoyed all the nasty comments that had been made by her and others. I couldn’t believe that druids would behave like this. I left the group and no longer attend events as I am still scarred by it all.

So this weeks news about two people in the news being abused and and hassled on social media brought it all back. What is wrong with people who have to always denigrate something or someone and hurl abuse all the time? Often they do not know what really happened but just seem to jump on the bandwagon.

Some years ago I wrote about compassion, support and understanding in one of my blog posts. I was talking about refugees then and that still applies. There are many out there who only ever seem to think about themselves, what they want and what they think others should not have or do. The press and all kinds of media take advantage of this kind of thinking and whip up hatred quite quickly. How have we allowed this to happen? What can we do about it?

Emotional times and hope

August has always been a difficult time for me emotionally for various reasons. Grief is foremost at that time even though those I grieve for may have passed over twenty years ago. There is also a deep sadness at their loss knowing what they could have achieved if still here. But these things are meant to be and you learn to live with their loss. It does get easier generally but there are times when I feel as if it was yesterday and the emotions run high.

As an empath, world events affect me daily and again I feel a deep sadness over recent events. I don’t feel anger as that would lead nowhere but I do feel this sadness at what has been happening all over the world. However I do have hope.

I have done a lot of reading and a lot of listening and I understand, and this is my point of view, that we all need to find our spiritual connection to the earth. We need to feel the earth beneath our feet, listen to what she is saying to us, listen to the trees and the animals that live on our planet. If we listen carefully then we can hear them and learn to do what they ask of us. It is quite simple really. Find that connection and the understanding that everything on our planet is connected in one way or another. You only have to think about what I was taught at school about the food chain and see how each species is connected to another species. We are the human species and we are connected to all the other species in some way or another. Find that deep contentment that comes from being in nature. Let your emotions flow into the earth to be healed and find joy amongst the trees and plants and the many insects some of whom have wonderful colours.

There is joy out there if you go outside and search. I find joy in the simple things like sitting on a seat overlooking a local lake and watching the birds on the water and seeing the dragonflies flitting about. Being by water is good for the emotions especially flowing water or the sea. It cleanses and heals too. So forget your anger and hate and go and find the joy outside in our wonderful natural world.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

 

 

 

Friendship

Friendship and its varied meanings has been on my mind this week. There are so many different layers to a friendship. There is affection, sympathy and empathy, mutual understanding, enjoyment of each others company, trust, the ability to be oneself without fear of being judged and so on.

I find I have a very few close friends with whom I can share all the above characteristics but I also have friends who are more like acquaintances. I have ‘friends’ on sites such as Facebook who can and do offer support when needed even if it is only words of encouragement and virtual hugs. But these play their part too.

For me friendship is a two-way thing. I like to think that I can offer many of the things mentioned above, like support, understanding and empathy even though I cannot do practical things. When you get older friendship becomes more important especially if you cannot get out to meet people as you did when younger. Friendships should be valued and when a friendship wavers then things should be done to put it right. Like most things in life, you get out of a friendship what you put in. I am thankful for my friends.

Do you value your friends and what they offer you? And what do you offer them in return?