Let's choose to be hopeful this Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox this year is highly unusual.  In addition to the rarest solar eclipse for the last 334 years (and one that the UK will not see again until 2090), we have a supermoon - one that looks larger than usual because it is so close to the earth.

Solar eclipses have been viewed with apprehension in the past across many different cultures, but maybe we're best off regarding it as a great mystery, and just part of the magic of our wonderful universe.

This year in the Northern hemisphere spring seems to have been a long time coming, there has been little sun and the trees are still largely leafless. 

Fortunately there are primroses to make us feel hopeful that it's not far off!

Spring always makes us feel more optimistic, and it certainly feels as if we need more hope in our world today.  All around us we seem to be surrounded by crises of one kind or another, whether it's the rise of terrorism, the economic challenges we face, the environmental disasters which changing weather patterns are bringing, the ever-growing gap between rich and poor, the lack of trust, the fear,  the loneliness and the depression that seem ever more prevalent.

Two years ago I published Wake Up and Hear the Thunder: Finding Hope in a Hopeless World.  The crises are still pretty much the same, but the message of my book remains as valid as ever - we have to change our ways, we have to change ourselves!

The good news is that many people are!!

Buy the book and read about all the wonderful things that are happening all over the world.  The shift in consciousness has begun.

Winter Solstice 2014

The Winter Solstice traditionally celebrates the returning of the light in the Northern Hemisphere.  The short dark days of winter now begin to lengthen once again.  The Christian festival also celebrates light - the light of hope coming into the world.

In the Southern Hemisphere where I'm celebrating Christmas this year I'm conscious of the extraordinary quality of the light and the warmth of high summer.

Wherever we are, the annual reminder of light coming into the world to redeem us is a message that we need to hear in our fear-filled times.  Hope for a better future for all is not an empty one.  There are many indications of a gradual transition towards a world of greater understanding, tolerance, compassion and co-operation.

If you want to read more about a future that looks very different from the one we constantly hear about from the media, then take a look at my most recent book, Wake Up and Hear the Thunder: Finding Hope in a Hopeless World, available from Amazon and from this website.

May your own celebrations for the season be filled with joy and love, and may we all move together in the direction of greater peace and understanding in 2015.

Spring is here!

Soft green hue of leaf unfurling, delicate colours of early flowers, clear water reflecting sky and trees.

The flow of life seduces us, we feel new energy and are ready for new projects.  It's an expansive time, and all things seem possible.  We have the opportunity to create the life we want, particularly if we use our imagination and stay true to a vision that is beyond just what we would like for ourselves.

I've just returned from a month in India.  A yoga retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas has strengthened my resolve to spend more of my time practising yoga and meditation.  The thrilling pilgrimage that I made to many sacred sites - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Moslem -  has enriched my understanding of different religious traditions.

Coming home in springtime is a delight.  I marvel at the freshness after the heat and dust, and feel gratitude for the many blessings in my life.

Now I'm ready to embark on my new writing project.  I will have to be disciplined as I have only nine months to complete my new book.  But I recognize that it is also a privilege to spend my time in this way, as well as tending my garden.  One activity perfectly balances the other.

I hope all my friends and acquaintances feel the excitement of new possibilities this springtime.  May any challenges you face be opportunities to learn and grow, and may peace and harmony surround you.

PS  For those of you who haven't followed my mini-travelogue on Facebook, here's the link for the 6-minute video of my trip, put together by my friend Colin Stump -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBu8wdmzruo&feature=youtu.be

               NOVEMBER 2013  autumn into winter...and the light of hope


It's that time of year again when sunlight is diminishing (at least in the Northern hemisphere).  After the most glorious summer and a bountiful autumn, winter is once again with us, and the darkness and cold have returned.

The great end of year festivals - Divali, Eid, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, the Winter Solstice and Christmas - are all about light and hope, gratitude and sharing.

Darkness and cold pervade our world metaphorically, as well as physically  - of that we are only too well aware.  The seasons remind us of the unending cycles of birth, flourishing, fullness and death - the pattern for all that exists.  As surely as the darkness descends and wraps itself around us, so too the light always returns, a mere candle-flicker to begin with, until it enfolds us in a glorious brightness and warmth.

None of us can be certain as to why suffering exists but it appears to be a necessary prerequisite to being in this world.  So long as there is life, there is hope, and the possibility of understanding.

The lights of the end of year festivals remind us of the eternal light which is never extinguished, no matter the depth of the darkness.

May all take comfort in the lights of the festivals, and hope for better times, and may those of us who are fortunate, count our blessings, share what we have, and be hopeful about the future for all.

SPRING AT LAST!

Here we are, well past the Spring Equinox, but only just beginning to feel warmer.  Sure  the days have been lengthening but cold winds have prevailed, and after a long hard winter we're all longing for some sunshine!

I lost my Mother this winter.  At the time of deepest snow she left her body, so Spring's arrival is particularly poignant for me this year.  I think of her every day as I go out into the garden - she so loved her own garden in her final years, before a nursing home became inevitable.  Her death was a humbling experience for many reasons, but I am left with a sense of peace after her passing and gratitude for what she gave me.

Now each day seems more precious than ever.  And living in the moment seems to be very natural.  What point in worrying about what lies ahead or regretting the past.  None at all.  My woodland garden is full of primroses.  They have withstood the buffeting winds and seem to me a symbol of hope.  As ever, the world and it's clamour are there, but beauty is all around us if only we open our eyes.  The world is full of miracles if negative thinking and doubt don't get in the way.  We may not be able to change what life throws at us, but we can change our response to it. 

So let's be positive about the long hot summer that may well lie ahead.  At the very least there will be some quintessentially English summer days which will put a smile on our faces!

New Year 2013

Celebration is such an important aspect of life.  Since time immemorial we humans have come together to give thanks for the abundance that surrounds us.

Perhaps it was easier for  men and women of earlier times, who were so connected to nature, to celebrate and be grateful for the simple everyday joys of existence.  We, in our relentless pursuit of success and material wellbeing, are less mindful of the virtue of celebration of the ordinary.

However, the great festivals of our calendars give us reason to rejoice and remember how blessed we are.  At the turning point of the year celebration is an opportunity once again to be thankful for what has been good about the year, and to be mindful of our intentions for the year to come.

This NewYear may well turn out to be a landmark one for us all.  We are moving through an era of great change.  All over the world a revolution is taking place, a shift in consciousness - one which we can welcome and celebrate.  We can be filled with hope as we look towards the future- hope that a more enlightened era lies ahead.

So let's celebrate this New Year and resolve to be the change we want to see in the world.  Let's try to be kinder to one another, and to play our part in creating a world that is more co-operative, more peaceful, more just, and more sustainable for everyone.

A happy New Year to All!

Winter Solstice 2012

The Xmas cards are written and posted, the presents bought (but not yet wrapped) and the house is decorated and ready to welcome family and friends.

Time to reflect on the year that's almost over and to wonder about the new one ahead.  There is a reason for the season!

At the heart of winter we have the coming of the light.

This Winter Solstice is a special one. 21.12.2012 sees not just the ending of one great cycle of the Mayan Calendar, but also the completion of an even bigger astronomical cycle, the Precession of the Equinoxes.  The sun now converges with the exact centre-line of the Milky Way - the Galactic Alignment.  Big stuff!

What might these complex cycles signify?  Certainly not the end of the world as some have chosen to believe.  That has more to do with their own fear than anything else.  However, we certainly seem to be living through challenging times, and maybe the various apocalyptic prophecies are best regarded as wake-up calls.

A dramatic change in the way we live seems vital, whether we are talking about the violence within our society, inequality and injustice or climate change.  All around us the old structures seem to be disintegrating and the institutions are no longer respected.  Above all we face a crisis of consciousness.  We are at a cosmic tipping point where a significant minority of people who have long been calling for the need to change becomes a critical mass.  Our civilization is not about to break down, but instead to break through to a new level of consciousness.  It's time for transformation on a galactic scale!

There is much we can all do - we are not powerless to change our culture. We can make our voices heard, we can build a different world through compassion and co-operation, with each one of us being a shining light in the darkness.  Let's make the Shift happen.  Help to spread light and love this season - and have a wonderful celebratory time!