The Winter Solstice

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”  William Blake

The winter solstice is generally celebrated on the 21st December, although the astronomical date changes from year to year.  This is the longest night of the year and, symbolising the rebirth of the divine spirit of life, it has been a time of celebration since prehistoric times, with religious and social festivities across all cultures.  Ancient people considered the winter solstice, also known as Yule, as a very important time.   Christmas Day is celebrated at the end of this period .  

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The Company of Trees

I used to visit a friend, Doris, when she was living in a care home and I’d often find her sitting by the window, with a view of an ash tree across the way.  She loved that tree and often said that she admired its strength.  Once I showed Doris a slideshow of photos that I’d taken in autumn, while out walking in an ancient wood. 

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Personal and Planetary

”We can unite in one mind, as citizens of planet earth.”
Masuru Emoto

Ever since I connected with the work of Carol Lamb, energy alignment and meditation has been key to my life and work.   I was taught the Emerald Alignment, a simple method of aligning the energy field.  

I was also taught an accessible method of meditation, breathing through the bands of the energy field, releasing anxiety and connecting to positive flow.  Meditations are then completed with an Emerald Alignment, bringing the whole energy field into balance.

Here you may listen to a meditation incorporating the Emerald Alignment

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The King of the Waters

Some years ago, I worked on a project at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, researching into ten particular trees, one of which was the alder.

Recently, I was walking along the local canal in the autumn sunshine and stopped at one of the locks to rest my aching feet.  As I leaned on the wooden arm, I recalled two nuggets of information.

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The Song of the Sunflower

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.  It’s what sunflowers do.”  
Helen Keller

I will always remember walking in an enormous field of sunflowers, which towered over me and I stood for a long time, bathing in the golden glow.  I was mesmerized by the velvety petals, the intricate patterns of the seeds and the buzzing of the bees.  The huge sunflower heads were like a sea of faces, radiating brightness and warmth. The song of the sunflower filled the whole landscape and kept me lingering there throughout the afternoon.

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Wild Rose

Bright pink against a grey wall, the wild rose is resilient, offering its delicate beauty in unexpected places and bringing a message of hope.

I was travelling to an appointment and as the train approached the city station, it came to a halt.  We passengers shifted in our seats, sighed and then resigned ourselves to being neither here nor there but in a kind of limbo.  I looked out of the window at the grubby sidings with piles of broken stone, rusting metal and rubbish.

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Rays of Peace ~ Global Meditation

RAYS of PEACE is a project connecting individuals all over the globe to a weekly meditation focus. Distance is no object here! Wherever we are in the world, we can join together and focus a collective energy of peace through meditation.   

Rays of Peace provides a new focus each week, inviting all to meditate, ideally at the quarters of the clock ~ 3, 6, 9 or 12 – am or pm, in our own local time.  In this way, we can provide a wave of positive energy, assisting those in need around the world. 

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The Gift

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Albert Einstein

When we meditate, we bring ourselves a gift.  Life brings up many questions and all of the answers to the questions lie within ourselves.  First of all, we need to be willing to stop and to turn within.   Then we can learn to look, listen, and trust.  The word trust comes from the Old Norse ‘traust’, which held the meaning of ‘strong’.

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