Louis and Me - "We Two Kings"

A couple of weeks ago I bought a lovely little crib with painted figures for Louis. It will be his first Christmas so it seemed a good idea at the time. When I got home and unwrapped it I noticed one of the figures was missing. I rang the shop to explain the situation. As it's coming up to Christmas time I thought I would explain the problem in song, so I said to the owner that I had been into the shop earlier and had purchased some goods but there was a problem with them, so I said, "I'm just going to sing a song to you which will give you a clue as to the problem. There was a big pause and the woman on the other end of the phone said "Oh, right" and then discretely whispered to someone else in the shop, (I heard it so it wasn't that discrete), something like "oh dear, its going to be one of those days, I can just tell". Anyway I proceeded to take in a deep breath before singing "We two kings of orient are, bearing gifts etc., etc. After this impromptu carol, I then asked her if she had any clues about the problem with the goods I'd bought earlier? At this point she laughed, with some relief and said, "oh, yes, I remember you buying the crib this morning". She was really apologetic and said I could return the crib and a full refund would be given, but added that unfortunately this was the last crib in stock, therefore it couldn't be replaced. I asked her if she had a spare king anywhere lying around but alas none were to be found, a store full of Christmas goods, but the place was completely "kingless"! A kind friend, with artistic talents is now making a new king for Louis' crib. Thank goodness, Louis and me will be able to sing the original carol for his first Christmas now.

Journeys

It's cold and dark outside today as I leave the warmth of the house. At 7.15am, the blackened sky is changing as night ice melts into newly forming puddles on the road. Morning is always a favourite time as winter approaches. Even so I'm transported back to those magical mornings in Cyprus only a month ago. Arriving for meditation and prayers at 5 each morning, the 'connection' and watching the different sunrises of 6 new days and how can I forget breakfasting on pomegranites, split open and piled into baskets, fresh from the tree! I cross the road at the bridge and gaze at the river just below. An English morning sky is in indigo transition, then sliding to pastel blue and the glorious pink-yellow sun smiles through magenta clouds. Soon it will be light. The garden looks so different. Time for porridge!

"Living and Being"

We all meet up together on wednesday evenings for this new course in spiritual awakening and development. This group is very special, so interested and naturally loving. There's 'big' work going on here. Our theme for this evening was "Expressing Ourselves in the World". We began with a discussion about Mercury and its function within the natal chart, following this up by exploring each of our Mercury 'placements' to gain more understanding of how this important planet influences our style of communication and operates in our lives. The exercise was so revealing. Two of the group had watched the "Tuesdays With Morrie" video and were sharing how much they'd loved it. We did some follow up on the Cosmic Ordering exercise from the previous week with some very interesting feedback and positive results.
This week is National Tree Week and The Tree Council is organising lots of "Tree" awareness events up and down the country. On my trip out with Louis this morning we walked through the woods for about 2 miles, well, he was in his pushchair observing and I was walking! The air was damp but I'd wrapped my scarf around him for extra insulation. He is so observant. He enjoys counting the trees and loves watching the leaves fall. On the way home we walked through an underpass. He just loves going through it. I stand at one end calling his name and he sits at the other end laughing when he hears the echo. The other day I was singing and dancing for him and he was really loving it. My only slight embarrasment was a passer by ( I hadn't really noticed due to being so absorbed in the moment), who walked past us smiling discretely, with her head bowed down.

All the Leaves were Brown and The Sky was Grey

Managed to get back into the garden early this morning. I love the garden at this time of year, most of the perennials have died or are in the process of dying and the soil's darkening surface is almost covered in a chocolate coloured blanket of fallen, dead leaves. Over time their autumnal beauty will diminish as they begin to break down and their rotting away begins. Heraticlus said "Nature loves to hide", but She will continue with her work on them until the transformation process is complete and their gift of an abundance of nutrients is repaid to the earth. After a heavy rainfall during the night, the river was swollen and had risen considerably during the course of the day. Its energy seems to change so rapidly from a flat shining stillness into that liquid-grey gushing turbulence, like some sort of upside down rainy November sky. So here I stayed, working in this cold, damp and quiet space for three hours. By the time I'd finished, the hunger pangs had begun so a warm bowl of porridge, laced with some local honey and topped with chopped dried apricots went down a treat!

Returning

We made a special visit today, to see someone in the family who is approaching the end of life. Even though this man is in good spirits and warmly welcomes us as we arrive, I notice how his very delicate situation brings up all the old "stuff" inside me, about losing someone close. I watch her hold her father's hand so gently and he strokes it, there's such tenderness and love in their presence with each other. And in my witnessing, all sorts of memories come flooding back, some so overwhelming that I mentally remind myself to pull myself together. I look away then gaze at the neatly cut squares of carrot cake in the open tin, as if to sweeten the painful memories of loss in my life. In this moment I'm returning, to learn once again about respecting and appreciating the beauty and majesty of this precious human life, meditating on the one thing that holds it all together, love.
Love never dies. Isn't that a line from one of my favourite books, "Tuesdays with Morrie"? If ever there's a book to read about real love before we die, I think it must be that one. Alongside Shakespeare's Hamlet, I think there were some significant writings I was destined to read in this lifetime.
After our visit we walk by the sea, a gentle stroll together on this bright and windy November day. We talk about endings in our own lives as children growing up, losing parents , then step-parents and how we managed to stay afloat in those great big seas of sadness so many moons ago. And then we smile and shiver in the afternoon late autumn breeze as we talk about candy floss, Punch and Judy and those long, eternal days of summer, playing for hours on this beach we are looking at right now in front of us. On the way back to the car we recall the "Lost Childrens" tent from childhood days and share how glad we were, as children, never to have had to have been 'reclaimed' there, all those years ago.
Today, I count all my blessings.

Angels and Wizards

Is it really friday already? I spent this afternoon at our youngest son's and partner's place on the other side of the town, putting in the first of the lavender plants in the herb garden. The sun was so strong and I pottered away, completely unaware of time, in the cold late autumn sunlight. Even though its late, I managed to plant tiny Iris, Crocus and huge daffodil bulbs. The soil had become compacted since late summer so it needed a little bit of work on it before setting the different bulbs. I was surprised to see the most beautiful display of pink and purple pelargoniums, held as a snapshot in the sunny afternoon air. We've had one or two early frosts of late but these little gems have escaped having flowers and leaves nipped to date.
Where has the week gone I'm wondering? Yesterday and the day before I was with Louis from early morning till after dark. We had some fun during our two days together. He is growing so fast and seems to becoming so much more observant. He watches everything going on around him with interest. I'm becoming more adept at feeding time too, less food over Louis and me and more going directly into his mouth. He is enjoying the new finger puppet activity, featuring me singing "Five Currant Buns in the Baker's Shop". He's also starting to roll over onto his tummy more on the playmat, although he tends to find it a little frustrating after a while and asks for help to get sorted out. Yesterday I played my new Krishna Das CD for him which he really liked, those mantras are so calming and great chants to move to! He's a little angel!
Tuesday was a wonderful day too, meeting up with a great friend for a few hours. He went to have a new electric guitar altered he's just purchased. This friend is a wizard guitar player and has a singing voice to match. When he was discussing what needed doing with the man at the guitar workshop, I couldn't understand a word they were talking about!, another language altogether it seemed, it was a bit like being back at the centre in Cyprus a few weeks ago! All in all, it was a magical day, we had so much 'catching up' to do, as a lot has happened since we last met up. We found a quiet, warm coffee shop out of the wind and had time to put the world right as well as enjoying a good laugh together about our respective journeys through this amazing life we are living!
I finally got my newsletter sorted http://www.heartways.co.uk/ It seems to have taken me some time to put it together as I've been really busy over the past few weeks. The thing is, its trying to remember the stuff that's been going on since the summer - that's such a long time away!
An angel who lives nearby helped me with inserting the photos alongside the text, he is an absolute wizard with technology. We need wizards in our life. Angels are also great blessings too. In my experience, wizards and angels are all around us in life, just waiting to help out, whenever we wish to call on them. They always respond!

Clearing the Way

My early morning journey took longer than anticipated as I followed a slow moving tractor along the long and winding road towards town. I thanked the Universe for the reminder to slow down and be mindful of patience during my day today. Slowing down gave an opportunity to really take in the beautiful early morning sights of a mid November morning. The air temperature had definitely dropped and the miles of hedgerows had been kissed by crystals of frost which sparkled as the yellow sun rose in a chamomile, ice blue sky.
Arriving back home half an hour later I cleared the little patch of ground against the garden path wall. The last of the orange zinnias had been burnt by the morning frosts recently and looked a bit worse for wear. The purple sweet peas still remain, although most were transported to my workshop for saturday. I need my flowers when I'm teaching. They are a reminder to be grounded and that all learning comes from a remembrance of our Source. Rosemary was placed on each person's chair before the event began. We grow and we change and we flower.
The bed was cleared and I removed some of the exisiting soil to other areas of the garden as a top cover around the perennials for this time of year. Some fresh compost was toppled into the exisiting bed for thw earthworms to work on and this will be left to settle for a couple of days. By that time the earth will be ready to receive the wallflower plants I've been looking after for the past week and a half at the back of the house. I trust that over the next few weeks, their roots will have time to establish themselves in the new beds and by spring the pathway to the house will be lined with a blaze of colour and heavenly sent scent!

"Being You, Being True"

Yesterday I spent the day with 25 special souls who came along to take part in a special workshop to learn more about the Truth of being. I felt blessed to be in the company of so many interested and sincere seekers of truth, learning so much from each of them during our day together. The team arrived early at our secret location to set up for the day ahead. It was a cold, bright morning following the New Moon in Scorpio and the remaining leaves of a fading autumn cascaded from the clouded skies, as we drove to the venue. In the main room, chairs were carefully arranged in a circle and blessed with incense and rosemary before participants arrived. The window table was filled with bowls of holy water containing tiny pressed autumn leaves and chinese lanterns from the gardens of a friend. This space would facilitate an opening sacred ceremony for the day as each participant created their unique individual connection with the four elements of fire, earth, air and water. Refreshments and food, which had been so lovingly prepared, offered and blessed were transferred from cars to the large kitchen. Tiny homemade sweets, dotted with pistchios and violets, then offered to Lakshmi were placed in the fridge until afternoon tea time. Our reception area by the entrance was transformed for the day - as rows of tea light candles and vases of Iris were placed on the mantelpiece of the huge cold stone fireplace and the table of stars. As guests began to arrive, they were greeted and given their symbols for the day and as they moved into the refeshments room, we began our prayers and meditations in the main hall. Curtains were closed and candles were lighted. As Sagittarius was rising, "Jupiter" was selected from Holst's Plants, as we opened the door and invited everyone to take their sacred place in this newly formed circle of light and truth. The journey to the Sun has begun, on a limitless course towards the universal season. Hari om and Godspeed.

Friendship, "the fast root in my heart".

This should have been my second weekend in year two at the seminary. My thoughts were with my sisters and brothers there. I really missed them this weekend, with some sadness about my decision to leave. I recalled the friends I'd really connected with during my year on the programme, such beautiful, life affirming souls. I kept thinking of our funny lunchtime gatherings, sitting on the benches in the square, laughing, crying and sharing stories of this amazing journey through the beautiful Cosmos. But it was time to go, I know it was time to go.

We arrived in darkness at our cottage in the Lakes on friday evening. Our friends, special friends for many moons, had arrived a couple of hours beforehand, in the daylight. We were warmly greeted by them from the hot tub in the garden! After a long drive it was wonderful to change, soak in the bubbles and spend some easy time 'catching up' on our lives.
The next day the sun stayed with us in a clear blue sky, with only a slight breeze to shift those remaining copper coloured leaves from their branches - the whole place was a picture.
Memories of the weekend - loving friends both near and far, the hot tub and the cool air, the beauty of the changing landscape, lots of fresh air, walks, cooking fresh food and tasting some lovely wines, coversations over coffee and rich, dark organic chocolate cake!, Grizedale Forest walks and Hawkeshead revisited. I love this little quote, taken from a book given to me by one of my friends at the weekend "Friendship is the fast root in my heart, it is like a white rose in the wilderness" (Peig Sayers)

Remembrance of Lefke

I've just returned from Lefke. What beauty I encountered there. A place of love. Meeting so many souls of pure devotion. Each morning at 4.00am I left my bed, showered, then set off on a short walk in the moonlight of a starry sky, a short way to the centre. Passing the gnarled olive trees and along that main street, jasmines, like tiny white stars tumbled over walls kissing the air with their unforgettable fragrance. Magenta bougainvillea, mimosa, orange and lemon trees lined the walkway to the heart place. We began our prayers at 5.00am and chanted till dawn, then shared split-jewelled pomegranites, hot sweet tea and stories.
Later, into the garden I went to smell the secret rose, another doorway to the unseen, the invisible and divine Oneness, a tasting of the most sacred Sweetness and here I was, arriving, absorbed in the warmth and the majesty of beauty of it all.